独钓寒江雪

獨釣寒江雪

dúdiàohánjiāngxuě

phrase

Meanings

1 alone, fishing in the snow of the cold river
2 a solitary figure in a wholly silent winter landscape
3 lit. alone fishing — cold river snow

Characters

to fish (with a line)

Examples

这幅水墨画展现独钓寒江雪的孤绝之美。

Zhè fú shuǐmòhuà zhǎnxiàn dú diào hán jiāng xuě de gūjué zhī měi.

This ink painting captures the absolute-solitude beauty of "alone, fishing in the snow of the cold river".

冬天去江边垂钓，他总想起独钓寒江雪。

Dōngtiān qù jiāngbiān chuídiào, tā zǒng xiǎngqǐ dú diào hán jiāng xuě.

Fishing by the river in winter, he always thinks of "alone, fishing the cold river snow".

Tips

history

From Liu Zongyuan's (柳宗元, Tang dynasty) 《江雪》: 千山鸟飞绝，万径人踪灭。孤舟蓑笠翁，独钓寒江雪 — 'A thousand mountains: birds in flight, gone. Ten thousand paths: human tracks, erased. A lone boat, a straw-cloaked, bamboo-hatted old man — alone, fishing the snow of the cold river.' Written during Liu's exile — the sparest twenty characters in the Tang canon.

usage

Almost always cited together with 孤舟蓑笠翁. Modern readers read it as a portrait of heroic inner independence in political exile.

Stroke Order

独 dú

钓 diào

寒 hán

江 jiāng

雪 xuě