<p>深, having a root meaning of &quot;deep&quot;, (in a physical geometric sense), also comes with multiple other meanings and connotations depending as always on the context.</p>
<p>However, in a non-geometric sense, it generally describes or depicts a sense of an enhanced &quot;depth&quot; of certain conditions or state of affairs, like in English, &quot;in deep trouble&quot;, &quot;how deep is your love&quot;, &quot;deep in my heart&quot;, and so on.</p>
<p>But, within the context of the first two lines of the poem:-</p>
<p>美人卷珠帘   --  Behind beaded curtains a beauty shield,</p>
<p>深坐颦蛾眉   --  With furrowed brow sits unmoving still;</p>
<p>I would say, 深坐, in this context to connote sitting very still / unmoving, (in the physical geometric sense), behind beaded curtains, utterly deep in her own private thoughts, and the &quot;stillness&quot; of her physical body posture is complemented by the hard stiffness of her &quot;furrowed brow&quot;</p>
<p>We only get a gleam of why she is sitting so deadly still from the last two lines, that is:-</p>
<p>但见泪痕湿  --  But with wet tears agleam,</p>
<p>不知心恨谁  --  Resentful of someone it seems.</p>
<p>Finally, I interpret 恨 as &quot;resentment&quot;, (&quot;hate&quot; is too strong here), rather than one of, say, &quot;regret&quot; because the title of the poem, 怨情, is one of &quot;not being pleased, resentful feelings&quot; because of things not going the way one wants.</p>

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2024-11-21T05:46:48.097Z
2024-11-21T05:46:48.097Z
Wayne Cheah
<p>Just as you expected, 深 here has multiple meanings, not simply explained as “long time” or “innermost chamber” or “deep sorrow”. It’s a character with multiple implications.<br />
Actually, in Chinese ancient poetry, a character may not as simple as it looks like, the reader may taste other meanings out of it.<br />
As an example, see “恨” in the last line of the poetry. It’s probably not just be understood as literally as “hate”, it may has another implication-missing someone. We don’t know who left her alone in her chamber, made her sad and cry, maybe she complained about that, and at the same time missed him deep in her heart.<br />
So the same as “深”, the reader can imagine, a beautiful woman, sit in her innermost chamber for a long time, bury herself in deep sorrow, because someone left her alone, maybe she’s complaining inside yet looking forward to seeing him again.</p>

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2024-11-21T02:19:27.833Z
2024-11-21T02:19:27.833Z
Hunter
<p>深：深重;厉害、严重 [very grave;extremely serious]</p>
<p>坐：居留，停留 [stay]</p>
<p>美人卷珠帘，<br />
Beauty rolled up the bead curtain,<br />
深坐颦蛾眉。<br />
a terrible lingering frown on her brows,<br />
但见泪痕湿，<br />
but see (those) wet tear stains,<br />
不知心恨谁。<br />
unknown who (her) heart regrets.</p>

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2024-11-21T17:14:22.840Z
2024-11-21T17:14:22.840Z
Pedroski
<p>深 - 久，长时间 (long time/period; deep into)</p>
<p>深坐 - 久坐(不動); 久久呆坐</p>
<p>深坐蹙蛾眉 - 一直坐着把双眉紧紧锁闭</p>

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2024-11-20T17:48:17.230Z
2024-11-20T17:48:17.230Z
r13
<p>Same question as <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/9146/translation-%e6%b7%b1v">Translation: 深V</a> , but in different context.
In 李白's poem:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>《怨情》</strong></p>
<p>美人卷珠帘,</p>
<p>深坐颦蛾眉。</p>
<p>但见泪痕湿,</p>
<p>不知心恨谁。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>second line, beauty &quot;深坐&quot;.</p>
<p>I saw many discordant translations, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>&quot;is sitting since a very long time&quot;</li>
<li>&quot;is sitting in deep sorrow&quot;</li>
<li>&quot;is in her house's innermost room&quot;</li>
<li>&quot;is in her boudoir&quot;</li>
</ul>
<p>All of them, more or less, can fit the poem meaning, but what does &quot;深&quot; literally mean, there?
(Eventually, I expect more than one meaning to be correct)</p>

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2024-11-22T03:28:15.550Z
"Eventually, I expect more than one meaning to be correct" Of course: that is why it is so captivating. This poem, (perhaps it was Li Bai's playful intention all along), could actually be interpreted to mean the lady is pining, longing for her lover and the "resentment" in the poem's title, 怨情, and 恨 were directed towards herself, not towards the object of her affection, and hence with tears in her eyes, Li Bai resolves this confusion with the final loaded line "不知心恨谁" as 不知, ("not knowing"), indicates a confused / indecisive state of mind. I was actually vacillating between the two versions.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-22T04:10:18.943Z
Perhaps a question could be asked why I chose the version in my answer? I was thinking that the version in the Comment is a bit uncharacteristic for the times of Li Bai's writings as "self-loathing" is very "un-Chinese", then and now. This kind of emotions is, in my view, a by-product of our "modern" times where the all important "Self" has engendered an obsessive past-time of self-examination, partly I suppose due to the 19th Century emergence of popular psychoanalysis.
Wayne Cheah
<translation><poetry>
Translation of "深" in "深坐" in 李白's poem《怨情》
# Translation of "深" in "深坐" in 李白's poem《怨情》

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-11-20)

Same question as [Translation: 深V](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/9146/translation-%e6%b7%b1v) , but in different context.
In 李白's poem:

> **《怨情》**
>
> 美人卷珠帘,
>
> 深坐颦蛾眉。
>
> 但见泪痕湿,
>
> 不知心恨谁。

second line, beauty "深坐".

I saw many discordant translations, such as:

* "is sitting since a very long time"
* "is sitting in deep sorrow"
* "is in her house's innermost room"
* "is in her boudoir"

All of them, more or less, can fit the poem meaning, but what does "深" literally mean, there?
(Eventually, I expect more than one meaning to be correct)

**Tags:** translation, poetry
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: "Eventually, I expect more than one meaning to be correct" Of course: that is why it is so captivating. This poem, (perhaps it was Li Bai's playful intention all along), could actually be interpreted to mean the lady is pining, longing for her lover and the "resentment" in the poem's title, 怨情, and 恨 were directed towards herself, not towards the object of her affection, and hence with tears in her eyes, Li Bai resolves this confusion with the final loaded line "不知心恨谁" as 不知, ("not knowing"), indicates a confused / indecisive state of mind. I was actually vacillating between the two versions.  
> **username_1**: Perhaps a question could be asked why I chose the version in my answer? I was thinking that the version in the Comment is a bit uncharacteristic for the times of Li Bai's writings as "self-loathing" is very "un-Chinese", then and now. This kind of emotions is, in my view, a by-product of our "modern" times where the all important "Self" has engendered an obsessive past-time of self-examination, partly I suppose due to the 19th Century emergence of popular psychoanalysis.  

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-11-21. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

深, having a root meaning of "deep", (in a physical geometric sense), also comes with multiple other meanings and connotations depending as always on the context.

However, in a non-geometric sense, it generally describes or depicts a sense of an enhanced "depth" of certain conditions or state of affairs, like in English, "in deep trouble", "how deep is your love", "deep in my heart", and so on.

But, within the context of the first two lines of the poem:-

美人卷珠帘 -- Behind beaded curtains a beauty shield,

深坐颦蛾眉 -- With furrowed brow sits unmoving still;

I would say, 深坐, in this context to connote sitting very still / unmoving, (in the physical geometric sense), behind beaded curtains, utterly deep in her own private thoughts, and the "stillness" of her physical body posture is complemented by the hard stiffness of her "furrowed brow"

We only get a gleam of why she is sitting so deadly still from the last two lines, that is:-

但见泪痕湿 -- But with wet tears agleam,

不知心恨谁 -- Resentful of someone it seems.

Finally, I interpret 恨 as "resentment", ("hate" is too strong here), rather than one of, say, "regret" because the title of the poem, 怨情, is one of "not being pleased, resentful feelings" because of things not going the way one wants.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2024-11-21. Score: 2

Just as you expected, 深 here has multiple meanings, not simply explained as “long time” or “innermost chamber” or “deep sorrow”. It’s a character with multiple implications.  
Actually, in Chinese ancient poetry, a character may not as simple as it looks like, the reader may taste other meanings out of it.  
As an example, see “恨” in the last line of the poetry. It’s probably not just be understood as literally as “hate”, it may has another implication-missing someone. We don’t know who left her alone in her chamber, made her sad and cry, maybe she complained about that, and at the same time missed him deep in her heart.  
So the same as “深”, the reader can imagine, a beautiful woman, sit in her innermost chamber for a long time, bury herself in deep sorrow, because someone left her alone, maybe she’s complaining inside yet looking forward to seeing him again.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2024-11-21. Score: 1

深：深重;厉害、严重 [very grave;extremely serious]

坐：居留，停留 [stay]

美人卷珠帘，  
Beauty rolled up the bead curtain,  
深坐颦蛾眉。  
a terrible lingering frown on her brows,  
但见泪痕湿，  
but see (those) wet tear stains,  
不知心恨谁。  
unknown who (her) heart regrets.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2024-11-20. Score: 1

深 - 久，长时间 (long time/period; deep into)

深坐 - 久坐(不動); 久久呆坐

深坐蹙蛾眉 - 一直坐着把双眉紧紧锁闭


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