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Zhèng Qì GēSong of Righteousness 正气歌

Wen Tianxiang (文天祥, also known as Wen T'ien-hsiang)｜Southern Song｜five-character ancient-style poem

Wen Tianxiang's prison song of moral courage.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

天地有正气
tiān dì yǒu zhèng qì

杂然赋流形
zá rán fù liú xíng

下则为河岳
xià zé wéi hé yuè

上则为日星
shàng zé wéi rì xīng

于人曰浩然
yú rén yuē hào rán

沛乎塞苍冥
pèi hū sè cāng míng

Simplified characters; traditional title: 正氣歌. This is a long poem; only the best-known lines are shown, and “……” marks omitted passages.

English translation

Heaven and earth possess a righteous spirit;

mixed and varied, it takes on flowing forms.

Below, it becomes the rivers and mountains;

above, it becomes the sun and stars.

In human beings it is called the vast spirit,

overflowing, filling the dark blue sky.

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

Line by line

天地有正气 · tiān dì yǒu zhèng qì — Heaven and earth possess a righteous spirit;

杂然赋流形 · zá rán fù liú xíng — mixed and varied, it takes on flowing forms.

下则为河岳 · xià zé wéi hé yuè — Below, it becomes the rivers and mountains;

上则为日星 · shàng zé wéi rì xīng — above, it becomes the sun and stars.

于人曰浩然 · yú rén yuē hào rán — In human beings it is called the vast spirit,

沛乎塞苍冥 · pèi hū sè cāng míng — overflowing, filling the dark blue sky.

Meaning and imagery

The opening is philosophical: a single righteous energy (zhengqi) runs through the universe, shaping mountains, rivers and stars, and in people it becomes the "vast flowing qi" described by Mencius. By placing this force in himself, the prisoner claims that cramped, foul cells cannot overcome him. The poem was memorized by generations of Chinese and Japanese patriots.

Background

Written in 1281 in a Yuan prison in Dadu (Beijing), where Wen Tianxiang was held for three years before his execution. Only the opening is shown; the full poem lists heroes of history who embodied this spirit.

Key words

正气 zhèng qì: righteous spirit
河岳 hé yuè: rivers and mountains
浩然 hào rán: vast and flowing (Mencius' "flood-like qi")
苍冥 cāng míng: the dark blue sky

About the poet: Wen Tianxiang

Wen Tianxiang was a top examination graduate and chief minister who led resistance to the Mongol conquest. Captured, he refused every offer to serve the Yuan and was executed; he is China's model of loyalty.

Lifetime: 1236–1283. Other famous works: Song of Righteousness (正气歌); Crossing the Lingding Sea (过零丁洋).