Reading (宋體 / Ming)
Song / Ming
白日依山盡
白日依山尽
黃河入海流
黄河入海流
欲窮千里目
欲穷千里目
更上一層樓
更上一层楼
登鸛雀樓
A compact and unforgettable ascent poem on distance, vision, and pushing farther upward.
白日依山盡
白日依山尽
黃河入海流
黄河入海流
欲窮千里目
欲穷千里目
更上一層樓
更上一层楼
Kai Script (楷書)
Kai
白日依山盡
白日依山尽
黃河入海流
黄河入海流
欲窮千里目
欲穷千里目
更上一層樓
更上一层楼
Running / Brush (行書) · Simplified
Handwriting
白日依山盡
白日依山尽
黃河入海流
黄河入海流
欲窮千里目
欲穷千里目
更上一層樓
更上一层楼
Grass Script (草書) · Simplified
Grass
白日依山盡
白日依山尽
黃河入海流
黄河入海流
欲窮千里目
欲穷千里目
更上一層樓
更上一层楼
Decorative Title Style · Simplified
Title / Decorative
白日依山盡
白日依山尽
黃河入海流
黄河入海流
欲窮千里目
欲穷千里目
更上一層樓
更上一层楼
Key Phrases Worth Memorizing
- 入海流 A powerful image of a great river pouring onward into the sea.
- 千里目 A famous phrase for a far-reaching view or broad vision.
- 更上一層樓 One of the most famous lines in Chinese, now used to mean taking things to a higher level.
- 依山盡 Describes the sun seeming to sink along the line of the mountains.
- 黃河 The Yellow River is both a geographical image and a symbol of civilizational scale.
Ten Modern Sentences Using the Poem’s Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 傍晚時，白日慢慢依山而盡。 | bàng wǎn shí, bái rì màn màn yī shān ér jìn. | At dusk, the sun slowly sank against the mountains. |
| 站在高處時，可以看到黃河向遠方流去。 | zhàn zài gāo chù shí, kě yǐ kàn dào huáng hé xiàng yuǎn fāng liú qù. | From a high place, you can see the Yellow River flowing into the distance. |
| 如果想看得更遠，就要再往上走一點。 | rú guǒ xiǎng kàn de gèng yuǎn, jiù yào zài wǎng shàng zǒu yì diǎn. | If you want to see farther, you need to go a little higher. |
| 老師常說，學習也要更上一層樓。 | lǎo shī cháng shuō, xué xí yě yào gèng shàng yì céng lóu. | The teacher often says that study too should rise to a higher level. |
| 這座樓的視野很好，可以望見很遠的地方。 | zhè zuò lóu de shì yě hěn hǎo, kě yǐ wàng jiàn hěn yuǎn de dì fang. | The view from this tower is excellent; you can see very far. |
| 旅行時，我最喜歡站在山頂看河流和落日。 | lǚ xíng shí, wǒ zuì xǐ huan zhàn zài shān dǐng kàn hé liú hé luò rì. | When traveling, I most enjoy standing on a mountaintop looking at rivers and the setting sun. |
| 他的眼界很廣，總能看到更遠的問題。 | tā de yǎn jiè hěn guǎng, zǒng néng kàn dào gèng yuǎn de wèn tí. | His vision is broad, and he can always see farther-reaching issues. |
| 黃河是很多中國詩歌裡都會出現的意象。 | huáng hé shì hěn duō zhōng guó shī gē lǐ dōu huì chū xiàn de yì xiàng. | The Yellow River is an image that appears in many Chinese poems. |
| 只差一步，我們就能到更高的一層。 | zhǐ chà yí bù, wǒ men jiù néng dào gèng gāo de yì céng. | We are just one step away from reaching a higher level. |
| 有時候改變角度，就能看見完全不同的風景。 | yǒu shí hou gǎi biàn jiǎo dù, jiù néng kàn jiàn wán quán bù tóng de fēng jǐng. | Sometimes changing your angle lets you see a completely different landscape. |
Pronunciation, Recitation, and Memorization Guide
Slow Recitation with Natural Pauses
Rhythmic structure: This is a five-character quatrain with very clear balance and momentum. Read it in measured two-part lines, saving the strongest emphasis for the last line.
Recommended pacing: Keep the first two lines spacious and scenic, then tighten the final two lines so the closing advice feels direct and memorable.
白日 / 依山盡
黃河 / 入海流
欲窮 / 千里目
更上 / 一層樓
Pronunciation Tips
| Character or phrase | Pinyin | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 盡 | jìn | Use the falling fourth tone here and keep the final -in short and crisp. |
| 黃河 | huáng hé | Let huáng stay resonant and make hé a clear rising second tone. |
| 窮 | qióng | Keep the q- light and the final -iong rounded and smooth. |
| 更 | gèng | Here it means ‘further’ or ‘again’; use the fourth tone, not gēng. |
Simple Memory Strategy
Remember the poem as a rising motion: first the sun setting by the mountain, then the river reaching the sea, then the desire to see farther, and finally the step upward that makes it possible.
1. Sun against the mountain
白日依山盡
Picture the white sun resting against the mountain line as it disappears.
2. River to the sea
黃河入海流
See the Yellow River moving steadily and irresistibly toward the sea.
3. Desire for a farther view
欲窮千里目
Feel the wish to extend your sight all the way to the horizon.
4. Go one floor higher
更上一層樓
Finish with the decisive action: climb higher to enlarge the view.
Line-by-Line Pronunciation Drill
白日依山盡 白日依山尽
Slow syllable drill: bái - rì - yī - shān - jìn
Teacher: 白日依山盡白日依山尽
Students repeat: 白日依山盡白日依山尽
黃河入海流 黄河入海流
Slow syllable drill: huáng - hé - rù - hǎi - liú
Teacher: 黃河入海流黄河入海流
Students repeat: 黃河入海流黄河入海流
欲窮千里目 欲穷千里目
Slow syllable drill: yù - qióng - qiān - lǐ - mù
Teacher: 欲窮千里目欲穷千里目
Students repeat: 欲窮千里目欲穷千里目
更上一層樓 更上一层楼
Slow syllable drill: gèng - shàng - yì - céng - lóu
Teacher: 更上一層樓更上一层楼
Students repeat: 更上一層樓更上一层楼