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Li Sao is a Chinese poem dating from the Warring States Period, largely written by Qu Yuan (340 BC - 278 BC) of the Kingdom of Chu. One of the most famous poems of pre-Qin China, it is a representative work of the Chu Ci form of poetry. 《离骚》是战国时期的诗歌，大部分由楚国屈原(公元前340-278)创作。作为楚辞的代表作，《离骚》是先秦时期最著名的诗歌之一。 The titles meaning has been debated about even in historical times. Sima Qian interprets the title as Woes of Departure i.e. Qu Yuans exile, while Ban Gu interprets it as Encountering Trouble. Sima Qians interpretation is the more adopted one, though recent scholars also theorise that Li Sao is simply a different way of writing Lao Shang; the latter is a generic name for a Chu song. In English the title is often translated as either The Lament or Encountering Trouble. 离骚这个题目的意义在历史上颇有争议。司马迁将其翻译为离别之悲痛意指屈原被流放;班固将其译为遭遇忧患。尽管新进学者们认为离骚只是劳商的另一种写法，而劳商即楚国歌曲的总称，人们还是多以司马迁的译法为准。英语中离骚一般被翻译为悲歌或遭遇忧患。 The poem has a total of 372 lines and about 2400 characters, which makes it one of the longest poems dating from Ancient China. While the precise date of composition is unknown it is one of Qu Yuans later works, written after his exile by King Huai I of Chu. | 
