時人為胡母顥語
南史宋明帝紀
禾絹開眼諾。 胡母大張橐。
Words referring to a powerful yet very corrupted official in the court at the time.
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永明中魏地童謠
南史齊武帝紀
赤火南流喪南國。
A children’s song predicting the end of a dynasty.
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百姓為東昏侯歌
南史齊廢帝東昏侯紀
閱武堂。 種楊柳。 至尊屠肉。 潘妃酤酒。
A song sung by people concerning the last emperor of Qi, who was at his best indulging in silly and unnecessary luxuries and plays.
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柳達摩引北方童謠
南史陳武帝紀
石頭擣兩襠。 擣青復擣黃。
A children’s song correctly predicting the difficulties of a military action against the current cityof Nan Jing in the south.
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梁時童謠
南史陳武帝紀
虜萬夫。 入五湖。 城南酒家使虜奴。
A children’s song concerning the failure of a military action by a northern kingdom against a southern kingdom.
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陳人為齊雲觀歌
南史陳後主紀
齊雲觀。 寇來無際畔。
A song sung by people of the Chen kingdom concerning military personnel whom they thought they could count on, without fearing invasion from other kingdom.
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婦人入東宮唱
南史陳後主紀
畢國主。
A song sung by a woman, whose words point to the emperor as the one who would end the Chen dynasty.
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李延壽引梁末童謠
南史陳本紀贊
可憐巴馬子。 一日行千里。 不見馬上郎。
但見黃塵起。 黃塵汙人衣。 皂莢相料理。
A children’s song predicting the transition from one short-lived dynasty to another.
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湘東王府中為魚弘徐緄謠
南史徐君蒨傳。
北路魚。 南路徐。
Words concerning two very wasteful men of the time.
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時人為檀道濟歌
南史檀道濟傳
可憐白浮鳩。 枉殺檀江州。
A song expressing their sorrow regarding the slaying of a general, Tan Dao Ji, and his seven sons, due to a power struggle in the emperor’s court.
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時人為王志王彬語
南史王志傳
三真六草。 為天下寶。
Words praising Wang Zhi and Wang Bin as the greatest calligraphers of their time.
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時人為王瑩語
南史王瑩傳
欲向南。 錢可貪。遂向東。 為黃銅。
Words about the great cost for Wang Ying, a high ranking court official, to expand his house southwards. He eventually expanded eastward of his house, which cost a lot less.
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百姓為袁粲褚彥回語
南史袁粲傳
可憐石頭城。 寧為袁粲死。 不作彥回生。
Words about how one should emulate a loyal subject like Yuan Can, who would rather die than serve another emperor which was what Chu Yuan Hui did.
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時人為張周劉三姓語
南時劉繪傳
三人共宅夾清漳。 張南周北劉中央。
Words referring to the three good writers of the time: Zhang Rong, Zhou Yu, and Liu Hui.
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北軍中為韋叡語
南史臨川靜惠王宏傳
不畏蕭娘語呂姥。 但畏合肥有韋武。
Words said by the military personnel from the Wei dynasty of the north, who were waiting to do a battle with the approaching army of Liang dynasty from the south. They compared the commander-in-chief and the general of the Liang army to women, since these two ordered a retreat without even fighting.
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百姓為蕭正德父子謠
南史臨川王宏子正德傳
寧逢五虎入市。不欲見臨賀父子。
We would rather confront five tigers in the market than meet Prince Lin He and his son. This is describing the ruthless character of this father and son pair.
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梁武帝接民間為蕭恪歌
南史南平王恪傳
江千萬。 蔡五百。 王新車。 庚大宅。 主人憒憒不如客。
Words about how Prince Ke was conned by his house guests who ended up richer than their host.
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梁武帝時童謠
南史鄱陽王範傳
莫匆匆。 且寬公。 誰當作天子。 草覆車邊己。
A children’s song may be predicting who would become the next emperor. This song gave Prince Fan a lot of hope.
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昭明為太子時謠
南史昭明太子統傳
鹿子開城門。 城門鹿子開。 當開復未開。 使我心徘徊。
城中諸少年。 逐歡歸去來。
A rumor about how Prince Zhao Ming would die and how Emperor Wu, in his sorrow wouldtake him a long time to decide which of his sons might succeed the post that Prince Zhao Ming had left empty.
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巴東行人為庚子輿歌
南史庚城傳
淫預如襆本不通。 瞿塘水退為庚公。A song sung by people who lived along one of the three gorges of Yang Tzi River in present day Si Chuan. This song is about how the water of Qu Tang ebbed for a filial son, Yu Zi Yu, to go across the river on his way taking his father’s corpse home.
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南州士庶為江革蕭曇聰語
南史江革傳
故人不道智。 新人佞散騎。 莫如度不度。 新人不如故。
Words about how replacing Jiang Ge with Wang Tan Cong as the official of Nan Zhou was a bad idea. Jiang Ge was replaced simply because he did not flatter people who were close to theemperor.
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時人為鮑正語
南史鮑客卿傳
無處不逢鳥噪。 無處不逢鮑佐。
Words about three very active, young, talented brothers, Bao Jian, Bao Zheng and Bao Zhi. People met them everywhere they went, just as one hears birds chirping everywhere.
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尋陽漁父答孫緬歌
南史隱逸漁父傳
竹竿籊籊。 河水浟浟。相忘為樂。 貪餌吞鉤。 非夷非惠。
聊以忘憂。
A song sung by a fisherman to Sun Mian, who was advising the fishermen to become a government official. The fisherman’s song was this: I am fishing not for the fish or the money, but simply to enjoy the view of the river and forget the worries of life.
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時人為沈麟士語
南史隱逸沈麟士傳
差山中。 有賢士。 開門教授局城市。Words about a hermit who lived in the mountains, yet he had disciples who built houses around him, so that eventually it was as if a city surrounded him.
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陶弘景歌
南史隱逸陶弘景傳
水王木為梁字。
A song sung by a hermit saying that the name of the next dynasty would be Liang.
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都下民語
南史恩倖茹法珍傳
欲求貴職﹑依刀敕。 須得富豪﹑事(捉)(御)刀。If one wants to get high paying jobs, one ought to depend on those who are in power. If one wants to get rich, one would have to wait on those who are in power as if they were the emperor.
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東昏侯時宮中謠言
南史恩倖茹法珍傳
趙鬼食鴨削。 諸鬼盡著調。A rumor in the court about how those people who in fact ran the court, rather than the emperor, would all be killed and cooked.
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侯景時的脰鳥童謠
南史侯景傳
的脰鳥。 拂朱雀。 還與吳。
A children’s song predicting that Hou Jing’s reign would be short-lived.
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荊州天子謠
南史侯景傳
脫青袍。 著芒屩。 荊州天子挺應著。
A song about how Hou Jing was having a hard time holding on to the throne.
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江陵童謠
南史侯景傳
苦竹町。市南有好井。荊危州軍。殺侯景。
A children’s song predicting the slaying of Hou Jing, whose head was cooked, painted, anddisplayed as an exhibition.
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時人為殷禮語
南史逸文
奇才強記﹑殷往嗣。
Yin Wang Si was such a genius that he was constantly reading and memorizing manyscriptures.
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魏宣武孝明間謠
北史魏孝武帝紀
狐非狐。 貉非貉。 焦梨狗子齧斷索。
A rumor predicting the coming to power of Yu Wen Tai.
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齊文宣將受襌時童謠
北史齊文宣帝紀
一束槁。兩頭然。河邊羖【羝】飛上天。
A children’s song predicting the coming to power of Gao Yang, Wen Xuan emperor of Northern Qi.
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齊天保間童謠
北史齊文宣帝紀
馬子入石室。三千六百日。A children’s song correctly predicting that the reign of Gao Yang would be exactly ten years.
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河東民為元淑謠
北史常山王遵傳附其孫淑傳
泰州河東。 杼柚代舂。 元公至止。 田疇始理。
A song sung by people of He Dong praising their Governor Yuan Shu, who made them learn agriculture in order to have a more sustainable life than that based on trading.
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文林館中為陸乂
北史陸俟傳附晜孫乂傳
五經無對﹑有陸乂。
Lu Yi has so much knowledge of the five scriptures that no one could ever challenge him.
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鄴下為李氏兄弟語
北史李渾傳
學則渾繪緯。 口則繪緯渾。
Among the three brothers of the Li household, their competence in learnedness are in this order: Hun is the first, Hui is the second, and Wei is the third. Their loquaciousness is in this order: Hui the first, Wei the second, and Hun the third.
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時人為李普濟語
北史李子雄傳附族弟普濟傳
入麤入細﹑李普濟。
Li Pu Ji is good in every way.
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時人為李義深語
北史李義深傳
劍戟森森﹑李義深。
Li Yi Shen has talent, yet he is too selfish and good at scheming.
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時人為陽休之語
北史陽休之傳
能賦能詩﹑陽休之。
Yang Xiu Zhi is good at writing poems.
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時人為陰鳳語
北時賈思伯傳
陰生讀書不免癡。 不識雙鳳脫人衣。
Words about how Yin Fong was silly to pawn his clothes in order to pay his tuition to his twoteachers, who eventually were all successful and rich.
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李延壽引鄙語論婁定遠
北史婁昭傳
利以昏智。
Profits alone can make a wise person delirious, let alone someone who is not wise.
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時人為唐永語
北史唐永傳
莫陸梁。 恐爾逢唐將。
Words about a general whose army was stationed on the northern border. He was there for four years and never lost a single battle.
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隋煬帝時并州謠言
北史隋庶人諒傳
一張紙。 兩張紙。 客量小兒作天子。
A rumor about who would become an emperor. Yang Liang interpreted this rumor in his favor but failed in his attempt to take over the throne and died in prison.
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冀州人語
北史熊安生傳
顯公鐘。 宋公鼓。 宗道暉屐。 李洛姬肚。
Words by people of Ji Zhou about the four biggest of four local people. One monk has the biggest bell. Mr. Song has the biggest drum, Mr. Zong has the biggest wooden shoes, and Mr. Li has the belly of a pregnant woman.
