No. 7 · Song lyric · ci, a long lyric in two stanzas第 7 首 · 宋词 · 词·双调慢词

shēng声shēng声màn慢·xún寻xún寻mì觅mì觅

lǐ李qīng清zhào照Li Qingzhao · Song宋

Slow Sounds: Searching and Seeking

xún寻xún寻mì觅mì觅

lěng冷lěng冷qīng清qīng清

qī凄qī凄cǎn惨cǎn惨qī戚qī戚

zhà乍nuǎn暖huán还hán寒shí时hòu候

zuì最nán难jiāng将xī息

sān三bēi杯liǎng两zhǎn盏dàn淡jiǔ酒

zěn怎dí敌tā他wǎn晚lái来fēng风jí急

yàn雁guò过yě也

zhèng正shāng伤xīn心

què却shì是jiù旧shí时xiāng相shí识

mǎn满dì地huáng黄huā花duī堆jī积

qiáo憔cuì悴sǔn损

rú如jīn今yǒu有shuí谁kān堪zhāi摘

shǒu守zhe着chuāng窗ér儿

dú独zì自zěn怎shēng生dé得hēi黑

wú梧tóng桐gèng更jiān兼xì细yǔ雨

dào到huáng黄hūn昏diǎn点diǎn点dī滴dī滴

zhè这cì次dì第

zěn怎yí一gè个chóu愁zì字liǎo了dé得

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 the poetry database, the line about picking flowers has a rare character xiān, meaning "to want", so the line reads "who wants to pick them". Textbooks and most standard editions have kān, "worth", and this page follows them. Also, the database spells the zhe in "keeping watch by the window" with an older form left over from the conversion; standard editions use the modern form.

古诗词数据库里“如今有谁堪摘”写作“如今有谁忺摘”。忺（xiān），想要的意思，“有谁忺摘”就是“有谁想去摘”。课本和通行本多作“堪摘”，这里用“堪摘”。另外，数据库里的“守著”是繁体字转换留下的写法，通行本作“守着”。

Line by line逐句翻译

寻寻觅觅I search and search, as if I have lost something,我找来找去，好像丢了什么，
冷冷清清but all around is cold and empty,四周冷冷清清，
凄凄惨惨戚戚and my heart is bleak, wretched and full of grief.心里又凄凉，又悲伤，又忧愁。
乍暖还寒时候In this season, warm one moment and cold the next,在这忽暖忽冷的时节，
最难将息it is hardest to look after myself.最难调养身体。
三杯两盏淡酒Three cups, two cups of weak wine:喝了三杯两盏淡淡的酒，
怎敌他晚来风急how could they hold off the sharp wind that rises at dusk?怎么挡得住傍晚吹来的急风？
雁过也Wild geese fly past,大雁飞过去了，
正伤心just when my heart is aching,我正伤心的时候，
却是旧时相识and I find they are old friends I knew before.却发现它们是从前就认识的老朋友。
满地黄花堆积Chrysanthemum petals lie in heaps all over the ground.满地都是菊花的落瓣，堆了一层又一层，
憔悴损They are badly withered;已经枯萎得不成样子，
如今有谁堪摘what is there now that is worth picking?如今还有什么值得摘呢？
守着窗儿I keep watch by the window,我守在窗前，
独自怎生得黑alone. How will I last until dark?一个人怎么熬到天黑呢？
梧桐更兼细雨On the parasol tree leaves, a fine rain falls too,梧桐叶上，又下着细雨，
到黄昏点点滴滴and at dusk it drips and drips without end.到了黄昏，一点一滴落个不停。
这次第All of this,这种光景，
怎一个愁字了得how could one word, "sorrow", ever cover it?怎么是一个“愁”字能说得完的呢！

Words字词注释

寻寻觅觅xún xún mì mì: xún xún mì mì: searching and searching. Mì means to look for. It is as if she has lost something but cannot say what.寻寻觅觅：找来找去。觅，找。好像丢了什么，又说不清丢了什么。
冷冷清清lěng lěng qīng qīng: lěng lěng qīng qīng: cold, empty and quiet, with no life around.冷冷清清：冷落、清静，没有一点热闹。
凄凄惨惨戚戚qī qī cǎn cǎn qī qī: qī qī cǎn cǎn qī qī: bleak, wretched and sorrowful. Qī qī describes grief.凄凄惨惨戚戚：又凄凉，又悲惨，又忧伤。戚戚，忧愁的样子。
乍暖还寒zhà nuǎn huán hán: zhà nuǎn huán hán: suddenly warm, then cold again. Zhà means suddenly; huán means to go back to. It describes autumn weather that keeps changing.乍暖还寒：天气忽然暖和，又转冷了。乍，忽然；还，又回到。这里写的是秋天冷暖不定的天气。
将息jiāng xī: jiāng xī: to rest and look after one's health.将息：休养，调养身体。
盏zhǎn: zhǎn: a small wine cup.盏：小酒杯。
怎敌zěn dí: zěn dí: how could it hold off. Dí means to resist.怎敌：怎么抵挡得住。敌，抵挡。
雁过也yàn guò yě: yàn guò yě: the wild geese fly past. People of old said wild geese could carry letters.雁过也：大雁飞过去了。古人传说大雁能替人传信。
旧时相识jiù shí xiāng shí: jiù shí xiāng shí: old acquaintances. Li Qingzhao had fled from the north to the south, and the geese flying down from the north felt like old friends.旧时相识：从前就认识的。作者从北方逃到南方，觉得这些从北方飞来的大雁像是老朋友。
黄花huáng huā: huáng huā: chrysanthemums.黄花：菊花。
憔悴损qiáo cuì sǔn: qiáo cuì sǔn: badly withered. Sǔn here means extremely. It can also be read as the poet herself being worn out.憔悴损：枯萎得很厉害。损，极、很，表示程度深。也可以理解成作者自己憔悴不堪。
有谁堪摘yǒu shuí kān zhāi: yǒu shéi kān zhāi: what is still worth picking? Shéi here means what; kān means can be, worth. Another reading: who is there to pick them?有谁堪摘：有什么值得摘呢？谁，什么；堪，可以、值得。一说是“又有谁来摘呢”。
守着窗儿shǒu zhe chuāng ér: shǒu zhe chuāng ér: keeping watch by the window.守着窗儿：靠在窗边，守着窗户。
怎生得黑zěn shēng dé hēi: zěn shēng dé hēi: how will the day ever end and night come. Zěn shēng means how.怎生得黑：怎么才能熬到天黑。怎生，怎样。
更兼gèng jiān: gèng jiān: and on top of that.更兼：再加上。
这次第zhè cì dì: zhè cì dì: this state of things, all of this.这次第：这种情形，这番光景。
了得liǎo dé: liǎo dé: to sum up fully, to cover it all.了得：概括得了，说得尽。

How to read it读音

还huán: Here it means "to go back to (the cold)", and textbooks read it huán. Some take it as "still" and read it hái.这里是“又回到（寒冷）”的意思，课本读 huán。也有人理解为“仍然”，读 hái。
谁shuí: In standard Mandarin it is read shéi, also shuí. When reciting old poems people often say shuí.普通话读 shéi，也读 shuí，朗读古诗时常读 shuí。
了liǎo: In this word it means to cover fully, so it is read liǎo, not le.“了得”是“说得完、概括得了”，读 liǎo，不读 le。

Background创作背景

In 1127, the Jin army captured the Northern Song capital. Li Qingzhao and her husband Zhao Mingcheng fled south. In 1129, Zhao Mingcheng fell ill and died. After that she wandered alone, and most of the books, paintings and antiques they had collected were lost. Her country was broken, her husband was gone, and she had no one to lean on. This ci is usually thought to have been written in her later years in the south, but the exact year is not known. It describes one autumn evening.

1127年，金兵攻破北宋都城，李清照和丈夫赵明诚逃到南方。1129年，赵明诚病死。从此她一个人四处漂泊，家里收藏的书画古物也大多丢失了。国家破碎，丈夫去世，自己孤苦无依。一般认为这首词写于她南渡以后的晚年，具体年份已经说不清了。词里写的是一个秋天的黄昏。

The poet作者

Li Qingzhao (1084 to about 1155), also called the Lay Buddhist of Easy Peace, was the most famous woman ci poet of the Song. In the first half of her life she was happy, and her ci were light and lively. After she fled south and lost her country, home and husband, her ci became deep and sorrowful. "Slow Sounds" is one of the best-known works of her later years.

李清照（1084—约1155），号易安居士，宋代最有名的女词人。她前半生生活美满，词写得轻快活泼；南渡以后，经历了国破家亡，词变得深沉悲苦。这首《声声慢》就是她后期的代表作。

The mood意境

The ci opens with fourteen doubled characters in a row: xún xún mì mì, lěng lěng qīng qīng, qī qī cǎn cǎn qī qī. Read aloud, they sound like sigh after sigh. First comes an action, searching and searching. Then the setting, cold and empty. Then the feeling, grief that grows deeper with each pair. Next comes autumn. The weather keeps changing, and a little weak wine cannot hold off the evening wind. She looks up and sees wild geese, "old friends" from the north, and they remind her of the home she can never return to. The second stanza shows withered chrysanthemums all over the ground. No one picks them, and they are just like her. She sits by the window, alone, and cannot even bear to wait for night. Fine rain drips on the parasol tree leaves, drop by drop, on the leaves and on her heart. The last line says all this sorrow is far too much for one word, "sorrow". The whole ci uses everyday words, yet it shows loneliness and grief at their deepest.

开头一连用了十四个叠字：寻寻觅觅、冷冷清清、凄凄惨惨戚戚。读起来像一声声叹气。先是动作，找来找去；再是环境，冷冷清清；最后是心情，一层比一层深的悲伤。接下来写秋天：天气忽冷忽热，喝点淡酒也挡不住晚风；抬头看见大雁，竟是从北方来的“老相识”，让她想起回不去的故乡。下阕写满地枯萎的菊花，没人去摘，就像她自己。她守着窗户，一个人连天黑都熬不到；梧桐叶上细雨点点滴滴，滴在叶上，也滴在心上。最后一句说，这么多的愁，哪是一个“愁”字说得完的！整首词用的都是家常话，却把孤独和悲伤写到了极点。