Song dynasty warrior-poet and folk hero Yuefei (岳飞) gets a tattoo to remind himself of his duty to his country. This is an “advanced” post for three reasons: one, there are some words in here that can’t be found in the dictionary, two, there are quite a few proper names, and three, to understand this, you need to know a little bit about Song history.
岳飞十五六岁时，北方的金人南侵，宋朝当权者腐败无能，节节败退，国家处在生死存亡的关头。岳飞投军抗辽。不久因父丧，退伍还乡守孝。
1126年，金兵大举入侵中原，岳飞再次投军。临行前，姚太夫人把岳飞叫到跟前，说：”现在国难当头，你有什么打算？”
“到前线杀敌，精忠报国！”
姚太夫人听了儿子的回答，十分满意，”精忠报国”正是母亲对儿子的希望。她决定把这四个字刺在儿子的背上，让他永远铭记在心。
岳飞解开上衣，露出瘦瘦的脊背，请母亲下针。
姚太夫人问：”孩子，针刺是很痛的，你怕吗？”
岳飞说：”母亲，小小钢针算不了什么，如果连针都怕，怎么去前线打仗！”
姚太夫人先在岳飞背上写了字，然后用绣花针刺了起来。但“国”字没有一点，象征国内无首。刺完之后，岳母又涂上醋墨。从此，”精忠报国”四个字就永不褪色地留在了岳飞的后背上。 母亲的鼓舞激励着岳飞。岳飞投军后，很快因作战勇敢升秉义郎。这时宋都开封被金军围困，岳飞随副元帅宗泽前去救援，多次打败金军，受到宗泽的赏识，称赞他“智勇才艺，古良将不能过”，后来成为著名的抗金英雄，受历代人民所敬仰。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 岳飞 | Yuè Fēi | Yue Fei (1103-1142), Song dynasty patriot and general |
| 十五 | shí wǔ | fifteen; 15 |
| 六 | lìu | six; 6 |
| 岁时 | suì shí | season; time of the year |
| 北方 | běi fāng | north; the northern part a country; China north of the Yellow River |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 金 | Jīn | surname Jin; surname Kim (Korean); Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115–1234) |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 南 | Nán | surname Nan |
| 侵 | qin | to invade; to infringe |
| 宋 | sǒng | surname Song; Song of the Southern Dynasties (420–479) 南朝宋[Nan2 chao2 Song4] |
| 朝 | Cháo | abbr. for 朝鮮|朝鲜[Chao2 xian3] Korea |
| 当权者 | dāng quán zhě | ruler; those in power; the authorities |
| 腐 | fǔ | decay; rotten |
| 败 | bǎi | to defeat; to lose (to an opponent); to wither |
| 无 | mó | used in 南無|南无[na1 mo2] |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 节节 | jié jié | step by step; little by little |
| 退 | tuì | to retreat; to withdraw; to reject; to return (sth); to decline |
| 国家 | guó jiā | country; nation; state |
| 处 | chǔ | to reside; to live; to dwell; to be in; to be situated at; to stay; to get along with; to be in a position of; to deal with; to discipline; to punish |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 生死 | shēng sǐ | life or death |
| 存亡 | cún wáng | to live or die; to exist or perish |
| 关 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 头 | tóu | head; hair style; the top; end; beginning or end; a stub; remnant; chief; boss; side; aspect; first; leading; classifier for pigs or livestock; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 投军 | tóu jūn | to join up; to enlist (e.g. in the military) |
| 抗 | kǎng | to resist; to defy |
| 辽 | liāo | short name for Liaoning 遼寧|辽宁[Liao2 ning2] province |
| 不久 | bù jǐu | not long (after); before too long; soon; soon after |
| 因 | yīn | old variant of 因[yin1]; cause; reason; because |
| 父 | fù | (bound form) father; (bound form) male relative of father's generation (as in 伯父[bo2 fu4]); (computing) (bound form) parent- |
| 丧 | sǎng | mourning; (old) corpse |
| 伍 | wú | five (banker numeral); a group; to mingle; surname Wu |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 乡 | xiang | country or countryside; home village or town |
| 守孝 | shǒu xiào | to observe mourning for one's parents |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 兵 | bing | soldiers; an army; arms; warlike |
| 大 | dà | big; large; great; older (than another person); eldest (as in 大姐[da4 jie3]); greatly; freely; fully; (dialect) father; (dialect) uncle (father's brother) |
| 举 | jǔ | variant of 舉|举[ju3]; to lift; to hold up; to cite; to enumerate; to act; to raise; to choose; to elect; act; move; deed |
| 入 | rù | to enter; to go into; to join; to become a member of; (bound form) to conform to (as in 入時|入时[ru4 shi2]); abbr. for 入聲|入声[ru4 sheng1]; (on product packaging, after {number n} + {cl… |
| 中原 | Zhōng yuán | Central Plain, the middle and lower regions of the Yellow river, including Henan, western Shandong, southern Shanxi and Hebei |
| 再 | zài | again; once more; re-; further; beyond this point of time; (before an adjective) more; then (after sth, and not until then); no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, an… |
| 次 | cì | next in sequence; second; the second (day, time etc); secondary; vice-; sub-; infra-; inferior quality; substandard; order; sequence; hypo- (chemistry); classifier for enumerated e… |
| 临行 | lín xíng | on leaving; on the point of departure |
| 前 | qián | front; forward; ahead; first; top (followed by a number); future; ago; before; BC (e.g. 前293年); former; formerly |
| 姚 | ||
| 太夫人 | tài fū rén | (old) dowager; old lady (title for the mother of a noble or an official) |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 跟前 | gēn qián | the front (of); (in) front; (in) sb's presence; just before (a date) |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 现 | xiàn | to appear; present; now; existing; current |
| 国难 | guó nàn | national calamity |
| 当 | dāng | (onom.) dong; ding dong (bell); to be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; during; ought; should; match equally; equal; same; obstruct; just at (a time or place); on the spot; right; just at |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 算 | suàn | to calculate; to figure out; to include; to count in; to count; to be valid; to carry weight; to regard as; to consider (to be ...) |
| 前线 | qián xiàn | front line; military front; workface; cutting edge |
| 杀敌 | shā dí | to attack the enemy |
| 精 | jīng | essence; extract; vitality; energy; semen; sperm; mythical goblin spirit; highly perfected; elite; the pick of sth; proficient (refined ability); extremely (fine); selected rice (a… |
| 忠 | zhong | loyal; devoted; faithful |
| 报 | bào | to report; to inform; to announce; to respond; to reply; to sign up for; to register for (abbr. for 報名|报名[bao4 ming2]); to reward; to recompense; to take revenge; to retaliate; new… |
| 国 | Guó | surname Guo |
| 听 | yǐn | smile (archaic); to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages; to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. [ting4]); (literary) to administer; t… |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 儿子 | ér zi | son |
| 回答 | huí dá | to reply; to answer; reply; answer |
| 十分 | shí fēn | very; completely; utterly; extremely; absolutely; hundred percent; to divide into ten equal parts |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 意 | yì | (bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense; (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination; state of mind; (bound form) Italy (abbr. for 意大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 正是 | zhèng shì | is precisely |
| 母亲 | mǔ qīn | mother |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 希 | xī | to hope; to admire; variant of 稀[xi1] |
| 望 | wàng | full moon; to hope; to expect; to visit; to gaze (into the distance); to look towards; towards; 15th day of month (lunar calendar); old variant of 望[wang4] |
| 她 | tā | she |
| 决定 | jué dìng | to decide; to determine; to make up one's mind; decision (CL:個|个[ge4],項|项[xiang4]) |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 四 | sì | four; 4 |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 字 | zì | letter; symbol; character; word; CL:個|个[ge4]; courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China |
| 刺 | cī | (onom.) whoosh |
| 背 | běi | the back; behind (bei4); to recite from memory (bei4); to carry on the back (bei1) |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 永远 | yǒng yuǎn | forever; eternal |
| 铭 | mīng | to engrave |
| 记 | jì | to record; to note; to memorize; to remember; mark; sign; classifier for blows, kicks, shots |
| 心 | xīn | heart; mind; intention; center; core; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
| 解开 | jiě kāi | to untie; to undo; to solve (a mystery) |
| 上衣 | shàng yī | jacket; upper outer garment; CL:件[jian4] |
| 露出 | lù chū | to expose; to show; also pr. [lou4 chu1] |
| 瘦 | shòu | thin; to lose weight; (of clothing) tight; (of meat) lean; (of land) unproductive |
| 脊 | ||
| 请 | qǐng | to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal etc); to request |
| 下 | xià | down; downwards; below; lower; later; next (week etc); second (of two parts); to decline; to go down; to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc); measure word to show the frequency … |
| 针 | zhēn | needle; pin; injection; stitch; CL:根[gen1],支[zhi1]; variant of 針|针[zhen1], needle |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 孩子 | hái zi | child |
| 针刺 | zhēn cì | to prick with a needle; to treat by acupuncture |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 痛 | tòng | ache; pain; sorrow; deeply; thoroughly |
| 怕 | Pà | surname Pa |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 小小 | xiǎo xiǎo | very small; very few; very minor |
| 钢 | gāng | steel |
| 不了 | bù le | no thanks (used to politely but informally decline) |
| 如 | rú | as; as if; such as |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit; result; resolute; indeed; if really |
| 连 | Lián | surname Lian |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 怎 | zěn | how |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 仗 | zhǎng | weaponry; to wield; to depend on; battle |
| 先 | xiān | beforehand; first; earlier; at first; originally; for the time being; for now; (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself) |
| 写 | xiě | to write |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using; to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions); usefulness; utility; (bound form) expense; outlay; (courte… |
| 绣 | ||
| 花 | Huā | surname Hua; old variant of 花[hua1]; variant of 花[hua1]; flower; blossom; also pr. [wei3] |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 一点 | yī diǎn | a bit; a little bit; (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit; (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er; a point (in a discussion etc); (calligr… |
| 象征 | xiàng zhēng | symbol; emblem; to symbolize; to signify; to represent |
| 国内 | guó nèi | domestic; internal (to a country); civil |
| 首 | shǒu | head; chief; first (occasion, thing etc); classifier for poems, songs etc |
| 完 | wán | to finish; to be over; whole; complete; entire |
| 之 | zhī | (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]); him; her; it |
| 岳母 | yuè mǔ | wife's mother, mother-in-law |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 涂 | tū | to apply (paint etc); to daub; to scribble; (literary) mud |
| 醋 | cù | vinegar; jealousy (in love rivalry) |
| 墨 | Mò | surname Mo; abbr. for 墨西哥[Mo4 xi1 ge1], Mexico |
| 从此 | cóng cǐ | from now on; since then; henceforth |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 永不 | yǒng bù | never; will never |
| 褪 | tuǐ | to take off (clothes); to shed (feathers); (fig.) (of emotions, awareness etc) to fade |
| 色 | sè | color; CL:種|种[zhong3]; look; appearance; sex |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 留 | líu | old variant of 留[liu2]; to leave (a message etc); to retain; to stay; to remain; to keep; to preserve |
| 鼓舞 | gǔ wǔ | to inspire; to encourage; to hearten; to boost (morale) |
| 激 | ji | to arouse; to excite; sharp; violent |
| 励 | Lì | surname Li |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 作战 | zuò zhàn | combat; to fight |
| 勇 | yǒng | brave |
| 敢 | gǎn | to dare; daring; (polite) may I venture |
| 升 | shēng | to ascend; to rise; to promote; to elevate; liter; unit of dry measure for grain (= one liter or one-tenth dou 斗[dou3]); to ascend; to rise (variant of 升[sheng1]); to promote; to elevate (variant of 升[sheng1]); to ascend; to rise (variant of 升[sheng1]); to promote; to elevate (variant of 升[sheng1]) |
| 秉 | ||
| 义 | Yì | surname Yi; (Tw) Italy (abbr. for 義大利|义大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 郎 | Láng | surname Lang |
| 这时 | zhè shí | at this time; at this moment |
| 开封 | Kāi fēng | see 開封市|开封市[Kai1 feng1 Shi4] |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune); used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, … |
| 军 | jūn | (bound form) army; military |
| 围困 | wéi kùn | to besiege |
| 随 | Suí | surname Sui |
| 副 | fù | secondary; auxiliary; deputy; assistant; vice-; abbr. for 副詞|副词 adverb; classifier for pairs, sets of things & facial expressions |
| 元帅 | yuán shuài | (military) marshal; commander-in-chief |
| 宗 | zong | ancestor; clan; sect; to honor; principal; surname Zong |
| 泽 | zē | pool; (of metals etc) luster; damp |
| 救 | jìu | variant of 救[jiu4]; to save; to assist; to rescue |
| 援 | ||
| 多次 | duō cì | many times; repeatedly |
| 受到 | shòu dào | to receive (praise, an education, punishment etc); to be ...ed (praised, educated, punished etc) |
| 赏 | sháng | to bestow (a reward); to hand down; to appreciate (beauty) |
| 识 | shí | to know; knowledge; Taiwan pr. [shi4] |
| 称赞 | chēng zàn | to praise; to commend; to compliment |
| 智 | zhì | (literary) wise; wisdom |
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only; (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) reall…; (variant of 才[cai2]) just now; (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only |
| 艺 | yì | skill; art |
| 古 | Gǔ | surname Gu |
| 良 | liáng | good; very; very much |
| 将 | jiāng | will; shall; to use; to take; to checkmate; just a short while ago; (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把[ba3]) |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 成为 | chéng wéi | to become; to turn into |
| 著名 | zhù míng | famous; noted; well-known; celebrated |
| 英雄 | yīng xíong | hero; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 受 | shòu | to receive; to accept; to suffer; subjected to; to bear; to stand; pleasant; (passive marker); (LGBT) bottom |
| 历代 | lì dài | successive generations; successive dynasties; past dynasties |
| 人民 | rén mín | the people |
| 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 敬 | jìng | (bound form) respectful; to respect; to offer politely |
| 仰 | yáng | to look up; to admire; to rely on; to face upward; surname Yang |
When Yuefei was fifteen or sixteen, the Northern Jin invaded [across] their southern [border]. Those who held power within the Song Dynasty were corrupt and incompetent, were pushed back through gradual defeats, and the country’s continued existence hung by a thread. Yuefei [had originally] joined the army to resist the Liao. But before long his father died, and he left the military to return to his hometown and pay his respects.
In 1126, the Jin launched a large-scale incursion into the central plains, and Yuefei once again enlisted. Before he set out, Madam Yaotai [Yuefei’s mother] called Yuefei before her, and said: “Right now the country is facing great difficulty, what do you plan to do?”
“Go to the front lines and slaughter the enemy, and serve my country with perfect loyalty.”
Madam Yaotai listened to her son’s answer, and was quite satisfied, as “serve the country with perfect loyalty” was precisely what she hoped her son would do. She decided to take these four words and tattoo them onto her son’s back, so they would be forever engraved on his heart.
Yuefei opened his shirt, exposing his thin back, and invited his mother to begin.
Madam Yaotai asked, “Child, tattoos are quite painful, are you afraid?”
Yuefei said: “Mother, a little needle is nothing. If I was afraid of a needle, how could I [face] going to war on the front lines?”
Madam Yaotai first drew the words on his back, then used an embroidery needle to tattoo him. But she left the dot off the character “国”, to symbolize that the country had no [real] leader. When she was done, she spread a mix of ink and vinegar [over the wound]. From then on, “serve the country with perfect loyalty” [were engraved], never-fading, on his back. His mother’s encouragement inspired Yuefei. After Yuefei joined the army, he was promoted quickly to the rank of Minister of Righteous Justice due to his courage on the battlefield. During this time, the Song capital of Kaifeng was surrounded by the Jin army, and Yuefei went to Deputy Marshall Zongze’s rescue, defeating the Jin army many times, and he won Zongze’s appreciation, who said of him, “Even the good generals of antiquity couldn’t have defeated [someone with] so much intelligence, courage, talent and artistry.” Later he became a famous hero of the anti-Jin resistance, and receive the admiration of later generations.