Tang poem · old-style poem, six five-character lines then six seven-character lines唐诗 · 七言古诗（前六句为五言）

gǔ古yì意

lǐ李qí颀Li Qi · Tang唐

In the Old Style

nán男ér儿shì事cháng长zhēng征

shào少xiǎo小yōu幽yān燕kè客

dǔ赌shèng胜mǎ马tí蹄xià下

yóu由lái来qīng轻qī七chǐ尺

shā杀rén人mò莫gǎn敢qián前

xū须rú如wèi猬máo毛zhé磔

huáng黄yún云lǒng陇dǐ底bái白yún云fēi飞

wèi未dé得bào报ēn恩bù不dé得guī归

liáo辽dōng东xiǎo小fù妇nián年shí十wǔ五

guàn惯tán弹pí琵pá琶jiě解gē歌wǔ舞

jīn今wéi为qiāng羌dí笛chū出sài塞shēng声

shǐ使wǒ我sān三jūn军lèi泪rú如yǔ雨

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。

In lines 7 and 8 the source has "white snow flies" and "cannot go home". Common editions such as Three Hundred Tang Poems have "white clouds fly" and "may not go home". The common text is used here. In line 11 the source writes "Qiang" with a rare variant form of the character.

第七、八句原始资料作“黄云陇底白雪飞，未得报恩不能归”，通行本（如《唐诗三百首》）作“黄云陇底白云飞，未得报恩不得归”，这里从通行本。第十一句原始资料的“羗”是“羌”的异体字。

Line by line逐句翻译

男儿事长征A real man goes far away to war.男子汉要去远方打仗，
少小幽燕客Since boyhood he has roamed the land of Youyan.他从小就是幽燕一带的游侠。
赌胜马蹄下He tests himself against others on horseback,在马背上和人比输赢，
由来轻七尺and has never cared much for his own life.从来不把自己的性命当回事。
杀人莫敢前When he fights, no one dares come near;他杀敌时，没人敢靠近，
须如猬毛磔his beard bristles like a hedgehog's spines.胡子像刺猬的刺一样根根竖起。
黄云陇底白云飞At the foot of Long Mountain, yellow clouds hang low and white clouds fly;陇山脚下黄云沉沉，白云飘飞，
未得报恩不得归until he has repaid his country, he may not go home.还没报答国家的恩情，就不能回家。
辽东小妇年十五There is a girl from Liaodong, fifteen years old,有个十五岁的辽东姑娘，
惯弹琵琶解歌舞who plays the pipa well and knows how to sing and dance.琵琶弹得熟练，又会唱歌跳舞。
今为羌笛出塞声Today she plays the tune "Out to the Frontier" on a Qiang flute,今天她用羌笛吹起《出塞》的曲子，
使我三军泪如雨and the whole army weeps tears like rain.全军的将士听了都泪如雨下。

Words字词注释

事长征shì cháng zhēng: shì cháng zhēng: to go to war far away.事长征：去远方打仗。事，从事、去做。
幽燕yōu yān: Yōu Yān: the old regions of Youzhou and Yan, in today's northern Hebei and Liaoning. People there were known for being brave and fierce.幽燕：古代幽州和燕国一带，在今天的河北北部和辽宁一带，那里的人以勇猛出名。
客kè: kè: a person far from home, here a wandering warrior.客：这里指出门在外的人，也有游侠的意思。
赌胜dǔ shèng: dǔ shèng: to compete to see who wins.赌胜：比个高低，争输赢。
由来yóu lái: yóu lái: always, all along.由来：向来，一直。
轻七尺qīng qī chǐ: qīng qī chǐ: to care little for his own body, not to fear death. Seven chi was said to be a grown man's height, so it means the body.轻七尺：看轻自己的身体，不怕死。七尺，古人说男子身高七尺，指身体。
莫敢前mò gǎn qián: mò gǎn qián: no one dares come near.莫敢前：没人敢上前。
猬毛磔wèi máo zhé: wèi máo zhé: sticking out like a hedgehog's spines.猬毛磔：像刺猬的刺一样根根竖起。猬，刺猬；磔，张开。
陇底lǒng dǐ: lǒng dǐ: the foot of Long Mountain, on today's border of Shaanxi and Gansu, an old frontier.陇底：陇山脚下，在今天的陕西、甘肃交界处，是古代的边塞。
黄云huáng yún: huáng yún: clouds turned yellow by sand blowing on the frontier.黄云：边塞上被风沙吹得发黄的云。
报恩bào ēn: bào ēn: to repay the kindness of the country or ruler.报恩：报答国家或君主的恩情。
辽东liáo dōng: Liáo dōng: the area east of the Liao River, in today's Liaoning.辽东：今天辽宁东南部一带。
小妇xiǎo fù: xiǎo fù: a young woman.小妇：年轻的女子。
惯guàn: guàn: used to, skilled at.惯：习惯，熟练。
解jiě: jiě: to know how to.解：懂得，会。
羌笛qiāng dí: qiāng dí: a flute played by the Qiang people of the northwest.羌笛：古代西北羌族人吹的笛子。
出塞chū sài: chū sài: the name of a tune about going out to the frontier to fight, sad in sound.出塞：一首曲子的名字，写的是到边塞去打仗的事，曲调很悲凉。
三军sān jūn: sān jūn: the whole army.三军：全军，所有的士兵。

How to read it读音

少shào: Shào xiǎo means young, so it is read shào.“少小”是年纪小，读 shào。
燕yān: In the place name Youyan it is read yān, not yàn.“幽燕”是地名，读 yān，不读 yàn。
磔zhé: This character is read zhé and means to stick out.“磔”读 zhé，意思是张开、竖起来。
解jiě: Here it means to know how to, read jiě.这里是“懂得、会”的意思，读 jiě。
为wéi: Here it means to play or make a sound, read wéi.这里是“做、吹奏”的意思，读 wéi。

Background创作背景

"In the old style" means written the way old poems were, using old subjects. This poem is about a brave soldier who grew up on the northern borderlands. He fights at the frontier and has no fear of death. Yet when he hears a sad flute tune, even he thinks of home and cannot hold back tears. We do not know exactly when it was written. There were many frontier wars in the Tang, and many poets wrote frontier poems like this.

“古意”的意思是模仿古诗的写法，借古人的题材来写。这首诗写一个从小在边地长大的勇士，在边塞打仗，不怕死，可是一听到悲凉的笛声，也忍不住想家落泪。诗的具体写作时间不清楚。唐代边塞战事很多，很多诗人都写过这类边塞诗。

The poet作者

Li Qi (about 690–about 751) was a Tang poet. He held a small post, then lived for many years as a recluse. He knew Wang Wei, Gao Shi and Wang Changling, and was good at frontier poems and at poems describing music. This poem uses both strengths: first a soldier's daring, then music that makes men weep.

李颀（约690—约751），唐代诗人，做过小官，后来长期隐居。他和王维、高适、王昌龄都有来往，擅长写边塞诗和描写音乐的诗。这首诗前面写勇士的豪气，后面写音乐让人落泪，正好把他的两个长处都用上了。

The mood意境

The first six lines are about the soldier. They are short, five characters each, like beats on a drum. He left home young, fights for victory on horseback, has no fear of death, no one dares come near him, and his beard bristles like a hedgehog. A fierce figure stands up before us at once. Lines 7 and 8 switch to longer seven-character lines, and the view opens wide: yellow clouds, white clouds, no home in sight. Then suddenly, in the last four lines, a fifteen-year-old girl plays the sad tune "Out to the Frontier", and the whole army weeps. The toughest men are moved by the softest flute. That contrast is hard to forget: however brave you are, you still miss home.

前六句写勇士，用短短的五言，像一下一下的鼓点：从小出门，马上争胜，不怕死，杀人没人敢靠近，胡子像刺猬一样竖着。一个凶猛的形象一下子立起来了。第七、八句换成长长的七言，景色变得辽阔：黄云、白云，望不到家。最后四句忽然来了一个十五岁的姑娘，吹起悲凉的《出塞》曲，全军都哭了。最硬的人被最柔的笛声打动，这种对比让人特别难忘：再勇敢的人，心里也想家。