3001 classic poems with guided listening.

春江潮水连海平，海上明月共潮生。 滟滟随波千万里，何处春江无月明。 江流宛转绕芳甸，月照花林皆似霰。 空里流霜不觉飞，汀上白沙看不见。 江天一色无纤...

The poem depicts a moonlit night on the spring river, blending natural scenery with philosophical reflections on eternity and human life, and...

空山新雨后，天气晚来秋。 明月松间照，清泉石上流。 竹喧归浣女，莲动下渔舟。 随意春芳歇，王孙自可留。

After a fresh rain in the quiet mountains, the autumn evening brings coolness. Moonlight filters through pines, clear streams flow over rocks....

床前明月光，疑是地上霜。 举头望明月，低头思故乡。

The night is deep. Cool moonlight spills across the floor before the bed, and in a daze one might take it for frost frozen on the ground. I ca...

白日依山尽，黄河入海流。 欲穷千里目，更上一层楼。

The poet describes a vast sunset scene and draws the inspirational lesson that to see further one must climb higher.

红豆生南国，春来发几枝。 愿君多采撷，此物最相思。

Red beans grow in the warm south; when spring comes, they sprout new branches. I hope you will pick many, for they best express longing.

春眠不觉晓，处处闻啼鸟。 夜来风雨声，花落知多少。

In the spring night, one sleeps soundly, unaware that dawn has broken; upon waking, one hears birds singing everywhere. Recalling the wind and...

故人西辞黄鹤楼，烟花三月下扬州。 孤帆远影碧空尽，唯见长江天际流。

An old friend bids farewell at Yellow Crane Tower and travels east to Yangzhou in the misty spring of March. As his sail fades into the distan...

日照香炉生紫烟，遥看瀑布挂前川。 飞流直下三千尺，疑是银河落九天。

The poet looks at the waterfall from afar: in the sunlight, mist rises like purple smoke from Censer Peak, and the waterfall hangs like a whit...

两个黄鹂鸣翠柳，一行白鹭上青天。 窗含西岭千秋雪，门泊东吴万里船。

This quatrain presents four vivid scenes from Du Fu's thatched cottage: orioles singing in willows, egrets flying into the sky, snow-capped we...

好雨知时节，当春乃发生。 随风潜入夜，润物细无声。 野径云俱黑，江船火独明。 晓看红湿处，花重锦官城。

A timely spring rain falls quietly at night, nourishing all things. The poet imagines that at dawn the city of Chengdu will be full of heavy,...

月落乌啼霜满天，江枫渔火对愁眠。 姑苏城外寒山寺，夜半钟声到客船。

The waning moon has set, crows cry in the night sky, and cold frost fills the air. Facing the maples by the river and the fishing lights, I am...

葡萄美酒夜光杯，欲饮琵琶马上催。 醉卧沙场君莫笑，古来征战几人回。

The poet describes a momentary feast before battle, where soldiers indulge in wine amidst the urgent call of the pipa. He dismisses any mocker...

秦时明月汉时关，万里长征人未还。 但使龙城飞将在，不教胡马度阴山。

The moon and the pass remain the same as in the Qin and Han dynasties, yet the soldiers who marched thousands of miles have never returned. If...

独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲。 遥知兄弟登高处，遍插茱萸少一人。

The poet, far from home during the Double Ninth Festival, expresses his intensified longing for his family, imagining his brothers missing him...

朝辞白帝彩云间，千里江陵一日还。 两岸猿声啼不住，轻舟已过万重山。

At dawn, I bid farewell to White Emperor City surrounded by colorful clouds. Traveling downstream, I reach Jiangling, a thousand miles away, i...

明月几时有？把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒。起舞弄清影，何似在人间。 转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。不应有恨...

On a Mid-Autumn Festival night, Su Shi drinks and thinks of his brother. He asks the moon about its origins, considers flying to the celestial...

大江东去，浪淘尽，千古风流人物。故垒西边，人道是，三国周郎赤壁。乱石穿空，惊涛拍岸，卷起千堆雪。江山如画，一时多少豪杰。 遥想公瑾当年，小乔初嫁了，...

Standing at the Red Cliff, the poet reflects on the passage of time and the heroes of the Three Kingdoms, especially Zhou Yu. This contrasts w...

寻寻觅觅，冷冷清清，凄凄惨惨戚戚。乍暖还寒时候，最难将息。三杯两盏淡酒，怎敌他、晚来风急？雁过也，正伤心，却是旧时相识。 满地黄花堆积。憔悴损，如今...

The poetess, late in life and lonely after losing her husband and nation, describes her restless search for solace, only to find desolation. S...

常记溪亭日暮，沉醉不知归路。兴尽晚回舟，误入藕花深处。争渡，争渡，惊起一滩鸥鹭。

A nostalgic memory of a carefree outing: a young woman drinks at a creek pavilion until sunset, gets lost in intoxication, accidentally rowing...

寒蝉凄切，对长亭晚，骤雨初歇。都门帐饮无绪，留恋处，兰舟催发。执手相看泪眼，竟无语凝噎。念去去，千里烟波，暮霭沉沉楚天阔。 多情自古伤离别，更那堪，...

The poet bids farewell to his lover at a pavilion after rain, holding hands and choking with tears. He imagines the lonely journey ahead and t...

薄雾浓云愁永昼，瑞脑销金兽。佳节又重阳，玉枕纱厨，半夜凉初透。 东篱把酒黄昏后，有暗香盈袖。莫道不销魂，帘卷西风，人比黄花瘦。

The poetess writes of her loneliness and longing for her absent husband on the Double Ninth Festival. From misty morning to chilly midnight, a...

醉里挑灯看剑，梦回吹角连营。八百里分麾下炙，五十弦翻塞外声。沙场秋点兵。 马作的卢飞快，弓如霹雳弦惊。了却君王天下事，赢得生前身后名。可怜白发生！

The poet, drunk, dreams of a military camp and a battlefield review. He imagines heroic deeds to serve the emperor and win fame, but ends with...

东风夜放花千树。更吹落，星如雨。宝马雕车香满路。凤箫声动，玉壶光转，一夜鱼龙舞。 蛾儿雪柳黄金缕。笑语盈盈暗香去。众里寻他千百度。蓦然回首，那人却在...

The first stanza vividly portrays the grand Lantern Festival: east wind blossoms thousands of lanterns, stars fall like rain, carriages and mu...

塞下秋来风景异，衡阳雁去无留意。四面边声连角起。千嶂里，长烟落日孤城闭。 浊酒一杯家万里，燕然未勒归无计。羌管悠悠霜满地。人不寐，将军白发征夫泪。

The poem depicts the bleak autumn scene at the frontier and the soldiers' homesickness mixed with their unfulfilled duty to serve the country.

驿外断桥边，寂寞开无主。已是黄昏独自愁，更着风和雨。 无意苦争春，一任群芳妒。零落成泥碾作尘，只有香如故。

The plum blossom grows in isolation beside a broken bridge outside a post station, blooming alone without appreciation. Already sorrowful at d...

枯藤老树昏鸦，小桥流水人家，古道西风瘦马。夕阳西下，断肠人在天涯。

This poem depicts a traveler wandering in the late autumn dusk. The first three lines list nine distinct images—withered vines, old trees, cro...

峰峦如聚，波涛如怒，山河表里潼关路。望西都，意踌躇。伤心秦汉经行处，宫阙万间都做了土。兴，百姓苦；亡，百姓苦。

The poet passes Tong Pass, feeling the grandeur of the landscape and then lamenting that imperial palaces from the Qin and Han dynasties have...

孤村落日残霞，轻烟老树寒鸦，一点飞鸿影下。青山绿水，白草红叶黄花。

The poem depicts a lonely village at sunset with faint clouds, then a scene of light smoke, old tree, and a cold crow. A wild goose flies by c...

骊山四顾，阿房一炬，当时奢侈今何处？只见草萧疏，水萦纡。至今遗恨迷烟树。列国周齐秦汉楚。赢，都变做了土；输，都变做了土。

Looking around Mount Li, the poet recalls the Epang Palace that was burned to ashes. All the luxury of the Qin dynasty is gone. Only desolate...

黄芦岸白苹渡口，绿柳堤红蓼滩头。虽无刎颈交，却有忘机友。点秋江白鹭沙鸥。傲杀人间万户侯，不识字烟波钓叟。

The poem depicts a fisherman's idyllic life by the river, surrounded by colorful reeds and willows. He has no human friends but finds companio...

君不见黄河之水天上来，奔流到海不复回。 君不见高堂明镜悲白发，朝如青丝暮成雪。 人生得意须尽欢，莫使金樽空对月。 天生我材必有用，千金散尽还复来。...

The poem urges the reader to enjoy life and drink wine, as time is fleeting and wealth is transient. It expresses Li Bai's characteristic blen...

金樽清酒斗十千，玉盘珍羞直万钱。 停杯投箸不能食，拔剑四顾心茫然。 欲渡黄河冰塞川，将登太行雪满山。 闲来垂钓碧溪上，忽复乘舟梦日边。 行路难，行路...

The poem begins with a lavish feast that the poet cannot enjoy, expressing his deep frustration. The obstacles of ice and snow symbolize polit...

花间一壶酒，独酌无相亲。 举杯邀明月，对影成三人。 月既不解饮，影徒随我身。 暂伴月将影，行乐须及春。 我歌月徘徊，我舞影零乱。 醒时同交欢，醉后各...

The poet drinks alone among flowers and invites the moon and his shadow to join him, turning solitude into a party. But the moon cannot drink,...

李白乘舟将欲行，忽闻岸上踏歌声。 桃花潭水深千尺，不及汪伦送我情。

Li Bai is leaving by boat and unexpectedly hears Wang Lun singing and stomping on the shore to see him off. Even though the Peach Blossom Pool...

杨花落尽子规啼，闻道龙标过五溪。 我寄愁心与明月，随君直到夜郎西。

The poet hears of his friend's distant exile and entrusts his sorrow to the moon, hoping it will accompany his friend.

国破山河在，城春草木深。 感时花溅泪，恨别鸟惊心。 烽火连三月，家书抵万金。 白头搔更短，浑欲不胜簪。

The poet is trapped in the fallen capital Chang'an during the An Lushan Rebellion. Seeing the desolation of spring in the ruined city, he grie...

风急天高猿啸哀，渚清沙白鸟飞回。 无边落木萧萧下，不尽长江滚滚来。 万里悲秋常作客，百年多病独登台。 艰难苦恨繁霜鬓，潦倒新停浊酒杯。

The poet faces a bleak autumn landscape: swift wind, high sky, wailing apes, clear islet, white sand, and circling birds. Boundless leaves fal...

八月秋高风怒号，卷我屋上三重茅。 茅飞渡江洒江郊，高者挂罥长林梢，下者飘转沉塘坳。 南村群童欺我老无力，忍能对面为盗贼。 公然抱茅入竹去，唇焦口燥呼...

The poem narrates how autumn winds rip the thatch from Du Fu's newly built cottage, how village children take the straw, and how rain leaks th...

剑外忽传收蓟北，初闻涕泪满衣裳。 却看妻子愁何在，漫卷诗书喜欲狂。 白日放歌须纵酒，青春作伴好还乡。 即从巴峡穿巫峡，便下襄阳向洛阳。

The poet hears that the government forces have recaptured the rebel-held areas; he is overcome with joy, cries, and immediately plans his jour...

单车欲问边，属国过居延。 征蓬出汉塞，归雁入胡天。 大漠孤烟直，长河落日圆。 萧关逢候骑，都护在燕然。

The poet travels alone on a mission to the frontier, passing through remote areas. He compares himself to a tumbleweed and a wild goose, expre...

渭城朝雨浥轻尘，客舍青青柳色新。 劝君更尽一杯酒，西出阳关无故人。

In the early morning at Weicheng, a light rain settles the dust. The willows near the guest house are fresh and green after the rain. I urge y...

独坐幽篁里，弹琴复长啸。 深林人不知，明月来相照。

The poet sits alone in a secluded bamboo grove, playing the lute and whistling freely. Though hidden in the deep forest, the bright moon visit...

离离原上草，一岁一枯荣。 野火烧不尽，春风吹又生。 远芳侵古道，晴翠接荒城。 又送王孙去，萋萋满别情。

The lush grass on the plain withers and thrives year after year. Wildfire cannot burn it completely; with the spring wind, it grows again. Its...

江南好，风景旧曾谙。 日出江花红胜火，春来江水绿如蓝。 能不忆江南？

The south is truly wonderful; I was once very familiar with its scenery. When the sun rises, the riverside flowers are redder than fire; when...

锦瑟无端五十弦，一弦一柱思华年。 庄生晓梦迷蝴蝶，望帝春心托杜鹃。 沧海月明珠有泪，蓝田日暖玉生烟。 此情可待成追忆，只是当时已惘然。

The poet questions the zither's fifty strings, which evoke his past youth. Using four allusions—Zhuangzi's butterfly dream, Emperor Wang's cuc...

君问归期未有期，巴山夜雨涨秋池。 何当共剪西窗烛，却话巴山夜雨时。

You ask me when I will return, but I cannot say. Here in the Ba mountains, night rain fills the autumn pond. When will we sit together by the...

相见时难别亦难，东风无力百花残。 春蚕到死丝方尽，蜡炬成灰泪始干。 晓镜但愁云鬓改，夜吟应觉月光寒。 蓬山此去无多路，青鸟殷勤为探看。

The poem expresses the pain of parting and the enduring love that lasts until death, using images of a silkworm and candle to symbolize unwave...

烟笼寒水月笼沙，夜泊秦淮近酒家。 商女不知亡国恨，隔江犹唱后庭花。

The poet describes a night scene on the Qinhuai River, where mist and moonlight create a chilly, hazy atmosphere. He anchors near a tavern and...

清明时节雨纷纷，路上行人欲断魂。 借问酒家何处有，牧童遥指杏花村。

It is a day for tomb-sweeping and spring outings, but rain falls continuously, and a solitary traveler feels desolate to the point of being 'h...

寒雨连江夜入吴，平明送客楚山孤。 洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶。

The poet describes a cold, lonely farewell at dawn, then declares his moral integrity with the metaphor of an ice-cold heart in a jade vessel,...

北风卷地白草折，胡天八月即飞雪。 忽如一夜春风来，千树万树梨花开。 散入珠帘湿罗幕，狐裘不暖锦衾薄。 将军角弓不得控，都护铁衣冷难着。 瀚海阑干百丈...

The poem describes a heavy snowfall in the frontier in the eighth month, and the farewell to a colleague returning to the capital. It moves fr...

故人具鸡黍，邀我至田家。 绿树村边合，青山郭外斜。 开轩面场圃，把酒话桑麻。 待到重阳日，还来就菊花。

The poet is invited by an old friend to a country farmhouse. He describes the serene scenery, the warm hospitality, and the pleasant conversat...

巴山楚水凄凉地，二十三年弃置身。 怀旧空吟闻笛赋，到乡翻似烂柯人。 沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春。 今日听君歌一曲，暂凭杯酒长精神。

The poet describes his long exile in desolate regions, laments the loss of friends and the passage of time, but then finds inspiration in natu...

海上生明月，天涯共此时。 情人怨遥夜，竟夕起相思。 灭烛怜光满，披衣觉露滋。 不堪盈手赠，还寝梦佳期。

The poet expresses deep longing for a distant beloved while gazing at the moon. The poem opens with a grand image of the moon rising over the...

昔人已乘黄鹤去，此地空余黄鹤楼。 黄鹤一去不复返，白云千载空悠悠。 晴川历历汉阳树，芳草萋萋鹦鹉洲。 日暮乡关何处是，烟波江上使人愁。

The poet ascends the Yellow Crane Tower, recalls the legend of an immortal riding a crane, and feels the passage of time and his own homesickn...

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。...

Ten years after the death of his wife, the poet dreams of her and writes of the pain of separation, the loneliness of the grave, and the poign...

莫听穿林打叶声，何妨吟啸且徐行。 竹杖芒鞋轻胜马，谁怕？一蓑烟雨任平生。 料峭春风吹酒醒，微冷，山头斜照却相迎。 回首向来萧瑟处，归去，也无风雨也无...

The poet describes a sudden rainstorm during a journey, expressing his calm and carefree attitude toward life's ups and downs: one can transce...

横看成岭侧成峰，远近高低各不同。 不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。

The poem describes how the same mountain appears different from various perspectives, leading to the philosophical insight that we cannot gras...

水光潋滟晴方好，山色空蒙雨亦奇。 欲把西湖比西子，淡妆浓抹总相宜。

On a sunny day the lake shimmers brilliantly; in the rain the mountains are misty and also fascinating. If one compares West Lake to the beaut...

千古江山，英雄无觅，孙仲谋处。 舞榭歌台，风流总被，雨打风吹去。 斜阳草树，寻常巷陌，人道寄奴曾住。 想当年，金戈铁马，气吞万里如虎。 元嘉草草，封...

The poet climbs the North Pavilion at Jingkou and recalls historical heroes like Sun Quan and Liu Yu who rose from the same place. He criticiz...

明月别枝惊鹊，清风半夜鸣蝉。 稻花香里说丰年，听取蛙声一片。 七八个星天外，两三点雨山前。 旧时茅店社林边，路转溪桥忽见。

On a summer night, the poet walks alone on the Yellow Sand Path. Moonlight startles the crows, wind carries cicada songs, and the scent of ric...

少年不识愁滋味，爱上层楼。 爱上层楼，为赋新词强说愁。 而今识尽愁滋味，欲说还休。 欲说还休，却道天凉好个秋。

The poem contrasts the poet's youth and present. As a youth, he did not know sorrow and forced himself to talk of it for the sake of poetry. N...

红藕香残玉簟秋，轻解罗裳，独上兰舟。 云中谁寄锦书来？雁字回时，月满西楼。 花自飘零水自流，一种相思，两处闲愁。 此情无计可消除，才下眉头，却上心头...

The poetess, on an autumn day, feels the chill of the mat and sees the fading lotus. She undresses lightly and goes boating alone, hoping for...

风住尘香花已尽，日晚倦梳头。 物是人非事事休，欲语泪先流。 闻说双溪春尚好，也拟泛轻舟。 只恐双溪舴艋舟，载不动许多愁。

In late spring, after the wind stops and flowers fall, the poetess feels the pain of things remaining but people gone. She tries to console he...

东南形胜，三吴都会，钱塘自古繁华。 烟柳画桥，风帘翠幕，参差十万人家。 云树绕堤沙，怒涛卷霜雪，天堑无涯。 市列珠玑，户盈罗绮，竞豪奢。 重湖叠巘清...

This poem depicts the prosperity of Qiantang (Hangzhou) and the beauty of West Lake, praising the region's natural and urban splendor while ex...

红酥手，黄縢酒，满城春色宫墙柳。 东风恶，欢情薄，一怀愁绪，几年离索。 错、错、错。 春如旧，人空瘦，泪痕红浥鲛绡透。 桃花落，闲池阁，山盟虽在，锦...

The poet recalls a past love—his former wife Tang Wan—whom he met years after their forced divorce. He remembers her delicate hands offering w...

死去元知万事空，但悲不见九州同。 王师北定中原日，家祭无忘告乃翁。

I have always known that after death all worldly affairs become empty. Yet I am deeply grieved that I cannot see the reunification of the whol...

早岁那知世事艰，中原北望气如山。 楼船夜雪瓜洲渡，铁马秋风大散关。 塞上长城空自许，镜中衰鬓已先斑。 出师一表真名世，千载谁堪伯仲间。

In his youth, the poet did not understand the difficulties of the world. Looking north to the occupied Central Plains, his spirit was as high...

碧云天，黄叶地，秋色连波，波上寒烟翠。 山映斜阳天接水，芳草无情，更在斜阳外。 黯乡魂，追旅思，夜夜除非，好梦留人睡。 明月楼高休独倚，酒入愁肠，化...

This lyric expresses the poet's deep homesickness while stationed at the frontier. The first stanza paints a vast autumn landscape; the second...

纤云弄巧，飞星传恨，银汉迢迢暗度。 金风玉露一相逢，便胜却人间无数。 柔情似水，佳期如梦，忍顾鹊桥归路。 两情若是久长时，又岂在朝朝暮暮。

The poem describes the annual meeting of the Cowherd and Weaver Maid across the Milky Way, emphasizing that their single encounter surpasses c...

一曲新词酒一杯，去年天气旧亭台。 夕阳西下几时回？ 无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来。 小园香径独徘徊。

The poet drinks wine and sings a new song, but the weather and terrace are the same as last year, evoking a sense of time's passage. He lament...

京口瓜洲一水间，钟山只隔数重山。 春风又绿江南岸，明月何时照我还？

The poet, moored at Guazhou, is separated from his hometown by only a narrow river and a few hills, yet he cannot return. The spring wind once...

飞来山上千寻塔，闻说鸡鸣见日升。 不畏浮云遮望眼，自缘身在最高层。

The poet climbs Feilai Peak in Hangzhou, atop which stands a very high pagoda. Legend says at cockcrow one can see the sun rise from the tower...

怒发冲冠，凭栏处、潇潇雨歇。 抬望眼，仰天长啸，壮怀激烈。 三十功名尘与土，八千里路云和月。 莫等闲、白了少年头，空悲切。 靖康耻，犹未雪。臣子恨，...

The poet stands by the railing in a rage as the rain stops. He reflects on his thirty years of service, deeming fame worthless, and his long m...

辛苦遭逢起一经，干戈寥落四周星。 山河破碎风飘絮，身世浮沉雨打萍。 惶恐滩头说惶恐，零丁洋里叹零丁。 人生自古谁无死，留取丹心照汗青。

The poet recalls his life of hardship and the nation's ruin, and declares his determination to die for his country, leaving a loyal heart in h...

有日月朝暮悬，有鬼神掌着生死权。 天地也，只合把清浊分辨，可怎生糊突了盗跖颜渊？ 为善的受贫穷更命短，造恶的享富贵又寿延。 天地也，做得个怕硬欺软，...

This song, from the third act of Guan Hanqing's play 'The Injustice to Dou E', is Dou E's blood-soaked accusation against Heaven and Earth bef...

我是个蒸不烂、煮不熟、捶不匾、炒不爆、响珰珰一粒铜豌豆， 恁子弟每谁教你钻入他锄不断、斫不下、解不开、顿不脱、慢腾腾千层锦套头？ 我玩的是梁园月，饮...

The poet declares himself an unyielding character, likening himself to a 'copper pea' that cannot be destroyed. He boasts of his indulgent lif...

冬前冬后几村庄，溪北溪南两履霜，树头树底孤山上。 冷风来何处香？忽相逢缟袂绡裳。 酒醒寒惊梦，笛凄春断肠，淡月昏黄。

This short lyric depicts the obsession of seeking plum blossoms and the joy of finding them. The poet traverses several villages before and af...

美人自刎乌江岸，战火曾烧赤壁山，将军空老玉门关。 伤心秦汉，生民涂炭，读书人一声长叹。

The poem uses three historical allusions (Consort Yu's suicide, the Battle of Red Cliffs, Ban Chao's wasted old age) to lament the suffering o...

平生不会相思，才会相思，便害相思。 身似浮云，心如飞絮，气若游丝。 空一缕余香在此，盼千金游子何之。 证候来时，正是何时？ 灯半昏时，月半明时。

The poem depicts the sudden onset of lovesickness. The speaker, a young woman, describes her physical and emotional state as she falls in love...

关关雎鸠，在河之洲。窈窕淑女，君子好逑。 参差荇菜，左右流之。窈窕淑女，寤寐求之。 求之不得，寤寐思服。悠哉悠哉，辗转反侧。 参差荇菜，左右采之。窈...

The poem describes a gentleman's admiration and pursuit of a virtuous lady, from initial attraction to sleepless longing, and finally to an im...

蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜。所谓伊人，在水一方。 溯洄从之，道阻且长。溯游从之，宛在水中央。 蒹葭萋萋，白露未晞。所谓伊人，在水之湄。 溯洄从之，道阻且跻。...

The poem depicts a person tirelessly searching for a beloved 'that person' across the water, but the figure always seems just out of reach—con...

昔我往矣，杨柳依依。 今我来思，雨雪霏霏。 行道迟迟，载渴载饥。 我心伤悲，莫知我哀！

The poet recalls leaving home in spring with willows, and now returns in winter's heavy snow, weary, hungry, and heartbroken, feeling utterly...

长太息以掩涕兮，哀民生之多艰。 余虽好修姱以鞿羁兮，謇朝谇而夕替。 既替余以蕙纕兮，又申之以揽茝。 亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔。 怨灵修之浩荡兮...

The poet sighs and weeps for the people's hardships. Though virtuous and disciplined, he is slandered and dismissed. Accused for wearing fragr...

青青园中葵，朝露待日晞。 阳春布德泽，万物生光辉。 常恐秋节至，焜黄华叶衰。 百川东到海，何时复西归？ 少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。

This poem uses imagery of garden mallow, morning dew, and rivers flowing east to illustrate the fleeting nature of youth and time, urging the...

上邪！ 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！

A woman swears eternal love to her beloved, vowing never to part unless the world turns upside down.

江南可采莲，莲叶何田田。 鱼戏莲叶间。 鱼戏莲叶东，鱼戏莲叶西， 鱼戏莲叶南，鱼戏莲叶北。

This folk song celebrates the joy of gathering lotus in the Jiangnan region. Without directly mentioning people, it evokes the happiness of th...

东临碣石，以观沧海。 水何澹澹，山岛竦峙。 树木丛生，百草丰茂。 秋风萧瑟，洪波涌起。 日月之行，若出其中； 星汉灿烂，若出其里。 幸甚至哉，歌以咏...

The poet climbs Mount Jieshi to view the sea, describing its vastness, the islands, vegetation, and autumn waves, then imagines the sun, moon,...

对酒当歌，人生几何！ 譬如朝露，去日苦多。 慨当以慷，忧思难忘。 何以解忧？唯有杜康。 青青子衿，悠悠我心。 但为君故，沉吟至今。 呦呦鹿鸣，食野之...

The poem opens with a lament on life's brevity, then shifts to a passionate desire for talented people to join the poet. Using allusions from...

结庐在人境，而无车马喧。 问君何能尔？心远地自偏。 采菊东篱下，悠然见南山。 山气日夕佳，飞鸟相与还。 此中有真意，欲辨已忘言。

The poem expresses the poet's reclusive joy and philosophical insight: by detaching the mind from worldly noise, even a dwelling in the mundan...

少无适俗韵，性本爱丘山。 误落尘网中，一去三十年。 羁鸟恋旧林，池鱼思故渊。 开荒南野际，守拙归园田。 方宅十余亩，草屋八九间。 榆柳荫后檐，桃李罗...

The poet recounts leaving officialdom to return to rural life, expressing joy in simple living and freedom from worldly constraints.

敕勒川，阴山下。 天似穹庐，笼盖四野。 天苍苍，野茫茫， 风吹草低见牛羊。

This poem vividly depicts the vast grassland of the Chile tribe under the Yinshan Mountains. The sky is compared to a yurt, embracing the wild...

唧唧复唧唧，木兰当户织。 不闻机杼声，惟闻女叹息。 问女何所思，问女何所忆。 女亦无所思，女亦无所忆。 昨夜见军帖，可汗大点兵， 军书十二卷，卷卷有...

Mulan is weaving but stops to sigh. When asked why, she reveals that her father's name appears on every conscription scroll, and since he has...

春花秋月何时了，往事知多少。 小楼昨夜又东风，故国不堪回首月明中。 雕栏玉砌应犹在，只是朱颜改。 问君能有几多愁，恰似一江春水向东流。

The poet questions the endless cycle of beautiful natural scenes, which remind him of countless painful memories. The return of the east wind...

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。

The poet, silent and alone, ascends the west tower, observing a waning crescent moon and lonely plane trees in a deep yard that seems to lock...

帘外雨潺潺，春意阑珊。 罗衾不耐五更寒。 梦里不知身是客，一晌贪欢。 独自莫凭栏，无限江山， 别时容易见时难。 流水落花春去也，天上人间。

On a chilly late-spring dawn, the poet hears rain beyond the curtain. Waking from a dream where he briefly forgot his captive status, he feels...

人生若只如初见，何事秋风悲画扇。 等闲变却故人心，却道故心人易变。 骊山语罢清宵半，泪雨零铃终不怨。 何如薄幸锦衣郎，比翼连枝当日愿。

The poem begins with a deep sigh: if only relationships could stay as beautiful as the first meeting, then there would be no betrayal. But in...

山一程，水一程， 身向榆关那畔行，夜深千帐灯。 风一更，雪一更， 聒碎乡心梦不成，故园无此声。

The poet travels over mountains and rivers toward Shanhai Pass. At night, thousands of tents are lit. Wind and snow continue through the watch...

浩荡离愁白日斜，吟鞭东指即天涯。 落红不是无情物，化作春泥更护花。

Gong Zizhen, resigning from office in 1839, expresses his vast sorrow at leaving the capital but transforms it with a metaphor: fallen petals...

咬定青山不放松，立根原在破岩中。 千磨万击还坚劲，任尔东西南北风。

The bamboo clings tenaciously to the mountain, rooted in cracked rocks. Despite countless hardships and raging winds from all directions, it r...

噫吁嚱，危乎高哉！蜀道之难，难于上青天！ 蚕丛及鱼凫，开国何茫然！尔来四万八千岁，不与秦塞通人烟。 西当太白有鸟道，可以横绝峨眉巅。地崩山摧壮士死，...

The poem vividly portrays the extreme danger and difficulty of traveling the road to Shu (present-day Sichuan), using mythical allusions and e...

海客谈瀛洲，烟涛微茫信难求；越人语天姥，云霞明灭或可睹。 天姥连天向天横，势拔五岳掩赤城。天台四万八千丈，对此欲倒东南倾。 我欲因之梦吴越，一夜飞度...

The poet hears of the elusive fairy isle Yingzhou and the more accessible Tianmu Mountain, so he dreams of visiting the latter. In his dream,...

天门中断楚江开，碧水东流至此回。 两岸青山相对出，孤帆一片日边来。

The poem depicts the magnificent scenery of Mount Tianmen on the Yangtze River: the river cuts through the mountain, green water swirls, green...

长安一片月，万户捣衣声。 秋风吹不尽，总是玉关情。 何日平胡虏，良人罢远征。

In Chang'an, moonlight covers the city, and from thousands of households comes the sound of washing clothes. The autumn wind blows endlessly,...

弃我去者，昨日之日不可留；乱我心者，今日之日多烦忧。 长风万里送秋雁，对此可以酣高楼。 蓬莱文章建安骨，中间小谢又清发。俱怀逸兴壮思飞，欲上青天览明...

The poet laments the passing of time and present troubles, then describes a farewell scene with autumn wild geese and drinking. He praises his...

岱宗夫如何？齐鲁青未了。 造化钟神秀，阴阳割昏晓。 荡胸生曾云，决眦入归鸟。 会当凌绝顶，一览众山小。

The poet marvels at Mount Tai's grandeur, describes its vastness and divine formation, and expresses his ambition to climb to the top and domi...

车辚辚，马萧萧，行人弓箭各在腰。 耶娘妻子走相送，尘埃不见咸阳桥。 牵衣顿足拦道哭，哭声直上干云霄。 道傍过者问行人，行人但云点行频。 或从十五北防...

This poem depicts the horrors of war conscription through a dramatic scene of families bidding farewell to soldiers at the Xianyang Bridge, fo...

昔闻洞庭水，今上岳阳楼。 吴楚东南坼，乾坤日夜浮。 亲朋无一字，老病有孤舟。 戎马关山北，凭轩涕泗流。

The poet, having long heard of Dongting Lake's magnificence, finally ascends Yueyang Tower. He describes the lake as splitting the lands of Wu...

细草微风岸，危樯独夜舟。 星垂平野阔，月涌大江流。 名岂文章著，官应老病休。 飘飘何所似，天地一沙鸥。

The poem begins with the scene from the boat—gentle breeze, fine grass, tall mast, lone boat—already evoking a sense of drifting. Then it expa...

岁暮阴阳催短景，天涯霜雪霁寒宵。 五更鼓角声悲壮，三峡星河影动摇。 野哭千家闻战伐，夷歌数处起渔樵。 卧龙跃马终黄土，人事音书漫寂寥。

In the depths of winter, the poet feels the pressing of time as days grow short. Far from home, he endures a cold night after frost and snow....

空山不见人，但闻人语响。 返景入深林，复照青苔上。

In the quiet empty mountain, no human figure is seen, but faintly heard are echoing voices; the setting sun's afterglow enters the deep forest...

人闲桂花落，夜静春山空。 月出惊山鸟，时鸣春涧中。

In the quiet of a spring night, when the mind is at ease, one perceives the subtle falling of cassia blossoms. The mountain is empty and still...

太乙近天都，连山接海隅。 白云回望合，青霭入看无。 分野中峰变，阴晴众壑殊。 欲投人处宿，隔水问樵夫。

This poem depicts the majestic scale and ever-changing atmosphere of Mount Zhongnan. Starting from the main peak, the view expands to the sea,...

楚塞三湘接，荆门九派通。 江流天地外，山色有无中。 郡邑浮前浦，波澜动远空。 襄阳好风日，留醉与山翁。

The poem describes the Han River's grandeur: it connects the southern border of Chu with the three Xiang rivers, and Jingmen leads to nine tri...

积雨空林烟火迟，蒸藜炊黍饷东菑。 漠漠水田飞白鹭，阴阴夏木啭黄鹂。 山中习静观朝槿，松下清斋折露葵。 野老与人争席罢，海鸥何事更相疑。

After a long rain, the poet observes the slow smoke from the forest, farmers taking food to the fields, egrets flying over the wet fields and...

千里黄云白日曛，北风吹雁雪纷纷。 莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君。

The poet bids farewell to his friend Dong Da on a snowy, windy dusk, but instead of expressing sadness, he encourages his friend with the conf...

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。 无为在歧路，儿女共沾巾。

The poet bids farewell to a friend going to Shu. He begins with a grand view of the capital and the distant destination, then shares their com...

前不见古人，后不见来者。 念天地之悠悠，独怆然而涕下。

Looking back, I see no wise rulers of ancient times; looking ahead, I see no worthy successors. Pondering the vastness of heaven and earth, I...

碧玉妆成一树高，万条垂下绿丝绦。 不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀。

The poet describes a tall willow tree as if adorned with emerald green, with countless branches hanging down like green silk ribbons. He asks...

独怜幽草涧边生，上有黄鹂深树鸣。 春潮带雨晚来急，野渡无人舟自横。

The poet expresses his unique fondness for the secluded grass by the creek, accompanied by orioles singing in the deep woods. As spring tide a...

缺月挂疏桐，漏断人初静。谁见幽人独往来，缥缈孤鸿影。 惊起却回头，有恨无人省。拣尽寒枝不肯栖，寂寞沙洲冷。

A solitary figure wanders at night under a waning moon, compared to a lonely swan that refuses to perch on any branch, ultimately settling on...

夜饮东坡醒复醉，归来仿佛三更。家童鼻息已雷鸣。敲门都不应，倚杖听江声。 长恨此身非我有，何时忘却营营。夜阑风静縠纹平。小舟从此逝，江海寄余生。

The poem narrates the poet drinking at East Slope, returning drunk at midnight, unable to enter his home, so he listens to the river. This lea...

山下兰芽短浸溪，松间沙路净无泥。萧萧暮雨子规啼。 谁道人生无再少？门前流水尚能西。休将白发唱黄鸡。

The poet describes a spring scene at the foot of the mountain, with orchids soaking in the creek and a clean sandy path, while hearing cuckoos...

老夫聊发少年狂，左牵黄，右擎苍。锦帽貂裘，千骑卷平冈。为报倾城随太守，亲射虎，看孙郎。 酒酣胸胆尚开张，鬓微霜，又何妨。持节云中，何日遣冯唐？会挽雕...

The poet, though past forty, expresses youthful vigor while hunting with a huge retinue. He boasts of his own skill, hoping for a chance to se...

似花还似非花，也无人惜从教坠。抛家傍路，思量却是，无情有思。萦损柔肠，困酣娇眼，欲开还闭。梦随风万里，寻郎去处，又还被、莺呼起。 不恨此花飞尽，恨西...

This lyric uses willow catkins as a metaphor for a lovesick woman's sorrow and the poet's own sense of drifting during exile. It blends object...

郁孤台下清江水，中间多少行人泪。西北望长安，可怜无数山。 青山遮不住，毕竟东流去。江晚正愁余，山深闻鹧鸪。

The poet climbs the Terrace of Solitary Grief and gazes at the Qing River, recalling the tears of refugees from the Jin invasion forty years e...

更能消、几番风雨，匆匆春又归去。惜春长怕花开早，何况落红无数。春且住，见说道、天涯芳草无归路。怨春不语。算只有殷勤，画檐蛛网，尽日惹飞絮。 长门事，...

The first stanza uses cherishing spring, retaining spring, and blaming spring to express the sorrow of spring's fleeting and countless fallen...

茅檐低小，溪上青青草。醉里吴音相媚好，白发谁家翁媪？ 大儿锄豆溪东，中儿正织鸡笼。最喜小儿亡赖，溪头卧剥莲蓬。

The thatched roof is low and small, and green grass grows by the stream. A white-haired old couple, drunk, speak to each other in soft Wu dial...

唱彻阳关泪未干，功名余事且加餐。浮天水送无穷树，带雨云埋一半山。 今古恨，几千般，只应离合是悲欢？江头未是风波恶，别有人间行路难。

After singing the Yang Pass farewell song, tears still wet, the poet advises his friend to take fame lightly and eat well. The vast, misty sce...

何处望神州？满眼风光北固楼。千古兴亡多少事？悠悠。不尽长江滚滚流。 年少万兜鍪，坐断东南战未休。天下英雄谁敌手？曹刘。生子当如孙仲谋。

The poet gazes from Beigu Pavilion towards the lost Central Plains, lamenting the endless rise and fall of dynasties like the flowing Yangtze....

天接云涛连晓雾，星河欲转千帆舞。仿佛梦魂归帝所。闻天语，殷勤问我归何处。 我报路长嗟日暮，学诗谩有惊人句。九万里风鹏正举。风休住，蓬舟吹取三山去！

The poet describes a dream in which she ascends to heaven and the Heavenly Emperor asks her where she is going. She laments the long road and...

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。

After swinging, the maiden lazily adjusts her hands. Heavy dew and slender flowers, light sweat soaks through her dress. Startled by a visitor...

香冷金猊，被翻红浪，起来慵自梳头。任宝奁尘满，日上帘钩。生怕离怀别苦，多少事、欲说还休。新来瘦，非干病酒，不是悲秋。 休休，这回去也，千万遍《阳关》...

The poem depicts a woman's loneliness and longing after her beloved's departure, from the lazy morning routine to the inability to speak of so...

泪湿罗衣脂粉满，四叠阳关，唱到千千遍。人道山长山又断，萧萧微雨闻孤馆。 惜别伤离方寸乱，忘了临行，酒盏深和浅。好把音书凭过雁，东莱不似蓬莱远。

The poet bids farewell to her sisters, crying and singing the farewell song countless times. Feeling desolate in a lonely inn, she comforts he...

病起萧萧两鬓华，卧看残月上窗纱。豆蔻连梢煮熟水，莫分茶。 枕上诗书闲处好，门前风景雨来佳。终日向人多酝藉，木犀花。

After illness, the poet’s hair has turned white and sparse. She lies in bed watching the waning moon rise outside the window. Instead of engag...

庭院深深深几许，杨柳堆烟，帘幕无重数。 玉勒雕鞍游冶处，楼高不见章台路。 雨横风狂三月暮，门掩黄昏，无计留春住。 泪眼问花花不语，乱红飞过秋千去。

The speaker, a woman confined in a deep, secluded courtyard, laments her isolation and the absence of her husband, who is wandering in pleasur...

燎沉香，消溽暑。鸟雀呼晴，侵晓窥檐语。 叶上初阳干宿雨，水面清圆，一一风荷举。 故乡遥，何日去。家住吴门，久作长安旅。 五月渔郎相忆否。小楫轻舟，梦...

The poem depicts a fresh summer morning scene after rain, from burning incense and bird calls to lotus leaves lifted by wind. The peaceful bea...

淮左名都，竹西佳处，解鞍少驻初程。 过春风十里，尽荠麦青青。 自胡马窥江去后，废池乔木，犹厌言兵。 渐黄昏，清角吹寒，都在空城。 杜郎俊赏，算而今、...

The poet passes through Yangzhou after war, witnessing desolation where once was prosperity. He laments the destruction, using the imagined re...

鹧鸪天·彩袖殷勤捧玉钟 彩袖殷勤捧玉钟，当年拚却醉颜红。 舞低杨柳楼心月，歌尽桃花扇底风。 从别后，忆相逢，几回魂梦与君同。 今宵剩把银釭照，犹恐相...

The poet recalls a past feast where his beloved sang and danced, and he got willingly drunk. After their separation, he dreamed of her repeate...

水调数声持酒听，午醉醒来愁未醒。 送春春去几时回？临晚镜，伤流景，往事后期空记省。 沙上并禽池上暝，云破月来花弄影。 重重帘幕密遮灯，风不定，人初静...

The poet drinks wine while listening to the song “Water Melody.” He wakes from his afternoon drunk but his sorrow persists. He laments the pas...

战西风遥天几行征雁过，感起我南朝千古伤心事。展花笺欲写几句知心事，空教我停霜毫半晌无才思。往常得兴时，一扫无瑕疵。今日个病厌厌，刚写下两个相思字。

The poem depicts an autumn scene: the speaker watches wild geese flying south in the west wind, stirring deep historical sorrow for the Southe...

挂绝壁松枯倒倚，落残霞孤鹜齐飞。四围不尽山，一望无穷水。散西风满天秋意。夜静云帆月影低，载我在潇湘画里。

A withered pine hangs from a cliff; a lone wild duck flies with fading sunset clouds. Endless mountains and boundless water surround. The west...

欲寄君衣君不还，不寄君衣君又寒。寄与不寄间，妾身千万难。

A wife hesitates whether to send winter clothes to her husband on the frontier. Sending might make him stay away longer; not sending leaves hi...

云山有意，轩裳无计，被西风吹断功名泪。去来兮，便休提。青山尽解招人醉，得失到头皆物理。得，他命里；失，他命里。

The poet laments his failed pursuit of official career, decides to return to nature, and accepts gain and loss as fate.

绿杨堤畔蓼花洲，可爱溪山秀，烟水茫茫晚凉后。捕鱼舟，冲开万顷玻璃皱。乱云不收，残霞妆就，一片洞庭秋。

The poem depicts a charming autumn evening on the Dongting Lake region: green willows, smartweed islets, clear streams, misty waters, a fishin...

硕鼠硕鼠，无食我黍！三岁贯女，莫我肯顾。逝将去女，适彼乐土。乐土乐土，爰得我所。 硕鼠硕鼠，无食我麦！三岁贯女，莫我肯德。逝将去女，适彼乐国。乐国乐...

This poem uses the image of a big rat as a metaphor for greedy exploiters. The speaker, a laborer, declares his resolve to leave the rat and s...

氓之蚩蚩，抱布贸丝。匪来贸丝，来即我谋。送子涉淇，至于顿丘。匪我愆期，子无良媒。将子无怒，秋以为期。 乘彼垝垣，以望复关。不见复关，泣涕涟涟。既见复...

A woman recounts her marriage: a man courts her with feigned sincerity, they marry after divination, but he later abandons her. She warns othe...

静女其姝，俟我于城隅。爱而不见，搔首踟蹰。 静女其娈，贻我彤管。彤管有炜，说怿女美。 自牧归荑，洵美且异。匪女之为美，美人之贻。

A love poem about a tryst between a young man and a quiet maiden. The maiden hides playfully, making the man anxious; then she gives him gifts...

帝子降兮北渚，目眇眇兮愁予。袅袅兮秋风，洞庭波兮木叶下。 登白薠兮骋望，与佳期兮夕张。鸟何萃兮蘋中，罾何为兮木上。 沅有芷兮澧有兰，思公子兮未敢言。...

The poem recounts the longing of the Xiang River god for the goddess of the Xiang River (the Lady). Opening with the goddess's descent on the...

泛彼柏舟，亦泛其流。耿耿不寐，如有隐忧。微我无酒，以敖以游。 我心匪石，不可转也。我心匪席，不可卷也。威仪棣棣，不可选也。 忧心悄悄，愠于群小。觏闵...

The poet expresses unyielding integrity and deep sorrow in the face of slander and oppression. Using the image of a drifting cypress boat, he...

日出东南隅，照我秦氏楼。 秦氏有好女，自名为罗敷。 罗敷喜蚕桑，采桑城南隅。 青丝为笼系，桂枝为笼钩。 头上倭堕髻，耳中明月珠。 缃绮为下裙，紫绮为...

The poem depicts the beautiful and clever mulberry girl Luofu, who rejects a high official's improper advances and proudly boasts of her husba...

行行重行行，与君生别离。 相去万余里，各在天一涯。 道路阻且长，会面安可知。 胡马依北风，越鸟巢南枝。 相去日已远，衣带日已缓。 浮云蔽白日，游子不...

A wife's deep longing for her far-away husband, expressing the pain of separation and the sadness of aging, ending with a hopeful message to t...

涉江采芙蓉，兰泽多芳草。 采之欲遗谁，所思在远道。 还顾望旧乡，长路漫浩浩。 同心而离居，忧伤以终老。

This poem from the Nineteen Old Poems expresses the sorrow of separation. The speaker picks fragrant flowers by the river but has no one to se...

迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女。 纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼。 终日不成章，泣涕零如雨。 河汉清且浅，相去复几许。 盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语。

The poem describes the Weaving Maid separated from the Cowherd by the Milky Way. She can only gaze at him lovingly but cannot speak, expressin...

孔雀东南飞，五里一徘徊。 十三能织素，十四学裁衣， 十五弹箜篌，十六诵诗书。 十七为君妇，心中常苦悲。 君既为府吏，守节情不移。 鸡鸣入机织，夜夜不...

A virtuous young woman, married into a harsh household, is forced to return to her family by her mother-in-law despite her husband's defense....

煮豆燃豆萁，豆在釜中泣。 本是同根生，相煎何太急？

When boiling beans, the beanstalks are burned to fuel the fire. The beans in the pot seem to weep. They both come from the same root, so why m...

种豆南山下，草盛豆苗稀。 晨兴理荒秽，带月荷锄归。 道狭草木长，夕露沾我衣。 衣沾不足惜，但使愿无违。

The poet describes his daily life of farming: planting beans, weeding, and returning home late. Although labor is hard and the crop is poor, h...

弱冠弄柔翰，卓荦观群书。 著论准过秦，作赋拟子虚。 边城苦鸣镝，羽檄飞京都。 虽非甲胄士，畴昔览穰苴。 长啸激清风，志若无东吴。 铅刀贵一割，梦想骋...

The poet recounts his literary talent and ambition, then shifts to his aspiration for military service and border pacification, ultimately exp...

泻水置平地，各自东西南北流。 人生亦有命，安能行叹复坐愁？ 酌酒以自宽，举杯断绝歌路难。 心非木石岂无感，吞声踯躅不敢言。

The poem uses the image of water to symbolize the predetermined course of life. The poet tries to comfort himself with wine, but ultimately ad...

秋菊有佳色，裛露掇其英。 泛此忘忧物，远我遗世情。 一觞虽独进，杯尽壶自倾。 日入群动息，归鸟趋林鸣。 啸傲东轩下，聊复得此生。

The poet picks chrysanthemum petals in the morning dew, steeps them in wine, and drinks alone. As the sun sets and birds return to the woods,...

别来春半，触目柔肠断。砌下落梅如雪乱，拂了一身还满。 雁来音信无凭，路遥归梦难成。离恨恰如春草，更行更远还生。

The poem expresses deep longing and sorrow of separation. The speaker sees spring half gone and everything hurts. Plum blossoms falling like s...

四十年来家国，三千里地山河。凤阁龙楼连霄汉，玉树琼枝作烟萝，几曾识干戈？ 一旦归为臣虏，沈腰潘鬓消磨。最是仓皇辞庙日，教坊犹奏别离歌，垂泪对宫娥。

The poem contrasts the glorious past of the Southern Tang kingdom with the humiliation of surrender, focusing on the moment of leaving the anc...

风乍起，吹皱一池春水。闲引鸳鸯香径里，手挼红杏蕊。 斗鸭阑干独倚，碧玉搔头斜坠。终日望君君不至，举头闻鹊喜。

The poem depicts a woman's springtime longing for her absent lover. The sudden wind stirs both the pond and her heart. She idles away time pla...

人人尽说江南好，游人只合江南老。春水碧于天，画船听雨眠。 垆边人似月，皓腕凝霜雪。未老莫还乡，还乡须断肠。

The poem describes the beauty of Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River) and expresses the complex feeling of a traveler who is advised to stay...

忆梅下西洲，折梅寄江北。单衫杏子红，双鬓鸦雏色。 西洲在何处？两桨桥头渡。日暮伯劳飞，风吹乌臼树。 树下即门前，门中露翠钿。开门郎不至，出门采红莲。...

This poem narrates a woman's deep longing for her absent lover, woven through the changing seasons. It begins with a memory of plum blossoms,...

千锤万凿出深山， 烈火焚烧若等闲。 粉骨碎身浑不怕， 要留清白在人间。

The poem uses the process of making lime from limestone to symbolize the poet's determination to endure hardships and maintain moral purity.

我家洗砚池头树， 朵朵花开淡墨痕。 不要人夸好颜色， 只留清气满乾坤。

The poet describes a plum tree by his ink-washing pool, whose blossoms are tinged with faint ink marks. The plum does not seek praise for its...

滚滚长江东逝水，浪花淘尽英雄。是非成败转头空。青山依旧在，几度夕阳红。 白发渔樵江渚上，惯看秋月春风。一壶浊酒喜相逢。古今多少事，都付笑谈中。

The rolling Yangtze River flows eastward endlessly, washing away countless heroes throughout history. Right and wrong, success and failure—all...

白日不到处， 青春恰自来。 苔花如米小， 也学牡丹开。

In places where sunlight cannot reach, the green moss grows naturally. Though its blossoms are as small as rice grains, it still dares to bloo...

李杜诗篇万口传， 至今已觉不新鲜。 江山代有才人出， 各领风骚数百年。

The poem argues that even the greatest poets like Li Bai and Du Fu must give way to new talents, as every era produces its own literary genius...

千山鸟飞绝，万径人踪灭。 孤舟蓑笠翁，独钓寒江雪。

The poem depicts a winter scene: all birds have disappeared from the mountains, all footprints have vanished from the paths. On the river, a s...

天街小雨润如酥，草色遥看近却无。 最是一年春好处，绝胜烟柳满皇都。

On the imperial street, the light rain is as moist and smooth as butter. Looking from afar, the grass appears green, but close up it seems bar...

日暮苍山远，天寒白屋贫。 柴门闻犬吠，风雪夜归人。

As dusk falls, the green hills seem more distant; in bitter cold, the white thatched cottage appears poor. A dog barks outside the wicker gate...

曾经沧海难为水，除却巫山不是云。 取次花丛懒回顾，半缘修道半缘君。

The poet expresses that after experiencing the profound love for his deceased wife, no other love can compare. He uses the sea and Mount Wu's...

去年今日此门中，人面桃花相映红。 人面不知何处去，桃花依旧笑春风。

The poet recalls meeting a beautiful woman by a peach tree a year ago; now she is gone, but the peach blossoms bloom as before, evoking a poig...

茅檐长扫净无苔，花木成畦手自栽。 一水护田将绿绕，两山排闼送青来。

The poem describes the clean courtyard of Master Huyin, with flowers and trees planted by himself. Outside, a stream encircles the fields, and...

莫笑农家腊酒浑，丰年留客足鸡豚。 山重水复疑无路，柳暗花明又一村。 箫鼓追随春社近，衣冠简朴古风存。 从今若许闲乘月，拄杖无时夜叩门。

The poem recounts a spring visit to a neighboring village, where the poet is warmly welcomed by farmers. It describes the winding landscape le...

泉眼无声惜细流，树阴照水爱晴柔。 小荷才露尖尖角，早有蜻蜓立上头。

The spring silently cherishes its thin stream; the tree shadow reflects on the water, loving the gentle sunshine. A tiny lotus leaf has just e...

昼出耘田夜绩麻，村庄儿女各当家。 童孙未解供耕织，也傍桑阴学种瓜。

This poem portrays a summer rural scene: adults work hard from dawn to dusk, each taking charge of their tasks; children, though too young for...

痴儿了却公家事，快阁东西倚晚晴。 落木千山天远大，澄江一道月分明。 朱弦已为佳人绝，青眼聊因美酒横。 万里归船弄长笛，此心吾与白鸥盟。

The poet, after finishing government affairs, climbs the Kuai Pavilion to relax in the evening. He sees vast autumn scenery: mountains strippe...

凌波不过横塘路，但目送、芳尘去。锦瑟华年谁与度？月桥花院，琐窗朱户，只有春知处。 飞云冉冉蘅皋暮，彩笔新题断肠句。试问闲情都几许？一川烟草，满城风絮...

The poet sees a beautiful woman pass by but never cross the road, only watches her disappear. He wonders who shares her youthful years, and on...

对潇潇暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋。渐霜风凄紧，关河冷落，残照当楼。是处红衰翠减，苒苒物华休。惟有长江水，无语东流。 不忍登高临远，望故乡渺邈，归思难收。...

The poet faces the bleak autumn scene, cannot bear to climb high and look far, and his longing for home intensifies. He then imagines his belo...

少年听雨歌楼上，红烛昏罗帐。壮年听雨客舟中，江阔云低、断雁叫西风。 而今听雨僧庐下，鬓已星星也。悲欢离合总无情，一任阶前、点滴到天明。

In youth, listening to rain on the singing tower, with dim red candles and gauze curtains, all was pleasure. In middle age, listening to rain...

山抹微云，天连衰草，画角声断谯门。暂停征棹，聊共引离尊。多少蓬莱旧事，空回首、烟霭纷纷。斜阳外，寒鸦万点，流水绕孤村。 销魂，当此际，香囊暗解，罗带...

The poet bids farewell to a courtesan at a city gate, recalling past joys and lamenting separation. The desolate autumn landscape mirrors his...

梦绕神州路。怅秋风、连营画角，故宫离黍。底事昆仑倾砥柱，九地黄流乱注。聚万落千村狐兔。天意从来高难问，况人情、老易悲如许。更南浦，送君去。 凉生岸柳...

The poet dreams of the lost Central Plains, grieves over the autumn scene of military camps and ruined palaces, and asks why the nation has co...

此地别燕丹，壮士发冲冠。 昔时人已没，今日水犹寒。

The poet bids farewell to a friend at the Yi River, recalling the ancient story of Jing Ke parting with Prince Dan to assassinate the King of...

隐隐飞桥隔野烟，石矶西畔问渔船。 桃花尽日随流水，洞在清溪何处边。

Amid misty clouds, a dim flying bridge is visible; the poet asks a fisherman about the Peach Blossom Spring. Peach blossoms drift all day, but...

烽火照西京，心中自不平。 牙璋辞凤阙，铁骑绕龙城。 雪暗凋旗画，风多杂鼓声。 宁为百夫长，胜作一书生。

The poem expresses the poet's restless spirit upon hearing of border alarms. It describes a general receiving orders, marching out, and engagi...

岭外音书断，经冬复历春。 近乡情更怯，不敢问来人。

The poet, exiled beyond the mountains, lost contact with his family. After enduring a long time, he crosses the Han River on his way home. But...

长安大道连狭斜，青牛白马七香车。 玉辇纵横过主第，金鞭络绎向侯家。 龙衔宝盖承朝日，凤吐流苏带晚霞。 百尺游丝争绕树，一群娇鸟共啼花。 得成比目何辞...

The poem begins by depicting the splendor of Chang'an: broad roads, ornate carriages, noble mansions, and lively spring scenes. It then expres...

百啭千声随意移，山花红紫树高低。 始知锁向金笼听，不及林间自在啼。

The poem describes a thrush singing freely in the forest among colorful flowers and trees, contrasting this with being confined in a golden ca...

众芳摇落独暄妍，占尽风情向小园。 疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏。 霜禽欲下先偷眼，粉蝶如知合断魂。 幸有微吟可相狎，不须檀板共金尊。

The poem depicts plum blossoms blooming alone in a garden after other flowers have withered. Their sparse shadows and subtle fragrance are enh...

适与野情惬，千山高复低。 好峰随处改，幽径独行迷。 霜落熊升树，林空鹿饮溪。 人家在何许，云外一声鸡。

The mountain scenery perfectly suits the poet's love for the wild. Thousands of peaks rise and fall. The beautiful peaks change appearance eve...

春阴垂野草青青，时有幽花一树明。 晚泊孤舟古祠下，满川风雨看潮生。

The poet describes a spring scene: dark clouds hang over the green fields, with occasional bright flowers. In the evening, he moors his lonely...

忆昔午桥桥上饮，坐中多是豪英。长沟流月去无声。杏花疏影里，吹笛到天明。 二十余年如一梦，此身虽在堪惊。闲登小阁看新晴。古今多少事，渔唱起三更。

The poet recalls a youthful banquet at Noon Bridge with many heroes, enjoying the moonlit night and playing flute till dawn in apricot blossom...

孤山寺北贾亭西，水面初平云脚低。 几处早莺争暖树，谁家新燕啄春泥。 乱花渐欲迷人眼，浅草才能没马蹄。 最爱湖东行不足，绿杨阴里白沙堤。

Written while Bai Juyi served as governor of Hangzhou, the poem records a spring ramble along West Lake (then called Qiantang Lake) in early s...

远上寒山石径斜，白云生处有人家。 停车坐爱枫林晚，霜叶红于二月花。

The poet journeys through autumn mountains, following a winding stone path. Amid the white clouds, he glimpses a remote village. Stopping his...

朱雀桥边野草花，乌衣巷口夕阳斜。 旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家。

By the Red Sparrow Bridge, wild grass and flowers are overgrown; at the mouth of the Black Clothes Lane, only the slanting sun remains, desola...

向晚意不适，驱车登古原。 夕阳无限好，只是近黄昏。

Feeling gloomy at dusk, the poet drives to the ancient Leyou Plain to cheer himself. He sees the splendid sunset but laments that it is near n...

银烛秋光冷画屏，轻罗小扇扑流萤。 天阶夜色凉如水，卧看牵牛织女星。

On an autumn night, a lonely palace lady observes the cold candlelight and chases fireflies to pass the time. The stone steps feel cool, and s...

黄河远上白云间， 一片孤城万仞山。 羌笛何须怨杨柳， 春风不度玉门关。

The poet depicts the majestic border scene: the Yellow River seems to ascend into the clouds, and a solitary fortress stands among towering mo...

少小离家老大回， 乡音无改鬓毛衰。 儿童相见不相识， 笑问客从何处来。

The poet left home as a youth and returns in old age. Though his native accent remains, his hair is thin and gray. The village children do not...

移舟泊烟渚， 日暮客愁新。 野旷天低树， 江清月近人。

The poet moves his boat to moor by a misty islet at dusk, and his traveler's sorrow is renewed. The vast wilds make the sky seem to lower upon...

八月湖水平， 涵虚混太清。 气蒸云梦泽， 波撼岳阳城。 欲济无舟楫， 端居耻圣明。 坐观垂钓者， 徒有羡鱼情。

The first half depicts Dongting Lake in August with water and sky merging, vapors steaming from Yunmeng Marsh, and waves shaking Yueyang City....

青海长云暗雪山， 孤城遥望玉门关。 黄沙百战穿金甲， 不破楼兰终不还。

The poet paints a bleak frontier scene of dark clouds over Qinghai Lake and the distant Jade Gate Pass, then praises the soldiers' unwavering...

闺中少妇不知愁， 春日凝妆上翠楼。 忽见陌头杨柳色， 悔教夫婿觅封侯。

A young wife, initially carefree, dresses up and climbs a tower on a spring day. When she suddenly sees the green willows by the road, she is...

众鸟高飞尽， 孤云独去闲。 相看两不厌， 只有敬亭山。

The poet describes a scene where all birds and clouds have departed, leaving him alone in the vast world. He then personifies Mount Jingting,...

白发三千丈， 缘愁似个长。 不知明镜里， 何处得秋霜。

The poet uses extreme exaggeration to describe his long white hair, which he attributes to the depth of his sorrow. Looking into the mirror, h...

小时不识月， 呼作白玉盘。 又疑瑶台镜， 飞在青云端。 仙人垂两足， 桂树何团团。 白兔捣药成， 问言与谁餐？ 蟾蜍蚀圆月， 大明夜已残。 羿昔落九...

The poem recalls childhood innocence about the moon, envisions mythical scenes, then shifts to a lament that the moon is being eclipsed by a t...

峨眉山月半轮秋， 影入平羌江水流。 夜发清溪向三峡， 思君不见下渝州。

The poem depicts the poet's moonlit journey downriver from Mount Emei. The half-moon hangs overhead, its reflection gliding on the river. Depa...

谁家玉笛暗飞声，散入春风满洛城。 此夜曲中闻折柳，何人不起故园情。

On a spring night in Luoyang, the poet hears a jade flute playing secretly, its sound carried by the wind throughout the city. Recognizing the...

危楼高百尺，手可摘星辰。 不敢高声语，恐惊天上人。

The temple on the mountain has a tower so high it seems a hundred feet tall. Standing on it, one can almost pluck the stars from the night sky...

黄四娘家花满蹊，千朵万朵压枝低。 留连戏蝶时时舞，自在娇莺恰恰啼。

The poet walks alone by the river to find flowers. At Lady Huang Si's garden, blossoms cover the path, bending the branches with their weight....

人生不相见，动如参与商。 今夕复何夕，共此灯烛光。 少壮能几时，鬓发各已苍。 访旧半为鬼，惊呼热中肠。 焉知二十载，重上君子堂。 昔别君未婚，儿女忽...

Du Fu, during the An Lushan Rebellion, meets his old friend Wei Ba after a long separation. They reminisce about the past, notice their aging,...

暮投石壕村，有吏夜捉人。 老翁逾墙走，老妇出门看。 吏呼一何怒，妇啼一何苦。 听妇前致词，三男邺城戍。 一男附书至，二男新战死。 存者且偷生，死者长...

The poet, lodging at Stone Moat Village, witnesses an officer forcibly conscripting at night. An old woman pleads that her three sons have gon...

舍南舍北皆春水，但见群鸥日日来。 花径不曾缘客扫，蓬门今始为君开。 盘飧市远无兼味，樽酒家贫只旧醅。 肯与邻翁相对饮，隔篱呼取尽余杯。

The poet welcomes a rare guest to his thatched cottage by the river, expressing sincere joy and humble hospitality despite poverty.

清江一曲抱村流，长夏江村事事幽。 自去自来堂上燕，相亲相近水中鸥。 老妻画纸为棋局，稚子敲针作钓钩。 但有故人供禄米，微躯此外更何求。

The poem depicts a peaceful summer day in a river village. The river embraces the village, swallows and gulls act freely, the wife prepares a...

风劲角弓鸣，将军猎渭城。 草枯鹰眼疾，雪尽马蹄轻。 忽过新丰市，还归细柳营。 回看射雕处，千里暮云平。

The poem describes a general's winter hunt: the sound of the bow in the wind, the swift hunting with hawk and horse, a rapid return to camp, a...

新丰美酒斗十千，咸阳游侠多少年。 相逢意气为君饮，系马高楼垂柳边。

This poem celebrates the free-spirited and generous young knights-errant in Chang'an, who value friendship and loyalty above material wealth,...

湖光秋月两相和，潭面无风镜未磨。 遥望洞庭山水翠，白银盘里一青螺。

The poem depicts the serene beauty of Dongting Lake on an autumn night: the moon and lake blend harmoniously, the calm surface is like an unpo...

山围故国周遭在，潮打空城寂寞回。 淮水东边旧时月，夜深还过女墙来。

The mountains and the tide remain unchanged, but the city is empty and desolate; the same old moon now shines on the ruins. The poem contrasts...

绿蚁新醅酒，红泥小火炉。 晚来天欲雪，能饮一杯无。

The newly brewed wine has green foam on it, and a small red clay stove is glowing with warmth. It's evening and it's about to snow—my friend,...

人间四月芳菲尽，山寺桃花始盛开。 长恨春归无觅处，不知转入此中来。

In the lowland world, by April all flowers have withered; but in this high mountain temple, peach blossoms are just bursting into bloom. The p...

千里莺啼绿映红，水村山郭酒旗风。 南朝四百八十寺，多少楼台烟雨中。

The poem depicts the vast and beautiful spring scenery of Jiangnan: orioles singing, green leaves and red flowers set off each other, watersid...

青山隐隐水迢迢，秋尽江南草未凋。 二十四桥明月夜，玉人何处教吹箫。

The poet, recalling his old friend in Yangzhou, depicts the lingering autumn scenery of Jiangnan and playfully asks where his friend is teachi...

黑云翻墨未遮山，白雨跳珠乱入船。 卷地风来忽吹散，望湖楼下水如天。

This poem captures the fleeting summer storm on West Lake: dark clouds roll in, rain pours down, then a wind blows it away, leaving the lake a...

人生到处知何似，应似飞鸿踏雪泥。 泥上偶然留指爪，鸿飞那复计东西。 老僧已死成新塔，坏壁无由见旧题。 往日崎岖还记否，路长人困蹇驴嘶。

Using the metaphor of a swan's footprints on snow, this poem expresses the transience and unpredictability of life. It reflects on shared expe...

罗浮山下四时春，卢橘杨梅次第新。 日啖荔枝三百颗，不辞长作岭南人。

The poet describes the pleasant climate and abundant fruits of Huizhou, expressing his willingness to live there forever if he can eat fresh l...

竹外桃花三两枝，春江水暖鸭先知。 蒌蒿满地芦芽短，正是河豚欲上时。

The poem describes a painting of early spring: outside a bamboo grove, a few peach blossoms have opened; ducks playing in the river sense the...

楚天千里清秋，水随天去秋无际。遥岑远目，献愁供恨，玉簪螺髻。落日楼头，断鸿声里，江南游子。把吴钩看了，栏杆拍遍，无人会，登临意。 休说鲈鱼堪脍，尽西...

The poem expresses the poet's grief and indignation at having no way to serve his country and his unfulfilled ambitions, as he climbs the pavi...

晚日寒鸦一片愁。柳塘新绿却温柔。若教眼底无离恨，不信人间有白头。 肠已断，泪难收。相思重上小红楼。情知已被山遮断，频倚阑干不自由。

The speaker, a woman longing for her lover, is overwhelmed by sorrow at the sight of evening crows. She contrasts this with the tender new wil...

昨夜雨疏风骤，浓睡不消残酒。试问卷帘人，却道海棠依旧。知否，知否？应是绿肥红瘦。

After a night of sparse rain and fierce wind, the poet, still drowsy from wine, asks her maid about the begonias. The maid says they are still...

风柔日薄春犹早，夹衫乍著心情好。睡起觉微寒，梅花鬓上残。 故乡何处是，忘了除非醉。沉水卧时烧，香消酒未消。

The poem depicts an early spring morning with a light mood, but soon turns to deep homesickness. The poet says she can only forget her homelan...

世味年来薄似纱，谁令骑马客京华。 小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花。 矮纸斜行闲作草，晴窗细乳戏分茶。 素衣莫起风尘叹，犹及清明可到家。

The poet laments the thinness of human relationships and his forced stay in the capital. He depicts a quiet night listening to rain and the vi...

僵卧孤村不自哀，尚思为国戍轮台。 夜阑卧听风吹雨，铁马冰河入梦来。

I lie stiff in a lonely village but feel no self-pity; I still think of guarding the frontier for my country. In the dead of night, listening...

三万里河东入海，五千仞岳上摩天。 遗民泪尽胡尘里，南望王师又一年。

The poet depicts the magnificent Yellow River and Mount Hua, then contrasts with the suffering of the people in the occupied north who wait in...

城上斜阳画角哀，沈园非复旧池台。 伤心桥下春波绿，曾是惊鸿照影来。

The poet sees the setting sun and hears the mournful horn on the city wall, lamenting that Shen Garden is no longer as it was. The green sprin...

墙角数枝梅，凌寒独自开。 遥知不是雪，为有暗香来。

In a corner, several plum branches bloom alone against the cold. From afar, one knows they are not snow, for a faint fragrance approaches.

爆竹声中一岁除，春风送暖入屠苏。 千门万户曈曈日，总把新桃换旧符。

The old year departs amid firecrackers; spring wind brings warmth as people drink Tusu wine. Under the bright sun, every family replaces the o...

伫倚危楼风细细，望极春愁，黯黯生天际。草色烟光残照里，无言谁会凭阑意。 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。

The poet stands long on the high tower, feeling the spring sorrow rising from the horizon. In the twilight landscape, no one understands his f...

雾失楼台，月迷津渡，桃源望断无寻处。 可堪孤馆闭春寒，杜鹃声里斜阳暮。 驿寄梅花，鱼传尺素，砌成此恨无重数。 郴江幸自绕郴山，为谁流下潇湘去。

This ci was written during the poet's relegation to Chenzhou. Mist and moonlight obscure towers and ferries; the Peach Blossom Land is nowhere...

毕竟西湖六月中，风光不与四时同。 接天莲叶无穷碧，映日荷花别样红。

The poet highlights the unique beauty of West Lake in June—boundless green lotus leaves and brilliant red flowers under the sun. Though a fare...

昼出耘田夜绩麻，村庄儿女各当家。 童孙未解供耕织，也傍桑阴学种瓜。

The poem describes a day in a farming village: men weed fields by day, women twist hemp by night, and even children imitate adults by learning...

应怜屐齿印苍苔，小扣柴扉久不开。 春色满园关不住，一枝红杏出墙来。

The poet visits a garden but fails to meet the owner. He speculates that the owner cherishes the moss and does not want footprints, so he knoc...

半亩方塘一鉴开，天光云影共徘徊。 问渠那得清如许？为有源头活水来。

The poem describes a half-mu square pond opening like a mirror, with sky and clouds reflected and wandering in the water. It asks why the pond...

胜日寻芳泗水滨，无边光景一时新。 等闲识得东风面，万紫千红总是春。

The poet seeks spring by the Si River, finding everything renewed. He easily perceives the east wind through the countless colorful flowers, w...

梅雪争春未肯降，骚人阁笔费评章。 梅须逊雪三分白，雪却输梅一段香。

Plum blossoms and snowflakes vie for the beauty of spring, each refusing to admit defeat. The poet sets down his brush, unable to decide which...

水是眼波横，山是眉峰聚。欲问行人去那边？眉眼盈盈处。 才始送春归，又送君归去。若到江南赶上春，千万和春住。

The poet compares the landscape of eastern Zhejiang to the eyes and brows of a beautiful woman. He asks where his friend is going—to that char...

山外青山楼外楼，西湖歌舞几时休？ 暖风熏得游人醉，直把杭州作汴州。

The poet criticizes the Southern Song rulers for indulging in pleasure in Lin'an (Hangzhou) while forgetting their lost capital Bianjing (Kaif...

天地有正气，杂然赋流形。下则为河岳，上则为日星。于人曰浩然，沛乎塞苍冥。皇路当清夷，含和吐明庭。时穷节乃见，一一垂丹青。 在齐太史简，在晋董狐笔。在...

The poem extols the righteous spirit that pervades the universe and manifests in historical heroes. Wen Tianxiang, imprisoned by the Yuan dyna...

碧云天，黄花地，西风紧，北雁南飞。晓来谁染霜林醉？总是离人泪。

Through autumn imagery, Cui Yingying expresses her sorrow and reluctance at parting with Zhang Sheng in the farewell scene.

[般涉调·哨遍] 社长排门告示，但有的差使无推故。这差使不寻俗。一壁厢纳草也根，一边又要差夫，索应付。又言是车驾，都说是銮舆，今日还乡故。王乡老执定...

The poem narrates from a peasant's perspective the preparations for Emperor Gaozu's return, ridiculing the imperial procession through vulgar...

乙丑岁赴试并州，道逢捕雁者云：“今旦获一雁，杀之矣。其脱网者悲鸣不能去，竟自投于地而死。”予因买得之，葬之汾水之上，垒石为识，号曰“雁丘”。同行者多...

The poet, on his way to the imperial examination, heard a hunter's story: one wild goose was killed, and its mate, unable to leave, cried and...

兴亡千古繁华梦，诗眼倦天涯。孔林乔木，吴宫蔓草，楚庙寒鸦。 数间茅舍，藏书万卷，投老村家。山中何事？松花酿酒，春水煎茶。

The poet reflects on the futility of historical glory and finds solace in a simple mountain life, brewing wine and tea.

一声梧叶一声秋，一点芭蕉一点愁，三更归梦三更后。落灯花，棋未收，叹新丰逆旅淹留。枕上十年事，江南二老忧，都到心头。

A traveler listens to the autumn rain at night. The falling of parasol leaves and raindrops on banana leaves stir his homesickness. He wakes f...

风飘飘，雨潇潇，便做陈抟睡不着。懊恼伤怀抱，扑簌簌泪点抛。秋蝉儿噪罢寒蛩儿叫，淅零零细雨打芭蕉。

A woman in an autumn wind and rain night is sleepless with longing and sorrow, weeping as she hears the sounds of cicadas, crickets, and rain...

春山暖日和风，阑干楼阁帘栊，杨柳秋千院中。啼莺舞燕，小桥流水飞红。

The poem depicts a spring courtyard scene: distant spring hills, warm sun, gentle breeze; mid-ground railings, pavilions, curtains; foreground...

睡海棠，春将晚，恨不得明皇掌中看。《霓裳》正舞到腰偏，翠盘飞起香风扇。海棠衰，翠辇辞金殿，情凄切。

This short lyric describes the tragic love story of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei at Mawei Slope. It contrasts the peak of their romance an...

彼黍离离，彼稷之苗。行迈靡靡，中心摇摇。知我者，谓我心忧；不知我者，谓我何求。悠悠苍天，此何人哉？ 彼黍离离，彼稷之穗。行迈靡靡，中心如醉。知我者，...

The poet walks past the ruins of the former capital, seeing millet and sorghum growing where temples and palaces once stood. His heart is heav...

击鼓其镗，踊跃用兵。土国城漕，我独南行。 从孙子仲，平陈与宋。不我以归，忧心有忡。 爰居爰处？爰丧其马？于以求之？于林之下。 死生契阔，与子成说。执...

A soldier is forced to march south to pacify Chen and Song. He laments his long separation from his wife and recalls their vow to grow old tog...

投我以木瓜，报之以琼琚。匪报也，永以为好也！ 投我以木桃，报之以琼瑶。匪报也，永以为好也！ 投我以木李，报之以琼玖。匪报也，永以为好也！

The poem describes a reciprocal exchange of gifts where the speaker receives a common fruit and gives a precious jade in return, emphasizing t...

彼采葛兮，一日不见，如三月兮！ 彼采萧兮，一日不见，如三秋兮！ 彼采艾兮，一日不见，如三岁兮！

The poem expresses the intense longing of a lover, where a single day of separation feels like three months, three seasons, or three years, gr...

呦呦鹿鸣，食野之苹。我有嘉宾，鼓瑟吹笙。吹笙鼓簧，承筐是将。人之好我，示我周行。 呦呦鹿鸣，食野之蒿。我有嘉宾，德音孔昭。视民不恌，君子是则是效。我...

The poem describes a feast where the host welcomes virtuous guests with music, gifts, and fine wine, praising their moral excellence and expre...

君子于役，不知其期。曷至哉？鸡栖于埘，日之夕矣，羊牛下来。君子于役，如之何勿思！ 君子于役，不日不月。曷其有佸？鸡栖于桀，日之夕矣，羊牛下括。君子于...

A wife laments her husband's prolonged military service, using the peaceful dusk scene of animals returning home to contrast his absence, expr...

秋兰兮蘪芜，罗生兮堂下。绿叶兮素华，芳菲菲兮袭予。夫人自有兮美子，荪何以兮愁苦？ 秋兰兮青青，绿叶兮紫茎。满堂兮美人，忽独与余兮目成。 入不言兮出不...

This poem depicts the ritual invocation and romantic interaction between a shaman and the Lesser Lord of Fate (goddess of fertility and destin...

后皇嘉树，橘徕服兮。受命不迁，生南国兮。深固难徙，更壹志兮。绿叶素荣，纷其可喜兮。曾枝剡棘，圆果抟兮。青黄杂糅，文章烂兮。精色内白，类任道兮。纷缊宜...

The poem praises the orange tree for its immutable nature, growing only in the southern lands, and draws a parallel to an ideal person of stea...

大风起兮云飞扬，威加海内兮归故乡，安得猛士兮守四方！

The poem begins with a sweeping natural image of wind and clouds, symbolizing the turbulent times and the poet's rise. The second line express...

力拔山兮气盖世，时不利兮骓不逝。骓不逝兮可奈何，虞兮虞兮奈若何！

The poet, Xiang Yu, laments that despite his extraordinary strength and spirit, the times are unfavorable and even his horse refuses to run. H...

北方有佳人，绝世而独立。一顾倾人城，再顾倾人国。宁不知倾城与倾国，佳人难再得。

A peerless beauty from the north can captivate a city with one glance and a state with a second. Though such beauty may bring turmoil, she is...

十五从军征，八十始得归。道逢乡里人：“家中有阿谁？” “遥看是君家，松柏冢累累。”兔从狗窦入，雉从梁上飞。 中庭生旅谷，井上生旅葵。舂谷持作饭，采葵...

An old soldier who left home at fifteen and returns at eighty finds his family dead and his home ruined. He prepares food but has no one to sh...

青青河畔草，绵绵思远道。 远道不可思，宿昔梦见之。 梦见在我傍，忽觉在他乡。 他乡各异县，展转不相见。 枯桑知天风，海水知天寒。 入门各自媚，谁肯相...

A yearning wife laments her husband's absence, describing her longing, a dream encounter, and the pain of waking to separation. She contrasts...

青青河畔草，郁郁园中柳。 盈盈楼上女，皎皎当窗牖。 娥娥红粉妆，纤纤出素手。 昔为倡家女，今为荡子妇。 荡子行不归，空床难独守。

The poem portrays a lonely wife waiting for her wandering husband, expressing her beauty, longing, and frustration.

庭中有奇树，绿叶发华滋。 攀条折其荣，将以遗所思。 馨香盈怀袖，路远莫致之。 此物何足贵？但感别经时。

The poem depicts a woman in her courtyard who sees a rare tree in bloom, picks a flower to send to her distant beloved, but the road is too fa...

今日良宴会，欢乐难具陈。 弹筝奋逸响，新声妙入神。 令德唱高言，识曲听其真。 齐心同所愿，含意俱未申。 人生寄一世，奄忽若飙尘。 何不策高足，先据要...

This poem, the fourth of the Nineteen Old Poems, describes the joy of a banquet suddenly giving way to reflections on life and feelings of ind...

神龟虽寿，犹有竟时。 螣蛇乘雾，终为土灰。 老骥伏枥，志在千里。 烈士暮年，壮心不已。 盈缩之期，不但在天。 养怡之福，可得永年。 幸甚至哉，歌以咏...

This poem expresses Cao Cao's indomitable spirit and belief in human effort, even in old age, rejecting the idea that lifespan is entirely pre...

白马饰金羁，连翩西北驰。 借问谁家子，幽并游侠儿。 少小去乡邑，扬声沙漠垂。 宿昔秉良弓，楛矢何参差。 控弦破左的，右发摧月支。 仰手接飞猱，俯身散...

This poem portrays a young roving knight from You and Bing regions who leaves home early, gains fame on the frontier, displays extraordinary a...

归去来兮，田园将芜胡不归？既自以心为形役，奚惆怅而独悲？悟已往之不谏，知来者之可追。实迷途其未远，觉今是而昨非。舟遥遥以轻飏，风飘飘而吹衣。问征夫以...

The poem expresses Tao Yuanming's decision to resign from officialdom and return to his rural home, celebrating the joy of being free from wor...

孟夏草木长，绕屋树扶疏。 众鸟欣有托，吾亦爱吾庐。 既耕亦已种，时还读我书。 穷巷隔深辙，颇回故人车。 欢言酌春酒，摘我园中蔬。 微雨从东来，好风与...

The poet describes his joyful life in early summer: farming, reading, drinking wine with homegrown vegetables, and enjoying the natural beauty...

人生无根蒂，飘如陌上尘。 分散逐风转，此已非常身。 落地为兄弟，何必骨肉亲。 得欢当作乐，斗酒聚比邻。 盛年不重来，一日难再晨。 及时当勉励，岁月不...

This poem laments the rootless and drifting nature of life, then encourages cherishing the present, treating all people as brothers, and seizi...

郁郁涧底松，离离山上苗。 以彼径寸茎，荫此百尺条。 世胄蹑高位，英俊沉下僚。 地势使之然，由来非一朝。 金张藉旧业，七叶珥汉貂。 冯公岂不伟，白首不...

This poem uses the contrast between a pine in the valley and a seedling on the hill to symbolize the injustice of the hereditary system: noble...

夜中不能寐，起坐弹鸣琴。 薄帷鉴明月，清风吹我襟。 孤鸿号外野，翔鸟鸣北林。 徘徊将何见？忧思独伤心。

Unable to sleep deep in the night, the poet rises and sits to play his lute. Through the thin curtain, the bright moon shines and the clear wi...

永和九年，岁在癸丑，暮春之初，会于会稽山阴之兰亭，修禊事也。群贤毕至，少长咸集。此地有崇山峻岭，茂林修竹，又有清流激湍，映带左右，引以为流觞曲水，列...

In late spring of the ninth year of Yonghe (353 AD), Wang Xizhi gathered with friends at the Orchid Pavilion for the Spring Purification ritua...

灞涘望长安，河阳视京县。 白日丽飞甍，参差皆可见。 余霞散成绮，澄江静如练。 喧鸟覆春洲，杂英满芳甸。 去矣方滞淫，怀哉罢欢宴。 佳期怅何许，泪下如...

The poet climbs Three Mountains at dusk, gazes back at the capital Jiankang, depicts the splendid spring scenery, then turns to express his so...

玉关道路远，金陵信使疏。 独下千行泪，开君万里书。

Written while detained in the north, this poem expresses the poet's sorrow at being cut off from his homeland. Receiving a letter from an old...

艅艎何泛泛，空水共悠悠。 阴霞生远岫，阳景逐回流。 蝉噪林逾静，鸟鸣山更幽。 此地动归念，长年悲倦游。

The poet describes a leisurely boat trip on Ruoye Creek, with the sky and water blending seamlessly. The interplay of light and shadow, and th...

黯然销魂者，唯别而已矣！况秦吴兮绝国，复燕宋兮千里。或春苔兮始生，乍秋风兮暂起。是以行子肠断，百感凄恻。风萧萧而异响，云漫漫而奇色。舟凝滞于水滨，车...

The poet laments that nothing is more soul-crushing than parting, depicting the sorrow of both the traveler and the one left behind through vi...

林花谢了春红，太匆匆。无奈朝来寒雨晚来风。 胭脂泪，相留醉，几时重。自是人生长恨水长东。

The forest flowers have lost their spring redness, passing too quickly. Helpless against the cold morning rain and evening wind. The rouge-lik...

多少恨，昨夜梦魂中。还似旧时游上苑，车如流水马如龙。花月正春风。

The poet pours out his deep regret from last night’s dream, where he revisited the glorious days of touring the imperial garden—carriages flow...

谁道闲情抛掷久。每到春来，惆怅还依旧。日日花前常病酒，敢辞镜里朱颜瘦。 河畔青芜堤上柳。为问新愁，何事年年有。独立小桥风满袖，平林新月人归后。

The lyric expresses a persistent, gentle melancholy that returns every spring despite attempts to abandon it, using images of drinking, fading...

菡萏香销翠叶残，西风愁起绿波间。还与韶光共憔悴，不堪看。 细雨梦回鸡塞远，小楼吹彻玉笙寒。多少泪珠何限恨，倚阑干。

The poem depicts autumn decay and a longing woman's sorrow, but also hints at the decline of the Southern Tang state: lotus withers, west wind...

桃花坞里桃花庵，桃花庵里桃花仙。 桃花仙人种桃树，又折花枝当酒钱。 酒醒只在花前坐，酒醉还须花下眠。 花前花后日复日，酒醉酒醒年复年。 但愿老死花酒...

The poet portrays himself as a 'Peach Blossom Immortal' living in seclusion, planting peach trees, exchanging blossoms for wine, and spending...

原来姹紫嫣红开遍，似这般都付与断井颓垣。 良辰美景奈何天，赏心乐事谁家院！ 朝飞暮卷，云霞翠轩；雨丝风片，烟波画船——锦屏人忒看的这韶光贱！

This aria is sung by Du Liniang during her garden tour. She sees the garden full of blooming flowers but finds them wasted on a dilapidated se...

三年羁旅客，今日又南冠。 无限山河泪，谁言天地宽。 已知泉路近，欲别故乡难。 毅魄归来日，灵旗空际看。

The poet recounts his three years of wandering and resistance, now a prisoner. Facing the devastated land, he weeps bitterly and laments that...

凿开混沌得乌金，藏蓄阳和有意深。 爝火燃回春浩浩，洪炉照破夜沉沉。 鼎彝元赖生成力，铁石犹存死后心。 但愿苍生俱饱暖，不辞辛苦出山林。

The poet praises coal for its hidden warmth and self-sacrifice to benefit all people, symbolizing his own dedication to serving the nation and...

南北驱驰报主情，江花边月笑平生。 一年三百六十日，多是横戈马上行。

The poet recounts his lifelong military service, galloping across the country to repay the emperor's favor. The riverside flowers and frontier...

谁念西风独自凉，萧萧黄叶闭疏窗，沉思往事立残阳。 被酒莫惊春睡重，赌书消得泼茶香，当时只道是寻常。

The poet stands alone in the autumn wind, watching yellow leaves close the window, lost in memories of his deceased wife. He recalls her gentl...

辛苦最怜天上月，一昔如环，昔昔都成玦。若似月轮终皎洁，不辞冰雪为卿热。 无那尘缘容易绝，燕子依然，软踏帘钩说。唱罢秋坟愁未歇，春丛认取双栖蝶。

The poem laments the moon's fleeting perfection, yearning for an unchanging brightness to prove the speaker's devotion to his dead wife. It th...

九州生气恃风雷，万马齐喑究可哀。 我劝天公重抖擞，不拘一格降人材。

The vitality of China depends on stormy social reforms. The current silence, where all talents are suppressed, is deeply lamentable. The poet...

望门投止思张俭，忍死须臾待杜根。 我自横刀向天笑，去留肝胆两昆仑。

While imprisoned, the poet uses historical allusions to express solidarity with his fellow reformers and declares his fearless resolve to die...

春愁难遣强看山，往事惊心泪欲潸。 四百万人同一哭，去年今日割台湾。

The poet describes a deep spring sorrow that he cannot shake off. He forces himself to look at the mountains to distract himself, but the shoc...

明月出天山，苍茫云海间。 长风几万里，吹度玉门关。 汉下白登道，胡窥青海湾。 由来征战地，不见有人还。 戍客望边邑，思归多苦颜。 高楼当此夜，叹息未...

The poem begins with a bright moon rising over the Tianshan Mountains, drifting among vast clouds. A long wind blows thousands of miles across...

青山横北郭，白水绕东城。 此地一为别，孤蓬万里征。 浮云游子意，落日故人情。 挥手自兹去，萧萧班马鸣。

This poem expresses the deep emotion of parting between friends. The natural scenes—mountains, water, clouds, and sunset—mirror the feelings o...

凉风起天末，君子意如何。 鸿雁几时到，江湖秋水多。 文章憎命达，魑魅喜人过。 应共冤魂语，投诗赠汨罗。

The poet thinks of his friend Li Bai, who has been exiled to a remote place. He asks about his well-being, worries about the dangers on the jo...

绝代有佳人，幽居在空谷。 自云良家子，零落依草木。 关中昔丧乱，兄弟遭杀戮。 官高何足论，不得收骨肉。 世情恶衰歇，万事随转烛。 夫婿轻薄儿，新人已...

The poem tells the story of a beautiful woman from a good family who, after the An Lushan Rebellion, loses her brothers and is abandoned by he...

寒山转苍翠，秋水日潺湲。 倚杖柴门外，临风听暮蝉。 渡头馀落日，墟里上孤烟。 复值接舆醉，狂歌五柳前。

The poet depicts the serene autumn scenery of his Wangchuan retreat and expresses his joyful friendship with Pei Di, who is as uninhibited as...

汉皇重色思倾国，御宇多年求不得。 杨家有女初长成，养在深闺人未识。 天生丽质难自弃，一朝选在君王侧。 回眸一笑百媚生，六宫粉黛无颜色。 春寒赐浴华清...

A narrative poem depicting the tragic love story of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei, from their passionate affair to her death during the An...

昨夜星辰昨夜风，画楼西畔桂堂东。 身无彩凤双飞翼，心有灵犀一点通。 隔座送钩春酒暖，分曹射覆蜡灯红。 嗟余听鼓应官去，走马兰台类转蓬。

The poet recalls a secret meeting last night: separated by physical distance yet emotionally connected. He describes the joyful feast games, b...

海外徒闻更九州，他生未卜此生休。 空闻虎旅传宵柝，无复鸡人报晓筹。 此日六军同驻马，当时七夕笑牵牛。 如何四纪为天子，不及卢家有莫愁。

The poem mocks Emperor Xuanzong's futile search for immortality and his failure to protect his beloved Yang Yuhuan, contrasting their tragic e...

落魄江湖载酒行，楚腰纤细掌中轻。 十年一觉扬州梦，赢得青楼薄倖名。

Du Mu recalls his decadent years in Yangzhou, feeling that they passed like a dream, leaving him only a reputation for fickleness among courte...

沅水通波接武冈，送君不觉有离伤。 青山一道同云雨，明月何曾是两乡。

The Yuan River’s waves connect all the way to Wugang; seeing you off, I hardly feel the sadness of parting. We share the same green hills with...

木落雁南度，北风江上寒。 我家襄水曲，遥隔楚云端。 乡泪客中尽，孤帆天际看。 迷津欲有问，平海夕漫漫。

The poet depicts the early winter chill on the river, expressing deep homesickness while traveling far from his hometown.

王濬楼船下益州，金陵王气黯然收。 千寻铁锁沉江底，一片降幡出石头。 人世几回伤往事，山形依旧枕寒流。 今逢四海为家日，故垒萧萧芦荻秋。

The poem recounts the conquest of Eastern Wu by Western Jin, symbolized by Wang Jun's fleet and the fall of Nanjing. It then reflects on the c...

雪净胡天牧马还，月明羌笛戍楼间。 借问梅花何处落，风吹一夜满关山。

The poem depicts a quiet frontier night after snow, where the poet hears a Qiang flute playing 'Plum Blossoms Fall' and imagines the music as...

客从东方来，衣上灞陵雨。 问客何为来，采山因买斧。 冥冥花正开，飏飏燕新舞。 昨别今已春，鬓丝生几缕。

A friend arrives from the east, his clothes still damp with rain from Baling. When asked why he has come, he says he is going to gather wood a...

谢公最小偏怜女，自嫁黔娄百事乖。 顾我无衣搜荩箧，泥他沽酒拔金钗。 野蔬充膳甘长藿，落叶添薪仰古槐。 今日俸钱过十万，与君营奠复营斋。

The poet recalls his wife’s selfless devotion during their poor years and laments that now he is wealthy, he can only offer sacrifices to her...

新年都未有芳华，二月初惊见草芽。 白雪却嫌春色晚，故穿庭树作飞花。

The poet expresses impatience for spring's arrival: no flowers by the new year, and only grass shoots in February. Just as he laments the dela...

金天方肃杀，白露始专征。 王师非乐战，之子慎佳兵。 海气侵南部，边风扫北平。 莫卖卢龙塞，归邀麟阁名。

In the autumn season of killing frost, at the White Dew period, the expedition begins. The imperial army does not delight in war—you must be c...

主人有酒欢今夕，请奏鸣琴广陵客。 月照城头乌半飞，霜凄万树风入衣。 铜炉华烛烛增辉，初弹渌水后楚妃。 一声已动物皆静，四座无言星欲稀。 清淮奉使千余...

The host prepares wine for tonight's gathering and invites a skilled zither player. Moonlight shines on the city wall, crows half fly; frost c...

客路青山外，行舟绿水前。 潮平两岸阔，风正一帆悬。 海日生残夜，江春入旧年。 乡书何处达，归雁洛阳边。

The poet describes his journey past green hills and on green waters, with calm tides and a fair wind. He reflects on the passing of time as th...

林暗草惊风，将军夜引弓。 平明寻白羽，没在石棱中。

A general mistakes a rock for a tiger and shoots an arrow into it, revealing his immense strength and vigilance.

春宵一刻值千金，花有清香月有阴。 歌管楼台声细细，秋千院落夜沉沉。

A moment on a spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Flowers exude a faint fragrance, and the moon casts a hazy shadow. From the ter...

西江月·遣兴 醉里且贪欢笑，要愁那得工夫。近来始觉古人书，信著全无是处。 昨夜松边醉倒，问松“我醉何如”。只疑松动要来扶，以手推松曰“去”。

The poet pretends to be carefree while drunk, but his defiant attitude toward ancient books and his drunken dialogue with a pine tree reveal d...

浣溪沙·淡荡春光寒食天 淡荡春光寒食天，玉炉沉水袅残烟。梦回山枕隐花钿。 海燕未来人斗草，江梅已过柳生绵。黄昏疏雨湿秋千。

The poem depicts a leisurely spring scene on Cold Food Day, with incense smoke, a dream, and outdoor games, ending with rain wetting the swing...

夜半乐·冻云黯淡天气 冻云黯淡天气，扁舟一叶，乘兴离江渚。渡万壑千岩，越溪深处。怒涛渐息，樵风乍起，更闻商旅相呼。片帆高举，泛画鹢、翩翩过南浦。 望...

The poet sets out on a small boat in gloomy weather, traveling through scenic landscapes. In the middle, he describes a tranquil evening villa...

衣上征尘杂酒痕，远游无处不消魂。 此身合是诗人未？细雨骑驴入剑门。

Travel-stained and wine-soaked, the poet feels a deep melancholy everywhere he roams. He wryly asks whether he is destined to be a poet, as he...

减字木兰花·天涯旧恨 天涯旧恨，独自凄凉人不问。欲见回肠，断尽金炉小篆香。 黛蛾长敛，任是春风吹不展。困倚危楼，过尽飞鸿字字愁。

This lyric expresses the deep loneliness and sorrow of a wanderer far from home. No one asks about her old regrets; her heart is like the ince...

清平乐·红笺小字 红笺小字，说尽平生意。鸿雁在云鱼在水，惆怅此情难寄。 斜阳独倚西楼，遥山恰对帘钩。人面不知何处，绿波依旧东流。

The poet writes on red paper with small characters to pour out lifelong love, but despairs that the message cannot be delivered. He then imagi...

涧水无声绕竹流，竹西花草弄春柔。 茅檐相对坐终日，一鸟不鸣山更幽。

The stream flows silently around the bamboo; west of the bamboo, flowers and grass sway gently in the spring breeze. I sit all day long under...

春风疑不到天涯，二月山城未见花。 残雪压枝犹有橘，冻雷惊笋欲抽芽。 夜闻归雁生乡思，病入新年感物华。 曾是洛阳花下客，野芳虽晚不须嗟。

The poet, exiled to a remote mountain town, writes to a friend. He describes the late spring without flowers, yet finds signs of life in snow-...

暗香 旧时月色，算几番照我，梅边吹笛？唤起玉人，不管清寒与攀摘。何逊而今渐老，都忘却春风词笔。但怪得竹外疏花，香冷入瑶席。 江国，正寂寂，叹寄与路遥...

The poet recalls past moonlit nights playing flute by plum trees with a beloved. Now aging and uninspired, he laments the fallen blossoms and...

梦入江南烟水路，行尽江南，不与离人遇。睡里消魂无说处，觉来惆怅消魂误。 欲尽此情书尺素，浮雁沉鱼，终了无凭据。却倚缓弦歌别绪，断肠移破秦筝柱。

The poet dreams of searching for his beloved in the misty Jiangnan but cannot find her. Upon waking, he realizes that even the dream was futil...

双蝶绣罗裙，东池宴，初相见。朱粉不深匀，闲花淡淡春。 细看诸处好，人人道，柳腰身。昨日乱山昏，来时衣上云。

At a banquet at East Pond, the poet sees a woman for the first time. She wears a skirt embroidered with double butterflies, with light makeup...

重过阊门万事非，同来何事不同归？梧桐半死清霜后，头白鸳鸯失伴飞。 原上草，露初晞，旧栖新垅两依依。空床卧听南窗雨，谁复挑灯夜补衣？

The poet revisits the site of his former home in Changmen and is overwhelmed by the loss of his wife. He uses images of a half-dead parasol tr...

白鸥问我泊孤舟，是身留，是心留？心若留时，何事锁眉头？风拍小帘灯晕舞，对闲影，冷清清，忆旧游。 旧游旧游今在否？花外楼，柳下舟。梦也梦也，梦不到，寒...

The poet is stranded by snow at Jingxi. He imagines a white gull asking whether his stay is forced or voluntary. He recalls past travels with...

南浦春来绿一川，石桥朱塔两依然。 年年送客横塘路，细雨垂杨系画船。

The poem depicts the scenery at Hengtang, where the poet repeatedly bids farewell to guests. Spring has turned the river green, while the brid...

少年易老学难成，一寸光阴不可轻。 未觉池塘春草梦，阶前梧叶已秋声。

Youth passes quickly while learning is hard to achieve. Not even the smallest amount of time should be wasted. Before one realizes it, the dre...

庙堂无策可平戎，坐使甘泉照夕烽。 初怪上都闻战马，岂知穷海看飞龙。 孤臣霜发三千丈，每岁烟花一万重。 稍喜长沙向延阁，疲兵敢犯犬羊锋。

The poem laments the court's inability to repel invaders, the emperor's flight, and the poet's personal sorrow, but finds hope in the resistan...

几日随风北海游，回从扬子大江头。 臣心一片磁针石，不指南方不肯休。

The poet recounts his escape from captivity and his journey south to the Yangzi River, using the metaphor of a magnetic stone to vow his unwav...

采采卷耳，不盈顷筐。嗟我怀人，寘彼周行。 陟彼崔嵬，我马虺隤。我姑酌彼金罍，维以不永怀。 陟彼高冈，我马玄黄。我姑酌彼兕觥，维以不永伤。 陟彼砠矣，...

A wife picks cocklebur but cannot fill her basket because her mind is on her absent husband. She imagines his hardships—climbing mountains, hi...

绿兮衣兮，绿衣黄里。心之忧矣，曷维其已！ 绿兮衣兮，绿衣黄裳。心之忧矣，曷维其亡！ 绿兮丝兮，女所治兮。我思古人，俾无訧兮！ 絺兮绤兮，凄其以风。我...

The poem expresses the poet's grief over the loss of his wife, using the green coat as a reminder of her, and his longing for her.

相鼠有皮，人而无仪！人而无仪，不死何为？ 相鼠有齿，人而无止！人而无止，不死何俟？ 相鼠有体，人而无礼！人而无礼，胡不遄死？

Using the rat as a metaphor, the poem condemns people who lack dignity, restraint, and manners, asserting they are worse than rats and deserve...

有兔爰爰，雉离于罗。我生之初，尚无为；我生之后，逢此百罹。尚寐无吪！ 有兔爰爰，雉离于罦。我生之初，尚无造；我生之后，逢此百忧。尚寐无觉！ 有兔爰爰...

The poem contrasts the carefree hare (symbolizing the cunning and wicked who escape) with the trapped pheasant (symbolizing the honest and upr...

子惠思我，褰裳涉溱。子不我思，岂无他人？狂童之狂也且！ 子惠思我，褰裳涉洧。子不我思，岂无他士？狂童之狂也且！

The speaker, a young woman, tells her lover that if he truly misses her, he should lift his skirt and wade the river to come to her. If he doe...

南山崔崔，雄狐绥绥。鲁道有荡，齐子由归。既曰归止，曷又怀止？ 葛屦五两，冠绥双止。鲁道有荡，齐子庸止。既曰庸止，曷又从止？ 蓺麻如之何？衡从其亩。取...

The poem satirizes Duke Xiang of Qi and his sister Wen Jiang for their incestuous relationship. It contrasts the proper rites of marriage with...

葛生蒙楚，蔹蔓于野。予美亡此，谁与？独处！ 葛生蒙棘，蔹蔓于域。予美亡此，谁与？独息！ 角枕粲兮，锦衾烂兮。予美亡此，谁与？独旦！ 夏之日，冬之夜。...

A woman mourns her husband buried in the wilderness. She describes vines overgrowing his grave, recalls the bright burial objects, and express...

既破我斧，又缺我斨。周公东征，四国是皇。哀我人斯，亦孔之将！ 既破我斧，又缺我锜。周公东征，四国是吪。哀我人斯，亦孔之嘉！ 既破我斧，又缺我銶。周公...

The poem describes soldiers' hardships during the Duke of Zhou's eastern expedition, with their tools damaged, yet they express relief and gra...

浴兰汤兮沐芳，华采衣兮若英。灵连蜷兮既留，烂昭昭兮未央。 蹇将憺兮寿宫，与日月兮齐光。龙驾兮帝服，聊翱游兮周章。 灵皇皇兮既降，猋远举兮云中。览冀州...

The poem depicts the ritual purification and adornment of the cloud spirit, its glorious descent, swift departure into the clouds, and the sha...

余幼好此奇服兮，年既老而不衰。 带长铗之陆离兮，冠切云之崔嵬。 被明月兮佩宝璐。 世混浊而莫余知兮，吾方高驰而不顾。 驾青虬兮骖白螭，吾与重华游兮瑶...

The poem recounts Qu Yuan's journey into exile across rivers and through mountains, expressing his unwavering integrity and grief at being mis...

青青陵上柏，磊磊涧中石。 人生天地间，忽如远行客。 斗酒相娱乐，聊厚不为薄。 驱车策驽马，游戏宛与洛。 洛中何郁郁，冠带自相索。 长衢罗夹巷，王侯多...

The poem contrasts the eternity of nature (green cypress, piled stones) with the fleeting nature of human life like a traveler. It then descri...

去者日以疏，来者日以亲。 出郭门直视，但见丘与坟。 古墓犁为田，松柏摧为薪。 白杨多悲风，萧萧愁杀人。 思还故里闾，欲归道无因。

A traveler reflects on the passage of time and the impermanence of life as he sees graves outside the city, and yearns to return home but find...

出东门，不顾归。 来入门，怅欲悲。 盎中无斗米储，还视架上无悬衣。 拔剑东门去，舍中儿母牵衣啼： “他家但愿富贵，贱妾与君共哺糜。 上用仓浪天故，下...

This poem depicts a destitute man who, driven by extreme poverty and hopelessness, decides to leave his family and take desperate action, desp...

有所思，乃在大海南。 何用问遗君？双珠玳瑁簪，用玉绍缭之。 闻君有他心，拉杂摧烧之。 摧烧之，当风扬其灰。 从今以往，勿复相思！ 相思与君绝！ 鸡鸣...

A woman deeply in love prepares an exquisite gift for her beloved, but upon hearing of his infidelity, she violently destroys the gift and res...

薤上露，何易晞。 露晞明朝更复落，人死一去何时归。

The dew on chive leaves dries so easily. Though it dries, it falls again the next morning. But once a person dies, when will he ever return?

新裂齐纨素，皎洁如霜雪。 裁为合欢扇，团团似明月。 出入君怀袖，动摇微风发。 常恐秋节至，凉飙夺炎热。 弃捐箧笥中，恩情中道绝。

Using a round fan as a metaphor, the poem expresses a woman's fear of losing favor and being abandoned, just as a fan is discarded when autumn...

夫何一佳人兮，步逍遥而自虞。 魂逾佚而不反兮，形枯槁而独居。 言我朝往而暮来兮，饮食乐而忘人。 心慊移而不省故兮，交得意而相亲。 伊余志之慢愚兮，怀...

This excerpt from the rhapsody depicts the emotional state of an abandoned woman. Her beauty fades as she waits for her lord, who has broken h...

洛阳城东路，桃李生路傍。 花花自相对，叶叶自相当。 春风东北起，花叶正低昂。 不知谁家子，提笼行采桑。 纤手折其枝，花落何飘飏。 请谢彼姝子，何为见...

The poem begins with a scene of flourishing peach and plum trees by the roadside in Luoyang. A young person picks mulberries and breaks a bran...

北上太行山，艰哉何巍巍。 羊肠坂诘屈，车轮为之摧。 树木何萧瑟，北风声正悲。 熊罴对我蹲，虎豹夹路啼。 溪谷少人民，雪落何霏霏。 延颈长叹息，远行多...

The poem describes the harsh winter campaign across the Taihang Mountains, highlighting treacherous terrain, fierce weather, wild beasts, and...

尧任舜禹，当复何为？ 百兽率舞，凤凰来仪。 清歌微吟，筝人告歌。 悲吟慷慨，长笳吹鸣。 年寿有时而尽，荣乐止乎其身。 二者必至之期，未若杖策行之。...

The poem praises the ideal governance of Yao and Shun, then shifts to a banquet scene, before suddenly confronting the finitude of life and gl...

吁嗟此转蓬，居世何独然。 长去本根逝，夙夜无休闲。 东西经七陌，南北越九阡。 卒遇回风起，吹我入云间。 自谓终天路，忽然下沉泉。 惊飚接我出，故归彼...

The poem laments the tumbleweed's endless drifting, rootless and directionless, eventually expressing a wish to be burned yet stay connected t...

余与嵇康、吕安居止接近，其人并有不羁之才。然嵇志远而疏，吕心旷而放。其后各以事见法。嵇博综技艺，于丝竹特妙。临当就命，顾视日影，索琴而弹之。余逝将西...

Xiang Xiu, passing the old home of his executed friends Xi Kang and Lü An, hears a neighbor's flute and recalls their friendship and tragic de...

精卫衔微木，将以填沧海。 刑天舞干戚，猛志固常在。 同物既无虑，化去不复悔。 徒设在昔心，良辰讵可待。

This poem celebrates the indomitable spirit of mythical figures Jingwei and Xingtian, who persist despite overwhelming odds. It also conveys t...

杖策招隐士，荒涂横古今。 岩穴无结构，丘中有鸣琴。 白雪停阴冈，丹葩曜阳林。 石泉漱琼瑶，纤鳞亦浮沉。 非必丝与竹，山水有清音。 何事待啸歌，灌木自...

The poet sets out with a staff to summon a hermit, describing the pristine beauty of the mountain forest—snow and blossoms, spring and fish—an...

束发怀耿介，逐物遂推迁。 违志似如昨，二纪及兹年。 缁磷谢清旷，疲苶惭贞坚。 拙疾相倚薄，还得静者便。 剖竹守沧海，枉帆过旧山。 山行穷登顿，水涉尽...

The poet recalls his youthful idealism and laments his compromise with the worldly life. As he passes his ancestral estate, the natural beauty...

总辔登长路，呜咽辞密亲。 借问子何之，世网婴我身。 永叹遵北渚，遗思结南津。 行行遂已远，野途旷无人。 山泽纷纡余，林薄杳阡眠。 虎啸深谷底，鸡鸣高...

This pair of poems describes the poet's journey to Luoyang after leaving his hometown. He expresses deep sorrow at parting from family and anx...

夕殿下珠帘，流萤飞复息。 长夜缝罗衣，思君此何极。

At dusk, the palace lowers its pearl curtains. Fireflies flicker on and off. Through the long night, she sews a silk robe, thinking of her lor...

洞庭春溜满，平湖锦帆张。 沅水桃花色，湘流杜若香。 穴去茅山近，江连巫峡长。 带天澄迥碧，映日动浮光。 行舟逗远树，度鸟息危樯。 滔滔不可测，一苇讵...

The poet describes crossing the Green Grass Lake in spring, depicting the vast waters, fragrant rivers, and the difficulty of crossing the bou...

迟顿首。陈将军足下：无恙，幸甚，幸甚！将军勇冠三军，才为世出，弃燕雀之小志，慕鸿鹄以高翔。昔因机变化，遭遇明主，立功立事，开国称孤，朱轮华毂，拥旄万...

A letter from Qiu Chi to the rebellious general Chen Bozhi, persuading him to return to Liang. It combines reasoning and emotion, using histor...

晚日照空矶，采莲承晚晖。 风起湖难渡，莲多采未稀。 棹动芙蓉落，船移白鹭飞。 荷丝傍绕腕，菱角远牵衣。

The poem depicts a lotus-picking scene at dusk, focusing on the natural beauty and the gentle interaction between the picker and the surroundi...

春林花多媚，春鸟意多哀。 春风复多情，吹我罗裳开。

A woman in spring, surrounded by beautiful flowers and sorrowful birdsong, feels the affectionate wind blowing open her silk skirt, subtly sug...

绮罗日见长，生平未相识。 对此芳树间，逍遥独延伫。 惟忧绿草歇，讵悲红颜没。 忘情须已老，非为乐青春。

The poet reflects on a love that exists without acquaintance, lingering alone among fragrant trees. He worries more about the passage of time...

天将暮，雪乱舞，半梅花半飘柳絮。 江上晚来堪画处，钓鱼人一蓑归去。

The poem depicts a snowy evening on the river, where a fisherman in a straw cloak returns home amid flying snow, conveying a sense of reclusio...

柳堤，竹溪，日影筛金翠。 杖藜徐步近钓矶，看鸥鹭闲游戏。 农父渔翁，贪营活计，不知他在图画里。 对这般景致，坐的，便无酒也令人醉。

The poet depicts a tranquil rural scene where he enjoys nature's beauty and reflects that the farmers, though busy, are unaware of being part...

雪粉华，舞梨花，再不见烟村四五家。 密洒堪图画，看疏林噪晚鸦。 黄芦掩映清江下，斜揽着钓鱼艖。

This poem depicts a winter snow scene: snowflakes dance like pear blossoms, obscuring distant villages; only sparse woods with cawing crows, y...

拍阑干，雾花吹鬓海风寒。 浩歌惊得浮云散。 细数青山，指蓬莱一望间。 纱巾岸，鹤背骑来惯。 举头长啸，直上天坛。

The poet climbs a famous tower by the river, leans on the railing, and feels the cold sea wind. His heroic song scatters the clouds. He counts...

才欢悦，早间别，痛煞煞好难割舍。 画船儿载将春去也，空留下半江明月。

The poet laments that joy is quickly followed by separation. His beloved, likened to spring, departs in a painted boat, leaving only the empty...

翠被匆匆见执鞭，戴盆郁郁梦瞻天。 只知河朔归铜马，又说台城堕纸鸢。 血肉正应皇嗣尽，衣冠不及雁行偏。 谁言东海无边阔，何处青山有杜鹃。

The poem depicts the emperor's hurried escape and the fall of cities, lamenting the collapse of the state and the despair of finding no place...