1. Sentence analysis:
When you look into the mirror at dawn, you are worried about the clouds on your temples. When you sing at night, you should feel the cold moonlight.
Dawn refers to the early morning, the mirror refers to looking in the mirror, and the clouds on the temples change to indicate that the hair has turned white or the face is haggard.
Ye refers to the night, chanting refers to reciting poems, and moonlight cold refers to the coldness of the night, referring to the subjective feeling of a desolate environment.
Full sentence meaning: Looking in the mirror in the morning to tidy up my appearance, I am worried to see that I am no longer young, and my cloud-like hair has changed; I cannot fall asleep late at night, and when I sing poems, I only feel that the moon is as cold as water and the environment is desolate.
2. Source
The sentence comes from "Untitled·It's hard to say goodbye when we meet" by Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty. The whole poem:
It's hard to say goodbye when we meet. It is also difficult, the east wind is powerless and the flowers are withered.
The spring silkworms will not run out until they die, and the wax torch will not dry until it turns to ashes.
When I look into the mirror at dawn, I am worried about the clouds on my temples. When I sing at night, I should feel the cold moonlight.
There is not much way to get to Pengshan, and the blue bird is diligent in visiting.
3. Background of the creation of the original poem
The author Li Shangyin was caught in the struggle between political parties and his life was in a difficult situation. He wanted to find a position in the Hanlin Academy, so he looked for help from friends but was rejected. Even an interview was not possible. Not visible. But the author is not willing to leave completely, so it is difficult to see and say goodbye. The author was no longer young at that time, but he felt that he still had talent and could still work. "The spring silkworms will not be exhausted until they die, and the wax torch will not dry until it turns to ashes." The author is uneasy and full of worries, so "the clouds on the temples change" and "the moonlight is cold". When writing the poem, the author lived not far from his friend, so there were "no many roads." The author still holds a glimmer of hope in his heart, hoping that his friends can help him in the end, and that a messenger can help him contact his friends.
The poem was actually written by Li Shangyin for his friends, but because he imitated the tone of a woman and the poem had profound metaphorical meaning, later generations gradually evolved and understood it as a female love poem.