English
French
Arabic
Bulgarian
Czech
Danish
German
Greek
Spanish
Finnish
Hungarian
Indonesian
Italian
Hebrew
Japanese
Korean
Dutch
Polish
Portuguese, International
Romanian
Russian
Slovak
Swedish
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
王维
七言绝句
Character Explanations
Click on a character in the poem to display its explanation here.
独
«alone». Opens the poem on the poet's isolation.
在
«to be at, to find oneself in». 在异乡 «in a foreign land».
异
«foreign, other». 异乡 «a region that is not one's own».
乡
«homeland, village». 异乡 «foreign land».
为
«to be, to become, as». 为异客 «to be a foreign guest».
异
«foreign». 异客 «the guest from elsewhere».
客
«guest, traveller». 异客 «the passing stranger».
每
«every, each». 每逢 «every time that».
逢
«to encounter, to come across». 每逢佳节 «at every festival».
佳
«beautiful, joyful». 佳节 «a joyful festival».
节
«festival, solemn day». 佳节 «the days of celebration».
倍
«doubly, to redouble». 倍思亲 «to think of one's loved ones twice as much».
思
«to think of, to long for». 思亲 «to think of one's kin».
亲
«parents, loved ones». 思亲 «the thought of those dear to us».
遥
«distant, from afar». 遥知 «to know from afar».
知
«to know». 遥知 «I know well, from a distance».
兄
«elder brother». 兄弟 «the brothers».
弟
«younger brother». 兄弟 «the brothers».
登
«to climb, to ascend». 登高 «to climb to the heights», a custom of the 9th of the 9th.
高
«high, height». 登高处 «the elevated places».
处
«place, spot». 高处 «the heights».
遍
«everywhere, all around». 遍插 «to plant everywhere».
插
«to plant, to pin (on oneself)». 插茱萸 «to wear the cornelian cherry».
茱
«cornelian cherry (zhūyú)». 茱萸: plant worn on the 9th of the 9th to ward off evil.
萸
«cornelian cherry». 茱萸 forms the name of the plant.
少
«to be missing, to be fewer». 少一人 «one person is missing».
一
«one». 一人 «one person», the absent poet.
人
«person». 少一人 «one fewer»: the distant brother.
Literal Translation
Alone, a stranger in a foreign land,
At every festival, I think twice as much of my loved ones.
I know from afar that my brothers, having climbed to the heights,
Planting cornelian cherry branches everywhere, will be one fewer.
Historical and Biographical Context
The title, 九月九日忆山东兄弟 (), «On the 9th day of the 9th month, I think of my brothers east of the mountains», refers to the Double Ninth Festival (重阳节), when people climb to the heights and wear the cornelian cherry (茱萸).
Literary Analysis
Structure and Form
A seven-character quatrain. The poem shifts from the here (the poet's solitude, lines 1–2) to the elsewhere (the imagined family scene, lines 3–4): a shift in perspective of great virtuosity.
Imagery and Symbolism
The ascent to the heights and the cornelian cherry, rites of the Double Ninth, become signs of absence: the festival underscores the sense of lack.
Movement and Gesture
The poet imagines the gesture of his brothers who «plant everywhere» the cornelian cherry — and who, suddenly, count one person fewer.
Language and Tone
Simple and direct language; the line 每逢佳节倍思亲 has become proverbial for expressing the doubled longing felt during festival days.
Main Themes
Nostalgia for Home and Loved Ones
Distance transforms the festival into a moment of absence: thinking of one's loved ones is all the more vivid when one is alone.
Absence Seen from the Other Side
The poet does not only express his own longing: he imagines the void he leaves in the family circle.
The Universality of Feeling
This emotion of the exile on a festival day speaks to all ages, which is what has made the poem famous.
