**White Clouds, Grey Dogs**
**[Explanation]**
*Cang* (苍): greyish-white. Floating clouds resemble a white garment, but in a moment change into the shape of a grey dog. This phrase is a metaphor for the unpredictable and ever-changing nature of things.
**[Source]**
Tang Dynasty · Du Fu's poem "A Sigh": "The floating clouds in the sky are like white robes; in a moment, they change into grey dogs. From ancient times to the present, it has always been thus; in life, there is nothing that does not happen."
**[Explanation]**
The floating clouds in the sky clearly resemble a clean, white garment, yet a moment later they transform into the shape of a grey dog. From ancient times to the present, this has always been the case; on the journey of life, every kind of event is possible!
**[The Story]**
During the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous poet named Du Fu, styled Zimei, who styled himself "the Old Wild Man of Shaoling." He was a great realist poet of the Tang Dynasty, and, together with Li Bai, was known as "Li and Du." Born in Gong County, Henan, his ancestral home was Xiangyang, Hubei. To distinguish them from the later poets Li Shangyin and Du Mu (known as the "Little Li and Du"), Du Fu and Li Bai were also collectively called the "Great Li and Du." Du Fu was often simply referred to as "Old Du."
Du Fu was deeply beloved by the common people and enjoyed helping others. However, he himself actually lived in dire poverty, constantly worried about where his next meal would come from. Thus, he could only use poetry to help others.
Du Fu had a close friend named Li Guinian, a folk artist who excelled particularly at singing and playing music, and was deeply loved by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and other nobles and high officials. Princes and nobles frequently invited him to perform, and each time he received rewards amounting to thousands upon thousands of gold coins. Later, after the An Lushan Rebellion, the imperial court was thrown into turmoil and society became unstable. The nobility no longer had the leisure or mood to listen to Li Guinian's performances. Li Guinian lost his income, drifted to the Jiangnan region, and lived an extremely destitute life.
By chance, at a banquet, Du Fu once again heard Li Guinian perform. He then wrote a poem praising Li Guinian's superb skill, saying: "Who would have thought that in this beautiful Jiangnan scenery, in this season of falling blossoms, I would meet you, my old friend, once more? Gaze upon this lovely scenery, recall our sincere friendship, and perhaps you might forget the sorrow in your heart." (Often seen in Prince Qi's residence, heard several times before Cui Jiu's hall. It is precisely the fine scenery of Jiangnan; in the season of falling flowers, I meet you again.)
Wang Jiyou was also a Tang Dynasty poet living in poverty, who made a living by selling straw sandals. Yet he was content with his poverty and found joy in it, spending his spare time reading and writing poetry. His wife could not bear the hardship and left him. Others gossiped and criticized him. Du Fu wrote a poem to comfort Wang Jiyou, which read: "The floating clouds in the sky are like white robes, in a moment they change into grey dogs." This means the clouds drifting in the sky, originally resembling a clean white garment, turn into the shape of a grey dog in the blink of an eye. From ancient times to the present, all kinds of strange things can happen in the world. The two lines from this poem, "The floating clouds in the sky are like white robes; in a moment, they change into grey dogs," later evolved into the idiom "White Clouds, Grey Dogs," used to describe the impermanence and constant change of worldly affairs.