Angelina Posted January 30, 2015 at 05:58 AM Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 05:58 AM Interesting expression. I was talking to a Chinese friend about someone dying（去世）and she said 驾鹤西去. How commonly used is this expression? Baidu said there are similar ones 近义词：驾鹤西游 ，驾鹤西归，驾鹤成仙 http://baike.baidu.com/view/4334443.htm Quote
abcdefg Posted January 30, 2015 at 08:27 AM Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 08:27 AM I like the sound of that. Very poetic. Can't say I have actually heard it used first hand, but most of my friends are not very well-read or scholarly. Quote
Angelina Posted January 30, 2015 at 10:35 AM Author Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 10:35 AM It might be too flowery for 口语。 Quote
abcdefg Posted January 30, 2015 at 10:51 AM Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 10:51 AM Yes, of course. I wasn't thinking. Quote
roddy Posted January 30, 2015 at 11:42 AM Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 11:42 AM There's some fun stuff when you look up 鹤 in the dictionary. 鹤书 is an imperial summons for a hermit. There's lots of stuff for longevity - 龟鹤延年, to live as long as tortoises and cranes. Or 松鹤延龄, if you're not a tortoise person. Or travel with 一琴一鹤 - very little luggage (oh, I'm taking almost nothing. Just a piano and my crane...) Quote
Angelina Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:12 PM Author Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:12 PM 琴 refers to the 古琴, although it will be fun to take a piano with you when travelling. Quote
roddy Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:13 PM Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:13 PM Edit after typing too quickly while my pasta boils - I think it refers to a piano. Funnier images. Quote
Angelina Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:15 PM Author Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:15 PM Why a 鹤? It has to be something very 君子。Were pillows in ancient China made using feathers? Quote
roddy Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:23 PM Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:23 PM Well, based on my extensive knowledge of Chinese language and culture, and definitely not having just looked it up, I'd imagine there's a story about a Song dynasty official traveling to take up his post and taking only his 琴 and pet 鹤 - hence the two meanings of traveling light, and a clean-living non-corrupt official. Quote
Angelina Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:35 PM Author Report Posted January 30, 2015 at 12:35 PM and his 鹤 helped him live a long, happy life. He 驾鹤西去了 after serving his people for 130 years. Quote
陳德聰 Posted January 31, 2015 at 07:32 AM Report Posted January 31, 2015 at 07:32 AM It reminds me of 崔顥's 黃鶴樓, and as far as I know, 仙人 or the like would ride a crane into... the deity zone, haha I don't want to call it heaven but I can't think of something better. I just know once you get on a crane headed West you don't come back, so I tend to avoid those birds if I can. Quote
Lianbu Zhou Posted March 24, 2015 at 07:13 AM Report Posted March 24, 2015 at 07:13 AM LOL that is a great question! If we translate 驾鹤西去 literally we could get “Drive a crane to the West” 鹤， the crane, is the carrier of immortals in Chinese ancient legneds: like this: In Chinese culture, when a taoist has gone, we say that the taoist has become an immortal and driven his crane to the west. Just a polite and poetic way to say someone's death. 2 Quote
Messidor Posted June 15, 2015 at 05:27 AM Report Posted June 15, 2015 at 05:27 AM when you refer to old people whom you respect in written material, 驾鹤西去 is fine. It means the dead fellow is going to ride the immortal crane to travel freely in heavens. But as a chinese idiom it is rarely used （sometimes it can be used in humorous way）. 作古，长辞，仙逝 are more common, and 亡故，谢世，辞世，离世 as well; or euphemism like 离开，走了，不在了，去了. Quote
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