Song lyric · ci lyric to the tune Yu Mei Ren, in two stanzas宋词 · 词·虞美人（双调）

yú虞měi美rén人·qū曲lán阑gān干wài外tiān天rú如shuǐ水

yàn晏jǐ几dào道Yan Jidao · Song宋

The Beauty Yu: Beyond the Winding Rail the Sky Is Like Water

qū曲lán阑gān干wài外tiān天rú如shuǐ水

zuó昨yè夜hái还céng曾yǐ倚

chū初jiāng将míng明yuè月bǐ比jiā佳qī期

cháng长xiàng向yuè月yuán圆shí时hòu候wàng望rén人guī归

luó罗yī衣zhuó著pò破qián前xiāng香zài在

jiù旧yì意shuí谁jiào教gǎi改

yì一chūn春lí离hèn恨lǎn懒tiáo调xián弦

yóu犹yǒu有liǎng两háng行xián闲lèi泪bǎo宝zhēng筝qián前

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

曲阑干外天如水Beyond the winding rail, the night sky is clear as water;弯弯的栏杆外面，夜空像水一样清凉，
昨夜还曾倚only last night I leaned there again.昨天夜里我还曾靠在那里。
初将明月比佳期At first I took the full moon as the sign of our meeting day,当初我把圆圆的明月比作相会的日子，
长向月圆时候望人归so I often watched for your return when the moon was round.所以常常在月圆的时候，盼着你回来。
罗衣著破前香在The silk dress is worn through, yet the old scent remains;丝衣穿破了，从前的香气还在，
旧意谁教改who could make my old love change?旧日的情意，谁能让它改变呢？
一春离恨懒调弦All spring, full of the pain of parting, I have no heart to tune the strings;整个春天满是离愁，我懒得调弦弹琴，
犹有两行闲泪宝筝前there are only two lines of idle tears, fallen before the zheng.只有两行忍不住的眼泪，落在宝筝前。

Words字词注释

曲阑干qū lán gān: qū lán gān: a winding railing.曲阑干：弯弯曲曲的栏杆。
天如水tiān rú shuǐ: tiān rú shuǐ: the night sky is cool and clear, like water.天如水：夜空清凉明净，像水一样。
还曾倚hái céng yǐ: hái céng yǐ: once again leaned there. Yǐ means to lean on.还曾倚：还曾经靠在那里。倚，靠着。
初将chū jiāng: chū jiāng: at first, took ... and ...初将：当初把……
佳期jiā qī: jiā qī: a happy day, here the day set to meet one's love.佳期：美好的日子，这里指和心上人约定相会的日子。
长向cháng xiàng: cháng xiàng: often, at ...长向：常常在……
罗衣luó yī: luó yī: clothes of silk.罗衣：丝绸做的衣服。
著破zhuó pò: zhuó pò: worn until it tears.著破：穿破了。
前香在qián xiāng zài: qián xiāng zài: the old fragrance still lingers.前香在：以前留下的香气还在。
旧意jiù yì: jiù yì: old love, the feelings of the past.旧意：从前的情意。
谁教改shuí jiào gǎi: shuí jiào gǎi: who could make it change? It means it never will. Jiào means to make or let.谁教改：谁能让它改变呢？意思是不会改。教，使、让。
一春yì chūn: yī chūn: a whole spring.一春：整整一个春天。
离恨lí hèn: lí hèn: the sorrow of being apart.离恨：因为分离而生的愁苦。
懒调弦lǎn tiáo xián: lǎn tiáo xián: too listless to tune the strings and play.懒调弦：懒得调弦弹琴，没有心思弹。
闲泪xián lèi: xián lèi: idle tears, tears with no clear reason, really tears she cannot hold back.闲泪：无缘无故流下的泪，其实是忍不住的伤心泪。
宝筝bǎo zhēng: bǎo zhēng: a fine zheng, a plucked instrument with many strings.宝筝：精美的筝。筝是一种有很多弦的弹拨乐器。

How to read it读音

长cháng: Cháng here means often, the same as another character for often.“长”在这里同“常”，是“常常”的意思，读 cháng。
著zhuó: Zhuó here means to wear, as in putting on clothes.“著”在这里是“穿”的意思，读 zhuó，同“着装”的“着”。
调tiáo: Tiáo xián means to tune the strings and play, so tiáo is the reading here.“调弦”是调整琴弦、弹琴，“调”读 tiáo。

Background创作背景

This ci is about a woman waiting for someone far away to come back. She and her love had hoped to be together again, the way the moon becomes whole. But the moon has grown round again and again, and he has still not returned. The ci names no person or event, and we cannot tell what year it was written. Many of Yan Jidao's ci speak for women, telling of their longing and faithfulness, and this is one of them.

这首词写一位女子在等远方的人回来。她和心上人约好，像月亮圆的时候那样团圆，可是月亮圆了一次又一次，人还没有回来。词里没有说具体的人和事，也说不清写在哪一年。晏几道的许多词都是替女子说话，写她们的思念和忠贞，这首也是这样。

The poet作者

Yan Jidao (about 1038 to about 1110), also called Xiaoshan, was a Northern Song ci poet and the seventh son of the chief minister Yan Shu. He was born into wealth, but his family later declined, and he only held small posts. He was proud and upright. His ci are mostly about longing and lost happy days, sincere in feeling and fresh in language. He and his father are known together as the Two Yans.

晏几道（约1038—约1110），号小山，北宋词人，是宰相晏殊的第七个儿子。他出身富贵，后来家道中落，只做过小官，性格又清高耿直。他的词多写相思和旧日的欢乐，感情真挚，语言清丽，和父亲合称“二晏”。

The mood意境

The opening is quiet. Beyond the railing the night sky is cool like water, and last night she leaned there for a long time again. Why? Because she had taken the full moon as the day of reunion. Every full moon she hoped he would come back, and every time she was let down. The second stanza shows her heart. The silk dress is worn through, but the scent remains, just like her love, which will not change however long it lasts. But waiting is hard. All spring she has had no heart to play, and only sits before the zheng with silent tears. The words idle tears sound light, as if they do not matter, but they hide a sorrow she cannot put into words.

开头很安静：栏杆外的夜空像水一样清凉，她昨夜又在那里靠了很久。为什么靠着？因为她把月圆当作团圆的日子，每到月圆就盼人回来，可每一次都落空。下片写她的心：丝衣穿破了，香气还在，就像她的情意，再久也不会变。可是等待太苦，一整个春天她都没心思弹筝，只是坐在筝前默默流泪。“闲泪”两个字说得轻，好像不值一提，其实是说不出口的伤心。