Wang Chi-chen

“Pages full of unlikely words,For they know not what he means.”

“When the unreal is taken for the real, then the real becomes unreal;Where non-existence is taken for existence, then existence becomes non-existence.”

“Tonight a pair of cooing doves under red bridal curtains,The next we are ourselves overtaken by death.”

“Careful as we may be with our sons,But who can say that they will not end up in courtesans' quarters?”

“What bustle and confusion, as one set of actors exits and another enters,Each taking the illusory for the real.”

“[Pao-yu] says the strangest things for a mere child—for instance, that girls are made of water while men are made of clay and that's why he feels purified and invigorated in the presence of the one and contaminated and oppressed when in the presence of the other.”

“[T]here suddenly appeared on the scene Precious Virtue. Though only a trifle older than Black Jade, she showed a tact and understanding far beyond her years. She was completely unspoiled, always ready to please and enter into the spirit of the occasion and always kind to the servants and handmaids. In contrast, Black Jade was inclined to haughtiness and held herself aloof. Thus in a short time, Precious Virtue won the hearts of all, and Black Jade could not help feeling a little jealous.”

“Enduring as heaven and earth—no love however ancient can ever die;Timeless as light and shadow—no debt of breeze and moonlight can ever be repaid.”

“Just at the point when we were at a loss as to what to use for the further development of our story, there came to the Yungkuofu a visitor from a poor family only remotely related to the Chias. This family, then, will serve our purpose.”

“[Black Jade], I never dared to speak the secrets of my heart to you. I'll be bold today and I care not if I die as a consequence. I am also sick because I am constantly thinking of you. I dare not tell anyone. I won't be well until you are well again. I cannot forget you even in my dreams.”

“[Black Jade] had her lamp relit and began to compose a series of quatrains, writing them directly on the handkerchiefs that Pao-yu had sent. After writing three stanzas, she began to feel exhausted and feverish. Going to her mirror, she found her cheeks flushed as if they were afire. She thought nothing of it, but from that moment on, her illness entered a more critical stage.”

“[Pao-yu] could not see why beautiful maidens should marry and become slaves of men who would take them for granted, when they could just as well remain carefree and do nothing but play games and write verses.”

“What follows the way of Heaven prospers and what goes against it perishes.”

“"You need not think of [Black Jade] any more, for she died a few days ago while you were unconscious!"Pao-yu cried unrestrainedly until he fell back, exhausted and unconscious.”