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Qí ÀoThe Banks of the Qi 淇奥
The Book of Songs compares a gentleman to green bamboo, "as if cut and polished".
Original Chinese text with pinyin
瞻彼淇奥
zhān bǐ qí ào
绿竹猗猗
lǜ zhú yī yī
有匪君子
yǒu fěi jūn zǐ
如切如磋
rú qiē rú cuō
如琢如磨
rú zuó rú mó
Simplified characters; traditional title: 淇奧. This is a long poem; only the best-known lines are shown, and “……” marks omitted passages.
Note on the text: This page presents a well-known excerpt; the full poem is longer in the traditional corpus.
English translation
Look at that bend of the Qi,
its green bamboo so lush and fine.
There is an accomplished gentleman,
as if cut and filed,
as if carved and polished.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
The Book of Songs compares a gentleman to green bamboo, "as if cut and polished". The scene stays with you.
Background
The Book of Songs compares a gentleman to green bamboo, "as if cut and polished".
Key words
- 猗猗 yī yī
- lush and graceful (bamboo)
- 瞻彼 zhān bǐ
- looking toward that (shore / person)
- 淇奥 qí ào
- the bend of the Qi River (in the Book of Songs)
About the poet: Book of Songs
The Book of Songs (Shijing) is the oldest anthology of Chinese poetry, compiling ritual hymns and folk songs from the Zhou dynasty.
Lifetime: c. 11th–6th c. BCE. Other famous works: The Quince (木瓜); The Ospreys Cry (关雎); Reeds (蒹葭); The Banks of the Qi (淇奥); On the South Hill (南山有台); The Deer Cry (鹿鸣); Heaven Protects You (天保); The Peach Tree Is Young (桃夭).
More by Book of Songs
- The Quince木瓜
- The Ospreys Cry关雎
- Reeds蒹葭
- On the South Hill南山有台
- The Deer Cry鹿鸣
- Heaven Protects You天保
- The Peach Tree Is Young桃夭