Home›Themes›Moon & night

Source-verified collection

Chinese Poems About the Moon and Night

The moon can connect people across distance, awaken homesickness, accompany solitude, or make life's incompleteness easier to accept. These pages keep each line tied to its original poem and setting.

We are under the same moonLooking at the moon makes me miss homeI cannot sleep on a cold night

Original lines

Read the Chinese, meaning, and source together

6 curated lines
✓ Verified sourceBilingual

海上生明月，天涯共此时。

Hǎi shàng shēng míng yuè, tiān yá gòng cǐ shí.

Close English reading

A bright moon rises over the sea; at the ends of the earth, we share this moment.

Plain meaningThough far apart, we are connected beneath the same moon.

Source
Zhang Jiuling· Tang dynasty · Gazing at the Moon and Thinking of Someone Far Away
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsThe moon creates a shared present for people separated by great distance.
Original context and translation note
海上生明月，天涯共此时。情人怨遥夜，竟夕起相思。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

Open result page
✓ Verified sourceBilingual

人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。

Rén yǒu bēi huān lí hé, yuè yǒu yīn qíng yuán quē, cǐ shì gǔ nán quán.

Close English reading

People have sorrow and joy, meeting and separation; the moon has brightness and shadow, fullness and loss. Such things have never been complete.

Plain meaningLife cannot remain perfect or whole all the time.

Source
Su Shi· Northern Song dynasty · Prelude to Water Melody: When Will the Moon Be Clear and Bright?
Dongpo Yuefu
Why it fitsHuman change and lunar change are placed side by side, making incompleteness a shared condition rather than a private failure.
Original context and translation note
不应有恨，何事长向别时圆？人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

Open result page
✓ Verified sourceBilingual

举头望明月，低头思故乡。

Jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè, dī tóu sī gù xiāng.

Close English reading

I raise my head and gaze at the bright moon; I lower it and think of home.

Plain meaningMoonlight makes me miss my home.

Source
Li Bai· Tang dynasty · Quiet Night Thoughts
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsThe movement from looking up to lowering the head turns moonlight directly into homesickness.
Original context and translation note
床前明月光，疑是地上霜。举头望明月，低头思故乡。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

Open result page
✓ Verified sourceBilingual

露从今夜白，月是故乡明。

Lù cóng jīn yè bái, yuè shì gù xiāng míng.

Close English reading

From tonight the dew turns white; the moon is brightest in my homeland.

Plain meaningHome always seems brighter when you are far away.

Source
Du Fu· Tang dynasty · Moonlit Night, Remembering My Younger Brothers
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsThe claim is emotional rather than astronomical: distance makes the remembered moon of home feel brighter.
Original context and translation note
戍鼓断人行，边秋一雁声。露从今夜白，月是故乡明。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

Open result page
✓ Verified sourceBilingual

月落乌啼霜满天，江枫渔火对愁眠。

Yuè luò wū tí shuāng mǎn tiān, jiāng fēng yú huǒ duì chóu mián.

Close English reading

The moon sets, crows cry, and frost fills the sky; beside river maples and fishing lights, I lie awake in sorrow.

Plain meaningI cannot sleep on this cold and lonely night.

Source
Zhang Ji· Tang dynasty · Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsSound, frost, dim lights, and the traveler's wakefulness combine into a vivid scene of nocturnal sorrow.
Original context and translation note
月落乌啼霜满天，江枫渔火对愁眠。姑苏城外寒山寺，夜半钟声到客船。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

Open result page
✓ Verified sourceBilingual

深林人不知，明月来相照。

Shēn lín rén bù zhī, míng yuè lái xiāng zhào.

Close English reading

No one knows me in the deep forest; the bright moon comes to shine upon me.

Plain meaningEven in solitude, the moon can feel like quiet company.

Source
Wang Wei· Tang dynasty · Bamboo Lodge
Complete Tang Poems
Why it fitsThe line gives companionship to moonlight without disturbing the stillness of being alone.
Original context and translation note
独坐幽篁里，弹琴复长啸。深林人不知，明月来相照。

English wording on Gu Ren Said is an original reading aid, not a claim that there is only one valid literary translation.

Open result page
Translation note: These English readings are original explanations prepared for Gu Ren Said. The Chinese original and source are the authoritative objects being verified; literary translations can reasonably differ.

Keep exploring

Other themes in the classics

All themes →
LoveVerified lines from classical Chinese poetry about affection, romance, and a heart that cannot forget.Missing someoneClassical Chinese lines for longing, absence, and someone who remains on your mind.BeautyElegant classical Chinese lines for praising a smile, eyes, presence, and unforgettable beauty.FriendshipVerified classical Chinese lines about true friends, distance, understanding, and harmony without conformity.

Every displayed Chinese line is tied to a work and source in the verified corpus. English explanations may expand, but the source line is never replaced with generated text.

Search in your own words →