Chinese Poem: "Painting" 畫 | Tang Dynasty Buddhist Poet Wang Wei | Learn Chinese Now

Traditional：遠看山有色，近聽水無聲。春去花還在，人來鳥不驚。
Simplified: 远看山有色，近听水无声。春去花还在，人来鸟不惊。
yuǎn kàn shān yǒu sè ， jìn tīng shuǐ wú shēng 。chūn qù huā hái zài ， rén lái niǎo bù jīng 。
Tang Dynasty poem "Painting" 畫 / 画 by Buddhist poet Wáng Wéi 王維 / 王维
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Traditional：
遠看山有色，近聽水無聲。
春去花還在，人來鳥不驚。
Simplified:
远看山有色，近听水无声。
春去花还在，人来鸟不惊。
yuǎn kàn shān yǒu sè ， jìn tīng shuǐ wú shēng 。
chūn qù huā hái zài ， rén lái niǎo bù jīng 。
From afar, the mountains are colorful, but up close, the water is silent.
Spring has passed but the flowers are still there. People come but the birds aren’t startled.
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[@rafipuff]

please teach us more poetry, this is great content

[@learnchinesenow]

Good to hear! I have four more already prepared, just need to find time to record them...stay tuned

[@dr.gaosclassroom]

I have a channel for Chinese poetry where I translate poetry character by character. Here is the link to my video about Wang Wei: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaPRgaSOe8dopqM

[@dr.gaosclassroom]

I also talked about Wang Wei's poems in my channel on Chinese poetry: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaPRgaSOe8dopqM

[@zephyr84]

So simple yet so profound. As a kid I thought it was just a cheeky riddle, but as an adult, the poem evokes so much imagery and invites one to meditate on the transient nature of life - 1200 years on. Great video!

[@AnnaMicheli-s5x]

Thank you for this video!❤ not only it helps with chinese but also made me discover the beauty of those poems

[@Ultr4zer0]

I think whats interesting about this poem is that it not only describes in a way the physical properties of a painting but cleverly describes like the aesthetics of the in the moment physical experience of looking at a painting. Heidegger talked about works of art having worlds in and of themselves and when we experience art we are pulled into them and I think wang wei describes a part of that penomenon.

[@learnchinesenow]

Yes!

[@YanjieXing]

I’m from China, really appreciate what you have done for Chinese culture!

[@learnchinesenow]

😁🙏

[@winq9322]

This is by far the greatest content on Chinese poetry that has ever been made on YT. What a gem! Please keep the good stuff coming even though it is way underrated. Wang Wei is a brilliant poet who has deep insight on life. While Li Bai and Du Fu are extremely skillful poets, Wang Wei’s poems tend to have this magical effect that can easily keep you ponder upon life for hours after reading it. Each time I read his poems I get new inspirations❤ his poems are always deep and thought provoking.

[@learnchinesenow]

😁🙏

[@lamia.thira.lowenstein]

I guessed what the poetry was about! Amazing how someone who lived 1400 years ago in another language can clearly convey ideas we can understand today.

[@learnchinesenow]

😎👍

[@XXXMakabaka1880]

This is actually fantastic! This is sth that would even be greatly appreciated in the bilibili

[@kadianbarker4648]

Coming from a Buddhist composer he hints to the fact that things are not really as they app3ar this reality is like a picture painted on the canvas of empty space. It is an illusion

[@learnchinesenow]

I like this explanation

[@jimc7274]

It sounds like the writer is talking abt the oft controversies in life... things are not as obvious as we think, in fact just the opposite

[@Kelsey.F]

This is exactly what I’m looking for, thank you so much for the genius work full of patience and accuracy ❤❤❤

[@learnchinesenow]

You’re welcome 👍

[@stevefreytag]

Excellent! This has really got me motivated to keep learning Chinese. It makes it so much more fun and interesting! Happy Chinese New Year!

[@learnchinesenow]

Great! I'll keep making more. Happy Chinese New Year!

[@dr.gaosclassroom]

You might also be interested in checking out my video translating Wang Wei's other poem: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaPRgaSOe8dopqM

[@p13mgw]

Chinese ancient poems reminds me ancient Sufi poems/stories. They have several levels of wisdom and convey messages to each level. Only with the right knowledge you will understand the deep message at each level.

[@learnchinesenow]

Nice

[@AnnaMicheli-s5x]

Can you suggest me some poems? I am very interested and I would be grateful

[@p13mgw]

@@AnnaMicheli-s5x try to read stories of Mullah Nasruddin

[@AnnaMicheli-s5x]

@@p13mgw thank you so much for your reply🙏🤍

[@p13mgw]

@@AnnaMicheli-s5x by the way, the translation looses the beauty of the original Arab language, but it is still interesting and funny to read.

[@donttestme7]

Enthralled. Excited. Amazed. Shared this with friends. Thankyou so much.

[@goojxue1971]

The beauty of ancient Chinese poem and articles is that we can still feel the strongly expressed emotions easily and communicate with the authors even after thousands of years.

[@learnchinesenow]

👍

[@sujaikumar-t5f]

Thanks for selecting a simple yet profound example.. So couple of things, run in mind, ✓Wangwei himself being a painter.. Perhaps he knew about 山 水 “画” as I see the three characters here.. ofcourse 画 from title - The later Song dynasty signature Landscape paintings.. ✓ I really now understand why Chinese people are obsessed with 唐诗 - It reminds me of திருக்குறள் in tamil..

[@taybeng1102]

I am practicing Buddhism and the poet is reminding me to tame my monkey mind. From beginning till end, the poet never implied here is a riddle for the reader to figure out. In fact, he already reveal the object of his contemplation at the title of poem; Painting. Its my monkey mind that begins to proliferate and goes further away from the real object with each line of the poem.

[@Nelle4ever]

Wow, amazing poem, but also amazing explanation!

[@learnchinesenow]

Glad you liked it! Will keep the coming 👍

[@ozanemekter2693]

Poetry is so fun to learn, especially when it's composed of rather simple characters it feels so good to actually be able to understand it. Also I like how you respond to everyone in the comments. Liking the way this channel is headed!

[@learnchinesenow]

Great, thanks for the encouragement! I have a variety of episodes in the works, ranging from language to culture to stories. Hope you all enjoy!

[@17johnhenry]

This is a really beautiful poem. It really makes me nostalgic when i think more about it.

[@learnchinesenow]

😁

[@cynthiamsun]

i love this poem! wish they taught it in chinese classes

[@learnchinesenow]

I'll keep the poems coming 👍

[@dr.gaosclassroom]

If you would like to learn more poems, please check my video on Chinese poetry: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epCQgZVtYridrpY

[@justinshabtai]

Thank you for this beautiful explanation!

[@learnchinesenow]

😁👍

[@LezlieJ]

As the poet is a Buddhist, I guess part of the conscious meaning of the poem is that the permanence of the painting is precisely in the fact that it is a painting. In life birds fly away,. So, part of his meaning is that all our sense that something is fixed is our mind .painting. reality and thereby fixing it.

[@learnchinesenow]

👍

[@Mokhtarsketch]

Very interesting. I’ve never been much interested in poetry but the way you put these poems got me in

[@learnchinesenow]

Great! More to come

[@julienatividad616]

I had feeling our world are we going back in ancient time with a twist modern life😊😊😊

[@yoiashi]

wow this kind of poetry certainly is not easy to compose. so much symmetry in this poetry

[@learnchinesenow]

Absolutely 👍

[@kimo5509]

Very interesting in the end ! It made me so excited to learn more about tang dynasty poets !

[@learnchinesenow]

😁🙏

[@juliegale3863]

Thank you, it the first time I have seen your videos and the first time I have understood Chinese poetry.

[@learnchinesenow]

😁🙏

[@EricPham-gr8pg]

Thanks very informative

[@shantanu.chakraborty]

老师，非常感谢你呢，您的解释让我重新深读中文诗。

[@learnchinesenow]

😁👍

[@penguinjennifer]

I love this so much. Its really interesting in a philosophical way and also great to learn Chinese!!! Do more!!!!

[@pearl1606]

It's an eternal, still, ideality. Opposed to the world elsewhere of time, motion, sense.

[@jeepeeboo951]

This is great! Please do more of this kind of videos. 🙏😄

[@learnchinesenow]

Thanks for the encouragement! Got more in the pipeline 👍

[@lollipo7342]

Love it!! I am overseas Chinese and really love your explanation. Thank you for loving Chinese culture

[@learnchinesenow]

😎🙏

[@MonkRavi]

Dude, this was so good. I legitimately smiled at the end once you revealed the painting explanation. Thank you for this.

[@learnchinesenow]

😁🙏

[@yulianova7960]

Beautiful poem! Let's have one every week! :)

[@learnchinesenow]

Thanks for the encouragement!

[@喬喬-z8k]

您講的真好 本來以為只是單純地解釋意思 但還講到了唐詩對仗的部分

[@learnchinesenow]

😁🙏

[@ranulfdoswell]

Nice format, I really enjoyed this video. Hope there's more to come like this!

[@learnchinesenow]

Thanks for the encouragement! Definitely more to come 👍

[@brzpicnic]

There is a deeper Buddhist/Zen meaning to this poem. The painting is a perfect and beautiful illusion, even the distant mountains have color, but if you pay close attention the water makes no sound and the birds do not fly away when people come. In other words this poem is a reflection on the natural living world and the illusory world created by man that may be beautiful like the painting, but when closely examined, has no life.

[@nigelsheppard625]

In what way Buddhist/Zen? Ch'an had not developed when the poem was written. It is only in Zen that it is believed that there is an exceptionalism to the Zen school.

[@OK-otic]

I revisited this again today and the poem got even better the second time. Thanks! I'm definitely going to research Wang Wei and Tang dynasty poetry

[@learnchinesenow]

😎👍

[@danosam9949]

Just wow

[@giulsrules]

such beauty. thank you very much

[@learnchinesenow]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@liam3284]

The limits of what can be represented, even if the paintwork was perfect.

[@jankafka7330]

Wang Wei was also a painter. I wonder if he was describing one of his own paintings or that of another. Whatever the case, the poem is to the painting as the painting is to nature.

[@salma9423]

Very well explained , thank you

[@learnchinesenow]

You're welcome 😁

[@Mompellion]

Wonderful! I'd love to see a video on Deer Enclosure by Wang Wei if that isn't on the channel already.

[@learnchinesenow]

Yea, we have that one. Ben did it a while back: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYvHk2uVrZ5mnbM

[@nasimajosefi]

AMAZING ❤ please upload more poetry

[@learnchinesenow]

Glad you liked it and thanks for the encouragement! I've got four more prepared and there are literally thousands more to do...this is going to take a while

[@dr.gaosclassroom]

If you like Chinese poetry, here is my video for Chinese poetry: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epCQgZVtYridrpY

[@envitech02]

3:30 these opposites describe the yin and yang of the earth, possibly alluding to the duality of life and death.

[@lilifang1940]

Thank you very much. I really enjoy your video.

[@learnchinesenow]

My pleasure 😁👍

[@tortoiselife2021]

解释得好棒呀🎉，喜欢你的解说😊。没想到你还喜欢唐诗宋词呀❤

[@learnchinesenow]

唐詩太美了。希望更多的人能看懂

[@learnchinesenow]

Translation: "Great explanation 🎉, I like your explanation😊. I didn’t expect you to like Tang Poetry and Song Ci ❤"

[@OK-otic]

Really nice!

[@QuizmasterLaw]

the structure of tone patterns in Chinese poems is of particular interest to me, as it may serve as a learning lemma to better understand Chinese.

[@learnchinesenow]

For sure. Learning Chinese poems gives us insights into deeper aspects of Chinese culture and a better understanding of the language.

[@dr.gaosclassroom]

Hi, if you would like to know about the structure of Chines poems, here is my video explaining the rhymes of a form called 长相思 or Missing You Forever: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3bHmnWNacaVeq8

[@rikki_hwang]

It's very informative. Thank you very much

[@learnchinesenow]

You're welcome 😁👍

[@BangkokPoet]

Excellent thank you.

[@learnchinesenow]

You are welcome!

[@dr.gaosclassroom]

Wonderful video!! Love your interpretation about the imageries!!🥰🥰😍🤩

[@learnchinesenow]

😁👍

[@lecongduan126]

悟 (wù) 😊 Enlightenment

[@1videoormore]

Finally, a white guy who ISNT trying to tell me what to think, and is instead helping me understand. God bless you, truly ❤

[@learnchinesenow]

🙂🙏

[@margaridateixeira6516]

Wonderful ❤

[@learnchinesenow]

😁🙏

[@TheCreditShifu]

Great episode

[@learnchinesenow]

😁👍

[@bloodyChina]

very good interpretation!

[@schuangsg]

Appreciate your efforts. Really meaningful

[@dryojimbo]

Thank you for this 😀

[@learnchinesenow]

Absolutely, glad you enjoyed it!

[@QuizmasterLaw]

Chinese poetry is best on earth; Englis poetry is second best. But Shakespear is even better tan Li Bai -- it is a VERY close contest!

[@learnchinesenow]

😁😁😁

[@Frostedlux]

Could the poet also be remembering a moment in time as if it were a painting

[@dr.mikeybee]

I often think that the world is primarily a construct. Perhaps Wang Wei thought so too.

[@yzhang2008]

Amazing! Kudos to you!

[@learnchinesenow]

😎👍

[@sameflame100]

Hey Jared, had Ben stepped away from the channel?

[@learnchinesenow]

Good question! Ben handed the channel off to me. We'll keep all the videos from before, and I hope to make lots of new videos. I'll definitely get Ben to come back and make some more videos though! Here is the video where Ben talks about leaving: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3TPf2urrNari9E

[@peterxing2047]

Wish you have the full poem on screen the entire time. Would be better if so.

[@learnchinesenow]

Yea, it would. Might be difficult to fit it all in, I can check with our editor. In the meantime, the full poem is in the description. Does that help? I could move the full poem up to the top of the description to quickly look down while watching the video. What do you think?

[@envitech02]

I'm not a scholar. Translated to Cantonese, to the best of my ability. Yuen Thai, San Yau Sick, Khan theng, Sui Mou Seng, Chun khui, Fa Wan Zhoi, Yan Lei, Niu Paat Zeng. Kindly excuse my Cantonese, I definitely know how to speak the language, but not how to spell it with Roman letters. To that my Mandarin also sucks big time. I'd rate my Mandarin only as 1.5/10.

[@ingtjiong]

I think it also refer to Buddhism about emptiness. Empty is full, full is empty. The mountain has color(full), but the river has no sound(empty). Spring was leaving (empty) but the flower there (full). Etc

[@learnchinesenow]

Very cool 👍 many of his poems have deeper meanings like this

[@krisr5497]

So interesting and beautiful - thank you. But why would the solution to a riddle be put in the title? Also - paintings evoke a (n often lost) world; there should be an echo of sounds and voices when you look at them. Could it be a utopian dream? The birds don`t fly away -> the lamb is sitting beside the lion...

[@learnchinesenow]

🤔 interesting idea, I like it

[@听风告别]

还有一首词叫《春江花月夜》，有兴趣可以看一看，写的意境好美，高中要背的古诗（背起来真难过）（不翻译成英文了，我英语不好，全是病句，不丢人了 哈哈哈）

[@learnchinesenow]

春江潮水连海平，海上明月共潮生。 滟滟随波千万里，何处春江无月明！ The spring river tide flows seamlessly into the sea, The bright moon on the sea rises with the tide. The waves follow, for thousands of miles, Wherever the spring river flows, the moon shines bright. 我喜歡 😀😀😀

[@learnchinesenow]

Translation: "There is also a poem called "Spring River Flower and Moonlight Night". If you are interested, you can take a look. The artistic conception of the writing is so beautiful. It is an ancient poem to memorize in high school (it's really sad to memorize) (it will not be translated into English, my English is not good, it is full of wrong sentences, No shame hahaha)"

[@听风告别]

@@learnchinesenow 👍👍👍👍

[@caleb7475]

Best white guy teaching Chinese poems hands down

[@learnchinesenow]

😂🙏

[@Nikolay76Gogol]

Thank you for explanation! Could you do the similar word by word analysis of 白马篇 by Cao Zhi please?

[@learnchinesenow]

Ohhh, Three Kingdoms, that's a good one, I'll put it on the list

[@dr.gaosclassroom]

Hi, I made a video on Li Bai's 白马篇. Maybe you would like his poem, too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/harJaISwgb2JeLM

[@Nikolay76Gogol]

@@dr.gaosclassroom Thank you!

[@Barbarossa-heir]

❤❤❤

[@learnchinesenow]

😁

[@Barbarossa-heir]

​@@learnchinesenowI found your channel through KZbin s' recommendation, I'm very lucky since I love Chinese poetry.. I have subscribed🎉

[@听风告别]

Can talk about Su Shi's "Red Cliff Fu", but this is too long, the difficulty may be very big, but the words are really beautiful, contains the truth, come on( ﹡ˆoˆ﹡ )

[@learnchinesenow]

🤔 good suggestion, maybe I can break it up or go over key points. What do you think?

[@听风告别]

@@learnchinesenow Good idea 加油加油加油＾０＾~

[@QuizmasterLaw]

the only thing i could add is the use of similar initials at similar points 春去，水声。

[@IIllIIllIIllIIll]

You must have had to practice the have movement a few times. That looks hard to get right for the camera.

[@learnchinesenow]

🙃 We have a good editor 👍

[@IIllIIllIIllIIll]

@@learnchinesenow I was talking about the hand movement in frame

[@guenevere]

Can someone do this in Canto for comparison?

[@路人甲-q1k]

你比很多中國人更懂中文, ….厲害 😃

[@learnchinesenow]

🙏🙏🙏 继续努力

[@learnchinesenow]

Translation: "You understand Chinese better than many Chinese, .... amazing 😃"

[@moo3oo3oo3]

Was originally thinking that the mountain was dead, but I guess that doesn't add up with it having color

[@learnchinesenow]

Yea, it almost seems like it could be referring to something like that, as it has color, but that's looking from a distance. When you get closer though there is no sound and nothing is happening. So, maybe he's referring to something other than a painting 🤔

[@aquielos]

Fun fact: The Japanese students need to learn Tang dynasty poems in their school curriculum.

[@learnchinesenow]

Cool!

[@bloodyChina]

we chinese learn Shakespeare too