绿蚁新醅酒

綠蟻新醅酒

lǜyǐxīnpēijiǔ

phrase

Meanings

1 green-ant foam on newly brewed wine
2 Bai Juyi's image of fresh rice wine — the tiny yeasty froth looks like green ants on the surface

Characters

ant (here: the yeast froth)

unfiltered wine

Examples

冬夜请朋友喝酒，他引了一句"绿蚁新醅酒"。

Dōng yè qǐng péngyou hē jiǔ, tā yǐn le yī jù "lǜ yǐ xīn pēi jiǔ".

Inviting a friend over for wine on a winter night, he quoted 'green-ant foam on newly brewed wine.'

这家小酒馆自酿米酒，真有"绿蚁新醅酒"的古意。

Zhè jiā xiǎo jiǔguǎn zìniàng mǐjiǔ, zhēn yǒu "lǜ yǐ xīn pēi jiǔ" de gǔyì.

This little tavern brews its own rice wine — genuinely has the antique feel of 'green-ant foam on fresh wine.'

Tips

history

Opening line of 《问刘十九》 by 白居易 (Bai Juyi, Tang dynasty): '绿蚁新醅酒，红泥小火炉.' Pairs directly with 晚来天欲雪 earlier in this batch — same four-line invitation poem.

usage

绿蚁 is a poetic name for the green-tinted yeast froth on unfiltered fresh rice wine — not actual ants. 醅 (pēi) = unfiltered wine, still in the brewing dregs.

Stroke Order

绿 lǜ

蚁 yǐ

新 xīn

醅 pēi

酒 jiǔ