Instagram and the Retro

When I first saw someone instagram a photo on facebook, I reminded me of my parent's wedding picture.

I thought, "Oh how nice, looks very retro chic."

Then it became too much.  Not everything needs to have a sense of nostaligia.  I remember one of friends instagram-ed a plate of pickles and salami I cut.  Why does preserved food need to evoke a warm fuzzy feeling?  (If you do, you should call a doctor.)

I think it speaks to a deeper, more disturbing symptom beyond being an annoyance:

 We live in a culture that does not value historical context.

 Big Brother isn't systematically erasing history.  We intuitively feel the need to feel history, but most of us can't figure out how to analyze it.  Using our hearts instead of our heads, most of us simply  "feel good" about the good times, and suppress or ignore the bad.

For now let's talk about feeling nostalgia in art.

Whenever I look at a piece of art, I only ask one question:

Why does it make you feel?

It's a bit cliche, but for me this is how I define art.  The artwork may or may not need the aid of historical context.

In this case let's talk about a very famous instagram painting.

《谿山行旅》范寬  -  The Stream and Mountain Traveling Path by Fan Kuan

Late 10th century Northern Song Dynasty.

The scene depicts travelers passing by Cuihua mountain in Shanxi province ( 翠華山  陝西省)。Legend has it that Laozi climbed this mountain to escape the world a hermit.

This Taiwanese art historian points out a few interesting facts:

1.  This painting is a really cool version of Where's Waldo.  People knew this was a Cai Kuan painting because of the seals of later artists, but his actual signature wasn't found until 1971!!!!

2.  Cai Kuan painted this from memory.  He wasn't painting this live.

3.  The Song Dynasty had a whole array of colors to use to paint, but he chose black.  He paints using some Tang techniques, or from his point of view techniques that are 300 years old.  That's like someone now using techniques from Rococo France.

Time to bust out my inner Sister Wendy!

The mountain instantly grabs your eye.  Remember, this painting is roughly 4 feet tall.  Paradoxically, even though you understand the size and magnitude of the mountain, it's also obscure.  We have to also notice the negative space in the painting.  The misty clouds that separates the background with the foreground.

Whenever an artwork attempts to evoke the past and nostalgia, time inevitably takes detail from us, leaving a partial void.  When I imagine myself being a later Chinese scholar or emperor looking at this painting, I can't help put feel humbled by this mountain.  Even this majestic mountain must naturally fade away. Time's arrow is as naturally fades the moment, but the majestic beauty of the moment still exists in front of us.

One's  ego must relate to the didactic truth in this painting.

Perhaps we instagram to emphasize to the viewer that this image was significant to someone, and that specific moment will slowly fade away with time.  It makes us more conscious of the value of the moment.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

It's Wednesday.  Let's do something easy!

(The Milky Way = 銀河  “Silver River")

English:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

The Chinese with literal meaning:

一閃一閃亮晶晶                               Shimmer, shimmer, shiny and bright.
滿天都是小星星                               The sky full of little stars.
掛在天上放光明                             Hanging in the sky shooting rays of light.
好像許多小眼睛                             Like many tiny little eyes
一閃一閃亮晶晶                             Shimmer, shimmer, shiny and bright.
滿天都是小星星                              The sky full of little stars.

The Chinese version makes the sky sound like a giant dark monster that shoots laser beams from its eyes. Puny earthlings!

My First Drunk Blog! Royal Drunk

Let's talk about China's favorite party girl!  Woot!

Okay,  you won't see her spring break flashing her boobs in Cancun.  But she has her place as one of the four legendary beauties of China.

How beautiful was she?  She was SOOO beautiful that:

1.  “When she tuned around with smiling glance, she exuded every charm; in the harem all who a wore powder and paint of the beauty then seemed barren."

                 --  Bai  Juyi

2.  She had TERRIBLE body odor.  She constantly needed to bath.  History was made with the chance encounter of emperor seeing her naked.

3. She was described as having full of flesh.

4.  A pony express service was invented because of her.  Too bad the horses trampled over people...and the horses were delivering lychee thousands of miles from south.... for herself.

5.  She never grew old because she was murdered as a scapegoat for the An Lu Shan Rebellion.

6.  Ironically she flirted with An Lu Shan before the rebellion.

So how does drunk royalty look？Skip to 32:45-33:15.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YguN1w9QePI

Limber.  If you want to see an hour of this, go knock yourself out.

How does drunk royalty sound like?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2shLJc4Z_Yk

Here's my rough translation.

Island,  ice wheel begins to turn and move.
I see the Jade Rabbit. (The Chinese see a jade rabbit making medicine on the moon, not a smiley face.)

The Jade Rabbit rises early from the east.

The ice wheel leaves the island.

The cosmos separates the brightness outside.

The bright moon drifts space.

Just like what I said. Ahhhhhhh.

Chang E leaves the moon palace.

I am like Chang E leaving the moon palace. （The work she describes herself is奴, "slave" because she serves the emperor.  Literally it should mean, "The slave us like Chang E leaving the moon palace.")

A good simile.

Chang E descends The 9 Levels (9 Levels of heaven)

Softly descending her vast cold palace.

Ahhhhh, the vast cold palace.

The jade bridge slopes has she holds onto the handrail.

The Mandarin ducks come play in the water.  (Lack of focus, middle of the night imagining ducks are playing.  REALLY drunk at this point.)

The coy in the water and facing [either Yang Guifei or the moon].

Ahhhh, looking from the water.

**drunk horse or bird at the distance**

Long spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace,

GOOOOOOOOOOOSE!

Goooose fliiiiiiies！

Aiii Yaa  Goose Errrr Fliiiies!

The Goose flies swiftly!

Hearing my sound, the flowers in the dark fall. (Well if you were screaming GOOSE and such a high pitch, I'd fall to the ground too!)

This scenery will allows any drunk person to enjoy.

Without realizing it, I'm at the 100 Flower Pavilion!

END SCENE

Conclusion:  Royal drunks are flexible with no attention span.

 

 

Mountain Path

山行

Mountain Path

杜牧

By, Du Mu

Translated by Yoyo

遠上寒山石徑斜

Far up the winter mountain the rocky road slopes

白雲深處有人家

Deep within the white clothes are families

停車坐愛楓林晚

I stop my carriage and sit loving the maple night

霜葉紅於二月花

The dew leaves are more red than second month flowers

(Image Source)

***This is one of the first poems I learned in Chinese school that wasn't pandering to children.  The image of the tiny house in a mountain of maple still has a strong impression on me.

New Banner

When you think about the people who write literature, what image is in your mind's eye?

I imagine some guy smoking, with a shot of whiskey.  Black and white photo of course.  Disheveled, broke, alcoholic, unorganized.



(Image Source)

How about a CHINESE writer?

 

(Image Source)

Li Bai right now is either spiritually transcendent, or drunk off his ass.  No, I shall rant about Li Bai another day. I despise Li Bai! How did this imbecile survive time! Bah!

Back to the topic.  Notice we have roughly the same aforementioned qualities as the first writer, but this person is literally a thousand years old!

What about the modern Chinese writer?  Completely blank.  When we just look at the photos of Neruda, Kawabata, Ellison, Faulkner, et cetera, they all give off a glowing aura.

"That's right, I may have some messed up emotional baggage, but my can express a reality about humanity that you can't.  Suck it."

But there's one picture that I hope becomes the image of a Chinese writer.  This is is Eileen Chang:



I am absolutely ashamed to admit, but I never read any of her work in completion!  But every time I look at this photo, her allure pulls me back in.  Her photo says, "You know you want to read me!"

She shall be my new banner for my blog until I read and blog one work about her.  Move over Han Shitie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preface to The Orchid Pavilion

The text that inspired me to major in Chinese.  Enough said.



(Copy of Wang Xizhi's The Orchid Pavilion.  The original doesn't exist because a dumb emperor buried it with him.  A famous example of running script.)

蘭亭集序

“Preface to The Orchid Pavilion"

王羲之

by, Wang Xizhi

Translated by Yoyo

永 和 九 年

The 9th year of Yonghe's reign (353 AD)

歲 在 癸 丑

50th year of the sexgenary cycle

暮 春 之 初

The beginning of the third month

會 于 會 稽 山 陰 之 蘭 亭

There was a gathering at Kuaiji Shanyin orchid pavilion

修 禊 事 也

to administer the events of the "Lustration Festival"

(This is an ancient ritual ceremony to rid bad luck)

 群 賢 畢 至

All in the group were virtuous

 少 長 咸 集

Young and old gathered

此 地 有 崇 山 峻 嶺

This place has high mountains, steep slopes

茂 林 修 竹

Luxuriant forest, tall bamboo

  又 有 清 流 激 湍

Also clear, rapid flowing streams

  映 帶 左 右

Elements of scenery are set off left and right

 引 以 為 流 觴 曲 水

Because of this water leads meandering wine cups.

 列 坐 其 次

They arrange themselves in proper order

 雖 無 絲 竹 管 絃 之 盛

Though there is no pipes and string in [this] spectacular event

 一 觴 一 詠

They drink wine and write poetry

 亦 足 以 暢 敘 幽 情

Fully expressing their innermost thoughts

是 日 也

Today

 天 朗 氣 情

The day is good with energy  and motion

 惠 風 和 暢

A gentle breeze is warm and comfortable

 仰 觀 宇 宙 之 大

We look up and face the vast cosmos

 俯 察 品 類 之 盛

We bow and examine all creation

所 以 游 目 騁 懷

Look as far as we can see and give free reign to our emotions

足 以 極 視 聽 之 娛

Sight and sound satisfied to the fullest extreme

信 可 樂 也

Indeed this is happiness

夫 人 之 相 與

Well now, people mingle with each other

俯 仰 一 世

In one instant, one lifetime passes

或 取 諸 懷 抱

Those who keep their [ambitions] in their hearts

晤 言 一 室 之 內

Have conversation face to face in a room

 或 因 寄 所 託

They entrust everything upon others

放 浪 形 骸 之 外

Outwardly they are unrestrained

雖 趣 舍 萬 殊

Though there are a myriad of things

靜 躁 不 同

Quiet and activity are the not the same

 當 其 欣 於 所 遇

When they encounter someone that makes them happy

 暫 得 於 己

That instant reaches me

快 然 自 足

Quickly they are self content

曾不 知 老 之 將 至

They simply did not know that they will encounter old age in the future

(Reference to bacon lover's Analects)

及 其 所 之 既 倦

When they are tired of the direction they are going

情 隨 事 遷

Thoughts and emotion change with circumstances

感 慨 係 之 矣

One's emotion follows suit

向 之 所 欣

The happy people of the past

俛 仰 之 間

An instant of time

已 為 陳 跡

All became old

猶 不 能 不 以 之 興 懷

And yet one cannot help but feel exhausted at heart

 況 修 短 隨 化

When one conforms to the length of their lifespan

 終 期 於 盡

The life of a person must come to an end

古 人 云

The ancients say

死 生 亦 大 矣

Life and death is grand

豈 不 痛 哉

How could it not hurt?

每 覽 昔 人 興 感 之 由

Everytmie I glance at the people of the past for th reason to have roused another

若 合 一 契

It fits together like a tally.

(A tally is an object used to confirm the identity of the other.  Usually, a tally is split into two pieces that fit together.  So if a guard needed to enter a fort, one solider would fit the tally to another to confirm each other's identity. See bottom.)

未 嘗 不 臨 文 嗟 悼

I sadly sigh because I cannot experience looking over this piece of writing

 不 能 喻 之 於 懷

Unable to understand it in my heart

 固 知 一 死 生 為 虛 誕

And so I consider life and death preposterous

齊 彭 殤 為 妄 作

To put life and death on par is preposterous

後 之 視 今

When later generations look now

 亦 猶 今 之 視 昔

It's also like the people now looking into the past

悲 夫

There is sadness

 故 列 敘 時 人

For this reason when I lay out and express people today

 錄 其 所 述

Record what they said

 雖 世 殊 事 異

Though the age is different and events unusual

 所 以 興 懷

What's confined in the heart

其 致 一 也

Their delight is the same

後 之 覽 者

Those of the future who look

 亦 將 有 感 於 斯 文

Will feel these words.

 (tally)

Enjoy Grass Script

My favorite Chinese script

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrztfM0AvMw

I'm Gonna Be A Butterfly

The last time I had a lucid dream, I built myself a solid gold pyramid with a gigantic waterside, shooting zombies  sliding down.

That begs the question, is one's consciousness indicative of reality?  I wonder of the director of Inception read Zhuangzi?

The next time I have a lucid dream, I'm going to be a butterfly.  Hope I don't get stuck. (**knock on wood**)

The Butterfly Dream

昔者莊周夢為蝴蝶，栩栩然蝴蝶也，自喻適志與，不知周也。俄然覺，則蘧蘧然周也。不知周之夢為蝴蝶與，蝴蝶之夢為周與？周與蝴蝶則必有分矣。此之謂物化。

Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things. (2, tr. Burton Watson 1968:49)

Delicious Chinese Non-Food

Here are five things I love to taste that isn't technically Chinese food:

1. The green onions after everyone picked on the steamed fish
2. The spatula immediately after a stir fry
3. Red vinegar after I've dunked all my dumplings
4. Chicken skin exactly on a drumstick
5. Leftover oyster sauce after everyone picked the Gai-lan.

Ballad of an Old Cypress

古柏行

Ballad of an Old Cypress

杜甫

by, Du Fu

Translated by Stephen Owen

孔明廟前有老柏，柯如青銅根如石。

In front of the shrine of Zhu-ge Liang there was an aging cypress, it boughs were like green bronze, its roots were like the stone.

霜皮溜雨四十圍，黛色參天二千尺。

It's frosted bared was streaked by the rains forty armspans round, dark arch of mascara touching sky two thousand feet above.

君臣已與時際會，樹木猶為人愛惜。

Already the minister and his lord have met their moment, yet still is this tree cherished by men.

雲來氣接巫峽長，月出寒通雪山白。

When clouds come, its vapors touch the full length of Wu Gorges; as the moon appears, its chill reaches the white of the Mountains of Snow.

憶昨路繞錦亭東，先主武侯同閟宮。

I think back now where the road wound east of Brocade Pavilion, where the Ruler of Shu and his Warrior Count share a common shrine.

崔嵬枝幹郊原古，窈窕丹青戶牖空。

Trunk and branches loomed high there, ancient upon the meadows, with paintings dark and hidden away through the empty doors and windows.

落落盤踞雖得地，冥冥孤高多烈風。

Spreading wide, roots coiled and clasped-- but though it found firm place, high and alone in the black of sky there are many violent storms.

扶持自是神明力，正直原因造化功。

Surely that which holds it up is the might of some bright god; its upright straightness is finally due to the deed of the Fashioner.

大廈如傾要梁棟，萬牛回首丘山重。

If some great mansion should collapse and they needed rafters and beams, ten thousand oxen would turn their heads at its weight, which is a mountain's.

不露文章世已驚，未辭翦伐誰能送。

Even before it shows its grain, all the world is amazed; it would not object to being cut, but who would be able to send it?

苦心豈免容螻蟻，香葉終經宿鸞鳳。

It's bitter core cannot keep out intrusions of termites, yet its fragrant leaves have ever given a night's lodging to the phoenix.

志士幽人莫怨嗟，古來材大難為用。

Let neither sigh-- not the man of grand aims nor the man who lives hidden away-- it has always been true that the greatest timber is hardest to put to use.

Owen, Stephen. "Ballad of an Old Cypress." An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. 432-33. Print.

My reflections:

Reading this poem again, I still can't fully grasp the last clause of this poem.  Owen mentions in the preceding paragraph how "才" (talent or innate ability) is a pun for "材" (timber).  I noticed this time the metaphor he used for talent as something alive, not dead timber.  Although this tree is incredibly old, its existence exudes an essence that the living still appreciate.

Through the vicissitudes and ravages of time, what may be en vogue one moment may become passe.  What we know to be simple truth is difficult to fit into our complex world.

This is why I love looking back into ancient poetry.  The essence of the truisms it emits from the past tell us what to value in the present.

I'd also like to dedicate this poem to my friend's new Bonsai tree, Kirk!

Too Many Chinese Graduates

Before you even read the yahoo article about Chinese college grads, you are confronted by this intimidating pictures by Reuters:



Sigh, the stereotypical "there are too many Chinese people on earth" shot.  All faceless, conforming towards one direction.

Talks about China's college graduates always reminds me of the the Needham Question.  It goes something like this:

If China proved to be a great technological innovator since ancient times, why has it lagged relatively far from the rest of the modern western world?

I argue it's one word: hubris.

From canceling naval expeditions after Zheng He, to Qianlong's rejection of commerce to Britain's King George III, China's feeling of superiority has kept it feeling superior to other nations.

I'll give it to China that it was bullied by the international community for 150 years, but that is no sacrifice morality.

With all these statistics about money being poured into hire education, don't hold your breath.  I don't care how much money you invest or high your test scores are.  China cannot produce work with honesty.

For instance, many people are frightened when China will surpass the United States with the number of scientific papers it publishes,  the quality of it's papers are questionable.  You can't have an objective scientific discussion if everyone is lying.

So don't worry, China won't take American jobs that require truth and honesty.

Physics Drives Me Crazy

Too tired from science today.

Where's the Rock?

Pop music, yes.  Rock music, no. It's not popular in China.

And no, they're Japanese.

I haven't been exposed to too much to American rock, but I know something like Queen cannot currently exist within Chinese culture.

No, I'm not going to blame the Chinese Communist Party.  That's too easy.  Even a country as repressive as Russia has Pussyriot.

I blame the way "Chinese culture" (again I use this term loosely) views reading.

I agree with John Green in that reading is a means of expressing the human condition in ways that no other medium can.  Reading is valuable because it forces us to question or re-enforce our personal values.

Cao Xueqin's The Red Chamber from the Qing dynasty expresses the general sentiment of the role of reading:

"in the case of us girls it would probably be better for us if we never learned to read in the first place.  Even boys, if they gain no understanding from their reading, would do better not to read at all; if that is true of boys, it certainly holds good for girls like you and me.  The little poetry-writing and calligraphy we indulge in is not really our proper business.  Come to that, it isn't a boy's proper business either.  A boy's proper business is to read books in order to gain an understanding of things, so that when he grows up he can play his part in the governing the country."

(Cao, Xueqin. The Story of the Stone: The Crab-Flower Club. Trans. David Hawkes. Vol. 2. London: Penguin, 1977. Print.)

Be filial to your parents and study when you can.  Read about Confucian morals and anything relating to moral and social harmony.  That way you will live a happy and peaceful life with many babies.  Reading's function is utilitarian.  Beyond that reading is a waste of time.

"Now that you have your degree, how much do you earn?"

I can understand my parent's generation asking this question.  The amount of education and resources at my disposal is unheard in comparison to their background.

But when international students from China and Taiwan told me they've never read The Red Chamber, I was shocked and appalled!  Not only is a BEAUTIFUL piece of literature, the novel is incredibly critical of Chinese society.  Cao Xueqin forces you to question the happiness behind a conventional life, something most Chinese find too disturbing to ponder.

Rock music glorifies the feelings of the unique individual.

Listen to the lyrics to my favorite Japanese band Asian Kung Fu Generation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_IsnEZcl4E

Here's the English translation of this.

Ignoring the funny dark humor of the video, the lyrics have a hopeless tone.  Rock music belts about the human condition sucking because suck life occurs without our volition.  Once we sing about sucking, it establishes a sense of normalcy between the music and listener.  Sharing human emotion creates the feeling of empathy.

Reading about literature is valuable because it does the same thing!  Wanting to feel happy is easy because it's natural and intuitive, but so is feeling pain and recognizing suffering.  The lack of reception towards Chinese rock music is a symptom of a society that cannot fully cope with the existence of pain and suffering.

Let's Get Rid of Some Public Libraries

When was the last time you had a purely pleasurable experience at the library?

I remember going into the East Asian library on my college campus, sifting away through the basement archives as I spin the shelf wheel, exposing books that have been unread for decades.

I remember the first moment when I opened a book bound during the Qing dynasty, with a woodblock print of map of the tiny villages where my grandparents grew up.

I discovered something about myself that day, another layer about my existence.

Everyone on the college campus walking past these libraries at least agrees the facilities serve our community and has value.

Then I moved back home.

The public library in my community is a strange netherworld where people don't touch books.

Old people in the morning too cheap to buy a newspaper dig through for a free copy.

When a parent who needed help finding a book, the librarian said, "Go look it up in the computer."

People are checking out DVD's by the basketful at a self-check out counter.

There's always a line to use the free 30 minutes of internet.

And when it strikes 2:30 pm, kids coming out of school swarm into the library as it was another playground.  I can't hear myself speak at that point.

Do people use to the library to borrow books anymore?

I can't find an English language bookstore within a 10 mile radius.  I don't count the selections at Target or Walmart.

I don't buy the argument that libraries fight illiteracy.  It's like saying the vegetable section in the supermarket fights obesity.  Let's face it, most people don't want to eat vegetables.

That's the main problem, books aren't appetizing to most people.

Once you stop reading with teacher during story time, reading becomes work.

"Read Acts 1 and 2 of Romeo and Juliet by tomorrow. We're going to have a test."

Boring.   Shakespeare is terrible.  Romeo and Juliet deserved to die because of their stupidity.

"A, B, C, D," "true," and "false" is how most people respond to reading.

Most people in my generation text , read blog articles and the like.  You know, surf the interweb.  This isn't a bad thing.  We quickly find thoughts that peak our interest and share ideas with  people in ways that no paper book can.

But books force us to focus on ideas that cannot be digested instantly.  We have to be patient forming the full complexity of an abstract concept.

A library must be a space that enables any citizen an opportunity to perform this act.  It isn't merely a place to gather information, the internet is much more efficient at doing that.

The library is outdated and needs reformatting within the context of an internet society.

How about having the option of purchasing the used book we borrowed?

Or using the library as an open-source publishing house so new writers can have their works sitting on local library shelves?

Or designing the library space for study and open discussion?  Learning should be continuous through all ages.

But if a community wants the library to be cheap alternative to Netflix, let's get rid of them.

Paradoxical "Paradox"

The formal way to say paradox in Mandarin is "矛盾"。　　It literally translates to "spear shield".

For instance, instead of saying "Serving breakfast for dinner is paradoxical, "Serving breakfast for dinner is spear shield."  (If you serve breakfast food at dinner, it's still dinner!)

Sometimes words in Chinese are too antiquated.

Here's one of the earliest uses of  矛盾：

《韓非子》

Han Feizi

Translated by YoYo

楚人有鬻矛與盾者

Of the State of Chu there one who sold spears and one who sold shields

譽之曰：「吾盾之堅，物莫能陷也。」

[One] boastfully said, "My shield is tough, nothing can penetrate it."

又譽其矛曰：「吾矛之利，於物無不陷也。」

Another boastfully said, "My spear is sharp, there is nothing it can't penetrate."

或 曰："以子之矛陷子之盾，何如？」

Someone said, "With his spear and his shield, what would happen?"

其人弗能應也。

They were unable to answer.

夫不可陷之盾與無不陷之矛,

An impenetrable shield and a spear that can pierce anything,

不可同世而立。

cannot be on earth at the same time.

My Attempt at Haiku

My attempt at this.

Is very short for this blog.

Will type longer one.

Mark a Boat to Search a Sword

刻舟求劍

Mark a Boat to Search a Sword

《吕氏春秋. 察今》

Lushi Qunqiu- Cha Jing

Translated by Yoyo

楚人有涉江者，

Of the Chu people there was one who was crossing a river.

其劍自舟中墜於水，

The sword sank into the water from the boat.

遽契其舟曰：

He quickly marked  the boat and said:

「是吾劍之所從墜也。」

This is were my sword sank.

舟止，從其所契者入水求之。

The boat stopped, and from here the one who marked the boat entered the water.

舟已行矣，而劍不行，

The boat moved, but the sword did not.

求劍若此，不亦惑乎？

To retrieve the sword like so, is it also not baffling?

Motionless Night

《船夜援琴》

 The Boat and Night Brings About the Qin

白居易

Bai Juyi

Translated by Yoyo.

鳥棲魚不動，夜月照江深。

Birds perch fish motionless, the night moon glows in the deep river.

身外都無事，舟中只有琴。

Beyond myself all is not happening, middle of a boat there is only a Qin.

七弦為益友，兩耳是知音。

Seven strings for my good friend, two ears there is knowing music

心靜聲即淡，其間無古今。

Heart calm sounds plain, no past present at this space.

*I'm listening to Ella Fitzgerald scatting.

River Snow

江雪

"River Snow"

作者:柳宗元

Author:  Liu zongyuan

Translated by Yoyo.

千山鳥飛絕，

A thousand peaks birds fly vanish.

萬徑人蹤滅。

Numerous footprints disappear.

孤舟蓑笠翁，

Lonely boat straw coat and hat fisherman

獨釣寒江雪。

Fishing alone in the winter river snow.

Make Mistakes! Make Mistakes!

As a good rule of thumb, you need to know 1000 characters to carry a basic conversation, 2000 to read a newspaper, and 3000 to write decent Chinese.

Aside from quantity, you must have the heart to study Chinese.  As good ole' beef jerky lover said:

"學而時習之不亦樂乎？"

When practicing learning, is there not joy?

(Analects 1.1)

Mandarin literally translates to “speech of the official."  Because every region had their own local dialect, there needed to be a standard so that everyone could understand each other.  When the Chinese Communist Party was in its infancy deliberating between Cantonese and Mandarin as the national language, Cantonese lost by one vote!  (I'm pretty sure I read this in Jonathan Spence's "In Search of Modern China."  This little quip in history always stirs controversy between my Mandarin and Cantonese speaking friends.)

My first Chinese teacher used to be a former radio broadcaster in Taiwan.  Her pronunciation is immaculate.  Every year the students in our class would attempt to do a poetry recital contest.  I became very aware of my vocal inflections and intonations, but I also became overly self-conscious about speaking.  Looking back, the kitchiness of these competitions make my flesh crawl.

I remember sitting in my language classes in college being utterly helpless as everyone around me was talking their heads off while I sat like a shy sheep at the corner.  I speak Teo Chew at home, so although I could hear understand everyone clearly, I was too self-conscious to respond.

And there's an unspoken rule that the Asian students should be better than the non-Asian students.  I had this prejudice when I first entered class, but I was quickly put into place.  My non-Asian classmates were able to argue about the death penalty in Mandarin.  I could barely keep up in English!

Hey, everyone's a little bit racist!

Non-Chinese speaking people learning Chinese have a huge advantage when learning Chinese: it's more socially acceptable to make mistakes.  If a Chinese person makes a mistake speaking Chinese, you're seen as "uneducated" and of a lower rung of society.  If you're non-Chinese, then it's okay because your family doesn't speak Chinese.

But then you start to get reverse racism.  A common segment on variety shows in China is to have a non-Asian person speaking Chinese。  This segment is equivalent to a Chinese person singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on American television.

I asked my Chinese professor if there was a magic pill, or Chinese-speaking steroids or something.  She only said one thing:

"Read!  Read everyday you can, any moment you can!"

I had to unlearn some of my conditioned guilt.  First by talking to myself while reading text, and slowly contributing in class.  The fear of making mistakes is slowly fading.

Sometimes it's best to lower your expectations and go for it!

Confucious' Slim Jim

Confucius is a comedian because he's willing to take beef jerky.

Confucius' Analects mentions the price of his lessons:

子曰："自行束脩以上，吾未嘗無誨焉。"

The Master said, "From the man bringing his bundle of dried flesh for my teaching upwards, I have never refused instruction to any one."

(The Analects 7.7)

The characters 束脩 because you can translate them together as "a bundle of dried meat" or two seperate nouns as "bundle" and "meat."  So some academics have argued that "bundle" was for a bale of cloth.

Assuming beef jerky, why would would he associate preserved meat with the lowest common denominator?

Let's observe this Slim Jim commercial.

The disregard for paternal authority, the lack of enthusiasm for learning literature, the unrefined brutish behavior of Macho Man Randy Savage are significant points that make this commercial heavily anti-Confucian.  These suburban American children need of a good thrashing, or a copy of the Analects.

Brute savages and their meat!  Obviously the common man can't afford to eat fresh meat, so plebeians must preserve it to prolong their source of protein.

Eating beef jerky is hilarious though.

The Analects was not written by Confucius himself, but subsequent scholars who claim to authoritatively quote him.  These people have no sense of humor.  It's like listening to jokes told by people who aren't funny.  Sure, being passive for the sake of social stability can bring peace to the world, but it's not funny!

A comedian is someone who finds wrinkles within our everyday lives and re-frames it in a way that everyone understands, completely vulnerable to the audience without fear of repercussion.

Which is exactly what Confucius did!  During the Warring States period, Confucius was constantly traveling from state to state, with little sponsorship from state leaders, yet the common man found his thoughts worthy enough to be kept.

I'm more inclined to believe that Confucius was able to lighten up the lives of the common man by reminding them that a peaceful life was possible instead of the realities of the hardships they were facing, exceptionally living through a period of border line anarchy and constant war.

What better way to help others dream and escape than to laugh?

There you have it!  Confucius is a comedian because he accepts beef jerky!

Chinese Tattoo

I found a photo-shopped picture of a Chinese girl with the word "water" in English on George Takei's facebook fan page (I de-activated my facebook right after.  Not because of George Takei, he's awesome).  Here's another example on reddit.

It looks ridiculous in English, but a Chinese tattoo would still have  aesthetic value, even if it's as simple as 水。

The act of writing English and Chinese are two different animals.  You mostly have to worry about two dimensions when writing in a typical rectangular grid.  Using a little extra space at the beginning or end will not be awkward to the typical English reader.



If one can decipher one out of 26 characters from the English alphabet, then you at least know the sound of the word.  English characters do not leave much room to the imagination, but it's an incredibly precise language system.

Chinese heavily involves 3 dimensions.  Not only do you have to be concerned with how you form your character, the height between the point of the brush and paper affect the depth of each stroke.  A good character has very strict criteria for balance that must fit within a square.



Oddly enough, a Chinese character like 水 would be a horrendously difficult word to master with calligraphy.  Words with few strokes are difficult to balance because abnormalities cannot hide behind other strokes.  Big long strokes are out in the open (phrasing).

Take for instance the character 永，longevity, written in 王羲之 Wang Xizhi's style.  He is considered to be the the most orthodox style for Regular Script Chinese, or the standard used for modern Chinese.  Wang's original for this character was lost, but we'll get into this another time.



Look at them curves!  The pauses, the control, the depth!

Once an individual can master the basics of Regular Script, you can perfect and express your own style with the act of writing.

Take a look and Emperor Huizong's calligraphy from the end of the Song Dynasty (1101 to 1123 AD):



Emperor Huizong's calligraphy looks very sharp.  Calligraphic scholars suggest that he used the very tip of his brush to write his words.  It implies he writes impulsively without restraint, much like an arrogant person.  We'll see that his extravagant lifestyle with his fancy rock collection and lavish tea farms would lead to his demise.  If I were any emperor, I would be him.

Every Christmas with my friends I somehow end up talking about tattoos, and the topic of Chinese characters pop up.  I would never get a tattoo, but I was somehow forced to choose I would choose these four characters.



These were tattooed onto the back of Yue Fei, one of China's most famous generals.  It means "serve the country with utmost loyalty."  More on this badass later!

Lala Land

It's the Wednesday hump, and many of you at one point in time today imagined yourself far away.

I imagined myself inside an oak-laqured little room, with my bookcase and calligraphy set.  Large doors face south as I watch my tea farm as sunlight melts away the morning fog.  As my tea leaves awaken the smell of sweet leaves reassure me that this year would be a good harvest.  I slowly drink my morning tea.  This is a good day....

But it's night time after a day of work.  My feet smell like bad blue cheese.  That's right, I need a drink.

Tao Qian 陶潛, famous for his utopia in "The Origin of the Peach Blossom," wrote a lesser known piece on drinking and writing with his friends at home.  Alcohol will be a recurring theme as a blog on with all sorts of drunks (ie emo drunks, sad drunks, blissful drunks, transcendent drunks).

飲酒二十首 序

Drinking 12 Verses:  Preface

陶潛

Tao Qian

余閒居寡歡

My quite house has few pleasures

兼比夜已長

Furthermore the night is getting longer

偶有名酒

If by chance I have rice wine

無夕不飲

There is not an evening where I do not drink

顧影獨盡

I look at my shadow finishing it myself

忽焉復醉

My solitude suddenly ends again

既醉之後

After being drunk

輒題數句自娯

Soon after I write a few phrases to amuse myself

紙墨遂多

There is much to write

辭無詮次

I leave it without order
聊命故人書之

For the time being I beseech my friend to write a letter.

以爲歡笑爾

so that I simply chuckle.

Pulling on Sprouts to Help them Grow

As I stare blankly into the screen, wondering what I could blog with the least effort for something passable, I stumble upon this quaint little parable about not rushing things by Mencius.

Mencius believed that goodness is innate within human nature and that one must cultivate one's goodness to be good.  The individual must have the will to cultivate goodness, just like my lazy behind trying to write a good blog post.

One cannot rapidly change one's nature, but one can certainly quickly translate his parable!

 



揠苗助長

孟子 Mencius (around 4th century BC)

宋人有閔其苗

Of the Song people there was one who worried his sprouts

之不長而揠之者，

would not grow, so he pulled them.

芒芒然歸，

uncertain heading home

謂其人曰：

He said to another person.

“今日病矣，予助苗長矣！”

Today they are sick, I will help them grow!

其子趨而往視之，

This person was in a rush and looked at it,

苗則槁矣。

The sprouts all withered.

Manic Monday

匆匆 Rushing

作者: 朱自清 Zhu Ziqing

Translated:  Yoyo

燕子去了，有再來的時候；

The sparrow leaves, there will be a time when they come again.

 

楊柳枯了，有再青的時候；

Poplars and willows wilt, there will be a time when they will green again.

 

桃花謝了，有再開的時候。

Peach blossoms wither, there will be a time when they open again.

 

但是，聰明的，你告訴我，我們的日子為什麼一去不復返呢？

But, you’re smart, tell me, why do our days go and not return?

 

是有人偷了他們罷：

There must be a person who stole it then

 

那是誰？

so who is it?

 

又藏在何處呢？
where did they hide it?

 

是他們自己逃走了罷：
They must have escaped by themselves,

現在又到了哪裡呢？

where are they now?

 

我不知道他們給了我多少日子；

I don’t know the number of days they gave me,

 

但我的手確乎是漸漸空虛了。

but I know for sure they slowly empty in my hands.

 

在默默裡算著，

In silence I count,

 

八千多日子已經從我手中溜去；

8000 days have already slipped through my hands.

 

像針尖上一滴水滴在大海裡，

Like water dripping from a needle into sea.

 

我的日子滴在時間的流裡，

My days drip in the flow of time,

 

沒有聲音，也沒有影子。

without a sound and without a shadow.

 

我不禁頭涔涔而淚潸潸了。

I cannot help but shed tears.
去的儘管去了，來的儘管來著；

What has left already left, what has come already came.

 

去來的中間，又怎樣地匆匆呢？

Within the coming and going, how did it all rush by?

 

早上我起來的時候，

When I rise in the morning,

 

小屋裡射進兩三方斜斜的太陽。

Sharp rays of the sun enter my house.

 

太陽他有腳啊，輕輕悄悄地挪移了；

The sun has feet, softly and quietly it drifts by.

 

我也茫 茫然跟著旋轉。

I ignorantly follow its orbit.

 

於是——洗手的時候，

Usually, when I wash my hands

 

日子從水盆裡過去；

The day crosses over from the basin

 

吃飯的時候，日子從飯碗裡過去；

While eating, the day crosses over my rice bowl.

 

默默時，便從凝然的雙眼前過去。

Silently, you cross my staring pair of eyes.

 

我覺察他去的匆匆了，伸出手遮挽 時，

I sense it rushing by, I reach my hands to cover it

 

他又從遮挽著的手邊過去，

It still crosses over my hands.

 

天黑時，我躺在床上，他便伶伶俐俐地從我身上跨過，

At night, when I lie on my bed, it wittingly crosses over my body

 

從我腳邊飛去了。

It flys away from my feet.

 

等我睜開眼和太陽再見，這算又溜走了一日。

When I open my eyes, I see the sun again, this counts as another day slipping by.

 

我掩著面嘆 息。

I cover my face and sigh.

 

但是新來的日子的影兒又開始在嘆息裡閃過了。

But the shadow of the new day already dodges my sigh.
在逃去如飛的日子裡，

The fleeing day that flies by,

 

在千門萬戶的世界裡的我能做些什麼呢？

through the numerous doors and windows of the world what am I able to do?

 

只有徘徊罷了，只有匆匆罷了；

I only wait for it to end, only wait for it to rush by.

 

在八千多日的匆匆裡，除徘徊外，又剩些什麼呢？

through the numerous doors and windows, besides waiting for it, what left is there to do?

 

過去的日子如 輕煙，被微風吹散了，

The fleeting day is like light smoke, the gust of wind blows it away.

 

 

如薄霧，被初陽蒸融了；

Like a shallow fog, the early sun burns it away.

 

我留著些什麼痕跡呢？

What mark will I leave behind?

 

 

我何曾留著像游絲樣的痕跡呢？

How do I leave a tiny hairspring mark?

 

我赤裸裸來到這世界，轉眼間也將赤裸裸的回去罷？

I came naked into this world, with the turn of an eye I will return naked?

 

但不能平 的，為什麼偏要白白走這一遭啊？

But this is unfair!  Why must we go through this event in vain?
你聰明的，告訴我，我們的日子為什麼一去不復返呢？

You’re smart, tell me, why do our days go and not return?
March 28^th, 1922

1922年3月28日

Silly Rabbit

As I wait for the number of views on my blog to grow, I can’t help but think of a popular idiom “Waiting by a stump for a rabbit”.  It means you can’t do nothing to wait for opportunity to suddenly appear.  I’m learning that blogging isn’t just about posting your own views, but engaging in other fellow bloggers and commenting on their work as well.

On a side note I was watching Avenue Q last night in West Hollywood with my friends.  There’s a puppet Princeton who wants to find his purpose in life with his BA in English.  Penelope Trunk argues that the perfect career is like 守株待兔. Princeton should get career counseling from Penelope.

Anywho, enjoy this cute story from the Warring States period!



 

守株待兔

Waiting by a stump for a rabbit

韓非子

Han Feizi

宋人有耕田者

Of the Song people there was a farmer.

田中有株

In the middle of the there was a tree trunk.

兔走触株

The rabbit runs into the tree trunk.

折颈而死

It snaps its neck and dies.

因释其耒而守株

Thereupon he let go of his hoe and waited by the trunk,

冀复得兔

wishing to obtain another rabbit.

兔不可复得

Another rabbit does not come,

而身为宋国笑

and he himself is laughable of Song countrymen.

 

 

It sucks to be the farmer.

 

 

Notes on the text:
Often parables in Classical Chinese literature convinced the king to act in certain ways.  In this case I think Han Feizi is warning the king of not acting out some military maneuver.  More primary text on the issue would be helpful.

 

Curling Up with a Lovely Cup of Tea

It's Friday night and my legs are sore from work.  This is my moment to de-tox and unwind with a good cup of tea before going to bed.  Don't worry, Chrysanthemum tea has no caffeine.

Here's a poem by Sushi (蘇軾  SUE-SHRRR, not raw fish) that captures the feeling:

   (btw, this is "The Metal Bodhisattva", my favorite kind of tea)

 

汲江煎茶

蘇軾

活水還須活火煮，自臨釣石取深清

大瓢貯月歸春甕，小杓分江入夜瓶

雪乳已翻煎處腳，松風忽作瀉時聲

枯腸未易禁三碗，坐聽荒城長短更

 

Jian Tea from River Well Water

by Sushi

translated by me, Yoyo

 

Live water still needs a live flame to boil, I fetch clean deep water from the fishing stone.

A big dipper holds the moon returning to a spring vase, the little ladle parts the river entering a nocturnal pot.

Snow froths as tea leaves roll, pine wind whips as it flows.

My parched innards cannot easily take three forbidden cups, I sit and hear the lonely city's uneven night toll drum.


 

1Q84 Book Review

Spoiler Alert!  Avert your eyes if you haven't read this book!

 



 

If this book had a soundtrack, besides the obvious Janacek Sinfonietta, it would totally be this spy-thrillerish song from Level E's theme song.

My feelings for Ushikawa is comparable to my feelings for the novel.

Poor Ushikawa, I wasn't sure how to feel about this oddly neutral character.  I guess I felt a sense of loss for whem Ushikawa separated from his perfect family, yet his creepy life as a professional stalker prevented me from feeling sympathy.  He died like a someone trying to kill a fish for dinner.  He was Nobakov's gun and died for Tengo and Aomame to get together.

Aomame and Tengo's relationship was awkward.  We only had the moment where Tengo and Aomame were holding hands for a moment at elementary school to imprint their romantic/sexual identity for the rest of their lives.   Only the moment of orgasm for Tengo to telepathically impregnate Aomame through Fuka-Eri.

The story had to many holes and ignored the development of important characters.  Did Professor Ebisuno find what he wanted?  Where did Fuka-Eri wander off too?  What about the guy fondling momma Tengo's boobs?

Murakami toyed with the standard conventions of storytelling to skew the reader's sense of logic.  I was certain Aomame was going to shoot herself in the face when she tried to find the manhole cover in the 1Q84 world.  Aomame's love for Tengo is the only fact the she knows exists in both 1Q and 1984.  She puts the gun away and my sense of what Murakami was trying to do made sense.

Given that Aomame and Tengo lived in an irrational world in 1984, 1Q84 wasn't too big of a stretch.  Murakami convinces the reader that Aomame's and Tengo's thoughts of loving each other makes sense to the reader.  Their ability to be together is like the certainty of a single moon in the sky.

One may criticize Murakami for leaving so many unanswered questions to the reader, yet Murakami succeeds in trying convey the irrationality of knowing what true love is.  You can't be too analytical in this novel or your reasoning will lead you nowhere.  Remember this is a love story.  It's only a paper moon.

 

 

 

Sidetrack to Japan: Intro

I want to explain about my views of Japanese culture before I get into talking about my review of 1Q84.

China is like Japan's older brother.  Not in a belittling sense, but more in terms of age in the written language.  Although China technically used its character writing system before Japan utilized it for Kanji, I don't want to give the impression that Chinese is more "authentic" than Japanese.  This youtube clip might have been how China and Japan first interacted with each other.

My impression of Japan prior to the industrial revolution was that it was constantly defining its national identity relative to China.  But once the Perry Expedition exposed Japan to the modern world, the country chose to model its national identity relative to the rest of the world.  Meanwhile China chose to cling more so onto its past before re-thinking its national identity when the Qing dynasty fell.
It may seem out of place to talk about Japan in a blog about Chinese literature, yet I believe comparing the two can provide an interesting vantage point when discussing China.

My "Sidetrack to Japan" series will attempt to complement the two country's literatures in order to show that beneath the stark differences, their identities can provide universal echoes of the human conscious.

Just throwing this out there, is there any Japanese "equivalent" to Lu Xun's Diary of a Madman?