“All, insubstantial, doomed to pass,
As moonlight mirrored in the water
Or flowers reflected in a glass.”

— Cao Xueqin , book Dream of the Red Chamber

Source: Dream of the Red Chamber (c. 1760), Chapter 5

Original

一个空劳牵挂。一个是水中月，一个是镜中花。

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Cao Xueqin 11

Chinese writer during the Qing dynasty 1724–1763

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