S6E08 | I Was Made to Love Her
Saying: “with only four bare walls for a home”
Pinyin: Jiā Tú Sì Bì
Chinese: 家徒四壁
Here's another great one from the good old days of the Western Han Dynasty. Does the Book of Han deliver or what? If you like happy endings, this is one you'll enjoy. Two star-crossed lovers, one rich and one poor, don't stop believing and end up happily ever after. This is the story of Sima Xiangru 司马相如 and Zhuo Wenjun 卓文君. He knew it as soon as he saw Zhuo Wenjun, despite their different stations in life, he was made to love her.
This beauty from such an exalted household saw that Sima Xiangru's home may have been 家徒四壁 Jiā Tú Sì Bì, but she didn't mind. Sima Xiangru went on to become one of ancient China's greatest of the great literati. Don't mix him up with Lin Xiangru 蔺相如, the great official from the State of Zhao, featured in a few previous CSP episodes. Jiā Tú Sì Bì, a house with only four walls.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Jiā Tú Sì Bì | 家徒四壁 | A house with only four walls, a barwe dwelling |
| Hànshū | 汉书 | The Book of Han, one of the 24 Official Court Histories |
| chéngyǔ | 成语 | A Chinese saying or idiom |
| Sīmǎ Xiāngrú | 司马相如 | c.179-117 BC, musician, poet, politician, considered one of the greats in all of Chinese literature |
| Zhào | 赵国 | The State of Zhao, one of the former Seven Warring States that preceded the Qin |
| Lìn Xiāngrú | 蔺相如 | A Zhao official of great integrity, featured in three past CSP episodes…Wán Bì Guī Zhào 完璧归赵, Fù Jīng Qǐng Zuì 负荆请罪 and Jiàzhí Liánchéng 价值连城 |
| Jiā | 家 | A family or home |
| Tú | 徒 | when used as an adverb means empty or bare |
| Sì | 四 | Four |
| bì | 壁 | A wall |
| Chéngdū | 成都 | Capital of Sichuan province |
| Shǔ Prefecture | 蜀郡 | Shu Prefecture, where Chengdu is located |
| Sìchuān | 四川 | Province in southwest China |
| cí | 辞 | A very unique form of Chinese lyric poetry |
| fù | 赋 | Often referred to as rhapsodies, these fu were also very popular in the Han |
| cífù | 辞赋 | The combined tradition of Ci and Fu poetry |
| Wáng Jí | 王吉 | Patron to Sima Xiangru and county magistrate of Línqíong (临邛),a neighbouring county to the southwest of Chengdu. |
| Zhuó Wángsūn | 卓王孙 | One of the local business tycoons of Linqiong |
| Chéng Zhèng | 程郑 | Another tycoon in Linqiong |
| Zhuó Wénjūn | 卓文君 | Daughter of the Zhuó Wángsūn |
| Fèng Qiú Huáng | 凤求凰 | The Phoenix Seeks His Mate, a popular tune its day |
| Chéngyǔ Yánjiū Zhōngxīn | 成语研究中心 | The new CSP Chengyu Research Center, now located in a nice part of Beijing |
