The teacher recited the poem to teach the children to cherish food.
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From Li Shen 李绅's 《悯农》 (Tang): 锄禾日当午，汗滴禾下土。谁知盘中餐，粒粒皆辛苦。 (Hoeing rice under the noon sun, sweat drips on the soil beneath the plants; who realises that every grain in the bowl is the fruit of bitter toil?) Ubiquitous in Chinese primary-school ethics lessons on not wasting food.
usage
Normally quoted together with 锄禾日当午 and the following couplet. 禾 = growing grain / rice plant.
