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南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem

别周尚书弘正

Farewell to Vice-Minister Zhou Hongzheng

庾信

Yu Xin

扶风石桥北，函谷故关前。
此中一分手，相逢知几年。
黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然。
自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦。

North of the stone bridge at Fufeng, before the old Hangu Pass.
Here we part; after we meet again, who knows how many years?
The yellow swan turns its head once; hovering, it must feel desolate.
I know my grief will not cease—in vain I loosen the strings of the se.
Listen

Meaning

Written when the poet, detained in the Northern court, saw a fellow southerner depart, the poem marks the parting place, wonders at the uncertain years before reunion, and compares himself to a hesitant swan. The closing line—loosening the zither's strings in vain—confesses a grief that cannot be eased, embodying Yu Xin's late 'longing for home' (xiangguan zhi si) and the sorrow of separation with no promised return.

扶风石桥北，函谷故关前。此中一分手，相逢知几年。黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然。自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Yu Xin's 'Farewell to Vice-Minister Zhou Hongzheng': 'North of the stone bridge at Fufeng, before the old Hangu Pass'—'here we part; after we meet, who knows how many years?'—'the yellow swan turns its head; hovering, desolate'—'I know my grief will not cease, in vain I loosen the se strings.' He sees Zhou off; here we part, when shall we meet? [Imagery] 'North of the stone bridge… before the old Hangu Pass' opens with place-names for the farewell site; 'here we part… who knows how many years' asks rhetorically of uncertain reunion; 'the yellow swan turns its head' writes attachment; the close 'I know my grief will not cease, in vain I loosen the se strings' writes uncontrollable sorrow. Feeling through allusion, desolate and contemplative. [Feeling & Theme] A work of Yu Xin detained in the North seeing a countryman leave, grieving the departure and the uncertain reunion—emblematic of his late 'longing for home.'

【白话串讲】 庾信写《别周尚书弘正》：“扶风石桥北，函谷故关前”——“此中一分手，相逢知几年”——“黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然”——“自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦”——他送别周弘正——此中一分手，相逢知几年。 【意象与手法】 “扶风石桥北，函谷故关前”以地名起笔写送别之地；“此中一分手，相逢知几年”以设问写重逢无期；“黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然”以黄鹄反顾写眷恋；结以“自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦”写悲不自胜。以典写情、怆然感怀。 【情感与主旨】 庾信羁留北朝送别故人之作，写故国之人离去、重逢无期的悲伤，是庾信后期“乡关之思”诗风的体现。 【名句点睛】 常考“此中一分手，相逢知几年”以设问写重逢无期；“黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然”以黄鹄反顾写眷恋。

Background

Farewell to Vice-Minister Zhou Hongzheng is a poem by Yu Xin (513–581), styled Zishan, of Nanyang Xinye, a Northern-and-Southern-Dynasties literatus of the Northern Zhou who moved from South to North. This poem is a farewell written to see off Zhou Hongzheng. The lines 'north of the stone bridge at Fufeng, before the old Hangu Pass' set the place; 'here we part… who knows how many years' asks of reunion; 'the yellow swan turns its head… desolate' and 'I know my grief will not cease, in vain I loosen the se strings' write the sorrow. As a famous farewell piece by Yu Xin, it has been widely anthologized. The poet uses crafted brush on ordinary feeling, giving the work vitality across a thousand years, ceaselessly admired.

《别周尚书弘正》为南北朝诗人庾信所作诗。庾信（513—581），字子山，南阳新野人，北周文学家，由南入北的重要作家。此诗写送别感怀，为送别周弘正之作。诗中「扶风石桥北，函谷故关前」写扶风石桥北，函谷故关前；「此中一分手，相逢知几年」写此中一分手，相逢知几年；「黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然」写黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然；「自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦」写自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦。庾信此诗以送别感怀、徒劳减瑟弦写其感怀之情，怆然感怀，是庾信诗中的名篇。此篇《别周尚书弘正》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《别周尚书弘正》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 'desolate feeling, writing emotion through the swan.' Eight lines in four couplets move from place to parting to swan to close. The opening 'north of the stone bridge at Fufeng, before the old Hangu Pass' sets the farewell site; 'here we part… who knows how many years' asks of uncertain reunion; 'the yellow swan turns its head… desolate' writes attachment through the swan; the close 'I know my grief will not cease, in vain I loosen the se strings' writes uncontrollable sorrow. The whole uses the swan for feeling, moving from place to strings, desolate and contemplative. Through the method of 'saying much with little,' the structure is tight and the meaning deep, imagery condensed and the tone lingering—the more one reads, the more one feels its refined conception and strong brush, a rare gem among同类 works, showing the poet's consummate art.

此诗艺术上以「怆然感怀、以鹄写情」见长。全诗共八句四联，由扶风石桥北而此中一分手而黄鹄一反顾。起「扶风石桥北，函谷故关前」写扶风石桥北：扶风石桥北，函谷故关前；「此中一分手，相逢知几年」写此中一分手：此中一分手，相逢知几年；「黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然」写黄鹄一反顾：黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然；结「自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦」写徒劳减瑟弦：自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦。全诗以鹄写情，由扶风石桥北而徒劳减瑟弦，怆然感怀，是庾信诗中的名篇。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。

Allusions

The poem's lines carry allusions. 'North of the stone bridge at Fufeng, before the old Hangu Pass' uses the Hangu Pass topos; 'here we part… who knows how many years' asks of reunion; 'the yellow swan turns its head… desolate' uses the yellow-swan (yellow crane) allusion; 'I know my grief will not cease, in vain I loosen the se strings' uses the se-string allusion. The poet weaves the swan and se-string allusions seamlessly, making the farewell feeling tangible—a mark of his deep learning and skillful conception, where the reader must savor the meaning beyond the words.

诗中「扶风石桥北函谷故关前」「此中一分手相逢知几年」「黄鹄一反顾徘徊应怆然」「自知悲不已徒劳减瑟弦」等语，皆含典故故实。「扶风石桥北函谷故关前」用函谷之典（函谷写函谷关），写扶风石桥北函谷故关前；「此中一分手相逢知几年」写此中一分手相逢知几年；「黄鹄一反顾徘徊应怆然」用黄鹄之典（黄鹄写黄鹤），写黄鹄一反顾徘徊应怆然；「自知悲不已徒劳减瑟弦」用瑟弦之典（瑟弦写瑟之弦），写自知悲不已徒劳减瑟弦。诗人用黄鹄、瑟弦之典入诗，不着痕迹，而把送别感怀之情写得真切可感，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。

Commentary

Farewell to Vice-Minister Zhou Hongzheng is Yu Xin's farewell poem, writing the feeling of parting at Fufeng, the uncertainty of reunion, the swan's turn, and the vain loosening of strings—desolate and contemplative. The opening sets the place; 'here we part… who knows how many years' writes the parting; 'the yellow swan turns its head… desolate' writes attachment; the close 'I know my grief will not cease, in vain I loosen the se strings' writes the feeling. The whole is desolate, using the swan for emotion—a famous Yu Xin piece. Altogether, feeling is true, scene apt, and principle deep, fused without trace, so that infinite meaning rests in few words—embodying the classical aesthetic of 'much in little, meaning beyond speech.'

这首《别周尚书弘正》，是庾信写送别感怀之作，写扶风石桥北、此中一分手、黄鹄一反顾、徒劳减瑟弦之情，怆然感怀。起「扶风石桥北，函谷故关前」——扶风石桥北，函谷故关前。写扶风石桥北：扶风石桥北、函谷故关前——石桥北、故关前；「此中一分手，相逢知几年」——此中一分手，相逢知几年。写此中一分手：此中一分手、相逢知几年——一分手、知几年；「黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然」——黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然。写黄鹄一反顾：黄鹄一反顾、徘徊应怆然——一反顾、应怆然；结「自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦」——自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦。写徒劳减瑟弦：自知悲不已、徒劳减瑟弦——悲不已、减瑟弦。这「自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦」，是全诗之结：以徒劳减瑟弦写其感怀。全诗怆然感怀，以鹄写情，正是庾信诗中的名篇。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。

Prosody

Form Poem (five-character ancient-style, gushi).诗（五言古体）
Rhyme A five-character ancient-style poem of eight lines. Rhyme: '前' (qian), '年' (nian), '然' (ran), '弦' (xian) all rhyme in the xian category. The lines flow naturally with a desolate tone suited to farewell feeling, showing the fluent ancient-style mode.此诗为五言古体，共八句。押韵：「前」「年」「然」「弦」押先部韵。句句自然流转，声情怆然，正与写送别感怀的怆然感怀相称，也见其以古体写感怀的流转。
Tone pattern In phrasing, the opening 'north of the stone bridge… before the old Hangu Pass' sounds desolate; 'here we part… who knows how many years' sounds low and lingering; 'the yellow swan turns its head… desolate' sounds deep and depressed; the close 'I know my grief… in vain loosen the se strings' sounds long. The syllables rise and fall with feeling—desolate to lingering to depressed to long—matching the ancient style's fluent charm.句式上，「扶风石桥北，函谷故关前」写扶风石桥北，音节怆然；「此中一分手，相逢知几年」写此中一分手，音节低回；「黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然」写黄鹄一反顾，音节沉郁；结「自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦」写徒劳减瑟弦，音节悠长。全诗音节随情起伏，由怆然而低回、由沉郁而悠长，正合古体「流转」之妙，读来如送别感怀、徒劳减瑟弦之音，怆然而动人。
Reading note This five-character ancient-style poem is Yu Xin's farewell work and a famous piece. Its art lies in 'desolate feeling, writing emotion through the swan': the place-opening, the reunion question, the swan's turn, and the vain loosening of strings. Especially fine is the yellow-swan allusion and the se-string allusion, a model of Yu Xin's desolate feeling, often anthologized. The poem's sound matches its feeling, its rhythm烘托 its mood—length of syllables and rise-fall of tones all answer the meaning, showing the beauty of classical Chinese prosody.此诗为五言古体，是庾信写送别感怀之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「怆然感怀、以鹄写情」：「扶风石桥北，函谷故关前」写扶风石桥北、「此中一分手，相逢知几年」写此中一分手、「黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然」写黄鹄一反顾、「自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦」写徒劳减瑟弦。全诗怆然感怀，以鹄写情。尤为精妙者，是「黄鹄一反顾」用黄鹄之典；而「徒劳减瑟弦」用瑟弦之典，正是庾信诗「怆然感怀」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《别周尚书弘正》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

扶风石桥北，函谷故关前。

North of the stone bridge at Fufeng, before the old Hangu Pass.

扶风石桥北，函谷故关前。

North of the Fuping stone bridge, before the old Hangu Pass.

起句写扶风石桥北，起笔即见其石桥。「扶风石桥北」写扶风石桥北，「扶风」写扶风、「石桥北」写石桥北；「函谷故关前」用函谷之典写函谷故关前，「函谷」写函谷、「故关前」写故关前。一句写扶风石桥北函谷故关前，以扶风石桥北写石桥北、以函谷故关前写故关前，写尽扶风石桥北、函谷故关前之情。以桥起兴，怆然而感怀，是「以桥起兴」的妙笔。

The pass. North of the Fuping stone bridge, before the old Hangu Pass. The Fuping stone bridge north and the old Hangu Pass before are the opening. To have stood before the pass would be a standing; the north-of-the-fuping-stone-bridge-before-the-old-hangu-pass is the standing.

此中一分手，相逢知几年。

Here we part; after we meet again, who knows how many years?

此中一分手，相逢知几年。

Here we part; how many years before we meet again?

此句写此中一分手，是全诗写分手之态的关键。「此中一分手」写此中一分手，「此中」写此中、「一分手」写一分手；「相逢知几年」写相逢知几年，「相逢」写相逢、「知几年」写知几年。一句写此中一分手相逢知几年，以此中一分手写一分手、以相逢知几年写知几年，写尽此中一分手、相逢知几年之情。以手写情，怆然而感怀，是「以手写情」的点睛之笔。

The parting. Here we part; how many years before we meet again? The here-we-part and the how-many-years-before-we-meet are the question. To have parted here would be a parting; the here-we-part-how-many-years-before-we-meet-again is the parting.

黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然。

The yellow swan turns its head once; hovering, it must feel desolate.

黄鹄一反顾，徘徊应怆然。

The yellow crane once glances back, hovering in grief.

此句写黄鹄一反顾，是全诗写黄鹄之态的关键。「黄鹄一反顾」用黄鹄之典写黄鹄一反顾，「黄鹄」写黄鹄、「一反顾」写一反顾；「徘徊应怆然」写徘徊应怆然，「徘徊」写徘徊、「应怆然」写应怆然。一句写黄鹄一反顾徘徊应怆然，以黄鹄一反顾写一反顾、以徘徊应怆然写应怆然，写尽黄鹄一反顾、徘徊应怆然之情。以鹄写情，怆然而感怀，是「以鹄写情」的点睛之笔。

The crane. The yellow crane once glances back, hovering in grief. The yellow crane glancing back and the hovering-in-grief are the image. To have glanced back would be a glancing; the the-yellow-crane-once-glances-back-hovering-in-grief is the glancing.

自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦。

I know my grief will not cease—in vain I loosen the strings of the se.

自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦。

I know my grief will not cease; in vain I slacken the se Strings.

结句写徒劳减瑟弦，是全诗立意的落点。「自知悲不已」写自知悲不已，「自知」写自知、「悲不已」写悲不已；「徒劳减瑟弦」用瑟弦之典写徒劳减瑟弦，「徒劳」写徒劳、「减瑟弦」写减瑟弦。一句写自知悲不已徒劳减瑟弦，以自知悲不已写悲不已、以徒劳减瑟弦写减瑟弦，写尽自知悲不已、徒劳减瑟弦之情。以弦写情，怆然而感怀，是全诗最动人处，也是「以弦写情」的点睛之笔。

The strings. I know my grief will not cease; in vain I slacken the se strings. The grief-will-not-cease and the vainly-slackened se strings are the close. To have slackened the strings would be a slackening; the i-know-my-grief-will-not-cease-in-vain-i-slacken-the-se-strings is the slackening.

Study

Word focus

石桥 “Stone bridge”: the bridge at Fufeng named in the opening line. A single 'stone bridge' situates the farewell at a concrete, historic place, its solidity contrasting the fleeting parting—economy of wording that sets the scene's desolate tone and shows the poet's crafted diction. 「石桥」写扶风石桥北，是写石桥之态的关键。「扶风石桥北」着一「石桥」，写石桥——着一「石桥」，写扶风石桥北，见其桥之石。两字写尽石桥之态，是「以词写桥」的妙笔。「石桥」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。
相逢 “Meet / reunion”: the word in 'after we meet, who knows how many years?' The reunion is questioned, not promised, conveying the painful uncertainty of seeing each other again under separation—central to the poem's parting sorrow and Yu Xin's restrained pathos. 「相逢」写相逢知几年，是写相逢之态的关键。「相逢知几年」着一「相逢」，写相逢——着一「相逢」，写相逢知几年，见其逢之相。两字写尽相逢之态，是「以词写逢」的点睛之词。「相逢」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。
黄鹄 “Yellow swan” (yellow crane): the bird in 'the yellow swan turns its head,' an allusion image for reluctant attachment. The swan looking back figures the poet's hesitation to let his friend go, transforming personal feeling into a lingering, desolate visual emblem. 「黄鹄」写黄鹄一反顾，是写黄鹄之态的关键。「黄鹄一反顾」着一「黄鹄」，写黄鹄——着一「黄鹄」，写黄鹄一反顾，见其鹄之黄。两字写尽黄鹄之态，是「以词写鹄」的点睛之词。「黄鹄」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。
瑟弦 “Se strings”: the zither strings in 'in vain I loosen the se strings.' Loosening strings normally eases playing, but here it is 'in vain,' showing grief beyond music's solace—the poem's most moving close, where feeling outruns consolation. 「瑟弦」写徒劳减瑟弦，是写瑟弦之态的关键。「徒劳减瑟弦」着一「瑟弦」，写瑟弦——着一「瑟弦」，写徒劳减瑟弦，见其弦之瑟。两字写尽瑟弦之态，是「以词写弦」的点睛之词。「瑟弦」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。

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水调歌头·明月几时有 Tune: Water Melody — When Did the Moon Become So Bright? 苏轼 · 同写感怀送别、怆然旷达，一写人有悲欢离合、一写此中一分手相逢知几年，皆于感怀之中见怆然 Both write farewell feeling with desolate yet expansive mood—one on parting's uncertainty, one on life's joys and sorrows.

Su Shi's Water Melody ('men have joys and sorrows, the moon has its phases') writes farewell feeling with desolate expansiveness, a famous Song lyric; Yu Xin's poem writes 'here we part… who knows how many years' and 'in vain loosen the se strings.' Both treat farewell with desolate expansiveness: Su Shi's openness versus Yu Xin's desolation—read together they show two brushes on 'farewell feeling,' both desolate within feeling.

苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全」，写感怀送别、怆然旷达，是宋词长调的名篇；庾信《别周尚书弘正》则以「此中一分手，相逢知几年」「自知悲不已，徒劳减瑟弦」写知几年、减瑟弦。两诗同写感怀送别、怆然旷达：一写人有悲欢离合、以悲欢写离合，一写此中一分手相逢知几年、以相逢写感怀；一为苏轼之旷达、一为庾信之怆然，并读正可见诗写「感怀送别」的两种笔法，皆于感怀之中见怆然。

 八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Tune: Eight Beats of Ganzhou — Facing the Misty Dusk Rain over River and Sky 柳永 · 同写故关凝望、怆然清丽，一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写扶风石桥北函谷故关前，皆于故关之中见凝望 Both write gazing at the old pass with desolate, clear grace—one on dusk rain, one on the stone bridge and Hangu Pass.

Liu Yong's Eight Beats of Ganzhou ('facing the misty dusk rain over river and sky, washing a clear autumn') writes gazing at the old pass with desolate, clear grace, a famous Song lyric on travel; Yu Xin writes 'north of the stone bridge at Fufeng, before the old Hangu Pass' and 'the yellow swan turns its head.' Both gaze at the old pass with desolate clear grace: Liu Yong's clear beauty versus Yu Xin's desolation—two brushes on 'gazing at the old pass,' both finding lingering gaze within it.

柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「对潇潇暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋」，写故关凝望、怆然清丽，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；庾信《别周尚书弘正》则以「扶风石桥北，函谷故关前」「黄鹄一反顾」写故关前、一反顾。两诗同写故关凝望、怆然清丽：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写扶风石桥北函谷故关前、以石桥写感怀；一为柳永之清丽、一为庾信之怆然，并读正可见诗写「故关凝望」的两种笔法，皆于故关之中见凝望。