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

xíng行xiāng香zǐ子·shù述huái怀

sū苏shì轼Su Shi · Song宋

Walking with Incense: Telling My Heart

qīng清yè夜wú无chén尘

yuè月sè色rú如yín银

jiǔ酒zhēn斟shí时

xū须mǎn满shí十fēn分

fú浮míng名fú浮lì利

xū虚kǔ苦láo劳shén神

tàn叹xì隙zhōng中jū驹

shí石zhōng中huǒ火

mèng梦zhōng中shēn身

suī虽bào抱wén文zhāng章

kāi开kǒu口shuí谁qīn亲

qiě且táo陶táo陶

lè乐jìn尽tiān天zhēn真

jǐ几shí时guī归qù去

zuò作gè个xián闲rén人

duì对yì一zhāng张qín琴

yì一hú壶jiǔ酒

yì一xī溪yún云

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 source gives only the tune name, Xingxiangzi. Common editions add the title "Telling My Heart".

原始资料只题词牌“行香子”。通行本加题目“述怀”，意思是说说心里话。

Line by line逐句翻译

清夜无尘The clear night is free of dust.清朗的夜晚，没有一点灰尘，
月色如银Moonlight is white as silver.月光像银子一样白。
酒斟时When the wine is poured,倒酒的时候，
须满十分it must be filled to the brim.一定要倒得满满的。
浮名浮利Empty fame and empty gain那些虚浮的名声和钱财，
虚苦劳神only make you suffer for nothing and wear out your mind.只会让人白白受苦、耗费精神。
叹隙中驹Sadly, life is like a horse flashing past a crack in the wall,可叹人生像白马跑过墙缝，
石中火like a spark struck from a stone,像石头敲出的火星，
梦中身like a body in a dream.像梦里的一个影子。
虽抱文章Though I am full of learning,虽然我满肚子学问，
开口谁亲when I speak my mind, who will understand me?说出心里话，又有谁来理解我？
且陶陶For now, let me be happy暂且快快乐乐，
乐尽天真and enjoy my true self to the full.尽情享受本来的真性情。
几时归去When can I go home什么时候才能回去，
作个闲人and be a man of leisure,做一个清闲的人，
对一张琴facing a zither,对着一张琴，
一壶酒a pot of wine,一壶酒，
一溪云and a stream of clouds?一溪的白云。

Words字词注释

无尘wú chén: wú chén: not a speck of dust; the night is clean and clear.无尘：没有一点灰尘，形容夜晚干净清爽。
斟zhēn: zhēn: to pour wine into a cup.斟：往杯子里倒酒。
须满十分xū mǎn shí fēn: xū mǎn shí fēn: it must be filled right to the top. Shí fēn means ten tenths, completely full.须满十分：一定要倒得满满的。十分，十成，全满。
浮名浮利fú míng fú lì: fú míng fú lì: fame and wealth that float like things on water and cannot be counted on.浮名浮利：像水上浮着的东西一样靠不住的名声和钱财。
虚苦劳神xū kǔ láo shén: xū kǔ láo shén: suffering for nothing and wearing out your mind.虚苦劳神：白白受苦，耗费精神。
隙中驹xì zhōng jū: xì zhōng jū: a white horse seen running past a crack in a wall, gone in a flash. The image comes from the book Zhuangzi, and means time flies.隙中驹：从墙缝里看一匹白马跑过，一闪就没了。出自《庄子》，比喻时间过得飞快。
石中火shí zhōng huǒ: shí zhōng huǒ: the spark struck from a flint, gone in an instant; life is short.石中火：用石头敲出的火星，一闪就灭，比喻人生短暂。
梦中身mèng zhōng shēn: mèng zhōng shēn: as if living in a dream; life is not as solid as it seems.梦中身：好像活在梦里，比喻人生虚幻。
抱文章bào wén zhāng: bào wén zhāng: to be full of learning and good at writing.抱文章：满肚子学问，很有文采。
开口谁亲kāi kǒu shuí qīn: kāi kǒu shuí qīn: when I speak my mind, who will be close to me and understand?开口谁亲：说出心里话，又有谁来亲近、理解我呢。
且qiě: qiě: for now, for the time being.且：暂且，姑且。
陶陶táo táo: táo táo: happy and carefree.陶陶：快快乐乐、无忧无虑的样子。
天真tiān zhēn: tiān zhēn: one's natural, true self, without pretending.天真：人本来的样子，不做作的真性情。
闲人xián rén: xián rén: a person with no official job and nothing weighing on him.闲人：没有官职、无事一身轻的人。
一溪云yì xī yún: yī xī yún: clouds drifting over a stream.一溪云：一条小溪上飘着的云。

How to read it读音

谁shuí: Read shuí, the usual reading in poems.按通行读法读 shuí。
乐lè: Here it means joy, so it is read lè, not yuè.这里是“快乐”的意思，读 lè，不读 yuè。

Background创作背景

"Telling my heart" means saying what is really on your mind. People disagree about when this lyric was written. Most think Su Shi wrote it at a time when his official career was going badly. He was often sent from place to place without any say. He longed to put fame and money aside and go home to a free, easy life. Drinking on a moonlit night, he wrote these thoughts down.

“述怀”就是说说心里话。这首词的写作时间说法不一，多数人认为是苏轼在官场上不顺心的时候写的。那时他常常身不由己，在各地奔波，心里很想放下名利，回到家乡过自由自在的生活。他在月夜饮酒，把这些想法写了下来。

The poet作者

Su Shi (1037–1101), also called Dongpo, was a great Northern Song writer. He excelled at poems, song lyrics, essays, calligraphy and painting. Several times he was sent away to distant posts, yet he always stayed cheerful. He read Zhuangzi a lot and liked to use its ideas to look at gains and losses in life. You can feel that in this lyric.

苏轼（1037—1101），号东坡居士，北宋大文学家，诗、词、文章、书法、绘画样样精通。他一生几次被贬到远方，却总能乐观面对。他读过很多庄子的书，喜欢用庄子的道理看待人生的得失，这首词里就有这种味道。

The mood意境

It opens with a clean picture: a clear night, moonlight like silver, wine poured to the brim. Then the tone turns. Fame and gain are empty and only wear you out. Next come three pictures in a row: a horse flashing past a crack, a spark from a stone, a figure in a dream. All say that life is short and gone in a moment. In the second half he says he has talent but nobody understands him, so for now he will just be happy. His last wish is simple: a zither, a pot of wine, a stream of clouds. The three "one"s in a row sound light and long, as if he is already sitting by the stream watching the clouds.

开头是一幅干净的画：夜很清，月像银子，酒要倒满。接着话锋一转：名利都是虚的，只让人劳累。然后一口气用了三个比喻：墙缝里闪过的白马、石头上的火星、梦里的身影，都在说人生很短，像一下子就没了。下半首说自己有才华，却没人懂，那就先快活一点吧。最后的愿望很简单：一张琴，一壶酒，一溪云。三个“一”连在一起，读起来又轻松又悠长，好像人已经坐在溪边看云了。