How to Read a Chinese Poem

This bilingual edition of Tang poems offers a new approach to reading and understanding classical Chinese poetry in general and regulated verse in particular. Included in this anthology are nearly two hundred regulated verses written by the great poets of the Tang Dynasty such as Du Fu, Li Bai, Wang Wei, Li Shangyin, and Men Haoran. This book differs from other books of poetry translation in that each poem is given a bilingual annotation with respect to the literal meanings of each key word. In addition, the tone and pinyin transliteration of each Chinese character are provided for reference. Here, even a reader who does not know the Chinese language can learn to recite the original poem and get a feel on how the original poem should sound like. Also, by providing both a word-for-word and literary translation, the reader can better understand what the poet was thinking. This book is particularly designed for those who cannot read Chinese but want to know more about how regulated poems are written and how they sound in Chinese. It is also designed as a learning resource for student of the Chinese language and for those who are interested in the Chinese culture. This book will be especially helpful to those who want read Tang poems from a bilingual perspective.