Poem on crabs by Xue Baochai Xue Baochai's background was relatively humble comparing to Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu. Her family was rich but her brother was a gambler. Yet she cherished the spirit of gratitude and joy, thus she was respected and liked by everyone in the household except a few jealous souls. "The path stretches before your very eyes, But you can't tell between straight and crosswise. Under your strong and illustrious mask, You are actually empty inside with no heart." https://www.viewofchina.com/poems-on-crabs/

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Poem on Crab by Lin Daiyu and painting by Ming Dynasty artist Xu Wei. Lin Daiyu was a teenager girl and treated like a princess in the family, yet she forever felt self-pity and never stopped whinging. "How awesome it is with eight legs, You crawl faster than anyone else. But in your long spears and iron armour, You meet your fate sent by your karma...." https://www.viewofchina.com/poems-on-crabs/

Poem about crabs by Jia Baoyu Jia Baoyu was a teenage boy living in privilege but ungrateful and rebellious. He did not appreciate what he enjoyed and fancied to be born as a servant girl. "In your greed, you forget how hard it is to digest, You indulge in the source of sour and pungent. You shower it on your prey, From which you chew the flesh away. You never progress straight ahead, But block other people’s way like a crab. With no heart nor spine, You celebrate cannibalism with a cup of wine." https://www.viewofchina.com/poems-on-crabs/

Dream of the Red Chamber narrates how a grand household with a large population and a high GDP figure decayed and collapsed. During its heyday, a splendid banquet was held at a luxury and spacious pavilion built on a lily pool, with steamed crabs as the main course and a...See more

More from All Things Chinese

Poem on Crab by Lin Daiyu and painting by Ming Dynasty artist Xu Wei. Lin Daiyu was a teenager girl and treated like a princess in the family, yet she forever felt self-pity and never stopped whinging. "How awesome it is with eight legs, You crawl faster than anyone else. But in your long spears and iron armour, You meet your fate sent by your karma...." https://www.viewofchina.com/poems-on-crabs/

Poem about crabs by Jia Baoyu Jia Baoyu was a teenage boy living in privilege but ungrateful and rebellious. He did not appreciate what he enjoyed and fancied to be born as a servant girl. "In your greed, you forget how hard it is to digest, You indulge in the source of sour and pungent. You shower it on your prey, From which you chew the flesh away. You never progress straight ahead, But block other people’s way like a crab. With no heart nor spine, You celebrate cannibalism with a cup of wine." https://www.viewofchina.com/poems-on-crabs/

Dream of the Red Chamber narrates how a grand household with a large population and a high GDP figure decayed and collapsed. During its heyday, a splendid banquet was held at a luxury and spacious pavilion built on a lily pool, with steamed crabs as the main course and a...See more