Year
The waves are blue
The water is clear—
I wash my clothes!
The waves are blue
The water is mud—
And now I wash my feet!
Original Chinese
Traditional | Simplified | Pronunciation |
孺子歌 | 孺子歌 | rú zǐ gē |
滄浪之水清兮， | 沧浪之水清兮， | cāng làng zhī shuǐ qīng xī ， |
可以濯我纓。 | 可以濯我缨。 | kě yǐ zhuó wǒ yīng 。 |
滄浪之水濁兮， | 沧浪之水浊兮， | cāng làng zhī shuǐ zhuó xī ， |
可以濯我足。 | 可以濯我足。 | kě yǐ zhuó wǒ zú 。 |
Translation Notes
孺子歌 | Child son song |
滄浪之水清兮， | Blue wave ’s water clear [exclamatory] |
可以濯我纓。 | May therefore cleanse my tassel [May therefore = can or may] |
滄浪之水濁兮， | Blue wave ’s water muddy [exclamatory] |
可以濯我足。 | May therefore wash my feet |