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貴 gùi *(V) treat as precious or noble
但 dàn (Adv) only, singly; however; (Adj) single
感 găn (V) to be moved [by]
經 jing *(V) to cross, to extend across, to traverse
時 shí (N) a time, a season; (Adv) timely, repeatedly, at due season
7.5 Classical allusion
The degree to which allusion to prior texts dominates the world of Chinese poetry (and
prose, for that matter) far exceeds anything comparable in the West. Although these
poems are early products of the literary tradition, they still regularly import allusive
language, particularly that of the Shijing 詩經, or Book of Poetry. The choice of the
somewhat ambiguous word zhì 致 in line 6 is governed by the needs of allusion. The
prior text, from the Shijing, reads:
豈不爾思,遠莫致之
qǐ bù ĕr si / yǔan mò zhì zhi
Allusions often do not capture the original sense of the source (this is not considered a
literary flaw). In this case, the Shijing text, which concerns a woman longing to return to
her family, might be translated, “How could it be that I do not long for you; it is that you
are distant and I cannot reach you.” In our poem, 致 seems to be used in the sense of “to
transport [something],” referring to the blossom and the inability of the woman to find a
courier to transport it to her lover. (In case you’re wondering how you are supposed to
recognize allusions, for the most part they are provided by traditional and modern
commentators in modern editions of traditional literature.)
#3 “Húi ju jìa yán mài” 迴車駕言邁
迴 húi (Adj) revolving, constantly moving (cognate to húi 回: to return,
go in a circle)
車 ju (N) a cart, a wagon, a chariot (N.B.: WYW pron. differs from MC
che)
駕 jìa (V) to drive (a chariot)
言 yán *(Particle) in poetry: a metric filler without meaning