予观夫巴陵胜状

予觀夫巴陵勝狀

yú guān fú Bālíng shèngzhuàng

quotation

Meanings

1 as I behold the glorious scenery of Baling
2 the classical essay's formal gesture of 'now let me show you the view'
3 I observe (particle) Baling excellent-scene

Characters

to observe / behold

classical initiating particle

mound (巴陵 = Baling, modern Yueyang)

excellent / superb

scene / state (胜状 = splendid view)

Examples

HSK 7-9

范仲淹岳阳楼记开篇后即写予观夫巴陵胜状，在洞庭一湖。

Fàn Zhòngyān Yuèyáng Lóu Jì kāipiān hòu jí xiě yúguānfúbālíngshèngzhuàng, zài Dòngtíng yì hú.

After the opening, Fan Zhongyan's 'Record of Yueyang Tower' declares: 'As I behold the glorious scenery of Baling - it lies in one Dongting Lake.'

HSK 7-9

中学课本里最熟悉的古文句式之一便是予观夫巴陵胜状。

Zhōngxué kèběn lǐ zuì shúxī de gǔwén jùshì zhīyī biànshì yúguānfúbālíngshèngzhuàng.

One of the most familiar classical-essay openers from middle-school textbooks is 'as I behold the glorious scenery of Baling.'

Tips

history

From 范仲淹《岳阳楼记》 (Northern Song, 1046), the canonical prose essay written at the request of his friend Teng Zijing, governor of Baling (modern Yueyang, Hunan). The famous middle declares: 予观夫巴陵胜状，在洞庭一湖 (As I behold the glorious scenery of Baling, it all lies in Dongting Lake). The essay's closing lines 先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐 are equally famous.

usage

夫 here is a classical initiating particle (read fú, 4th tone), NOT 'husband' (fū). 予 = 'I' (archaic self-reference, read yú). 巴陵 = Baling Commandery, today's Yueyang in Hunan.

Stroke Order

予 yǔ

观 guān

夫 fū

巴 bā

陵 líng

胜 shèng

状 zhuàng