Dream of the Red Chamber

Dream of the Red Chamber

Commentary

Rebellious Poetry

More of the magic of Dream of the Red Chamber

Daniel Evensen's avatar
Daniel Evensen
Sep 01, 2025
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Rebellious Poetry

This line from the end of yesterday’s poem has got to be one of the most shocking lines in all of Chinese poetry:

問古來將相可還存?

也只是虛名兒與後人欽敬。

I ask you: are any of the ancient officials still alive?

They are only empty names revered by later generations.

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