冰糖雪梨 (Bīngtáng Xuělí)

「洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶」

If friends and kin in Luoyang ask of me, tell them: my heart is like pure ice in a jade vessel

— Wang Changling, 'Farewell to Xin Jian at Furong Pavilion'

If loved ones in Luoyang ask about me, tell them my heart is as pure as ice within a jade pitcher — steadfast in noble integrity.

「冰肌玉骨，自清凉无汗」

Skin like ice and bones like jade, naturally cool and free from perspiration

— Su Shi, 'Song of the Cave Immortal'

Skin as translucent as ice, bones as fine as jade, naturally cool and serene — a beauty beyond the mortal world.

「忽如一夜春风来，千树万树梨花开」

As if a spring breeze swept through the night, ten thousand pear trees burst into bloom

— Cen Shen, 'Song of White Snow in Farewell to Secretary Wu'

As if overnight a spring breeze arrived and ten thousand pear trees blossomed — the immortal verse comparing winter snow to spring flowers.

「孤舟蓑笠翁，独钓寒江雪」

An old man in a straw raincoat and bamboo hat in a lone boat, fishing alone on the cold snowy river

— Liu Zongyuan, 'River Snow'

A lone boat, an old man in a rain hat, fishing alone on a freezing river — an image of noble solitude.

「梅须逊雪三分白，雪却输梅一段香」

The plum blossom yields to the snow in whiteness, but the snow falls short of the plum's fragrance

— Lu Meipo, 'Snow and Plum'

The plum blossom cannot match the snow's pure white, and the snow lacks the plum's sweet fragrance — each has its own strengths.