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清 Qing · 诗 Poem

阳湖道中

On the Road by Yanghu Lake

张问陶

Zhang Wentao

山水landscape 羁旅travel

风回五两月逢三，双桨平拖水蔚蓝。
百分桃花百分柳，二分春色一分寒。

The wind turns the five-liang pennant; the month is the third. Twin oars level-drag the water's deep blue.
A hundred parts peach-blossom, a hundred parts willow; two parts spring colour, one part cold.

Listen

Meaning

The wind shifts and the five-liang wind-pennant turns; the season is just the third month. Twin oars level-drag open a river of deep blue. The peach-blossoms and willows each claim a hundred parts of splendour; of this spring colour, two parts are warmth and one part the lingering cold.

风向回转，五两旗随风摆动，时令恰逢三月；双桨轻划，平平拖开一江蔚蓝的水面。岸上桃花与柳色各占十分之盛，而这春色之中，二分是春意，一分是料峭余寒。

Appreciation

Zhang Wentao, a jinshi of 1790 and prefect of Laizhou, with Yuan Mei and Zhao Yi is counted among the 'Three Masters of the Natural-Spirit school' (or the 'Three Great Mid-Qing Poets'). His poetry prizes 'temperament' and opposes imitation. 'On the Road by Yanghu Lake' was likely written while boating in Jiangnan. Yanghu, old Changzhou in Jiangsu, lay between Taihu and the canal, a web of streams with peach and willow along the banks. Sailing through in the third lunar month, with a gentle spring wind and cold not yet gone, he caught the water-town spring in a light hand, showing the Natural-Spirit school's habit of writing feeling on the spot, unworked.

【白话串讲】 “风回五两月逢三，双桨平拖水蔚蓝”——张问陶在阳湖划船：“百分桃花百分柳”——桃花和杨柳，占尽了整个春天。“二分春色一分寒”——只剩一分寒。【意象与手法】首句「风回五两月逢三」，「五两」为古候风羽具，着一「回」字写风向流转，「月逢三」点农历三月，省净如话。次句「双桨平拖水蔚蓝」，「平拖」二字极妙，状舟行从容、水波不兴，蔚蓝满纸。后二句「百分桃花百分柳，二分春色一分寒」以数目字对仗，桃柳各「百分」极言其盛，「二分」「一分」分剖春色与余寒，于夸饰中见理趣。全诗疏淡明快，有宋人绝句风味。【情感与主旨】张问陶，乾隆五十五年进士，官莱州知府，诗与袁枚、赵翼并称「性灵派三大家」（或列「清中叶三大诗人」）。其论诗主「性情」，反对模拟。《阳湖道中》约作于舟行江南时，阳湖为今江苏常州古称，地当太湖、运河之间，水网密布，桃柳夹岸。诗人乘舟经此，正值农历三月，春风和煦而余寒未消，遂以轻松笔调捕捉水乡春色，体现性灵派即景写情、不事雕琢的作风。【名句点睛】「双桨平拖水蔚蓝」的炼字（平拖）为常考重点；「百分桃花百分柳，二分春色一分寒」以数目字入景，俏皮疏朗，为全诗点睛之笔。

Background

Zhang Wentao, a jinshi of 1790, served as prefect of Laizhou; with Yuan Mei and Zhao Yi he is named among the 'Three Masters of the Natural-Spirit school' (or the 'Three Great Mid-Qing Poets'). His poetic theory prized 'temperament' and opposed imitation. 'On the Road by Yanghu Lake' was likely written while boating in Jiangnan. Yanghu, the old name for Changzhou in Jiangsu, lay between Taihu and the canal, a dense web of waterways with peach and willow along the banks. The poet passed by boat in the third lunar month, the spring wind gentle yet the cold not yet gone, and caught the water-town spring in a light hand — showing the Natural-Spirit school's on-the-spot, unworked manner.

张问陶（1764—1814），字仲冶，号船山，四川遂宁人，乾隆五十五年（1790）进士，官至莱州知府，诗与袁枚、赵翼并称「性灵派三大家」（或列「清中叶三大诗人」之一）。其论诗主「性情」，反对模拟古人，主张「写出此身须目中」「诗成珠玉在挥毫」，强调从日常生活与眼前景致中撷取诗材。此《阳湖道中》约作于其舟行江南之时。阳湖为今江苏常州古称，清雍正年间析武进置阳湖县，地当太湖、运河之间，水网密布，桃柳夹岸，为典型的江南水乡。诗人乘舟经此，正值农历三月，春风和煦而余寒未消，遂以轻松明快的笔调捕捉水乡春色：候风而行、双桨平拖、桃柳夹岸、春寒相间，即目写景，不事雕琢，正体现性灵派「即景写情、独抒性灵」的创作主张，是清代七绝中清新可诵的佳作，也是研究张问陶诗风及其性灵派立场的重要文本。又，张问陶为蜀人而久居京师，其诗多写南北行旅，此诗写江南水乡春色，正是其宦游江南时的即景之作；其与袁枚、赵翼的交往，使性灵派在乾嘉诗坛蔚为大观，张问陶论诗主「性情」而兼重「学问」，此诗「五两」用典而不觉，正是其「以学济情」主张的体现，也是清代性灵派区别于明代公安派的重要特征。

Art

The first line 'the wind turns the five-liang pennant; the month is the third' — 'five liang' is an ancient wind-measuring feather-tool; the word 'turns' writes the wind's shifting; 'month is the third' marks the third lunar month, spare as talk. The second line 'twin oars level-drag the water's deep blue' — 'level-drag' is exquisite, figuring the boat's ease and the unruffled water, blue filling the page. The last two lines 'a hundred parts peach-blossom, a hundred parts willow; two parts spring colour, one part cold' set number-words in parallel: peach and willow each 'a hundred parts' exaggerate their abundance; 'two parts' 'one part' split the spring colour from the lingering cold, showing reason within the exaggeration. The whole is loose, bright, and quick, with the flavour of a Song quatrain.

此诗以白描写景，疏淡明快，有宋人绝句风味。首句「风回五两月逢三」写舟行的时间与条件：「五两」为古候风羽具，着一「回」字写风向流转，可借风而行；「月逢三」点农历三月，点出春时，两句省净如话，如叙家常。次句「双桨平拖水蔚蓝」写舟行之景：「平拖」二字极妙，状舟行从容、水波不兴，双桨轻划，平平拖开一江蔚蓝，「平」写桨入水之缓、「拖」写桨行水之柔，蔚蓝满纸，画面明净。后二句「百分桃花百分柳，二分春色一分寒」是全诗的点睛之笔：以数目字对仗，桃柳各「百分」极言其繁盛，而「二分春色一分寒」以数目分剖春色与余寒，于夸饰中见理趣——春色虽盛，尚有余寒，正是江南初春的真实况味。全诗以白描取胜，语言浅近而意味隽永，动静相生，疏朗明快，正是性灵派「独抒性灵、不拘格套」的典型体现。此诗结构上「前实后虚」：「双桨平拖水蔚蓝」为眼前实景，「百分桃花百分柳」为夸饰虚写，「二分春色一分寒」为理趣分剖，由实入虚、由景入理，正是性灵派「写景而兼写理」的典型章法；结句以数目分剖冷暖，看似稚气，实则是对「乍暖还寒」这一早春特征的精确把握，于夸张中见真实，于理趣中见性情，正是张问陶诗「天籁自鸣」的妙处。

Allusions

'Five liang' uses the ancient wind-tool allusion. The 'Qi Su Xun' of the Huai Nan Zi already had five liang of chicken-feather tied to a pole-top to measure wind; later poetry often uses 'five liang' for wind-sign — as Li Bai 'the wind blows the five liang' and Han Yu 'no cause for sail, turn back the five-liang wind.' Zhang Wentao writes 'the wind turns the five liang' for sailing by wind, both fitting the river facts and rich in classical colour — a case of 'allusion without notice.' Beyond this the poem has no clear human allusion, pure plain sketch of scene.

本诗用典极少，唯「五两」为古制候风器之典，正见「用典于不觉」之妙。《淮南子·齐俗训》已有以鸡毛五两系竿顶测风之制，后世诗文多以「五两」代指风信，如李白「五两如可测，聊复上征途」、韩愈「无因帆席度，回调五两风」皆沿此意。张问陶以「风回五两」写舟中候风而行，既切水程实况，又富典雅色泽，是「用典于不觉」的佳例——读者不觉其用典，而风信之意自明。此外本诗无明显人事典故，纯以白描写景，「桃花」「柳」「春色」「寒」皆眼前实景与常语，不假比兴寄托，惟以即目所见的数目分剖写春色的层次，正合性灵派「写出此身须目中」的创作主张，以「无典」自成清新一格，也可见清中叶性灵派诗人力矫模拟、回归自然的诗学取向。另，「桃花」「柳」为江南春色最具代表性的物象，「桃红柳绿」自古为春景的固定搭配，此处「百分桃花百分柳」以数目字极言其盛，既写实景之繁，又暗合「春色满园」的俗语意象；「春色」「寒」的分剖，则暗含宋人「乍暖还寒时候」的词境，然张问陶以数目字写之，化词境为诗趣，可见其善于融化前人意境而自出新意的本领。

Commentary

Yuan Mei ranked Zhang Wentao among those of 'a great cloth-robe between heaven and earth,' of the Natural-Spirit line. His 'On Poetry' says 'write this self must be in your eye,' urging individual spirit. The Qing poet Chen Yan, in his 'Modern Poetry Miscellany,' called this quatrain 'plain as talk yet meaningful and lasting.' The modern Qian Zhongshu, in his 'Talk on Art,' also cites Zhang's boat-mountain poems as Natural-Spirit examples. This poem puts number-words into scene, playful and open — a fresh, recitable Qing seven-jue.

张问陶诗袁枚许为「落落乾坤大布衣」之俦，性灵一脉得其真传。其《论诗》云「写出此身须目中」「文章体制本天生」，主张独抒性灵、反对模拟。此绝句清人陈衍《近代诗钞》称其「明白如话而意味隽永」，以为浅语中有深味；近人钱锺书《谈艺录》亦引船山诗为性灵派代表，以为其写景能得「天籁自鸣」之趣。此诗的价值，一在它是性灵派七绝的代表作，以白描与数目字写春景，俏皮疏朗，正见其「独抒性灵」的诗学主张在创作中的落实；二在以「二分春色一分寒」的数目分剖写江南初春的真实况味，于夸张中见理趣，是清诗炼意新奇的代表；三在它保存了清代江南水乡春日的鲜活图景，是研究清代江南风物与士人生活的珍贵材料，也是清人七绝中清新可诵、流传较广的佳作。又，此诗在后世流传中多有评家注目：或赏其「平拖」炼字之妙，或赏其「百分」「二分」数目入诗之奇，或赏其「一分寒」写早春之真，三赏并观，可见此诗在语言、结构、理趣三方面的成就皆为人称道；作为性灵派写景小诗的代表，它与袁枚《所见》等作并读，正可窥见清中叶诗坛「独抒性灵」一脉的整体风貌。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (seven-character jue)七言绝句

Rhyme First line enters rhyme, Ping-shui lower-level thirteen tan group (third, blue, cold)三、蓝、寒，属平水韵下平十三覃韵，首句入韵，一韵到底

Tone pattern Level-onset, first line enters rhyme平起首句入韵式：风回五两月逢三，双桨平拖水蔚蓝；全诗平仄合律，音节明快

Reading note Last two lines set number-words in parallel, breaking the norm with charm此诗为七言绝句，首句入韵，押下平十三覃韵，韵脚「三」「蓝」「寒」皆为平声闭口音，音韵深沉悠长，读来有江南水乡的绵远之感。平仄上为平起首句入韵式，全诗平仄合律，音节明快流畅。章法上，四句起承转合分明：首句「风回五两月逢三」起笔写舟行的时令与风信，次句「双桨平拖水蔚蓝」承写舟行之景，三句「百分桃花百分柳」转写岸上春色之盛，结句「二分春色一分寒」合以数目分剖收束，由舟及岸、由景及理，脉络清晰。此诗最特出处在后两句以数目字对仗，打破七绝常以工对写景的成规，以「百分」「二分」「一分」的数字铺排写春色，句式新奇、节奏明快，正是性灵派「独抒性灵、不拘格套」在格律上的体现，读来如数家常而趣味横生，是清代七绝中别开生面的清新之作。

Line by line

双桨平拖水蔚蓝

Twin oars level-drag the water's deep blue

双桨轻划，平平拖开一江蔚蓝的水面。

The two oars glide level, trailing through the azure water.

此句是全诗炼字最精之处，「平拖」二字极妙。「平」字写桨入水之缓、行船之稳，水面平展如镜，桨过而不起波澜；「拖」字写桨行水之柔，双桨轻划，不是急切地划，而是悠然地拖，一「拖」字写出舟行的从容舒缓、水波不兴的意境。「平拖」连用，化动为静，将划桨这一寻常动作写得舒展优美，如舞者之姿；「水蔚蓝」三字写水色，以「蔚蓝」写春江之澄碧明净，色彩鲜丽，满纸生辉。此句以白描写景，而舟行之适、水色之美、心境之闲尽在其中，正见张问陶炼字「以平常字写不平常之境」的本领，是理解全诗闲适情调的关键一句，也是清代性灵派写景炼字的典范。

The line is the most finely forged stroke of the poem, and the two words glide level are exquisite. The word level writes the oars' gentle entry, the boat's steadiness — the water spread level as a mirror, the oar passing without a ripple. The word trails writes the oar's soft passage through the water, the twin oars lightly rowed, not urgently, but leisurely trailing; the single trail writes the calm, unhurried movement of the boat, the water unruffled. Glide level together turns motion into stillness, writing the ordinary action of rowing with an unrolled grace, like a dancer's pose. The three words azure water write the water's color, the spring river's clear green and bright, the color vivid, the page glowing. The line paints in plain strokes, and the comfort of the boat, the beauty of the water, the leisure of the mind are all within, showing Zhang Wentao's craft of writing the extraordinary scene in ordinary words, the key line to the poem's leisurely tone, and the model of the Qing xingling school's scenic forging.

百分桃花百分柳

A hundred parts peach-blossom, a hundred parts willow

岸上桃花与柳色各占十分之盛。

A hundred parts peach blossom, a hundred parts willow.

此句以重复的数目字写春景之繁盛，憨稚明快，见性灵趣味。「百分桃花百分柳」写岸上桃花与柳色各占百分之盛，「百分」连用，以数目字的重复极言桃柳之繁茂：桃花烂漫，柳色青青，皆达其盛，仿佛满岸皆花、满眼皆柳，春色之浓扑面而来。此句之妙在以数字写景：不写桃花如何红、柳色如何绿，而以「百分」的数目极言其盛，夸饰而不失趣味，正合性灵派「以俗为雅」的趣味；「桃」「柳」对举，红绿相映，色彩明丽。两句以重复的句式造成回环的节奏，读来明快活泼，如小儿数数，憨稚可爱，正是张问陶「天籁自鸣」的笔法，也为下句「二分春色一分寒」的数目分剖作了铺垫，是清诗以数目字写景的新奇之作。

The line writes the lushness of spring through repeated numbers, the artless gaiety showing the xingling taste. A hundred parts peach blossom, a hundred parts willow writes the peach blossom and willow color on the banks each at fullness; the repeated hundred parts presses the luxuriance of peach and willow through the repetition of numbers: the peach blossoms brilliant, the willows green, both at their height, as if the whole bank were flowers, the whole eye willow, the spring's richness beating on the face. The line's beauty lies in writing scene through numbers: not writing how red the peach, how green the willow, but pressing the fullness through the numbers of a hundred parts, the exaggeration without loss of taste, precisely the xingling way of making the vulgar elegant; peach and willow set off, red and green answering, the colors bright. Two lines of repeated syntax create a circling rhythm, reading bright and lively, like a child counting, artless and charming, precisely Zhang Wentao's brush of natural song, and the preparation for the division of the next line's two parts spring hue, one part chill, a novelty of Qing poetry's writing of scene through numbers.

二分春色一分寒

Two parts spring colour, one part cold

这春色之中，二分是春意，一分是料峭余寒。

Two parts spring hue, one part chill.

结句是全诗的点睛之笔，以数目分剖冷暖，于夸张中寓理趣。「二分春色一分寒」承上句「百分桃花百分柳」而来：春色既已极盛，为何只见「二分」？原来三分春色之中，二分是暖意，一分是料峭余寒——正是江南初春的真实况味：桃柳虽已烂漫，而春寒未尽，乍暖还寒。此句以数目字对仗，三分春色分剖为二分暖一分寒，将抽象的季节感受化为具体的数目，新奇俏皮，于夸张中见观察之细、理趣之妙；「一分寒」更暗含对早春气候的体察，使全诗的明快中添一丝清醒，不致流于浅薄。此句与上句「百分桃花百分柳」形成呼应，百分之盛与三分之剖，一极言其繁、一细析其真，正是性灵派「写眼前真景、抒心中真趣」的典范。

The closing line is the pointed eye of the poem, dividing warmth and chill by numbers, the joy of reason within the exaggeration. Two parts spring hue, one part chill follows the hundred parts peach blossom, a hundred parts willow above: the spring's hue already at its height, why see but two parts? It turns out that of three parts of spring hue, two parts are warmth, one part the lingering chill — precisely the true taste of the Jiangnan early spring: the peach and willow though brilliant, the spring cold not ended, warm turning chill again. The line pairs numbers, dividing three parts of spring into two parts warmth and one part chill, turning the abstract feeling of the season into concrete numbers, novel and playful, showing within the exaggeration the fineness of observation and the wit of reason; the one part chill further carries the awareness of the early spring's weather, adding a thread of clearness to the poem's gaiety, lest it run shallow. The line echoes the hundred parts peach blossom, a hundred parts willow above: the fullness of the hundred parts and the division of the three, one pressing the lushness, one analyzing the truth, precisely the xingling model of writing the real scene before the eyes and voicing the true feeling of the heart.

Study

Word focus

平拖 'Drag' is by nature rough; with 'level' it writes the boat's slow ease and unruffled water, turning motion to stillness, catching the water-town's composed grace. 「双桨平拖水蔚蓝」之「平拖」，是全诗炼字之眼，状舟行从容、水波不兴之态。「平」字写桨入水之缓、船行之稳，水面平展，桨过而不惊波澜；「拖」字写桨行之柔，双桨不是急切地划水，而是悠然地拖水，一「拖」字写出动作的舒缓与情态的从容。「平拖」连用，化动为静，将划桨的寻常动作写得舒展优美，正合舟行江南水乡的闲适情调；与水蔚蓝的明净水色相配，一桨一水，动静相宜，画面明净而意境悠然。若换作「轻划」「慢摇」则或失之平板、或失之寻常，「平拖」以「平」写水之静、以「拖」写桨之柔，二字相合，既写动作又写心境，正见张问陶炼字「以平常字写不平常之境」的本领，是理解全诗闲适基调的关键，也是性灵派即景写情、不事雕琢的典型体现。

五两 An ancient wind-measuring feather-tool, here standing for wind-sign; both fits the river journey and is classically elegant — a fine case of allusion without notice. 「风回五两月逢三」之「五两」，为古候风羽具之名，是全诗用典于不觉的佳例。「五两」指以鸡毛五两系于竿顶制成的测风器具，《淮南子·齐俗训》已有其制，后世诗文多以「五两」代指风信，李白「五两如可测，聊复上征途」、韩愈「无因帆席度，回调五两风」皆沿此意。张问陶以「风回五两」写舟中候风而行，「回」字写风向流转，五两旗随风转向，正是行船借风的实景，既切水程实况，又富典雅色泽。此词之妙在「用典于不觉」：读者不觉其用典，而风信之意自明，正合性灵派「写眼前真景」的主张——以古语写今景，化典为常，不着痕迹，可见张问陶虽主性灵，亦不乏学识，是清代性灵派「以学济情」的体现。