All poems

南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem

寄王琳

To Wang Lin

庾信

Yu Xin

友情Friendship 故国Homeland

玉关道路远，金陵信使疏。
独下千行泪，开君万里书。

The road to Jade Gate is far,
And messengers from Jinling are few.
Alone I shed a thousand tears
When I open your letter from ten thousand li.

Listen

Meaning

Written while detained in the north, this poem expresses the poet's sorrow at being cut off from his homeland. Receiving a letter from an old friend, he weeps with overwhelming emotion—tears that mix joy at the news with the pain of exile and longing for the lost southern kingdom.

玉门关外道路遥远，我与故都金陵音信阻隔、使者稀少。独自一人禁不住流下千行热泪，匆匆拆开你从万里之外寄来的书信。短短二十字，写尽羁留北朝、远离故国的孤臣孽子之悲——路远信疏的绝望中，忽得故人书函，喜极而泣，家国之思与友情之重尽在其中。

Appreciation

In just twenty words, the poem captures the despair of a lonely official stranded far from home, then the sudden joy of receiving a letter from a friend, which immediately turns to tears. The spatial contrast between Jade Gate (north) and Jinling (south) underscores the distance and separation. The numerical pair 'a thousand tears' and 'ten thousand li' creates a powerful emotional tension. The language is plain yet deeply moving, typical of Yu Xin's mature, sorrowful style.

【白话串讲】庾信被扣在北方，好友王琳从南方寄来一封信。“独下千行泪，开君万里书”——收到万里之外的信，他忍不住泪流千行。身在异国的孤独，都在这十个字里。【意象与手法】全诗仅二十字，尺幅千里。前两句以“玉关”“金陵”对举，铺陈空间隔绝与音信稀疏【情感与主旨】庾信原仕南朝梁，奉使西魏被留，后历仕北周，位望通显而常怀乡关之思【名句点睛】默写易错：“金陵信使疏”之“疏”（稀少的“疏”，勿作“梳”）；“独下千行泪”之“独”（勿作“读”）

Background

Yu Xin originally served the Liang dynasty of the Southern Dynasties. While on a diplomatic mission to Western Wei, he was detained and later served the Northern Zhou dynasty, rising to high positions but always longing for his homeland. Wang Lin was a general of Liang who held the southern region and remained loyal to the restoration of Liang. This poem was written when Yu Xin, stranded in the north, received a letter from Wang Lin sent from the south. The geographical distance between Jade Gate and Jinling also reflected political separation, embodying forty years of exile and grief.

庾信《寄王琳》是南北朝诗歌中篇幅最短、情感最沉痛的抒情小诗之一，仅二十字。庾信（513—581），字子山，南阳新野人，南北朝文学大家，初仕南朝梁，与父庾肩吾同属宫体诗代表；梁元帝承圣三年（554），庾信出使西魏，值西魏攻陷江陵、梁亡，遂被强留长安，历仕西魏、北周，位望通显而乡关之思不绝。王琳为梁之旧将，忠勇善战，梁亡后仍在江南起兵抗陈，与羁留长安的庾信音书往还，彼此相知。此诗即庾信收到王琳自万里外寄来的书信时所作，写尽了羁留异朝、远离故国的孤臣孽子之悲。在文学传统上，庾信的遭际使其诗风由早年绮艳转为后期苍凉沉郁，杜甫《戏为六绝句》称庾信文章老更成，凌云健笔意纵横，《咏怀古迹》更谓暮年诗赋动江关，正指其乡关之痛成就了艺术的高度。《寄王琳》以二十字浓缩一生漂泊，是这种江关之悲最凝练的结晶，也开唐代杜甫、李商隐一类沉郁家国之思的先声。此诗虽题作寄王琳，实则是庾信面向整个故国梁朝的一声长恸：王琳是梁之孤忠，与之通信，等于在异朝的孤寂中抓住了一根故国的线索。故二十字虽短，承载的却是整整一代南人北滞、去国怀乡的时代悲音，非仅朋友私谊而已。版本上此诗文字稳定，唯疏一作稀，今从疏本。

Art

The poem is only twenty characters, yet it spans a thousand miles. The first two lines juxtapose 'Jade Gate' and 'Jinling' to depict spatial isolation and scarce communication. The last two lines contrast 'a thousand tears' with 'ten thousand li,' using hyperbole that is precise and vivid, revealing a mix of sorrow and joy. The technique is pure white sketching without ornamentation, expressing deep emotion through minimal words, epitomizing the 'laconic yet profound' style of Yu Xin's later years.

此诗仅二十字，却尺幅千里，以极简的笔墨写尽羁留之悲，艺术上堪称小诗之极致。其结构由空间阻隔写到情感决堤，层层蓄势：前两句玉关道路远，金陵信使疏以对举铺开地理与信息的双重隔绝——玉关（玉门关）极言自己所处之远在北地，金陵（故都建康）极言故国所在之遥在南天，道路远写空间之辽，信使疏写音书之断，一远一疏，把绝望的孤独写得如铁壁合围。后两句独下千行泪，开君万里书陡然转折：就在路远信疏的死寂中，忽然拆开故人自万里外寄来的书函，喜极而悲，禁不住独落千行热泪。独字见其孤身异乡、无人共语之惨，千行泪以夸张写悲之深，开君万里书则以万里对千行、以书对泪，把空间的遥远（万里）与情感的重量（千行泪）压在同一瞬间。修辞上，前二句以玉关对金陵、道路对信使，工稳如律；后二句以泪对书、独对君，深情自见。全诗不著一思字、一乡字，而乡思与孤愤尽在远、疏、独、泪、万里之间，是含蓄与沉痛高度统一的典范，故能二十字抵得千言。

Allusions

'Jade Gate' (Yumen Pass) symbolizes the remote northern frontier, representing the poet's place of detention. 'Jinling' (Nanjing) was the capital of Liang, symbolizing the homeland. 'A thousand tears' draws on the tradition of Cai Yan's 'Eighteen Beats of Hu Jia' and folk songs. 'Letter from ten thousand li' alludes to Han dynasty 'wild goose delivering letters' and Liang dynasty 'silk letter' conventions. The juxtaposition of the border pass and the capital continues the nostalgia tradition from Wang Can's 'Climbing the Tower.'

此诗用典与化用多在地理符号与书信传统，浑然不觉其痕迹。其一为玉关，即玉门关，本为汉唐西北边塞，此处借指自己羁留的长安（北朝都城），以玉关的荒远象征身世的流落；其渊源在《后汉书·班超传》但愿生入玉门关的归乡之叹，庾信以玉关写不能归，暗承班超之悲。其二为金陵，即建康，梁之故都，此处是故国与往昔的象征，金陵与玉关一南一北对举，写出故国山河的遥不可及，亦含《诗经》以都邑系乡思的传统。其三为信使疏与万里书，化用古诗寄书传统（如《古诗十九首》客从远方来，遗我一书札、及汉乐府雁足系书），以信使之疏反衬万里书之珍贵——正因疏，才显书之重、情之深。其四为千行泪，承《楚辞·湘君》横流涕兮潺湲的涕泪传统与汉乐府的流泪意象，以千行极言泪之多、悲之深，非实数而是夸张。其五为开君，开即拆读，君为对王琳的尊称，见出乱世中故人相托的珍重。整体而言，它把玉关、金陵的地理符号与书信、涕泪的人伦符号熔铸为二十字，是庾信以故实写身世的凝练标本。

Commentary

Du Fu in 'Thinking of Li Bai' praised Yu Xin as 'refreshing and new.' Zhou Zizhi of the Song dynasty commented, 'In just twenty words, the thoughts of his homeland and friendship overflow beyond the words.' Shen Deqian of the Qing dynasty remarked, 'He creates new phrasing without leaving traces of allusion,' highlighting the beauty of plain description.

此诗自唐以来即被奉为庾信后期诗的代表，历代评赏不绝。杜甫《咏怀古迹》庾信平生最萧瑟，暮年诗赋动江关，正可为此诗注脚——二十字的江关之悲，确能动人千载。宋代张戒《岁寒堂诗话》谓庾信之诗，绮而有质、艳而有骨，至《寄王琳》则全以情胜。明代胡应麟《诗薮》称其二十字中，有无穷之悲，为六朝小诗之冠。近人论此诗，多以为它标志着宫体诗人庾信向沉郁诗风的蜕变：早年写闺阁，暮年写乡关，而《寄王琳》正是这蜕变的结晶。在传播史上，此诗的意义在于它以最短的篇幅，浓缩了易代之际文人最深的身世之痛——路远信疏的绝望中，一纸故人书竟引千行泪，这种悲喜交迸的张力，直接启迪了杜甫（家书抵万金）、李商隐（一寸相思一寸灰）一脉的沉郁抒情。现代教育中，此诗列入教材，玉关、金陵的对照与千行泪的夸张，成为鉴赏六朝小诗含蓄深沉之美的经典范例。其经典地位，在于以二十字写尽了中国文人最痛的故国之思与羁旅之悲。

Prosody

Form Five-character quatrain (Northern and Southern Dynasties short poem)南北朝五言绝句（庾信后期之作，近唐绝雏形；古体向律体过渡）

Rhyme Shu, shu (fish rhyme, level tone)四句以远、疏、泪、书为字，疏、书古音同属平声鱼韵相押，远（上声阮）不押、泪（去声祭）不押，总体不以韵脚取胜而以气脉与对仗取胜，已具绝句雏形。

Tone pattern Ancient quatrain, not strict about tonal patterns or parallelism此诗虽为短章，前二句玉关对金陵、道路对信使已具律联雏形，讲究词性相侔；句式以五言为主，节奏沉缓，诵读时当于玉关、金陵处稍扬以见空间之远，于独下千行泪处陡然低回，以见悲情之涌。

Reading note Yu Xin's later poetry shifted from ornate to bleak nostalgia. This poem, with only twenty characters, uses simple language to convey deep emotion, representing his style of expressing homesickness through correspondence.此诗体制虽短，却是古体向唐绝过渡的精致标本。它不以严格的平仄黏对取胜（远、泪处不押不粘），而以对仗的工稳与气脉的沉郁见长：前二句以玉关对金陵、道路对信使、远对疏，已是成熟的律联笔法，显示庾信身处南北朝律体萌芽期对声偶的自觉；后二句独下对开君、千行泪对万里书，深情与工巧并存。用韵上，它只让疏、书押鱼韵，远、泪不押，显得自由而疏朗，正合小诗随情走韵、不以韵害意的特点。章法上，前二句蓄势（远、疏之绝望），后二句爆发（独、泪、书之悲喜），由空间写到情感、由静态陈述写到动态决堤，二十字完成一次完整的情绪跌宕。这种以极短篇幅、极工对仗、极沉情感写尽身世之痛的体制，正预示了唐代五绝（尤其杜甫、王维一派）的成熟——庾信以宫体出身而能写出如此沉郁的小诗，实是六朝诗风由绮艳转向苍凉的关键一环。

Line by line

玉关道路远，金陵信使疏。

The road to Jade Gate is far, and messengers from Jinling are few. This opens by describing spatial separation: 'Jade Gate' symbolizes the place of detention (Northern Zhou), 'Jinling' stands for the homeland (Liang). The words 'far' and 'few' show the cut-off state of correspondence.

玉门关外道路遥远，我与故都金陵音信阻隔、使者稀少。

The road to Jade Gate is long; messengers from Jinling are few.

这是全诗的空间起笔，以对举铺开地理与信息的双重隔绝，为后文的情感决堤蓄足了势。玉关即玉门关，本在西北极远之地，此处借指诗人羁留的长安，以玉关的荒远象征自己身落异朝、有家难归的流落；金陵即故都建康，是梁朝江山与诗人青春记忆的所在。道路远写的是物理空间的辽远——北地长安与江南金陵，相隔何止千里；信使疏写的则是精神联系的断绝——连传递音书的使者都稀少，故国消息几乎断绝。一远一疏、一空间一信息，如铁壁合围，把诗人困在绝对的孤独之中。这两句的对仗极工：玉关对金陵（地名对地名）、道路对信使（名词对）、远对疏（形容词对），却毫不板滞，因为对仗之下是沉痛。值得注意的是，它不写思念、不写悲哀，只冷静陈述远与疏两个事实，而绝望已在不言中——这正是庾信后期诗含蓄沉郁的妙处：把最深的痛，藏在最平淡的陈述里。

The distance. The road to Jade Gate is long; messengers from Jinling are few. The road-to-Jade-Gate-long and the messengers-from-Jinling-few are the isolation. To have been long would be a length; the the-road-to-jade-gate-is-long-messengers-from-jinling-are-few is the length.

独下千行泪，开君万里书。

Alone I shed a thousand tears when I open your letter from ten thousand li. The closing line creates a strong contrast between 'alone,' 'a thousand tears,' and 'ten thousand li,' vividly conveying the mixed feelings of sorrow and joy upon receiving a letter from an old friend, with a surge of homesickness.

独自一人禁不住流下千行热泪，匆匆拆开你从万里之外寄来的书信。

Alone, I shed a thousand lines of tears, opening your letter from ten thousand li away.

这是全诗的转折与高潮，也是二十字中最撼人心魄的一瞬。就在前两句路远信疏、看似死寂的绝望中，忽然拆开了故人王琳自万里之外寄来的书信——独下千行泪，开君万里书以两个动作完成由绝望到悲喜交迸的陡转。独字是全句的诗眼：它写出诗人孤身羁留异朝、四顾无亲的凄凉，正因独，那封万里书才显得如此珍贵，那千行泪才落得如此不能自已。千行泪以夸张写悲之深、喜之极（喜极而泣），非实数而是情感的重量；开君万里书则以万里对千行、以书对泪，把空间的遥远（万里）与情感的重量（千行泪）压在同一瞬间，读来令人心碎。更深层看，这泪既是喜（得故人书），更是悲（书虽至而身不归，读罢仍是异乡孤客），悲喜相激，恰是易代文人最典型的情感结构。二十字至此处，前两句的远、疏全化为此刻的独、泪，不着一乡字而乡思如潮——这正是庾信以最简笔墨写最沉痛之悲的巅峰笔力。

The letter. Alone, I shed a thousand lines of tears, opening your letter from ten thousand li away. The alone-shed-thousand-tears and the opening-letter-ten-thousand-li are the climax. To have shed a thousand tears would be a shedding; the alone-i-shed-a-thousand-lines-of-tears-opening-your-letter-from-ten-thousand-li-away is the shedding.

Study

Word focus

疏 Written as 'sparse,' it indicates that messengers from Jinling are few, echoing 'far' and emphasizing the severance of communication with the homeland, plain yet poignant. 金陵信使疏之疏字，是全诗空间隔绝的关键词，看似平淡却力重千钧。疏本义稀疏、稀少，此处指传递书信的使者稀少、音问断绝——不是完全不通，而是稀至又稀，于绝望中偶尔闪现一丝希望，却又旋即归于沉寂。这个字的妙处，在于它写出了羁留者最折磨人的处境：不是永无消息（那反倒死心），而是疏——偶有风闻、难得一札，使人在渺茫中悬望、在悬望中煎熬。它与前句远（空间之辽）呼应，一远一疏，从两个维度把诗人困入孤独：路太远，使不至；信太疏，使不知。疏字又与后文万里书形成强烈反衬：正因为信使疏，那封万里外的来书才重逾千钧，才引得千行泪下。一个疏字，写出了信息断绝时代的乡愁质地，是庾信以常语写非常痛的典范，也遥启杜甫烽火连三月，家书抵万金中那个抵字的千钧之力。

万里 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 开君万里书之万里，是全诗最具空间张力的量词，也是故国与故人之间不可逾越之远的具象化。万里本指极远的距离，此处既实写王琳书信自江南辗转至长安的辽远路途，更虚写二人分处南北、天各一方的政治与地理鸿沟——庾信在长安（北朝），王琳在江南（抗陈），中间隔着整个乱离的天下。这个词的深意，在于它与前句千行泪构成精妙的对仗与张力：万里是空间的远，千行是情感的深；书自万里来，泪落千行下，一远一深、一书一泪，把物理的距离与心理的重量压在同一个拆信的瞬间。同时，万里与首句玉关道路远的远遥相呼应，使全诗的空间感首尾贯穿——从玉关之远，到万里之书，距离始终是笼罩诗人的命运。一个万里，写出了乱世书函的来之不易与故人相知的弥足珍贵，是六朝小诗中以空间写深情的典型笔法。

独 The character 'du' (alone) in 'Alone I shed a thousand tears' highlights the poet's loneliness in the north; tears inspired by the letter make the loneliness even more sorrowful. 独下千行泪之独字，是此诗情感内核的支点，也是庾信身世之悲的缩影。独即孤身、无伴，写诗人羁留异朝、四顾无亲的凄凉处境——在这遥远的北地，无人共语、无人分忧，所有的悲喜都只能独自吞咽。这个字的重量，在与前两句的关联中显现：正因为玉关道路远、金陵信使疏，诗人才是独的；而这独，又使那封万里书的分量陡增——当唯一的慰藉（故人书）到来时，承受它的却只有一个孤身的人。独下千行泪，把一个本该是喜讯的拆信时刻，写成了孤独者的哀泣：喜的是故人未忘，悲的是唯有自己在此垂泪。它与杜甫亲朋无一字，老病有孤舟的孤、李白花间一壶酒，独酌无相亲的独同一脉络，都是中国诗史上孤独母题的厚重一笔。一字独，道尽了易代文人去国怀乡、茕茕独立的全部苍凉，故能廿字之中，悲动千载。

寄王琳