Shu Dao Nan (蜀道难) — Li Bai
A free printable Chinese handwriting worksheet for Li Bai's Tang dynasty poem "Shu Dao Nan (蜀道难)", with pinyin, stroke-order guides, and Chinese writing practice grids.
Free · No sign-up · US Letter PDF
Original Poem
噫吁嚱，危乎高哉！
蜀道之难，难于上青天！
蚕丛及鱼凫，开国何茫然！
尔来四万八千岁，不与秦塞通人烟。
西当太白有鸟道，可以横绝峨眉巅。
地崩山摧壮士死，然后天梯石栈相钩连。
上有六龙回日之高标，下有冲波逆折之回川。
黄鹤之飞尚不得过，猿猱欲度愁攀援。
青泥何盘盘，百步九折萦岩峦。
扪参历井仰胁息，以手抚膺坐长叹。
问君西游何时还？畏途巉岩不可攀。
但见悲鸟号古木，雄飞雌从绕林间。
又闻子规啼夜月，愁空山。
蜀道之难,难于上青天，使人听此凋朱颜！
连峰去天不盈尺，枯松倒挂倚绝壁。
飞湍瀑流争喧豗，砯崖转石万壑雷。
其险也如此，嗟尔远道之人胡为乎来哉！
剑阁峥嵘而崔嵬，一夫当关，万夫莫开。
所守或匪亲，化为狼与豺。
朝避猛虎，夕避长蛇；磨牙吮血，杀人如麻。
锦城虽云乐，不如早还家。
蜀道之难,难于上青天，侧身西望长咨嗟！
Pinyin
yī xū xī， wēi hū gāo zāi！
shǔ dào zhī nán， nán yú shàng qīng tiān！
cán cóng jí yú fú， kāi guó hé máng rán！
ěr lái sì wàn bā qiān suì， bù yǔ qín sāi tōng rén yān。
xī dāng tài bái yǒu niǎo dào， kě yǐ héng jué é méi diān。
dì bēng shān cuī zhuàng shì sǐ， rán hòu tiān tī shí zhàn xiāng gōu lián。
shàng yǒu liù lóng huí rì zhī gāo biāo， xià yǒu chōng bō nì zhé zhī huí chuān。
huáng hè zhī fēi shàng bù dé guò， yuán náo yù dù chóu pān yuán。
qīng ní hé pán pán， bǎi bù jiǔ zhé yíng yán luán。
mén shēn lì jǐng yǎng xié xī， yǐ shǒu fǔ yīng zuò cháng tàn。
wèn jūn xī yóu hé shí hái？ wèi tú chán yán bù kě pān。
dàn jiàn bēi niǎo hào gǔ mù， xióng fēi cí cóng rào lín jiān。
yòu wén zǐ guī tí yè yuè， chóu kōng shān。
shǔ dào zhī nán, nán yú shàng qīng tiān， shǐ rén tīng cǐ diāo zhū yán！
lián fēng qù tiān bù yíng chǐ， kū sōng dǎo guà yǐ jué bì。
fēi tuān pù liú zhēng xuān huī， pīng yá zhuǎn shí wàn hè léi。
qí xiǎn yě rú cǐ， jiē ěr yuǎn dào zhī rén hú wèi hū lái zāi！
jiàn gé zhēng róng ér cuī wéi， yī fū dāng guān， wàn fū mò kāi。
suǒ shǒu huò fěi qīn， huà wéi láng yǔ chái。
cháo bì měng hǔ， xī bì cháng shé； mó yá shǔn xuè， shā rén rú má。
jǐn chéng suī yún lè， bù rú zǎo hái jiā。
shǔ dào zhī nán, nán yú shàng qīng tiān， cè shēn xī wàng cháng zī jiē！
English Meaning
Ai-yo! Perilous! High! The road to Shu is harder than climbing the blue sky. Since Cancong and Yufu founded the state, forty-eight thousand years passed without traffic with Qin... A landslide killed the strong men, and only then did sky-ladder and stone planks hook together... The Green Clay path coils; a hundred steps, nine turns around the crags... Why come, travelers from afar? The Jiange stands sheer — one man holds it; ten thousand cannot break through. If its keeper is no true man, he turns wolf and jackal. Brocade City may be merry — better go home early. Hard is the road to Shu — I turn and gaze west, sighing long.
Key Vocabulary
Each term links to its word page with more readings and examples.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 青天 | qīng tiān | clear sky |
| 杀人如麻 | shā rén rú má | (lit.) to kill people like scything flax (idiom) |
| 开国 | kāi guó | to found a state |
| 茫然 | máng rán | blankly |
| 人烟 | rén yān | sign of human habitation |
| 太白 | tài bái | Taibai County in Baoji 宝鸡, Shaanxi |
| 峨眉 | é méi | (used in place names, notably 峨眉山[E2 mei2 Shan1] Mount Emei in Sichuan) |
Practice the Characters
Every character page has a stroke-order animation, step-by-step breakdown, and common words.
About the Poem
Li Bai's most famous yuefu, a whirl of hyperbole about the Sichuan road's perils — mythic founders, collapsing cliffs, screaming torrents, the impregnable Jiange. Its opening exclamation is proverbial for any daunting task.
More Free Tang Poem Worksheets
Create Your Own Chinese Worksheet
Create a printable worksheet from any Chinese characters, words, vocabulary list, sentence, or poem — grid style, paper size and header are yours to pick.