S2E07 | Double Sorrow | 人琴俱亡
Saying: “The Man and the Zither have perished”
Pinyin: Rén Qín Jù Wáng
Chinese: 人琴俱亡
Here’s another musical chengyu with an injection of sadness. It’s a theme that has inspired movies, plays, and every kind of literature. When your eye catches an object that reminds you of someone important in your life who had passed away. It also features some literati megastars from Chinese cultural history.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| chūzì | 出自 | derivation, come from, originate from |
| Duì Niú Tán Qín | 对牛弹琴 | play a lute to an ox |
| Eastern Jin | 东晋 | Second half of Jin Dynasty (317-420) when the capital was at Jiànkāng 建康 Capital of Eastern Jin (modern day Nanjing) |
| Jù | 俱 | all, entirely, together |
| Jù | 俱 | both, together |
| Liú Sòng | 刘宋 | first of the Southern Dynasties |
| Liú Yìqìng | 刘义庆 | Liu Song Dynasty scholar, compiled the Shi Shuo Xin Yu |
| Lántíng Xù | 兰亭序 | “Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion” |
| Nan Bei Chao | 南北朝 | the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period – 420-589 |
| Qín | 琴 | a Chinese lute or zither |
| Rén | 人 | a person |
| Rén Qín | 人琴 | the man and the lute or zither |
| Rén Qín Jù Wáng | 人琴俱亡 | The Man and the Zither Have Perished |
| Shàoxīng | 绍兴 | City in Zhejiang famous for its wine and legacy of scholars |
| Shìshuō Xīnyǔ | 世说新语 | A New Account of the Tales of the World compiled by Liu Yiqing |
| Shū Shèng | 书圣 | the Saint of calligraphy (Wang Xizhi) |
| Tàizōng emperor | 唐太宗 | co-founder of the Tang Dynasty, a.k.a. Li Shimin |
| wáng | 亡 | to die, perish |
| Wáng Huīzhī | 王徽之 | Older brother of Wang Xianzhi |
| Wáng Xiànzhī | 王献之 | Younger son of Wang Xizhi and his equal in calligraphy |
| Zhèjiāng Province | 浙江省 | Rich coastal province |
