No. 90 · Tang poem · five-character regulated verse第 90 首 · 唐诗 · 五言律诗

tí题pò破shān山sì寺hòu后chán禅yuàn院

cháng常jiàn建Chang Jian · Tang唐

Written at the Back Courtyard of Poshan Temple

qīng清chén晨rù入gǔ古sì寺

chū初rì日zhào照gāo高lín林

qū曲jìng径tōng通yōu幽chù处

chán禅fáng房huā花mù木shēn深

shān山guāng光yuè悦niǎo鸟xìng性

tán潭yǐng影kōng空rén人xīn心

wàn万lài籁cǐ此dōu都jì寂

dàn但yú余zhōng钟qìng磬yīn音

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。

The corpus has the third line as "a bamboo path leads to a quiet place"; textbooks and common editions have "a winding path". Some editions also word the last two lines a little differently, with the same meaning. This page follows the textbook.

古诗库第三句作“竹迳通幽处”（竹林里的小路），课本和通行本作“曲径通幽处”。另外，第七、八句有的版本作“万籁此俱寂，惟闻钟磬音”，意思一样，这里按课本作“万籁此都寂，但余钟磬音”。

Line by line逐句翻译

清晨入古寺Early in the morning I enter the old temple;清晨，我走进这座古老的寺院，
初日照高林the rising sun lights the tall trees.初升的太阳照着高高的树林。
曲径通幽处A winding path leads to a quiet, hidden place,弯弯曲曲的小路通向幽静的深处，
禅房花木深where the monks' rooms lie deep among flowers and trees.和尚的禅房藏在茂密的花草树木中。
山光悦鸟性The light on the hills makes the birds glad;山间的风光让鸟儿欢快自在，
潭影空人心the reflections in the pool empty the heart.清潭里的倒影让人心中杂念全消。
万籁此都寂Now all the sounds of the world fall silent;这时，世间的一切声音都静了下来，
但余钟磬音only the notes of bell and chime stone remain.只剩下寺里钟和磬的余音在回响。

Words字词注释

初日chū rì: chū rì: the sun just risen.初日：刚升起的太阳。
高林gāo lín: gāo lín: a forest of tall trees.高林：高大的树林。
曲径qū jìng: qū jìng: a winding path.曲径：弯弯曲曲的小路。
通幽处tōng yōu chù: tōng yōu chù: leading to a quiet, hidden place. Yōu means quiet and deep.通幽处：通向幽静的地方。幽，安静、深远。
禅房chán fáng: chán fáng: the rooms where the monks live and meditate.禅房：和尚们住和修行的房子。
花木深huā mù shēn: huā mù shēn: flowers and trees grow thick, hiding the rooms deep inside.花木深：花草树木长得很茂密，把禅房围在深处。
山光shān guāng: shān guāng: the light and scenery of the hills.山光：山间的风光、阳光。
悦鸟性yuè niǎo xìng: yuè niǎo xìng: makes the birds happy and free. Yuè means to delight.悦鸟性：让鸟儿快乐自在。悦，使……高兴。
潭影tán yǐng: tán yǐng: reflections in a clear pool.潭影：清清的水潭里映出的倒影。
空人心kōng rén xīn: kōng rén xīn: empties the heart of worries, leaving it clear and calm.空人心：让人心里的烦恼和杂念都消失，变得空明安静。
万籁wàn lài: wàn lài: all the sounds of the world. Lài is a sound coming out of a hole.万籁：自然界的各种声音。籁，从孔里发出的声音。
此cǐ: cǐ: at this moment.此：这时。
都寂dōu jì: dōu jì: all fall silent. Jì means silent.都寂：都静下来了。寂，没有声音。
但余dàn yú: dàn yú: only... remains. Dàn means only; yú means to remain.但余：只剩下。但，只。余，剩下。
钟磬zhōng qìng: zhōng qìng: the temple bell and the chime stone. A qìng is struck while monks chant.钟磬：寺院里敲的钟和磬。磬是用石头或铜做的打击乐器，和尚念经时敲它。

How to read it读音

曲qū: Read qū, meaning winding. It is not qǔ, the word for a song.读 qū，“弯曲”的意思。不读 qǔ（歌曲的曲）。
都dōu: Read dōu, meaning all. It is not dū, as in a capital city.读 dōu，“全、都”的意思。不读 dū（首都的都）。

Background创作背景

Poshan Temple is Xingfu Temple on Mount Yu in today's Changshu, Jiangsu. It dates back to the Southern Dynasties. The chán yuàn is the courtyard where the monks live and meditate. One morning Chang Jian came to the temple, walked along a path to the back courtyard, and was moved by its deep quiet, so he wrote this poem at the temple. The exact year is not known.

破山寺就是兴福寺，在今天江苏常熟的虞山上，是南朝时就有的古寺。禅院是寺里和尚居住、修行的院子。一个清晨，常建来到这座寺院，沿着小路走到后面的禅院，被那里的清幽打动，就把这首诗题写在寺里。具体是哪一年写的，已经不清楚了。

The poet作者

Chang Jian was a Tang poet whose birth and death years are unknown. He passed the top civil exam in 727 but only ever held a minor post. Unhappy, he later went into seclusion. He was good at poems of landscapes and temples, quiet and calm in style. This is his best-known poem.

常建，唐代诗人，生卒年不详。开元十五年（727年）他考中进士，只做过很小的官，很不得意，后来隐居。他擅长写山水和寺院，诗风清静淡远。这首诗是他最有名的作品。

The mood意境

Reading this poem is like walking through the temple with the poet. First, early morning: he enters the old temple, and sunlight touches the tall trees. Then he follows a winding path inward. It gets quieter and quieter, until he finds the monks' rooms deep among flowers and trees. Then he stops. Birds sing freely in the sunlight. The clear pool reflects the hills and sky, and as he looks, his worries fade away. At last every sound falls silent, and only the bell and chime stone ring on. Using a sound to show silence makes the silence feel even deeper. "A winding path leads to a quiet place" later became a well-known saying for a hidden path that opens onto something lovely.

这首诗像跟着诗人走了一趟寺院。先是清晨走进古寺，阳光照着高树；然后沿着弯弯的小路往里走，越走越安静，最后看到花木深处的禅房。接着诗人停下来：鸟儿在阳光里自在地叫，清潭里映着山和天，看着看着，心里的烦恼都没了。最后一切声音都静了，只剩下钟磬声慢慢传开。用声音来写安静，反而更显得静。“曲径通幽处”后来成了成语，形容弯曲的小路通向幽静美好的地方。