PoemBridge
Start learning
All poems

清 Qing · 诗 Poem

出嘉峪关感赋

Reflections on Leaving Jiayu Pass

林则徐

Lin Zexu

严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄。
飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低。
天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷。
谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥。

A stern pass a hundred feet high marks the western edge of heaven; the traveler of ten thousand miles reins in his horse.
Lofty pavilions join the straight trees of Qin in the distance; winding walls slant, pressing down the clouds of Long.
The Tianshan peaks, sharp and sheer, stand shoulder to shoulder; the vast desert blurs into the gaze.
Who says the Xiao and Han passes are perilous through the ages? Looking back, they are but a pellet of clay.
Listen

Meaning

Written as Lin Zexu was exiled to Ili and passed Jiayu Pass, the poem glorifies the pass's towering height and the vast frontier beyond, then overturns the fame of the old central-plains passes by comparison. Beneath its heroic grandeur runs the quiet melancholy of a patriot banished far away.

严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄。飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低。天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷。谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The first couplet sets the stern hundred-foot pass marking heaven's west, the ten-thousand-mile traveler reining his horse; the second writes lofty pavilions joining Qin's straight trees, winding walls pressing Long's low clouds; the third paints the Tianshan's sharp peaks shoulder to shoulder, the vast desert blurring the gaze; the close asks who calls Xiao-Han perilous through the ages—looking back, but a pellet of clay. [Structure] The regulated octet opens with the pass, widens to its architecture and the distant mountains and desert, and closes by overturning the old passes' fame—rising from the concrete to the heroic judgment. [Imagery] 'Stern pass,' 'lofty pavilions,' 'winding walls,' 'sharp Tianshan,' 'vast desert' build monumental space; the final 'pellet of clay' ironically shrinks the famed Xiao-Han passes, displaying Lin's heroic spirit. The generous, majestic tone, with its undertone of exile, makes it a celebrated Qing patriotic poem.

【白话串讲】 林则徐写《出嘉峪关感赋》：“严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄”——“天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷”——“谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥”——他出嘉峪关——天山巉削摩肩立。 【意象与手法】 “严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄”以严关百尺写关险；“飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低”以飞阁缭垣写关楼之雄；“天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷”以天山瀚海写壮阔；结以“谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥”以崤函反衬。慷慨豪迈、气魄雄浑。 【情感与主旨】 林则徐被贬伊犁途中出嘉峪关所作，写关山险峻与万里征途，于豪迈中见被贬远谪的苍凉，是清代爱国诗中的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷”以天山瀚海写关外壮阔；“谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥”以崤函反衬嘉峪关之险。

Background

Lin Zexu (1785–1850), style Yuanfu, literary name Shaomu, was from Houguan (Fuzhou, Fujian), a Qing statesman and leader of the Humen opium destruction. This poem was written as he left Jiayu Pass on his way to exile in Ili. It glorifies the pass's height and the frontier's vastness, and within its heroism carries the desolation of a patriot banished far—a celebrated Qing patriotic poem, widely anthologized for its artistic value and reach.

《出嘉峪关感赋》为清代政治家、诗人林则徐所作诗。林则徐（1785—1850），字元抚，号少穆，侯官（今福建福州）人，清代政治家，虎门销烟的领导者。此诗写景言志，为出嘉峪关感赋之作。诗中「严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄」写严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄；「飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低」写飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低；「天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷」写天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷；「谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥」写谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥。林则徐此诗以写景言志、回看只见一丸泥写其言志之情，慷慨豪迈，是林则徐诗中的名篇。此篇《出嘉峪关感赋》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《出嘉峪关感赋》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 art is 'generous and heroic, feeling through scene.' Four couplets move from 'stern pass marks heaven's west' to 'looking back, a pellet of clay.' The first couplet sets the pass and the traveler reining his horse; the second writes lofty pavilions joining Qin's trees, winding walls pressing Long's clouds; the third paints the Tianshan's sharp peaks shoulder to shoulder, the vast desert blurring the gaze; the close overturns Xiao-Han's fame. The whole conveys feeling through scene, from the pass to the pellet of clay, generous and heroic, a celebrated piece. Achieving much with few, its tight structure and condensed images make it a rare fine work.

此诗艺术上以「慷慨豪迈、以景写志」见长。全诗共四联八句，由严关百尺界天西、飞阁遥连秦树直而天山巉削摩肩立、谁道崤函千古险。首联「严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄」写严关百尺界天西：严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄；颔联「飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低」写飞阁遥连秦树直：飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低；颈联「天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷」写天山巉削摩肩立：天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷；尾联「谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥」写回看只见一丸泥：谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥。全诗以景写志，由严关百尺界天西而回看只见一丸泥，慷慨豪迈，是林则徐诗中的名篇。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。

Allusions

The allusions are lightly borne. The second couplet uses Qin and Long (the ancient western regions) to anchor the pass in classical geography; the close uses Xiao-Han (the Xiao mountains and Han Valley pass, the famed central-plains stronghold) to contrast with Jiayu. Lin fuses Qin-Long and Xiao-Han unobtrusively, making the heroic feeling tangible—an instance of his skill in smelting allusion into fresh grandeur.

诗中「严关百尺界天西万里征人驻马蹄」「飞阁遥连秦树直缭垣斜压陇云低」「天山巉削摩肩立瀚海苍茫入望迷」「谁道崤函千古险回看只见一丸泥」等语，皆含典故故实。「严关百尺界天西万里征人驻马蹄」写严关百尺界天西万里征人驻马蹄；「飞阁遥连秦树直缭垣斜压陇云低」用秦、陇之典，写飞阁遥连秦树直缭垣斜压陇云低；「天山巉削摩肩立瀚海苍茫入望迷」写天山巉削摩肩立瀚海苍茫入望迷；「谁道崤函千古险回看只见一丸泥」用崤函之典（崤函写崤山函谷关），写谁道崤函千古险回看只见一丸泥。诗人以秦陇、崤函等典入诗，不着痕迹，而把写景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。

Commentary

This 'Reflections on Leaving Jiayu Pass' is Lin's heroic scene-and-intent lyric on the stern pass, lofty pavilions, sharp Tianshan, and the pellet of clay. The first couplet sets the pass and the traveler reining his horse; the second (using Qin-Long) writes pavilions and walls; the third paints the Tianshan's sharp peaks and the vast desert; the close (using Xiao-Han) looks back to a pellet of clay. Generous and heroic, feeling through scene, it is a celebrated piece of his.

这首《出嘉峪关感赋》，是林则徐写景言志之作，写严关百尺界天西、飞阁遥连秦树直、天山巉削摩肩立、回看只见一丸泥之情，慷慨豪迈。首联「严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄」——严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄。写严关百尺界天西：严关百尺界天西、万里征人驻马蹄——严关百尺界天西、征人驻马蹄；颔联「飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低」——飞阁遥连秦树直（用秦陇之典），缭垣斜压陇云低。写飞阁遥连秦树直：飞阁遥连秦树直、缭垣斜压陇云低——飞阁连秦树、缭垣压陇云；颈联「天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷」——天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷。写天山巉削摩肩立：天山巉削摩肩立、瀚海苍茫入望迷——天山摩肩立、瀚海入望迷；尾联「谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥」——谁道崤函千古险（用崤函之典），回看只见一丸泥。写回看只见一丸泥：谁道崤函千古险、回看只见一丸泥——崤函千古险、回看一丸泥。这「谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥」，是全诗之结：以回看只见一丸泥写其言志。全诗慷慨豪迈，以景写志，正是林则徐诗中的名篇。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated octave (qilü)诗（七言律诗）
Rhyme A seven-character lü poem of eight lines in four couplets, level-toned rhyme on 'xi' (西), 'ti' (蹄), 'di' (低), 'mi' (迷), 'ni' (泥), in the qi-wei category; the regular octave form with its ordered couplets suits the generous, heroic scene-and-intent mood.此诗为七言律诗，共八句，四联。押平声韵：「西」「蹄」「低」「迷」「泥」押齐微部韵。诗体依律诗而定，首联颔联颈联尾联各两句，句式整齐，音节随情起伏，正与写写景言志的慷慨豪迈相称，也见其以律诗写言志的自然。
Tone pattern The first couplet is majestic; the second open; the third vast; the close heroic. The whole follows feeling from majesty to openness to vastness to heroism, matching the lü poem's ordered grace, reading like generous, moving scene-and-intent.句式上，首联「严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄」写严关百尺界天西，音节雄壮；颔联「飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低」写飞阁遥连秦树直，音节开阔；颈联「天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷」写天山巉削摩肩立，音节苍茫；尾联「谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥」写回看只见一丸泥，音节豪迈。全诗音节随情起伏，由雄壮而开阔、由苍茫而豪迈，正合律诗「整饬」之妙，读来如写景言志、回看只见一丸泥之音，慷慨而动人。
Reading note A seven-character lü and a celebrated piece of Lin's. Its art is 'generous and heroic, feeling through scene': the opening sets the pass, the second writes pavilions and walls, the third the Tianshan and desert, the close the pellet of clay. The Qin-Long and Xiao-Han allusions make it a model of his heroic manner, often anthologized.此诗为七言律诗，是林则徐写景言志之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「慷慨豪迈、以景写志」：「严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄」写严关百尺界天西、「飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低」写飞阁遥连秦树直、「天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷」写天山巉削摩肩立、「谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥」写回看只见一丸泥。全诗慷慨豪迈，以景写志。尤为精妙者，是「飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低」用秦陇之典；而「谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥」用崤函之典，正是林则徐诗「慷慨豪迈」的典范，为历代选本所常收。

Line by line

严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄。

A stern pass a hundred feet high marks the western edge of heaven; the traveler of ten thousand miles reins in his horse.

严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄。

The strict pass rises a hundred feet, marking the boundary of the western sky; a traveler of ten thousand li stays his horse's hooves here.

首联写严关百尺界天西，起笔即见其关。「严关百尺界天西」写严关百尺界天西，「严关百尺」写严关百尺、「界天西」写界天西；「万里征人驻马蹄」写万里征人驻马蹄，「万里征人」写万里征人、「驻马蹄」写驻马蹄。两句一写严关百尺界天西、一写万里征人驻马蹄，以严关百尺界天西写严关界天、以万里征人驻马蹄写征人驻马，写尽严关百尺界天西、万里征人驻马蹄之情。以关起兴，慷慨而豪迈，是「以关起兴」的妙笔。

The opening writes the strict pass rising a hundred feet, marking the boundary of the western sky, the pass visible from the first stroke. The strict pass a hundred feet writes the height of the Jiayu Pass, boundary of the western sky its marking of the western frontier. A traveler of ten thousand li stays his horse's hooves: the traveler of ten thousand li the exiled official, stays his hooves the halt at the pass. One line the pass, one line the traveler; the pass marking the frontier, the man halting his horse, write the grandeur of the gate set against the western sky and the traveler's stay. Rising on the pass, the tone is generous and heroic, the finest stroke of rising on a fortress.

飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低。

Lofty pavilions join the straight trees of Qin in the distance; winding walls slant, pressing down the clouds of Long.

飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低。

Flying pavilions link in the distance the straight trees of Qin; the winding wall presses low, weighing down the clouds of Long.

此二句写飞阁遥连秦树直，是全诗写关景的关键。「飞阁遥连秦树直」用秦陇之典写飞阁遥连秦树直，「飞阁遥连」写飞阁遥连、「秦树直」写秦树直；「缭垣斜压陇云低」写缭垣斜压陇云低，「缭垣斜压」写缭垣斜压、「陇云低」写陇云低。两句一写飞阁遥连秦树直、一写缭垣斜压陇云低，以飞阁遥连秦树直写飞阁连秦、以缭垣斜压陇云低写缭垣压云，写尽飞阁遥连秦树直、缭垣斜压陇云低之情。以景写关，慷慨而豪迈，是「以景写关」的点睛之笔。

The two lines, flying pavilions link in the distance the straight trees of Qin, are the key to the poem's pass scenery. Flying pavilions in the distance link the lofty towers reaching toward the straight trees of the old Qin country; the winding wall presses low, weighing down the clouds of Long: the coiling wall leans over, pressing the Long-region clouds low. One line the pavilions linking Qin, one the wall weighing the clouds; writing the pass through scene, the tone generous and heroic, the crowning stroke of writing the gate through landscape.

天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷。

The Tianshan peaks, sharp and sheer, stand shoulder to shoulder; the vast desert blurs into the gaze.

天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷。

The Tian Shan rise sheer and precipitous, standing shoulder to shoulder; the vast Gobi stretches vague and boundless, bewildering the gaze.

此二句写天山巉削摩肩立，是全诗写远望之态的关键。「天山巉削摩肩立」写天山巉削摩肩立，「天山巉削」写天山巉削、「摩肩立」写摩肩立；「瀚海苍茫入望迷」写瀚海苍茫入望迷，「瀚海苍茫」写瀚海苍茫、「入望迷」写入望迷。两句一写天山巉削摩肩立、一写瀚海苍茫入望迷，以天山巉削摩肩立写天山摩肩、以瀚海苍茫入望迷写瀚海望迷，写尽天山巉削摩肩立、瀚海苍茫入望迷之情。以景写远，慷慨而豪迈，是「以景写远」的点睛之笔。

The two lines, the Tian Shan rise sheer and precipitous, standing shoulder to shoulder, are the key to the poem's distant prospect. The Tian Shan rise sheer writes their knife-cut cliffs, standing shoulder to shoulder their crowded peaks; the vast Gobi stretches vague and boundless, bewildering the gaze writes the desert's haze and the lost look. One line the peaks shoulder to shoulder, one the desert bewildering the gaze; writing distance through scene, the tone generous and heroic, the crowning stroke of writing the far through landscape.

谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥。

Who says the Xiao and Han passes are perilous through the ages? Looking back, they are but a pellet of clay.

谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥。

Who says the Xiao and Han passes are the eternal crux of danger? Looking back, I see them as no more than a pellet of mud.

尾联写回看只见一丸泥，是全诗立意的落点。「谁道崤函千古险」用崤函之典写谁道崤函千古险，「谁道崤函」写谁道崤函、「千古险」写千古险；「回看只见一丸泥」写回看只见一丸泥，「回看只见」写回看只见、「一丸泥」写一丸泥。两句一写谁道崤函千古险、一写回看只见一丸泥，以谁道崤函千古险写崤函千古险、以回看只见一丸泥写回看一丸泥，写尽谁道崤函千古险、回看只见一丸泥之情。以典写志，慷慨而豪迈，是全诗最动人处，也是「以典写志」的点睛之笔。

The closing line, looking back, I see them as no more than a pellet of mud, is where the poem's meaning comes to rest. Who says the Xiao and Han passes are the eternal crux of danger uses the allusion to the Xiao-Han defiles, once deemed the strategic key of the ages; looking back, I see them as no more than a pellet of mud writes the retrospective smallness, the mud pellet recalling the idiom one pellet of mud can close the defile. One line defies the old fame of the Xiao-Han danger, one measures it as a pellet of mud; writing will through allusion, the tone generous and heroic, the most moving passage of the poem, the crowning stroke of writing resolve through an allusion.

Study

Word focus

严关 Stern pass. Names Jiayu Pass with the character 'stern' (yan), immediately conveying its imposing, forbidding height and martial gravity. 「严关」写严关百尺界天西，是写严关之态的关键。「严关百尺界天西」着一「严关」，写严关——着一「严关」，写严关百尺界天西，见其关之严。两字写尽严关之态，是「以词写关」的妙笔。「严关」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。
界天西 Marks the west of heaven. 'Marks' (jie) draws the boundary where the pass divides the western sky, conveying the pass's towering stature as empire's edge. 「界天西」写严关百尺界天西，是写界天之态的关键。「严关百尺界天西」着一「界天西」，写界天西——着一「界天西」，写严关百尺界天西，见其关之高。三字写尽界天西之态，是「以词写高」的点睛之词。「界天西」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。
摩肩 Shoulder to shoulder. Describes the Tianshan peaks crowding side by side like people, vividly rendering their sheer, massive proximity and the frontier's monumental scale. 「摩肩」写天山巉削摩肩立，是写摩肩之态的关键。「天山巉削摩肩立」着一「摩肩」，写摩肩——着一「摩肩」，写天山巉削摩肩立，见其山之摩肩。两字写尽摩肩之态，是「以词写高」的点睛之词。「摩肩」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。
一丸泥 A pellet of clay. The closing image shrinking the famed Xiao-Han passes to a clay pellet, ironically displaying Lin's heroic, undefeated spirit before Jiayu's greatness. 「一丸泥」写回看只见一丸泥，是写一丸泥之态的关键。「回看只见一丸泥」着一「一丸泥」，写一丸泥——着一「一丸泥」，写回看只见一丸泥，见其关之小。三字写尽一丸泥之态，是「以词写小」的点睛之词。「一丸泥」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

水调歌头·明月几时有 Tune: 'Shui Diao Ge Tou' — When Did the Bright Moon Appear? 苏轼 · 同写登临言志、慷慨豪迈，一写我欲乘风归去、一写严关百尺界天西万里征人驻马蹄，皆于登临之中见豪迈 Both write ascent-and-intent, generous and heroic; one wants to ride the wind home, the other reins his horse at the stern pass—both find heroism in ascent.

Su Shi's 'Shui Diao Ge Tou' ('I want to ride the wind and go home, yet fear the jeweled towers are too high and cold') is a transcendent, heroic Song lyric; Lin's 'Reflections on Leaving Jiayu Pass' uses 'stern pass marks heaven's west' and 'looking back, a pellet of clay' to write the pass and intent. Both share ascent-and-intent heroism: Su through detachment, Lin through majesty—two manners of writing heroism in ascent.

苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒」，写登临言志、旷达豪迈，是宋词长调的名篇；林则徐《出嘉峪关感赋》则以「严关百尺界天西，万里征人驻马蹄」「谁道崤函千古险，回看只见一丸泥」写严关界天西、回看一丸泥。两诗同写登临言志、慷慨豪迈：一写我欲乘风归去、以乘风写超然，一写严关百尺界天西万里征人驻马蹄、以严关写言志；一为苏轼之超然、一为林则徐之雄壮，并读正可见诗写「登临言志」的两种笔法，皆于登临之中见豪迈。

 八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Tune: 'Ba Sheng Gan Zhou' — Over the Misty Rain Sweeping River and Sky at Dusk 柳永 · 同写登临凝望、苍茫入望，一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写天山巉削摩肩立瀚海苍茫入望迷，皆于登临之中见苍茫 Both write ascent-and-gaze, vast into the view; one faces misty dusk rain, the other the sharp Tianshan and vast desert—both find vastness in ascent.

Liu Yong's 'Ba Sheng Gan Zhou' ('Over the misty rain sweeping river and sky at dusk, once more it washes the clear autumn') is a famous Song travel lyric of gazing; Lin's poem uses 'the Tianshan peaks shoulder to shoulder, the vast desert blurs the gaze' and 'lofty pavilions join Qin's trees' to write the peaks and desert. Both share ascent-and-gaze vastness: Liu through clear beauty, Lin through majesty—two manners of writing vastness in ascent.

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」，写登临凝望、羁旅苍茫，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；林则徐《出嘉峪关感赋》则以「天山巉削摩肩立，瀚海苍茫入望迷」「飞阁遥连秦树直，缭垣斜压陇云低」写天山摩肩立、瀚海入望迷。两诗同写登临凝望、苍茫入望：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写天山巉削摩肩立瀚海苍茫入望迷、以天山写苍茫；一为柳永之清丽、一为林则徐之雄壮，并读正可见诗写「登临苍茫」的两种笔法，皆于登临之中见苍茫。