A name from a poem
望舒
Pinyin wàng shūusually a girl’s name
Drive the moon’s quiet light — like Wangshu.
What’s wished for
In a bamboo grove Wang Wei plays the qin, and the moon comes to keep him company. Named for Wangshu (望舒), the moon’s charioteer in the Songs of Chu — a refined proper name, not the overused “bright moon.”
Where it comes from
明月来相照
míng yuè lái xiāng zhào
“Only the bright moon peeps at me.”
— Wang Wei, “Bamboo Grove Retreat” (竹里馆)
About the two characters
- 望
- to gaze; with 舒, the moon’s charioteer in Chu ci
- 舒
- to unfold, at ease
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