悯(mǐn)农(nónɡ)二(èr)首(shǒu)·其(qí)二(èr)

李(lǐ)绅(shēn)〔唐(tánɡ)代(dài)〕

锄(chú)禾(hé)日(rì)当(dānɡ)午(wǔ)，

汗(hàn)滴(dī)禾(hé)下(xià)土(tǔ)。

谁(shuí)知(zhī)盘(pán)中(zhōnɡ)餐(cān)，

粒(lì)粒(lì)皆(jiē)辛(xīn)苦(kǔ)？

Explanation of Ancient Chinese Poetry

In the midday heat of high summer, under the blazing sun, farmers continue to toil in the fields, their sweat beads dripping into the soil.
Who would have thought that every grain of rice in our bowls is the result of the farmers’ arduous labor?

Annotations

禾: A general term for cereal crops.
餐: Alternatively written as “飧”, a general term for cooked food.

Creative Background

According to records in books such as “Yunxi Youyi” by Fan Shu of the Tang Dynasty and “Old Book of Tang: Biography of Lv Wei”, it can be roughly inferred that this series of poems, including this one, were written by Li Shen in the fifteenth year of Zhenyuan (799 AD) during the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang.