人间清暑殿，天上广寒宫。
Rén jiān qīng shǔ diàn ，tiān shàng guǎng hán gōng 。
(Literal translation of the line: In the sublunary, there is the Palace of Clear Summer; up in the moon there is the Palace of Infinite Coldness.) The last character pronounces as “gōng”.There are three pairs in the line: “sublunary with the sky”, and the two palaces and their names.
两岸晓烟杨柳绿，一园春雨杏花红。
Liǎng àn xiǎo yān yáng liǔ lǜ ，yī yuán chūn yǔ xìng huā hóng 。
(Literal translation of the line: Amid light fog from the river, you can see green poplar and willow along the two banks; after the spring rain, the apricot flower has turned red in the garden.) The last character pronounces as “hóng”. There are such pairs in the line: two banks with one garden; morning fog with spring rain; greenness of poplar and willow with red apricot flower.
两鬓风霜，途次早行之客；
一蓑烟雨，溪边晚钓之翁。
Liǎng bìn fēng shuāng ，tú cì zǎo xíng zhī kè ；
Yī suō yān yǔ ，xī biān wǎn diào zhī wēng 。
an old man is fishing at dusk with a straw rain cape in the drizzle
(Literal translation of the line: Both temples of an early risen traveler are grey; by the stream an old man is fishing at dusk with a straw rain cape in the drizzle.) The last character of the lines pronounces as “wēng”. There are five pairs in the lines: two temples vs. one straw rain cape; wind and frost vs. fog and rain; on the way with by the side of stream; early journey with dusk fishing; traveler with an old man.
沿对革，异对同。白叟对黄童。
Yán duì gé ，yì duì tóng 。bái sǒu duì huáng tóng 。
(Literal translation of the line: to carry on vs. to change; to be different vs. sameness; white haired man vs. yellow haired boy.) The sixth and last characters all pronounce as “tóng”. The first six characters are two pairs, and the last five characters contain one pair: white haired man vs. yellow haired boy.
江风对海雾，牧子对渔翁。
Jiāng fēng duì hǎi wù ，mù zǐ duì yú wēng 。
(Literal translation of the line: Wind on the river vs. fog on the sea; a cow-boy vs. a fisherman.) The last character pronounces as “wēng”. There are such pairs in the line: river vs. sea; wind vs. fog; herding vs. fishing; a boy vs. an old man.
颜巷陋，阮途穷。冀北对辽东。
Yán xiàng lòu ，ruǎn tú qióng 。Jì běi duì liáo dōng 。
(Literal translation of the line: Yán’s lane is shabby and Ruǎn went to the end of the road; north of Héběi and the east of Liáoníng.) The sixth character pronounces as “qióng” and the last character of the line pronounces as “dōng”. Yán here is Yán Huí (颜回), who, according to “The Analects of Confucius” was living in a shabby lane, yet he was very positive and happy; Ruǎn is Ruǎn Jí (阮籍), a poet of the Jìn Dynasty, who one day was riding a horse, and when he came to the end of one road, he was so depressed and cried and had to return. There are three pairs: Yán’s lane vs. Ruǎn’s road; shabby vs. exhaustive; north of Héběi vs. the east of Liáoníng. North of Héběi used to be the place Hé Shū (和叔) lived at the order of Emperor Yáo to observe the motion of the sun. This place was called “Yōuzhōu”, which is where today’s Mìyún County is. The east of Liáoníng used to be where the Khitan was.
池中濯足水，门外打头风。
Chí zhōng zhuó zú shuǐ ，mén wài dǎ tóu fēng 。
(Literal translation of the line: In the pond the water can be used to wash foot; outside the door, there goes the head wind.) The last character pronounces as “fēng”. There are three pairs in the line: in the pond vs. outside the door; washing foot vs. bumping against head; water vs. wind. The words of washing foot are quoted from “The Book of Mencius”; the words about the head wind is based on a story in the “Jade Ring Stories” (《琅環记》), which says Mme Shí, wife of businessman Mr. Yóu, became ill because of missing her husband, and she said before she passed away that she would be a head wind after her death to stop businessmen from going to far places.
梁帝讲经同泰寺，汉皇置酒未央宫。
Liáng dì jiǎng jīng tóng tài sì ，hàn huáng zhì jiǔ wèi yāng gōng 。
(Literal translation of the line: Emperor Liáng gives lectures on classics in the Tóngtài Monastery; Emperor Hàn provides wine at the Wèiyāng Palace.) The last character of the line pronounces as “yāng”. There are four pairs: Emperor Liáng vs. Emperor Hàn; lecturing vs. provision; classics vs. wine; Tóngtài Monastery vs. Wèiyāng Palace. The Emperor of Liáng is Xiāo Yǎn (萧衍) ， who used to give lectures on classics at the Tóngtài Monastery, and one rainy day when he was talking, flowers were falling down from sky. It is said in the “History of Hàn” that the first emperor threw out a banquet at the Wèiyāng Palace when his rule over the state was secured to his ministers and officials.
Emperor Liáng gives lectures on classics in the Tóngtài Monastery; Emperor Hàn provides wine at the Wèiyāng Palace
尘虑萦心，懒抚七弦绿绮；
霜华满鬓，羞看百炼青铜。
Chén lǜ yíng xīn ，lǎn fǔ qī xián lǜ qǐ ；
Shuāng huá mǎn bìn ，xiū kàn bǎi liàn qīng tóng 。
(Literal translation of the line: Preoccupied by secular ideas, I lazily touched on the seven stringed lute named “Lǜqí”; grey is my hair at the temples, I have half a mind to mind to look at the bronze mirror that was refined a hundred times.) The last character pronounces as “tóng”. There are five pairs in the lines: secular ideas vs. frost flowers; preoccupied mind vs. full temples; lazily touch vs. being shameful to look at; seven strings vs. a hundred refining; lute vs. bronze mirror.
贫对富，塞对通。野叟对溪童。
Pín duì fù ，sāi duì tōng 。Yě sǒu duì xī tóng 。
(Literal translation of the line: Being poors vs. being rich; being blocked vs. to be open and free; country old man vs. village boy.) The sixth character pronounces as “tōng” and the last character pronounces as “tóng”. There are apparently four pairs in the line.
鬓皤对眉绿，齿皓对唇红。
Bìn pó duì méi lǜ ，chǐ hào duì chún hóng 。
(Literal translation of the line: Temples with white hair vs. eye brows painted like green willow leaves; white teeth vs. red lips.) The last character pronounces as “hóng”. We can say there are four pairs in the line: temples vs. eye brows; white vs. green; teech vs. lips; white vs. red.
天浩浩，日融融。佩剑对弯弓。
Tiān hào hào ，rì róng róng 。Pèi jiàn duì wān gōng 。
(Literal translation of the line: The vast sky vs. warm sun; a walking sword vs. a bent bow.) The sixth character pronounces as “róng” and the last character pronounces as “gōng”. There are four pairs in the line: sky vs. sun; vast vs. warm; walking vs. bent; sword vs. bow.
半溪流水绿，千树落花红。
Bàn xī liú shuǐ lǜ ，qiān shù luò huā hóng 。
(Literal translation of the line: Half of the creek has turned green; fallen flowers around one thousand trees are red.) The last character pronounces as “hóng”. There are four pairs in the line: half a creek vs. one thousand trees; running vs. fallen; water vs. flowers; green vs. red.
野渡燕穿杨柳雨，芳池鱼戏芰荷风。
Yě dù yàn chuān yáng liǔ yǔ ，fāng chí yú xì jì hé fēng 。
(Literal translation of the line: A swallow is dashing in the rain through poplar and willow trees at the countryside ferry; fish in the fragrant pond is playing with the wind that goes through the lotus leaves.) The last character pronounces as “fēng”. There are five pairs in the line: countryside ferry vs. fragrant pond; swallow vs. fish; dashing through vs. play; poplar and willow trees vs. lotus; rain vs. wind.
女子眉纤，额下现一弯新月；
男儿气壮，胸中吐万丈长虹。
Nǚ zǐ méi xiān ，é xià xiàn yī wān xīn yuè ；
Nán ér qì zhuàng ，xiōng zhōng tǔ wàn zhàng zhǎng hóng 。
(Literal translation of the line: The narrow eye brow of the girl looks like a crescent under the forehead; the boy is so vigorously ambitious that he seems able of drawing a long rainbow in the sky.) The last character pronounces as “hóng”. There are five pairs in the line: a girl vs. a boy; narrow eye-brows vs. high aspiration; under the forehead vs. in the chest; to present/show vs. to blow out; a crescent vs. long rainbow.
