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Tang Dynasty Jueju Zhang Ji

To Secretary Zheng

寄鄭員外

Jì Zhèng Yuán Wài

Weeks of rain and the turn of the year sharpen Zhang Ji's wish to see a friend, ending with clogs ready for a shared outing.

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About the text and pronunciation

The simplified view changes character forms, not the edition. Notes and sources retain the cited text.

The Chinese source is shown in traditional characters by default, with a simplified view available. Pinyin is modern standard Mandarin, a reading aid, not Tang or Song pronunciation.

Word by word, in the order of the line. A gloss is a crib. It is not the translation.

01

經月愁聞雨，

jīng yuè chóu wén yǔ

For a month I have listened sadly to the rain;

Word meanings — Line 1
  1. 經 jīng through
  2. 月 yuè month
  3. 愁 chóu sad
  4. 聞 wén hear
  5. 雨 yǔ rain
02

新年苦憶君。

xīn nián kǔ yì jūn

in the new year I miss you all the more.

Word meanings — Line 2
  1. 新 xīn new
  2. 年 nián year
  3. 苦 kǔ painfully
  4. 憶 yì miss
  5. 君 jūn you
03

何時共登眺，

hé shí gòng dēng tiào

When shall we climb together and look into the distance?

Word meanings — Line 3
  1. 何 hé what
  2. 時 shí time
  3. 共 gòng together
  4. 登 dēng climb
  5. 眺 tiào look out
04

整屐待晴雲。

zhěng jī dài qíng yún

I set my clogs in order, waiting for clouds in a clearing sky.

Word meanings — Line 4
  1. 整 zhěng prepare
  2. 屐 jī clogs
  3. 待 dài wait for
  4. 晴 qíng clear
  5. 雲 yún clouds

English translation by PoemWell.

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Original

經月愁聞雨，

新年苦憶君。

何時共登眺，

整屐待晴雲。

Translation

For a month I have listened sadly to the rain;

in the new year I miss you all the more.

When shall we climb together and look into the distance?

I set my clogs in order, waiting for clouds in a clearing sky.

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After reading, recall the underlined word or phrase in each line. Say its meaning before opening the answer. These prompts use the text edition printed above.

  1. Line 1 · What does the marked word mean?

    經月愁聞雨，

    Pronunciation hint

    chóu

    Reveal meaning and translation

    愁 — sad

    For a month I have listened sadly to the rain;

  2. Line 3 · What does the marked word mean?

    何時共登眺，

    Pronunciation hint

    gòng

    Reveal meaning and translation

    共 — together

    When shall we climb together and look into the distance?

  3. Line 4 · What does the marked word mean?

    整屐待晴雲。

    Pronunciation hint

    dài

    Reveal meaning and translation

    待 — wait for

    I set my clogs in order, waiting for clouds in a clearing sky.

One more question: what changes?

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Line-by-line notes

Lines 1–2 · Waiting through a change of year

經月 makes the rain a continuing experience of a month rather than an isolated sound. 新年 marks a change in the calendar, and 苦憶 says that thought of the absent friend has only grown more pressing. The English “all the more” gives 苦 that intensifying force. The turn toward 君 makes the poem itself a way of reaching Zheng during the wait.

Lines 3–4 · Putting a future walk within reach

何時 keeps the date open. 共 lets the question imagine what the friends would do together, and 登眺 compresses climbing and looking out into one prospect. Then 整屐 brings the speaker's hands to the wooden clogs that will make the walk possible. 晴雲 imagines clouds in clearing weather. That detail lets the wait concern a usable break in the rain. The question remains unanswered, but the clogs are ready.

Form and tone

The five-character quatrain balances two lines of elapsed time against a question and a small act of preparation. Waiting remains at the end, but it has acquired direction. Modern Mandarin readings are supplied without a historical tone grid.

Historical context

員外 is an official title used in the address to Zheng. Zhang Ji does not identify a mountain or promise a grand expedition. The prepared footwear makes friendship tangible. The poem offers a quieter counterpart to farewell scenes: here the imagined movement is toward a reunion.

Sources

Chinese text follows the main readings of Quan Tang shi, juan 242, Zhang Ji (張繼). 却 is normalized to 卻 where it occurs. Punctuation is editorial. English translations and annotations are original to PoemWell.

English translation, gloss, and notes by PoemWell. The translation is original to this site.

The Chinese source is shown in traditional characters by default, with a simplified view available. Pinyin is modern standard Mandarin, a reading aid, not Tang or Song pronunciation.

Updated .

Cite this reading

Zhang Ji. “To Secretary Zheng” (寄鄭員外). PoemWell. English translation by PoemWell. Updated .

https://poemwell.org/poems/to-secretary-zheng

Credit the poet for the Chinese original and PoemWell for this translation and commentary. Use the permanent page link above; source editions are listed separately.