Tang poem · five-character regulated verse唐诗 · 五言律诗

qín秦zhōng中gǎn感qiū秋jì寄yuǎn远shàng上rén人

mèng孟hào浩rán然Meng Haoran · Tang唐

Feeling Autumn in Qin, Sent to the Monk Yuan

yì一qiū丘cháng常yù欲wò卧

sān三jìng径kǔ苦wú无zī资

běi北tǔ土fēi非wú吾yuàn愿

dōng东lín林huái怀wǒ我shī师

huáng黄jīn金rán燃guì桂jìn尽

zhuàng壮zhì志zhú逐nián年shuāi衰

rì日xī夕liáng凉fēng风zhì至

wén闻chán蝉dàn但yì益bēi悲

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。

Line five in the source text writes the word for "burn" in its old form; common editions use the modern form. The meaning is the same.

第五句底本作“黄金然桂尽”。“然”是“燃”的古字，通行本写作“燃”。

Line by line逐句翻译

一丘常欲卧I have always longed to live on a quiet hill,我常常想找个小山丘去隐居，
三径苦无资but sadly I have no money for a home with three paths.可苦于没钱安一个家。
北土非吾愿Staying here in the north was never my wish;留在北方的京城，不是我的心愿，
东林怀我师I think of my teacher at the Eastern Grove Temple.我思念着东林寺里的老师。
黄金燃桂尽My gold burned away like cinnamon wood in the costly capital,带来的钱在京城像烧桂木一样花光了，
壮志逐年衰and my high hopes fade a little more each year.雄心壮志也一年年消磨下去。
日夕凉风至At evening the cool wind comes,傍晚，凉风吹来，
闻蝉但益悲and hearing the cicadas only makes me sadder.听到蝉叫，只让我更加悲伤。

Words字词注释

一丘yì qiū: yī qiū: a single hill, meaning a quiet place to live as a hermit.一丘：一座小山丘，指隐居的地方。
卧wò: wò: to lie down; here, to live a quiet life in the hills.卧：躺下，这里指隐居、过安静的日子。
三径sān jìng: sān jìng: three little paths. When Jiang Xu of the Han dynasty lived as a hermit, he opened three paths by his gate. Later "three paths" came to mean a hermit's home.三径：院子里的三条小路。汉代的蒋诩隐居时，门前开了三条小路，后来“三径”就指隐士的家。
苦无资kǔ wú zī: kǔ wú zī: sadly having no money. Zī means money.苦无资：苦于没有钱。资，钱财。
北土běi tǔ: běi tǔ: the north, here the area around the capital, Chang'an.北土：北方，这里指长安一带。
东林dōng lín: dōng lín: the Eastern Grove Temple on Mount Lu, where the great monk Huiyuan once lived. Here it stands for the temple of the monk Yuan.东林：东林寺，在庐山，东晋高僧慧远住过的寺。这里用来指远上人住的寺。
我师wǒ shī: wǒ shī: my teacher, meaning the monk Yuan. Shàng rén is a polite word for a Buddhist monk.我师：我的老师，指远上人。上人，对和尚的尊称。
黄金燃桂尽huáng jīn rán guì jìn: huáng jīn rán guì jìn: the gold was used up as if burning cinnamon wood. An old book says firewood in the capital cost as much as cinnamon. It means living in the capital was very costly.黄金燃桂尽：带来的钱像烧桂木一样用光了。古书里说，京城柴火贵得像桂木。意思是京城物价高。
逐年衰zhú nián shuāi: zhú nián shuāi: fading year by year.逐年衰：一年比一年衰退。
日夕rì xī: rì xī: evening.日夕：傍晚。
但益悲dàn yì bēi: dàn yì bēi: only sadder still. Dàn means only; yì means even more.但益悲：只是更加悲伤。但，只；益，更加。

Background创作背景

Meng Haoran wrote this poem in Chang'an. Qin here means the area around Chang'an. He is usually thought to have gone there at about forty to sit the imperial exam, and he failed. His money was gone, autumn had come, and he felt very low. So he wrote this poem and sent it to a monk friend named Yuan. We no longer know who this monk was.

这首诗是孟浩然在长安时写的。秦中就是长安一带。一般认为，他四十岁左右到长安考进士，没有考中，钱也花光了，又到了秋天，心情很低落，就写了这首诗寄给一位叫“远”的和尚朋友。这位远上人是谁，已经不清楚了。

The poet作者

Meng Haoran (689–740) was a Tang poet of hills, rivers and farm life. He was as famous as Wang Wei, and the two were called "Wang and Meng". He spent most of his life in his home town of Xiangyang. He went to Chang'an hoping for a post but failed, and he never became an official. This poem speaks from that time of failure.

孟浩然（689—740），唐代山水田园诗人，和王维齐名，人称“王孟”。他大半生住在家乡襄阳，曾到长安求官，却没有成功，后来一直没有做官。这首诗正是他求官失败时的心声。

The mood意境

This poem is like a letter of troubles to a close friend. It begins: I want to live as a hermit, but I have no money. I could stay and seek a post, but that is not what I want. He cannot go forward or back. Then he says his money is gone and his spirit fades each year. He says it plainly, and it hurts to read. The last two lines stop explaining and simply show the evening wind and the autumn cicadas. The cool wind feels cold. The cicadas sing on and off, like his worries that never end. He does not tell us how sad he is, only that he is sadder still, and we feel it ourselves.

这首诗像一封写给好朋友的诉苦信。开头说：我想隐居，可没钱；想留下做官，又不是我的心愿。进也不行，退也不行。接着他说钱花光了，志气也一年年没了，话说得很直白，也很心酸。最后两句不再说道理，只写傍晚的凉风和秋天的蝉声。凉风让人觉得冷，蝉声断断续续，就像他说不完的愁。他不说多悲伤，只说“更悲”，读的人自然就能体会。