山外青山楼外楼 (shānwàiqīngshānlóuwàilóu): beyond the hills more green hills; beyond the towers more towers

Meanings

1 beyond the hills more green hills; beyond the towers more towers
2 (fig.) of West Lake's endless layered beauty — or of a corrupt elite forever partying beyond the next pavilion
3 (lit.) mountain-outside green-mountain, tower-outside tower

Characters

山

tower / multi-story building

Examples

杭州西湖果真山外青山楼外楼，走一天也看不完。

Hángzhōu Xīhú guǒzhēn shān wài qīng shān lóu wài lóu, zǒu yī tiān yě kàn bù wán.

Hangzhou's West Lake really is 'green hills beyond hills, towers beyond towers' — a whole day isn't enough.

林升讽刺南宋权贵山外青山楼外楼，西湖歌舞几时休。

Lín Shēng fěngcì Nán Sòng quánguì shān wài qīng shān lóu wài lóu, Xīhú gēwǔ jǐshí xiū.

Lin Sheng mocked the Southern Song aristocracy: 'green hills beyond hills, towers beyond towers — when will the dancing and singing at West Lake stop?'

Tips

history

Opening of 林升《题临安邸》(Lin Sheng, Southern Song, ca. 1160, inscribed on a Lin'an inn wall): 山外青山楼外楼，西湖歌舞几时休？暖风熏得游人醉，直把杭州作汴州 (Beyond the hills more green hills; beyond the towers more towers — when will the West Lake song and dance stop? The warm wind sets the travelers drunk — they take Hangzhou for Bianzhou). A scathing satire of the Southern Song court who, after losing the north to the Jin, turned their provisional capital Lin'an (Hangzhou) into a pleasure resort, forgetting the lost Bianzhou (Kaifeng).

usage

Modern use has split: the four-character 山外青山 is often cited approvingly for layered scenery, while the full line retains its original bite when used in political criticism. The famous 楼外楼 restaurant at West Lake (1848) took its name from this poem.