海上升明月

hǎishàngshēngmíngyuè

phrase

Meanings

1 the bright moon rises over the sea
2 a moonrise seen from afar, binding distant hearts
3 lit. on the sea rises the bright moon

Characters

to rise, ascend

Examples

中秋夜，大家在海边赏月，真是海上生明月，天涯共此时。

Zhōngqiū yè, dàjiā zài hǎibiān shǎng yuè, zhēnshì hǎi shàng shēng míng yuè, tiānyá gòng cǐ shí.

On Mid-Autumn night, everyone watched the moon by the sea — truly "the bright moon rises over the sea, all ends of the earth share this hour".

海上升明月的意境让他特别想家。

Hǎi shàng shēng míng yuè de yìjìng ràng tā tèbié xiǎng jiā.

The image of the bright moon rising over the sea made him especially homesick.

Tips

history

From Zhang Jiuling's (张九龄, early Tang) 《望月怀远》: 海上生明月，天涯共此时 — 'The bright moon rises over the sea; at the ends of the earth we share this very moment.' Note that the original text uses 生 ('is born, rises') rather than 升 ('ascends'); the input form 海上升明月 is the common modern misrendering. One of the most quoted couplets in Chinese culture.

usage

Classical text is 海上生明月 (with 生); 海上升明月 (with 升) is widespread but technically a misquotation. Both forms circulate today. Always paired with 天涯共此时.

Stroke Order

海 hǎi

上 shàng

升 shēng

明 míng

月 yuè