清明節 the Qingming Festival

　　掃墓 tomb-sweeping

　　去世 depart

　　唐朝 the Tang Dynasty

　　杜牧 Du Mu

　　清明時節雨紛紛，路上行人欲斷魂。Rains fall heavily as Qingming comes, and passers-by with lowered spirits go.

　　與…相反 in contrast to

　　春游 Spring outing

　　中國大陸 mainland China

　　法定假日 statutory public holiday

　　【精彩譯文】

　　The Qingming Festival, the traditional tomb-sweeping day, falls on April 4-6 each year. It is a time for remembering loved ones who departed. People visit their ancestors’ graves to sweep away the dirt. A well-known poem by the Tang Dynasty Du Mu tells of a sad scene in early April: “Rains fall heavily as Qingming comes, and passers-by with lowered spirits go.” In contrast to the sadness of the tomb-sweeping, people also enjoy hope of Spring on this day. The Qingming Festival is a time when the sun shines brightly, the trees and grass become green and nature is again lively. Since ancient times, people have followed the custom of Spring outing. At this time tourists are everywhere. Today, the Qingming Festival is a statutory public holiday in mainland China.