Birthday poem · December 5Minor Snow, the 20th solar term: the first snow.
Birth character
竹 zhú · bamboo
竹 is a picture of bamboo stems with hanging leaves.
竹杖芒鞋輕勝馬
“A bamboo staff and straw sandals, lighter than a horse” — Su Shi, ‘Calming the Waves’
Other dates with this poem: October 1
The poem
“The Banks of the Qi” 淇奧
- 瞻彼淇奧Look at that bend of the Qi,
- 綠竹猗猗its green bamboo so lush and fine.
- 有匪君子There is an accomplished gentleman,
- 如切如磋as if cut and filed,
- 如琢如磨as if carved and polished.
Why this poem
The Book of Songs compares a gentleman to green bamboo, "as if cut and polished".
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Minor Snow.