竹外桃花三两枝

竹外桃花三兩枝

zhúwàitáohuāsānliǎngzhī

phrase

Meanings

1 beyond the bamboo, two or three branches of peach blossom
2 a small, delicate early-spring scene with peach flowers peeking past bamboo

Characters

beyond; outside

Examples

院子里正好竹外桃花三两枝，像幅宋画。

Yuànzi lǐ zhènghǎo zhú wài táo huā sān liǎng zhī, xiàng fú Sòng huà.

In the courtyard, two or three peach branches poked out past the bamboo — like a Song dynasty painting.

三月初郊游，最爱看竹外桃花三两枝的景。

Sān yuè chū jiāoyóu, zuì ài kàn zhú wài táo huā sān liǎng zhī de jǐng.

On an early March outing, I love that 'two or three peach branches beyond the bamboo' scene most.

Tips

history

From 苏轼 Su Shi 《惠崇春江晚景》: 竹外桃花三两枝，春江水暖鸭先知 — 'beyond the bamboo, two or three peach branches; the spring river warms, the duck is the first to know.' Written to inscribe a painting by the monk Hui Chong.

usage

Usually quoted with the much-more-famous next line 春江水暖鸭先知. 三两 here = 'two or three, a few' (approximate small number), not specifically 'three-two.'

Stroke Order

竹 zhú

外 wài

桃 táo

花 huā

三 sān

两 liǎng

枝 zhī