If you are interested in Chinese poetry, this is the best poem to start with.
靜夜思 or Thoughts in the Silent Night is the most well-known and most popular of them all. It was written by the famous Chinese Poet 李白 Li Bai (Cantonese pronunciation lei5 baak6) during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), which was largely considered the Golden Age of Chinese Poetry. He wrote almost a thousand more poems, many of which endured to this day. 靜夜思 or Thoughts in the Silent Night coveys his pensiveness and nostalgia and longing for his hometown, as well as his appreciation for the beauty of the landscape.
Poetry Recitation in Cantonese
Please watch 靜夜思 Thoughts in the Silent Night recited in Cantonese.
Poem and Translation
| Chinese | Cantonese Pronunciation | English Translation |
靜夜思 |
zing6 je6 si1 | Thoughts in the Silent Night |
床前明月光， |
cong4 cin4 ming4 jyut6 gwong1， | Moon shining bright front of my Bed |
疑是地上霜。 |
ji4 si6 dei6 soeng5 soeng1。 | I think there is frost upon the ground. |
舉頭望明月， |
geoi2 tau4 mong6 ming4 jyut6， | I raise my head and gaze at the bright moon, |
低頭思故鄉。 |
dai1 tau4 si1 gu3hoeng1。 | I bow my head and reminisce about my hometown. |
Nursery Rhyme 床前明月光
The poem has also inspired a Cantonese nursery rhyme Moonlight 床前明月光
床前明月光 Song Lyrics
月亮光月亮明
jyut6 loeng6 gwong1 jyut6 loeng6 ming4
窗前明月亮又圓
coeng1 cin4 ming4 jyut6 loeng6 jau6 jyun4
我念故園思故鄉
ngo5 nim6 gu3 jyun4 si1 gu3 hoeng1
故鄉今日可否無恙
gu3 hoeng1 gam1 jat6 ho2 fau2 mou4 joeng6
明月光地上霜
ming4 jyut6 gwong1 dei6 soeng5 soeng1
望明月思故鄉
mong6 ming4 jyut6 si1 gu3 hoeng1
床前明月光 疑是地上霜
cong4 cin4 ming4 jyut6 gwong1 ji4 si6 dei6 soeng5 soeng1
舉頭望明月 低頭思故鄉
geoi2 tau4 mong6 ming4 jyut6 dai1 tau4 si1 gu3 hoeng1
念故園思故鄉
nim6 gu3 jyun4 si1 gu3 hoeng1
故鄉今日可否無恙
gu3 hoeng1 gam1 jat6 ho2 fau2 mou4 joeng6
Printables
The following printable are available for download. First page includes Jyutping, second page without.
- Thoughts in the Silent Night Poem with Cantonese Romanisation and English Translation 靜夜思唐詩(粵語)
- Moon Shining Bright Cantonese Nursery Rhyme 床前明月光粵語兒歌 Lyrics
You might also enjoy reading:
- Mid Autumn Festival – Cantonese Teaching Activities 中秋節教材
- Our collection of Cantonese nursery Rhyme and Songs (Each come with a free lyrics printable. )
- Cantonese Storytime and Book Reading on YouTube
- How To Read To Your Child When Your Cantonese Is Not Fluent
- Colloquial Cantonese Kid’s Educational Resources and Printables
How do you download the free printables? Do I need a password? I can’t seem to be able to download the lyrics for the Wash your Hands song. I just get a blank screen when I click on the song title in blue font.
Hi Corinne, I’m so sorry to hear that you are having issues downloading. I went to check, and seems that people using certain versions of Chrome are having difficulties opening PDFS. I am looking into it, but I’m happy to email you the files. Alternatively, you can right click to download, or use other browsers such as firefox or IE. I’m sorry for the inconvenience caused.