天涯何處無芳草

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Chinese

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far corners of the world; distant lands what place; where not have fragrant grass; green grass
trad. (天涯何處無芳草) 天涯 何處 芳草
simp. (天涯何处无芳草) 天涯 何处 芳草
Literally: “Where in the world is there a lack of fragrant grass?”.

Etymology

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From 離騷 in the Chu Ci:

芳草 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
芳草怀 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Verses of Chu, 4th century BCE – 2nd century CE
suǒ fāngcǎo xī, ěr hé huái hū gù yǔ? [Pinyin]
In what place are there not fragrant herbs? Why do you miss your old habitat?

From “Butterflies Adore Flowers” (蝶戀花), by Su Shi:

柳綿天涯何處芳草 [Ci, trad.]
柳绵天涯何处芳草 [Ci, simp.]
From: a. 12th century, Su Shi.
Zhī shàng liǔmián chuī yòu shào, tiānyá héchù fāngcǎo? [Pinyin]
Fuzzy catkins get sparser on willow branches after the wind
But where, within the corners of the world, cannot fragrant herbs be found?

Pronunciation

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Proverb

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天涯何處無芳草

  1. There is no need to be overly attached to one person or location, everything has something about it that is endearing.
  2. (of lost love) there are plenty of fish in the sea