Li Bai
- proper noun
- Literature
- Scholars often compare Li Bai and Du Fu as the two great poets of the Tang dynasty.
Examples
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The poetry of Li Bai is revered for its beauty and emotion.
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Many of Li Bai's verses celebrate nature, friendship, and wine.
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The works of Li Bai are studied in many universities.
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Did you read any poems by Li Bai?
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Many of Li Bai's verses celebrate nature, friendship, and wine.
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The poetry of Li Bai is revered for its beauty and emotion.
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Scholars often compare Li Bai and Du Fu as the two great poets of the Tang dynasty.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Li + Bai
This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; the constituent elements 'Li' and 'Bai' (here not defined) do not convey the poet's identity or biographical details. Personal names are arbitrary labels cross-linguistically and do not transparently encode the meaning 'celebrated Tang-dynasty Chinese poet', so a B1 learner knowing the parts would not be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Li Bai is the name of a famous Chinese poet from long ago who often wrote about nature, friendship, and wine. Picture him by a river with a cup of wine, writing under the moon — that image is why his name brings to mind 'romantic and imaginative poetry'.