Mèng Jiāo yòng " xīrì wòchuò bùzú kuā " gàobié le duō nián de qióngkùn.
With 'the hardships of the past are not worth mentioning', Meng Jiao said goodbye to years of poverty.
Tips
mistakes
龌龊 means "filthy" or "vile" today, but in this line it has its old sense, "cramped, hard-pressed": the poet is waving away his years of poverty and failed exams, not anything shameful.
history
The opening line of 孟郊's 登科后, written when he finally passed the jinshi exam at forty-six. It is followed by 今朝放荡思无涯, where 放荡 also has an old sense, "free and unrestrained".
