"I didn't know your face for ten years before I believed Chanjuan to solve my doubts" comes from the Song Dynasty poet Ni's Palace Complaint. The original text is:

There is dust in the mirror, green sleeves are not fragrant, and a sparse flower does not cover the spring.

I didn't know the king's face for ten years before I believed that Shan Juan had solved the misunderstanding.

The meaning of this poem is: there is no fragrance in the green sleeves, but dust in the mirror. A thin flower cannot hide spring. I haven't seen the emperor for ten years, and I believe the world of mortals can help the lost.

In ancient China, the greatest goal of literati was to take the imperial examination, win fame and become the top scholar. Therefore, it is said that they often had to give up many things on the journey to take the imperial examination, including love and marriage, because family would affect their study.

However, not everyone can be the first, and those who fail to make the list often account for the vast majority. At this time, people who fall behind the list often begin to wake up, hate blind pursuit of fame and fortune, and begin to realize the value of love. Therefore, there is a saying that "I don't know the king's face for ten years, and I believe that Chanjuan can solve the misunderstanding."

Extended data:

"I don't know your face for ten years, and then trust Chanjuan to solve the misunderstanding" is a famous sentence in ancient China. It is widely known because Wang Shifu, a dramatist in Yuan Dynasty, quoted this sentence in The West Chamber.

In the play, Zhang Sheng, who was supposed to take part in the scientific research, saw Zhang Yingying's beauty and said, "I didn't know the true face of the king for ten years before I believed that Shan Juan could solve the problem." He expressed his willingness to give up fame and fortune for love, which made this sentence have deeper thoughts and feelings.

Baidu encyclopedia-west chamber