What is the meaning of lying in the poem "The Shepherd Boy"?

Lie comes from the last sentence, "Lie on the moon and don't take off the hemp fiber", describing the scene of a shepherd boy resting.

The word "lie" vividly depicts a shepherd boy who takes the earth as his bed and the sky as his account, eats when he is hungry, sleeps when he is sleepy, has no attachments and is free. Lie here means to lie down. The poet did not describe what the shepherd boy did after lying down. The shepherd boy may want to stretch himself or enjoy the moonlight. The poet seems to have only written down what he saw, but he has unlimited imagination.

Expand one's knowledge

Shepherd boy

The grass shop is six or seven miles away from the field, and the flute makes the night wind three or four times.

Come back from a full meal at dusk and lie in the moonlight without taking off your hemp fiber.

Whole poem translation

The vast grassland is like being laid on the ground, and there are grasslands everywhere. The intermittent melodious flute of the shepherd boy was faintly heard in the evening breeze. After dinner, at sunset, the shepherd boy came back from the pasture. He didn't even take off his hemp fiber, but just lay on the grass and looked at the full moon in the sky.

This poem vividly depicts a picture of a shepherd boy coming home late to rest, reflecting the tranquility and leisure of his life. It expresses the poet's inner world's yearning for a life away from the noise and enjoying a happy life.