悯农（其二）
mǐn nóng (qí èr)
Sympathy for the Farmers
李绅 (Li Shen) · Tang Dynasty · 772–846
Original Text
锄禾日当午，
chú hé rì dāng wǔ,
汗滴禾下土。
hàn dī hé xià tǔ.
谁知盘中餐，
shéi zhī pán zhōng cān,
粒粒皆辛苦。
lì lì jiē xīn kǔ.
English Translation
Hoeing grain under the midday sun, sweat drips onto the soil beneath the crops. Who knows that the food upon your plate — every single grain was hard-earned toil?
Historical Background
This poem is a moral lesson about respecting food and the labor behind it. It is recited by virtually every Chinese child and is often quoted by parents at mealtimes. The poem was written during a time when the gap between the wealthy and working classes was stark, and Li Shen sought to remind the privileged of the human cost behind their meals.
Literary Analysis
The poem's power lies in its directness. The first two lines place us in the field under scorching sun — we can feel the heat and see the sweat. The rhetorical question in line three addresses the reader directly, creating a sense of guilt or responsibility. The final line, with its repetition of "every grain" (粒粒), drives home the point that no amount of food should be wasted.
Details
Form
Five-character Quatrain (五言绝句)
Theme
Life & Philosophy
About Li Shen (李绅)
Li Shen was a Tang Dynasty poet and official who rose to become Chancellor. Ironically, despite writing this compassionate poem about farmers' hardship, he was later known for his extravagant lifestyle as an official. His "Sympathy for the Farmers" poems remain among the most recited in Chinese education.
Traditional Chinese
鋤禾日當午，汗滴禾下土。誰知盤中餐，粒粒皆辛苦。