姑苏城外寒山寺

姑蘇城外寒山寺

gūsūchéngwàiHánshānsì

phrase

Meanings

1 outside the walls of Gusu (Suzhou), Hanshan Temple
2 (fig.) a stock poetic locus for autumn-night melancholy and the tolling of temple bells
3 (lit.) Gusu city outside Cold-Mountain Temple

Characters

姑

gū

(姑苏 = old name for Suzhou)

mountain (寒山 = Hanshan, the temple name)

寺

sì

temple

Examples

到苏州旅游，一定要去看看姑苏城外寒山寺。

Dào Sūzhōu lǚyóu, yīdìng yào qù kànkan Gūsū chéngwài Hánshān sì.

Traveling to Suzhou, you have to visit 'Hanshan Temple outside Gusu's walls.'

张继的诗让姑苏城外寒山寺名闻千古。

Zhāng Jì de shī ràng Gūsū chéngwài Hánshān sì míng wén qiāngǔ.

Zhang Ji's poem made 'Hanshan Temple outside Gusu' famous for a thousand years.

Tips

history

From 张继《枫桥夜泊》(Zhang Ji, 'Night Mooring at Maple Bridge,' middle Tang, mid-8th c.): 月落乌啼霜满天，江枫渔火对愁眠。姑苏城外寒山寺，夜半钟声到客船 (Moon sets, crows cry, frost fills the sky; river maples and fishing fires face my sorrowful sleep. Outside the walls of Gusu, Hanshan Temple — the midnight bell reaches the traveler's boat). One of the most famous quatrains in Chinese poetry; the bell of Hanshan Temple has been rung every New Year's Eve for the tourists who come for the poem.

usage

姑苏 = old name for Suzhou; the temple still stands. Always quoted with 夜半钟声到客船. Widely referenced in tourism, essays, and popular songs about Suzhou and classical poetry.

Stroke Order

姑 gū

苏 sū

城 chéng

外 wài

寒 hán

山 shān

寺 sì