Poetry and diplomacy

Was listening to an Economist podcast about how poetry stay very much related in Chinese culture and used by ordinary people. I thought that’s pretty accurate. I’m more surprised the whole series of podcasts are in depth and true about China- not the normal old bashing about ‘uncultured swines’ and ‘evil communists’.

In fact Poetry was (and still is, but way less) the first lesson of all Chinese children, most of us learn to recite poems before learn to run and use chopstick. Sonia said she hated the Chinese lessons in Cambridge because she was forced to remember and understand those stuff she considers not useful at all- not like her London lesson where people teach her daily routine etc.. I tried to comfort her it’s the right way to learn, because if you want to have ANY conversation slightly in depth there will be a lot of metaphors, stories, phrases that became/ shorten to words that does not make sense by their face value. It’s very common and people don’t realize when using it. Such as when CC called me 宝刀未老legendary sword isn’t rusty/old a few weeks ago, it came from a story around year 200 during the 3 kingdoms, Huang Zhong, a general in his 50s or 60s was mocked by his opponent for being too old to go to the war. He replied, ‘young boy laughed at me being old, but my sword is not old.’ Things like this. Even my niece’s name was picked out from two sentences of poems 杞梓之林(the forest of good trees) 维叶莫莫(leaves grow lush and plenty). Good tree/ beautiful jade usually refer as a well rounded/prosperous person.

Poetry was used as the language of diplomacy, around 10 BC.

Because of the nature of the job, speech and words need to be a form of art. The standard education for an 10 BC aristocrat  is to learn everything from 诗(‘Poem’. A book/collection of poems) and use it ambiguously or sometimes, rather passionate to show their intentions. A good(or cringe😂 but we love cringe) example is when a King try to woo a person he or she sees potential, or express gratitude for an old alley, they’ll use love poems that describe lovers or the feeling of in love to express their longing and appreciation for the person

An example:

死生契阔与子成说(even if it’s death and live apart,we made our say/ promise）

执子之手与子偕老(to hold your hands and grow old together )

于嗟阔兮不我活兮(sighed at the long departure there’s no meaning of life）

Another one:

丘中有麻，彼留子嗟。彼留子嗟，将其来施施。(Hemp on the hill, have the man’s stay, have the man’s stay, look forward to his steps to come.)

丘中有麦，彼留子国。彼留子国，将其来食。(Wheat on the hill, have the man’s affection, have the man’s affection, look for him to come to eat.)

丘中有李，彼留之子。彼留之子，贻我佩玖。(Plum on the hill, have the man’s heart, have the man’s heart, and have the jade he was wearing.)

This is a poem they had sex in hemp and wheat field, in plum forest and exchanged tokens btw.😂

I figure it’s still in Chinese diplomacy right now use but foreigners don’t get it- sometime there were some real ambitions, plans, emotions and warning behind the poem and phrases they choose but honestly it’s like winking to a blind person.

I’ve seen on one occasion officially they translated 知我罪我，其惟春秋。to ‘There are people who will appreciate what I have done, but there are also people who will criticize me. Ultimately, history will have the final day.’ This is such an ugly translation, (although my translation is equally bad😂) the literal meaning is ‘know me prosecute me, only spring and autumn.’ Spring and autumn can mean years passing, or time. Or it can also mean 春秋Chun Qiu, a history book named after an era.