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南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem

和王中丞闻琴

Playing the Zither, with Minister Wang (He Wang Zhongcheng Wen Qin)

谢朓

Xie Tiao

山水/禅意scenery / chan mood 忧愤/感时indignation / feeling the times

秦筝慷慨羌笛清，濮上繁弦夜有声。
月皎疑非夜，林疏似更秋。
江皋闻缓调，弦断续余情。
恐君会有意，聊此示深情。

The Qin Zheng is stirring, the Qiang flute clear; on the Pu waters the thick strings sound by night.
The moon is bright—one doubts it is not night; the woods sparse—one feels it nearer autumn.
By the riverside I hear the slow tune; the string breaks yet continues its lingering feeling.
I fear you may take it to heart; I offer this to show my deep feeling.

Listen

Meaning

Xie Tiao, styled Xuanhui, the representative poet of Southern Qi, called 'Little Xie.' In the Yongming years he entered Prince Jingling Xiao Ziliang's western lodge, with Shen Yue created the Yongming style. This is a reply to a friend (Minister Wang perhaps Wang Xiuzhi). Though Xie joined court literary gatherings, the Southern Qi royal house tore itself apart, the politics treacherous; at a clear feast hearing the zither, he often lodged a lone pure grief—the clear music of hills and waters his spiritual retreat in troubled times.

秦筝声慷慨，羌笛音清越，濮水之上繁弦在夜里回响。月色皎洁令人疑心并非夜晚，林木稀疏仿佛更添秋意。江边听你舒缓的琴调，弦断之处仍续着余情。只恐您心中会有所感，姑且以此诗示我深情。

Appreciation

The poem opens with music, closes with deep feeling; the middle 'the moon is bright—one doubts it is not night; the woods sparse—one feels it nearer autumn' is a stroke of genius: 'doubts' and 'feels' write the trance of senses displaced after entering the music—the moon so bright one doubts it is night, the woods so sparse one feels deeper autumn; synesthesia, clear as a painting. The last couplet 'the string breaks yet continues its lingering feeling' uses the breaking string to figure feeling unbroken, echoing 'hearing the zither,' the aftertaste far—fully the Yongming style's round beauty.

【白话串讲】 “月皎疑非夜，林疏似更秋”——谢朓听琴：月亮太亮，怀疑不是黑夜；树林稀疏，觉得秋天更深了。音乐里的意境，被他写得如此空灵。【意象与手法】诗以音乐起、以深情结，中间“月皎疑非夜，林疏似更秋”为神来之笔【情感与主旨】谢朓字玄晖，南齐代表性诗人，世称“小谢”。永明年间入竟陵王萧子良西邸，与沈约等共创“永明体” 【名句点睛】中高考可设：一、名句赏析，“月皎疑非夜，林疏似更秋”如何以错觉写琴境

Background

Xie Tiao, styled Xuanhui, representative of Southern Qi, 'Little Xie.' In Yongming entered Prince Jingling's western lodge, with Shen Yue created the Yongming style. This replies to a friend (Minister Wang). Though in court gatherings, the Southern Qi royals tore apart, politics treacherous; hearing the zither at a clear feast he lodged lone pure grief—the clear music his retreat.

谢朓（四六四—四九九），字玄晖，陈郡阳夏人，南齐代表性诗人，后世与谢灵运并称二谢，称谢灵运为大谢、谢朓为小谢。他少年即以文才见赏，初仕豫章王萧嶷、随王萧子隆，永明年间入竟陵王萧子良西邸，与沈约、王融、萧衍等并称竟陵八友，正是此时与沈约等人推演四声八病之说，创为永明体，开唐代律诗声律之先声。本篇《和王中丞闻琴》是一首闻琴酬唱之作。诗题中的王中丞，为谢朓交游圈中一位身任御史中丞的友人，二人以琴会心，闻其夜中鼓琴，谢朓遂作此诗相和。齐梁士族雅好清谈与音乐，听琴赋诗是当时文人常见的交游方式，这首诗便产生在这样的文化氛围之中。需要注意的是，此诗虽题作闻琴，实际所写乐器并不限于琴，诗中秦筝、羌笛、繁弦并出，乃是借一组乐器泛指夜中演奏的清乐，重点不在考订乐器名目，而在烘托闻乐时澄明恍惚的心境。谢朓写此诗时正值永明体声律探索的盛期，他对音声之美的敏感，既来自个人癖好，也来自时代风会，这首诗以听觉发端而以深情收束，正可见永明诗人将声律追求由理论落实为创作的一端。

Art

Opens with music, closes with feeling; the middle 'moon bright—doubts not night; woods sparse—feels nearer autumn' is genius: 'doubts,' 'feels' write sense-displaced trance, moon so bright doubts not night, woods so sparse feels autumn; synesthesia clear as painting. Last couplet 'string breaks yet continues feeling' uses breaking string to figure feeling unbroken, echoing 'hearing zither'—the Yongming round beauty.

此诗艺术上最值得留意的是中段那一对错觉句。月皎疑非夜，林疏似更秋，写闻琴至忘我时，竟觉月色亮得不像夜晚，林叶疏落反倒添了秋深之气。这里用的不是直白的景物铺叙，而是一种由乐声置换感官的经验：琴调舒缓，心随境空，外界的光与色都被重新度量。这种以错觉写音乐感染力的手法，比正面描摹弦索更为含蓄有力。全诗结构也见经营：首联秦筝慷慨羌笛清，濮上繁弦夜有声，先以多种乐器叠出声场，是闻乐之实；中间两联转入由声及境、由境及心，是闻乐之感；尾联恐君会有意，聊此示深情，落到赠答本意，收束自然。在用字上，疑与似二字是错觉句的眼目，把一个静夜听琴的人微微出神的情态写得极活；续字写弦断而情不断，把无形的余韵坐实为可接续之物，炼字精当。前人论谢朓诗往往推重他圆美流转的风格，此篇虽短，却兼有清空与绵邈两种质地，是永明体中难得的含蓄之作。

Allusions

The first 'thick strings on the Pu waters' uses the Li Ji 'on the Pu waters there is the Sang-Jian Pu-Shang music,' originally fallen-state music, here borrowed for fine complex strings, hinting music stirs thought. 'Riverside' from Chu Ci 'at dawn I ride my horse by the river's bank,' naming the waterside hearing place. 'Qiang flute' a northwestern barbarian instrument, set against 'Qin Zheng,' using border instruments for clear sound—allusions melt into scene.

诗中濮上繁弦一语，濮水自古与音乐相连，先秦典籍载卫灵公于濮水之上闻新声，后世遂以濮上指代音乐的生发之地，谢朓用此典，暗将眼前夜奏追溯至古老的听乐传统。秦筝与羌笛则分属中原与边地乐器，一慷慨一清越，并列而出，既写出音色对比，也延续了汉魏以来横笛筝瑟并举的乐府写法。更深一层看，闻琴酬唱本身是一条悠长的文学线索：嵇康有《琴赋》极写琴德之清，嵇康又有《兄秀才公穆入军赠诗》，以目送归鸿、手挥五弦写听琴之逸；至陶渊明蓄无弦琴，则以不弹为弹，都将琴视作精神交契的媒介。谢朓此诗正处在这条线索的齐梁一段，他不像嵇康那样铺陈琴理，而是把琴境化入月林江皋的实景，使典故不露痕迹。至于月皎、林疏这类意象，更可上接《诗经》与楚辞的物色传统，经建安、正始诗人反复锤炼，到永明时期已成写静夜清景的惯用语汇，谢朓点化入诗，既妥帖又新鲜。

Commentary

Song's Yan Yu: 'Xie Tiao's poems already have whole pieces like the Tang.' Ming's Hu Yinglin: 'Xuanhui's 'moon bright—doubts not night' couplet is a thousand-year absolute song.' Qing's Wang Fuzhi: 'clear and beautiful, restraint its core'—this piece hearing zither writes realm, exactly Little Xie's height of merging hills-music-lone-feeling.

谢朓在文学史上的地位，自梁代便已确立。钟嵘《诗品》列谢朓为中品，称其诗如芙蓉出水，自然可爱，又谓观休文众制，五言最优，而谢朓亦其流亚，可见永明同辈互评时已重其清丽。唐代李白倾心小谢，名句俱怀逸兴壮思飞，欲上青天揽明月之下，紧接中间小谢又清发，直接以谢朓自况；杜甫亦有孰知二谢将能事，颇学阴何苦用心之句，将谢朓与谢灵运并尊。就本篇而言，历来选家最激赏的正是月皎疑非夜，林疏似更秋一联。此联以错觉写听琴入神，与后来王籍蝉噪林逾静，鸟鸣山更幽同属以感官错位写清境的路数，后代诗评家常将二句对举，视为齐梁写景由密丽转向空灵的关键一笔。明清选本如《古诗归》《古诗源》均收此诗，近人论永明体声律与意境之关系，也多举此篇为证。可以说，谢朓以区区八句，既留下了听琴诗的清雅范式，也为后世写景句法提供了一个可反复回味的样本。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated verse (Yongming style / reply)五言八句，齐梁永明体新体诗（尚未完全步入唐律格范）

Rhyme Ping-shui, geng/qing mixed, first line rhymes押平声韵，清、声、情同部相押，秋为邻韵相偕

Tone pattern already has tonal-balance雏形, near regulated永明体讲究四声八病，平仄已具后来律诗雏形而未严格粘对

Reading note Xie Tiao Yongming representative; 'two-four-six distinct' nascent, opens Tang regulated precedent此诗八句，每句五字，属齐梁时期新兴成型的五言八句体式，正处于古诗向律诗过渡的永明阶段，故不可径称作律诗。用韵方面，首句秦筝慷慨羌笛清之清、次句濮上繁弦夜有声之声、第六句弦断续余情之情，同属《广韵》庚青部平声，一韵到底；第三句末秋字属尤韵，与庚青为邻，六朝诗中邻韵相押之例甚多，不当以唐人严韵绳之。声律上，永明体标举四声八病，谢朓此诗平仄安排已显后来律诗之雏形，如中二联月皎疑非夜，林疏似更秋、江皋闻缓调，弦断续余情，句意对仗而声亦相协，然首尾两联未严守粘对，正见新体未熟之貌。要之，此诗之价值不仅在辞，也在它以身试声律，为隋唐律诗提供了可摸的范本。

Line by line

秦筝慷慨羌笛清，濮上繁弦夜有声。

The Qin zheng rings bold, the Qiang flute is clear; above the Pu River the thick strings sound in the night.

秦筝声慷慨，羌笛音清越，濮水之上繁弦在夜里回响。

The Qin zheng is impassioned, the Qiang flute clear; on the Pu River the many strings sound through the night.

首联不从琴起，而先铺出秦筝、羌笛与濮上繁弦三种声源，可见诗人并不拘泥题面之琴，而是把夜中所有的清乐都收入笔下。慷慨与清一浓一淡，写出音声的两种气质；有声二字看似平淡，却把无形的乐声坐实为一夜可感的实在，为下文由声入境作好铺垫。这种以群响开篇、再收束到个人听受的章法，是齐梁听乐诗常见的起手式，谢朓此处以繁弦起势，正为后文的静夜出神蓄势。

The strings. The Qin zheng rings bold, the Qiang flute is clear; above the Pu River the thick strings sound in the night. The Qin-zheng-bold-Qiang-flute-clear and the Pu-river-thick-strings-night are the opening. To have rung bold would be a ringing; the the-qin-zheng-rings-bold-the-qiang-flute-is-clear-above-the-pu-river-the-thick-strings-sound-in-the-night is the ringing.

月皎疑非夜，林疏似更秋。

The moon so bright it seems not night; the woods so sparse it seems deeper autumn.

月色皎洁令人疑心并非夜晚，林木稀疏仿佛更添秋意。

The moonlight is so bright one doubts it is night; the woods so sparse it seems deeper autumn.

这一联是全诗最醒目的句子。疑非夜与似更秋都是错觉：月太亮竟疑心不是夜，林太疏竟像秋更深。谢朓不写琴声如何美妙，而写听琴的人如何出神到错认了外界，这种以感官错位反衬音乐感染力的写法，比正面形容弦索高明得多，也开了后世写景错觉句的先声。月与林本是静夜寻常物，经疑与似二字点拨，便从被动的背景升为主动的观照对象，可见诗人落墨虽轻，用力却深。

The moon. The moon so bright it seems not night; the woods so sparse it seems deeper autumn. The moon-bright-seems-not-night and the woods-sparse-seem-deeper-autumn are the illusion. To have seemed not night would be a seeming; the the-moon-so-bright-it-seems-not-night-the-woods-so-sparse-it-seems-deeper-autumn is the seeming.

江皋闻缓调，弦断续余情。

On the riverbank I hear the slow air; the strings break and end, yet lingering feeling remains.

江边听你舒缓的琴调，弦断之处仍续着余情。

On the riverbank I hear the slow melody; the strings break off, yet the lingering feeling continues.

江皋点明听琴的地点在水滨，缓调写出琴曲从容的节奏；最妙在续字，弦虽断而情不断，把听觉的余韵转化为一种可以接续、可以存留的东西。这一句由景及情，由声及意，把前面铺开的声场收束为人与人之间的默契，是全诗由闻乐转向赠答的过渡。缓与续相对，一写演奏之态，一写余情之绵延，短短十四字里已见起承转合的完整脉络。

The slow air. On the riverbank I hear the slow air; the strings break and end, yet lingering feeling remains. The riverbank-slow-air and the strings-break-yet-feeling-remains are the lingering. To have broken off would be a breaking-off; the on-the-riverbank-i-hear-the-slow-air-the-strings-break-and-end-yet-lingering-feeling-remains is the breaking-off.

恐君会有意，聊此示深情。

I fear you may understand; this poem, for now, shows my deep feeling.

只恐您心中会有所感，姑且以此诗示我深情。

I fear you may take a meaning; for now this shows my deep feeling.

尾联点出和诗的本意。恐字委婉，聊字谦退，写出士人之间以诗代简、以琴通心的交往姿态。示深情三字收束全篇，回映首联的夜中之声与中联的月林之境，使一首短诗首尾相贯。谢朓于此不尚张扬，只以平淡语道出深交，正是永明诗圆美含蓄的体貌；若与后来李白的奔放酬赠并读，更见齐梁一脉温柔敦厚之致。

The deep feeling. I fear you may understand; this poem, for now, shows my deep feeling. The fear-you-may-understand and the for-now-shows-deep-feeling are the close. To have shown the deep feeling would be a showing; the i-fear-you-may-understand-this-poem-for-now-shows-my-deep-feeling is the showing.

Study

Word focus

疑 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 疑字用在月皎疑非夜中，是全联的句眼。月色本无可疑，但因听琴入神，光华满地竟让人一时错愕，疑的不是月，而是自己所处的时辰。这个字把被动的听觉享受翻转为一种主动的感官错位，使静夜突然有了恍惚的张力。相比直说月色胜如白昼，疑字多了一层人之出神的心理真实，也更耐寻味；它不解释、不形容，只抛出一个停顿，让读者也随之驻足疑之，这正是炼字的高处。

续 In 'the string breaks yet continues feeling,' 'continue' means both the string resuming and the feeling unending—double meaning. 续字在弦断续余情一句中，承担将无形化为有形的功能。弦断本是演奏的中断，按常理该是情随声止，诗人却反说余情可续，等于把听觉的残响想象成一条可以接续的线。这个字既补救了断字的枯窘，又赋予余情以绵延的质感，炼字之巧在于用日常的接续之意，托住了音乐之后久久不散的心境；断与续相生，枯润互济，短短五字便写尽听琴后的余味。

闻 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 闻字虽是诗中寻常字，在江皋闻缓调里却是结构性的关纽。全诗由秦筝羌笛的群响，到月林错觉的内景，再到此处落回一个闻字，表明前面所有的出神与错位，都收束在听者这一个动作之上。闻不是被动接收，而是主动的会心；正因有闻，才有尾联的示深情。一字之间，完成了由声到场、由场到人的统摄，是全诗气脉收拢的关键。