Birthday poem · November 15Start of Winter, the 19th solar term: winter begins.
Birth character
清 qīng · clear, pure
清 combines 水 "water" with 青 as a sound element; it means clear water, or pure.
問渠那得清如許
“I ask how it can stay so clear and clean” — Zhu Xi, ‘Thoughts on Reading’
Other dates with this poem: June 4
The poem
“Ode to the Goose” 詠鵝
- 鵝鵝鵝Goose, goose, goose —
- 曲項向天歌neck curved, singing to the sky.
- 白毛浮綠水White feathers float on green water;
- 紅掌撥清波red feet paddle the clear ripples.
Why this poem
Written by Luo Binwang at seven: white geese swimming.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Start of Winter.