Today marks Winter solstice, also known as "Dong Zhi" in Chinese. It is the 22nd solar term on the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls on December 22 this year. 

In this episode of "Mastering Chinese Poetry," CGTN shares with you the poem "A Song of White Snow in Farewell to Field Clerk Wu Going Home," which was written by Cen Shen, a famous Chinese poet during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), which depicts a spectacular scene of snow in August while simultaneously bidding farewell to a fellow official in the Western Region of China. 

Welcome to our new episode of Mastering Chinese Poetry. Let's delve deeper into this poem. 

From the title "A Song of White Snow in Farewell to Field Clerk Wu Going Home", we can tell that the poem we are looking at today revolves around two primary themes-snow and taking leave. 

The combination is believed to bring out the best in each concept, making this poem the only one of its kind among the seven-character ancient verses of the Tang Dynasty. The opening lines are so famous that they are frequently cited, even today.

běi fēng juǎn dì bái cǎo shé, hú tiān bā yuè jí fēi xuě 
北风卷地白草折，胡天八月即飞雪。 
hū rú yī yè chūn fèng lái, qiān shù wàn shù lí huā kāi 
忽如一夜春风来，千树万树梨花开。 
The north wind rolls the white grasses and breaks them 
And the Eighth-month snow across the Tartar sky 
Is like a spring gale come up in the night, 
Blowing open the petals of ten thousand pear trees. 

These four lines describe a magnificent scene. In the span of a night the land is clad in silvery white. The poet is so impressed by the view that he draws a parallel between the fresh fallen snow on the branches and pear blossoms in full bloom in spring. 

The reference to the Eighth-month snow highlights that snow falls early in the season in the frontier region, as well as the poet's pleasure at seeing the early snow.  

In the following sentences, the poet reflects on the freezing temperature so cold that even fur offers no warmth and metal armor stiffens on the wearer. 

lún tái dōng mén sòng jūn qù, qù shí xuě mǎn tiān shān lù   
轮台东门送君去，去时雪满天山路。 
shān huí lù zhuǎn bù jiàn jūn, xuě shàng kōng liú mǎ háng chú   
山回路转不见君，雪上空留马行处。 
We watch him through Wheel Tower Gate going eastward. 
Into the snow mounds of Heaven-Peak Road 
And then he disappears at the turn of the pass, 
Leaving behind him only hoofprints 

In the last stanza, the reader can sense wistfulness in the farewell. The friend has disappeared, leaving only hoofprints to show that he was there. The poet is sad to see his friend go but is perhaps wondering if he himself can return home. 

There are plenty of Tang Dynasty poems that have won universal praise. However, this one stands out as having withstood the test of time and winning the hearts of both the young and old in contemporary times. 

What poems come to mind when you wake up to fresh-fallen snow?  

Script writer: Zhang Meng 
Video editor: Zhang Dian 
Videographer: Qi Jianqiang 
Cover designer: Gao Hongmei 
Copy editor: Claudine Housen 
Chief editor: Lin Dongwei 
Producer: Li Tianfu 
Executive producer: Wen Yaru 
Supervisor: Zhang Shilei