Reading (宋體 / Ming)
Song / Ming
故人西辭黃鶴樓
故人西辞黄鹤楼
煙花三月下揚州
烟花三月下扬州
孤帆遠影碧山盡
孤帆远影碧山尽
惟見長江天際流
惟见长江天际流
黃鶴樓送孟浩然之廣陵
A classic farewell poem with famous imagery of spring, distance, and the Yangtze River.
故人西辭黃鶴樓
故人西辞黄鹤楼
煙花三月下揚州
烟花三月下扬州
孤帆遠影碧山盡
孤帆远影碧山尽
惟見長江天際流
惟见长江天际流
Kai Script (楷書)
Kai
故人西辭黃鶴樓
故人西辞黄鹤楼
煙花三月下揚州
烟花三月下扬州
孤帆遠影碧山盡
孤帆远影碧山尽
惟見長江天際流
惟见长江天际流
Running / Brush (行書) · Simplified
Handwriting
故人西辭黃鶴樓
故人西辞黄鹤楼
煙花三月下揚州
烟花三月下扬州
孤帆遠影碧山盡
孤帆远影碧山尽
惟見長江天際流
惟见长江天际流
Grass Script (草書) · Simplified
Grass
故人西辭黃鶴樓
故人西辞黄鹤楼
煙花三月下揚州
烟花三月下扬州
孤帆遠影碧山盡
孤帆远影碧山尽
惟見長江天際流
惟见长江天际流
Decorative Title Style · Simplified
Title / Decorative
故人西辭黃鶴樓
故人西辞黄鹤楼
煙花三月下揚州
烟花三月下扬州
孤帆遠影碧山盡
孤帆远影碧山尽
惟見長江天際流
惟见长江天际流
Key Phrases Worth Memorizing
- 故人 A literary and still useful way to refer to an old friend.
- 煙花三月 A famous phrase for the beautiful flowering scene of the third lunar month.
- 孤帆遠影 An elegant image of a lone sail fading into the distance.
- 天際流 Describes movement toward the horizon and gives a strong sense of space.
- 黃鶴樓 One of the most famous poetic landmarks in the Chinese canon.
Ten Modern Sentences Using the Poem’s Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他是我多年的故人，我們見面時一點也不陌生。 | tā shì wǒ duō nián de gù rén, wǒ men jiàn miàn shí yì diǎn yě bù mò shēng. | He is an old friend of many years, so meeting him never feels unfamiliar. |
| 三月的城市到處都是花，真的很像煙花三月。 | sān yuè de chéng shì dào chù dōu shì huā, zhēn de hěn xiàng yān huā sān yuè. | The city is full of flowers in March; it really feels like 'flowering third month.' |
| 我們站在江邊，看著一艘孤帆慢慢遠去。 | wǒ men zhàn zài jiāng biān, kàn zhe yì sōu gū fān màn màn yuǎn qù. | We stood by the river watching a lone sail drift slowly away. |
| 山路轉了一個彎，前面的遠影就看不見了。 | shān lù zhuǎn le yí gè wān, qián miàn de yuǎn yǐng jiù kàn bú jiàn le. | After the mountain road turned, the distant figure ahead disappeared. |
| 從高樓上看去，長江一直流到天際。 | cóng gāo lóu shàng kàn qù, cháng jiāng yì zhí liú dào tiān jì. | From the tall building, the Yangtze seems to flow all the way to the horizon. |
| 送朋友離開時，我心裡也有一點不捨。 | sòng péng yǒu lí kāi shí, wǒ xīn lǐ yě yǒu yì diǎn bù shě. | When I saw my friend off, I also felt a little reluctant to part. |
| 他站在樓上向西望，直到車子完全消失。 | tā zhàn zài lóu shàng xiàng xī wàng, zhí dào chē zi wán quán xiāo shī. | He stood upstairs looking west until the car disappeared completely. |
| 這條河很長，水流一直看不到盡頭。 | zhè tiáo hé hěn cháng, shuǐ liú yì zhí kàn bú dào jìn tóu. | This river is very long, and its flow seems to have no end. |
| 春天去揚州旅行的人很多。 | chūn tiān qù yáng zhōu lǚ xíng de rén hěn duō. | Many people travel to Yangzhou in spring. |
| 站在江邊時，人的心也會變得開闊。 | zhàn zài jiāng biān shí, rén de xīn yě huì biàn de kāi kuò. | Standing by the river can make the heart feel broader too. |
Pronunciation, Recitation, and Memorization Guide
Slow Recitation with Natural Pauses
Rhythmic structure: This is a seven-character quatrain with a broad, cinematic flow. Read each line in three beats and let the final beat open outward.
Recommended pacing: Give the first two lines a stately farewell tone, then stretch the final line slightly so the river image feels expansive.
故人 / 西辭 / 黃鶴樓
煙花 / 三月 / 下揚州
孤帆 / 遠影 / 碧山盡
惟見 / 長江 / 天際流
Pronunciation Tips
| Character or phrase | Pinyin | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 鶴 | hè | Keep the fourth tone short and decisive; do not weaken it. |
| 揚州 | yáng zhōu | Open the second-tone yáng clearly, then keep zhōu rounded and smooth. |
| 遠影 | yuǎn yǐng | Both syllables begin with glides; keep the third tones full but not heavy. |
| 際 | jì | Use a clear j- with a firm falling fourth tone. |
Simple Memory Strategy
See the poem as a farewell sequence: an old friend leaves the famous tower, spring opens before him, the sail shrinks in the distance, and only the long river remains.
1. Departure at the tower
故人西辭黃鶴樓
Picture two friends parting at Yellow Crane Tower.
2. Spring journey
煙花三月下揚州
See the traveler going downriver through a lush spring landscape.
3. The boat fades
孤帆遠影碧山盡
Watch the single sail become smaller until it merges with the blue hills.
4. Only the river remains
惟見長江天際流
Let the final image widen into the endless river flowing toward the horizon.
Line-by-Line Pronunciation Drill
故人西辭黃鶴樓 故人西辞黄鹤楼
Slow syllable drill: gù - rén - xī - cí - huáng - hè - lóu
Teacher: 故人西辭黃鶴樓故人西辞黄鹤楼
Students repeat: 故人西辭黃鶴樓故人西辞黄鹤楼
煙花三月下揚州 烟花三月下扬州
Slow syllable drill: yān - huā - sān - yuè - xià - yáng - zhōu
Teacher: 煙花三月下揚州烟花三月下扬州
Students repeat: 煙花三月下揚州烟花三月下扬州
孤帆遠影碧山盡 孤帆远影碧山尽
Slow syllable drill: gū - fān - yuǎn - yǐng - bì - shān - jìn
Teacher: 孤帆遠影碧山盡孤帆远影碧山尽
Students repeat: 孤帆遠影碧山盡孤帆远影碧山尽
惟見長江天際流 惟见长江天际流
Slow syllable drill: wéi - jiàn - cháng - jiāng - tiān - jì - liú
Teacher: 惟見長江天際流惟见长江天际流
Students repeat: 惟見長江天際流惟见长江天际流