The children frolicked at the water's edge like fish playing among the lotus leaves.
Tips
history
From the Han-dynasty yuefu 《江南》: '江南可采莲，莲叶何田田，鱼戏莲叶间。' Then repeated with east/west/south/north — one of the oldest surviving folk song patterns in Chinese.
usage
戏 here is the classical 'to play/frolic,' not 'drama.' Pronounced xì — same character, older sense.
