Tang poem · five-character old-style poem唐诗 · 五言古诗

chén晨yì诣chāo超shī师yuàn院dú读chán禅jīng经

liǔ柳zōng宗yuán元Liu Zongyuan · Tang唐

Reading Buddhist Scripture at Master Chao's Cloister in the Morning

jí汲jǐng井shù漱hán寒chǐ齿

qīng清xīn心fú拂chén尘fú服

xián闲chí持bèi贝yè叶shū书

bù步chū出dōng东zhāi斋dú读

zhēn真yuán源liǎo了wú无qǔ取

wàng妄jì迹shì世suǒ所zhú逐

yí遗yán言jì冀kě可míng冥

shàn缮xìng性hé何yóu由shú熟

dào道rén人tíng庭yǔ宇jìng静

tái苔sè色lián连shēn深zhú竹

rì日chū出wù雾lù露yú余

qīng青sōng松rú如gāo膏mù沐

dàn澹rán然lí离yán言shuō说

wù悟yuè悦xīn心zì自zú足

Underlined words have notes: tap one. The Pinyin button below shows or hides all pinyin. 一 and 不 are marked with the tone you actually say.字下有虚线的，点开有注释。下方的“拼音”按钮可以显示或隐藏全部拼音。“一”“不”标的是实际读出来的变调。

Line by line逐句翻译

汲井漱寒齿I draw water from the well and rinse my mouth; my teeth feel the chill.打来井水漱口，凉水让牙齿也觉得清冷。
清心拂尘服I calm my mind and brush the dust off my clothes.让心静下来，掸掉衣服上的灰尘。
闲持贝叶书Holding a scripture of palm leaves at my ease,悠闲地拿着一卷佛经，
步出东斋读I step out of the east study to read.走出东边的书房来读。
真源了无取The true source, no one seeks at all;真正的道理，世人一点也不去求，
妄迹世所逐false traces are what the world chases.虚假的东西，世人却争着追逐。
遗言冀可冥I hope to quietly grasp the words left behind,我希望能和佛经里的话心意相通，
缮性何由熟but how can I cultivate my nature until it ripens?可是修养本性，怎样才能做到纯熟呢？
道人庭宇静The monk's courtyard and halls are quiet;超师的庭院和房屋十分安静，
苔色连深竹the green of the moss runs into the deep bamboo.青苔的绿色一直连到幽深的竹林。
日出雾露余The sun comes up; mist and dew still linger;太阳出来了，雾气和露水还没散尽，
青松如膏沐the green pines gleam as if freshly washed and oiled.青松像刚洗过、抹了油一样润泽。
澹然离言说Calm and quiet, beyond what words can say,心里恬淡安静，这种感受说不出来，
悟悦心自足the joy of understanding fills my heart on its own.领悟带来的快乐，让心自己就满足了。

Words字词注释

汲井jí jǐng: jí jǐng: to draw water from a well.汲井：从井里打水。汲，打水。
漱shù: shù: to rinse the mouth.漱：用水冲洗口腔，漱口。
寒齿hán chǐ: hán chǐ: teeth chilled by the cold morning water.寒齿：清早的凉水让牙齿也觉得凉。
清心qīng xīn: qīng xīn: to make the mind clean and calm.清心：让心里干净、安静下来。
拂fú: fú: to brush off lightly.拂：轻轻掸去。
尘服chén fú: chén fú: dusty clothes. It also hints at the troubles of everyday life.尘服：沾了灰尘的衣服。也暗指尘世里的烦恼。
闲持xián chí: xián chí: holding in an easy, unhurried way.闲持：悠闲地拿着。
贝叶书bèi yè shū: bèi yè shū: Buddhist scripture. In ancient India, scriptures were written on the leaves of the pattra palm, so they were called palm-leaf books.贝叶书：佛经。古代印度人把佛经写在贝多罗树的叶子上，所以这样叫。
东斋dōng zhāi: dōng zhāi: the study room on the east side of the temple. Zhāi is a room for reading or quiet practice.东斋：寺院东边的书房。斋，读书、静修的屋子。
真源zhēn yuán: zhēn yuán: the true source: the deepest truth of the Buddha's teaching.真源：真正的源头，指佛理的真谛，最根本的道理。
了无取liǎo wú qǔ: liǎo wú qǔ: not sought at all. Liǎo here means completely.了无取：一点也没有去求取。了，完全。
妄迹wàng jì: wàng jì: false traces: things on the surface that are not real.妄迹：虚妄的痕迹，指表面的、不真实的东西。
世所逐shì suǒ zhú: shì suǒ zhú: what the world chases after.世所逐：世上的人都在追逐。
遗言yí yán: yí yán: words left behind; here, the Buddha's words in the scripture.遗言：前人留下的话，这里指佛经里佛的话。
冀jì: jì: to hope.冀：希望。
可冥kě míng: kě míng: able to quietly match them, to truly understand.可冥：能够暗暗相合，真正领会。
缮性shàn xìng: shàn xìng: to cultivate one's own nature. Shàn means to mend or tend.缮性：修养自己的本性。缮，修治。
何由熟hé yóu shú: hé yóu shú: how can it ever ripen? Hé yóu means by what way.何由熟：怎样才能修养到纯熟。何由，从什么途径。
道人dào rén: dào rén: a person of the Way; here, the monk Master Chao.道人：修道的人，这里指和尚超师。
庭宇tíng yǔ: tíng yǔ: the courtyard and the buildings.庭宇：庭院和房屋。
苔色tái sè: tái sè: the color of the moss.苔色：青苔的颜色。
雾露余wù lù yú: wù lù yú: mist and dew still lingering. Yú means left over.雾露余：雾气和露水还没有散尽。余，剩下。
膏沐gāo mù: gāo mù: hair oil used by women to wash and gloss their hair. Here the pines look freshly washed and shining.膏沐：妇女用油脂润发。这里说青松像刚洗过、抹了油一样，又绿又亮。
澹然dàn rán: dàn rán: calm and still.澹然：恬淡安静的样子。
离言说lí yán shuō: lí yán shuō: beyond words, impossible to put into speech.离言说：超出了语言，说不出来。
悟悦wù yuè: wù yuè: the joy that comes from understanding.悟悦：领悟了道理而生出的快乐。

How to read it读音

冥míng: Read míng. Here it does not mean dark; it means to quietly match, to understand deep inside.“冥”读 míng。这里不是“黑暗”的意思，而是“默默地合上、心里领会”。

Background创作背景

This poem is usually thought to date from Liu Zongyuan's exile in Yongzhou, in today's Hunan. In 805 a political reform he had joined, the Yongzhen Reform, failed. He was sent away to Yongzhou as a minor official with no real power, and he stayed there for ten years. At first he even lived in a temple and spent time with monks. Master Chao was a monk whose religious name was Chao; one account says he lived at Longxing Temple in Yongzhou. Early one morning the poet went to Master Chao's cloister to read Buddhist scripture, and wrote this poem.

这首诗一般认为是柳宗元被贬到永州（今湖南永州）以后写的。805年，他参加的政治改革（永贞革新）失败，被贬为永州司马，一个没有实权的小官。他在永州一住就是十年，起初就住在寺庙里，常和僧人来往。超师是一位法号叫“超”的僧人，一说住在永州的龙兴寺。诗题的“诣”就是“前往拜访”。这天清早，诗人到超师的院子里去读佛经，写下了这首诗。

The poet作者

Liu Zongyuan (773–819) was a Tang writer and thinker, one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of Tang and Song. He passed the top exam young and wanted to do great things. But after the reform failed, he was sent to far-off Yongzhou and then Liuzhou, where he died. In those gloomy years of exile he read Buddhist scripture and wandered the hills and rivers, trying to steady his heart. His essays on Yongzhou's landscape, the Eight Records of Yongzhou, are famous.

柳宗元（773—819），字子厚，唐代文学家、思想家，“唐宋八大家”之一。他年轻时就中了进士，很想做一番事业，可是改革失败后被贬到偏远的永州和柳州，最后死在柳州。在苦闷的贬谪生活里，他读佛经、游山水，想让心安定下来。他写山水的文章《永州八记》很有名。

The mood意境

The poem follows a quiet morning step by step. The first four lines are the getting ready: drawing water, rinsing, brushing off dust, walking out slowly with the scripture. It is like a little ritual of washing the mind clean. The middle four lines are his thoughts as he reads. The world ignores the truth and chases false things. He hopes to understand the scripture, but worries his practice is not deep enough. You can feel he is still uneasy. Then the next four lines turn to what is in front of him: a still courtyard, moss running into the bamboo, the sun coming up, mist and dew still there, pines shining as if just washed. The last two lines say this calm cannot be put into words, and his heart is simply content. Reading did not give him the answer; the quiet scene did. The whole poem is cool and clean, like someone taking a deep breath of morning air beside a bamboo grove.

这首诗按时间顺序写一个安静的早晨。开头四句写准备：打水漱口，掸掉灰尘，拿着佛经慢慢走出去，像是在做一个洗干净心的仪式。中间四句写读经的想法：世人不求真理，只追假东西；我想读懂佛经，却又担心修养不够。这里能看出他心里还有不安。接着四句忽然转到眼前的景色：院子很静，青苔连着竹林，太阳出来，雾和露还在，青松亮得像刚洗过一样。最后两句说，这种宁静说不出来，心里自然就满足了。读经没读出答案，反而是安静的景色让他放下了。全诗清冷、干净，像一个人在早晨的竹林边深深吸了一口气。