红豆生南国，
Red beans grow in the southern land;
春来发几枝。
when spring comes, how many branches sprout?
愿君多采撷，
I hope you gather many —
此物最相思。
for they carry longing best of all.
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 红豆 | hóng dòu | azuki bean; red bean |
| 生 | shēng | to be born; life; student |
| 南 | nán | south |
| 国 | guó | country |
| 春 | chūn | spring (season) |
| 来 | lái | to come; to arrive |
| 发 | fā | to send; to issue |
| 几 | jǐ | how many; several; a few |
| 枝 | zhī | branch; a classifier for long, thin objects |
| 愿 | yuàn | to wish; to be willing; to desire |
| 君 | jūn | monarch; lord; gentleman; ruler |
| 多 | duō | many; much |
| 采 | cǎi | to pick; to gather; to collect |
| 撷 | xié | to collect |
| 此 | cǐ | this; these (formal) |
| 物 | wù | (bound form) thing; (literary) the outside world as distinct from oneself; people other than oneself |
| 最 | zuì | most; -est |
| 相思 | xiāng sī | to yearn; to pine |