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曲项向天歌

曲項向天歌
qūxiàngxiàngtiāngē
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 with curved neck, singing toward the sky
  2. 2 the classic image of a white goose from a children's Tang poem

Examples

幼儿园的孩子都会背曲项向天歌。
Yòu'éryuán de háizi dōu huì bèi qū xiàng xiàng tiān gē.
Every kindergartener can recite 'with curved neck, singing toward the sky.'
池塘边几只白鹅，真是曲项向天歌的画面。
Chítáng biān jǐ zhī bái é, zhēnshi qū xiàng xiàng tiān gē de huàmiàn.
A few white geese by the pond — truly the scene of 'curved necks singing to the sky.'

Tips

history
From 骆宾王 Luo Binwang 《咏鹅》 — written, legend says, when he was seven: 鹅，鹅，鹅，曲项向天歌。白毛浮绿水，红掌拨清波。 One of the first poems Chinese children learn.
usage
项 (xiàng) here = neck, not the more common modern senses (item, clause). The line usually appears in the context of the famous 鹅鹅鹅 opening.

Stroke Order

曲 qǔ
项 xiàng
向 xiàng
天 tiān
歌 gē