问君能有几多愁

問君能有幾多愁

Wèn jūn néng yǒu jǐ duō chóu

quotation

Meanings

1 let me ask you how much sorrow you can hold
2 how much grief can one person bear?

Characters

you (polite, classical)

Examples

HSK 7-9

问君能有几多愁？恰似一江春水向东流。

Wèn jūn néng yǒu jǐ duō chóu? qiàsì yī jiāng chūnshuǐ xiàng dōng liú.

Let me ask you how much sorrow you can hold - just like a river of spring water flowing east.

HSK 7-9

想起这些年的坎坷，她轻声吟道：问君能有几多愁。

Xiǎngqǐ zhèxiē nián de kǎnkě, tā qīngshēng yín dào: wèn jūn néng yǒu jǐ duō chóu.

Thinking of the hardships of these years, she softly recited: 'How much sorrow can one bear?'

Tips

history

From Li Yu's 《虞美人·春花秋月何时了》 (Southern Tang, ~978), written in captivity after the Song conquered his kingdom: 问君能有几多愁？恰似一江春水向东流。 The answer - sorrow 'like a river of spring water flowing east' - is among the most famous similes in Chinese literature. Legend says the Song emperor poisoned Li Yu after reading this poem.

usage

君 (jūn) here is a polite 'you' - the speaker is actually addressing himself. Always quote with its answer 恰似一江春水向东流.

Stroke Order

问 wèn

君 jūn

能 néng

有 yǒu

几 jǐ

多 duō

愁 chóu