Dream of the Red Chamber

Dream of the Red Chamber

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Rebellious Poetry

More of the magic of Dream of the Red Chamber

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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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