Qūyuán chángtàixīyǐyǎntìxī, āimínshēngzhīduōjiān de qínghuái jīntiān yīrán dòngrén.
Qu Yuan's sentiment - heaving long sighs to hide his tears, grieving at the hardness of the people's lives - still moves us today.
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history
From 《离骚》 ('Encountering Sorrow') by Qu Yuan (屈原, Warring States, state of Chu). The full couplet: 长太息以掩涕兮，哀民生之多艰 - 'I heave a long sigh and hide my tears, mourning the many hardships of the people's lives.' The single most-quoted line from Chinese literature's first great lyric poem.
usage
兮 (xī) is an exclamatory particle characteristic of Chu ci (楚辞) poetry - it carries no meaning, only rhythm and emotional release, like a Homeric 'O!'. 太息 = a deep, long sigh (older written form of 叹息).
