Tang poem · New Music Bureau ballad (an old-style poem, mostly seven characters a line)唐诗 · 新乐府（七言为主的古诗）

mài卖tàn炭wēng翁

bái白jū居yì易Bai Juyi · Tang唐

The Old Charcoal Seller

mài卖tàn炭wēng翁

fá伐xīn薪shāo烧tàn炭nán南shān山zhōng中

mǎn满miàn面chén尘huī灰yān烟huǒ火sè色

liǎng两bìn鬓cāng苍cāng苍shí十zhǐ指hēi黑

mài卖tàn炭dé得qián钱hé何suǒ所yíng营

shēn身shàng上yī衣cháng裳kǒu口zhōng中shí食

kě可lián怜shēn身shàng上yī衣zhèng正dān单

xīn心yōu忧tàn炭jiàn贱yuàn愿tiān天hán寒

yè夜lái来chéng城wài外yì一chǐ尺xuě雪

xiǎo晓jià驾tàn炭chē车niǎn辗bīng冰zhé辙

niú牛kùn困rén人jī饥rì日yǐ已gāo高

shì市nán南mén门wài外ní泥zhōng中xiē歇

piān翩piān翩liǎng两qí骑lái来shì是shuí谁

huáng黄yī衣shǐ使zhě者bái白shān衫ér儿

shǒu手bǎ把wén文shū书kǒu口chēng称chì敕

huí回chē车chì叱niú牛qiān牵xiàng向běi北

yì一chē车tàn炭

qiān千yú余jīn斤

gōng宫shǐ使qū驱jiāng将xī惜bù不dé得

bàn半pǐ匹hóng红shā纱yí一zhàng丈líng绫

jì系xiàng向niú牛tóu头chōng充tàn炭zhí直

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。

This follows the textbook. The source title adds "New Music Bureau" before the poem's name, and its short preface uses a character for "official" where the textbook has "palace": the poem is about the palace market. The source also has "a foot of snow on the city wall" where the textbook has "outside the city", and "official envoy" where the textbook has "palace envoy".

这里用课本的写法。原始资料题作“新乐府卖炭翁”，小序是“苦官市也”；课本题作《卖炭翁》，小序是“苦宫市也”。原始资料的“城上一尺雪”“官使驱将”，课本作“城外一尺雪”“宫使驱将”。“宫市”指皇宫派人到市场买东西，“官”应是“宫”的误写。

Line by line逐句翻译

卖炭翁There is an old man who sells charcoal.有一个卖炭的老人，
伐薪烧炭南山中He cuts wood and burns it into charcoal in the Southern Mountains.在南山里砍柴烧炭。
满面尘灰烟火色His face is covered with dust, darkened by smoke and fire.满脸都是灰尘，被烟火熏得又黑又黄，
两鬓苍苍十指黑The hair at his temples is gray, and his ten fingers are black.两边鬓发灰白，十个手指乌黑。
卖炭得钱何所营What does he do with the money from the charcoal?卖炭得了钱拿来做什么？
身上衣裳口中食He buys clothes for his back and food for his mouth.换身上穿的衣服、嘴里吃的饭。
可怜身上衣正单Poor man, his clothes are thin,可怜他身上的衣服正单薄，
心忧炭贱愿天寒yet he worries the charcoal will sell cheap, and wishes for colder weather.心里却担心炭卖不上价，盼着天更冷些。
夜来城外一尺雪At night a foot of snow falls outside the city.夜里城外下了一尺厚的雪，
晓驾炭车辗冰辙At dawn he drives his cart over the frozen ruts.天刚亮，他就赶着炭车，轧着冻冰的车道进城。
牛困人饥日已高The ox is tired, the man is hungry, and the sun is already high.牛累了，人饿了，太阳已经升得很高，
市南门外泥中歇He rests in the mud outside the south gate of the market.他在集市南门外的泥地里歇一歇。
翩翩两骑来是谁Two riders come swaggering up. Who are they?两个骑马的人得意洋洋地过来，是谁呀？
黄衣使者白衫儿An envoy in yellow and a lad in white.是穿黄衣的宫中使者和穿白衫的手下。
手把文书口称敕Paper in hand, they say it is the emperor's order.他们手里拿着文书，嘴里说是皇帝的命令，
回车叱牛牵向北They turn the cart around, shout at the ox and drag it north.掉转车头，吆喝着牛，往北拉去。
一车炭A cartload of charcoal,一车炭，
千余斤more than a thousand pounds:一千多斤，
宫使驱将惜不得the palace envoys take it away, and the old man can do nothing.被宫使赶走了，老人舍不得也没有办法。
半匹红纱一丈绫Half a bolt of red gauze and ten feet of silk他们把半匹红纱和一丈绫，
系向牛头充炭直they hang on the ox's head, as the price of the charcoal.挂在牛头上，就算是炭钱了。

Words字词注释

伐薪fá xīn: fá xīn: to cut firewood.伐薪：砍柴。
南山nán shān: nán shān: the Zhongnan Mountains, south of Chang'an.南山：长安城南的终南山。
烟火色yān huǒ sè: yān huǒ sè: the color of smoke and fire; his face is darkened by soot.烟火色：被烟火熏出来的颜色，脸又黑又黄。
苍苍cāng cāng: cāng cāng: gray, turning white.苍苍：头发灰白的样子。
何所营hé suǒ yíng: hé suǒ yíng: what is it for? Yíng means to seek or provide for.何所营：用来做什么。营，谋求、经营。
可怜kě lián: kě lián: pitiful.可怜：让人同情。
晓驾xiǎo jià: xiǎo jià: driving the cart at dawn.晓驾：天刚亮就赶着车。
辗冰辙niǎn bīng zhé: niǎn bīng zhé: rolling along frozen ruts. Zhé is a wheel track.辗冰辙：车轮压着结冰的车道走。辙，车轮压出的痕迹。
困kùn: kùn: worn out.困：累，疲乏。
市南门外shì nán mén wài: shì nán mén wài: outside the south gate of the market.市南门外：长安集市南门的外面。
翩翩piān piān: piān piān: light and quick; here, the riders swagger.翩翩：轻快的样子，这里形容骑马的人得意洋洋。
黄衣使者huáng yī shǐ zhě: huáng yī shǐ zhě: an envoy in yellow, a palace eunuch in charge of the palace market.黄衣使者：穿黄衣服的宫里太监，是宫市的头头。
白衫儿bái shān ér: bái shān ér: a lad in white, his helper.白衫儿：穿白衣服的手下。
文书wén shū: wén shū: an official paper.文书：公文。
称敕chēng chì: chēng chì: claiming it is the emperor's order. Chì is an order from the emperor.称敕：说是皇帝的命令。敕，皇帝的命令。
叱chì: chì: to shout at.叱：大声吆喝。
牵向北qiān xiàng běi: qiān xiàng běi: drag it north. The palace was in the north of Chang'an.牵向北：往北拉去。皇宫在长安城北边。
宫使gōng shǐ: gōng shǐ: the palace envoys, the eunuchs above.宫使：宫里派出来的使者，就是前面的太监。
驱将qū jiāng: qū jiāng: to drive away.驱将：赶着走。
惜不得xī bù dé: xī bù dé: he cannot hold on to it, however much it hurts.惜不得：舍不得也没有用。
半匹红纱一丈绫bàn pǐ hóng shā yí zhàng líng: bàn pǐ hóng shā yī zhàng líng: half a bolt of red gauze and ten feet of silk. Silk could be used as money then, but this was far less than a cartload of charcoal is worth.半匹红纱一丈绫：半匹红纱和一丈绫。纱和绫都是丝织品，当时可以当钱用，但这么一点远远不值一车炭。
充炭直chōng tàn zhí: chōng tàn zhí: as the price of the charcoal. Zhí here means value, price.充炭直：当作炭的价钱。直，同“值”，价钱。

How to read it读音

裳cháng: In old poems this word for clothes is read yī cháng; cháng was the lower garment. In everyday speech today it is yī shang.衣裳在古诗里读 yī cháng，裳指下身穿的裙子一类。现在口语里“衣裳”读 yī shang。
辗niǎn: Read niǎn here, meaning to roll over and crush.辗，轧、碾过，读 niǎn。
骑qí: Textbooks today read it qí. When it means a rider, the old reading is jì.现在课本读 qí。“骑”作名词指骑马的人时，旧读 jì。
将jiāng: Read jiāng; after a verb it adds no real meaning.将，放在动词后，没有实际意义，读 jiāng。
系jì: Read jì here, meaning to tie on.系，拴、挂，读 jì。

Background创作背景

This is one of Bai Juyi's fifty New Music Bureau ballads. Its short preface says it was written about the suffering caused by the palace market. In the late Tang, the palace sent eunuchs to the markets to "buy" goods. They often paid very little, or just took things, and common people suffered badly. The ballads were written around 809, when Bai Juyi was an Advisor of the Left at court, an official whose job was to point out the emperor's mistakes.

这首诗是白居易《新乐府》五十首中的一首，小序说“苦宫市也”，意思是为宫市带给百姓的痛苦而写。宫市是唐朝后期的一种做法：皇宫派太监到市场上“买”东西，常常只给很少的钱，甚至直接抢走，百姓苦不堪言。《新乐府》大约写于唐宪宗元和四年（809年）前后，当时白居易在朝廷做左拾遗，是专门给皇帝提意见的官。

The poet作者

Bai Juyi (772–846), also called Letian, was a great Tang poet. He thought poems should speak about real life and for common people, and the New Music Bureau ballads are his best-known poems of this kind. His poems are clear and easy to follow, and he was a fine storyteller: "The Old Charcoal Seller", "Song of the Pipa" and "Song of Everlasting Regret" all tell stories in verse.

白居易（772—846），字乐天，唐代大诗人。他认为写诗要为现实、为百姓说话，《新乐府》就是他这种主张的代表作。他的诗明白好懂，讲故事的本领也很强，《卖炭翁》《琵琶行》《长恨歌》都是用诗讲的故事。

The mood意境

This poem tells a small story. First it paints the old man: a face full of soot, gray hair at his temples, ten black fingers. One look shows how hard his life is. The saddest line is "his clothes are thin, yet he wishes for colder weather", because only cold weather brings a good price for charcoal. Heavy snow falls, and he drives happily into the city. Then he meets the palace envoys. They show a paper, take the whole cart away, and hang a little gauze and silk on the ox's head. The poem stops there. It says nothing about right or wrong, but every reader understands and feels angry. Letting the facts speak for themselves is the power of this poem.

这首诗像讲一个小故事。先画出卖炭翁的样子：满脸烟灰，鬓发灰白，十指乌黑，一看就知道他多辛苦。“心忧炭贱愿天寒”最让人心酸：他自己穿得那么单薄，却盼着天更冷，因为天冷炭才能卖个好价钱。下了一场大雪，他高高兴兴地赶车进城，没想到碰上了宫使。两个人一来，拿出文书，把一车炭拉走，只在牛头上挂了一点纱和绫。诗到这里就停了，没有说一句评论的话，但读者心里都明白，也都很气愤。不直说，让事实自己说话，这正是这首诗的力量。