(wànɡ)(dònɡ)(tínɡ)

(liú)()()(tánɡ)(dài)

()(ɡuānɡ)(qiū)(yuè)(liǎnɡ)(xiānɡ)(),

(tán)(miàn)()(fēnɡ)(jìnɡ)(wèi)()

(yáo)(wànɡ)(dònɡ)(tínɡ)(shān)(shuǐ)(cuì),

(bái)(yín)(pán)()()(qīnɡ)(luó)

Explanation of Ancient Chinese Poetry

The waters of Dongting Lake and the moonlight reflect each other, creating a calm surface like an unpolished bronze mirror.

Beneath the bright moonlight, the verdant Junshan Mountain and the clear waters of Dongting Lake merge into one, resembling a delicately carved silver plate with a small, exquisite green snail on it.

Annotations

洞庭湖: The name of a lake, located in northern Hunan Province.

湖光 (Hú guāng):The glint of the lake.

 (Liǎng):Referring to the lake light and autumn moon.

 (Hé):Harmonious. Refers to the water and moonlight reflecting each other beautifully.

潭面 (Tán miàn):Refers to the lake surface.

镜未磨 (Jìng wèi mó):In ancient times, mirrors were made of copper and polished. Here, it either means the lake is calm and clear like a mirror, or it means the distant scenery on the lake is faintly visible, like an unpolished mirror.

山水翠 (Shān shuǐ cuì):Also written as 山水色 (Shān shuǐ sè).

 (Shān):Refers to Junshan Mountain in Dongting Lake.

白银盘 (Bái yín pán):Describes the calm and clear surface of Dongting Lake.

青螺 (Qīng luó):Used here to describe Junshan Mountain in Dongting Lake.

Creation Background

“Viewing Dongting Lake” was written by Liu Yuxi in the autumn of AD 824 (the fourth year of the Changqing period of Emperor Muzong of the Tang Dynasty) when he was traveling to Hezhou to take his post as the prefect and passed by Dongting Lake.

Liu Yuxi mentioned in the preface of “Seventy Verses on the Events in Liyang” that “in August of the fourth year of Changqing, I transferred from the prefect of Kuizhou to Liyang (Hezhou), sailed on the Minjiang River, viewed Dongting Lake, passed through Xiakou, crossed Xunyang, and headed east.”

Liu Yuxi was banished to the south for twenty years, and he visited Dongting Lake about six times according to the literature. Among them, only this transfer to Hezhou took place in autumn. This poem is a vivid record of this journey.