- 戏马台xì mǎ tái
- xì mǎ tái: the Horse-Racing Terrace in today's Xuzhou, Jiangsu. Legend says Xiang Yu watched his horsemen train there. Liu Yu, an emperor of the Southern Dynasties, held a great feast with poems there on the ninth day of the ninth month.戏马台：在今天江苏徐州，传说是项羽看人骑马练兵的高台。南朝宋武帝刘裕曾在九月九日到这里大宴宾客、作诗。
- 采花篱下cǎi huā lí xià
- cǎi huā lí xià: picking flowers below the fence. It echoes Tao Yuanming's famous line about picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence.采花篱下：化用陶渊明的“采菊东篱下”。这里的花指菊花。
- 岁华suì huá
- suì huá: the time of year, the passing seasons.岁华：时光，一年的光景。
- 重九chóng jiǔ
- chóng jiǔ: the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the Double Ninth Festival. People climb hills, wear dogwood and drink chrysanthemum wine.重九：农历九月初九，重阳节。这一天人们登高、插茱萸、喝菊花酒。
- 南山nán shān
- nán shān: the southern hills. Tao Yuanming wrote of calmly seeing the southern hills. Here the poet comes home at Double Ninth and finds the hills as green as ever.南山：陶渊明有“悠然见南山”的诗句。这里写重阳回到家，看见南山还是那样青翠。
- 帘栊lián lóng
- lián lóng: a window with a hanging curtain.帘栊：挂着帘子的窗户。
- 登临dēng lín
- dēng lín: to climb up high and look into the distance.登临：登上高处，看远处的风景。
- 宋玉情怀sòng yù qíng huái
- sòng yù qíng huái: the feelings of Song Yu, a poet of the state of Chu who wrote, "How sad is the air of autumn!" It means the sadness autumn brings.宋玉情怀：宋玉是战国时楚国的文人，写过“悲哉，秋之为气也”。宋玉情怀就是对着秋天伤心的心情。
- 卫郎清瘦wèi láng qīng shòu
- wèi láng qīng shòu: Wei Jie, a handsome young man of the Western Jin who was thin and often ill. The poet says he is just as thin.卫郎：西晋的卫玠，长得很美，但身体瘦弱多病。清瘦：瘦。
- 红萸hóng yú
- hóng yú: the red berries of the dogwood. At Double Ninth people wore them to keep bad luck away.红萸：红色的茱萸果。古人重阳节把茱萸佩在身上，说能避邪。
- 空对酒kōng duì jiǔ
- kōng duì jiǔ: facing the wine for nothing, with no heart to drink.空对酒：白白对着酒，没有心思喝。
- 砧杵zhēn chǔ
- zhēn chǔ: the stone and wooden stick used to pound clothes clean. In autumn the sound of pounding meant cold weather was coming.砧杵：捶洗衣服用的石板和木棒。秋天家家捶衣，声音让人觉得天冷了。
- 暗欺罗袖àn qī luó xiù
- àn qī luó xiù: the cold quietly creeps into the silk sleeves. Qī means to bully or invade.暗欺罗袖：寒气悄悄地钻进丝绸的衣袖里。欺，侵犯。
- 早是zǎo shì
- zǎo shì: already is.早是：已经是。
- 败荷衰柳bài hé shuāi liǔ
- bài hé shuāi liǔ: withered lotus leaves and fading willows.败荷衰柳：枯了的荷叶，凋零的柳树。
- 帽檐敧侧mào yán qī cè
- mào yán qī cè: the hat brim blown crooked. At a Double Ninth feast in the Eastern Jin, the wind blew off Meng Jia's hat, a famous story.帽檐敧侧：帽子被风吹歪了。东晋孟嘉在重阳宴会上被风吹落帽子，成了有名的故事。
- 搔首sāo shǒu
- sāo shǒu: scratching one's head, a sign of worry.搔首：用手挠头，是发愁、着急的样子。
- 天涯tiān yá
- tiān yá: the edge of the sky, a place far from home.天涯：天边，指离家很远的地方。
- 故国gù guó
- gù guó: the old home. Some readers think it also hints at longing for the Song state itself.故国：故乡。一说也暗含对故国（宋朝）的怀念。
- 莼鲈chún lú
- chún lú: water-shield soup and perch. Zhang Han of the Western Jin, serving in Luoyang, felt the autumn wind, longed for these dishes of his home in Wu, and quit his post to go home. It came to mean homesickness.莼鲈：莼菜汤和鲈鱼。西晋张翰在洛阳做官，秋风一起，想起家乡吴地的莼菜和鲈鱼，就辞官回家了。后来用它指思乡。
- 霜前雁后shuāng qián yàn hòu
- shuāng qián yàn hòu: before the frost and after the wild geese fly south, that is, late autumn.霜前雁后：下霜以前，大雁南飞以后，正是深秋。