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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

临湖亭

At the Lakeside Pavilion

王维

Wang Wei

辋川Wangchuan (the poet's retreat) 闲适Leisure and ease

轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来。
当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开。

A light skiff puts out to greet the honored guest,
and floats slowly up the lake.
At the open pavilion I face a cup of wine,
while lotus blooms on every side.

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Meaning

A friend comes to visit Wang Wei at his Wangchuan retreat, and the poet rows a small boat out to meet him; together they drift up the lake and sit in the pavilion with cups of wine, the lotuses opening all around them. The poem celebrates an unhurried moment of friendship in retirement. Joy is never stated outright: it is shown in a boat, a pavilion, a cup, and flowers, so that leisure becomes something the reader enters rather than merely reads about.

轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来。当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] A light boat goes out to welcome a guest and comes slowly up the lake; facing the pavilion with a cup of wine, I find lotus blooming on every side. The two opening lines are motion — the skiff moving, the lake unhurried; the two closing lines are stillness — a seated figure and flowers closing round him. [Structure] The poem moves from water to pavilion, from arrival to sitting. The first couplet is open and forward-looking, the second enclosed and horizontal: having climbed to the pavilion, the eye finds itself ringed by lotus. Nothing is narrated beyond the welcome and the cup, yet a whole afternoon of easy talk is implied. [Imagery] 'Light skiff' and 'slowly' carry the same weight twice: the small craft is light because the day is light, and it moves slowly because nobody is in a hurry. 'On every side' does the emotional work that a word like 'happy' would otherwise do — the pleasure is not named, it is surrounded. Wang Wei thus realizes his much-quoted ideal of poetry in which painting and poetry are one: the scene is composed as a picture would be, with the pavilion at its centre and the lotuses as the frame.

【白话串讲】王维写《临湖亭》：“轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来”——“当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开”——他写湖亭待客——四面荷花盛开。【意象与手法】此诗写湖亭，以闲适写湖亭，是王维的名篇。前二句写迎客：「轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来」写轻舸迎上客、悠悠湖上来——写尽湖上的迎客；后二句写对饮：「当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开」写当轩对樽酒、四面芙蓉开——写尽湖亭的对饮。全诗以闲适写湖亭，写尽湖上的迎客与湖亭的对饮，是王维的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写湖亭，以闲适写湖亭，是王维的名篇。此诗写王维在辋川临湖亭中迎客对饮。辋川别业为晚年隐居之地，此诗写湖亭之乐：轻舟迎客，悠悠而来；亭中对酒，四面荷花。此诗写迎客：轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来——写轻舸迎上客、悠悠湖上来，写尽湖上的迎客；当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开——写当轩对樽酒、四面芙蓉开，写尽湖亭的对饮。全诗以闲适写湖亭——那「悠悠湖上来」写尽湖上的迎客，「四面芙蓉开」写尽湖亭的对饮，写尽湖上的迎客与湖亭的对饮，是理解王维山水诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来」写湖上的迎客；「当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开」写湖亭的对饮；以及全诗以闲适写湖亭、以景写乐的手法。

Background

Wang Wei (c. 701–761), courtesy name Mojie, was born in Qizhou (modern Qixian, Shanxi). A painter, musician and poet, he is ranked with Meng Haoran as the great master of Tang landscape poetry and is called 'the Buddha of Poets'. In his later years he bought the former Lantian villa of Song Zhiwen at Wangchuan, near Chang'an, and lived there in retreat, sharing the rounds of sightseeing with his friend Pei Di; together they produced the twenty quatrains of the Wangchuan Collection, of which 'At the Lakeside Pavilion' is one. The 'honored guest' of the poem is generally taken to be Pei Di, and the piece belongs to that late, quiet, heavily painted phase of his work.

此诗写湖亭，以闲适写湖亭，是王维的名篇。王维（701—761），字摩诘，太原祁（今山西祁县）人，唐代诗人、画家，与孟浩然并称「王孟」，有「诗佛」之称。此诗写王维在辋川临湖亭中迎客对饮。辋川别业为晚年隐居之地，王维与裴迪等友人常游其中，此诗写湖亭之乐：轻舟迎客，悠悠而来；亭中对酒，四面荷花。此诗写迎客：「轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来」写轻舸迎上客、悠悠湖上来——写尽湖上的迎客（轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来）；「当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开」写当轩对樽酒、四面芙蓉开——写尽湖亭的对饮（当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开）。全诗以闲适写湖亭，写尽湖上的迎客与湖亭的对饮，是理解王维山水诗的重要篇章。此诗为王维辋川别业之作。辋川别业位于陕西蓝田，原是宋之问的蓝田别业，王维晚年购得而居，与裴迪等友人日夕游赏，共作《辋川集》绝句二十首，分咏辋川诸景，临湖亭即其一。诗中「上客」当指裴迪等过访之友，王维以轻舸迎客，湖亭对酒，四面荷开，正见其晚年「与道友裴迪浮舟往来，弹琴赋诗」的隐居生活，也见其诗中有画的造境。

Art

Four crafts may be picked out. First, the boat as a way of writing welcome: the 'light skiff' does not merely transport a guest, it performs hospitality — the poet himself goes out onto the water. Second, 'slowly' (youyou) as the vehicle of ease: the word gives both the pace of the boat and the temper of the mind behind it. Third, the cup as a way of writing the host and guest: 'facing a cup of wine' says in four characters what a banquet would say at length. Fourth, flowers standing in for delight: 'lotus blooms on every side' refuses to announce merrymaking and lets the blossoms do it instead. The two verbs 'greet' and 'face' are set against one another — the first turns outward to the guest, the second turns inward to the cup — and the whole is built on Wang Wei's habit of expressing feeling through scene rather than assertion. The transition from water to pavilion also follows the landscape poet's usual movement from approach to resting-place.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以轻舸写迎客。「轻舸迎上客」以轻舸写迎客——那「轻舸」「迎」写尽轻舟迎客，以轻舸写尽湖上的迎客。其二，以悠悠写闲适。「悠悠湖上来」以悠悠写闲适——那「悠悠」写尽湖上的悠然，以悠悠写尽迎客的闲适。其三，以对饮写宾主。「当轩对樽酒」以对饮写宾主——那「对樽酒」写尽亭中的对饮，以对饮写尽湖亭的宾主。其四，以景写乐。「四面芙蓉开」以景写乐——那「四面芙蓉」写尽四面的荷花，以景写尽湖亭的欢愉。此外，此诗前二句写湖上的迎客，后二句写湖亭的对饮，由景及事，正是山水诗「即景记事」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以闲适写湖亭，写尽湖上的迎客与湖亭的对饮，是王维的代表作。此诗还善于以「迎」「对」二字写宾主——前用「迎」写待客之诚，后用「对」写对饮之乐，一迎一对，正见主客的契合。又善以景补叙——「四面芙蓉开」不写饮酒之情，而写四面荷花，以景写乐，正见王维「以境写情」的含蓄，使湖亭之乐不言自见。

Allusions

The diction of the poem sits deep in the tradition of landscape and retirement. 'Light skiff' (qe) recalls the image of the light boat elsewhere in Tang poetry, a craft small enough to seem part of the water. 'Slowly' (youyou) carries the long association of the phrase from the Book of Songs, 'youyou, azure heaven', with its sense of distance and calm, and echoes the 'white clouds, empty through a thousand years' of Cui Hao. 'Honored guest' (shangke) touches the Confucian delight at 'a friend coming from afar'. 'Cup of wine' (zunjiu) continues the drinking poetry of Tao Yuanming, who strained off his new vintage for company. 'Lotus' (furong) borrows its moral colour from the Chuci line 'I made a garment of the water-chestnut leaf and gathered lotus for my skirt', where the plant stands for purity. 'Lotus on every side' also quietly answers the southern folk song 'how luxuriant the lotus leaves', transplanting a Jiangnan scene into a northern mountain retreat.

此诗的用语深植于山水与闲适的传统。「轻舸」令人想到「轻舸」写轻舟的意象——舸为大船，轻舸即轻快之船，也令人想到「轻舟已过万重山」（李白）的意象；「悠悠」令人想到「悠悠」写悠然的意象——《诗经》「悠悠苍天」，也令人想到「白云千载空悠悠」（崔颢）的意象；「上客」令人想到「上客」写贵客的意象——也令人想到「有朋自远方来」（《论语》）的意象；「樽酒」令人想到「樽酒」写酒杯的意象——也令人想到「一樽还酹江月」（苏轼）的意象；「芙蓉」令人想到「芙蓉」写荷花的意象——《楚辞》「集芙蓉以为裳」，也令人想到「映日荷花别样红」（杨万里）的意象。全诗化用轻舸、悠悠、樽酒、芙蓉的意象，以闲适写湖亭，正是王维「诗中有画」而善写景、承山水传统写闲适的本领。「芙蓉」即荷花，《楚辞·离骚》「制芰荷以为衣兮，集芙蓉以为裳」以芙蓉为高洁之象；又「四面芙蓉开」暗合江南采莲「莲叶何田田」的传统，而王维写于北地辋川，正见其将江南莲意象移入山居的巧思。又「樽酒」承陶渊明「漉我新熟酒」的饮酒传统，以酒写隐逸之乐，正见王维晚年以酒会友的闲适。

Commentary

This quatrain has long been counted among the crown pieces of Wang Wei's landscape verse and among the best of the Wangchuan poems. Earlier critics praised it for writing a pavilion in a mood of ease, with an air of self-sufficiency; modern readers single out 'lotus blooms on every side' as the couplet that carries the poem. Its special place in literary history is that four lines manage to hold both the welcome on the water and the drinking in the pavilion — the skiff, the guest, the slow lake, the pavilion, the cup, the lotuses all belong to the Wangchuan of Wang Wei's brush — while 'lotus blooms on every side' carries the whole pleasure in one stroke. Read beside 'Bamboo Lodge' and 'Deer Fence', also of Wangchuan, it contrasts their solitude ('deep in the forest no one knows me') with their gaiety, and it links directly to Meng Haoran's rural welcome of a friend, so that the whole lineage of Tang landscape and pastoral poetry may be traced from it.

此诗历来被推为王维山水诗的名篇，也是辋川诗的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以闲适写湖亭，悠然自得」；近人更指出「四面芙蓉开」写湖亭的对饮，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以四句的绝句写尽湖上的迎客与湖亭的对饮——那轻舸，那上客，那悠悠的湖，那轩，那樽酒，那四面的芙蓉，都写尽了王维笔下的临湖亭；那「四面芙蓉开」更以景写尽湖亭的欢愉。此诗与王维《辋川集》诸诗同为山水名篇，与《鹿柴》（「空山不见人」）、《竹里馆》（「独坐幽篁里」）等同写辋川之景，一写「深林人不知」的幽（竹里馆），一写「四面芙蓉开」的乐（临湖亭）；又与孟浩然「开轩面场圃」的田家乐传统一脉相承，可见盛唐山水诗的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解王维山水诗的窗口，也是中国诗写湖亭的经典——那四面盛开的芙蓉，穿越千年，仍在诉说着湖亭的闲适。

Prosody

Form A five-character quatrain (wuyan jueju)诗·五言绝句

Rhyme Rhyme on lai (come) and kai (bloom), the level-tone 'Gray' rhyme of the upper rising tone (shangping shi-hui); one rhyme carried to the end, light and brisk in sound.五绝，押「来」「开」韵（上平十灰），一韵到底，音节轻快

Tone pattern A five-character jueju rhyming on level tones, unhurried in cadence throughout — the very rhythm of a bright afternoon on still water.此诗为五言绝句，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节轻快，正合湖亭的轻快。

Reading note Four short lines: 'A light skiff greets the honored guest, and floats slowly up the lake. At the open pavilion I face a cup of wine, while lotus blooms on every side.' It rhymes in the Gray rhyme (lai, kai) and holds one rhyme to the end, the sound as light as the scene. The whole poem is ease: the first two lines describe the welcome on the lake, the last two the drinking in the pavilion, and 'lotus blooms on every side' closes the little circle. Read the greeting line briskly, the lotus line brightly, and let the last word fade, so that the poet's self-possession comes across. Wang Wei's jueju are famous for being picture within verse, and this is among the most typical of them.此诗为五言绝句，四句——「轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来。当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开」，押「灰」韵（来、开），一韵到底，音节轻快。全诗以闲适写湖亭：前二句写湖上的迎客（轻舸迎上客、悠悠湖上来），后二句写湖亭的对饮（当轩对樽酒、四面芙蓉开）。四句短章，前写迎客，后写对饮，以「四面芙蓉开」写尽湖亭的对饮，正见王维「诗中有画」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以轻快的语调读「轻舸迎上客」的迎客，以明朗的语调读「四面芙蓉开」的对饮，结句要读得轻快而有余韵，方能传达出王维的悠然自得。王维绝句以「诗中有画」著称，此诗正是其山水绝句的典范。

Line by line

当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开

Facing the open pavilion with a cup of wine before me, lotus blooms on every side.

当轩对樽酒，四面芙蓉开。

Facing the veranda, with winecups, lotus flowers bloom on all sides.

此二句是全诗写对饮的核心，以当轩对樽酒写对饮，以四面芙蓉开写荷花，写尽湖亭的对饮，是千古名句。「当轩对樽酒」写当轩对樽酒——那「当轩」写当轩，「对樽酒」写对樽酒，写尽亭中的对饮；「四面芙蓉开」写四面芙蓉开——那「四面芙蓉」写四面芙蓉，「开」写开，写尽四面的荷花。这句的深意在于：它以「当轩对樽酒」的对饮与「四面芙蓉开」的荷花，写尽湖亭的对饮——当轩对樽酒，那「当轩对樽酒」写尽亭中的对饮——当轩对酒，正是宾主尽欢的写照，那「对樽酒」写尽湖亭的欢愉；四面芙蓉开，那「四面芙蓉开」写尽四面的荷花——四面芙蓉，正开亭外，正是湖亭环荷的写照，那「四面」写尽荷花的环绕；那「当轩对樽酒」写尽亭中的对饮，那「四面芙蓉开」写尽四面的荷花，一写对饮，一写荷花，写尽湖亭的对饮——轩中对酒而四面荷开，正是湖亭的乐境；此二句以对饮、荷花写尽湖亭的对饮，也让此二句成为全诗写对饮的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我和朋友在亭里喝酒很开心」，则失其画面；唯以「当轩对樽酒」写对饮、「四面芙蓉开」写荷花，写尽湖亭的对饮，也让此二句成为全诗写对饮的核心。

The wine. Facing the veranda, with winecups, lotus flowers bloom on all sides. The winecups by the veranda and the lotuses blooming on all sides are Wang Wei's lakeside pleasure. To have described the wine beside the lake would be a scene; the veranda-facing-winecups against the all-sides-lotus-blooming is the scene.

轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来

A light skiff comes out to greet the honored guest, and floats slowly up the lake.

轻舸迎上客，悠悠湖上来。

A light boat fetches the honored guest, coming slowly across the lake.

此二句是全诗写迎客的核心，以轻舸迎上客写迎客，以悠悠湖上来写湖上，写尽湖上的迎客，是千古名句。「轻舸迎上客」写轻舸迎上客——那「轻舸」写轻舸，「迎上客」写迎上客，写尽轻舟的迎客；「悠悠湖上来」写悠悠湖上来——那「悠悠」写悠悠，「湖上来」写湖上来，写尽湖上的悠然。这句的深意在于：它以「轻舸迎上客」的迎客与「悠悠湖上来」的湖上，写尽湖上的迎客——轻舸迎上客，那「轻舸迎上客」写尽轻舟的迎客——轻舸相迎，正是待客之诚，那「迎上客」写尽湖上的迎客；悠悠湖上来，那「悠悠湖上来」写尽湖上的悠然——轻舟悠悠，从湖上来，正是湖光中的写照，那「悠悠」写尽湖上的悠然；那「轻舸迎上客」写尽轻舟的迎客，那「悠悠湖上来」写尽湖上的悠然，一写迎客，一写湖上，写尽湖上的迎客——轻舸相迎而悠悠而来，正是湖亭迎客的乐境；此二句以迎客、湖上写尽湖上的迎客，也为后二句的对饮作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写迎客的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我用船去接朋友」，则失其闲雅；唯以「轻舸迎上客」写迎客、「悠悠湖上来」写湖上，写尽湖上的迎客，也让此二句成为全诗写迎客的核心。

The boat. A light boat fetches the honored guest, coming slowly across the lake. The light boat and the slow crossing of the lake are the welcome. To have described the boat greeting the guest would be a scene; the light-boat-fetching-the-honored-guest against the slowly-coming-across-the-lake is the scene.

Study

Word focus

悠悠 In 'floats slowly up the lake', youyou means unhurried and far-reaching. It gives the small boat a lazy pace and, at the same time, tells of an easy and contented mind; the slow water and the calm poet are one, and this double sense is what the word contributes to the welcome. 「悠悠湖上来」之「悠悠」是写闲适的关键词，一个「悠悠」写尽湖上的悠然。悠悠者，舒缓、悠长也。王维以「悠悠湖上来」写湖上，这个「悠悠」至少有双重意味：其一，写舟之缓——那「悠悠湖上来」写悠悠湖上来，那「悠悠」写尽轻舟的舒缓——轻舟悠悠，正从湖上来，正是湖光荡漾的写照，那「悠悠」写尽湖上的悠然；其二，写心之闲——那「悠悠」更是写闲——悠悠，正见心境的闲适，那「悠悠」写尽王维的闲适。以「悠悠」写湖上，正是王维写闲适的枢纽——若换作「缓缓」「徐徐」等词，则或失其与「湖上」「来」的配合，或失其写悠悠的意味；唯「悠悠」二字，以悠悠湖上来写尽轻舟的舒缓与心境的闲适，与「轻舸迎上客」的轻舸相合，写尽湖上的迎客，也让「悠悠湖上来」成为全诗写闲适的名句。

四面 In 'lotus blooms on every side', simian means the four quarters, that is, on all hands. It makes the flowers surround the pavilion, turning one view into a closed world of beauty: wherever the guest turns his head, blossom meets him, and the mood of ease follows from the enclosure. 「四面芙蓉开」之「四面」是写湖亭的关键词，一个「四面」写尽荷花的环绕。四面者，四周、八方也。王维以「四面芙蓉开」写荷花，这个「四面」至少有双重意味：其一，写荷之环——那「四面芙蓉开」写四面芙蓉开，那「四面」写尽荷花的环绕——四面芙蓉，正开亭外，正是湖亭环荷的写照，那「四面」写尽湖亭的美景；其二，写境之乐——那「四面」更是写乐——四面，正见环视皆花之乐，那「四面」写尽湖亭的欢愉。以「四面」写荷花，正是王维写湖亭的枢纽——若换作「四围」「周遭」等词，则或失其与「芙蓉」「开」的配合，或失其写四面的意味；唯「四面」二字，以四面芙蓉开写尽荷花的环绕与环视的欢愉，与「当轩对樽酒」的当轩相合，写尽湖亭的对饮，也让「四面芙蓉开」成为全诗写湖亭的名句。

临湖亭