曲高和寡

Chinese

		tune; song; bent tune; song; bent; crooked; wrong	high; tall	mix together; peace; harmony mix together; peace; harmony; and; with; union; cap (a poem); respond in singing; soft; warm	few; widowed
simp. and trad. (曲高和寡)		曲	高	和	寡
Literally: “songs of a highbrow type will find very few people joining in the chorus”.

Etymology

From an ancient piece of dialogue disputably bearing the author's name of Song Yu

楚襄王問於宋玉曰：「先生其有遺行與？何士民衆庶，不譽之甚也？」宋玉對曰：「唯！然！有之。願大王寬其罪，使得畢其辭。客有歌於郢中者，其始曰《下里》《巴人》，國中屬而和者數千人；其為《陽阿》《薤露》，國中屬而和者數百人；其為《陽春》《白雪》，國中屬而和者不過數十人；引商刻羽，雜以流徵，國中屬而和者，不過數人而已。是其曲彌高，其和彌寡。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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楚襄王问于宋玉曰：「先生其有遗行与？何士民众庶，不誉之甚也？」宋玉对曰：「唯！然！有之。愿大王宽其罪，使得毕其辞。客有歌于郢中者，其始曰《下里》《巴人》，国中属而和者数千人；其为《阳阿》《薤露》，国中属而和者数百人；其为《阳春》《白雪》，国中属而和者不过数十人；引商刻羽，杂以流徵，国中属而和者，不过数人而已。是其曲弥高，其和弥寡。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: c. 3rd century BC, Song Yu ,宋玉《對楚王問》, translated into English as Unpopularity by Herbert Allen Giles, 1922.

Chǔ xiāngwáng wèn yú Sòngyù yuē: “Xiānshēng qí yǒu yíxíng yú? Hé shìmínzhòngshù, bùyù zhī shèn yě?” Sòngyù duì yuē: “Wéi! Rán! Yǒu zhī. Yuàn dàwáng kuān qí zuì, shǐ dé bì qí cí. Kè yǒu gē yú Yǐngzhōng zhě, qí shǐ yuē “xiàlǐ” “bārén”, guózhōng zhǔ ér hè zhě shùqiān rén; qí wéi “yáng'ē” “xièlù”, guózhōng zhǔ ér hè zhě shùbǎi rén; qí wéi “yángchūn” “báixuě”, guózhōng zhǔ ér hè zhě bùguò shùshí rén; yǐn shāng kè yǔ, zá yǐ liúzhǐ, guózhōng zhǔ ér hè zhě, bùguò shù rén éryǐ. Shì qí qū mí gāo, qí hè mí guǎ.” [Pinyin]

The Prince of Ch'u said to his prime minister, "What have you done that should cause the officers and people of this State to abuse you so clamorously?" "Abuse me indeed they do," replied the minister; "but pardon my boldness, and I will explain. A stranger was singing in one of our villages the other day, and this was the subject of his lay: There is the music of the masses; there is the music of a narrower circle; that of a narrower circle still; and lastly, the classical music of the cultured few. This classical music is too lofty, and too difficult of comprehension, for the masses."

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): qǔgāohèguǎ

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄩˇ ㄍㄠ ㄏㄜˋ ㄍㄨㄚˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): kuk¹ gou¹ wo⁶ gwaa²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: qǔgāohèguǎ
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄩˇ ㄍㄠ ㄏㄜˋ ㄍㄨㄚˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cyǔgaohèguǎ
    • Wade–Giles: chʻü³-kao¹-ho⁴-kua³
    • Yale: chyǔ-gāu-hè-gwǎ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: cheugauhehgoa
    • Palladius: цюйгаохэгуа (cjujgaoxɛgua)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰy²¹⁴⁻²¹ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ xɤ⁵¹ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: kuk¹ gou¹ wo⁶ gwaa²
    • Yale: kūk gōu woh gwá
    • Cantonese Pinyin: kuk⁷ gou¹ wo⁶ gwaa²
    • Guangdong Romanization: kug¹ gou¹ wo⁶ gua²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰʊk̚⁵ kou̯⁵⁵ wɔː²² kʷaː³⁵/

Idiom

曲高和寡

1. to be highbrow and unpopular, as it cannot be easily understood by the common people