Du Fu
Chinese (Tang Dynasty) · 712–770
The "Poet Sage" of the Tang Dynasty, whose socially conscious and technically masterful verse captured the suffering and resilience of ordinary people amid war and upheaval.
Wikipedia ↗“朱门酒肉臭，路有冻死骨。”
Chinese
“Behind the crimson gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the road, lie the bones of those frozen to death.”
“国破山河在，城春草木深。”
Chinese
“The nation shattered, mountains and rivers remain; spring in the city, grass and trees grow deep.”
“感时花溅泪，恨别鸟惊心。”
Chinese
“A flower touched by feeling sheds its tears; a bird startled by separation breaks the heart.”
“烽火连三月，家书抵万金。”
Chinese
“A letter from home is worth ten thousand gold coins in wartime.”
“好雨知时节，当春乃发生。”
Chinese
“The fine rain knows the season, and comes when spring arrives.”
“安得广厦千万间，大庇天下寒士俱欢颜。”
Chinese
“If ten thousand mansions could shelter all the poor scholars of the world, I would gladly see my own hut wrecked.”
“星垂平野阔，月涌大江流。”
Chinese
“The stars hang low over the vast plain; the moon surges in the great river’s flow.”
“无边落木萧萧下，不尽长江滚滚来。”
Chinese
“Boundless falling leaves rustle down; the endless Yangtze rolls on and on.”
“读书破万卷，下笔如有神。”
Chinese
“Read through ten thousand volumes; your pen will write as if aided by the gods.”
“会当凌绝顶，一览众山小。”
Chinese
“I will climb to the mountain’s crown, and see all the small mountains below.”
“人生不相见，动如参与商。今夕复何夕，共此灯烛光。”
Chinese
“Rare is it that friends meet, like the stars Shen and Shang; tonight, what night is this, that we share this lamplight?”