A famous early Du Fu poem on Mount Tai, ambition, scale, and the desire to stand at the summit.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 從山下望去，遠處的青色好像一直沒有盡頭。 | cóng shān xià wàng qù, yuǎn chù de qīng sè hǎo xiàng yì zhí méi yǒu jìn tóu. | Looking from the foot of the mountain, the green in the distance seemed endless. |
| 這片風景有一種很神秀的氣質。 | zhè piàn fēng jǐng yǒu yì zhǒng hěn shén xiù de qì zhì. | This landscape has a kind of extraordinary grace. |
| 山頂上常常有層雲，看起來很壯觀。 | shān dǐng shàng cháng cháng yǒu céng yún, kàn qǐ lái hěn zhuàng guān. | There are often layered clouds at the summit, which look magnificent. |
| 站得越高，看出去的風景越開闊。 | zhàn de yuè gāo, kàn chū qù de fēng jǐng yuè kāi kuò. | The higher you stand, the broader the view becomes. |
| 他一直想登上那座山的絕頂。 | tā yì zhí xiǎng dēng shàng nà zuò shān de jué dǐng. | He has always wanted to climb to that mountain’s summit. |
| 鳥群飛回山林時，天色也慢慢暗了。 | niǎo qún fēi huí shān lín shí, tiān sè yě màn màn àn le. | As the birds flew back to the forest, the sky slowly darkened. |
| 走到高處之後，真的有一覽眾山小的感覺。 | zǒu dào gāo chù zhī hòu, zhēn de yǒu yì lǎn zhòng shān xiǎo de gǎn jué. | After reaching a high place, you truly feel that all the other mountains seem small. |
| 有些詩句不只是寫景，也在寫人的志氣。 | yǒu xiē shī jù bú zhǐ shì xiě jǐng, yě zài xiě rén de zhì qì. | Some poetic lines are not only about scenery, but also about a person’s ambition. |
| 清晨和黃昏的山色完全不同。 | qīng chén hé huáng hūn de shān sè wán quán bù tóng. | The mountain’s color at dawn and dusk is completely different. |
| 看著高山時，人很容易想到更遠的目標。 | kàn zhe gāo shān shí, rén hěn róng yì xiǎng dào gèng yuǎn de mù biāo. | When looking at a high mountain, people easily begin thinking of farther goals. |
Rhythmic structure: This regulated verse grows steadily in force. Read the first half with wonder, then increase strength as the poem moves toward its final declaration.
Recommended pacing: Keep the opening reflective, the middle spacious, and the last couplet strong and resolved.
岱宗 / 夫如何
齊魯 / 青未了
造化 / 鍾神秀
陰陽 / 割昏曉
盪胸 / 生層雲
決眥 / 入歸鳥
會當 / 凌絕頂
一覽 / 眾山小
| Character or phrase | Pinyin | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 岱 | dài | Use a clear falling fourth tone and keep the final -ai open. |
| 魯 | lǔ | Keep the third tone full and rounded. |
| 眥 | zì | This uncommon character is read zì here; use a crisp fourth tone. |
| 覽 | lǎn | Open the third tone carefully and hold the final -an. |
Remember the poem as an ascent in vision: first the mountain’s immense outline, then its divine beauty, then the moving clouds and birds, and finally the vow to reach the top.
1. Endless mountain
岱宗夫如何 / 齊魯青未了
Picture Mount Tai stretching across the horizon without end.
2. Divine mountain form
造化鍾神秀 / 陰陽割昏曉
See the mountain divide light and shadow while gathering all natural beauty into itself.
3. Clouds and birds
盪胸生層雲 / 決眥入歸鳥
Feel your chest widen as layered clouds rise and returning birds cut across your sight.
4. Summit ambition
會當凌絕頂 / 一覽眾山小
End with the determination to stand on the summit and look down over all the mountains.
岱宗夫如何 岱宗夫如何
Slow syllable drill: dài - zōng - fú - rú - hé
Teacher: 岱宗夫如何岱宗夫如何
Students repeat: 岱宗夫如何岱宗夫如何
齊魯青未了 齐鲁青未了
Slow syllable drill: qí - lǔ - qīng - wèi - liǎo
Teacher: 齊魯青未了齐鲁青未了
Students repeat: 齊魯青未了齐鲁青未了
造化鍾神秀 造化钟神秀
Slow syllable drill: zào - huà - zhōng - shén - xiù
Teacher: 造化鍾神秀造化钟神秀
Students repeat: 造化鍾神秀造化钟神秀
陰陽割昏曉 阴阳割昏晓
Slow syllable drill: yīn - yáng - gē - hūn - xiǎo
Teacher: 陰陽割昏曉阴阳割昏晓
Students repeat: 陰陽割昏曉阴阳割昏晓
盪胸生層雲 荡胸生层云
Slow syllable drill: dàng - xiōng - shēng - céng - yún
Teacher: 盪胸生層雲荡胸生层云
Students repeat: 盪胸生層雲荡胸生层云
決眥入歸鳥 决眦入归鸟
Slow syllable drill: jué - zì - rù - guī - niǎo
Teacher: 決眥入歸鳥决眦入归鸟
Students repeat: 決眥入歸鳥决眦入归鸟
會當凌絕頂 会当凌绝顶
Slow syllable drill: huì - dāng - líng - jué - dǐng
Teacher: 會當凌絕頂会当凌绝顶
Students repeat: 會當凌絕頂会当凌绝顶
一覽眾山小 一览众山小
Slow syllable drill: yì - lǎn - zhòng - shān - xiǎo
Teacher: 一覽眾山小一览众山小
Students repeat: 一覽眾山小一览众山小