'Paulownia blossoms line ten thousand li of Red Mountain road; the young phoenix's call is clearer than the old' - Li Shangyin praises the younger generation's talent.
The young apprentice's Go skill has already surpassed the master's - truly 'the young phoenix's call outshines the old.'
Tips
history
From the late-Tang poet Li Shangyin's 韩冬郎即席为诗相送: 十岁裁诗走马成，冷灰残烛动离情。桐花万里丹山路，雏凤清于老凤声. 韩冬郎 was the boy poet Han Wo, able to write verse at ten. Li Shangyin praises his talent as surpassing that of his father Han Zhan. It became a poetic way of saying the student excels the teacher.
usage
Here 凤 is the classical general term for the phoenix, and 清 means 'clear and resonant,' not 'pure.' It is synonymous with 青出于蓝而胜于蓝 and 长江后浪推前浪. In modern use it praises a junior surpassing a master or a child surpassing a parent.
