Thoughts in the Silent Night by Li Bai
李白《静夜思》
床前明月光，
疑是地上霜。
举头望明月，
低头思故乡。
This poem is about a person thinking about his family and hometown. He looks up to the moon since there is a possibility his family might also be looking at the moon, too.
Quatrain of Seven Steps by Cao Zhi
曹植 《七步诗》
煮豆燃豆萁，
豆在釜中泣。
本是同根生，
相煎何太急？
This poem was written while Cao Zhi’s brother, the emperor, accuses Cao Zhi of wanting his throne. His brother tells him take seven steps and within those seven steps, he needs to create a poem that will get rid of his suspicion. The poem is about Cao Zhi stating how siblings from the same parents should not kill or hurt each other.
Toiling Farmers by Li Shen
李绅 《悯农》
锄禾日当午，
汗滴禾下土。
谁知盘中餐，
粒粒皆辛苦。
This poem was written to show the problems that the rural life faced. It states how rice is made through hard work and farmers sweat everyday trying to grow it. The poem shows how people should be thankful and not waste rice.
“Thoughts in the silent night” shows that Chinese people must place importance on family. The poem “Quatrain of seven steps also shows the importance of family in Chinese culture. It also shows that brothers should trust each other. The poem “Toiling farmers” shows that Chinese people place importance on working hard. It also shows the connection of people in society from the people who plant and grow rice to the people who eat it.
Great article. I never fully understood Chinese poems, but I always found them interesting. I liked the addition of a summary and the poem in Chinese characters. Now that I fully understand a few poems, they sound really interesting. Thank you for sharing.
It is very interesting to see how a few lines of Chinese text translate to teach the reader a message about life. All of the poems have a deep and profound meaning that will leave a lasting impact on me in the future. My favorite poem was “Toiling Farmers” as it shows the importance of being thankful for what you have as well as to not waste. I also find it interesting that all of the poems are unique and different in many ways but all relate by revolving around stressing good personal conduct. I liked how you added a paragraph to summarize each of the poems, as well as how you provided an image that correlates with each of the different poems. Because of this article, I grew to appreciate Chinese literature more and as a result hope to read more similar works in the future. Overall, this was a very great and informative article!
Beautiful article! While I might have a hard time understanding the genius of Chinese poetry, I can definitely see the impact it has on its natives. They include many of the same aspects as English poetry, like rhythm and metaphors. I especially love the first poem, “Thoughts of a Silent Night” by Li Bai. I find it very bittersweet that someone looks up at the moon since there’s a possibility his family might also be looking up at the moon too. The other two poems are also very nice, where the poems both tell an entertaining story and a realistic moral. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing article! Thank you for teaching me about the poems of China. It was a very good idea to put translations on the side. Though I could understand some lines I couldn’t understand all of it. I did not realize how beautiful Chinese poetry was until I read this article.
Amazing article! I always find Chinese poems really interesting. Each semester in Chinese school, my teacher would always have me memorize one Chinese poem, and I would always have to find the meaning for each line. Out of these three Chinese poems, I’m most familiar with the third one. Because whenever I don’t finish my food, my mom would always tell me to recite 悯农.
Those are some great poems. I find it amazing how a few lines of a poem can teach someone life lessons. These poems include many of the same aspects as English poetry, like rhythm and metaphors. My favorite poem is “Toiling Farmers” by Li Shen. I can relate to this because my mother always reminds me to never waste food. Also great explanations of the poems!
Great poems you have found. The poem Thoughts in silent light was my favorite since it sharing a connection between families and wondering how they are. I also enjoyed the Quatrain of seven steps. People get crazy with power and they need to know that the only one trying to help you with all of it is family and that they would never do such a thing to break each other’s trust in one and another.
Great article! I’ve been told all of these poems when I was learning in China. When I heard them at that time though, I never truly understood their full meanings. Thank you for bringing these famous poems. Now I can look into them deeper.
This was a pretty good article! I’ve never heard of these poems before reading this. I liked how you also told the true full meanings of the poems as well when writing this. I think that this would be a pretty interesting thing to learn and would like to learn more about these later on. This article helped me appreciate Chinese writing more and make me want to know more about the Chinese culture in the future.
Amazing article. I usually don’t read chinese poems so these pieces are all new to me. However it was really nice reading them. I appreciate that you included explanations of each poem. These poems also gave me a better insight into chinese culture.
What a great article. I really liked all the poems you shared and how they show a strong connection between family. My favorite was the Toiling Farmers. It shows that people should be thankful for what they have because other people work hard doing it for them. It also shows how difficult the farming industry can be.
Poetry for me has been something of a universal language to the reader, and it certainly has in two special cultures: Italian and Chinese. When a poem is read, just like the ones described in this article, the reader gets an inner warm feeling that they are special and welcome in this culture. In addition, this was a wonderful synthesis of poems, and I shall look forward to more of them as you put together these anthologies of historical poems.
I love Chinese poetry, the meaning and rhythm of the poem are so deep and profound. Thoughts in the Silent Night sounds like a poem that I read for Eggroll and Dumpling Day. My poem was about missing relatives around the holidays. I enjoyed memorizing it as I felt that I was memorizing a little piece of Chinese history. I know from my host student that in China, students are required to memorize tens or even hundreds of traditional poems. It is fascinating how a country that is developing so fast has still remembered its ancient origins.
Haha. I actually know all of the poems. It’s miserableback in the days when I have to memorize all of these in elementary school when I’m in China. But still, it’s very useful ans it’s good to learn how people write back in the days. This is a very informative article. I like it. Keep it up!
I love Chinese poetry. It is so beautifully written and are masterpieces to read. Chinese poets are so smart and have a good way with words. I want to eventually learn a Chinese poem from heart and be able to say it and understand it as well as the poets. This is a very good article. Keep it up Sabrina!
What a great article. I think that this poetry is so beautifully written and are masterpieces to read. The poem “Thoughts in Silent Light” was my favorite since it demonstrates a connection to a family and wondering how they are. I also find it bittersweet that someone looks up at the moon since there’s a possibility his family might also be looking up at the moon too. The other two poems are also very nice, where the poems both tell an entertaining story and a realistic moral. Please continue making articles as good as this one!
Those are some great poems. I find it amazing how a few lines of a poem can teach someone life lessons. These poems include many of the same aspects as English poetry, like rhythm and metaphors. My favorite poem is “Toiling Farmers” by Li Shen. I can relate to this because my mother always reminds me to never waste food. Also great explanations of the poems!
Love this article! These Chinese poems not only rhymes but also holds deep meanings. My favorite is the last poem 《悯农》. It reminds us to appreciate the hard work behind the food we eat so we won’t waste food. Look forward to reading more! Thank you!
This was a very interesting article. The Chinese poems don’t only sound good, they also all have good meanings. I like the poem Toiling Farmers. I like this poem since it shows the hard work behind the scenes. This gives a good message for us not to waste rice as people work very hard to grow it. Thanks so much! Keep up the good work.
The first poem is indeed very famous! I learned it when I was very young, and still know it from heart to this day. The second poem I have actually not heard at all, but it’s a great poem! The third poem I also learned when I was young. However, it was only present in one lesson and I never saw it again, and I’d always wondered about it because I remembered one phrase from it. I’m glad to have found it again!
Great article! It’s amazing how a few lines of Chinese characters translate to a message/lesson about life. I didn’t understand the entire poems but I could recognize some lines. Through these poems, it’s revealed that Chinese people put much emphasis on family, brotherhood, and friendship. My favorite one was “Thoughts in the Silent Night.” I think the way how Li Bai connected watching moon to missing his family is very cool.
I probably listened to these poems somewhat long ago, when I was a young boy. These poems date back to hundreds of years and also made emphasis for Japanese haiku and tanka. When I read poems in my English classes, they almost have the same purpose to express a person’s feelings. I really liked the third poem. It emphasizes on how hard everyone should work to get their rewards.
This was a very interesting article! I’ve never read any of these articles, but they are all very interesting! Chinese poems always have some deeper meaning that allowed the author to truly express their emotions. I like the first poem the most. When I was younger, I was often times away from home, so I really related to this poem.
诗歌是我国文学宝库的瑰宝，四言诗经,五言古风,唐诗宋词,构成了诗歌国度中无比壮丽的景象。遨游诗海,美不胜收。
Nice article a few lines that are great but didnt understand them at first
I’ve heard about the “Thoughts in the Silent Night” by Li Bai before. I’ve always loved the meaning behind it and his thoughts about his hometown, it’s saddening everytime I read it but so deep and meaningful. The second one about the seven steps is actually intriguing. I really like it because in just a short poem, Cao Zhi has to express his thoughts to lay off suspicion. I love these kinds of poems because it seems like it has a clear direction and goal. The last one is meaningful and relatable. I haven’t heard about this one either but I just know to be thankful for everything I’ve got and this poem portrays that idea well. Thanks for sharing and introducing me to poems I haven’t heard about before!
Chinese poetry is so beautifully written and are masterpieces to read. The poem “Thoughts in Silent Light” demonstrates a connection to a family and wondering how they are. The poem “Quatrain of seven steps” also shows the importance of family in Chinese culture. It also shows that brothers should trust each other. The poem “Toiling farmers” shows that Chinese people place importance on working hard. It also shows the connection of people in society from the people who plant and grow rice to the people who eat it.
“Thoughts in the silent night” shows that Chinese people must place importance on family. The poem “Quatrain of seven steps also shows the importance of family in Chinese culture. It also shows that brothers should trust each other. The poem “Toiling farmers” shows that Chinese people place importance on working hard.