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李绅
五言绝句
Character Explanations
Click on a character in the poem to display its explanation here.
锄
« to hoe; the hoe ». 锄禾 « hoeing the grain ».
禾
« grain plant, standing rice/wheat ». 锄禾 « hoeing the grain stalks ».
日
« sun ». 日当午 « the sun at its zenith ».
当
« to be right at, at the moment of ». 当午 « at high noon ».
午
« noon ». 日当午 « the noon sun », the most scorching.
汗
« sweat ». 汗滴 « sweat drips ».
滴
« to drip, to trickle ». 汗滴 « sweat falls drop by drop ».
禾
« grain plant ». 禾下土 « the earth under the stalks ».
下
« below, beneath ». 禾下 « at the foot of the plants ».
土
« earth, soil ». 禾下土 « the earth beneath the grain ».
谁
« who ». 谁知 « who knows that… ».
知
« to know ». 谁知 « who would guess that ».
盘
« plate, dish ». 盘中 « on the plate ».
中
« in, in the middle of ». 盘中餐 « the meal on the plate ».
餐
« meal, food ». 盘中餐 « the food served ».
粒
« grain ». 粒粒 (reduplicated) « each grain ».
粒
« grain ». The repetition insists: « grain by grain ».
皆
« all, every ». 粒粒皆 « each grain is… ».
辛
« hardship, bitterness ». 辛苦 « hardship, toil ».
苦
« hard, painful ». 辛苦 « hard toil ».
Literal Translation
Hoeing the grain at high noon,
Sweat drips onto the earth at the foot of the plants.
Who knows that, on the plate,
Every grain is hardship and toil?
Historical and Biographical Context
This poem, 悯农 (), « Compassion for the Peasants », juxtaposes the farmer's toil with the food on the plate, urging respect for labour and frugality.
Literary Analysis
Structure and Form
A five-character quatrain in two movements: the scene of toil (lines 1–2), then the lesson addressed to the reader (lines 3–4), linked by the question 谁知 (« who knows? »).
Imagery and Symbolism
The sweat falling onto the earth directly links the body's effort to the food that comes from it; the grain of rice becomes the symbol of an invisible hardship.
Movement and Gesture
The repeated gesture of hoeing under the noon sun makes the harshness of agricultural labour physically tangible.
Language and Tone
Very simple language, almost spoken; the reduplication 粒粒 and the rhetorical question give the poem an immediate moral force.
Main Themes
Respect for Peasant Labour
Behind every meal lies a painful toil that is all too often ignored.
Social Critique
The poem implicitly denounces the indifference of the privileged towards those who produce their food.
Frugality and Gratitude
It invites us not to waste and to appreciate the value of what we eat.
