Reading (宋體 / Ming)
Song / Ming
床前明月光
床前明月光
疑是地上霜
疑是地上霜
舉頭望明月
举头望明月
低頭思故鄉
低头思故乡
靜夜思
Moonlight, homesickness, and one of the most widely memorized Tang poems for learners.
床前明月光
床前明月光
疑是地上霜
疑是地上霜
舉頭望明月
举头望明月
低頭思故鄉
低头思故乡
Kai Script (楷書)
Kai
床前明月光
床前明月光
疑是地上霜
疑是地上霜
舉頭望明月
举头望明月
低頭思故鄉
低头思故乡
Running / Brush (行書) · Simplified
Handwriting
床前明月光
床前明月光
疑是地上霜
疑是地上霜
舉頭望明月
举头望明月
低頭思故鄉
低头思故乡
Grass Script (草書) · Simplified
Grass
床前明月光
床前明月光
疑是地上霜
疑是地上霜
舉頭望明月
举头望明月
低頭思故鄉
低头思故乡
Decorative Title Style · Simplified
Title / Decorative
床前明月光
床前明月光
疑是地上霜
疑是地上霜
舉頭望明月
举头望明月
低頭思故鄉
低头思故乡
Key Phrases Worth Memorizing
- 明月光 A vivid phrase for bright moonlight and a core image in Chinese poetry.
- 地上霜 Used to describe a pale, frost-like whiteness spread across the ground.
- 舉頭望 A useful phrase for lifting the head to look upward.
- 思故鄉 A classic expression for missing one’s hometown.
- 疑是 A common pattern meaning ‘to suspect that something is’ or ‘it seems like’.
Ten Modern Sentences Using the Poem’s Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 今晚的明月光很亮，照得房間像白天一樣。 | jīn wǎn de míng yuè guāng hěn liàng, zhào de fáng jiān xiàng bái tiān yí yàng. | The moonlight is so bright tonight that the room feels like daytime. |
| 清晨出門時，我還以為地上有霜。 | qīng chén chū mén shí, wǒ hái yǐ wéi dì shàng yǒu shuāng. | When I went out early this morning, I thought there was frost on the ground. |
| 聽到熟悉的音樂時，他立刻思起故鄉。 | tīng dào shú xī de yīn yuè shí, tā lì kè sī qǐ gù xiāng. | When he heard familiar music, he immediately thought of home. |
| 我舉頭望向夜空，想找最亮的那顆星。 | wǒ jǔ tóu wàng xiàng yè kōng, xiǎng zhǎo zuì liàng de nà kē xīng. | I lifted my head and looked at the night sky, trying to find the brightest star. |
| 孩子低頭寫字，沒有注意到窗外的月亮。 | hái zi dī tóu xiě zì, méi yǒu zhù yì dào chuāng wài de yuè liàng. | The child kept his head down writing and did not notice the moon outside. |
| 很多留學生在節日時都會思故鄉。 | hěn duō liú xué shēng zài jié rì shí dōu huì sī gù xiāng. | Many overseas students think of home during festivals. |
| 她看見白色的草地，疑是昨夜下了雪。 | tā kàn jiàn bái sè de cǎo dì, yí shì zuó yè xià le xuě. | She saw the white grass and suspected it had snowed last night. |
| 明月掛在山上時，整個湖面都亮了。 | míng yuè guà zài shān shàng shí, zhěng gè hú miàn dōu liàng le. | When the bright moon hung above the mountain, the whole lake lit up. |
| 他低頭想了一會兒，才慢慢回答問題。 | tā dī tóu xiǎng le yí huìr, cái màn màn huí dá wèn tí. | He lowered his head and thought for a moment before answering. |
| 旅行越久，有時越容易思起自己的故鄉。 | lǚ xíng yuè jiǔ, yǒu shí yuè róng yì sī qǐ zì jǐ de gù xiāng. | The longer you travel, the easier it can be to start missing your hometown. |
Pronunciation, Recitation, and Memorization Guide
Slow Recitation with Natural Pauses
Rhythmic structure: This is a five-character quatrain. Read each line in two balanced chunks so the final image lands clearly.
Recommended pacing: Read slowly with a small pause in the middle of each line and a longer pause after each full line.
床前 / 明月光
疑是 / 地上霜
舉頭 / 望明月
低頭 / 思故鄉
Pronunciation Tips
| Character or phrase | Pinyin | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 床 | chuáng | Keep the initial retroflex ch- clear and hold the final -ang fully. |
| 月 | yuè | Round the lips for yue and finish with a crisp falling fourth tone. |
| 舉 | jǔ | The vowel ü needs rounded lips; do not flatten it to ju. |
| 鄉 | xiāng | Start with a soft x- and keep the final -iang long and smooth. |
Simple Memory Strategy
Remember the poem as four connected camera shots: moonlight by the bed, white frost on the floor, a lifted head facing the moon, and a lowered head thinking of home.
1. Moonlight in the room
床前明月光
Picture silver moonlight stretching across the floor in front of the bed.
2. Mistaken for frost
疑是地上霜
See that light becoming so pale and cold that it looks like frost.
3. Lift the head
舉頭望明月
Imagine the body rising and the eyes moving upward toward the moon.
4. Return to home
低頭思故鄉
Feel the emotion shift inward as the head lowers and homesickness appears.
Line-by-Line Pronunciation Drill
床前明月光 床前明月光
Slow syllable drill: chuáng - qián - míng - yuè - guāng
Teacher: 床前明月光床前明月光
Students repeat: 床前明月光床前明月光
疑是地上霜 疑是地上霜
Slow syllable drill: yí - shì - dì - shàng - shuāng
Teacher: 疑是地上霜疑是地上霜
Students repeat: 疑是地上霜疑是地上霜
舉頭望明月 举头望明月
Slow syllable drill: jǔ - tóu - wàng - míng - yuè
Teacher: 舉頭望明月举头望明月
Students repeat: 舉頭望明月举头望明月
低頭思故鄉 低头思故乡
Slow syllable drill: dī - tóu - sī - gù - xiāng
Teacher: 低頭思故鄉低头思故乡
Students repeat: 低頭思故鄉低头思故乡