A central Du Fu poem of war, spring, separation, and grief, written with compressed emotional force.
Reading (宋體 / Ming)
Kai Script (楷書)
Running / Brush (行書) · Simplified
Grass Script (草書) · Simplified
Decorative Title Style · Simplified
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 雖然城市變了很多，但山河還在。 | suī rán chéng shì biàn le hěn duō, dàn shān hé hái zài. | Although the city has changed a lot, the mountains and rivers are still there. |
| 春天一到，院子裡的草木就變得很深。 | chūn tiān yí dào, yuàn zi lǐ de cǎo mù jiù biàn de hěn shēn. | As soon as spring arrives, the plants in the yard grow thick. |
| 聽到這個消息時，她一下子就濺出眼淚來。 | tīng dào zhè gè xiāo xī shí, tā yí xià zi jiù jiàn chū yǎn lèi lái. | When she heard the news, tears burst out at once. |
| 長時間的分別最容易讓人驚心。 | cháng shí jiān de fēn bié zuì róng yì ràng rén jīng xīn. | Long separation most easily unsettles the heart. |
| 戰亂時，一封家書真的可能抵萬金。 | zhàn luàn shí, yì fēng jiā shū zhēn de kě néng dǐ wàn jīn. | In wartime, a letter from home can truly be worth ten thousand pieces of gold. |
| 他最近壓力很大，白頭好像又多了一些。 | tā zuì jìn yā lì hěn dà, bái tóu hǎo xiàng yòu duō le yì xiē. | He has been under great stress lately, and it seems he has even more white hair now. |
| 看到舊照片時，我心裡忽然很感時。 | kàn dào jiù zhào piàn shí, wǒ xīn lǐ hū rán hěn gǎn shí. | When I saw the old photos, I suddenly felt deeply moved by the times. |
| 好久沒有收到家人的消息了，所以每一封信都特別珍貴。 | hǎo jiǔ méi yǒu shōu dào jiā rén de xiāo xī le, suǒ yǐ měi yì fēng xìn dōu tè bié zhēn guì. | I have not heard from my family in a long time, so every letter is especially precious. |
| 春天本來很美，但有時也會讓人更想念遠方的人。 | chūn tiān běn lái hěn měi, dàn yǒu shí yě huì ràng rén gèng xiǎng niàn yuǎn fāng de rén. | Spring is beautiful by nature, but sometimes it also makes people miss those far away even more. |
| 人在憂愁的時候，看花聽鳥也會想到自己的傷心事。 | rén zài yōu chóu de shí hou, kàn huā tīng niǎo yě huì xiǎng dào zì jǐ de shāng xīn shì. | When people are sorrowful, even flowers and birds can remind them of their sadness. |
Rhythmic structure: This regulated verse should be read in balanced couplets, with a controlled, serious tone throughout and extra weight in the final two lines.
Recommended pacing: Read slowly and clearly. The emotion should deepen from observation into personal grief rather than becoming loud or dramatic.
國破 / 山河在
城春 / 草木深
感時 / 花濺淚
恨別 / 鳥驚心
烽火 / 連三月
家書 / 抵萬金
白頭 / 搔更短
渾欲 / 不勝簪
| Character or phrase | Pinyin | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 濺 | jiàn | Use the fourth tone here and keep the initial j- light and clear. |
| 烽 | fēng | Round the lips for the final -eng and keep the first tone level. |
| 搔 | sāo | Keep the s- clean and the first tone long and even. |
| 簪 | zān | This less common character is read zān; make the first tone steady. |
Remember the poem in four emotional turns: a ruined nation and surviving landscape, spring growth in an empty city, war and the priceless letter from home, and finally the poet’s own exhausted body.
1. Ruin and endurance
國破山河在 / 城春草木深
See political destruction against the still-present mountains, rivers, and overgrown city.
2. Spring turns sorrowful
感時花濺淚 / 恨別鳥驚心
Imagine even flowers and birds becoming part of the poet’s grief and separation.
3. War and letters
烽火連三月 / 家書抵萬金
Hold the contrast between ongoing war and the priceless hope of news from home.
4. The body shows worry
白頭搔更短 / 渾欲不勝簪
End with the poet touching his thinning white hair, worn down by anxiety.
國破山河在 国破山河在
Slow syllable drill: guó - pò - shān - hé - zài
Teacher: 國破山河在国破山河在
Students repeat: 國破山河在国破山河在
城春草木深 城春草木深
Slow syllable drill: chéng - chūn - cǎo - mù - shēn
Teacher: 城春草木深城春草木深
Students repeat: 城春草木深城春草木深
感時花濺淚 感时花溅泪
Slow syllable drill: gǎn - shí - huā - jiàn - lèi
Teacher: 感時花濺淚感时花溅泪
Students repeat: 感時花濺淚感时花溅泪
恨別鳥驚心 恨别鸟惊心
Slow syllable drill: hèn - bié - niǎo - jīng - xīn
Teacher: 恨別鳥驚心恨别鸟惊心
Students repeat: 恨別鳥驚心恨别鸟惊心
烽火連三月 烽火连三月
Slow syllable drill: fēng - huǒ - lián - sān - yuè
Teacher: 烽火連三月烽火连三月
Students repeat: 烽火連三月烽火连三月
家書抵萬金 家书抵万金
Slow syllable drill: jiā - shū - dǐ - wàn - jīn
Teacher: 家書抵萬金家书抵万金
Students repeat: 家書抵萬金家书抵万金
白頭搔更短 白头搔更短
Slow syllable drill: bái - tóu - sāo - gèng - duǎn
Teacher: 白頭搔更短白头搔更短
Students repeat: 白頭搔更短白头搔更短
渾欲不勝簪 浑欲不胜簪
Slow syllable drill: hún - yù - bù - shēng - zān
Teacher: 渾欲不勝簪浑欲不胜簪
Students repeat: 渾欲不勝簪浑欲不胜簪