Learn by Songs 4 — Day 5 — 兰亭序 (Preface to the Orchid Pavilion)
"兰亭序" (Preface to the Orchid Pavilion), released in 2008 by Jay Chou (周杰伦) on the album 魔杰座, with lyrics by Vincent Fang (方文山), takes its title from the famous calligraphy masterpiece by Wang Xizhi (王羲之) of the Jin dynasty, one of the most celebrated works of Chinese calligraphic art.
Today's Vocabulary
书法
calligraphy
爷爷每天早上都练习书法。
Yéye měitiān zǎoshang dōu liànxí shūfǎ.
Grandpa practices calligraphy every morning.
毛笔
writing brush
她用毛笔写了一首诗。
Tā yòng máobǐ xiěle yì shǒu shī.
She wrote a poem with a writing brush.
墨水
ink
瓶子里的墨水快用完了。
Píngzi lǐ de mòshuǐ kuài yòngwánle.
The ink in the bottle is almost used up.
字画
calligraphy and painting
博物馆收藏了很多古代字画。
Bówùguǎn shōucángle hěn duō gǔdài zìhuà.
The museum has a large collection of ancient calligraphy and paintings.
文人
literati; scholar
古代文人喜欢在诗中表达情感。
Gǔdài wénrén xǐhuan zài shī zhōng biǎodá qínggǎn.
Ancient literati liked to express their feelings through poetry.
古典
classical
她对古典文学很有研究。
Tā duì gǔdiǎn wénxué hěn yǒu yánjiū.
She has done extensive study of classical literature.
才华
talent; giftedness
他在音乐方面很有才华。
Tā zài yīnyuè fāngmiàn hěn yǒu cáihuá.
He has a lot of talent in music.
笔画
brush stroke
这个字的笔画比较复杂。
Zhège zì de bǐhuà bǐjiào fùzá.
This character has fairly complex brush strokes.
传承
to pass down; inherit (a tradition)
这门手艺已经传承了几百年。
Zhè mén shǒuyì yǐjīng chuánchéngle jǐbǎi nián.
This craft has been passed down for hundreds of years.
意境
artistic conception; mood in art
这幅山水画意境深远。
Zhè fú shānshuǐ huà yìjìng shēnyuǎn.
This landscape painting has a profound artistic mood.