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Winter Night

《冬夜即事》

Plum-blossom and bamboo dream, the third watch has come,

But sleep eludes them under silk eiderdowns.

梅魂竹梦已三更，锦罽鹴衾睡未成。

Only a stork can be seen in the pine-shadowed court,

No oriole sings in the snow which has drifted like pear-blossom.

松影一庭唯见鹤，梨花满地不闻莺。

Cold is the green-sleeved girl as she writes a poem,

Tipsy the young lord in gold and sable gown.

女儿翠袖诗怀冷，公子金貂酒力轻。

Happily the maid knows how to make good tea,

And gathers up fresh fallen snow to brew it.

却喜侍儿知试茗，扫将新雪及时烹。

Winter Night is a poem from Chapter 23 of Hong Lou Mengor A Dream of Red Mansions written by novelist Cao Xueqin of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In the novel, this seven-character poem is written by Jia Baoyu.

《冬夜即事》出自清代小说家曹雪芹所著小说《红楼梦》的第二十三回，是小说人物贾宝玉所作的一首七言律诗。

The first two lines tell us that the plum and the bamboo are asleep in the dead of night, but the poet. The second two lines depict the snow scenes in the courtyard. The third two lines write that Jia Baoyu is imagining the situation of those girls who can write poems in the Grand View Garden at this moment. The last two lines say that "the maid knows how to make good tea, and gathers up fresh fallen snow to brew it", which express Jia Baoyu's poetic mood on the cold winter night. The poem is rich in imagery and emotion, showing us a vivid "cold night picture".

《冬夜即事》首联写夜已三更，梅竹均以入梦，而诗人犹未成眠；颔联描绘了院中雪景；颈联写宝玉在想像大观园中那些能诗善赋的女孩子们此刻的情形；尾联用“却喜”二字一转，以侍儿扫雪烹茶之事，写出雪夜的雅兴。全诗意象丰富，情感活跃、丰沛，渲染了一幅生动的“寒夜图”。

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Major Cold, the 24th solar term, begins this year on Jan 20 and ends on Feb 3, lasting for 15 days.

中国传统历法把一年分为二十四节气。大寒是二十四节气中的最后一个节气，于1月20日开始，到2月3日结束，共计15天。

Major Cold is the last solar term in winter and also the last solar term in the annual solar calendar. In this period, snow, rain and icy cold weather exert a big influence on people's lives, so it is suggested to drink more stewed soup to keep warm.

大寒不仅是冬天的最后一个节气，而且还是二十四节气中的最后一个节气。大寒时节，雨雪和冰冷的天气将会对人们的生活产生较大影响。因此，建议多喝汤，来御寒保暖。（杨佳欣）

Web editors: Shen Jianqi, Zhang Rui