Learn by Songs 2 — Day 3 — Gazing at Mount Tianmen
Li Bai wrote this poem while sailing past Mount Tianmen ('Heaven's Gate Mountain'), where two cliffs face each other across the Yangtze River near modern Anhui province, giving the appearance of a great gate the river has cut through. The poem captures the thrill of approaching the gap by boat, with the mountains seeming to rush forward to meet the traveler.
Today's Vocabulary
天门
Mount Tianmen (Heaven's Gate)
天门中断楚江开，
Tiānmén zhōng duàn Chǔ jiāng kāi,
Mount Tianmen breaks open in the middle, where the Chu River cuts through,
碧水
jade-green water
碧水东流至此回。
Bì shuǐ dōng liú zhì cǐ huí.
the jade-green water flows east, swirling back as it reaches here.
两岸
both riverbanks
两岸青山相对出，
Liǎng àn qīng shān xiāng duì chū,
The green mountains on both banks emerge to face each other,
青山
green mountain
两岸青山相对出，
Liǎng àn qīng shān xiāng duì chū,
The green mountains on both banks emerge to face each other,
孤帆
a lone sail
孤帆一片日边来。
Gū fān yī piàn rì biān lái.
and a single lone sail comes from the edge of the sun.
Today's Grammar
The verbs are the engine of this poem — 'breaks open' (断), 'flows back' (回), 'emerge to face each other' (出), 'comes' (来) — turning still mountains and water into a scene bursting with motion, as if the whole landscape were alive and rushing toward the poet's boat.
天门中断楚江开，
Mount Tianmen breaks open in the middle, where the Chu River cuts through,
碧水东流至此回。
the jade-green water flows east, swirling back as it reaches here.
两岸青山相对出，
The green mountains on both banks emerge to face each other,
孤帆一片日边来。
and a single lone sail comes from the edge of the sun.