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Mǐn NóngPity the Farmers 悯农
The poem every Chinese child learns before finishing their rice.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
锄禾日当午
chú hé rì dāng wǔ
汗滴禾下土
hàn dī hé xià tǔ
谁知盘中飧
shuí zhī pán zhōng sūn
粒粒皆辛苦
lì lì jiē xīn kǔ
Simplified characters; traditional title: 憫農.
English translation
At noon they hoe their crops under the sun;
Their sweat drips down into the soil below.
Who knows that of the food that fills our dish
Each single grain was won through bitter toil?
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
The poem works by zooming in: from the field at noon to a drop of sweat, then to a bowl of rice and finally to each single grain. The rhetorical question asks the eater to make the connection between the meal and the farmer's labor. It is short enough for a toddler to memorize, and sharp enough to remain a reminder of social injustice.
Background
The second of two poems by Li Shen with this title. It is often recited to children to teach them not to waste food.
Key words
- 锄禾 chú hé
- hoeing the crops
- 飧 sūn
- cooked food, a meal
- 辛苦 xīn kǔ
- hard toil
About the poet: Li Shen
Li Shen was a friend of Bai Juyi and Yuan Zhen and rose to be chief minister. His two short "Pity the Farmers" poems are memorized by nearly every Chinese schoolchild.
Lifetime: 772–846. Other famous works: Pity the Farmers (悯农).