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A classical Chinese line for “I feel sad”

These matches come from a curated corpus of real Chinese poetry and philosophy. The source line is fixed; the English wording is provided to make its meaning accessible.

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The closest lines we found

6 source-verified results
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抽刀断水水更流，举杯消愁愁更愁。

Chōu dāo duàn shuǐ shuǐ gèng liú, jǔ bēi xiāo chóu chóu gèng chóu.

Close English reading

Cut water with a blade and it flows all the more; raise a cup to drown sorrow and sorrow grows deeper.

Plain meaningTrying to force grief away can make it return even more strongly.

Source
Li Bai· Tang dynasty · Farewell to Secretary Shu Yun at Xie Tiao Tower in Xuanzhou
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsThe image captures frustration with feelings that cannot simply be cut off or numbed.
Original context and translation note
弃我去者，昨日之日不可留；乱我心者，今日之日多烦忧。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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月落乌啼霜满天，江枫渔火对愁眠。

Yuè luò wū tí shuāng mǎn tiān, jiāng fēng yú huǒ duì chóu mián.

Close English reading

The moon sets, crows cry, and frost fills the sky; beside river maples and fishing lights, I lie awake in sorrow.

Plain meaningI cannot sleep on this cold and lonely night.

Source
Zhang Ji· Tang dynasty · Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsSound, frost, dim lights, and the traveler's wakefulness combine into a vivid scene of nocturnal sorrow.
Original context and translation note
月落乌啼霜满天，江枫渔火对愁眠。姑苏城外寒山寺，夜半钟声到客船。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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念天地之悠悠，独怆然而涕下。

Niàn tiān dì zhī yōu yōu, dú chuàng rán ér tì xià.

Close English reading

Thinking of the endlessness of heaven and earth, alone in sorrow I shed tears.

Plain meaningThe scale of time and the world can make one person's loneliness feel overwhelming.

Source
Chen Zi'ang· Tang dynasty · Song on Climbing Youzhou Terrace
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsThe poem looks backward and forward through time and finds no answering figure, turning historical isolation into personal grief.
Original context and translation note
前不见古人，后不见来者。念天地之悠悠，独怆然而涕下。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲。

Dú zài yì xiāng wéi yì kè, měi féng jiā jié bèi sī qīn.

Close English reading

Alone in a foreign place, I am a stranger; at every festival, I miss my family all the more.

Plain meaningBeing far from home makes special days feel even lonelier.

Source
Wang Wei· Tang dynasty · Thinking of My Brothers East of the Mountains on the Ninth Day of the Ninth Month
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsIt directly connects distance, festival time, loneliness, and longing for family.
Original context and translation note
遥知兄弟登高处，遍插茱萸少一人。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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拣尽寒枝不肯栖，寂寞沙洲冷。

Jiǎn jìn hán zhī bù kěn qī, jì mò shā zhōu lěng.

Close English reading

After choosing through every cold branch, it still refuses to settle, alone on the chilly sandbar.

Plain meaningI would rather remain alone than settle where I do not belong.

Source
Su Shi· Northern Song dynasty · Song of Divination: At Dinghui Temple in Huangzhou
Dongpo Yuefu
Why it fitsThe solitary wild goose is often read as a figure of wounded pride and self-possession, not merely romantic loneliness.
Original context and translation note
谁见幽人独往来？缥缈孤鸿影。惊起却回头，有恨无人省。拣尽寒枝不肯栖，寂寞沙洲冷。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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哀哀父母，生我劬劳。

Āi āi fù mǔ, shēng wǒ qú láo.

Close English reading

How sorrowful for my parents, who bore and raised me through such toil.

Plain meaningI remember how much my parents endured to raise me.

Source
Anonymous· Pre-Qin China · Liao E
The Book of Songs
Why it fitsThis is a grieving and retrospective poem, so it suits remembrance and gratitude more than a light celebratory caption.
Original context and translation note
蓼蓼者莪，匪莪伊蒿。哀哀父母，生我劬劳。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

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Translation note: The English readings are original explanatory translations for this product. They are designed for clarity and source verification, not presented as definitive literary translations.

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SadnessClassical Chinese lines for sorrow, loneliness, emotional exhaustion, and grief that will not disappear on command.

Original Chinese line, pinyin, a readable English explanation, and a traceable source—without inventing an ancient quotation.

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A Classical Chinese Line for “I feel sad” | Gu Ren Said