Book 2 Chapter 2

Book 2 Chapter 2: Standing Out in the Wind All Night

Origin of the Chapter's Title
The title 风露立中宵 (fēng lù lì zhōng xiāo) is from the poem 绮怀 之十五 (Qi Huai #15) by Huang Jingren (黃景仁), a Qing Dynasty, Qianlong era poet. Qi Huai is a collection of 16 poems. Qi Huai #15 is a well-known Chinese love poem.

The title probably refers to Xiao Yao and Tu Shan Jing's fifteen years promise and the waiting it entails. The last line of the poem 三五年时三五月 (三五 means 3 fives, which is 15) can be roughly translated as "The time of fifteen years is that many times of full moons," describing the pain of waiting.

The title 风露立中宵 can be translated as:


 * Standing Out in the Wind All Night
 * I stand in the biting cold at midnight.

The poem in Chinese:

几回花下坐吹箫，银汉红墙入望遥.

似此星辰非昨夜，为谁风露立中宵.

缠绵思尽抽残茧，宛转心伤剥后蕉.

三五年时三五月，可怜杯酒不曾消.

A full English translation of the poem is unavailable.