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Qīng MíngQingming 清明

Du Mu (杜牧, also known as Tu Mu)｜Late Tang｜seven-character quatrain

Rain, a weary traveler and a herd boy pointing the way.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

清明时节雨纷纷
qīng míng shí jié yǔ fēn fēn

路上行人欲断魂
lù shàng xíng rén yù duàn hún

借问酒家何处有
jiè wèn jiǔ jiā hé chù yǒu

牧童遥指杏花村
mù tóng yáo zhǐ xìng huā cūn

Simplified characters; traditional title: 清明.

English translation

At Qingming the rain falls thick and fine;

the traveler's heart is going to break on his way.

"May I ask, where can I find a tavern?"

A herd boy points far off to Apricot Blossom Village.

Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.

Line by line

清明时节雨纷纷 · qīng míng shí jié yǔ fēn fēn — At Qingming the rain falls thick and fine;

路上行人欲断魂 · lù shàng xíng rén yù duàn hún — the traveler's heart is going to break on his way.

借问酒家何处有 · jiè wèn jiǔ jiā hé chù yǒu — "May I ask, where can I find a tavern?"

牧童遥指杏花村 · mù tóng yáo zhǐ xìng huā cūn — A herd boy points far off to Apricot Blossom Village.

Meaning and imagery

The poem opens in mist and grief, fitting a day of remembering the dead and of travel far from family. Then it turns into a tiny story with dialogue: a question, and a child's silent gesture. The pointing finger lifts the mood and opens the scene toward a village of blossoms and warm wine, so the poem ends in hope rather than sorrow. Its blend of melancholy and charm has made it the best-known Qingming poem in China.

Background

Qingming ("Clear and Bright," early April) is the festival for sweeping ancestors' tombs. The poem is traditionally attributed to Du Mu, though it first appears in later anthologies, and the location of "Apricot Blossom Village" is still debated.

Key words

清明 Qīngmíng: Tomb-Sweeping Festival, about April 5
纷纷 fēn fēn: thick and continuous, drizzling
断魂 duàn hún: heartbroken, "soul-severed"
杏花村 xìng huā cūn: Apricot Blossom Village

About the poet: Du Mu

Du Mu, grandson of a chief minister, was an official and a stylish writer of quatrains. With Li Shangyin he is known as one of the "Little Li and Du" of the late Tang, prized for vivid scenes tinged with history and melancholy.

Lifetime: 803–852. Other famous works: Written at the Wujiang Pavilion (题乌江亭); Passing Huaqing Palace (过华清宫); Qingming (清明); Spring in Jiangnan (江南春); Mooring on the Qinhuai River (泊秦淮); Mountain Walk (山行).