夜阑卧听风吹雨

夜闌臥聽風吹雨

yèlánwòtīngfēngchuīyǔ

phrase

Meanings

1 late at night, lying abed, I hear wind driving rain
2 Lu You's line of patriotic insomnia — an old man awake dreaming of battle while storms lash outside

Characters

Examples

出差在外，夜阑卧听风吹雨，忽然想家。

Chūchāi zàiwài, yè lán wò tīng fēng chuī yǔ, hūrán xiǎng jiā.

Away on a business trip — lying awake late at night listening to wind and rain, I suddenly missed home.

台风夜里，他夜阑卧听风吹雨，担心屋顶。

Táifēng yè lǐ, tā yè lán wò tīng fēng chuī yǔ, dānxīn wūdǐng.

During the typhoon night he lay listening to wind and rain, worried about the roof.

Tips

history

From 《十一月四日风雨大作·其二》 by 陆游 (Lu You, Southern Song, 1192), written aged 68: '僵卧孤村不自哀，尚思为国戍轮台。夜阑卧听风吹雨，铁马冰河入梦来.' The bedridden poet dreams he is riding an armored warhorse across frozen rivers — Southern Song patriot archetype.

usage

阑 (lán) here = 'late (into the night)' — same character as 阑珊 (wane, fade). 夜阑 = 'deep into the night.'

Stroke Order

夜 yè

阑 lán

卧 wò

听 tīng

风 fēng

吹 chuī

雨 yǔ