与山间之明月

與山間之明月
yǔ shān jiān zhī míng yuè
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 and the bright moon among the mountains
  2. 2 the bright moon between the hills

Examples

Wéi jiāng shàng zhī qīngfēng, yǔshānjiānzhīmíngyuè, ěr dé zhī ér wéi shēng, mù yù zhī ér chéng sè.
'Only the clear wind on the river and the bright moon among the mountains — the ear hears them as sound, the eye meets them as color.'
Rénshēng rú yǒu qīngfēng míngyuè, yǔshānjiānzhīmíngyuè xiāngbàn, biànshì zuì fùyǒu de.
To have breeze and moon in life, 'and the bright moon among the mountains' for company, is true wealth.

Tips

history
From 苏轼 《前赤壁赋》 ('Former Red Cliff Rhapsody,' Northern Song, 1082). After establishing that we may not take what is not ours, the host consoles his guest with what the world gives freely: 清风明月 (only the clear wind on the river and the bright moon among the hills; taking them is not forbidden, using them they do not run out — the Creator's inexhaustible storehouse). One of the most cherished passages in Chinese prose.
usage
Always paired with the preceding 清风 — the pair gives the full catalogue (wind + moon). here is the classical attributive particle (= modern ). Best read in full with the following line.

Stroke Order

shān
jiān
zhī
míng
yuè