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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

八月十五夜赠张功曹

On Mid-Autumn Night Presented to Clerk Zhang

韩愈

Han Yu

咏怀Expressing feelings 赠答Poem presented in reply

纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波。
沙平水息声影绝，一杯相属君当歌。
君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨。
洞庭连天九疑高，蛟龙出没猩鼯号。
十生九死到官所，幽居默默如藏逃。
下床畏蛇食畏药，海气湿蛰熏腥臊。
昨者州前捶大鼓，嗣皇继圣登夔皋。
赦书一日行万里，罪从大辟皆除死。
迁者追回流者还，涤瑕荡垢清朝班。
州家申名使家抑，坎轲只得移荆蛮。
判司卑官不堪说，未免捶楚尘埃间。
同时辈流多上道，天路幽险难追攀。
君歌且休听我歌，我歌今与君殊科。
一年明月今宵多，人生由命非由他。
有酒不饮奈明何！

Thin clouds roll back on four sides, no Milky Way in the sky; a clear wind blows through the void, the moon spreads its ripples.
Sand is flat, water still, sound and shadow cease; one cup passed to you - you should sing.
Your song sounds sour, its words bitter; before it ends I weep like rain.
Dongting joins the sky, Mount Jiuyi stands high; dragons appear and vanish, gibbons and flying squirrels cry.
Ten lives, nine deaths, to reach the post; in seclusion I dwell silent, like one in hiding.
Getting out of bed I fear snakes, eating I fear poison; sea vapors, damp, steaming with fishy stench.
Yesterday before the prefecture they beat the great drum; the new emperor succeeds the sage, ascending to Kuigao's heights.
The pardon edict travels ten thousand li in a day; those sentenced to death are all spared.
The banished are recalled, the exiled return; stains washed, the court cleansed.
The prefecture named us, but the commissioner suppressed it; thwarted, we could only move to Jing-man.
A low clerk's office is too mean to tell; unavoidable, the flogging in the dust.
My fellows of the same time mostly took the road; the heavenly path is dark and perilous, hard to climb.
Rest your song - hear mine; my song today is of a different kind.
Of the year's bright moons, tonight has the most; life is ruled by fate, not by another.
With wine before me, not to drink - how could I face the bright moon!

Listen

Meaning

On Mid-Autumn night, Han Yu shares wine with his fellow-exile Zhang, first hearing Zhang's bitter song of banishment, then answering with his own counsel that life is governed by fate. It moves from shared grief to a stoic, wine-filled acceptance.

纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波。沙平水息声影绝，一杯相属君当歌。君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨。洞庭连天九疑高，蛟龙出没猩鼯号。十生九死到官所，幽居默默如藏逃。下床畏蛇食畏药，海气湿蛰熏腥臊。昨者州前捶大鼓，嗣皇继圣登夔皋。赦书一日行万里，罪从大辟皆除死。迁者追回流者还，涤瑕荡垢清朝班。州家申名使家抑，坎轲只得移荆蛮。判司卑官不堪说，未免捶楚尘埃间。同时辈流多上道，天路幽险难追攀。君歌且休听我歌，我歌今与君殊科。一年明月今宵多，人生由命非由他。有酒不饮奈明何！

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Thin clouds roll back, no Milky Way; a clear wind blows, the moon spreads ripples. Sand flat, water still; one cup passed - you should sing. Your song is sour, bitter; before it ends I weep. Dongting joins the sky, dragons appear; ten lives nine deaths to the post, in hiding; fearing snakes, poison, sea-stench; then the pardon drum, the new emperor, the edict sparing the condemned; yet the commissioner suppressed our names, we moved only to Jing-man, a low clerk flogged in dust; my fellows advanced, the heavenly path hard. Rest your song - hear mine; tonight's moon is fullest; life is by fate, not another. With wine, not to drink - how face the bright moon! [Structure] The poem moves in three: a calm opening scene, Zhang's long bitter song of banishment, then Han Yu's own answering counsel of acceptance. [Imagery] The bright moonlit opening contrasts the 'sour' song and the 'ten lives nine deaths' south; the edict's hope is undercut by official suppression. The close turns wine and moon into consolation. Han Yu's 'grand, strange' manner shows in the long, rolling exposition.

【白话串讲】韩愈写《八月十五夜赠张功曹》：“纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波”——“君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨”——“十生九死到官所，幽居默默如藏逃”——张功曹唱他被贬的辛酸——“一年明月今宵多，人生由命非由他”——他劝朋友看开。【意象与手法】此诗写赠别，以迁谪写赠别，是韩愈的名篇。前段写听歌：「纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波。沙平水息声影绝，一杯相属君当歌。君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨」写纤云四卷天无河、清风吹空月舒波——写尽一杯相属的君当歌；中段写君歌：「洞庭连天九疑高，蛟龙出没猩鼯号。十生九死到官所，幽居默默如藏逃。下床畏蛇食畏药，海气湿蛰熏腥臊。昨者州前捶大鼓，嗣皇继圣登夔皋。赦书一日行万里，罪从大辟皆除死。迁者追回流者还，涤瑕荡垢清朝班。州家申名使家抑，坎轲只得移荆蛮。判司卑官不堪说，未免捶楚尘埃间。同时辈流多上道，天路幽险难追攀」写洞庭连天九疑高、蛟龙出没猩鼯号——写尽坎轲只得移的荆蛮；后段写我歌：「君歌且休听我歌，我歌今与君殊科。一年明月今宵多，人生由命非由他。有酒不饮奈明何」写君歌且休听我歌、我歌今与君殊科——写尽有酒不饮的奈明何。全诗以迁谪写赠别，写尽一杯相属的君当歌与有酒不饮的奈明何，是韩愈的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写赠别，以迁谪写赠别，是韩愈的名篇。此诗为韩愈贬阳山遇赦后、迁江陵法曹参军途中，于中秋夜赠张署之作，写其迁谪之感与劝慰之情。韩愈与张署同贬南荒，此诗写其夜饮听歌。此诗写纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波；沙平水息声影绝，一杯相属君当歌；君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨；洞庭连天九疑高，蛟龙出没猩鼯号；十生九死到官所，幽居默默如藏逃；下床畏蛇食畏药，海气湿蛰熏腥臊；昨者州前捶大鼓，嗣皇继圣登夔皋；赦书一日行万里，罪从大辟皆除死；迁者追回流者还，涤瑕荡垢清朝班；州家申名使家抑，坎轲只得移荆蛮；判司卑官不堪说，未免捶楚尘埃间；同时辈流多上道，天路幽险难追攀；君歌且休听我歌，我歌今与君殊科；一年明月今宵多，人生由命非由他；有酒不饮奈明何。此诗写听歌：纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波——写纤云四卷天无河、清风吹空月舒波，写尽清风吹空的月舒波；沙平水息声影绝，一杯相属君当歌——写沙平水息声影绝、一杯相属君当歌，写尽一杯相属的君当歌；君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨——写君歌声酸辞且苦、不能听终泪如雨，写尽不能听终的泪如雨。中段写君歌：洞庭连天九疑高，蛟龙出没猩鼯号——写洞庭连天九疑高、蛟龙出没猩鼯号，写尽蛟龙出没的猩鼯号；十生九死到官所，幽居默默如藏逃——写十生九死到官所、幽居默默如藏逃，写尽幽居默默的如藏逃；下床畏蛇食畏药，海气湿蛰熏腥臊——写下床畏蛇食畏药、海气湿蛰熏腥臊，写尽海气湿蛰的腥臊；昨者州前捶大鼓，嗣皇继圣登夔皋——写昨者州前捶大鼓、嗣皇继圣登夔皋，写尽嗣皇继圣的夔皋；赦书一日行万里，罪从大辟皆除死——写赦书一日行万里、罪从大辟皆除死，写尽罪从大辟的除死；迁者追回流者还，涤瑕荡垢清朝班——写迁者追回流者还、涤瑕荡垢清朝班，写尽涤瑕荡垢的朝班；州家申名使家抑，坎轲只得移荆蛮——写州家申名使家抑、坎轲只得移荆蛮，写尽坎轲只得移的荆蛮；判司卑官不堪说，未免捶楚尘埃间——写判司卑官不堪说、未免捶楚尘埃间，写尽未免捶楚的尘埃间；同时辈流多上道，天路幽险难追攀——写同时辈流多上道、天路幽险难追攀，写尽天路幽险的难追攀。后段写我歌：君歌且休听我歌，我歌今与君殊科——写君歌且休听我歌、我歌今与君殊科，写尽我歌今与的殊科；一年明月今宵多，人生由命非由他——写一年明月今宵多、人生由命非由他，写尽人生由命的非由他；有酒不饮奈明何——写有酒不饮奈明何，写尽有酒不饮的奈明何。全诗以迁谪写赠别——那「一杯相属君当歌」写尽一杯相属的君当歌，「人生由命非由他」写尽人生由命的非由他，写尽一杯相属的君当歌与有酒不饮的奈明何，是理解韩愈赠别诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨」写不能听终的泪如雨；「人生由命非由他」写人生由命的非由他；以及全诗以迁谪写赠别、以对比写迁谪的手法。

Background

Han Yu (768-824), styled Tuizhi, known as Han Changli, was a Tang prose master, thinker, and the leading advocate of the Classical Prose Movement, first of the 'Eight Great Prose Masters,' paired with Liu Zongyuan as 'Han-Liu.' This long poem was written on Mid-Autumn night as Han, recently pardoned from Yangshan exile, was moving to a post at Jiangling, and presented it to his fellow-exile Zhang Shu. It records their shared banishment and his consoling answer.

此诗写赠别，以迁谪写赠别，是韩愈的名篇。韩愈（768—824），字退之，河阳（今河南孟州）人，自谓郡望昌黎，世称「韩昌黎」，唐代文学家、思想家、政治家，「唐宋八大家」之首，古文运动的倡导者，与柳宗元并称「韩柳」。此诗为韩愈贬阳山遇赦后、迁江陵法曹参军途中，于中秋夜赠张署之作，写其迁谪之感与劝慰之情。韩愈与张署同贬南荒，此诗写其夜饮听歌。此诗写纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波；沙平水息声影绝，一杯相属君当歌；君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨；洞庭连天九疑高，蛟龙出没猩鼯号；十生九死到官所，幽居默默如藏逃；下床畏蛇食畏药，海气湿蛰熏腥臊；昨者州前捶大鼓，嗣皇继圣登夔皋；赦书一日行万里，罪从大辟皆除死；迁者追回流者还，涤瑕荡垢清朝班；州家申名使家抑，坎轲只得移荆蛮；判司卑官不堪说，未免捶楚尘埃间；同时辈流多上道，天路幽险难追攀；君歌且休听我歌，我歌今与君殊科；一年明月今宵多，人生由命非由他；有酒不饮奈明何。此诗写听歌：「纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波」写纤云四卷天无河、清风吹空月舒波——写尽清风吹空的月舒波（纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波）；「沙平水息声影绝，一杯相属君当歌」写沙平水息声影绝、一杯相属君当歌——写尽一杯相属的君当歌（沙平水息声影绝，一杯相属君当歌）；「君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨」写君歌声酸辞且苦、不能听终泪如雨——写尽不能听终的泪如雨（君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨）。中段写君歌：「洞庭连天九疑高，蛟龙出没猩鼯号」写洞庭连天九疑高、蛟龙出没猩鼯号——写尽蛟龙出没的猩鼯号（洞庭连天九疑高，蛟龙出没猩鼯号）；「十生九死到官所，幽居默默如藏逃」写十生九死到官所、幽居默默如藏逃——写尽幽居默默的如藏逃（十生九死到官所，幽居默默如藏逃）；「下床畏蛇食畏药，海气湿蛰熏腥臊」写下床畏蛇食畏药、海气湿蛰熏腥臊——写尽海气湿蛰的腥臊（下床畏蛇食畏药，海气湿蛰熏腥臊）；「昨者州前捶大鼓，嗣皇继圣登夔皋」写昨者州前捶大鼓、嗣皇继圣登夔皋——写尽嗣皇继圣的夔皋（昨者州前捶大鼓，嗣皇继圣登夔皋）；「赦书一日行万里，罪从大辟皆除死」写赦书一日行万里、罪从大辟皆除死——写尽罪从大辟的除死（赦书一日行万里，罪从大辟皆除死）；「迁者追回流者还，涤瑕荡垢清朝班」写迁者追回流者还、涤瑕荡垢清朝班——写尽涤瑕荡垢的朝班（迁者追回流者还，涤瑕荡垢清朝班）；「州家申名使家抑，坎轲只得移荆蛮」写州家申名使家抑、坎轲只得移荆蛮——写尽坎轲只得移的荆蛮（州家申名使家抑，坎轲只得移荆蛮）；「判司卑官不堪说，未免捶楚尘埃间」写判司卑官不堪说、未免捶楚尘埃间——写尽未免捶楚的尘埃间（判司卑官不堪说，未免捶楚尘埃间）；「同时辈流多上道，天路幽险难追攀」写同时辈流多上道、天路幽险难追攀——写尽天路幽险的难追攀（同时辈流多上道，天路幽险难追攀）。后段写我歌：「君歌且休听我歌，我歌今与君殊科」写君歌且休听我歌、我歌今与君殊科——写尽我歌今与的殊科（君歌且休听我歌，我歌今与君殊科）；「一年明月今宵多，人生由命非由他」写一年明月今宵多、人生由命非由他——写尽人生由命的非由他（一年明月今宵多，人生由命非由他）；「有酒不饮奈明何」写有酒不饮奈明何——写尽有酒不饮的奈明何（有酒不饮奈明何）。全诗以迁谪写赠别，写尽一杯相属的君当歌与人生由命的非由他，是理解韩愈赠别诗的重要篇章。

Art

Four techniques carry the poem. First, scenic calm: 'thin clouds roll back... the moon spreads ripples' opens the night serenely. Second, narrative song: Zhang's 'sour' song and Han's 'tears like rain' are told plainly. Third, expansive enumeration: the long middle catalogues the terrors of the south ('ten lives nine deaths,' snakes, poison, stench) and the pardon's partial relief, a hallmark of Han's 'grand, strange' exposition. Fourth, turning point: 'life is by fate, not another' and 'with wine, not to drink - how face the bright moon' pivot from grief to stoic acceptance. The poem first stages the shared cup and song, then the answer of resignation; this 'song-as-parting' shape is the gift's heart. The contrast between the bright opening moon and the bitter recital sharpens the consolation's force.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以写景写良夜。「纤云四卷天无河」以写景写良夜——那「清风吹空月舒波」写尽清风吹空的月舒波，以写景写尽清风吹空的月舒波。其二，以叙事写君歌。「君歌声酸辞且苦」以叙事写君歌——那「不能听终泪如雨」写尽不能听终的泪如雨，以叙事写尽不能听终的泪如雨。其三，以铺陈写贬谪。「十生九死到官所」以铺陈写贬谪——那「海气湿蛰熏腥臊」写尽海气湿蛰的腥臊，以铺陈写尽坎轲只得移的荆蛮。其四，以转折写劝慰。「人生由命非由他」以转折写劝慰——那「有酒不饮奈明何」写尽有酒不饮的奈明何，以转折写尽人生由命的非由他。此外，此诗前写一杯相属的君当歌，后写人生由命的非由他，由听歌及劝慰，正是赠别诗「以歌写别」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以迁谪写赠别，写尽一杯相属的君当歌与人生由命的非由他，是韩愈的代表作。

Allusions

The language rests on farewell and banishment tradition. 'Thin clouds' echoes Qin Guan's later 'thin clouds work their cunning'; 'moon spreads ripples' the moon-on-water image. 'One cup passed' recalls Su Shi's 'raise the cup to the guest.' 'Tears like rain' the 'tears fall on my robe' line. 'Dongting' and 'Mount Jiuyi' the southern exile landmarks (Qu Yuan); 'dragons' and 'gibbons/flying squirrels' the southern wilderness. 'Great pardon edict' and 'death penalty' the amnesty trope; 'wash stains' the court-cleansing image; 'Jing-man' the southern barbarian lands; 'flog' the clerk's punishment; 'heavenly path' the hard official road; 'different kind' the diverging song; 'tonight's much' the fullest moon. The poem absorbs these into Han's grand, strange banishment lyric.

此诗的用语深植于赠别与迁谪传统。「纤云」令人想到「纤云」写纤云的意象——也令人想到「纤云弄巧」（秦观）的意象；「月舒波」令人想到「月舒波」写月光的意象——也令人想到「月光如水水如天」的意象；「相属」令人想到「相属」写劝酒的意象——也令人想到「举杯属客」（苏轼）的意象；「歌声酸」令人想到「歌声酸」写酸楚的意象——也令人想到「歌声苦」的意象；「泪如雨」令人想到「泪如雨」写泪雨的意象——也令人想到「泪落沾我衣」的意象；「洞庭」令人想到「洞庭」写洞庭的意象——也令人想到「洞庭波兮木叶下」（屈原）的意象；「九疑」令人想到「九疑」写九疑山的意象——也令人想到「九疑联绵」的意象；「蛟龙」令人想到「蛟龙」写蛟龙的意象——也令人想到「蛟龙得云雨」的意象；「猩鼯」令人想到「猩鼯」写猩鼯的意象——也令人想到「南荒瘴疠」的意象；「藏逃」令人想到「藏逃」写藏逃的意象——也令人想到「如藏如逃」的意象；「畏蛇」令人想到「畏蛇」写畏蛇的意象——也令人想到「蝮蛇一螫手」的意象；「赦书」令人想到「赦书」写赦书的意象——也令人想到「赦书一日行万里」的意象；「大辟」令人想到「大辟」写死刑的意象——也令人想到「罪从大辟」的意象；「涤瑕荡垢」令人想到「涤瑕荡垢」写洗垢的意象——也令人想到「荡涤瑕秽」的意象；「荆蛮」令人想到「荆蛮」写荆蛮的意象——也令人想到「南迁荆蛮」的意象；「捶楚」令人想到「捶楚」写杖责的意象——也令人想到「捶楚之下」的意象；「天路」令人想到「天路」写天路的意象——也令人想到「天路幽险」的意象；「殊科」令人想到「殊科」写不同科的意象——也令人想到「殊科异趣」的意象；「今宵多」令人想到「今宵多」写今宵的意象——也令人想到「今宵酒醒何处」（柳永）的意象。全诗化用纤云、月舒波、相属、歌声酸、泪如雨、洞庭、九疑、蛟龙、猩鼯、藏逃、畏蛇、赦书、大辟、涤瑕荡垢、荆蛮、捶楚、天路、殊科、今宵多的意象典故，以迁谪写赠别，正是韩愈「雄奇」而善铺陈、承赠别传统写迁谪之本领。

Commentary

Long ranked a masterpiece of Han Yu's presentation poetry and a Tang model for Mid-Autumn night drinking, the poem is praised for its 'grand, strange, solemn and stirring' force. The line 'your song is sour, bitter... I weep like rain' is often cited as finest. It pairs with his 'Proposed to Blue Pass' ('one letter to the nine-tiered sky... snow blocks Blue Pass, the horse will not advance') - one on the road of banishment, one on the night of consolation - showing two faces of his exile verse. For modern readers it is a window onto his gift-poetry and a classic of the southern-exile tradition.

此诗历来被推为韩愈赠别诗的名篇，也是唐诗写中秋夜饮赠别的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以迁谪写赠别，雄奇悲壮」；近人更指出「君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨」写不能听终的泪如雨，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以长篇写尽一杯相属的君当歌与人生由命的非由他——那纤云，那四卷，那天无河，那清风，那吹空，那月舒波，那沙平，那水息，那声影绝，那一杯，那相属，那君当歌，那君歌，那声酸，那辞且苦，那不能听终，那泪如雨，那洞庭，那连天，那九疑高，那蛟龙，那出没，那猩鼯号，那十生九死，那到官所，那幽居，那默默，那如藏逃，那下床，那畏蛇，那食畏药，那海气，那湿蛰，那熏腥臊，那昨者，那州前，那捶大鼓，那嗣皇，那继圣，那登夔皋，那赦书，那一日行万里，那罪从大辟，那皆除死，那迁者，那追回，那流者还，那涤瑕荡垢，那清朝班，那州家，那申名，那使家抑，那坎轲，那只得移荆蛮，那判司，那卑官，那不堪说，那未免捶楚，那尘埃间，那同时，那辈流，那多上道，那天路，那幽险，那难追攀，那君歌，那且休，那听我歌，那我歌，那今与，那殊科，那一年，那明月，那今宵多，那人生，那由命，那非由他，那有酒，那不饮，那奈明何，都写尽了韩愈笔下的八月十五夜赠张功曹；那「人生由命非由他」更以转折写尽人生由命的非由他。此诗与韩愈《左迁至蓝关示侄孙湘》「一封朝奏九重天」同为迁谪名篇，一写「雪拥蓝关马不前」的左迁，一写「人生由命非由他」的赠张功曹；一写诗，一写诗。两诗对读，可见韩愈迁谪诗的两面。对于今日读者，此诗是理解韩愈赠别诗的窗口，也是唐诗写中秋夜饮赠别的经典——那人生由命的非由他，穿越千年，仍在诉说着一杯相属的君当歌。

Prosody

Form Seven-character ancient-style poem (qigu)七言古诗

Rhyme Many rhyme changes across he, bo, ge, yu, hao, tao, sao, gao, si, huan, man, jian, pan, ke, ta, he, etc.全诗先押「河」「波」「歌」「雨」「号」「逃」「臊」「皋」「死」「还」「蛮」「间」「攀」「科」「他」「何」等字，多次换韵

Tone pattern A seven-character ancient-style poem with multiple rhyme changes, its cascading sound suiting the tumultuous narrative.此诗为七言古诗，多次换韵，音节跌宕，正合赠别的跌宕。

Reading note A long seven-character ancient-style poem - 'Thin clouds roll back... with wine, not to drink - how face the bright moon' - with many rhyme shifts and cascading rhythm. It first stages the moonlit cup and Zhang's bitter song, then the banishment catalogue, then Han's consoling answer; the close rests on 'life is by fate.'此诗为七言古诗——「纤云四卷天无河，清风吹空月舒波。……有酒不饮奈明何」，多次换韵，音节跌宕。全诗以迁谪写赠别：前写一杯相属的君当歌（纤云四卷天无河、君歌声酸辞且苦），中写坎轲只得移的荆蛮（十生九死到官所、州家申名使家抑），后写人生由命的非由他（君歌且休听我歌、一年明月今宵多）。长篇铺叙，前写听歌，中写贬谪，后写劝慰，以「人生由命非由他」写尽人生由命的非由他，正见韩愈「雄奇」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以雄奇的语调读「清风吹空月舒波」的良夜，以沉痛的语调读「不能听终泪如雨」的君歌，结句要读得雄奇而有余韵，方能传达出韩愈的雄奇悲壮。韩愈古诗以「雄奇」著称，此诗正是其赠别诗的典范。

Line by line

君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨

Your song sounds sour, its words bitter; before it ends I weep like rain.

君歌声酸辞且苦，不能听终泪如雨。

Your song is sour in tune and bitter in words; I cannot hear it through—tears fall like rain.

此二句是全诗写君歌的核心，以君歌声酸辞且苦写酸苦，以不能听终泪如雨写泪如雨，写尽不能听终的泪如雨，是千古名句。「君歌声酸辞且苦」写君歌声酸辞且苦——那「君歌声酸」写君歌声酸，「辞且苦」写辞且苦，写尽君歌声酸的辞且苦；「不能听终泪如雨」写不能听终泪如雨——那「不能听终」写不能听终，「泪如雨」写泪如雨，写尽不能听终的泪如雨。这句的深意在于：它以「君歌声酸辞且苦」的酸苦与「不能听终泪如雨」的泪如雨，写尽不能听终的泪如雨——君歌声酸辞且苦，那「君歌声酸辞且苦」写尽君歌声酸的辞且苦——君歌声酸辞且苦，正是歌声酸楚的写照，那「辞且苦」写尽不能听终的泪如雨；不能听终泪如雨，那「不能听终泪如雨」写尽不能听终的泪如雨——不能听终泪如雨，正是未听先泪的写照，那「泪如雨」写尽不能听终的泪如雨；那「君歌声酸辞且苦」写尽君歌声酸的辞且苦，那「不能听终泪如雨」写尽不能听终的泪如雨，一写酸苦，一写泪如雨，写尽不能听终的泪如雨——歌声酸楚而未听先泪，正是伤别的写照；此二句以酸苦、泪如雨写尽不能听终的泪如雨，也为下文的洞庭作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写君歌的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「你的歌声酸楚言辞苦涩，不能听完泪水像雨一样」，则失其沉痛；唯以「君歌声酸辞且苦」写酸苦、「不能听终泪如雨」写泪如雨，写尽不能听终的泪如雨，也让此二句成为全诗写君歌的核心。

The poem turns on the addressee's singing. The two adjectives split the art: the tune itself is sour, the words bitter, as though the pain had seeped into the music before it ever reached the listener. The effect is immediate—"I cannot hear it through"—and the tears come before the song ends, as if the grief were too fast for form. Han Yu knows exactly what he is doing: by breaking off before the close, he dramatizes his own vulnerability, and the image of rain-like weeping measures the shared exile of the two men on this mid-autumn night. It sets up the Dongting imagery to come. A direct "your song was sad and I cried" would lose the refusal to finish; the interrupted listening is the emotional event.

人生由命非由他

Life is ruled by fate, not by another.

人生由命非由他。

A man's life is ruled by fate, and by nothing else.

此句是全诗写劝慰的核心，以人生由命写由命，以非由他写非由他，写尽人生由命的非由他，是千古名句。「人生由命」写人生由命——那「人生」写人生，「由命」写由命，写尽人生的由命；「非由他」写非由他——那「非由」写非由，「他」写他，写尽非由的他。这句的深意在于：它以「人生由命」的由命与「非由他」的非由他，写尽人生由命的非由他——人生由命，那「人生由命」写尽人生的由命——人生由命，正是人生有命的写照，那「由命」写尽人生由命的非由他；非由他，那「非由他」写尽非由的他——非由他，正是非由人力的写照，那「非由他」写尽人生由命的非由他；那「人生由命」写尽人生的由命，那「非由他」写尽非由的他，一写由命，一写非由他，写尽人生由命的非由他——人生有命而非由人力，正是劝慰的写照；此句以由命、非由他写尽人生由命的非由他，也为下文的明何作铺垫，也让此句成为全诗写劝慰的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「人生由命运决定，不是由别的什么」，则失其旷达；唯以「人生由命」写由命、「非由他」写非由他，写尽人生由命的非由他，也让此句成为全诗写劝慰的核心。

This single line is Han Yu's attempted comfort, and the comfort is bracing rather than sweet. "By fate" throws the weight of exile onto heaven; "by nothing else" denies that personal merit or anyone's malice decided the matter. In the mouths of two demoted officials on a moonlit night, such stoicism is itself a symptom—the harder the insistence on fate, the more injustice is being waved away. The line is famous because it flirts with fatalism without quite surrendering to it, and it prepares the turn toward dawn that follows. To have said their lot was heaven's will would sound pious; the blunt "by fate and nothing else" is what makes the consolation feel earned.

Study

Word focus

酸 'Sour' / 'bitter.' In 'your song sounds sour, its words bitter,' it means the song's grief and acrid pain; the character condenses Zhang's exiled sorrow and Han's own shared anguish into a single taste. 「君歌声酸辞且苦」之「酸」字是写君歌关键词，一个「酸」字写尽君歌声酸的辞且苦。酸者，酸楚、辛酸也。韩愈以「君歌声酸辞且苦」写君歌，这个「酸」字至少有双重意味：其一，写声之酸——那「君歌声酸辞且苦」写君歌声酸辞且苦，那「酸」字写尽君歌声酸的辞且苦——声酸，正是歌声酸楚的写照，那「酸」字写尽君歌声酸的辞且苦；其二，写情之悲——那「酸」字更是写悲——酸，正见辛酸难言的意味，那「酸」字写尽韩愈的悲慨。以「酸」字写君歌，正是韩愈写赠别的枢纽——若换作「悲」「楚」等字，则或失其与「君歌声酸辞且苦」「不能听终泪如雨」的配合，或失其写酸的意味；唯「酸」字，以君歌声酸辞且苦写尽歌声之辛酸与身世之悲慨，与「不能听终泪如雨」的泪如雨相合，写尽君歌声酸的辞且苦，也让「君歌声酸辞且苦」成为全诗写君歌的名句。

命 'Fate' / 'destiny.' In 'life is ruled by fate, not by another,' it means that life is determined by fate rather than by human effort; the word carries Han Yu's consoling, resigned acceptance of their exile. 「人生由命非由他」之「命」字是写劝慰关键词，一个「命」字写尽人生的由命。命者，命运、天命也。韩愈以「人生由命非由他」写劝慰，这个「命」字至少有双重意味：其一，写命之定——那「人生由命非由他」写人生由命非由他，那「命」字写尽人生的由命——由命，正是命定如此的写照，那「命」字写尽人生的由命；其二，写情之宽——那「命」字更是写宽——命，正见达观自解的意味，那「命」字写尽韩愈的旷达。以「命」字写劝慰，正是韩愈写赠别的枢纽——若换作「天」「运」等字，则或失其与「人生由命非由他」「一年明月今宵多」的配合，或失其写命的意味；唯「命」字，以人生由命非由他写尽命运之注定与达观之自解，与「一年明月今宵多」的今宵多相合，写尽人生的由命，也让「人生由命非由他」成为全诗写劝慰的名句。