In Chinese communities around the world people are familiar with lines from his poems: "Give me a ladle of Yangtze River water, ah, Yangtze River water." Or "When I was young, nostalgia was a tiny, tiny stamp."
有華人之處便有人吟誦「給我一瓢長江水啊長江水」；便有人吟誦「小時候，鄉愁是一枚小小的郵票」。