No. 71 · Tang poem · five-character old-style ballad第 71 首 · 唐诗 · 五言古诗（乐府）

gǔ古lǎng朗yuè月xíng行

lǐ李bái白Li Bai · Tang唐

An Old Song of the Bright Moon

xiǎo小shí时bù不shí识yuè月

hū呼zuò作bái白yù玉pán盘

yòu又yí疑yáo瑶tái台jìng镜

fēi飞zài在qīng青yún云duān端

xiān仙rén人chuí垂liǎng两zú足

guì桂shù树hé何tuán团tuán团

bái白tù兔dǎo捣yào药chéng成

wèn问yán言yǔ与shuí谁cān餐

chán蟾chú蜍shí蚀yuán圆yǐng影

dà大míng明yè夜yǐ已cán残

yì羿xī昔luò落jiǔ九wū乌

tiān天rén人qīng清qiě且ān安

yīn阴jīng精cǐ此lún沦huò惑

qù去qù去bù不zú足guān观

yōu忧lái来qí其rú如hé何

qī凄chuàng怆cuī摧xīn心gān肝

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。

The corpus text has "white clouds" in line four and "the cassia tree grows round" with a different verb in line six. The textbook and usual text have "blue clouds" and "how round the cassia tree"; this page follows them. The primary school textbook includes only the first four lines.

原始文本第四句作“飞在白云端”，第六句作“桂树作团团”。课本和通行本作“飞在青云端”“桂树何团团”，这里用通行本。小学课本只选了前四句。

Line by line逐句翻译

小时不识月When I was little I did not know the moon,小时候不认识月亮，
呼作白玉盘and called it a white jade plate.把它叫作白玉盘。
又疑瑶台镜Or I thought it was the mirror from the jade terrace of the immortals,又怀疑它是瑶台上的仙镜，
飞在青云端flown up above the blue clouds.飞到了青云的上面。
仙人垂两足As the moon rises, first the immortal's two feet hang down,月亮升起时，先看到仙人垂下的两只脚，
桂树何团团and how round and full the cassia tree grows.桂树长得多么圆圆满满。
白兔捣药成The white rabbit has finished pounding its medicine,白兔把仙药捣好了，
问言与谁餐but I ask, who is it for?请问这是给谁吃的呢？
蟾蜍蚀圆影The toad eats away at the round moon,蟾蜍一点点啃食着圆月，
大明夜已残and the great bright light of the night is broken.夜里明亮的月亮变得残缺了。
羿昔落九乌Long ago Hou Yi shot down nine suns,从前后羿射落了九个太阳，
天人清且安and heaven and earth became peaceful and calm.天上人间从此清平安宁。
阴精此沦惑Now the moon is sunk in darkness,如今月亮被蚀得昏暗不明，
去去不足观so go away, it is not worth watching.还是走开吧，不值得再看了。
忧来其如何When sorrow comes, what can I do?心中的忧愁涌上来，该怎么办呢？
凄怆摧心肝My grief breaks my heart.悲伤得心肝都要碎了。

Words字词注释

小时xiǎo shí: xiǎo shí: when I was little.小时：小的时候。
识shí: shí: to know, to recognize.识：认识，知道是什么。
呼作hū zuò: hū zuò: to call it.呼作：叫它，把它叫作。
白玉盘bái yù pán: bái yù pán: a plate made of white jade.白玉盘：用白玉做的盘子。
疑yí: yí: to wonder whether, to suppose.疑：怀疑，以为。
瑶台yáo tái: yáo tái: in legend, the home of the immortals, built of fine jade.瑶台：传说中神仙住的地方，用美玉砌成。
青云端qīng yún duān: qīng yún duān: up above the blue clouds. Duān means the top or edge.青云端：青天白云的上面。端，顶端。
仙人垂两足xiān rén chuí liǎng zú: xiān rén chuí liǎng zú: an old legend says that when the moon rises, you first see the two feet of the immortal who lives in it, and only slowly the whole moon.仙人垂两足：古代传说，月亮刚升起时，先看见月中仙人的两只脚，慢慢才看到整个月亮。
团团tuán tuán: tuán tuán: round and thick, like a ball of leaves.团团：圆圆的样子，枝叶茂密成团的样子。
何hé: hé: how!何：多么。
捣药dǎo yào: dǎo yào: to pound medicine in a bowl. Legend says the white rabbit in the moon pounds a medicine that makes people live forever.捣药：把药材放在臼里用杵捶打。传说月亮上的白兔在捣长生不老的仙药。
问言wèn yán: wèn yán: to ask.问言：问道。
与谁餐yǔ shuí cān: yǔ shuí cān: for whom to eat.与谁餐：给谁吃。
蟾蜍chán chú: chán chú: a toad. When people in old times saw an eclipse of the moon, they thought a toad in the moon was eating it.蟾蜍：癞蛤蟆。古人看见月食，以为是月中的蟾蜍在啃食月亮。
蚀shí: shí: to eat away bit by bit.蚀：侵蚀，一点点吃掉。
圆影yuán yǐng: yuán yǐng: the round moon.圆影：圆月。
大明dà míng: dà míng: the great light, meaning the moon.大明：指月亮。
残cán: cán: broken, no longer whole.残：残缺，不完整。
羿yì: yì: Hou Yi, a hero in legend who was a great archer.羿：后羿，传说中善于射箭的英雄。
落九乌luò jiǔ wū: luò jiǔ wū: shooting down nine crows, meaning nine suns. Legend says there were once ten suns in the sky, each with a three-legged crow inside, and Hou Yi shot down nine of them.落九乌：射落九只乌鸦，就是射下九个太阳。传说古时天上有十个太阳，太阳里有三足乌，后羿射下了九个。
天人tiān rén: tiān rén: heaven and earth, the gods and the people.天人：天上和人间。
清且安qīng qiě ān: qīng qiě ān: peaceful and calm.清且安：清平又安宁。
阴精yīn jīng: yīn jīng: the moon. People in old times thought the moon was the essence of the yin force.阴精：月亮。古人认为月亮是阴气的精华。
沦惑lún huò: lún huò: sunk and confused; here it means the moon is eaten away and turns dim.沦惑：沉沦迷惑，这里指月亮被蚀，变得昏暗不明。
去去qù qù: qù qù: go away, go away.去去：走吧走吧，离开吧。
不足观bù zú guān: bù zú guān: not worth looking at any more.不足观：不值得再看了。
其如何qí rú hé: qí rú hé: what can be done?其如何：该怎么办呢。
凄怆qī chuàng: qī chuàng: sad and grieving.凄怆：悲伤。
摧心肝cuī xīn gān: cuī xīn gān: breaking one's heart, meaning very great sorrow. Cuī means to smash.摧心肝：让心肝都碎了，形容非常伤心。摧，毁坏。

How to read it读音

识shí: It reads shí, meaning to know.识：读 shí，意思是认识。
谁shuí: In speech it is often shéi; in poems it is usually read shuí.谁：口语常读 shéi，读诗时一般读 shuí。
惑huò: It reads huò.惑：读 huò。

Background创作背景

"Song of the Bright Moon" was an old title for folk-style ballads, and Li Bai used it for this poem, so it is called "An Old Song of the Bright Moon". We do not know when it was written. The first half shows the moon through a child's eyes; the second half describes an eclipse of the moon. One reading says the toad eating the moon hints at Emperor Xuanzong in his late years, misled by people around him while the government went bad, which is why the poet is so sad. This is only one later interpretation.

《朗月行》是古代乐府诗的旧题目，李白借用它写了这首诗，所以叫“古朗月行”。写作时间不清楚。诗的前半写小孩眼中的月亮，后半写月食。一说诗中的蟾蜍蚀月，是暗指唐玄宗晚年被身边的人蒙蔽，朝政一天天变坏，所以诗人才这样忧伤。这只是后人的一种理解。

The poet作者

Li Bai (701–762) was a great Tang poet, called the Immortal of Poetry. All his life he loved to write about the moon. In his poems the moon is sometimes a friend, sometimes home, sometimes a dream. This poem gathers many old myths about the moon, and shows how rich his imagination was.

李白（701—762），唐代大诗人，人称“诗仙”。他一生特别爱写月亮，月亮在他的诗里有时是朋友，有时是故乡，有时是理想。这首诗把月亮的各种神话都写了进来，可以看出他丰富的想象力。

The mood意境

The first four lines are the most famous. They see through a child's eyes: the moon is a plate of white jade, or a fairy's mirror flown up into the sky. The comparisons are fresh and sweet, and you can picture them at once. Then the poet brings in the moon's legends one by one: the immortal's feet, the round cassia tree, the white rabbit pounding medicine. The moon becomes lively and magical. But then the toad eats the moon away and the sky grows dark. The poet remembers how Hou Yi shot down the suns and brought peace, but now there is no such hero. His mood grows heavier until his heart breaks with sorrow. The whole poem moves slowly from a child's joy to deep grief.

开头四句最有名，写的是小孩子的眼睛：月亮是白玉做的盘子，又像神仙的镜子飞上了天。比喻又新鲜又可爱，一读就能看到那个画面。接着诗人把月亮的传说一个个请出来：仙人的脚、圆圆的桂树、捣药的白兔，月亮变得热闹又神奇。可是后来蟾蜍把月亮啃缺了，天变暗了。诗人想起后羿射日让天下太平，可现在没有这样的英雄。最后心情越来越沉重，悲伤得心都碎了。整首诗从天真的快乐，慢慢走到深深的忧愁。