Home › Poems › Waiting for a Guest

Yuē KèWaiting for a Guest 约客

Zhao Shixiu (赵师秀, also known as Chao Shih-hsiu)｜Southern Song｜seven-character quatrain

Zhao Shixiu waits for a guest on a rainy night and idly taps a chess piece.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

黄梅时节家家雨
huáng méi shí jié jiā jiā yǔ

青草池塘处处蛙
qīng cǎo chí táng chù chù wā

有约不来过夜半
yǒu yuē bù lái guò yè bàn

闲敲棋子落灯花
xián qiāo qí zi luò dēng huā

Simplified characters; traditional title: 約客.

In the season of yellow plums, rain at every house;

green grass by the ponds, frogs everywhere.

He promised to come but hasn't, and it's past midnight;

idly I tap a chess piece, knocking down the lamp's ash.

Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.

黄梅时节家家雨 · huáng méi shí jié jiā jiā yǔ — In the season of yellow plums, rain at every house;

青草池塘处处蛙 · qīng cǎo chí táng chù chù wā — green grass by the ponds, frogs everywhere.

有约不来过夜半 · yǒu yuē bù lái guò yè bàn — He promised to come but hasn't, and it's past midnight;

闲敲棋子落灯花 · xián qiāo qí zi luò dēng huā — idly I tap a chess piece, knocking down the lamp's ash.

Zhao Shixiu waits for a guest on a rainy night and idly taps a chess piece. The scene stays with you.

Zhao Shixiu waits for a guest on a rainy night and idly taps a chess piece.

Zhao Shixiu is known for Expecting a Guest and chess pieces in rain.

Lifetime: 1170–1219. Other famous works: Waiting for a Guest (约客).