秦时明月汉时关

秦時明月漢時關

Qín shí míng yuè Hàn shí guān

quotation

Meanings

1 the moon of the Qin shines still, the pass of the Han remains
2 Wang Changling's frontier opener - centuries have passed but the same moon rises over the same walls

Characters

Examples

HSK 5

站在古长城上，他低声念"秦时明月汉时关"。

Zhàn zài gǔ chángchéng shàng, tā dīshēng niàn " Qín shí míng yuè Hàn shí guān ".

Standing on the old Great Wall, he softly recited 'the moon of Qin, the pass of Han.'

HSK 7-9

军旅诗的第一名句，当属"秦时明月汉时关"。

Jūnlǚ shī de dìyī míngjù, dāng shǔ " Qín shí míng yuè Hàn shí guān ".

The most famous line of frontier poetry is 'the moon of Qin, the pass of Han.'

Tips

history

From 《出塞》 by Wang Changling 王昌龄 (Tang dynasty): 秦时明月汉时关，万里长征人未还。但使龙城飞将在，不教胡马度阴山. Canonical 边塞诗 (frontier poem). 飞将 = 'Flying General' Li Guang 李广 of the Han - the poem laments that no Li Guang-like hero defends today's borders.

usage

This is an 'interlocking parallel' (互文) - the moon is of both Qin and Han, and so is the pass. Classical rhetorical device: don't read it as two separate ages.

Stroke Order

秦 Qín

时 shí

明 míng

月 yuè

汉 hàn

关 guān