Tang poem · old-style poem in seven-character lines (a song)唐诗 · 七言古诗（歌行）

zǒu走mǎ马chuān川xíng行fèng奉sòng送fēng封dà大fū夫chū出shī师xī西zhēng征

cén岑shēn参Cen Shen · Tang唐

Song of Zouma River: Seeing Off Lord Feng on His Western Campaign

jūn君bú不jiàn见zǒu走mǎ马chuān川xíng行xuě雪hǎi海biān边

píng平shā沙mǎng莽mǎng莽huáng黄rù入tiān天

lún轮tái台jiǔ九yuè月fēng风yè夜hǒu吼

yì一chuān川suì碎shí石dà大rú如dǒu斗

suí随fēng风mǎn满dì地shí石luàn乱zǒu走

xiōng匈nú奴cǎo草huáng黄mǎ马zhèng正féi肥

jīn金shān山xī西jiàn见yān烟chén尘fēi飞

hàn汉jiā家dà大jiàng将xī西chū出shī师

jiāng将jūn军jīn金jiǎ甲yè夜bù不tuō脱

bàn半yè夜jūn军xíng行gē戈xiāng相bō拨

fēng风tóu头rú如dāo刀miàn面rú如gē割

mǎ马máo毛dài带xuě雪hàn汗qì气zhēng蒸

wǔ五huā花lián连qián钱xuán旋zuò作bīng冰

mù幕zhōng中cǎo草xí檄yàn砚shuǐ水níng凝

lǔ虏qí骑wén闻zhī之yīng应dǎn胆shè慑

liào料zhī知duǎn短bīng兵bù不gǎn敢jiē接

chē车shī师xī西mén门zhù伫xiàn献jié捷

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 corpus title leaves out the words for "Lord Feng". The usual title includes them: "Song of Zouma River: Seeing Off Lord Feng on His Western Campaign". This page follows the usual title.

语料库题目作“走马川行奉送出师西征”，少了“封大夫”三个字。通行本题目作“走马川行奉送封大夫出师西征”，这里用通行本。

Line by line逐句翻译

君不见走马川行雪海边Have you not seen? Zouma River runs beside the Sea of Snow,你没看见吗？走马川挨着雪海边，
平沙莽莽黄入天where flat sands stretch endlessly and the yellow reaches the sky.平平的沙漠一望无边，黄沙一直连到天上。
轮台九月风夜吼At Luntai in the ninth month, the wind roars all night;轮台九月的夜里，狂风怒吼，
一川碎石大如斗stones across the whole valley are as big as grain buckets,满河谷的碎石头大得像斗，
随风满地石乱走and the wind sends them tumbling all over the ground.被风吹得满地乱滚。
匈奴草黄马正肥The grass is yellow and the enemy's horses are fat;秋天草黄了，敌人的马正肥壮，
金山西见烟尘飞west of the Golden Mountains, the smoke and dust of war fly up.金山西边，战火的烟尘飞起。
汉家大将西出师Our great general leads the army west.我们的大将带兵向西出征。
将军金甲夜不脱At night the general does not take off his armor;将军夜里也不脱下铠甲，
半夜军行戈相拨marching at midnight, the weapons knock together;半夜行军，兵器互相碰撞，
风头如刀面如割the wind cuts like a knife, and faces sting as if slashed.风刮过来像刀子，脸像被割一样疼。
马毛带雪汗气蒸Snow clings to the horses' coats, and their sweat steams,马毛上带着雪，汗水冒着热气，
五花连钱旋作冰but soon the sweat on the fine horses turns to ice;好马身上的汗很快就结成了冰，
幕中草檄砚水凝in the tent, as the war declaration is drafted, the ink water freezes.帐篷里起草讨敌的文书，砚台里的水都冻住了。
虏骑闻之应胆慑When the enemy horsemen hear of this, they will surely shake with fear.敌人的骑兵听说了，一定吓破了胆，
料知短兵不敢接I know they will not dare to fight us hand to hand;料想他们不敢和我们面对面交战，
车师西门伫献捷I will wait at the west gate of Cheshi for news of victory.我就在车师西门等着你们报捷回来。

Words字词注释

君不见jūn bú jiàn: jūn bù jiàn: have you not seen? A common opening in old songs to catch the listener's attention.君不见：你没看见吗？歌行里常用的开头，用来引起注意。
走马川zǒu mǎ chuān: zǒu mǎ chuān: a river on the northwest frontier. Which river it is today is not agreed.走马川：西北边疆的一条河，具体是今天哪条河，说法不一。
行xíng: xíng: along, beside. One view is that this character was added by mistake.行：沿着、靠近。一说这个字是多出来的。
雪海xuě hǎi: xuě hǎi: a place in the far west near the Tianshan Mountains, snowy all year.雪海：西域地名，在天山一带，终年积雪。
莽莽mǎng mǎng: mǎng mǎng: stretching endlessly.莽莽：一望无边的样子。
黄入天huáng rù tiān: huáng rù tiān: yellow sand flies up into the sky, so earth and sky are all yellow.黄入天：黄沙飞到天上，天地都黄成一片。
轮台lún tái: lún tái: a Tang dynasty place in today's Xinjiang, where troops were stationed.轮台：唐代地名，在今天新疆，是军队驻扎的地方。
吼hǒu: hǒu: to roar. Here it describes the loud wind.吼：大声叫，这里形容风声很大。
一川yì chuān: yī chuān: the whole riverbed. Chuān is a river, here its valley.一川：满河滩。川，河流，这里指河谷。
斗dǒu: dǒu: an old measuring box for grain, like a large square bucket.斗：古代量米的器具，像个方方的大桶。
匈奴xiōng nú: xiōng nú: the Xiongnu, an ancient nomad people of the north. Here it means the Tang dynasty's enemies on the northwest frontier.匈奴：古代北方的游牧民族，这里泛指唐朝西北边疆的敌人。
草黄马正肥cǎo huáng mǎ zhèng féi: cǎo huáng mǎ zhèng féi: in autumn the grass is yellow and horses are fat, just the time when enemies come raiding.草黄马正肥：秋天草黄了，马吃得正肥，正是敌人出兵的时候。
金山jīn shān: jīn shān: the Golden Mountains, today's Altai Mountains.金山：阿尔泰山。
烟尘yān chén: yān chén: smoke of signal fires and dust from war horses, meaning war.烟尘：烽火的烟和战马扬起的尘土，指打仗。
汉家hàn jiā: hàn jiā: the Han dynasty, here standing for the Tang dynasty.汉家：汉朝，这里借指唐朝。
大将dà jiàng: dà jiàng: the great general, Lord Feng, that is, Feng Changqing.大将：指封大夫，就是封常清。
金甲jīn jiǎ: jīn jiǎ: metal armor.金甲：金属做的铠甲。
戈相拨gē xiāng bō: gē xiāng bō: the soldiers' weapons knock against each other. Gē is an old long-handled weapon.戈相拨：士兵的兵器互相碰撞。戈，古代一种长柄兵器。
汗气蒸hàn qì zhēng: hàn qì zhēng: steam rises from the sweating horses.汗气蒸：马身上出的汗冒着热气。
五花连钱wǔ huā lián qián: wǔ huā lián qián: patterns on a horse's coat, like flowers or like linked coins. Here it means fine horses.五花连钱：马身上的毛色花纹。五花，花纹像花朵；连钱，花纹像连在一起的铜钱。这里指好马。
旋作冰xuán zuò bīng: xuán zuò bīng: the sweat soon freezes into ice. Xuán means quickly.旋作冰：马身上的汗很快就结成了冰。旋，很快。
幕中mù zhōng: mù zhōng: inside the army tent.幕中：军营的帐篷里。
草檄cǎo xí: cǎo xí: to draft a war declaration. Xí was an old public notice denouncing the enemy.草檄：起草讨伐敌人的文书。檄，古代用来声讨敌人的文告。
砚水凝yàn shuǐ níng: yàn shuǐ níng: the water in the ink stone freezes.砚水凝：砚台里磨墨的水都冻住了。
虏骑lǔ qí: lǔ qí: the enemy horsemen.虏骑：敌人的骑兵。
胆慑dǎn shè: dǎn shè: so scared they tremble.胆慑：吓得发抖，非常害怕。
短兵duǎn bīng: duǎn bīng: short weapons like swords. Not daring to cross short weapons means not daring to fight face to face.短兵：刀、剑这样的短兵器。“短兵不敢接”就是不敢面对面打仗。
车师chē shī: chē shī: an ancient kingdom in the far west. The Tang set up its Beiting command there, near today's Jimsar in Xinjiang.车师：古代西域国名，唐代在那里设了北庭都护府，在今天新疆吉木萨尔一带。
伫献捷zhù xiàn jié: zhù xiàn jié: standing and waiting for the news of victory. Zhù means to stand and wait.伫献捷：站着等待报告胜利的消息。伫，久久地站着等。

How to read it读音

骑qí: Here the word means mounted soldiers, a noun, which in old times was read jì. Today it is usually read qí.“虏骑”的“骑”是名词，指骑兵，古代读 jì。现在一般统一读 qí。
见jiàn: It is usually read jiàn, "to see". Some take it as "to appear", read xiàn.这里一般读 jiàn，“看见”。也有人理解成“出现”，读 xiàn。

Background创作背景

This poem was written around 754, in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, or a little later. Cen Shen was then serving in Beiting, in today's Xinjiang, as an assistant who handled papers for the military governor Feng Changqing. When Feng led his army west, Cen Shen wrote this poem to see him off. One view is that the campaign was against Boxian. The poem shows the bitter cold of the frontier and the might of the army.

这首诗大约写于唐玄宗天宝十三载（754）或稍后。当时岑参在北庭（今新疆）担任节度使封常清手下的判官，也就是帮他处理文书的官员。封常清带兵西征，岑参写了这首诗送他出发。一说这次出兵是去征讨播仙。诗里写的是边塞的严寒和军队的威武。

The poet作者

Cen Shen (about 715–770) was a Tang poet. He and Gao Shi are named together as the leading frontier poets. He twice served with armies on the northwest frontier and saw the deserts, snowy mountains and fierce winds with his own eyes. That is why his frontier poems feel so real and so strange. Another famous one is "Song of White Snow, Seeing Off Secretary Wu on His Return to the Capital".

岑参（约715—770），唐代诗人，和高适并称“高岑”，是边塞诗的代表。他两次到西北边疆的军队里做官，亲眼见过大漠、雪山和狂风，所以他的边塞诗写得特别真实、奇特。名作还有《白雪歌送武判官归京》。

The mood意境

This poem feels both freezing and fierce. It opens with the setting: yellow sand meets the sky, the night wind roars, and stones as big as buckets tumble across the ground. In such a terrible place, the enemy attacks in autumn when their horses are fat. Then comes our army. The general sleeps in his armor, the troops march at midnight, and the wind cuts faces like a knife. The horses' sweat freezes as soon as it steams, and even the ink water freezes. The colder the weather, the braver the soldiers look. At the end the poet is confident: the enemy must be terrified, and he will wait for news of victory. The rhyme changes every three lines, so it reads like quick drumbeats, or like marching feet.

这首诗写得又冷又猛。开头先写环境：黄沙连天，夜风怒吼，斗大的石头被风吹着满地乱滚。这么可怕的地方，敌人却趁着秋天马肥来进攻。接下来写我们的军队：将军夜里不脱铠甲，半夜行军，风像刀子割脸；马的汗刚冒热气就结成冰，连砚台里的水都冻住了。越写天气冷，越显出将士们不怕苦。最后作者很有信心：敌人一定吓坏了，我就等着你们打胜仗的好消息。全诗三句一换韵，读起来像急促的鼓点，又像行军的脚步。