All poems

明 Ming · 诗 Poem

咏兰花

On the Orchid

张羽

Zhang Yu

咏物object-chant 品格character

咏兰花能白更兼黄，无人亦自芳。
寸心原不大，容得许多香。

White it can be, and yellow too;
Unwatched, it breathes its scent alone.
Its tiny heart was never broad--
Yet holds so much of quiet perfume.

Listen

Meaning

The orchid may be white, and also carries a soft yellow; even with no one to admire it, it still gives off its fragrance by itself. Its heart is not in the least large, yet it holds so much pure scent.

兰花可以是白色的，又兼有嫩黄；即便无人欣赏，也依然独自散发着芬芳。它的花心原本并不大，却容纳得下那许多的清香。

Appreciation

This twenty-character poem divides in two layers. The first two lines write the orchid's color and scent: 'White it can be, and yellow too' pictures its plain, warm purity; 'Unwatched, it breathes its scent alone' moves from color to spirit, fully personifying the orchid to praise its not fawning on the world and holding to its true heart. The last two lines, 'Its tiny heart was never broad--yet holds so much of quiet perfume,' move from scent to heart, using the contrast of a small heart holding much scent to pun on the gentleman's humble heart and rich virtue. The language seems careless, yet plain in word and deep in meaning, short in speech and long in feeling.

【白话串讲】 “能白更兼黄，无人亦自芳。寸心原不大，容得许多香”——张羽写兰花：没人看见也自己芬芳。心不大，却能容下很多香。这是中国人对“君子”的定义。【意象与手法】全诗二十字，分两层：前两句写兰之形色与香，「能白更兼黄」状其素淡温润，「无人亦自芳」由色及神，将兰彻底人格化，赞其不媚世俗、坚守本心；后两句「寸心原不大，容得许多香」由香及心，以小花心容浓香之反差，双关君子谦谦之心与丰厚德馨。语似漫不经心，而语淡意深、言短情长。【情感与主旨】张羽（一三三三—一三八五），字来仪，号静居，浔阳人，明初诗人，与高启、杨基、徐贲并称「吴中四杰」，又列「明初十才子」。此诗托物言志，以兰之「无人亦自芳」写君子不媚世俗、坚守本心之德，暗含明初文人身处危殆时势的身世之感。【名句点睛】「无人亦自芳」的人格化与托物见志（不媚世俗、坚守本心）；「寸心」双关（花心与君子之心）的一笔两写；末二句化用杨万里《凝露堂木犀》诗意而点铁成金，较原句更准切老到。

Background

Zhang Yu (1333-1385), courtesy Laiyi, style Jingju, of Xunyang, was an early-Ming poet, with Gao Qi, Yang Ji and Xu Ben among the 'Four Talents of Wu,' and also listed among the 'Ten Talents of the early Ming.' He rose to grand master of ceremonies; in the Hongwu era he was exiled to Lingnan, and on the way back, summoned again, knowing death sure, threw himself into the Longjiang. His life was hard and unyielding; this small orchid poem is exactly his portrait--finding contentment in loneliness, seeking no fame, yet having its own fragrance--and quietly holds the life-feeling of 'able to bend and stretch, able to bear poverty and wealth.'

张羽（一三三三—一三八五），字来仪，更字附凤，号静居，浔阳（今江西九江）人，后徙居吴兴（今浙江湖州），明初诗人，与高启、杨基、徐贲并称「吴中四杰」，又列「明初十才子」。他出身文士，元末避乱徙居吴中，与高启等结社唱和，诗名甚著；明初被征入朝，官至太常丞，兼翰林院，同掌文渊阁事，后因事被贬谪岭南，未及半道忽又召还，张羽自知难免于祸，行至龙江（今南京附近）投水而死，年五十三。其生平之坎坷、结局之惨烈，与吴中四杰多不得善终的时代悲剧正相吻合——高启被朱元璋腰斩，杨基、徐贲亦先后获罪，明初文人在严酷政治下动辄得咎。此《咏兰花》小诗虽无明确系年，然以兰之「无人亦自芳」自况，正见其在危殆时势中甘于寂寞、不求闻达而自有芬芳的人格操守；「能白更兼黄」亦暗含能处贫贱、亦能处荣华的君子之德。托物言志，实为一代文人身世之感的心声。此外，明初诗坛承元末吴中诗派之余绪，诗人们多经元明易代的乱离，咏物小诗成为他们寄托怀抱的常见载体；张羽此诗正是在这样的诗坛风会中写就，故能以极短的篇幅容纳极深的人格书写，成为吴中四杰咏物诗中的名篇。

Art

The whole twenty characters divide in two: the first two lines write the orchid's color and scent--'White it can be, and yellow too' pictures its plain, warm purity; 'Unwatched, it breathes its scent alone' moves from color to spirit, fully personifying the orchid to praise its not fawning on the world and holding its true heart; the last two lines, 'Its tiny heart was never broad--yet holds so much of quiet perfume,' move from scent to heart, using the contrast of a small heart holding much scent to pun on the gentleman's humble heart and rich virtue. The language seems careless, yet plain in word, deep in meaning, short in speech, long in feeling.

全诗二十字，体制精悍而章法井然，可分两层。前两句写兰之形色与香：「能白更兼黄」以白、黄二色状兰之素淡温润——白为其本色，黄为其嫩蕊，二色「兼」而不杂、主次分明，见其雅洁；「无人亦自芳」由色及神，一个「自」字将兰彻底人格化，赞其不媚世俗、独守本心的品格，是全诗托物见志的枢纽。后两句由香及心：「寸心原不大，容得许多香」写小花心容浓香的反差，「原」字作一让步，「容得」陡转，以「小」与「多」的强烈对比生出奇趣，语似漫不经心，实则针线细密。咏物诗贵在不即不离：此诗处处写兰（色、香、花心），又处处写人（自芳、寸心、容香），物我双关、一笔两写，终篇不着一「君子」字，而君子之德自见。语言上以口语入诗（「原」「容得」「许多」皆当时白话），明白如话而含蓄隽永，是咏物绝句中「以小见大」的典范。全诗虽短，而回环照应：首句之色为形，次句之芳为神，三句之心为体，四句之容为用，由形入神、由体及用，二十字中自成一个完整的小宇宙。

Allusions

'Unwatched, it breathes its scent alone' inherits the 'quiet fragrance' tradition of orchid and irises in the 'Songs of Chu' and Zhang Jiuling's idea of 'not for man's praise'; the orchid stands for the gentleman. 'Its tiny heart' puns on the flower's heart and the human heart. The last two lines turn Yang Wanli's 'Muxiang Hall Cassia'--'look and look, how large can it be, how can it hold so much scent'--but drop the outer size and strike the inner capacity, more precise and seasoned, the wonder of 'turning iron to gold.'

咏兰而有君子之喻，渊源甚古。其一，「无人亦自芳」直承儒家兰之幽芳传统：《孔子家语·在厄》载孔子言「芝兰生于深林，不以无人而不芳」，以兰之幽芳喻君子立德不因穷约而改；屈原《离骚》「纫秋兰以为佩」「余既滋兰之九畹兮」，更开以兰喻君子高洁之先河，张羽此句实为这一传统的凝缩。其二，唐人张九龄《感遇》「兰叶春葳蕤，桂华秋皎洁……草木有本心，何求美人折」，以兰桂自明本心、不求人知，与「无人亦自芳」同一机杼，可见「兰不媚人」一脉在诗史上的延续。其三，「寸心」一词兼有双关之妙：既指兰花小小的花心，又暗用「寸心」喻君子拳拳之心（鲍照「寸心坚不移」、杜甫「寸心言不尽」皆其例），一笔两写。其四，末二句化用杨万里《凝露堂木犀》「看来看去能几大，如何着得许多香」之诗意，却舍去「看来看去」的外观体量，直击「寸心」的内在容量，较原句更准切老到，正是黄庭坚所谓「点铁成金」之妙。

Commentary

The line of Ming Poems Select praises it for 'plain in word, deep in meaning.' The Orchid appreciation calls this poem 'small and delicate yet deep in meaning,' says 'its tiny heart puns, meaning both the orchid's small flower-heart and the gentleman's humble heart,' and praises its turning of Yang Wanli's line as 'more precise, seasoned, vivid'--a fine piece of object-singing.

明初诗坛，吴中四杰以高启为冠，张羽、杨基、徐贲各擅胜场。《四库全书总目》评张羽《静居集》「诗格清丽，与杨基相颉颃」，朱彝尊《静志居诗话》亦赏其清婉。此《咏兰花》二十字小诗，历代评家多拈其「语淡而意深」：前二句以「自芳」见君子孤高，后二句以「寸心」「容香」之反差写谦德与厚德的统一，小巧玲珑而意蕴深厚，被推为咏物诗中佳构。就文学史而言，此诗的价值有三：其一，它是兰之幽芳传统（孔子、屈原、张九龄）在明初的凝练回响，二十字包孕千年母题；其二，它示范了咏物诗「不即不离、托物见志」的最高法度——物我双关，言近旨远；其三，它与王冕《墨梅》「不要人夸好颜色，只留清气满乾坤」同调而更内敛，与郑燮题竹诗同趣而更含蓄，可见明清咏物诗以物写心的主流走向。明初文人多罹祸患，此诗以兰自守，正是一代士人风骨的诗化见证。要之，二十字写尽兰之三德——色不争艳、香不求赏、心小德丰，其以小见大的写法与「语淡意深」的风格，使此诗超越一时一地，成为咏物诗史上经得起细读的短章。

Prosody

Form Poem · five-character quatrain五言绝句

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, lower-level seventh yang (yellow, alone, perfume)首句入韵，一韵到底，韵脚「黄」「芳」「香」皆属平水韵下平七阳韵，韵字响亮悠长，声情与「芳」「香」的弥漫之感相谐。

Tone pattern First line enters rhyme, level onset and level close首句入韵，平起平收，格律整饬：首句「能白更兼黄」平仄大致为平仄仄平平，次句「无人亦自芳」为平平仄仄平，三四句「寸心原不大，容得许多香」为仄平平仄仄、平仄仄平平，合五绝平起正格（一三五字处稍宽），诵读朗朗上口。

Reading note A twenty-character small poem, implicit and lasting.此诗为五言绝句，二十字，体制精悍，是咏物诗中最凝练的体式。五绝要求字字精炼、句句有骨，本诗正得其要：首句写色、次句写神、三句写心、四句写容，起承转合完备，前两句由外（形色）而内（精神），后两句由小而大（寸心而容香），层次分明、针线细密。格律上首句入韵、押下平七阳韵，「黄」「芳」「香」三韵字皆阳声韵，收音悠长洪亮，正与香之弥散、芳之持久相表里，声情与辞情高度统一。语言上大量采用口语（「原」「容得」「许多」），明白如话而含蓄隽永，与王维《相思》、李白《静夜思》等五绝名篇同一路数，可见五绝「以浅语写深情」的审美传统；而「寸心」「容香」的双关妙笔，又为这传统注入思理，是明初五绝中咏物言志的佳例。

Line by line

能白更兼黄，无人亦自芳

White it can be, and yellow too; unwatched, it breathes its scent alone.

兰花可以是白色的，又兼有嫩黄；即便无人欣赏，也依然独自散发着芬芳。

It can be white and also yellow; even when none are near, it gives fragrance of itself.

首联写兰之色与香，是全诗托物见志的开端。「能白更兼黄」状兰之色：白是兰的本色，黄是嫩蕊的浅晕，一个「兼」字写二色并存于一花而不相杂，主次分明、素淡温润，见兰之雅洁天成；「能」字更暗示这并非刻意，而是本性如此。「无人亦自芳」由色及神，是全诗的诗眼：香之所以可贵，不在有人赏识，而在无人之时依然「自」芳——一个「自」字写尽兰之独立自足、不假外求，直承《孔子家语》「芝兰生于深林，不以无人而不芳」与屈原纫兰为佩的幽芳传统，将兰彻底人格化。诗人着意强调「无人」，正是因为明初的危殆时势中，坚持操守往往意味着寂寞无闻；「亦自芳」三字，则是诗人对自我人格的庄严肯定，为后文「寸心」之谦德张本。

The fragrance. It can be white and also yellow; even when none are near, it gives fragrance of itself. The white and yellow and the self-given fragrance when none are near are the Confucius-grove orchid. To have given fragrance when none were near would be a self-sufficiency; the it-can-be-white-and-also-yellow-even-when-none-are-near-it-gives-fragrance-of-itself is the self-sufficiency.

寸心原不大，容得许多香

Its tiny heart was never broad--yet holds so much of quiet perfume.

它的花心原本并不大，却容纳得下那许多的清香。

The inch-heart is not large to begin with, yet it holds so much fragrance.

末联由香及心，是全诗点睛之笔，妙在一个「容」字、一个「多」字。「寸心原不大」以「原」字作让步——花心本就微小，似乎难以承载什么；「容得许多香」陡转收束，以「许多」写香之浓郁丰沛，微小的「寸心」与无量的「香」形成强烈反差，小中见大、淡中见奇。「寸心」一词一笔两写：既实指兰花小小的花心，又暗喻君子的谦谦之心——心量虽小（谦抑自守、不求闻达），却能容纳丰厚的德馨（许多香），正合《易》「谦谦君子」之德与《大学》「富润屋，德润身」之意。诗人以二十字写尽「心小德丰」的君子品格，语淡而意深，言短而情长，将咏物、言志、说理熔于一炉，是咏物绝句中以小见大、托物见志的极致。

The heart. The inch-heart is not large to begin with, yet it holds so much fragrance. The small inch heart that holds so much fragrance is the gentleman. To have held much fragrance in a small heart would be a holding; the inch-heart-is-not-large-to-begin-with-yet-it-holds-so-much-fragrance is the holding.

Study

Word focus

兼 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「能白更兼黄」之「兼」字，写兰色之妙，是全诗第一个关键动词。「兼」训并包、同时具有，此处写白、黄二色并存于一朵兰花而不相杂——白为兰之本色，黄为嫩蕊之浅晕，「兼」字将二色处理为主次分明、彼此映衬的和谐关系，见兰色素淡温润、清雅天成。若用「又」「亦」等字，只写二色并列，缺少「并包」的从容；「兼」字则暗含兼收并蓄而不失本色的君子之德——正如兰能兼白黄而不改其芳，君子能处贫贱、亦能处富贵而不改其志。此字与下句「自」字呼应，一写外在形色的从容，一写内在精神的独立，由表及里，层层递进，足见诗人炼字之精。

自 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「无人亦自芳」之「自」字，是全诗的诗眼，亦托物见志的枢纽。「自芳」谓香不待外赏而自行散发，「自」字写兰之独立自足、不假外求：芬芳是兰的本性，有人欣赏固然芳，无人欣赏依然芳，欣赏与否与兰无涉。这一个「自」字，直承《孔子家语》「芝兰生于深林，不以无人而不芳」的幽芳传统，将兰的人格化推至顶点，寄寓诗人不媚世俗、坚守本心的操守。在明初文人动辄得咎的时势中，「无人亦自芳」无异于诗人对自我的庄严宣示——纵使无人赏识、无人理解，甚至身处危殆，君子依然要像兰一样自行其芳。炼字见骨，正在此「自」字：它是全诗由「咏物」转入「言志」的转折点，也是「寸心」「容香」之谦德的逻辑前提。

寸心 Puns on the orchid's flower-heart and the gentleman's heart, writing two things at once--the eye of feeling-through-object. 「寸心原不大」之「寸心」，是双关之眼，一笔两写。「寸」言其小，本指兰花小小的花心；而「心」字又自然让人联想到人的心灵，故「寸心」兼指君子的拳拳之心，古典诗中习见（鲍照「寸心坚不移」、杜甫「寸心言不尽」皆用「寸心」指内心）。诗人正是利用这一词的双关，将咏物与言志焊接在一起：实写花心之小，虚写君子谦抑自守之心量；「原不大」的让步，是为「容得许多香」的奇转蓄势——心量虽小，德馨却丰，小与大的反差成就全诗最有力的点睛。此词之妙，在「不即不离」：若只作花心，则无深意；若只作人心，则离物太远；唯其双关，物我合一，兰即是人、人即是兰，二十字小诗遂有咏物诗最高法度的神采。

咏兰花