Tang poem · seven-character quatrain唐诗 · 七言绝句

yǐ已liáng凉

hán韩wò偓Han Wo · Tang唐

Already Cool

bì碧lán阑gān干wài外xiù绣lián帘chuí垂

xīng猩xuè血píng屏fēng风huà画zhé折zhī枝

bā八chǐ尺lóng龙xū须fāng方jǐn锦rù褥

yǐ已liáng凉tiān天qì气wèi未hán寒shí时

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

碧阑干外绣帘垂Beyond the green railing, an embroidered curtain hangs down.绿色栏杆外面，绣花的帘子低低垂着，
猩血屏风画折枝On the scarlet screen, a cut branch of flowers is painted.猩红色的屏风上画着折枝花。
八尺龙须方锦褥On the bed lie an eight-foot grass mat and a square brocade cushion,床上铺着八尺长的龙须草席和方形的锦缎垫褥，
已凉天气未寒时in the season when the air has turned cool but not yet cold.这正是天气已经转凉、还没有变冷的时候。

Words字词注释

碧阑干bì lán gān: bì lán gān: a green-painted railing.碧阑干：绿色的栏杆。
绣帘xiù lián: xiù lián: an embroidered curtain.绣帘：绣着花纹的帘子。
猩血xīng xuè: xīng xuè: blood red, a deep scarlet.猩血：像猩猩血一样鲜红的颜色，就是猩红色。
屏风píng fēng: píng fēng: a folding screen, set up indoors to block drafts or divide a room.屏风：放在屋里用来挡风或隔开房间的家具。
折枝zhé zhī: zhé zhī: a cut branch, a style of Chinese painting that shows just one branch of flowers, not the whole tree.折枝：中国画的一种画法，只画从树上折下来的一枝花，不画整棵树。
龙须lóng xū: lóng xū: dragon's-beard grass, woven into mats; here such a mat.龙须：龙须草，可以编成席子。这里指龙须草编的席子。
方锦褥fāng jǐn rù: fāng jǐn rù: a square cushion of brocade.方锦褥：方形的锦缎垫褥。
已凉yǐ liáng: yǐ liáng: already cool.已凉：已经凉了。
未寒wèi hán: wèi hán: not yet cold.未寒：还没有冷。

Background创作背景

This poem shows a fine lady's bedroom. No person appears. We only see a railing, a curtain, a screen, a mat and a cushion. The last line names the season: already cool but not yet cold, around early autumn. It is usually thought to come from Han Wo's collection of poems about women's chambers. When and why it was written is not known.

这首诗写的是一间华美的闺房，就是古代女子住的房间。诗里没有人出场，只写了栏杆、帘子、屏风、席子和褥子，最后点出时节：天已凉，还没冷，大约是初秋。一般认为这首诗收在韩偓的《香奁集》里，写作的具体时间和背景不详。

The poet作者

Han Wo (about 842 to about 923) was a late Tang poet. He served as a court scholar and was trusted by Emperor Zhaozong, but was later sent away after offending powerful ministers, and spent his last years in Fujian. When young he wrote many richly worded poems about women's lives, and this is one of them.

韩偓（约842—约923），晚唐诗人，做过翰林学士，很受唐昭宗信任，后来因得罪权臣被贬，晚年住在福建。他早年写了不少描写女子生活的诗，辞藻华丽，这首就是其中之一。

The mood意境

This poem is like a camera moving slowly. First we see the green railing outside and the hanging curtain. Then we go in and see the scarlet screen with its painted branch. Then the camera rests on the grass mat and brocade cushion on the bed. The colors are rich, green and red, and everything is fine and lovely. Yet the room is silent; no one is described. The last line names the most pleasant season, already cool but not yet cold, with a faint chill in it. What the owner is thinking, or whom she is waiting for, the poet never says. He leaves it to us to guess.

这首诗像一组慢慢移动的镜头：先是屋外绿色的栏杆和垂着的绣帘，再进屋看到猩红的屏风和上面的折枝花，然后落到床上的草席和锦褥。颜色很浓，有绿有红，东西都很精美。可是屋里静悄悄的，一个人也没写。最后一句“已凉天气未寒时”，说的是最舒服的季节，也透出一点淡淡的凉意。主人在想什么、在等谁，诗人一个字也不说，留给读者自己去猜。