Shui Diao Ge Tou
When Will the Bright Moon Appear
明月几时有？把酒问青天。
Míng yuè jǐ shí yǒu? Bǎ jiǔ wèn qīng tiān.
When did the bright moon first appear?
With a cup of wine in hand, I ask the azure sky.
不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。
Bù zhī tiān shàng gōng què,Jīn xī shì hé nián.
I wonder what year it is tonight
In those celestial palaces above.
我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒。
Wǒ yù chéng fēng guī qù,Yòu kǒng qióng lóu yù yǔ,Gāo chù bù shèng hán.
I long to ride the wind and return there,
Yet fear the crystal towers and jade halls,
For in those lofty heights the cold would be unbearable.
起舞弄清影，何似在人间？
Qǐ wǔ nòng qīng yǐng,Hé sì zài rén jiān?
I rise and dance with my moonlit shadow;
How could heaven compare with the human world?
转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。
Zhuǎn zhū gé,Dī qǐ hù,Zhào wú mián.
The moon circles the vermilion chambers,
Stoops by silken windows,
And shines upon the sleepless.
不应有恨，何事长向别时圆？
Bù yīng yǒu hèn,Hé shì cháng xiàng bié shí yuán?
It should bear no grudge—
Why then is it always full
When loved ones are apart?
人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。
Rén yǒu bēi huān lí hé,Yuè yǒu yīn qíng yuán quē,Cǐ shì gǔ nán quán.
People know joy and sorrow, meeting and parting;
The moon knows brightness and dimness, waxing and waning.
Such imperfections have endured since ancient times.
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。
Dàn yuàn rén cháng jiǔ,Qiān lǐ gòng chán juān.
May we all be blessed with long lives,
And though separated by a thousand miles,
Still share the beauty of this same moon.
Background of Creation
Shui Diao Ge Tou (“When Will the Bright Moon Appear?”) is one of the most celebrated ci poems by the Northern Song Dynasty writer Su Shi. It was composed on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1076 (the ninth year of the Xining era during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty), when Su Shi was forty-one years old and serving as the governor of Mizhou (present-day Zhucheng, Shandong Province).
I. Deep Brotherly Affection and Years of Separation
Su Shi and his younger brother, Su Zhe, shared an exceptionally close relationship from childhood. More than brothers, they were lifelong confidants who shared similar ideals and intellectual pursuits. They studied together in their youth, both achieved success in the imperial civil service examinations, and supported each other throughout their literary and political careers.
However, because they were assigned to different official posts, the two brothers spent many years apart and had few opportunities to reunite. At the time Su Shi wrote this poem, they had not seen each other for seven years. The Mid-Autumn Festival was traditionally a time for family reunions, yet Su Shi was stationed in Mizhou while Su Zhe was serving in Jinan, making the separation especially painful.
II. Political Frustration and Mixed Emotions
This period coincided with the implementation of Wang Anshi’s Reform in the Northern Song Dynasty. Su Shi disagreed with certain aspects of the new policies, which gradually led to his political marginalization. As a result, he was assigned to local government posts far from the imperial court.
Although he governed Mizhou conscientiously and cared deeply for the welfare of the people, he found it difficult to realize his political ideals. The combination of career setbacks, separation from loved ones, and the gap between his aspirations and reality left him with feelings of loneliness and melancholy.
III. Inspired by the Mid-Autumn Moon
On the Mid-Autumn Festival night of 1076, Su Shi drank wine with friends while admiring the full moon. Beneath its brilliant light, he thought of his younger brother far away and reflected on the many experiences of his own life.
As the wine deepened his emotions, his thoughts expanded from the moon before him to the joys and sorrows of human existence. His personal longing gradually evolved into profound reflections on life, the universe, and destiny, inspiring him to compose this timeless masterpiece.
The poem is preceded by a brief preface:
“On the Mid-Autumn Festival of the bingchen year, I drank joyfully until dawn and became thoroughly intoxicated. I wrote this poem while thinking of Ziyou.”
“Ziyou” was the courtesy name of Su Zhe. This preface makes it clear that the poem is not only a celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival but also a heartfelt expression of the poet’s longing for his beloved brother.
IV. Themes and Philosophical Meaning
The first stanza uses the moon as a vehicle for expressing the poet’s emotions. Gazing at the bright moon, Su Shi imagines ascending to the celestial palace, yet hesitates because of its icy loneliness. This fantasy reflects the tension between lofty ideals and the realities of human life.
The second stanza shifts from the moon to human existence. In the famous lines:
“People experience sorrow and joy, separation and reunion; the moon waxes and wanes. Such imperfections have existed since ancient times.”
Su Shi recognizes separation and reunion as natural parts of life, ultimately attaining a sense of spiritual transcendence and inner serenity.The poem concludes with the immortal lines:
“May we all live long and share the beauty of this moon together, though we are thousands of miles apart.”
These words express not only Su Shi’s blessing for his brother but also a universal wish for lasting peace, reunion, and enduring affection among family and friends.
V. Literary Significance
Shui Diao Ge Tou is widely regarded as the finest Mid-Autumn Festival poem in Chinese literature. It masterfully combines homesickness, philosophical reflection, and cosmic imagination into a unified artistic vision. While filled with deep emotion, it is equally distinguished by its broad-minded optimism.
Unlike Su Shi’s Jiang Cheng Zi (“Dreaming of My Late Wife on the Night of the Twentieth Day of the First Lunar Month”), which focuses on the sorrow of death and irrevocable separation, Shui Diao Ge Tou presents a philosophy that transcends the pain of parting. It acknowledges that perfect reunion is rarely possible in life, yet encourages people to remain hopeful and cherish their emotional bonds.
For this reason, the closing line—”May we all live long and share the beauty of the same moon, though thousands of miles apart”—has become one of the most enduring quotations in Chinese literature, securing the poem’s place as one of the most influential works ever written for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
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