The Beans

煮豆燃豆萁
豆在釜中泣
本是同根生
相煎何太急

Cook/bean/burn/bean/stalk (Cook the beans by burning the stalks)
Bean/in/pot/inside/cry (The beans cry in the pot)
originally/is/same/root/grow (We grow from the same root)
each other/fry/why/too/rush (Why fry me in such eagerness?)

This poet, 曹植, was known to be talented from an early age. His older brother, an Emperor, was jealous of the poet and feared that someday the poet would take over his political power. The Emperor ordered the poet to compose a poem within making seven pace, otherwise the poet would have to die. Here it comes "the poem of seven pace".

The poem is a famous quote in Chinese although the original one is slightly different. I saw it in the movie Beijing Rocks （北京樂與路, 2001）. The movie SUCKS. Yike!