Letter to Chairman Chang As the Advanced Exam
1
Approaches
Chu, Ch'ing Yu (He passed the advanced exam in 826 A.D.)
Red candles have burned all night in the nuptial chamber.
I am nervous as I wait to meet my husband's parents at dawn 2.
After applying make-up, I ask my husband 3 quietly
Whether my eyebrow drawing is in fashion 4.
After receiving Chu's poem, Chang also wrote Chu a poem as his reply:
Reply to Chu 5
Chang, Chieh (766 A.D.?-830 A.D.?)
You can compare to a freshly made up girl of Country Yueh walking away from
her mirror 6.
She is strikingly beautiful and often whispers to herself 7.
Her song about plucking water chestnuts is worth a fortune
And makes the other girls in fancy silk pale in comparison.
1 In ancient China, if a scholar desired to acquire a good-paying government
position, he had to pass the advanced exam held annually in China's capital. The
system used for the exam did not conceal an examinee's identity. The examiner
could see the signature of the author when he graded the exam. The decision of
whether a person could pass the exam largely depended on the recommendations of
social elites and the literary work that the examinees handed in before the
exam. The work handed in before the exam was called a working book. If one sent
in his work many times, the work was called a review book.
Chang was a famous writer at that time. Consequently, Chu presented some of
his work to Chang. Since Chu was not sure whether the examiner would like his
writing style, he wrote this poem to ask for Chang's opinion about his work. Chu
compared his nervousness about the exam to that of a bride who is waiting to
meet her husband's parents.
2
During the wedding ceremony, the bride’s face was covered by a piece of red
cloth. Consequently, she could not see her husband’s parents until the next
morning.
3
The word "husband" refers to Chang.
4
"Whether my eyebrow drawing is in fashion" is being compared to "whether
the examiner will like Chu's writings".
5
Chang's poem says that all other examinees are not as talented as Chu.
Chang's reply dispelled Chu's worry. Due to Chang's recommendation, Chu earned a
high score and passed the exam. The above two poems and the friendship between
Chang and Chu became a much-told story in the history of Chinese literature.
6
Chu's hometown was near Lake Mirror.
7
The whispering symbolizes that she is prudent and thinks carefully.