Posts
Whenever I see characters that I don't understand, one of the following things happens:
1. I have no clue.
2. I know what it sounds like, but I have no idea what it means.
3. I have no idea what is sounds like, but I know what it means.
The Dream of the Red Chamber is describing Qing dynasty aristocrats. Here's an example of my thought process when I encounter fresh text:
頭上戴著金絲八寶攢珠髻，
On her head she carries gold thread and carries 8 precious jewels something
綰著朝陽五鳳挂珠釵；
Some verb dealing with thread when five brilliant phoenixes hangs a pearl pin
項上戴著赤金盤螭瓔珞圈；
On top there is a red-gold disk of something insect something something hoop.
裙邊繫著豆綠宮條、雙衡比目玫瑰佩；
On her dress a myriad of bean red palace? strips, a pair of horizontal rose amulet
身上穿著縷金 百蝶穿花大紅洋緞窄褙襖，
On her clothes gold threaded hundreds of butterflies with bright red flowers fine? something something some type of clothing.
外罩五彩刻絲石青銀鼠褂;
Her outside something rainbow stone cut green fox scarf?
下著翡翠撒花洋縐裙。
Underneath something jade-colored flower something something dress?
Here's David Hawkes translation:
Her chignon was enclosed in a circlet of gold filigree and clustered pearls. it was fastened with a pin embellished with flying phoenixes, from whose beaks pearls were suspended on tiny chains. Her necklet was of red gold int he form of a coiling dragon. Her dress had a fitted bodice and was made of dark red silk damask with a pattern of flowers and butterflies in raise gold thread. her jacked was lined with ermine. It was a slate-blue stuff with woven insects in coloured silks. her under-skirt was of a turquoise-coloured imported silk crepe embroidered with flowers (Cao 91).
Geez, I have to be Tim Gunn to understand this high level of fashion vocabulary!
If you want a visual of who this person is, it's Wang Xifeng (王熙鳳)：
(Source)
I have 117 chapters to go...
Works Cited
Cao, Xueqin, David Hawkes, E, Gao, and John Minford. The Story of the Stone: A Chinese Novel in Five Volumes. London: Penguin, 1973. Print.
