Text

秦时明月汉时关
万里长征人未还
但使龙城飞将在
不教胡马度阴山

Pinyin

qín shí míng yuè hàn shí guān
wàn lǐ cháng zhēng rén wèi huán
dàn shǐ lóng chéng fēi jiāng zài
bù jiào hú mǎ dù yīn shān

Notes

  • 塞 sài (noun) stronghold, frontier pass
  • 长征 chánɡzhēnɡ (verb) to make a long journey
  • 还 to return
  • 但使: as long as
  • 龙城 long2cheng2: place name
  • 飞将 fei1jiang4 refers to a famous general (李广) of the Han dynasty
  • 教 jiao4 to let, to make (someone do something)
  • 胡马 hu2ma3 refers to the warhorses of the Hu people (tribesmen inhabiting northern China)
  • 度 du4 to cross over
  • 阴山 yin1shan1 Yin mountain (a mountain in modern day Inner Mongolia)