The pronunciation of "shai" in "The local pronunciation has not changed, the hair on the temples has declined" is cuī, which means decrease.
From: Tang He Zhizhang's "One of Two Illustrations on Returning to Hometown"
Original poem:
One of Two Illustrations on Returning to Hometown
Tang Dynasty: He Zhizhang
The young man left home and his elder brother returned, but his local pronunciation remained unchanged and his hair on his temples faded.
Children don’t recognize each other when they see each other, and they laugh and ask where the guest is from.
Interpretation:
I left my hometown when I was young and did not come back until I was old. Although my local accent has not changed, the hair on my temples has become thinner and thinner.
When the children in my hometown saw me, no one recognized me. They smiled and asked me: Where did this guest come from?
Extended information
The first poem is a sentimental poem about visiting a foreign land for a long time and remembering my hometown. Written when I first arrived, it expresses the sadness of being a long-term visitor. In the first and second sentences, the poet is placed in the familiar yet unfamiliar environment of his hometown, walking all the way, and his mood is quite uneasy: when he left home, he was in his prime, but when he returns today, his hair on his temples is sparse, and he can't help but sigh.
The first sentence uses the words "the young man left home" and "the boss returns" to summarize the fact that he has been a foreigner for decades, implying the feeling of hurting the "boss". The second sentence follows the previous sentence with "the hair on the temples is declining", specifically describing his "boss" attitude, and contrasting the changed "hair on the temples" with the unchanged "local accent".
"Laughing and asking where the guest came from", to a child, this is just a light question that stops at the end of the sentence; to a poet, it becomes a heavy blow, eliciting endless emotion from him , his own old age, decline and sadness of turning against the master and the guest are all contained in this seemingly ordinary question.
He Zhizhang was an open-minded and uninhibited person, a good drinker, and was known as a "clear talker", especially in his later years. He retired and returned to his hometown at the age of 86, and died soon after. Together with Zhang Ruoxu, Zhang Xu, and Bao Rong, they are called the "Four Scholars in Wuzhong"; together with Li Bai and Li Shizhi, they are called the "Eight Immortals in Drinking"; and together with Chen Zi'ang, Lu Zangyong, Song Zhiwen, Wang Shi, Bi Gou, Li Bai, and Meng Haoran , Wang Wei, Sima Chengzhen and others are called the "Ten Friends of the Immortal Sect".
He Zhizhang’s calligraphy works are regarded as treasures by calligraphy enthusiasts. Very few of He Zhizhang's ink writings have survived. Among his calligraphy works handed down from generation to generation are the stone carvings of "Long Rui Palace" on the south slope of Wanwei Mountain in the southeast of Shaoxing City and the cursive script of "The Classic of Filial Piety" that was spread to Japan.