Song lyric · ci lyric in two stanzas宋词 · 词·双调

sī思yuǎn远rén人·hóng红yè叶huáng黄huā花qiū秋yì意wǎn晚

yàn晏jǐ几dào道Yan Jidao · Song宋

Thinking of the One Far Away: Red Leaves, Yellow Flowers, Late Autumn

hóng红yè叶huáng黄huā花qiū秋yì意wǎn晚

qiān千lǐ里niàn念xíng行kè客

fēi飞yún云guò过jǐn尽

guī归hóng鸿wú无xìn信

hé何chù处jì寄shū书dé得

lèi泪tán弹bú不jìn尽lín临chuāng窗dī滴

jiù就yàn砚xuán旋yán研mò墨

jiàn渐xiě写dào到bié别lái来

cǐ此qíng情shēn深chù处

hóng红jiān笺wéi为wú无sè色

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 by line逐句翻译

红叶黄花秋意晚Red leaves, yellow flowers: autumn is growing late,红叶黄花，秋天已经深了，
千里念行客and I think of the traveller a thousand miles away.我想念着远在千里之外的游子。
飞云过尽The flying clouds have all drifted past,天上的云都飞过去了，
归鸿无信and the returning geese bring no news of him.飞回来的大雁也没带来他的消息，
何处寄书得Where can I send a letter?我的信又能寄到哪里去呢？
泪弹不尽临窗滴Tears I cannot stop drip down by the window.眼泪弹也弹不完，靠着窗子往下滴，
就砚旋研墨I catch them in my inkstone and grind ink with them at once.我拿砚台接住眼泪，随即用它来磨墨。
渐写到别来Slowly I write about the time since we parted,渐渐写到分别以后，
此情深处and when I reach the deepest of my feelings,写到感情最深的地方，
红笺为无色the red letter paper has lost its colour in my tears.红色的信纸都被泪水湿得褪了颜色。

Words字词注释

黄花huáng huā: huáng huā: chrysanthemums.黄花：菊花。
秋意晚qiū yì wǎn: qiū yì wǎn: autumn is already late.秋意晚：秋天已经深了。
行客xíng kè: xíng kè: a traveller far from home, here the one she misses.行客：出远门的人，这里指她思念的人。
归鸿guī hóng: guī hóng: wild geese flying back. People in old times said geese could carry letters.归鸿：飞回来的大雁。古人说大雁能帮人传信。
无信wú xìn: wú xìn: bringing no news.无信：没有带来消息。
寄书得jì shū dé: jì shū dé: to be able to send a letter. Dé here means can.寄书得：能把信寄出去。得，能够。
泪弹不尽lèi tán bú jìn: lèi tán bù jìn: tears that can never all be wiped or flicked away.泪弹不尽：眼泪擦也擦不完，弹也弹不完。
临窗滴lín chuāng dī: lín chuāng dī: dripping down by the window.临窗滴：靠着窗子往下滴。
就砚jiù yàn: jiù yàn: catching the tears with the inkstone. Jiù means to bring close; yàn is the stone used to grind ink.就砚：用砚台接着眼泪。就，凑近、靠近。砚，磨墨用的石台。
旋研墨xuán yán mò: xuán yán mò: grinding ink with the tears right away. Xuán means at once; yán means to grind.旋研墨：马上就用泪水磨墨。旋，随即。研，磨。
别来bié lái: bié lái: since we parted.别来：分别以后。
红笺hóng jiān: hóng jiān: red letter paper.红笺：写信用的红色信纸。
为无色wéi wú sè: wéi wú sè: losing its colour. The tears soak the red paper until its colour fades.为无色：变得没有颜色了。眼泪把红纸打湿，颜色也褪了。

How to read it读音

弹tán: Here it means to flick away or shed, so it is read tán, not dàn.这里是“弹落、洒下”的意思，读 tán，不读 dàn。
旋xuán: Here it means "right away", usually read xuán. Some people read it xuàn.这里是“随即、马上”的意思，一般读 xuán。也有人读 xuàn。
为wéi: Read wéi here, meaning "to become". Another view takes it as "because of this", read wèi.这里按“变成”的意思读 wéi。一说是“因此、为了这个”，读 wèi。

Background创作背景

This lyric speaks in the voice of a woman who misses someone far away in late autumn. Red leaves and yellow flowers show that autumn is deep. She wants to write to him but does not know where to send it, so she can only write with tears. Most people think Yan Jidao made up this tune himself, and that its name, "Thinking of the One Far Away", comes from the poem's own words about missing the traveller. The year it was written is not recorded.

这首词借一位女子的口吻，写深秋时她思念远方的人。红叶黄花，秋意已浓，她想写信，却不知道寄到哪里，只能流着泪写。一般认为“思远人”这个词牌是晏几道自己创制的，名字就来自词里“千里念行客”的意思。具体写于哪一年，没有记载。

The poet作者

Yan Jidao (about 1038 to about 1110), also called Shuyuan and Xiaoshan, came from Linchuan in today's Fuzhou, Jiangxi. He was the youngest son of the chief minister and poet Yan Shu. Born into wealth, he saw his family decline and held only small posts all his life. His collection is called "Lyrics of Xiaoshan". It is mostly about longing and parting, full of true feeling and small, heartbreaking details.

晏几道（约1038—约1110），字叔原，号小山，抚州临川（今江西抚州）人，是宰相、词人晏殊的小儿子。他出身富贵，后来家道中落，一生只做过小官。他的词集叫《小山词》，多写相思和离别，感情真，写得细，常有让人心酸的小细节。

The mood意境

This lyric is short, but it holds a picture no one forgets: someone crying while writing a letter. The first stanza is about missing him in autumn. Red leaves and yellow flowers show autumn is deep. The clouds have flown off and the geese have come back, yet there is no news of him, and she does not know where to send a letter. The second stanza is the most moving. Her tears will not stop falling by the window, so she catches them in her inkstone and grinds her ink with them. The more she writes, the sadder she gets. When she reaches her deepest feelings, the tears soak the red paper until its colour fades. The poet never uses the word "sorrow", yet the faded red paper says more than saying "I miss you" a hundred times.

这首词很短，却有一个让人忘不掉的画面：一个人边哭边写信。上阕写秋天的思念：红叶黄花，秋深了；云飞走了，大雁回来了，却没有他的消息，信也不知道往哪里寄。下阕最动人：眼泪止不住地落在窗前，她干脆拿砚台接住眼泪，用泪水来磨墨。越写越伤心，写到最深情的地方，眼泪把红色的信纸都泡得褪了色。古人用“红笺为无色”说泪多，说情深，没有一个“愁”字，却比说一百遍“我想你”还感人。