This famous herdsman’s folksong is one of my favorite Chinese poems ever. It originates in the Northern Dynasties, nearly 2000 years ago – but modern artists still use this verse to inspire their work today. You can even listen to a cool band on Spotify that turned this poem into a song.
敕勒川， 阴山下。
天似穹庐， 笼盖四野。
天苍苍，野茫茫， 风吹草低见牛羊。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 敕 | ||
| 勒 | lè | (literary) bridle; halter; headstall; to rein in; to compel; to force; (literary) to carve; to engrave; (literary) to command; to lead (an army etc); (physics) lux (abbr. for 勒克斯[l… |
| 川 | Chuān | short name for Sichuan 四川[Si4 chuan1] |
| 阴山 | Yīn shān | Yin mountains in Inner Mongolia |
| 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 … |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 似 | shǐ | used in 似的[shi4 de5] |
| 穹 | ||
| 庐 | ||
| 笼 | lóng | enclosing frame made of bamboo, wire etc; cage; basket; steamer basket |
| 盖 | gǎi | to cover; to build; a lid; since; approximately; surname Gai |
| 四 | sì | four; 4 |
| 野 | yě | old variant of 野[ye3]; field; plain; open space; limit; boundary; rude; feral |
| 苍 | cang | dark green; grey; pale; the heavens; grey-haired |
| 茫 | māng | vast, with no clear boundary; indistinct; confused |
| 风 | fēng | wind; news; style; custom; manner; CL:陣|阵[zhen4],絲|丝[si1] |
| 吹 | chuī | to blow; to play a wind instrument; to blast; to puff; to boast; to brag; to end in failure; to fall through |
| 草 | cǎo | variant of 草[cao3]; grass; straw; manuscript; draft (of a document); careless; rough; CL:棵[ke1],撮[zuo3],株[zhu1],根[gen1] |
| 低 | dī | low; beneath; to lower (one's head); to let droop; to hang down; to incline |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth); to interview; opinion; view |
| 牛羊 | níu yáng | cattle and sheep; livestock |
On the Chile Plains, beneath the shady mountain.
The sky is like the dome of a yurt, encasing the wilds in all four directions.
The sky is boundless, the wilderness is vast. The wind blows the grass down revealing the oxen and sheep.