Reading Chinese poetry and immersing yourself in the culture is a great way to learn the language. Read on as we share our pick of famous Chinese poems, ranging from Chinese farewell poems to Chinese poems about love.
Since ancient times, humans the world over have memorized and recited poetry. Amongst other benefits, it’s a popular method for learning a new language, and one we wholeheartedly stand behind! By reading out loud or listening to poems being recited, you can quickly master the rhythms and pronunciations of words and phrases, gain confidence in your speaking, and connect with the cultural heritage of the poet.
Luckily for us, Chinese poetry is – more often than not – concise, which means it’s far more digestible than some of its Western counterparts (we’re looking at you, Tennyson!). It also means that you can set manageable goals such as a poem a day! We’ve shared below three of our team’s favourite childhood poems, as well as Chinese poems about love and Chinese farewell poems. We hope you enjoy this list of famous Chinese poems.
In China, there are a handful of famous Chinese poems that children are taught in the classroom and expected to memorize. Many of these were written during the Tang dynasty (618–907), a period that is widely considered to be the golden age of Chinese literature. Here are just three of our favourite childhood poems.
床前明月光，
疑是地上霜。
举头望明月，
低头思故乡。
TRANSLATION
Moonlight reflects off the front of my bed.
Could it actually be the frost on the ground?
I look up to view the bright moon,
And look down to reminisce about my hometown.
About: This popular Chinese poem was penned by one of the most famous Tang dynasty poets of all time – Li Bai (701-762). The poem expresses the poet’s loneliness, pensiveness, and homesickness as he gazes up at the bright moon.
李绅 《悯农》
锄禾日当午，
汗滴禾下土。
谁知盘中餐，
粒粒皆辛苦。
TRANSLATION
Farmers weeding at noon,
Sweat down the field soon.
Who knows food on a tray
Thanks to their toiling day?
About: A common Chinese nursery rhyme still popular today, “Toiling Farmers” depicts the hard work and life of a Chinese farmer. Written by Tang Dynasty poet Li Shen, the poem emphasises how hard each farmers work for every grain of rice, and serves as a gentle reminder for children not to waste their food.
鹅、鹅、鹅，
曲项向天歌。
白毛浮绿水，
红掌拨清波
TRANSLATION
Goose, goose, goose,
You bend your neck towards the sky and sing.
Your white feathers float on the emerald water,
Your red feet push the clear waves.
About: Written by Tang Dynasty poet Luo Binwang when he was only seven years old, “An Ode to the Goose” is a particularly simple and easy to memorize poem, resulting in it often being one of the very first famous Chinese poems to be learned by Chinese children.
Saying goodbye is never easy. Scroll on to discover our team’s pick of Chinese farewell poems.
送杜少府之任蜀州, 王勃 (“Farewell To Vice-Prefect Du Setting Out For His Official Post In Shu”, by Wang Bo)
城阙辅三秦，
风烟望五津。
与君离别意，
同是宦游人。
海内存知己，
天涯若比邻。
无为在岐路，
儿女共沾巾。
TRANSLATION
By this wall that surrounds the three Qin districts,
Through a mist that makes five rivers one,
We bid each other a sad farewell,
We two officials going opposite ways….
And yet, while China holds our friendship,
And heaven remains our neighbourhood,
Why should you linger at the fork of the road,
Wiping your eyes like a heart-broken child?
About: Written by Wang Bo when his friend Du was set to leave and take the position of country official in Si Chuan. Wang Bo saw off Du and presented him with this farewell poem that represents the sincerity and profoundness of their friendship.
青山橫北郭 , 白水遶東城
此地一為別, 孤蓬萬里征
浮雲遊子意, 落日故人情
揮手自茲去, 蕭簫斑馬鳴
TRANSLATION
Green hills skirt the northern border,
White waters gird the eastern town;
Here we part with each other,
And you set out like a lonesome wisp of grass,
Floating across the miles, farther and farther away.
You’ve longed to travel like roaming clouds,
But our friendship, unwilling to wane as the sun is to set,
Let it be here to stay.
As we wave each other good-bye,
Our horses neigh, as if for us they sigh.
About: Li Bai’s friend longs to travel like ‘roaming clouds’. This Chinese farewell poem uses beautiful metaphors to express the deep connection Li Bai and his friend share through their friendship.
下马饮君酒
问君何所之
君言不得意
归卧南山垂
但去莫复问
白云无尽时
TRANSLATION
Dismounted, we drank to bid you farewell.
I asked, “My friend, where are you heading?”
You said, “Oh, nothing is working my way,
So be back to the crags of Nanshan, retiring.”
“Go then! You’ll ask of the world no more!
Ah, days of endless white clouds, unending!”
About:Wang Wei’s friend is feeling dejected and rather than keeping him from leaving he is encouraging him to leave and get some rest, they have drinks to solidify him leaving.
无言独上西楼
月如钩
寂寞梧桐深院
锁清秋
剪不断
理还乱
是离愁
别是一般滋味
在心头
TRANSLATION
Wordless, alone, to the West Tower I climb the stair;
The Moon, like a curved sword, hangs there.
Held captive in the deep courtyard and its lonesome phoenix tree,
Is the cool, pure Autumn breeze.
Cut it, it doesn’t sever;
Sort it, as entangled as ever —
It is a great sorrow to part,
Creating an entirely different feeling in my heart
Notes: Although the first stanza doesn’t openly talk about farewells, the description of the view from the West Tower provides imagery for us to believe so. The desolate courtyard and the lonesome phoenix tree could possibly symbolize Li Yu’s feelings about parting. Describing that although they are parting they are still as connected as ever.
多情却似总无情
维觉罇前笑不成
蜡烛有心还惜别
替人垂泪到天明
TRANSLATION
Fond are my feelings, yet unfeeling I feign,
Before our wine-cups, we merry-make in vain.
So heartful, the candle, our parting it grieves,
And in tears it melts, till the sky lights again.
About: Although it can’t be confirmed, instead of parting with a friend, Du Mu is parting with a now ex-lover. Saying that even though their love was deep it diminished into nothing, they can’t even fake a friendly smile so the candle weeps for them. This powerful poem expresses the pain in ending a special connection with someone you loved.
Many of us often struggling to find the words to express how we feel. So why not borrow from one of these famous Chinese poems about love instead?
十年生死两茫茫，不思量，自难忘。
千里孤坟，无处话凄凉。
纵使相逢应不识，尘满面，鬓如霜。
夜来幽梦忽还乡，小轩窗，正梳妆。
相顾无言，惟有泪千行。
料得年年肠断处，明月夜，短松冈。
TRANSLATION
Ten years, dead and living dim and draw apart.
I don’t try to remember,
But forgetting is hard.
Lonely grave a thousand miles off,
Cold thoughts, where can I talk them out?
Even if we met, you wouldn’t know me,
Dust on my face,
Hair like frost.
In a dream last night suddenly I was home.
By the window of the little room,
You were combing your hair and making up.
You turned and looked, not speaking,
Only lines of tears coursing down.
Year after year will it break my heart?
The moonlit grave,
The stubby pines.
About:This Chinese poem about love was written by Su Shi around 1075 and is about a dream he once had about his wife, Wang Fu, who he married in 1054 but unfortunately died just 11 years later. He loved and missed his wife so much that he composed this poem to express his feelings and longing for her.
我欲与君相知，
长命无绝衰。
山无陵，
江水为竭，
冬雷震震，
夏雨雪 ，
天地合，
乃敢与君绝！
TRANSLATION
I want to be your love forever and ever,
Without break or decay.
When the hills are all flat,
The rivers are all dry.
When it thunders in winter,
When it snows in summer
When heaven and earth mingle,
Not till then will I part from you.
About: While the author of this poem is a mystery, what is known is that it comes from the era of Yuefu folk poems during the Han Dynasty. The poet takes an oath pledging that even if the whole world were to be destroyed and the unthinkable were to happen, she would still love him. This poem is a sweet confession from a woman to her lover.
伫倚危楼风细细，
望极春愁，
黯黯生天际。
草色烟光残照里，
无言谁会凭栏意。
拟把疏狂图一醉，
对酒当歌，
强乐还无味。
衣带渐宽终不悔，
为伊消得人憔悴。
TRANSLATION
While I lean against the banister of a tall tower,
The breeze gently blows.
As I look into the distance,
The end of Spring arouses melancholy in my mind.
Surrounded by dewy grass at sunset,
I wonder who is able to understand my longing.
I would rather drink to intoxication.
One should sing when one has wine in hand,
But drinking to escape offers no reprieve.
I do not mind that my clothes are getting looser.
My lover is worthy of desire.
About: The poet longs for her lover so deeply that she neglects herself in a land that she isn’t familiar with. Successfully portraying that the poet’s love for her partner is so strong that she can only think about him.
蹴罢秋千，起来慵整纤纤手。
露浓花瘦，薄汗轻衣透。
见客入来，袜刬金钗溜。
和羞走，倚门回首，却把青梅嗅。
TRANSLATION
She jumps off the swing, lazily stretching her slender hands.
The dew is heavy on the thin flower branch, a light sweat seeps through her shirt.
Seeing a guest, she runs away in her socks, her golden hair pin slipping off.
She leaves in embarrassment, yet pauses at the door to look back, and sniffs the green plums.
About: This straightforward poem was written during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) by Li Qingzhao, one of the best-known female writers in Chinese history. Though only fragments of her works survived, she wrote prolifically during her lifetime, usually depicting the lives of girls and women in their boudoirs.
我住长江头，
君住长江尾。
日日思君不见君，
共饮长江水。
此水几时休，
此恨何时已。
只愿君心似我心，
定不负相思意。
TRANSLATION
I live upstream and you downstream,
From night to night of you I dream.
Unlike the stream you are not in view,
Though both we drink from River Blue.
When will the river no more flow？
When will my grief no more grow？
I wish your heart will be like mine，
Then not in vain for you I pine.
About: “Song of Divination” talks about separation between lovers and lovesickness, expressed by using the Yangtze river to show the distance between them.
By listening to and memorizing famous Chinese poems, you can fast-track all four language skills – listening, reading, writing, and speaking. We’ll be updating this list of Chinese farewell poems and Chinese poems about love in the near future, so stay tuned!
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