---
title: "游子吟 (Song of the Wanderer) by Meng Jiao: Pinyin, English and Audio"
description: "游子吟 (Song of the Wanderer) by Meng Jiao, Tang dynasty, whole: 慈母手中线 … Pinyin over every character, the English line by line, and Play to hear it read."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-poems/song-of-the-wanderer"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[Chinese poems](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-poems) · 孟郊 Meng Jiao · Tang dynasty

# 游子吟 Song of the Wanderer

A mother sewing her son’s clothes before he leaves, each stitch tight in case he is long away: China’s best-known poem about a mother’s love.

Speed

cí慈mǔ母shǒu手zhōng中xiàn线，

The thread in a loving mother’s hands

yóu游zǐ子shēn身shàng上yī衣。

is the coat on her wandering son.

lín临xíng行mì密mì密féng缝，

Before he leaves she sews it close and tight,

yì意kǒng恐chí迟chí迟guī归。

afraid he will be late coming home.

shuí谁yán言cùn寸cǎo草xīn心，

Who says a blade of grass

bào报dé得sān三chūn春huī晖。

can repay the sunshine of spring?

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E6%85%88%E6%AF%8D%20%E6%B8%B8%E5%AD%90%20%E7%BC%9D%20%E5%BF%83)

## What does 游子吟 mean?

游子吟 is “Song of the Wanderer”. A mother sewing her son’s clothes before he leaves, each stitch tight in case he is long away: China’s best-known poem about a mother’s love.

## What is the pinyin of 游子吟?

cí mǔ shǒu zhōng xiàn / yóu zǐ shēn shàng yī / lín xíng mì mì féng / yì kǒng chí chí guī / shuí yán cùn cǎo xīn / bào dé sān chūn huī.

## Who wrote 游子吟?

Meng Jiao (孟郊), a poet of the Tang dynasty.

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Poems over a thousand years old; the English and pinyin are ours, the pinyin as Chinese schools teach it.