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明 Ming · 诗 Poem

画鸡

Painting of a Rooster

唐寅

Tang Yin

头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来。
平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开。

Upon his head, a red crest needs no cutting; snow-white all over, he struts into view.
All his life he dare not speak lightly; one crow and a thousand gates, ten thousand doors swing open.
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Meaning

A poem on a painted rooster. The bird's natural red crest and snow-white body need no artifice; though he rarely crows, his single call opens every gate at dawn. It is a 咏物言志 (object-poem voicing ambition) work, using the rooster's striking appearance and sudden, world-rousing crow to hint at the poet's own uncommon talent and his confident expectation that he needs only one chance to make his mark.

头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来。平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Tang Yin's 'Painting of a Rooster': 'upon his head a red crest needs no cutting, snow-white all over he struts into view'—'all his life he dare not speak lightly; one crow and a thousand gates swing open'—he paints a rooster; one crow and a thousand gates open. [Imagery & Method] 'Upon his head a red crest… snow-white all over' sets the rooster's look in red-and-white color; 'dare not speak lightly' builds tension, 'a thousand gates swing open' lifts. Object-poem voicing ambition, red crest and snow white in bright contrast. [Feeling & Theme] A 咏物言志 work, borrowing the rooster's red crest, snow white, and startling crow to hint at his own extraordinary talent and the self-confident expectation of 'one crow makes his name'—the most widely circulated of Tang Yin's poems.

【白话串讲】 唐寅写《画鸡》：“头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来”——“平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开”——他画鸡——一叫千门万户开。 【意象与手法】 “头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来”以红白设色写鸡之形貌；“平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开”以“不敢轻言语”蓄势、“千门万户开”振起。咏物言志，红冠雪白对比鲜明。 【情感与主旨】 咏物言志之作，借雄鸡红冠雪白、一鸣惊人的形象，暗喻自己才华超群、只待一鸣惊人的自负与期待，是唐寅诗中最广为流传的一首。 【名句点睛】 常考“平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开”以一叫千门写一鸣惊人；“头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来”以红冠雪白写鸡之形貌。

Background

Painting of a Rooster is a poem by the Ming literatus and painter Tang Yin (1470–1524), styled Bohu,号 Sixu Jushi, of Wu (now Suzhou), one of the 'Four Talents of Wu.' This poem is a 咏物言志 work written on a painting of a rooster. The lines 'upon his head a red crest needs no cutting, snow-white all over he struts' and 'all his life he dare not speak lightly; one crow and a thousand gates swing open' write the ambition. As a famous Tang Yin piece, widely anthologized, the poet's crafted brush on ordinary matter gives the work vitality across ages, ceaselessly admired.

《画鸡》为明代文学家、画家唐寅所作诗。唐寅（1470—1524），字伯虎，号六如居士，吴县（今江苏苏州）人，明代文学家、画家，为「吴中四才子」之一。此诗写咏物言志，为咏画中之鸡而作。诗中「头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来」写头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来；「平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开」写平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开。唐寅此诗以咏物言志、一叫千门万户开写其言志之情，慷慨豪迈，是唐寅诗中的名篇。此篇《画鸡》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《画鸡》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。

Art

The poem excels in 'bold and heroic, writing ambition through the rooster.' Four lines move from crest to body to 'dare not speak' to 'one crow opens gates.' The opening 'red crest needs no cutting, snow-white struts' sets the look; 'all his life dare not speak lightly; one crow and a thousand gates open' writes the startling crow. The whole uses the rooster for ambition, from crest to crow, bold and heroic. Through 'much in little,' tight structure and deep conception, condensed imagery and lingering tone—the more read, the more one feels its refined brush, a rare gem among同类, showing the poet's consummate art.

此诗艺术上以「慷慨豪迈、以鸡写志」见长。全诗共四句，由头上红冠不用裁而满身雪白走将来而平生不敢轻言语。起「头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来」写头上红冠不用裁：头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来；「平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开」写一叫千门万户开：平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开。全诗以鸡写志，由头上红冠不用裁而一叫千门万户开，慷慨豪迈，是唐寅诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。

Allusions

The poem's lines carry allusions. 'Upon his head a red crest… snow-white all over' writes the rooster's look; 'all his life dare not speak lightly; one crow and a thousand gates open' writes the startling crow. The poet weaves 'red crest' and 'a thousand gates' seamlessly, making the object-poem's ambition pour forth boldly—a mark of deep learning and skillful conception, where the reader must savor the meaning beyond the words.

诗中「头上红冠不用裁满身雪白走将来」「平生不敢轻言语一叫千门万户开」等语，皆含典故故实。「头上红冠不用裁满身雪白走将来」写头上红冠不用裁满身雪白走将来；「平生不敢轻言语一叫千门万户开」写平生不敢轻言语一叫千门万户开。诗人以红冠、千门万户等语入诗，不着痕迹，而把咏物言志之情写得慷慨淋漓，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。

Commentary

Painting of a Rooster is Tang Yin's 咏物言志 work, writing the red crest, the 'dare not speak,' and the 'one crow opens gates'—bold and heroic. The opening sets the look; 'all his life dare not speak lightly; one crow and a thousand gates open' writes the ambition. The whole is bold and heroic, using the rooster for ambition—a famous Tang Yin piece. Altogether, feeling is true, scene apt, principle deep, fused without trace, so infinite meaning rests in few words—embodying the classical aesthetic of 'much in little, meaning beyond speech.'

这首《画鸡》，是唐寅写咏物言志之作，写头上红冠不用裁、平生不敢轻言语、一叫千门万户开之情，慷慨豪迈。起「头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来」——头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来。写头上红冠不用裁：头上红冠不用裁、满身雪白走将来——红冠不用裁、雪白走将来；「平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开」——平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开。写一叫千门万户开：平生不敢轻言语、一叫千门万户开——不敢轻言语、一叫千门万户开。这「平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开」，是全诗之结：以一叫千门万户开写其言志。全诗慷慨豪迈，以鸡写志，正是唐寅诗中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。

Prosody

Form Poem (seven-character quatrain, jueju).诗（七言绝句）
Rhyme A seven-character quatrain of four lines. Rhyme: '裁' (cai), '来' (lai), '开' (kai) all rhyme in the 平声 hai category. The form follows the quatrain; regular phrasing, syllables rising with feeling, suited to the bold 咏物言志 mood.此诗为七言绝句，共四句，两句一联。押平声韵：「裁」「来」「开」押灰部韵。诗体依绝句而定，句式整齐，音节随情起伏，正与写咏物言志的慷慨豪迈相称，也见其以绝句写言志的自然。
Tone pattern In phrasing, the opening 'red crest needs no cutting, snow-white struts' sounds bright and brisk; 'all his life dare not speak lightly; one crow opens gates' sounds rising and vigorous. The syllables rise from brisk to vigorous, matching the quatrain's 'implicit' charm, reading like a bold, moving object-poem.句式上，「头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来」写头上红冠不用裁，音节明快；「平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开」写一叫千门万户开，音节昂扬。全诗音节随情起伏，由明快而昂扬，正合绝句「含蓄」之妙，读来如咏物言志、一叫千门万户开之音，慷慨而动人。
Reading note This seven-character quatrain is Tang Yin's 咏物言志 work and a famous piece. Its art lies in 'bold and heroic, writing ambition through the rooster': the crest-and-body opening and the 'one crow opens gates' close. Especially fine is the 'dare not speak lightly; one crow opens a thousand gates' writing the crow; and the crest-and-body writing the look—a model of Tang Yin's boldness, often anthologized. The poem's sound matches its feeling, its rhythm烘托 its mood, showing the beauty of classical Chinese prosody.此诗为七言绝句，是唐寅写咏物言志之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「慷慨豪迈、以鸡写志」：「头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来」写头上红冠不用裁、「平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开」写一叫千门万户开。全诗慷慨豪迈，以鸡写志。尤为精妙者，是「平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开」写尽鸡之鸣；而「头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来」写尽鸡之形，正是唐寅诗「慷慨豪迈」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《画鸡》一诗之所以读来声情并茂，正在于诗人以声韵配合情思、以节奏烘托意境，音节之长短、平仄之起伏，皆与诗意相为表里，此亦可见中国古典诗歌声律之美与匠心之工。

Line by line

头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来。

Upon his head, a red crest needs no cutting; snow-white all over, he struts into view.

头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来。

On his head the red comb needs no cutting; his whole body snow-white, he comes striding.

首二句写头上红冠不用裁，起笔即见其鸡。「头上红冠不用裁」写头上红冠不用裁，「头上红冠」写头上红冠、「不用裁」写不用裁；「满身雪白走将来」写满身雪白走将来，「满身雪白」写满身雪白、「走将来」写走来。两句一写头上红冠不用裁、一写满身雪白走将来，以头上红冠不用裁写红冠不用裁、以满身雪白走将来写雪白走来，写尽头上红冠不用裁、满身雪白走将来之情。以鸡起兴，慷慨而豪迈，是「以鸡起兴」的妙笔。

The cock. On his head the red comb needs no cutting; his whole body snow-white, he comes striding. The uncrafted red comb and the snow-white body are Tang Yin's self-portrait. To have painted the cock's comb and feathers would be a portrait; the on-his-head-the-red-comb-needs-no-cutting against his-whole-body-snow-white-he-comes-striding is the portrait.

平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开。

All his life he dare not speak lightly; one crow and a thousand gates, ten thousand doors swing open.

平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开。

All his life he dares not speak lightly; once he crows, a thousand, ten thousand doors fly open.

尾二句写一叫千门万户开，是全诗立意的落点。「平生不敢轻言语」写平生不敢轻言语，「平生」写平生、「不敢轻言语」写不敢轻言；「一叫千门万户开」写一叫千门万户开，「一叫」写一叫、「千门万户开」写千门万户开。两句一写平生不敢轻言语、一写一叫千门万户开，以平生不敢轻言语写不敢轻言、以一叫千门万户开写一叫万门开，写尽平生不敢轻言语、一叫千门万户开之情。以鸡写志，慷慨而豪迈，是全诗最动人处，也是「以鸡写志」的点睛之笔。

The crow. All his life he dares not speak lightly; once he crows, a thousand, ten thousand doors fly open. The not-daring-to-speak and the single crow that opens all doors are the poet's ambition. To have described the cock's crow would be an image; the all-his-life-he-dares-not-speak-lightly against once-he-crows-a-thousand-ten-thousand-doors-fly-open is the image.

Study

Word focus

红冠 “Red crest”: the rooster's comb on its head, named in 'needs no cutting.' A single 'red crest' sets the bird's proud, natural look—the bright red against white, needing no artifice, embodying the unadorned, self-assured character the poet projects; the word gives the whole piece its color and vigor. 「红冠」写头上红冠不用裁，是写红冠之态的关键。「头上红冠不用裁」着一「红冠」，写红冠——着一「红冠」，写头上红冠不用裁，见其冠之红。两字写尽红冠之态，是「以词写冠」的妙笔。「红冠」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
雪白 “Snow white”: the rooster's plumage in 'snow-white all over he struts.' A single 'snow white' writes the body's pure white, contrasting the red crest; the color opposition makes the painted bird vivid and symbolizes spotless, proud naturalness—central to the poem's visual and symbolic design. 「雪白」写满身雪白走将来，是写雪白之态的关键。「满身雪白走将来」着一「雪白」，写雪白——着一「雪白」，写满身雪白走将来，见其身之白。两字写尽雪白之态，是「以词写白」的点睛之词。「雪白」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
不敢 “Dare not”: the restraint in 'all his life dare not speak lightly.' A single 'dare not' writes the rooster's cautious reserve, withholding the crow to build suspense; it is the tension before the release, making the final 'one crow' land with decisive force. 「不敢」写平生不敢轻言语，是写不敢之态的关键。「平生不敢轻言语」着一「不敢」，写不敢——着一「不敢」，写平生不敢轻言语，见其语之慎。两字写尽不敢之态，是「以词写慎」的点睛之词。「不敢」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
千门 “A thousand gates”: the multitude in 'one crow and a thousand gates open.' A single 'thousand gates' evokes the countless palace doors opened by the rooster's dawn crow, magnifying a single act into world-rousing consequence—the poem's climactic image of one decisive self-display changing everything. 「千门」写一叫千门万户开，是写千门之态的关键。「一叫千门万户开」着一「千门」，写千门——着一「千门」，写一叫千门万户开，见其门之众。两字写尽千门之态，是「以词写众」的点睛之词。「千门」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

Related Reading

山园小梅 Small Plum in the Mountain Garden 林逋 · 同写咏物言志、以物喻志，一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、一写头上红冠不用裁满身雪白走将来，皆于咏物之中见言志 Both are 咏物言志 object-poems voicing ambition through a thing—one elegant, one bold.

Lin Bu's Small Plum ('sparse shadows slant by clear water, faint fragrance floats at dusk moon') writes the plum's elegance and ambition, a Song quatrain pinnacle; Tang Yin's Painting of a Rooster writes 'red crest, snow white' and 'one crow opens gates.' Both are 咏物言志 through an object: Lin Bu's plum for elegance, Tang Yin's rooster for ambition—one Lin Bu's refined detachment, one Tang Yin's bold heroism; read together they show two brushes on 'object-poem voicing ambition.'

林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」，写梅之清雅、言志，是宋诗咏物的绝唱；唐寅《画鸡》则以「头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来」「平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开」写红冠雪白、一叫千门万户开。两诗同写咏物言志、以物喻志：一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以梅写清雅，一写头上红冠不用裁满身雪白走将来、以鸡写志；一为林逋之清逸、一为唐寅之豪迈，并读正可见诗写「咏物言志」的两种笔法，皆于咏物之中见言志。

 浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯 Tune: Sand of the Washing Brook — A New Song, a Cup of Wine 晏殊 · 同写感怀言志、无可奈何，一写无可奈何花落去、一写平生不敢轻言语一叫千门万户开，皆于感怀之中见言志 Both write feeling-and-ambition with resignation—one on time's passing, one on the rooster's crow.

Yan Shu's Sand of the Washing Brook ('helplessly the flowers fall, familiar swallows return') writes feeling and ambition, a famous Song lyric; Tang Yin's Painting of a Rooster writes 'one crow opens gates' and 'red crest, snow white.' Both write feeling-and-ambition with resignation: Yan Shu's warm restraint on time's passing via flowers and swallows, Tang Yin's bold heroism via the rooster's crow—one Yan Shu's gentle grace, one Tang Yin's boldness; read together they show two brushes on 'feeling-and-ambition.'

晏殊《浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯》「无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来」，写感怀言志，是宋词小令的名篇；唐寅《画鸡》则以「平生不敢轻言语，一叫千门万户开」「头上红冠不用裁，满身雪白走将来」写一叫千门万户开、红冠雪白。两诗同写感怀言志、无可奈何：一写无可奈何花落去、以花落燕归写惜时，一写平生不敢轻言语一叫千门万户开、以鸡鸣写志；一为晏殊之温润、一为唐寅之豪迈，并读正可见诗写「感怀言志」的两种笔法，皆于感怀之中见言志。