小楼一夜听春雨

小樓一夜聽春雨

xiǎo lóu yī yè tīng chūn yǔ

quotation

Meanings

1 in the little chamber, all night long, I listened to the spring rain
2 (fig.) an image of delicate sleepless reverie; the poet alone with the sound of rain
3 (lit.) small tower one night listen spring rain

Characters

tower / upper story (小楼 = small chamber)

Examples

江南春夜，小楼一夜听春雨，清晨巷中定有卖杏花的。

Jiāngnán chūn yè, xiǎolóuyīyètīngchūnyǔ, qīngchén xiàng zhōng dìng yǒu mài xìnghuā de.

In Jiangnan's spring night, 'the small chamber hears the spring rain all night' — by dawn, apricot-blossom sellers are surely in the alley.

他一个人住在老城的阁楼，真有小楼一夜听春雨的意境。

Tā yīgè rén zhù zài lǎochéng de gélóu, zhēn yǒu xiǎolóuyīyètīngchūnyǔ de yìjìng.

Living alone in an old-city attic, he truly has the ambience of 'the little chamber listening all night to the spring rain.'

Tips

history

From 陆游《临安春雨初霁》(Lu You, 'At Lin'an, the Spring Rain Just Clears,' Southern Song, 1186 CE): 世味年来薄似纱，谁令骑马客京华？小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花 (Worldly tastes these years thin as gauze — who sent me riding as a guest to the capital? In the little chamber, a whole night listening to spring rain; tomorrow morning in the deep lane, apricot blossoms are sold). Lu You had come to the Southern Song capital Lin'an (Hangzhou) seeking appointment; the couplet captures his ambivalence about officialdom.

usage

Always paired with 深巷明朝卖杏花 — the two lines are among the most quoted in Song poetry, a classic Jiangnan scene. Used as titles for books, teahouses, and songs.

Stroke Order

小 xiǎo

楼 lóu

一 yī

夜 yè

听 tīng

春 chūn

雨 yǔ