锄禾日当午，
Hoeing grain under the noonday sun,
汗滴禾下土。
sweat drips onto the soil below.
谁知盘中餐，
Who realizes that the food on our plates —
粒粒皆辛苦。
every single grain — is hard-won toil?
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 锄 | chú | a hoe; to hoe or dig; to weed; to get rid of |
| 禾 | hé | cereal; grain |
| 日 | rì | sun; day |
| 当 | dāng | to serve as; to act as |
| 午 | wǔ | 7th earthly branch: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., noon, 5th solar month (6th June-6th July), year of the Horse |
| 汗 | hàn | sweat; perspiration |
| 滴 | dī | a drop; to drip |
| 下 | xià | down; next |
| 土 | tǔ | earth; soil |
| 谁知 | shéi zhī | who would have thought; unexpectedly |
| 盘 | pán | plate; dish; tray |
| 中餐 | zhōng cān | Chinese food |
| 粒 | lì | grain; small particle; classifier for small round objects |
| 皆 | jiē | all; every; without exception |
| 辛苦 | xīn kǔ | arduous; to work hard; exhausting |