Words about Beauty (4)

羞花 shying flower, it means her beauty make the flower shy, so the flower close its petals (in Chinese term ‘shy’ could be transitive verb)

The girl lived in Tang Dynasty (618-907AD), it was the most prosperous period of China, in the west, the Silk Road lead the merchants traded with Ancient Persia. In the south, the Chinese monk 陈玄装 walked to India and studied there for 14 years.

Below was a tower built in Tang Dynasty:

For the east, Japan sent a diplomatic corps to China to learn Chinese culture and since then the Japanese had a writing system.

Below is the model of their boat:

http://www.longquanzs.org/resource/201005051273030173046.jpg

Yet all of this was disappeared when the emperor fell in love with a girl 33 years younger than him.

Below was the palace of Tang Dynasty:

And:

Hand writing of that emperor:

http://hd.shijue.cvidea.cn/tf/130117/2263983/52aadc453dfae9926c000005.jpg

A minority leader 安禄山, is conspiracy for a rebellion. He honour the girl as his adoptive mother in order to approach the emperor, despite the girl was 16 years younger than him. Later his plan was succeed, the rebellion occupied more than half of the China. When the emperor bring the girl flee to an inner land of the country, his guards mutinied their appeal was simple and clear: to kill the girl otherwise they would be a revolt. Because, without the girl, 安禄山may not gain grace of the emperor.

Below is the road that the emperor escaped from capital city:

And:

 The emperor could not save the girl and the guards forced the girl hanging herself from a beam. That girl was 杨玉环

Picture was drew at that time, we may learn their aesthetic standard, especially the eyebrow. It was called moth’s eyebrow.

Below was her bathroom:

The Japanese people seemed love her more than Chinese did, they made a story telling that as there were so many Japanese diplomatic corps in Chinese, some of them saved the girl and escorted her to Japan. They had two proves to support their story, the first one was that they found a tomb of this girl at Japan (the red spot).

This is the statue on her tomb in Japan:

The second prove was that in the poem of a famous poet at that time, telling that after the girl, dead the emperor was missing her very much. One day a Taoist priest went to see him and told that he had seen the girl in Japan and the girl told him a secret story that only the emperor and the girl knew.

Words about Beauty (3)

闭月 closing moon, it means she was more beauty than the moon, so the moon covered its face. In some cases it particularly means 貂婵

During the last years of Han dynasty 202BC-220AD, the emperor lost his power and many warlords took over the country. Among them, 董卓 was the worst one. He slept with emperor’s women. If anyone show any dissent, he would kill him. In this way the whole country turned to be turmoil. A former high rank officer丁原 was still a loyal person to the old emperor, he wanted to restore the old order. Yet he knew that 董卓 had an adopted son name 吕布，who was the leader of 董卓’s army. 吕布 was bold and powerful, the public opinion at that time believed that 吕布could beat any brave soldiers. In the film of Red Cliff, there were three brave warriors:

They were sworn brothers. It was said once this three brothers together fought with 吕布 in drew. Below was the original place, where the three sworn brother fought against 吕布：

With the support of 吕布, 董卓 could do any evil deed if he wanted. 丁原knew both 吕布and his adoptive father were sex – obsessed, so the only way to beat them was to find a pretty girl to alienate them. 丁原 had an adopted daughter. She was beautiful. That night丁原 found his adopted daughter was praying for peace in the back garden. 丁原was moved by her praying, he told her that the only way to restore peace was alienating 吕布 and his adoptive father. He told his adopted daughter: “the most suitable one is you, do you like do this? I will kneel before you for the people.” The daughter agreed and promised to fulfil the task. Later, 丁原 helped the girl to lure both 吕布and his adoptive father.  

This two fell out and became enemy, and 吕布 killed his adoptive father董卓, finally the girl married吕布, and her name was 貂蝉.

Image of吕布, he had a special weapon called戟, you may check it in Google image:

Image of 貂蝉：

Words about Beauty (2)

落雁 falling gander, it means her beauty attracted flying gander and it fall down. In some cases, it particularly means a unique girl named 王昭君

In many stories about Attila and Huns, we found it was a main reason of the fall of Rome. The same Huns had had a war with Han Dynasty (202BC－220AD) of China for a long period before Rome. In most time Han Dynasty send gifts and girls to Huns to exchange peace. But at the time of emperor汉武帝Han Wu Di he didn’t want do this anymore instead he fought with the Huns. The result was driven one of the two branch of Huns out of Asia.

Below was the tomb of the general that drove Huns out of Asia, with 50,000 cavalries killed 70,443 Huns, when he was 21 years of age. Two years later he died with disease when he was 23 years of age. His name is霍去病, it means Without-Disease:

How to deal with the other branch of Huns? The emperor’s successor still sending girls and money to them to exchange peace. All these girls were normal court maids, but when they were sending to Huns, the emperor would change their statue as his adopted daughters or princesses. Among them王昭君 was the most famous one.   

Below is the image of 王昭君, as the weather of north China was cold, she was dressed in fur-coat.

Words about Beauty (1)

From: http://thesaurus.com/browse/good-looking

We may find the synonym of good-looking as

Attractive魅力, beautiful美丽, comely秀丽, lovely可爱, pretty漂亮, beauteous靓丽, fair飒爽, impressive抢眼, pulchritudinous美貌, etc.

In Chinese, there are four special words to describe a very beautiful girl. They are:

沉鱼 sinking fish, that means her beauty attracted swimming fish and it sinking down the water. In some cases, it particularly means a unique girl named 西施

During the time of Spring and Autumn Era (722-481 B.C.), the war among states turned from cruelty to bloodiness, one of the traps was called badger game. After the king of Yue kingdom was arrested by the king of Wu kingdom an officer of Yue found a pretty girl by the river bank, when she was washing some cloth. The officer told the girl that the people of their kingdom would be colonial slaves of Wu kingdom if no one prevent the king of Wu to do it, the only way to stop it was a good-looking girl went to and accompany the king of Wu. As the Wu king was a sex - obsessed fellow he may listen to a girl with beauty and you are the right girl. Would you like to do this dedication to our country? The girl accepted this mission and did what she was required. Later she helped her king of Yue beat the king of Wu successfully. But after the victory, the queen of Yue murdered the girl for afraid her husband might fall in love with the girl. This girl was 西施

Below was the sword of Yue king, on the sword there are some characters the technology was called gold inlaid inscription and these characters illustrated its master:

This was the sword of Wu king:

A vessel had been used by the Wu king:

Weapon had been used by Wu king:

Money of Yue kingdom:

A music instrument of Wu kingdom:

Model boat of Yue kingdom:

The gate of the capital city of Yue kingdom:

Words about death （3）

Going to die:

行将就木，going to meet wood (coffin)

明年的今天是你忌日 next year’s today would be your anniversary
二十年后又是一条好汉 after twenty years I will be a good true man again (believe next life)

香消玉殒fragrant is gone, jade perish (normally the death of beauty)

半截入土 half body underneath earth
分香卖履 separating fragrant, selling shoes (曹操was a great leader in the time of three kingdoms. You may see him in the film Red Cliff. When he was going to die, he was worry about how his wives and concubines would live on, he separate his fragrant to them and telling them to learn making shoes. Later this four characters meant someone who worry about the life of his wife, after he died.) Image of曹操:

http://img1.178.com/newgame/201304/160685085192/160685282542.jpg

苟延残喘merely managed to keep the rest breath

属纩之际 a period of cotton (when someone is going to die, people use a little bit of cotton testing his nose see if he have breath)

弥留之际 last time of enduring illness
垂暮之年 the year of dusk

风烛残年 one’s rest year like candle in the wind.

棺材瓤子 inner pulp of coffin

日薄西山 the sun dropping into west mountain

回光反照last radiance of the setting sun

危若朝露 as danger as the morning dew

Words about death （2）

Negative words

丧命 lost life

断气 cut off breath

嗝屁 block fart (in scold and abuse, the fart mean breath)

夭折 snapped in young

灭门 extinguish whole family

暴毙violence death

下地狱, go to hell

一命呜呼 the life Wu Hu. Normally the last word of a Condolence is Wu Hu.

诛九族 kill all the relatives

进棺材 go to coffin

赶投胎 hurry to be another fetus. Ancient Chinese believe that after death, one was going to next birth.

见阎王 see Pluto

回老家 go back hometown. After death one should burry at hometown.

七孔流血 bleed from the seven apertures in the human head, i.e. eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth

魂飞魄散 soul is gone, spirit is disappear

死有余辜death will not expiate all his crimes

死不足惜Death is not to be regretted

五马分尸dismemberment by five horses; dividing up; sharing out

死不瞑目dead with open eyes (it means die with grievance of everlasting regret)

魂归离恨天 soul go to heaven where no hate

死无葬身之地 die without a bury place (mean come to a bad end)

Neutral words:

殁, death

往生 go to other life

作古 turn to be ancient (history)

亡故 died and gone

过世 left this world

逝世 disappear from this world

谢世 bid farewell to this world

死亡 died death

长眠 sleep forever

倩女离魂 the soul of a beauty left (normally for a good looking girl died for love) 
死欲速朽 died and expecting rotten faster (it means don’t have a luxury inhume. In ancient time people love a luxury inhume, they required all the precious thing in one’s alive buried with them. But some smart person didn’t want this, they asked a simple inhume and after thousand years people found those simple tomb maintained very well, but most of the luxury tombs were robbed)

Words about death （1）

From http://thesaurus.com/browse/death, I found many synonym of death. Some of Chinese compound words are similar with English, others are carrying different meanings. Comparing the difference you may know more about compound words:

Positive words

身后after body afterlife

杀害 kill destruction

去世left world

逝世disappear from world

殉葬 dead for someone else

殉国dead for country

殉情dead for love

殉夫 dead for husband

殉父dead for father

殉妇 dead for wife

殉母dead for mother

殉教dead for church

殉主 dead for master

殉难 dead for disaster

坐化 sitting disappear, 圆寂 finished all work left no pity, 涅磐shift into eternal〈normally these words mean the Buddhism monk dead〉

羽化, being feathered, 仙逝disappearing to be immortal, 升天go up to heaven,归天 return heaven,登仙 ascent immortal (these words for Daoism priest)
驾崩the Character 驾means vehicle. In ancient China to call somebody on name is irreverence, and speaking emperor’s name is taboo, yet in case it is necessary to call emperor, what can someone do? They would call emperor’s vehicle later the word 驾turned to be emperor’s pronoun. The second character 崩means landslide or avalanche. So the word mean the death of emperor.

哲人其萎philosopher withered (normally for a popular scholar death) 
修文地下cultivate his article under earth (normally for a good author) 
仙凡路隔 separate from mortal to immortal
马革裹尸 horse leather wrapped corpse (in ancient time a soldier dead in battle was wrapped in horsehide and buried)

入土为安Burial brings peace to the deceased

驾鹤西归 riding a crane to the west

撒手人寰hand over the mortal world

含笑九泉smile under earth

命丧黄泉lost life under earth

人亡物在one’s things are still there, but the person gone.

 一了百了finished at once then everything is finished.

与世长辞  farewell to the world forever.

寿终正寝finished to enjoy one’s life for an right sleep.

成仁取义died for mercy and honour.

壮烈牺牲die a glorious death

英容宛在as one’s great image still there 

英年早逝died too early 

为国捐躯contribute body of oneself to the country

投胎转世turned to next life (ancient Chinese believe after death, one will go to a new born)

死得其所died with a valuable death

天人永隔heaven and human will separate forever