No. 16 · Song lyric · ci lyric to the tune Jiang Cheng Zi, two stanzas第 16 首 · 宋词 · 词·江城子（双调）

jiāng江chéng城zǐ子·yǐ乙mǎo卯zhēng正yuè月èr二shí十rì日yè夜jì记mèng梦

sū苏shì轼Su Shi · Song宋

To the Tune Jiang Cheng Zi: A Dream on the Night of the Twentieth Day of the First Month, 1075

shí十nián年shēng生sǐ死liǎng两máng茫máng茫

bù不sī思liáng量

zì自nán难wàng忘

qiān千lǐ里gū孤fén坟

wú无chù处huà话qī凄liáng凉

zòng纵shǐ使xiāng相féng逢yīng应bù不shí识

chén尘mǎn满miàn面

bìn鬓rú如shuāng霜

yè夜lái来yōu幽mèng梦hū忽huán还xiāng乡

xiǎo小xuān轩chuāng窗

zhèng正shū梳zhuāng妆

xiāng相gù顾wú无yán言

wéi惟yǒu有lèi泪qiān千háng行

liào料dé得nián年nián年cháng肠duàn断chù处

míng明yuè月yè夜

duǎn短sōng松gāng冈

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 commonly taught text has "liào dé nián nián cháng duàn chù" in line fourteen. The corpus text swaps two characters to "duàn cháng". The meaning is the same: a place that breaks your heart.

通行本第十四句作“料得年年肠断处”，这里的古籍底本作“料得年年断肠处”，意思相同，只是两个字的顺序不同。

Line by line逐句翻译

十年生死两茫茫Ten years now, one living and one dead, each lost to the other.你我一生一死，分别已经十年，彼此什么也不知道了。
不思量I do not try to think of you,我并没有刻意去想你，
自难忘yet I cannot forget.可就是忘不了。
千里孤坟Your lonely grave lies a thousand li away,你的坟孤零零地在千里之外，
无处话凄凉and there is nowhere I can tell you my sorrow.我没有地方去诉说心中的悲伤。
纵使相逢应不识Even if we met again, you would not know me:就算我们能再见面，你也应该认不出我了，
尘满面my face is covered in dust,我满脸灰尘，
鬓如霜the hair at my temples white as frost.两鬓白得像霜。
夜来幽梦忽还乡Last night in a dim dream I was suddenly home again.夜里我在梦中忽然回到了家乡，
小轩窗There you were by the window of our little room,看见你在小屋的窗前，
正梳妆combing your hair.正在梳头打扮。
相顾无言We looked at each other and could not speak,我们互相看着，一句话也说不出，
惟有泪千行only tears ran down in streams.只有泪水流了一行又一行。
料得年年肠断处I know the place that will break my heart year after year:我想得到，年年让我伤心的地方，
明月夜it is that moonlit night,就是那明月照着的夜晚，
短松冈that low hill of small pines where you lie.长着矮松的山冈上你的坟。

Words字词注释

生死shēng sǐ: shēng sǐ: the living and the dead: Su Shi himself and his late wife.生死：活着的人和死去的人，指苏轼自己和去世的妻子。
两茫茫liǎng máng máng: liǎng máng máng: both sides lost in a blur, each knowing nothing of the other.两茫茫：两个人都模模糊糊，什么也看不清、不知道对方的消息。
思量sī liáng: sī liáng: to think about, to miss.思量：想念，挂在心上。
自难忘zì nán wàng: zì nán wàng: cannot forget anyway, even without trying to remember.自难忘：自然而然地忘不了。
千里孤坟qiān lǐ gū fén: qiān lǐ gū fén: a lonely grave a thousand li away, in their home in Sichuan. A li is an old unit of distance, about half a kilometre.千里孤坟：妻子的坟在千里之外的四川老家，孤零零的。
话凄凉huà qī liáng: huà qī liáng: to tell someone your sorrow.话凄凉：诉说心里的悲伤。
纵使zòng shǐ: zòng shǐ: even if.纵使：即使，就算。
应不识yīng bù shí: yīng bù shí: would probably not recognise me.应不识：应该认不出来了。
尘满面chén mǎn miàn: chén mǎn miàn: a face covered in dust, from years of hard travel.尘满面：满脸灰尘，形容在外奔波、很劳累。
鬓如霜bìn rú shuāng: bìn rú shuāng: bìn is the hair at the temples; it has turned white like frost.鬓：脸两边靠近耳朵的头发。鬓如霜：这些头发白得像霜。
幽梦yōu mèng: yōu mèng: a dim, faint dream.幽梦：隐隐约约、模模糊糊的梦。
还乡huán xiāng: huán xiāng: to go back home.还乡：回到家乡。
小轩窗xiǎo xuān chuāng: xiǎo xuān chuāng: by the window of a small room. Xuān is a small room with windows.小轩窗：小屋的窗户前。轩，有窗的小屋。
梳妆shū zhuāng: shū zhuāng: combing her hair and making herself up.梳妆：梳头、打扮。
相顾xiāng gù: xiāng gù: looking at each other.相顾：互相看着。
惟有wéi yǒu: wéi yǒu: only.惟有：只有。
料得liào dé: liào dé: I can guess, I expect.料得：料想，猜想得到。
肠断处cháng duàn chù: cháng duàn chù: the heartbreaking place; literally "where the insides break". It means his wife's grave.肠断处：让人伤心得像肠子断了一样的地方，这里指妻子的坟。
短松冈duǎn sōng gāng: duǎn sōng gāng: a low hill with small pine trees, meaning the grave. People in old times often planted pines beside graves.短松冈：种着矮小松树的山冈，指坟地。古人常在坟边种松树。

How to read it读音

忘wàng: Read wàng today. The lyric rhymes on level tones, and in old times this character could also be said with a level tone, so it rhymed with máng and liáng.现在读 wàng。这首词押的是平声韵，“忘”在古代也可以读平声，和“茫、量、凉”押韵。
行háng: Read háng here, meaning "rows" or "streams". It is not read xíng.这里读 háng，意思是“一行一行”。不读 xíng。
处chù: Here it is a noun meaning "place", so it is read chù, not chǔ.这里是名词“地方”，读 chù，不读 chǔ。

Background创作背景

This lyric was written on the night of the twentieth day of the first month in 1075. Su Shi was then the governor of Mizhou, today's Zhucheng in Shandong. His first wife, Wang Fu, married him at sixteen, and they loved each other dearly. But she fell ill and died at twenty-seven, and was buried in his hometown of Meishan in Sichuan. That night was exactly ten years later. Su Shi dreamed of her, and when he woke he wrote this lyric.

这首词作于宋神宗熙宁八年（1075）正月二十日夜。那时苏轼在密州（今山东诸城）做知州。他的第一位妻子王弗，十六岁嫁给他，两人感情很好。可她二十七岁就病逝了，后来葬在四川眉山老家。到这一夜，正好过去十年。苏轼梦见了她，醒来写下这首词。

The poet作者

Su Shi (1037–1101), also called Dongpo, came from Meishan in Sichuan. He was a great writer of the Northern Song, good at poems, lyrics, essays, calligraphy and painting. His lyrics are often bold and grand, but this one is full of deep love and grief. It is thought to be one of the most moving poems ever written in memory of a wife.

苏轼（1037—1101），号东坡居士，眉州眉山（今属四川）人，北宋大文学家，诗、词、文章、书法、绘画样样都好。他的词常常写得豪迈开阔，可这首却写得非常深情、悲伤。它被认为是古代怀念亡妻的作品里最动人的一首。

The mood意境

The first stanza is his longing while awake. "I do not try to think of you, yet I cannot forget": she is always in his heart without his trying. Her grave is a thousand li away, and he has nowhere to speak to her. Then he thinks: even if we met, you would not know me, with my dusty face and white hair. This tells us how hard his ten years have been. The second stanza is the dream. He is back home, and his wife is combing her hair by the window, just like an ordinary day long ago. But they can only look at each other and cry, with no words at all. The last three lines return to real life: that grave by the small pines under the moon will break his heart every year. The lyric uses no fancy words, only plain speech, yet it is deeply sad to read.

上阕写醒着时的思念。“不思量，自难忘”，不用特意去想，她一直就在心里。妻子的坟在千里之外，他连说话的地方都没有。他又想：就算见了面，她也认不出我了，我已经满脸风尘、头发花白。这是在说十年里自己吃了多少苦。下阕写梦。梦里回到老家，妻子正在窗前梳头，就像从前的平常日子。可两人只是对看着流泪，一句话也说不出。最后三句又回到现实：明月下、矮松边的那座坟，年年都会让他心碎。整首词没有华丽的字，全是平常话，却让人读了非常难过。