The text of this Parting Bone and Blood was derived from the famous Qing dynasty novel Dream of The Red Chamber, written by Cao Xueqin. As an important classic of Chinese literature, this novel is known for its psychological scope and observation of social relations in 18th-century China. The intricate plot of this novel simultaneously depicts the rise and fall of the aristocratic Jia family and the decline of the Qing dynasty empire.

This is a lament from one of the main characters, Jia Tanchun. As the daughter of a concubine, she was not respected as much as the daughter of a wife. At the downfall of the Jia family, she was forced to part with her parents and married far away. In addition to expressing Tanchun’s agony of leaving, these texts also allude to the unstable social and political situation at the end of the dynasty.

普雪芹的<紅樓勞裡>描寫了18世紀質家貴族的起落及當時的社會背景；探春是這部小說中，一位由小老婆所生，地位卑賤的角色；「分骨肉」則是<红樓梦裡>中的一關詞。這關詞所要訴說的是，探春因賈府沒落而被迫嫁到遠地時，幽幽道出與父母骨肉分離的悲愤。詞中不但表現了探春的哀傷，也隱喻了晚洁沒落、社會動蕩不安的情景

Parting Bone and Blood

A boat is sailing away, three thousand li, in a tempest of wind and rain It breaks apart bone and blood, parent and child, our home
Resist crying tears so as not to upset aged parents
My dear Father and Mother, do not miss your child

The fate of all things has been fixed since ancient times, and there is no reason we cannot reunite From now on we live two separate lives, and we need to care well for ourselves
I am leaving now; do not think of me
I am leaving now; do not think of me

I am leaving now; do not think of me

分骨肉

-机風雨路三千
YI fan fengyú lu sanqian,
/i fan fanjy lu santsin/

把骨肉家園齊來拋閃
bà gúröu jiayuán gí lai pão shán.
/a gu rou diajuen tsi lar pau san/

恐哭，損殘年
Köng k0, sún cán nián.
/kon ku swun tan nin/

告爹娘：休把兒题念
Gão die niáng: Xi0 bà er xuánniän.
/gau die njan cu ba y «win: 'njun/

自古窮通皆有定，離合豈無缘？
Zigü qiöng tong jie yöu ding, lihé qi wúyuán?
/sigu toon tun dzie judin ll'hu tor wujuan/

從今分雨地，各自保平安，
Cöng jin fen liäng de, gézi bão ping an.
/tsun dzin fAn lian di gutsu bau pin an/

奴去也，莫奉連
Nú qù yè, mò qianlián.
inutsye,mutsienlien/

奴去也，莫奉連，
Nú qù yè, mò gianlián.
/nu t6 ye, mu 'tsienlien/

奴去也，其奉連。
Nú qù yè, mò qianlián.
/Inu to ye, mu 'tsienlien/