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

wèi渭chuān川tián田jiā家

wáng王wéi维Wang Wei · Tang唐

Farm Homes by the Wei River

xié斜yáng阳zhào照xū墟luò落

qióng穷xiàng巷niú牛yáng羊guī归

yě野lǎo老niàn念mù牧tóng童

yǐ倚zhàng杖hòu候jīng荆fēi扉

zhì雉gòu雊mài麦miáo苗xiù秀

cán蚕mián眠sāng桑yè叶xī稀

tián田fū夫hè荷chú锄zhì至

xiāng相jiàn见yǔ语yī依yī依

jí即cǐ此xiàn羡xián闲yì逸

chàng怅rán然yín吟shì式wēi微

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

斜阳照墟落The setting sun shines on the village,夕阳照着村庄，
穷巷牛羊归cattle and sheep come home down the deep lane.牛羊沿着深巷回来了。
野老念牧童An old villager thinks of the herd boy,村里的老人惦记着放牧的孩子，
倚杖候荆扉and waits by the brushwood gate, leaning on his stick.拄着拐杖在柴门口等候。
雉雊麦苗秀Pheasants call, the wheat is coming into ear,野鸡在叫，麦子抽穗了，
蚕眠桑叶稀the silkworms sleep, and the mulberry leaves grow thin.蚕已经睡眠，桑叶也稀疏了。
田夫荷锄至Farmers come back with hoes on their shoulders,农夫们扛着锄头回来，
相见语依依and when they meet they talk warmly, not wanting to part.见了面亲亲热热地说个不停。
即此羡闲逸Seeing this, I long for such an easy life,看到这些，我真羡慕这种安闲的日子，
怅然吟式微and wistfully I begin to chant the old song 'Dusk Is Falling'.心中惆怅，不由得吟起《式微》来。

Words字词注释

斜阳xié yáng: xié yáng: the setting sun. Some editions have 'slanting light'.斜阳：快落山的太阳。一作“斜光”。
墟落xū luò: xū luò: a village.墟落：村庄。
穷巷qióng xiàng: qióng xiàng: a lane deep in the village.穷巷：村子深处的小巷。
野老yě lǎo: yě lǎo: an old villager.野老：村里的老人。
念niàn: niàn: to think about, to worry about.念：惦记，挂念。
倚杖yǐ zhàng: yǐ zhàng: leaning on a walking stick.倚杖：拄着拐杖。
荆扉jīng fēi: jīng fēi: a gate woven from thorny branches.荆扉：用荆条编的柴门。
雉雊zhì gòu: zhì gòu: pheasants calling. Zhì is a pheasant; gòu is its call.雉雊：野鸡叫。雉，野鸡；雊，野鸡叫。
秀xiù: xiù: grain putting out its ears and flowering.秀：庄稼抽穗开花。
蚕眠cán mián: cán mián: silkworm sleep. As silkworms grow, they stop eating and lie still several times, as if asleep.蚕眠：蚕长大的过程中会有几次不吃不动，像睡着了一样，叫“蚕眠”。
桑叶稀sāng yè xī: sāng yè xī: the mulberry leaves are thin, mostly picked to feed the silkworms.桑叶稀：桑叶被采得差不多了，变得稀疏。
田夫tián fū: tián fū: farmers.田夫：种田的农夫。
荷锄hè chú: hè chú: carrying a hoe on the shoulder.荷锄：扛着锄头。
依依yī yī: yī yī: warm and reluctant to part.依依：恋恋不舍、亲切的样子。
即此jí cǐ: jí cǐ: seeing all this.即此：看到这些。
闲逸xián yì: xián yì: easy and carefree.闲逸：安闲自在。
怅然chàng rán: chàng rán: wistful, a little sad.怅然：失意、惆怅的样子。
式微shì wēi: shì wēi: a song in the Book of Songs that repeats 'Dusk is falling, why not go home?' Here it shows the poet's wish to retire to the countryside.式微：《诗经》里的一篇，里面反复唱“式微，式微，胡不归”，意思是“天黑了，为什么还不回家”。这里表示自己也想归隐田园。

How to read it读音

荷hè: In hè chú (carrying a hoe on the shoulder), the first character means 'to carry' and is read hè, not hé.荷锄：扛着锄头。荷是“扛”的意思，读 hè。

Background创作背景

The Wei River flows through the Guanzhong plain in today's Shaanxi, near the Tang capital Chang'an. This poem shows a farm village by the Wei at dusk. The year it was written is not known. Wang Wei served at court for many years, and official life wore him out. Seeing the calm life of farm families, he envied it deeply. At the end he uses the old song 'Dusk Is Falling' from the Book of Songs to show his wish to retire.

渭川就是渭水，流经今天的陕西关中，唐朝都城长安就在附近。这首诗写傍晚时渭水边农村的景象，具体写于哪一年已经不清楚。王维在朝廷做官多年，官场让他觉得疲惫。看到农家安宁的生活，他十分羡慕，诗的最后借《诗经·式微》表达了想要归隐的心思。

The poet作者

Wang Wei (701–761) was a Tang poet and painter. He was a master of poems about mountains, rivers and farm life, and is named together with Meng Haoran. Su Shi said there were pictures in his poems. He was a Buddhist and in later life lived quietly at his Wangchuan estate. His poems are calm and gentle. The longing for farm life in this poem mirrors his own state of mind.

王维（701—761），字摩诘，唐代诗人、画家。他擅长写山水田园，和孟浩然并称“王孟”。苏轼说他“诗中有画”。他信佛，晚年在辋川隐居，诗风宁静淡远。这首诗里对田园生活的向往，正是他心境的写照。

The mood意境

This poem is like a painting of a village at dusk. The setting sun lights the village. Cattle and sheep walk slowly home down the lane. An old man leans on his stick at the gate, waiting for the herd boy. Then come the fields: pheasants call, the wheat comes into ear, the silkworms sleep, the mulberry leaves thin out. Farmers return with their hoes and chat on and on. Everything is going home: the animals, the boy, the farmers. Seeing everyone with a home to return to, the poet suddenly feels wistful and recalls the old song that asks, why not go home? What he envies is not only an easy life but a place where the heart can rest.

这首诗像一幅傍晚的乡村画。夕阳照着村庄，牛羊慢慢走回深巷，老人拄着拐杖在门口等放牛的孩子。接着是田野：野鸡叫，麦子抽穗，蚕在睡，桑叶稀了。农夫扛着锄头回来，见面说个没完。每一处都是“回家”：牛羊回家，孩子回家，农夫回家。看到大家都有家可归，诗人忽然很惆怅，想起《诗经》里“为什么还不回去”的歌。原来他羡慕的不只是闲适，更是一种安心的归宿。