No. 63 · Tang poem · seven-character regulated verse第 63 首 · 唐诗 · 七言律诗

yǒng咏huái怀gǔ古jì迹wǔ五shǒu首·qí其sān三

dù杜fǔ甫Du Fu · Tang唐

Thoughts on Ancient Sites, No. 3 of Five

qún群shān山wàn万hè壑fù赴jīng荆mén门

shēng生zhǎng长míng明fēi妃shàng尚yǒu有cūn村

yí一qù去zǐ紫tái台lián连shuò朔mò漠

dú独liú留qīng青zhǒng冢xiàng向huáng黄hūn昏

huà画tú图xǐng省shí识chūn春fēng风miàn面

huán环pèi佩kōng空guī归yè夜yuè月hún魂

qiān千zǎi载pí琵pá琶zuò作hú胡yǔ语

fēn分míng明yuàn怨hèn恨qǔ曲zhōng中lún论

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 common text of line six ends "yè yuè hún" (soul under the night moon). The old source used here has the two middle words the other way round, "yuè yè" (moonlit night). Both versions have come down to us, and they mean almost the same.

第六句通行本多作“环佩空归夜月魂”，这里的古籍底本作“月夜魂”，两种写法都有流传，意思差不多。

Line by line逐句翻译

群山万壑赴荆门Countless mountains and valleys rush toward Jingmen;千山万谷，像奔跑一样涌向荆门，
生长明妃尚有村the village where Wang Zhaojun grew up is still there.王昭君生长的村子到今天还在。
一去紫台连朔漠Once she left the palace, she went far into the northern desert;她一离开皇宫，就远远走进了北方的大沙漠，
独留青冢向黄昏all that is left is her green tomb, alone in the dusk.只留下一座青草坟墓，孤零零地对着黄昏。
画图省识春风面From a portrait, how could the emperor know her lovely face?皇帝只凭画像，哪能认识她美丽的容貌？
环佩空归夜月魂Only her spirit comes home, in vain, on moonlit nights.只有她的魂魄，在月夜里白白地回到故乡。
千载琵琶作胡语For a thousand years the lute has played the tunes of the north,千百年来，琵琶弹的都是胡地的曲调，
分明怨恨曲中论and in the music her sorrow and grievance are clearly told.那里面分明在诉说着她的怨恨。

Words字词注释

万壑wàn hè: wàn hè: countless valleys; hè means valley.万壑：无数的山谷。壑，山谷。
赴fù: fù: to rush toward.赴：奔向。
荆门jīng mén: jīng mén: Mount Jingmen, on the Yangtze in today's Yidu, Hubei.荆门：荆门山，在今天湖北宜都的长江边。
明妃míng fēi: míng fēi: Wang Zhaojun, a palace lady of the Han dynasty who was later married off to the Xiongnu. In the Jin dynasty her name was changed to avoid a ruler's name, so later people called her Ming Fei.明妃：王昭君，汉朝的宫女，后来远嫁匈奴。晋朝时为了避讳改称“明君”，后人也叫她“明妃”。
尚有村shàng yǒu cūn: shàng yǒu cūn: her village is still there; this is Zhaojun Village in today's Xingshan, Hubei.尚有村：还留着她的村子，就是昭君村，在今天湖北兴山。
紫台zǐ tái: zǐ tái: the Purple Palace, where the emperor lived.紫台：紫宫，皇帝住的宫殿。
连lián: lián: to join; here it means she went all the way to.连：连着，这里指一直走到。
朔漠shuò mò: shuò mò: the great northern desert, where the Xiongnu lived.朔漠：北方的大沙漠，指匈奴住的地方。
青冢qīng zhǒng: qīng zhǒng: Wang Zhaojun's tomb, south of today's Hohhot in Inner Mongolia. Legend says the grass there was always green, so it was called the Green Tomb. Zhǒng means tomb.青冢：王昭君的坟墓，在今天内蒙古呼和浩特南边。传说那里草一直是青的，所以叫“青冢”。冢，坟墓。
画图huà tú: huà tú: portraits. Legend says the Han emperor chose palace ladies by their portraits; the painter made Wang Zhaojun look plain, so the emperor never met her.画图：画像。传说汉元帝看宫女的画像来挑人，画工把王昭君画丑了，皇帝就没见过她。
省识xǐng shí: xǐng shí: to have only roughly looked at and known; another reading says it means "once knew".省识：粗略地看过、认识。一说是“曾经认识”。
春风面chūn fēng miàn: chūn fēng miàn: a face as lovely as the spring breeze.春风面：像春风一样美丽的脸。
环佩huán pèi: huán pèi: jade ornaments a woman wore at her waist; here they stand for Wang Zhaojun.环佩：女子身上挂的玉饰，这里指王昭君。
空归kōng guī: kōng guī: coming back in vain; only her spirit could come home on moonlit nights.空归：白白地回来，指只有魂魄能在月夜回到故乡。
千载qiān zǎi: qiān zǎi: a thousand years; zǎi means year.千载：一千年。载，年。
琵琶pí pá: pí pá: a plucked lute that came from the west. Legend says Wang Zhaojun played one as she went north.琵琶：一种弹拨乐器，从西域传来。传说王昭君出塞时弹着琵琶。
作胡语zuò hú yǔ: zuò hú yǔ: playing the sound of the Hu lands; Hú was the old name for the peoples of the north and west.作胡语：弹出的是胡地的声音。胡，古代对北方和西方民族的称呼。
分明fēn míng: fēn míng: clearly.分明：清清楚楚。
曲中论qǔ zhōng lún: qǔ zhōng lún: told in the music.曲中论：在乐曲里诉说。

How to read it读音

省xǐng: Here it means to look at, to know, so it is read xǐng, not shěng.“省识”的“省”是“察看、认识”的意思，读 xǐng，不读 shěng。
论lún: Here it means to tell, and it is read lún (level tone), to rhyme with mén, cūn, hūn and hún.“论”是“诉说”的意思，这里读 lún（平声），和“门、村、昏、魂”押韵。
长zhǎng: Here it means to grow up, so it is read zhǎng.“生长”是出生、长大，“长”读 zhǎng。

Background创作背景

In 766 Du Fu was living in Kuizhou, today's Fengjie in Chongqing. He visited old sites nearby and wrote five poems, each about a person from the past. Together they are called "Thoughts on Ancient Sites". This is the third one, about Wang Zhaojun of the Han dynasty. She was born in a village by the Yangtze, was chosen for the palace, and was later married off to the Xiongnu in the far north, where she died. Passing places linked to her, Du Fu wrote this poem.

唐代宗大历元年（766年），杜甫住在夔州（今重庆奉节）。他游览附近的古迹，写下五首诗，分别怀念五位古人，合称《咏怀古迹五首》。这是第三首，写的是汉朝的王昭君。她出生在长江边的村子里，被选进皇宫，后来远嫁北方的匈奴，最后死在那里。杜甫路过和她有关的地方，写下这首诗。

The poet作者

Du Fu (712–770) was a great Tang poet, called the Sage of Poetry. When he wrote these poems he was in his fifties, often ill, and wandering far from home. In writing about Wang Zhaojun, who was far from home and whose worth went unseen, he was also writing about his own heart.

杜甫（712—770），唐代大诗人，被称为“诗圣”。写这组诗时他已经五十多岁，身体多病，漂泊在外，离家乡很远。他写王昭君远离故乡、有才无人赏识，其实也写出了自己的心事。

The mood意境

The first line is grand: countless mountains and valleys seem to run, all rushing toward Jingmen. Yet all this mighty scenery leads only to one small village, Wang Zhaojun's home. Lines three and four tell her life. She left the palace, went into the endless desert, and in the end only a green tomb faces the dusk. The purple palace and the desert, the green tomb and the yellow dusk: the colors and pictures clash sharply, and it is heartbreaking. Lines five and six say the emperor looked only at a portrait and missed her, and after death only her spirit could go home. The last two lines say that for a thousand years the lute has told her sorrow for her. Du Fu feels for her, and also for himself.

第一句气势很大：千山万谷像在奔跑，一齐涌向荆门。这么雄伟的山水，却只为引出一个小小的村子，那就是王昭君的家乡。三、四句写她的一生：离开皇宫，走进茫茫沙漠，最后只剩一座青冢对着黄昏。“紫台”和“朔漠”、“青冢”和“黄昏”，颜色和画面对比强烈，让人心酸。五、六句说，皇帝只看画像，错过了她；她死后只有魂魄能回家。最后两句说，千年来的琵琶声，都在替她诉说怨恨。杜甫同情她，也是在同情自己。