<p>郎 骑 竹马 来
The boy came riding on a bamboo horse, (boy imitate prince charming)</p>
<p>绕 床 弄 青梅
Brought delicious green plums to girl, but he didn't give them to her. Instead, he naughtily let girl chase him around bed (床, bed, here means some buildings or walls) and beg for them. (how a naughty and unromantic boy)</p>
<p>竹马 青梅
source: bamboo horse (boy) green plums (girl)</p>
<p>the derived meaning is: childhood sweethearts.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-19T14:45:51.213Z
2024-08-19T14:48:19.410Z
2024-08-19T14:48:19.410Z
user1589583
<p>青梅竹马 came from a <a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%9D%92%E6%A2%85%E7%AB%B9%E9%A9%AC/369" rel="nofollow noreferrer">poem</a> by Li Bai</p>
<blockquote>
<p>唐·李白《长干行》：“郎骑竹马来，绕床弄青梅。同居长干里，两小无嫌猜。</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p>郎骑<strong>竹马</strong>来 &quot;The boy came riding a <strong>bamboo stick horse</strong> (playing horse riding).</p>
</li>
<li><p>绕床弄<strong>青梅</strong> (两个人又玩起了抛青梅的游戏) Then the two played the <strong>green plum</strong> tossing game</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>抛青梅(green plum tossing game) and 骑竹马(riding a bamboo horse) were two activities the two friends engaged in when they were small, the idiom 青梅竹马 was coined on this context from the poem</p>
<p>Another idiom  <a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E4%B8%A4%E5%B0%8F%E6%97%A0%E7%8C%9C" rel="nofollow noreferrer">两小无猜</a> came from the same poem as well</p>
<p>青梅竹马 = childhood friends</p>
<p>两小无猜 = two childhood friends who were pure-hearted to each other (unlike adults who sometimes have unpure thoughts)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-06T12:19:21.790Z
And 青梅 specifically refers to girls, 竹马 specifically refers to boys
typed-sigterm
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-06T21:22:43.837Z
Is it known how the green plum tossing game is/was played?
河南宝宝
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-07T03:01:59.297Z
It described 抛青梅 in the page I linked "围着院中的井栏，你把青梅扔过来，我把青梅扔过去。 两个人无比高兴" It is like playing catch
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-07T08:44:23.460Z
From what I could gather, it does not seems like a well known, commonly or widely played children's game, like Hopscotch or marbles, but a spur of the moment fun thing when she happened to have some green plums in her hand and just decided to toss them to him who was standing on the other side of the well railing, caught them and tossed them back to her.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-06T02:47:36.277Z
2024-08-20T11:29:48.057Z
2024-08-20T11:29:48.057Z
Tang Ho
<p>This charming song is a real oldie:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J68LSs565_A" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J68LSs565_A</a></p>
<p>It includes the following line:</p>
<pre><code>忆童年时竹马青梅
</code></pre>
<p>I understand 竹马青梅 to be a reference to childhood things (竹马 would be playing horses with a piece of bamboo), and the singer is saying that she remembers her childhood.</p>
<p>I feel that 青梅 must also have a special meaning here connected to childhood. Literally it is just &quot;green plums&quot;. Perhaps it's referring to orchards where children might play together?</p>
<p>What does 青梅 mean in this context?</p>
<p>Complete lyrics are below.</p>
<pre><code>时光一逝永不回
往事只能回味
忆童年时竹马青梅
两小无猜日夜相随

春风又吹红了花蕊
你已经也添了新岁
你就要变心像时光难倒回
我只有在梦里相依偎
</code></pre>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-19T15:19:27.010Z
这种说法只是一种意象，与具体的物体“竹马”和“青梅”是什么东西并没有很大关系。就像有的地方抛绣球，抛荷包，或者现在的男女学生互相扔书。
PdotWang
<songs>
竹马青梅 - what is the 青梅?
# 竹马青梅 - what is the 青梅?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-08-06)

This charming song is a real oldie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J68LSs565_A
It includes the following line:
忆童年时竹马青梅

I understand 竹马青梅 to be a reference to childhood things (竹马 would be playing horses with a piece of bamboo), and the singer is saying that she remembers her childhood.
I feel that 青梅 must also have a special meaning here connected to childhood. Literally it is just "green plums". Perhaps it's referring to orchards where children might play together?
What does 青梅 mean in this context?
Complete lyrics are below.
时光一逝永不回
往事只能回味
忆童年时竹马青梅
两小无猜日夜相随

春风又吹红了花蕊
你已经也添了新岁
你就要变心像时光难倒回
我只有在梦里相依偎

**Tags:** songs

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 这种说法只是一种意象，与具体的物体“竹马”和“青梅”是什么东西并没有很大关系。就像有的地方抛绣球，抛荷包，或者现在的男女学生互相扔书。  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-08-06. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

青梅竹马 came from a [poem](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%9D%92%E6%A2%85%E7%AB%B9%E9%A9%AC/369) by Li Bai

> 唐·李白《长干行》：“郎骑竹马来，绕床弄青梅。同居长干里，两小无嫌猜。

* 郎骑**竹马**来 "The boy came riding a **bamboo stick horse** (playing horse riding).
* 绕床弄**青梅** (两个人又玩起了抛青梅的游戏) Then the two played the **green plum** tossing game

抛青梅(green plum tossing game) and 骑竹马(riding a bamboo horse) were two activities the two friends engaged in when they were small, the idiom 青梅竹马 was coined on this context from the poem

Another idiom [两小无猜](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E4%B8%A4%E5%B0%8F%E6%97%A0%E7%8C%9C) came from the same poem as well

青梅竹马 = childhood friends

两小无猜 = two childhood friends who were pure-hearted to each other (unlike adults who sometimes have unpure thoughts)

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: And 青梅 specifically refers to girls, 竹马 specifically refers to boys  
> **username_0**: Is it known how the green plum tossing game is/was played?  
> **username_3**: It described 抛青梅 in the page I linked "围着院中的井栏，你把青梅扔过来，我把青梅扔过去。 两个人无比高兴" It is like playing catch  
> **username_5**: From what I could gather, it does not seems like a well known, commonly or widely played children's game, like Hopscotch or marbles, but a spur of the moment fun thing when she happened to have some green plums in her hand and just decided to toss them to him who was standing on the other side of the well railing, caught them and tossed them back to her.  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2024-08-19. Score: 0

郎 骑 竹马 来
The boy came riding on a bamboo horse, (boy imitate prince charming)

绕 床 弄 青梅
Brought delicious green plums to girl, but he didn't give them to her. Instead, he naughtily let girl chase him around bed (床, bed, here means some buildings or walls) and beg for them. (how a naughty and unromantic boy)

竹马 青梅
source: bamboo horse (boy) green plums (girl)

the derived meaning is: childhood sweethearts.


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