Read the renowned Xu Zhimo’s famous poem about his time studying at King’s College, Cambridge in the 1920s.
轻轻的我走了， 正如我轻轻的来； 我轻轻的招手， 作别西天的云彩。
那河畔的金柳， 是夕阳中的新娘； 波光里的艳影， 在我的心头荡漾。
软泥上的青荇， 油油的在水底招摇； 在康河的柔波里， 我甘心做一条水草！
那榆荫下的一潭， 不是清泉，是天上虹； 揉碎在浮藻间， 沉淀着彩虹似的梦。
寻梦？撑一支长篙， 向青草更青处漫溯； 满载一船星辉， 在星辉斑斓里放歌。
但我不能放歌， 悄悄是别离的笙箫； 夏虫也为我沉默， 沉默是今晚的康桥！
悄悄的我走了， 正如我悄悄的来； 我挥一挥衣袖， 不带走一片云彩。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 轻轻 | qīng qīng | lightly; softly |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle); to visit; to leave; to go away; to die (euph.); from; through; away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[che4 zou3]); to change (shape, form… |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 正如 | zhèng rú | just as; precisely as |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 招 | zhao | to recruit; to beckon; to infect; a move (chess); device; to confess |
| 手 | shǒu | hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly); convenient; classifier for skill; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 作别 | zuò bié | to take one's leave; to bid farewell |
| 西天 | Xī tiān | the Western Paradise (Buddhism) |
| 云彩 | yún cai | (coll.) cloud; CL:朵[duo3] |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 河畔 | hé pàn | riverside; river plain |
| 金 | Jīn | surname Jin; surname Kim (Korean); Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115–1234) |
| 柳 | liǔ | willow |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 夕阳 | xī yáng | sunset; the setting sun |
| 中的 | zhòng dì | to hit the target; (fig.) to hit the nail on the head |
| 新娘 | xīn niáng | bride |
| 波光 | bō guāng | gleaming reflection of waves in sunlight |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 艳 | yàn | variant of 豔|艳[yan4]; old variant of 豔|艳[yan4]; bright; fresh and attractive; glamorous; (bound form) amorous; romantic; (literary) to admire; to envy |
| 影 | yǐng | picture; image; film; movie; photograph; reflection; shadow; trace |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 心 | xīn | heart; mind; intention; center; core; CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] |
| 头 | tóu | head; hair style; the top; end; beginning or end; a stub; remnant; chief; boss; side; aspect; first; leading; classifier for pigs or livestock; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 荡 | dàng | to swing; to drift; to loaf |
| 漾 | ||
| 软 | ruǎn | soft; flexible; variant of 軟|软[ruan3] |
| 泥 | nī | mud; paste |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 青 | Qīng | short name for Qinghai 青海[Qing1 hai3] |
| 荇 | ||
| 油油 | yóu yóu | oily |
| 水 | Shuǐ | surname Shui; Shui ethnic group |
| 底 | dí | (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) |
| 摇 | yāo | to shake; to wave; to rock; to sway |
| 康 | Kāng | surname Kang |
| 河 | hé | river (CL:條|条[tiao2],道[dao4]); (bound form) the Yellow River; (bound form) the Milky Way; (bound form) (on restaurant menus) rice noodles 河粉[he2 fen3] |
| 柔 | róu | soft; flexible; supple; yielding; rho (Greek letter Ρρ) |
| 波 | Bō | (bound form) Poland (abbr. for 波蘭|波兰[Bo1 lan2]); surname Bo |
| 甘心 | gān xīn | to be willing to; to resign oneself to |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 条 | tiáo | strip; item; article; clause (of law or treaty); classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc) |
| 水草 | shuǐ cǎo | aquatic plants; water and grass (i.e. favorable foraging land for livestock or wild animals); (Malaysia) (coll.) drinking straw |
| 榆 | ||
| 荫 | yin | shade |
| 下 | xià | down; downwards; below; lower; later; next (week etc); second (of two parts); to decline; to go down; to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc); measure word to show the frequency … |
| 潭 | ||
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 清泉 | qīng quán | clear spring |
| 天上 | tiān shàng | the sky; the heavens |
| 虹 | hóng | rainbow |
| 揉 | rōu | to knead; to rub |
| 碎 | suì | (transitive or intransitive) to break into pieces; to shatter; to crumble; broken; fragmentary; scattered; garrulous |
| 浮 | fū | to float; floating; movable; temporary; impetuous; inflated; superfluous; surplus |
| 藻 | zǎo | algae; literary embellishments |
| 间 | jiān | between; among; within a definite time or space; room; section of a room or lateral space between two pairs of pillars; classifier for rooms |
| 沉 | chēn | to sink; heavy; deep; to immerse; to keep down |
| 淀 | diǎn | (bound form) shallow lake (usu. in place names) |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 彩虹 | cǎi hóng | rainbow; CL:道[dao4] |
| 似 | shǐ | used in 似的[shi4 de5] |
| 梦 | mèng | dream (CL:場|场[chang2]); (bound form) to dream |
| 寻 | xún | to search; to look for; to seek |
| 撑 | cheng | to support; to push or move with a pole; to open or unfurl; brace; support |
| 支 | Zhī | surname Zhi |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 篙 | ||
| 向 | Xiàng | surname Xiang; to tend toward; to guide; variant of 向[xiang4]; variant of 向[xiang4]; direction; orientation; to face; to turn toward; to; towards; shortly before; formerly |
| 青草 | qīng cǎo | grass |
| 更 | gēng | to change or replace; to experience; one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided; watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) |
| 处 | chǔ | to reside; to live; to dwell; to be in; to be situated at; to stay; to get along with; to be in a position of; to deal with; to discipline; to punish |
| 漫 | mǎn | free; to inundate |
| 溯 | ||
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 载 | zǎi | to record in writing; to carry (i.e. publish in a newspaper etc); Taiwan pr. [zai4]; year |
| 船 | chuán | variant of 船[chuan2]; boat; vessel; ship; CL:條|条[tiao2],艘[sou1],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 星 | xīng | star; heavenly body; satellite; small amount |
| 辉 | hui | (bound form) radiance; brilliance; to shine |
| 斑 | bān | spot; colored patch; stripe; spotted; striped; variegated |
| 斓 | ||
| 放 | fàng | to put; to place; to release; to free; to let go; to let out; to set off (fireworks) |
| 歌 | gē | song (CL:首[shou3],支[zhi1]); (bound form) to sing; variant of 歌[ge1] |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 悄 | qiao | used in 悄悄[qiao1 qiao1] |
| 别离 | bié lí | to take leave of; to leave; separation |
| 笙 | shēng | sheng, a free reed wind instrument with vertical bamboo pipes |
| 箫 | ||
| 夏 | Xià | the Xia or Hsia dynasty c. 2000 BC; Xia of the Sixteen Kingdoms (407–432); surname Xia |
| 虫 | chóng | variant of 蟲|虫[chong2]; lower form of animal life, including insects, insect larvae, worms and similar creatures; CL:條|条[tiao2],隻|只[zhi1]; (fig.) person with a particular undesirable characteristic |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 为 | wéi | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice); variant of 為|为[wei2] |
| 默 | mò | silent; to write from memory |
| 今晚 | jīn wǎn | tonight |
| 桥 | qiáo | bridge; CL:座[zuo4] |
| 挥 | hui | to wave; to command; to scatter |
| 衣袖 | yī xìu | the sleeve of a garment |
| 不带 | bù dài | not to have; without; un- |
| 片 | piān | disk; sheet |
Softly I am leaving, Just as softly I came; I softly wave my hand, Bidding farewell to the clouds in the western sky.
The golden willows by the riverbank Are brides in the setting sun; Their shimmering reflections in the ripples Stir gently in my heart.
The green duckweed on the soft mud Sways freely beneath the water; In the gentle waves of the Cam River, I am willing to be a waterweed myself.
That pool beneath the elm shade— Not a clear spring, but a rainbow from the sky; Crushed among the floating algae, It settles into rainbow-colored dreams.
To seek those dreams? I would pole a long oar, Drifting upstream where the grass is greener still; With a boat full of starlight, Singing aloud amid its sparkling glow.
But I cannot sing aloud— Quietness is the music of parting; Even the summer insects fall silent for me, Silence is Cambridge tonight!
Softly I am leaving, Just as softly I came; I wave my sleeve gently, Taking with me not a single cloud.