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把酒问青天

把酒問青天
bǎjiǔwènqīngtiān
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 raising a cup of wine to ask the blue heavens
  2. 2 putting a question to the sky, wine in hand

Examples

明月几时有？把酒问青天。
Míngyuè jǐ shí yǒu? Bǎ jiǔ wèn qīngtiān.
When did the bright moon first appear? Raising a cup of wine, I ask the blue sky.
中秋之夜，他独自把酒问青天。
Zhōngqiū zhī yè, tā dúzì bǎ jiǔ wèn qīngtiān.
On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, he alone raised a cup of wine and questioned the heavens.

Tips

history
From Su Shi's 《水调歌头·明月几时有》 (1076), the most famous Mid-Autumn poem in Chinese. Opening: 明月几时有？把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。 Written for his brother Su Zhe, whom he had not seen for seven years. Closes with the line everyone knows: 但愿人长久，千里共婵娟.
culture
Indelibly associated with Mid-Autumn Festival. The Teresa Teng / Faye Wong song 《但愿人长久》 set the whole ci to music, making the ci a pop-culture fixture.

Stroke Order

把 bǎ
酒 jiǔ
问 wèn
青 qīng
天 tiān