HSK 6 · Article · 647 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/who-was-li-bai

李白是谁？

Who was Li Bai? China’s poet of the moon

Name: ________________ Date: ________

在zài中国zhōngguó，很hěn多duō孩子háizi会huì背bèi的de第一dìyī首shǒu诗shī，都dōu是shì同一tóngyì首shǒu：

床chuáng前qián明月míngyuè光guāng，疑yí是shì地上dìshang霜shuāng。举头望wàng明月míngyuè，低头dītóu思sī故乡gùxiāng。

这zhè首shǒu诗shī叫jiào《静夜思jìngyèsī》，一共yígòng只有zhíyǒu二十èrshí个gè字zì：夜里yèlǐ睡不着shuìbuzháo，看见kànjiàn床chuáng前qián的de月光yuèguāng，还hái以为yǐwéi是shì地上dìshang落luò了le一yì层céng霜shuāng；抬头táitóu看看kànkan月亮yuèliang，又yòu低头dītóu想起xiángqǐ了le远方yuǎnfāng的de家jiā。它tā的de作者zuòzhě，就是jiùshì唐朝tángcháo诗人shīrén李白lǐbái。

有意思yǒuyìsi的de是shì，你nǐ在zài日本rìběn课本kèběn里读dú到dào的de版本bánběn不太bútài一样yíyàng，是shì“床chuáng前qián看kàn月光yuèguāng”和hé“举jǔ头tóu望wàng山shān月yuè”。宋朝sòngcháo留下来liúxialai的de李白lǐbái诗集shījí里，也yě是shì这样zhèyàng写xiě的de。我们wǒmen今天jīntiān熟悉shúxī的de“明月míngyuè”，大概dàgài是shì明清míngqīng时期shíqī的de人rén改gǎi出来chūlái的de。一yì首shǒu诗shī流传liúchuán了le一千多yìqiānduō年nián，连lián字zì都dōu悄悄qiāoqiāo变biàn了le，可kě人们rénmen对duì它tā的de喜爱xǐ’ài一点儿yìdiǎnr也yě没méi变biàn。

李白lǐbái生于shēngyú公元gōngyuán701年nián，一般yìbān认为rènwéi他tā出生chūshēng在zài中亚zhōngyà，小时候xiǎoshíhou跟着gēnzhe家人jiārén搬bān到dào了le今天jīntiān的de四川sìchuān。他tā年轻niánqīng时shí读书dúshū、练liàn剑jiàn，二十多岁èrshí-duōsuì就jiù离开líkāi家乡jiāxiāng，到处dàochù游历yóulì。据说jùshuō他tā到dào了le长安cháng’ān以后yǐhòu，老lǎo诗人shīrén贺知章hèzhīzhāng读dú了le他tā的de诗shī，非常fēicháng吃惊chījīng，称chēng他tā为wéi“谪仙zhéxiān人rén”，意思yìsi是shì从cóng天上tiānshàng被bèi贬biǎn到dào人间rénjiān的de神仙shénxiān。

后来hòulái，唐玄宗tángxuánzōng请qǐng他tā进宫jìngōng，在zài翰林院hànlínyuàn做事zuòshì。民间mínjiān流传liúchuán着zhe很hěn多duō他tā在zài宫gōng里的de故事gùshi：比如bǐrú有yǒu一次yícì他tā喝醉hēzuì了le，竟然jìngrán让ràng皇帝huángdì身边shēnbiān最zuì有yǒu权力quánlì的de宦官huànguān高力士gāolìshì给gěi他tā脱tuō靴子xuēzi。这些zhèxiē故事gùshi未必wèibì全quán是shì真的zhēnde，但dàn李白lǐbái狂放kuángfàng、不愿búyuàn低头dītóu的de性格xìnggé，确实quèshí让ràng他tā在zài宫gōng里待dāi不bù长cháng。不到búdào两liǎng年nián，他tā就jiù离开líkāi了le长安cháng’ān，继续jìxù四处sìchù漂泊piāobó。

公元gōngyuán744年nián，李白lǐbái遇见yùjiàn了le比bǐ他tā小xiǎo十一shíyī岁suì的de杜甫dùfǔ，两liǎng人rén成chéng了le好hǎo朋友péngyǒu，一起yìqǐ喝酒hējiǔ写xiě诗shī。今天jīntiān，他们tāmen被bèi看作kànzuò中国zhōngguó最zuì伟大wěidà的de两liǎng位wèi诗人shīrén，一个yígè叫jiào“诗仙shīxiān”，一个yígè叫jiào“诗圣shīshèng”。

李白lǐbái的de最后zuìhòu几jǐ年nián过得guòde并不bìngbú顺利shùnlì。安史之乱ānshǐ-zhīluàn的de时候shíhou，他tā因为yīnwèi加入jiārù了le永王的de队伍duìwu，被bèi关guān进jìn监狱jiānyù，差点儿chàdiǎnr被bèi处死chúsǐ，后来hòulái被bèi流放liúfàng到dào很hěn远yuǎn的de夜郎yèláng，走zǒu到dào半路bànlù才cái遇到yùdào大赦dàshè。公元gōngyuán762年nián，他tā在zài当涂dāngtú去世qùshì。民间mínjiān还有háiyǒu一个yígè美丽měilì的de传说chuánshuō：李白lǐbái喝醉hēzuì了le酒jiǔ，在zài船chuán上shàng伸手shēnshǒu去qù捞lāo水shuǐ里的de月亮yuèliang，结果jiéguǒ掉diào进jìn江jiāng里，再也zàiyě没有méiyǒu回来huílái。

李白lǐbái一生yìshēng留下liúxià了le大约dàyuē一千yìqiān首shǒu诗shī。他tā写xiě酒jiǔ，写xiě山水shānshuǐ，写xiě朋友péngyǒu，但dàn写xiě得de最zuì多duō的de，也许yéxǔ还是háishi月亮yuèliang。所以suóyǐ，下次xiàcì你nǐ抬头táitóu看见kànjiàn明月míngyuè的de时候shíhou，也yě可以kéyǐ念niàn一yí句jù：“举jǔ头tóu望wàng明月míngyuè，低头dītóu思sī故乡gùxiāng。”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
同一	tóngyì	same; identical
低头	dītóu	to lower one's head
故乡	gùxiāng	hometown; native place
诗	shī	poem; poetry; verse
诗人	shīrén	poet
时期	shíqī	period; time; era
流传	liúchuán	to spread; to circulate; to hand down
悄悄	qiāoqiāo	quietly; secretly
据说	jùshuō	it is said; reportedly
称	chēng	to state; to say
天上	tiānshàng	in the sky; in heaven
四处	sìchù	everywhere; all around

English (for the teacher)

In China, the first poem a great many children learn by heart is the same one:

Before my bed the bright moonlight; I took it for frost upon the ground. I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon, and lower it to think of home.

The poem is called Quiet Night Thought and has only twenty characters in all: unable to sleep at night, you see moonlight before your bed and take it for a layer of frost on the ground; you look up at the moon, then lower your head and remember your home far away. Its author is the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai.

Interestingly, the version you read in Japanese textbooks is a little different: “Before my bed I watch the moonlight” and “I raise my head to gaze at the mountain moon”. The collections of Li Bai’s poems that survive from the Song dynasty read the same way. The “bright moon” we know today was probably a change made in the Ming and Qing. Over more than a thousand years even the poem’s words quietly changed, but people’s love for it hasn’t changed at all.

Li Bai was born in 701 AD, generally thought to be in Central Asia, and as a child moved with his family to what is now Sichuan. As a young man he studied and practised the sword, and in his twenties he left home to wander far and wide. It is said that when he reached Chang’an, the old poet He Zhizhang read his poems in astonishment and called him a “banished immortal”, a god sent down from heaven to the human world.

Later Emperor Xuanzong invited him to court to work at the Hanlin Academy. Plenty of stories are told about his time at the palace: once, they say, he got drunk and had Gao Lishi, the most powerful eunuch at the emperor’s side, pull off his boots for him. These stories may not all be true, but Li Bai’s wild nature and refusal to bow his head really did mean he couldn’t stay at court for long. In less than two years he left Chang’an and went back to roaming.

In 744 Li Bai met Du Fu, eleven years his junior, and the two became good friends, drinking and writing poems together. Today they are seen as China’s two greatest poets: one is called the Immortal of Poetry, the other the Sage of Poetry.

Li Bai’s last years were not easy. During the An Lushan rebellion he joined the forces of Prince Yong, was thrown into prison and nearly executed, then was exiled to distant Yelang, and was pardoned only halfway there. He died in Dangtu in 762. There is also a beautiful legend that Li Bai, drunk on a boat, reached out to scoop up the moon in the water, fell into the river and never came back.

Li Bai left about a thousand poems. He wrote about wine, mountains and rivers, and friends, but what he wrote about most was perhaps the moon. So next time you look up and see a bright moon, you can say a line of it too: “I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon, and lower it to think of home.”