Reading (宋體 / Ming)
Song / Ming
空山不見人
空山不见人
但聞人語響
但闻人语响
返景入深林
返景入深林
復照青苔上
复照青苔上
鹿柴
A compact landscape poem built from silence, echo, and light entering the forest.
空山不見人
空山不见人
但聞人語響
但闻人语响
返景入深林
返景入深林
復照青苔上
复照青苔上
Kai Script (楷書)
Kai
空山不見人
空山不见人
但聞人語響
但闻人语响
返景入深林
返景入深林
復照青苔上
复照青苔上
Running / Brush (行書) · Simplified
Handwriting
空山不見人
空山不见人
但聞人語響
但闻人语响
返景入深林
返景入深林
復照青苔上
复照青苔上
Grass Script (草書) · Simplified
Grass
空山不見人
空山不见人
但聞人語響
但闻人语响
返景入深林
返景入深林
復照青苔上
复照青苔上
Decorative Title Style · Simplified
Title / Decorative
空山不見人
空山不见人
但聞人語響
但闻人语响
返景入深林
返景入深林
復照青苔上
复照青苔上
Key Phrases Worth Memorizing
- 空山 A classic phrase for an empty, quiet mountain landscape.
- 人語響 A beautiful expression for the echo of human voices.
- 深林 A compact phrase for deep forest, still common in literary description.
- 青苔上 A vivid final image showing light resting on green moss.
- 返景 A literary term for reflected or slanting evening light.
Ten Modern Sentences Using the Poem’s Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 週末的山裡很安靜，真的像空山一樣。 | zhōu mò de shān lǐ hěn ān jìng, zhēn de xiàng kōng shān yí yàng. | The mountains were very quiet on the weekend, truly like an empty mountain. |
| 雖然看不見人，卻能聽到遠處的人語響。 | suī rán kàn bú jiàn rén, què néng tīng dào yuǎn chù de rén yǔ xiǎng. | Although you cannot see anyone, you can hear voices echoing in the distance. |
| 午後的陽光慢慢照入深林。 | wǔ hòu de yáng guāng màn màn zhào rù shēn lín. | The afternoon sunlight slowly shines into the deep forest. |
| 雨後的石頭上長滿了青苔。 | yǔ hòu de shí tou shàng zhǎng mǎn le qīng tái. | After the rain, the stones were covered in green moss. |
| 山谷裡傳來回音，讓人更覺得安靜。 | shān gǔ lǐ chuán lái huí yīn, ràng rén gèng jué de ān jìng. | Echoes came from the valley, making it feel even quieter. |
| 他獨自走進深林，想離開城市的喧鬧。 | tā dú zì zǒu jìn shēn lín, xiǎng lí kāi chéng shì de xuān nào. | He walked alone into the deep forest, wanting to leave the city's noise behind. |
| 傍晚的返景照在牆上，非常柔和。 | bàng wǎn de fǎn jǐng zhào zài qiáng shàng, fēi cháng róu hé. | The reflected evening light on the wall was very soft. |
| 公園裡沒有人時，我最喜歡坐著聽風聲。 | gōng yuán lǐ méi yǒu rén shí, wǒ zuì xǐ huan zuò zhe tīng fēng shēng. | When there is no one in the park, I most like to sit and listen to the wind. |
| 青苔上有一層水珠，看起來特別亮。 | qīng tái shàng yǒu yì céng shuǐ zhū, kàn qǐ lái tè bié liàng. | There was a layer of water drops on the moss, making it look especially bright. |
| 森林裡的安靜常常比音樂更能讓人放鬆。 | sēn lín lǐ de ān jìng cháng cháng bǐ yīn yuè gèng néng ràng rén fàng sōng. | The quiet in the forest can often relax people more than music. |
Pronunciation, Recitation, and Memorization Guide
Slow Recitation with Natural Pauses
Rhythmic structure: This is a five-character quatrain. Read it quietly and evenly, allowing the silence between lines to matter.
Recommended pacing: Use a soft voice and slightly lengthen the pause after the first two lines to let the emptiness settle.
空山 / 不見人
但聞 / 人語響
返景 / 入深林
復照 / 青苔上
Pronunciation Tips
| Character or phrase | Pinyin | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 見 | jiàn | Keep the j- light and end with a clear falling fourth tone. |
| 語 | yǔ | Round the lips slightly and complete the dipping third tone. |
| 景 | jǐng | Hold the third tone fully and keep the -ing nasal ending crisp. |
| 苔 | tái | Use an open second tone and avoid making it too flat. |
Simple Memory Strategy
Hold the poem as a movement from emptiness to sound to light: an empty mountain, heard voices, sunlight entering the forest, and light resting on moss.
1. Empty mountain
空山不見人
See a mountain path with no visible person anywhere.
2. Voices without bodies
但聞人語響
Hear voices echo even though the speakers are hidden.
3. Light enters the forest
返景入深林
Watch angled evening light pass into the deep woods.
4. Light on moss
復照青苔上
Finish with a close-up of that light landing on green moss.
Line-by-Line Pronunciation Drill
空山不見人 空山不见人
Slow syllable drill: kōng - shān - bú - jiàn - rén
Teacher: 空山不見人空山不见人
Students repeat: 空山不見人空山不见人
但聞人語響 但闻人语响
Slow syllable drill: dàn - wén - rén - yǔ - xiǎng
Teacher: 但聞人語響但闻人语响
Students repeat: 但聞人語響但闻人语响
返景入深林 返景入深林
Slow syllable drill: fǎn - jǐng - rù - shēn - lín
Teacher: 返景入深林返景入深林
Students repeat: 返景入深林返景入深林
復照青苔上 复照青苔上
Slow syllable drill: fù - zhào - qīng - tái - shàng
Teacher: 復照青苔上复照青苔上
Students repeat: 復照青苔上复照青苔上