1. His face is dusty and smoky, and his temples are gray and his fingers are black. Where do you make money from selling charcoal? The clothes on your body and the food in your mouth. Poor clothes and clothes, worried about the cold weather. ——From the Tang Dynasty: "The Charcoal Seller" by Bai Juyi
Vernacular interpretation: The face is covered with dust, showing the color of being burnt by smoke, the hair on the temples is gray, and the ten fingers are also burned by charcoal black. What do you use the money you get from selling charcoal? Buy the clothes you wear and the food you eat. Unfortunately, he was only wearing thin clothes, but he was worried that he would not be able to sell the charcoal, and he also hoped that the weather would be colder.
2. The old wife lives in a different county, separated by ten people from the wind and snow. Who can ignore it for a long time and go to bed to be hungry and thirsty? When I heard the howl at the entrance, my youngest son died of hunger. ——From the Tang Dynasty: Du Fu's "Five Hundred Words of Ode to Fengxian from Beijing"
Vernacular interpretation: My wife and children live in Fengxian, with no one to rely on, and the wind and snow in the sky separate the family. Two places. How could I ignore the poor life of freezing and starving for a long time? This time I went to visit just to share in the difficulties. As soon as I entered the door, I heard sad cries. My little son had starved to death!
3. The green cypress is bitter but edible, and the morning glow is edible. The world's people are reckless, but my way is difficult. It's freezing in the morning if you don't have a well, and it's cold in the night if you don't have clothes on your bed. I'm afraid I'll be shy if I have an empty pocket, but I'll look at it if I have a penny left. ——From the Tang Dynasty: Du Fu's "Empty Bag"
Vernacular interpretation: Even though the green cypress tastes bitter and the morning glow is high, it can still be used as a meal. Most of the people in the world are living an ignoble existence, and it is extremely difficult for me to keep the moral integrity. The fire couldn't be turned on in the morning, the well water was frozen, and it was hard to keep out the cold at night without clothes. If you are too poor and are afraid of being laughed at, you should still leave a penny in your pocket.
4. The high autumn wind roared in August and rolled up the triple thatch on my house. A group of children in the south village deceived me, saying that I was old and weak, and that I could not bear to face a thief, so they openly carried the grass into the bamboo. My lips were burnt and my mouth was dry and I couldn't breathe. When I returned home, I leaned on my stick and sighed. ——From the Tang Dynasty: Du Fu's "Song of Thatched House Broken by the Autumn Wind"
Vernacular interpretation: In August, the autumn was deep, and the strong wind howled, and the strong wind swept away several layers of thatch on my roof. A group of children in Nancun bullied me because I was old and weak. They had the heart to act like a "thief" and steal things in front of me. They ran into the bamboo forest holding thatch without any scruples. My lips were dry and I couldn’t stop drinking. When I came back, I was leaning on a cane and sighing alone.
5. If you have a strong diet, you will become thinner every day, and your narrow clothes will be cold in autumn. Children reminisce about each other, but they know how difficult it is to travel. Dew enters the hut, and the sound of the stream is noisy on the rocky beach. ——From the Jin Dynasty: Yuan Haowen's "Nizhuang Mid-Autumn Festival"
Vernacular interpretation: I don't want to eat, my body is getting thinner, I wear flat and tattered clothes, and the autumn chill arrives unknowingly. Unknowingly, I slowly recalled my childhood. How did I know how difficult life was at that time. The morning dew drifted into the hut, and the sound of the stream could be heard by the beach.