Tang poem · five-character old-style poem唐诗 · 五言古诗

sòng送qí綦wú毋qián潜luò落dì第huán还xiāng乡

wáng王wéi维Wang Wei · Tang唐

Seeing Off Qiwu Qian as He Goes Home after Failing the Exam

shèng圣dài代wú无yǐn隐zhě者

yīng英líng灵jìn尽lái来guī归

suì遂lìng令dōng东shān山kè客

bù不dé得gù顾cǎi采wēi薇

jì既zhì至jūn君mén门yuǎn远

shú孰yún云wú吾dào道fēi非

jiāng江huái淮dù度hán寒shí食

jīng京luò洛féng缝chūn春yī衣

zhì置jiǔ酒lín临cháng长dào道

tóng同xīn心yǔ与wǒ我wéi违

xíng行dāng当fú浮guì桂zhào棹

wèi未jǐ几fú拂jīng荆fēi扉

yuǎn远shù树dài带xíng行kè客

gū孤chéng城dāng当luò落huī晖

wú吾móu谋shì适bú不yòng用

wù勿wèi谓zhī知yīn音xī稀

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 line eleven the corpus uses an old variant form of the character for oar. In line fourteen the corpus has "lonely village", while most common editions have "lonely city". Some editions also have "the Chang'an road" instead of "the long road" in line nine.

语料库第十一句作“櫂”，是“棹”的异体字；第十四句语料库作“孤村当落晖”，通行本多作“孤城”。另外“置酒临长道”有的本子作“置酒长安道”。

Line by line逐句翻译

圣代无隐者In this wise age, no one hides away as a hermit;在这圣明的时代，没有人去隐居，
英灵尽来归all the gifted people come to serve the court.有才能的人都来到朝廷做事。
遂令东山客So even a hermit like you所以像你这样的隐士，
不得顾采薇no longer stays in the hills gathering ferns.也不再去山中采薇隐居。
既至君门远You came to the capital, but could not reach the palace gate.你来到京城，却没能走进皇宫的大门，
孰云吾道非Yet who can say our way is wrong?可谁说我们的道路错了呢？
江淮度寒食You will spend the Cold Food Festival out by the Yangtze and Huai.你将在江淮一带过寒食节，
京洛缝春衣Here in the capital you had your spring clothes sewn.在京城时，你曾缝好了春天的衣服。
置酒临长道I set out wine for you beside the long road;我在长长的大道边摆酒为你送行，
同心与我违my close friend is leaving me.知心的朋友就要和我分别了。
行当浮桂棹Soon you will float off in a boat with a cassia oar,你很快就会乘着桂木桨的小船，
未几拂荆扉and before long you will push open your own rough door.不久就能推开家里的柴门。
远树带行客The far-off trees wrap around you as you travel,远处的树林环绕着远行的你，
孤城当落晖and a lonely city faces the setting sun.孤零零的城池正对着落日的余晖。
吾谋适不用Your ideas just happened not to be taken up this time.你的主张只是恰好没被采用，
勿谓知音稀Do not say there are few who understand you.千万不要说世上懂你的人太少。

Words字词注释

圣代shèng dài: shèng dài: a wise and good age, words of praise for the times.圣代：圣明的时代，是对当时朝代的称赞。
隐者yǐn zhě: yǐn zhě: a hermit, someone who refuses to be an official and lives in the hills.隐者：不肯做官、住在山林里的人。
英灵yīng líng: yīng líng: gifted, talented people.英灵：有才能的人。
东山客dōng shān kè: dōng shān kè: the guest of the Eastern Hills. Xie An of the Jin dynasty lived as a hermit in the Eastern Hills before becoming a great minister. Here it stands for Qiwu Qian.东山客：东晋的谢安曾经在东山隐居，后来出山做了大官。这里用来比喻綦毋潜。
采薇cǎi wēi: cǎi wēi: gathering wild ferns to eat. When the Shang dynasty fell, Boyi and Shuqi refused to eat Zhou grain and hid in the hills eating ferns. Here it means living as a hermit.采薇：采野菜吃。商朝灭亡后，伯夷、叔齐不肯吃周朝的粮食，躲到山里采薇菜吃。这里代指隐居。
君门远jūn mén yuǎn: jūn mén yuǎn: the palace gate is too far away to reach, meaning he failed the exam.君门远：皇宫的大门太远，进不去，指没有考中。
孰云吾道非shú yún wú dào fēi: shú yún wú dào fēi: who says our way is wrong? Confucius once asked his students whether his way could be wrong.孰云吾道非：谁说我们走的路不对呢？孔子曾经问学生“吾道非邪”，意思是“难道我的主张错了吗”。
江淮jiāng huái: jiāng huái: the land around the Yangtze and Huai rivers, on Qiwu Qian's way home.江淮：长江和淮河一带，是綦毋潜回家要经过的地方。
寒食hán shí: hán shí: the Cold Food Festival, a day or two before Qingming, when people lit no fires and ate only cold food.寒食：寒食节，在清明节前一两天，这天不生火做饭，只吃冷食。
京洛jīng luò: jīng luò: Luoyang, used here for the capital in general.京洛：本指洛阳，这里泛指京城。
置酒zhì jiǔ: zhì jiǔ: setting out wine for a farewell meal.置酒：摆下酒席。
同心tóng xīn: tóng xīn: a close friend who shares your heart.同心：知心朋友。
违wéi: wéi: to leave, to part from.违：离开。
桂棹guì zhào: guì zhào: an oar of cassia wood, standing for the boat.桂棹：桂木做的船桨，代指船。
拂荆扉fú jīng fēi: fú jīng fēi: brushing open his own rough door, that is, getting home. Jīng fēi is a door woven from thorny branches.拂荆扉：推开自家的柴门，就是到家了。荆扉，用荆条编的门。
带dài: dài: to surround, to wrap around.带：环绕。
落晖luò huī: luò huī: the last light of the setting sun.落晖：落日的余光。
吾谋适不用wú móu shì bú yòng: wú móu shì bù yòng: your plan just happened not to be used. Shì means by chance.吾谋适不用：你的主张恰好没被采用。适，恰好、偶然。
知音zhī yīn: zhī yīn: a friend who truly understands you.知音：了解自己的朋友。

How to read it读音

缝féng: As a verb, to sew, this character is read féng.“缝”作动词，是用针线缝，读 féng。
长cháng: Cháng dào means a long road, so this character is read cháng.“长道”是长长的大路，“长”读 cháng。
行xíng: Xíng dāng means soon, about to, so this character is read xíng.“行当”是将要的意思，“行”读 xíng。
几jǐ: Wèi jǐ means before long; this character is read jǐ.“未几”是不久，“几”读 jǐ。

Background创作背景

Qiwu Qian (Qiwu is a two-character family name) was Wang Wei's friend, from the south of the Yangtze. He came to the capital to take the top exam, failed, and was going home. Wang Wei held a farewell meal for him and wrote this poem to comfort and cheer him up. Qiwu Qian later passed the exam in 726. This poem was written before that, but people disagree about the exact year.

綦毋潜（綦毋是复姓）是王维的朋友，江南一带的人。他到京城参加进士考试，没有考中，要回家乡去。王维摆酒为他送行，写了这首诗安慰和鼓励他。綦毋潜后来在开元十四年（726年）考中了进士。这首诗写在他考中之前，具体是哪一年，说法不一。

The poet作者

Wang Wei (701?–761), also called Mojie, was a great Tang poet and painter, known as the Buddha of Poetry. He passed the top exam in his early twenties and became famous young. His poems are fresh and natural; Su Shi said there were paintings in his poems. He was sincere with friends and wrote many farewell poems. In this one he sounds like an old friend patiently comforting a pal who failed the exam.

王维（701？—761），字摩诘，唐代大诗人、画家，人称“诗佛”。他二十出头就考中了进士，很早就有名气。他的诗清新自然，苏轼说他“诗中有画”。他待朋友很真诚，写过不少送别诗，这首诗就像一位老朋友在耐心地劝慰落榜的伙伴。

The mood意境

Failing an exam must feel terrible. How does Wang Wei comfort his friend? First he says these are good times, and gifted people all come to serve, and you are one of them. Then he says this failure only means the palace gate was too far this time; it does not mean your way is wrong. The middle is the farewell. You will pass the Yangtze and Huai and spend the Cold Food Festival there. I set out wine by the road, you leave by boat, and soon you will be home. The lines about the far trees and the lonely city are a painting. The trees wrap around the boat as it goes, and a lonely city faces the sunset, a little lonely and very beautiful. The last two lines are the warmest. This time you just happened not to be chosen. Do not say no one understands you. I do.

考试落榜，心情一定很难过。王维怎么安慰朋友呢？开头先说：现在是好时代，有才的人都来做事，你也是其中一个。然后说：这次没考上，只是皇宫的门太远，不是你的路走错了。中间写送别：你回家会路过江淮，在那里过寒食节；我在大路边摆酒送你，你坐船走了，很快就能到家。“远树带行客，孤城当落晖”是一幅画：远处的树林环绕着远去的小船，孤城对着夕阳，有点寂寞，也很美。最后两句最温暖：这次只是碰巧没被选上，别说没人懂你，我就懂你。