| Zhang Yanghao | |
| Birth Date: | 1270 |
| Birth Place: | Licheng District, Jinan |
| Death Date: | 1329 |
| Nationality: | Yuan Dynasty |
| Occupation: | writer, government official |
| Known For: | Sanqu poetry |
Zhang Yanghao (; 1270–1329), courtesy name Ximeng, was a Chinese writer from Shandong who lived during the Yuan dynasty and authored prose, poems, as well as songs.[1] He is particularly well known for his Sanqu poetry.[1] Among his works is one of the most frequently anthologized poems of the "meditation on the past" genre, a song poem titled "Meditation on the Past at Tong Pass" and set to the tune of "Sheep on Mountain Slope" .[2] Besides his work as a writer, Zhang Yanghao also held high government posts and served at one time as head of the Ministry of Rites.[3] His tomb is in Shandong, to the north of the city center of Jinan.
The song poem "Meditation on the Past at Tong Pass" is Zhang Yanghao most well-known work.It reads:
| Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | English translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 峰巒如聚， | 峰峦如聚， | Fēng luán rú jù, | Peaks and ridges press together, | |
| 波濤如怒， | 波涛如怒， | bō tāo rú nù, | waves and torrents rage, | |
| 山河表裏潼關路。 | 山河表里潼关路。 | shān hé biǎo lǐ Tóng Guān lù. | zigzagging between the mountains and the river runs the road through Tong Pass. | |
| 望西都， | 望西都， | Wàng xī dū, | I look to the western capital, | |
| 意躊躇。 | 意踌躇。 | yì chóu chú. | my thoughts linger. | |
| 傷心秦漢經行處， | 伤心秦汉经行处， | Shāng xīn qín hàn jīng xíng chù, | It breaks my heart to come to the old place of the Qin and Han, | |
| 宮闕萬間都做了土。 | 宫阙万间都做了土。 | gōng qué wàn jiān dōu zuò le tǔ. | now palaces and terraces have all turned to dust. | |
| 興， | 兴， | Xīng, | [Dynasties] rise, | |
| 百姓苦； | 百姓苦； | bǎi xìng kǔ; | the common folk suffer; | |
| 亡， | 亡， | Wáng, | [Dynasties] fall, | |
| 百姓苦。 | 百姓苦。 | bǎi xìng kǔ. | the common folk suffer. |