Learn by Songs 1 — Day 4 — Pity the Farmer (I)
Li Shen (772–846) wrote two short poems titled 'Pity the Farmer,' both about the hardship of farm labor and the value of food. This first one describes a farmer hoeing his field under the midday sun, sweat dripping into the soil — a reminder, in the final line, that every grain of rice on our plate costs someone real effort.
Today's Vocabulary
锄
to hoe
锄禾日当午，
Chú hé rì dāng wǔ,
Hoeing the crops, the sun at high noon,
汗
sweat
汗滴禾下土。
hàn dī hé xià tǔ.
sweat drips onto the soil beneath the plants.
盘中餐
food on the plate
谁知盘中餐，
Shuí zhī pán zhōng cān,
Who knows that the food on the plate,
粒
grain (measure word)
粒粒皆辛苦。
lì lì jiē xīn kǔ.
every single grain comes from hard toil.
辛苦
hard toil, hardship
粒粒皆辛苦。
lì lì jiē xīn kǔ.
every single grain comes from hard toil.
Today's Grammar
The last two lines — 'who knows that the food on the plate, every single grain, comes from hard toil' — became one of the most quoted proverbs in Chinese about not wasting food, still taught to children at every mealtime today.
锄禾日当午，
Hoeing the crops, the sun at high noon,
汗滴禾下土。
sweat drips onto the soil beneath the plants.
谁知盘中餐，
Who knows that the food on the plate,
粒粒皆辛苦。
every single grain comes from hard toil.