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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

示长安君

Shown to My Sister, the Lady of Chang'an

王安石

Wang Anshi

亲情Family Love 离别Parting

少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情。
草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生。
自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行。
欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征。

Our parting in youth never weighed light;
meeting again in old age still brings sorrow.
A hasty spread of cups and dishes, laughter shared;
in the dim, dim lamplight we talk over our whole lives.
I pity us — lakes and seas kept us apart three years;
now again I journey ten thousand li through dust and sand.
If you ask what day we shall meet again,
my letters should reach you as the wild geese fly south.

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Meaning

On the eve of another long journey, the poet meets his sister after three years of separation. Their reunion is warm — simple dishes, shared laughter, a whole life talked over under dim lamplight — but shadowed by the parting to come. The poem ends not in despair but in hope: letters will follow the southbound geese until they meet again.

少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情。草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生。自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行。欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Parting in youth was never light, and meeting again in old age still brings sorrow. Over a hasty meal of simple dishes they laugh and talk; under the dim lamplight they speak of their whole lives. But after three years' separation across lakes and seas, the poet must set out again on a journey of ten thousand li, and can only promise that his letters will come with the southbound geese. [Structure] Eight lines of regulated verse: the first couplet spans a lifetime, the middle couplets turn from reunion to parting, the last looks forward to letters. Reunion and parting are compressed into a single sitting. [Imagery] The 'hasty cups and dim lamps' are white sketch at its purest: no ornament, only warmth. The southbound geese lift the ending from grief toward hope, the classic Song way of ending sorrow with restraint.

【白话串讲】王安石写《示长安君》：“少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情”——“草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生”——“自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行”——“欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征”——他写给妹妹，写重逢又将离别。【意象与手法】此诗写兄妹，以离别写兄妹，是王安石的名篇。前二联写相逢：「少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情。草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生」写少年离别意非轻、老去相逢亦怆情——写尽昏昏灯火的话平生；后二联写离别：「自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行。欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征」写自怜湖海三年隔、又作尘沙万里行——写尽寄书应见的雁南征。全诗以离别写兄妹，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生与寄书应见的雁南征，是王安石的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写兄妹，以离别写兄妹，是王安石的名篇。此诗为王安石示其妹王文淑（长安君）之作，写其兄妹重逢与再别。王安石此诗写其与长安君的重逢。此诗写少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情；草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生；自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行；欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征。此诗写相逢：少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情——写少年离别意非轻、老去相逢亦怆情，写尽老去相逢的亦怆情；草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生——写草草杯盘共笑语、昏昏灯火话平生，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生；自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行——写自怜湖海三年隔、又作尘沙万里行，写尽又作尘沙的万里行；欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征——写欲问后期何日是、寄书应见雁南征，写尽寄书应见的雁南征。全诗以离别写兄妹——那「昏昏灯火话平生」写尽昏昏灯火的话平生，「寄书应见雁南征」写尽寄书应见的雁南征，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生与寄书应见的雁南征，是理解王安石兄妹诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生」写昏昏灯火的话平生；「自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行」写又作尘沙的万里行；以及全诗以离别写兄妹、以白描写相逢的手法。

Background

Wang Anshi (1021–1086), courtesy name Jiefu, sobriquet Banshan, of Linchuan (modern Fuzhou, Jiangxi), was the Northern Song chancellor who led the Xining reforms and one of the Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song prose. 'Lady of Chang'an' was his younger sister Wang Wenshu. Written when, after three years apart, the siblings met briefly before his departure on a long journey, the poem turns a private family parting into one of the most tender brother-sister poems in the language.

此诗写兄妹，以离别写兄妹，是王安石的名篇。王安石（1021—1086），字介甫，号半山，抚州临川（今江西抚州）人，北宋政治家、文学家、思想家，官至宰相，主持熙宁变法，为「唐宋八大家」之一，世称「王荆公」。此诗为王安石示其妹王文淑（长安君）之作，写其兄妹重逢与再别。王安石此诗写其与长安君的重逢。此诗写少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情；草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生；自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行；欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征。此诗写相逢：「少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情」写少年离别意非轻、老去相逢亦怆情——写尽老去相逢的亦怆情（少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情）；「草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生」写草草杯盘共笑语、昏昏灯火话平生——写尽昏昏灯火的话平生（草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生）；「自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行」写自怜湖海三年隔、又作尘沙万里行——写尽又作尘沙的万里行（自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行）；「欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征」写欲问后期何日是、寄书应见雁南征——写尽寄书应见的雁南征（欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征）。全诗以离别写兄妹，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生与寄书应见的雁南征，是理解王安石兄妹诗的重要篇章。

Art

The poem's art is contrast and white sketch. The first couplet sets youth against age: parting was heavy then, reunion is sorrowful now, so joy and grief fold into one. The middle couplets are pure white sketch — 'hasty cups and dishes', 'dim, dim lamplight' — warmth conveyed through the plainest domestic detail, the doubling of 'hasty' and 'dim' slowing the lines like a lingering look. 'Three years' against 'ten thousand li' measures separation in time and space at once. The closing couplet uses imagination rather than scene: the goose-borne letter is the classical convention for hope at parting, ending an eight-line poem of sorrow on a note of restraint.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以对比写相逢。「少年离别意非轻」以对比写相逢——那「老去相逢亦怆情」写尽老去相逢的亦怆情，以对比写尽老去相逢的亦怆情。其二，以白描写话旧。「草草杯盘共笑语」以白描写话旧——那「昏昏灯火话平生」写尽昏昏灯火的话平生，以白描写尽昏昏灯火的话平生。其三，以直抒写羁旅。「自怜湖海三年隔」以直抒写羁旅——那「又作尘沙万里行」写尽又作尘沙的万里行，以直抒写尽又作尘沙的万里行。其四，以想象写后期。「欲问后期何日是」以想象写后期——那「寄书应见雁南征」写尽寄书应见的雁南征，以想象写尽寄书应见的雁南征。此外，此诗前写昏昏灯火的话平生，后写寄书应见的雁南征，由聚及散，正是离别诗「以聚写散」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以离别写兄妹，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生与寄书应见的雁南征，是王安石的代表作。

Allusions

The key convention is the goose as letter-carrier: from the Han tale of Su Wu, who tied a letter to a goose's foot, geese flying south became the natural image for messages to the southland, and here for the poet's promise to write. The poem also stands in the tradition of sibling poems — Du Fu's 'On a Moonlit Night Thinking of My Brothers' and Su Shi's Mid-Autumn song for his brother — while 'talking over our whole lives' recalls the old ideal of family members talking through the night by lamplight.

此诗的用语深植于兄妹与离别传统。「少年」令人想到「少年」写少年的意象——也令人想到「少年不识愁滋味」（辛弃疾）的意象；「离别」令人想到「离别」写离别的意象——也令人想到「多情自古伤离别」（柳永）的意象；「意非轻」令人想到「意非轻」写情重的意象——也令人想到「依依惜别」的意象；「老去」令人想到「老去」写老去的意象——也令人想到「老去诗篇浑漫与」（杜甫）的意象；「相逢」令人想到「相逢」写相逢的意象——也令人想到「相逢何必曾相识」（白居易）的意象；「怆情」令人想到「怆情」写怆然的意象——也令人想到「念天地之悠悠，独怆然而涕下」（陈子昂）的意象；「草草杯盘」令人想到「草草杯盘」写简席的意象——也令人想到「草草杯盘供笑语」的意象；「共笑语」令人想到「共笑语」写笑语的意象——也令人想到「笑语盈盈暗香去」（辛弃疾）的意象；「昏昏灯火」令人想到「昏昏灯火」写灯火的意象——也令人想到「昏昏灯火话平生」的意象；「话平生」令人想到「话平生」写话旧的意象——也令人想到「夜雨对床」的意象；「湖海」令人想到「湖海」写湖海的意象——也令人想到「湖海平生豪气」（辛弃疾）的意象；「三年隔」令人想到「三年隔」写年隔的意象——也令人想到「一别音容两渺茫」（白居易）的意象；「尘沙」令人想到「尘沙」写尘沙的意象——也令人想到「大漠风尘日色昏」（王昌龄）的意象；「万里行」令人想到「万里行」写远行的意象——也令人想到「万里赴戎机」的意象；「后期」令人想到「后期」写后会的意象——也令人想到「后会无期」的意象；「雁南征」令人想到「雁南征」写归雁的意象——也令人想到「雁字回时，月满西楼」（李清照）的意象。全诗化用少年、离别、意非轻、老去、相逢、怆情、草草杯盘、共笑语、昏昏灯火、话平生、湖海、三年隔、尘沙、万里行、后期、雁南征的意象，以离别写兄妹，正是王安石「精严」而善白描、承杜甫传统写亲情之本领。

Commentary

Song and later critics praise the poem as 'writing brother-sister love through parting, true and deeply felt', and the couplet 'hasty cups and dishes, shared laughter; dim, dim lamplight, talking over our whole lives' has become a household phrase for the warmth of family reunion. Set beside Du Fu's 'On a Moonlit Night Thinking of My Brothers' and Su Shi's 'When will the moon be bright?', it is one of the three great poems of sibling love in the classical canon, and the gentlest of Wang Anshi's surviving poems.

此诗历来被推为王安石亲情诗的名篇，也是宋诗写兄妹别离的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：宋人评此诗「以离别写兄妹，情真意切」；近人更指出「草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生」写昏昏灯火的话平生，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以律诗写尽昏昏灯火的话平生与寄书应见的雁南征——那少年，那离别，那意非轻，那老去，那相逢，那亦怆情，那草草，那杯盘，那共笑语，那昏昏，那灯火，那话平生，那自怜，那湖海，那三年隔，那又作，那尘沙，那万里行，那欲问，那后期，那何日是，那寄书，那应见，那雁南征，都写尽了王安石笔下的示长安君；那「昏昏灯火话平生」更以白描写尽昏昏灯火的话平生。此诗与杜甫《月夜忆舍弟》「戍鼓断人行」同为亲情名篇，一写「露从今夜白，月是故乡明」的忆舍弟，一写「昏昏灯火话平生」的示长安君；一写忆弟，一写示妹。两诗对读，可见唐宋亲情诗的绵延。对于今日读者，此诗是理解王安石亲情诗的窗口，也是宋诗写兄妹别离的经典——那寄书应见的雁南征，穿越千年，仍在诉说着昏昏灯火的话平生。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated verse (qilü)七言律诗

Rhyme Rhymes on qing, sheng, xing, and zheng — level-tone rhymes of the 'geng' rhyme group — one rhyme throughout.七律押「情」「生」「行」「征」（平声庚青韵），一韵到底

Tone pattern A seven-character regulated verse rhyming on level tones, one rhyme to the end, with a sincere, weighty cadence that matches the poem's theme of parting.此诗为七言律诗，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节沉挚，正合离别的沉挚。

Reading note Eight lines with strict parallelism: the first couplet states the weight of parting across a lifetime; the middle couplets are matched pairs (hasty cups against dim lamps, three years against ten thousand li); the last couplet turns to imagined future letters. Read the reunion lines warmly, the parting lines with restrained grief, and the closing geese with lingering hope.此诗为七言律诗——「少年离别意非轻，老去相逢亦怆情。草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生。自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行。欲问后期何日是，寄书应见雁南征」，押平韵（情、生、行、征），一韵到底，音节沉挚。全诗以离别写兄妹：前写昏昏灯火的话平生（少年离别意非轻、草草杯盘共笑语），后写寄书应见的雁南征（自怜湖海三年隔、欲问后期何日是）。律诗八句，前写相逢，后写离别，以「寄书应见雁南征」写尽寄书应见的雁南征，正见王安石「精严」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以温厚的语调读「昏昏灯火话平生」的话旧，以沉挚的语调读「又作尘沙万里行」的离别，结句要读得沉挚而有余韵，方能传达出王安石的情真意切。王安石律诗以「精严」著称，此诗正是其亲情诗的典范。

Line by line

草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生

A hasty spread of cups and dishes, laughter shared; in the dim, dim lamplight we talk over our whole lives.

草草杯盘共笑语，昏昏灯火话平生。

A simple cup and platter, shared laughter and talk; in the dim lamplight, recounting all our lives.

此二句是全诗写话旧的核心，以草草杯盘共笑语写共笑语，以昏昏灯火话平生写话平生，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生，是千古名句。「草草杯盘共笑语」写草草杯盘共笑语——那「草草杯盘」写草草杯盘，「共笑语」写共笑语，写尽草草杯盘的共笑语；「昏昏灯火话平生」写昏昏灯火话平生——那「昏昏灯火」写昏昏灯火，「话平生」写话平生，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生。这句的深意在于：它以「草草杯盘共笑语」的共笑语与「昏昏灯火话平生」的话平生，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生——草草杯盘共笑语，那「草草杯盘共笑语」写尽草草杯盘的共笑语——草草杯盘共笑语，正是便饭笑语的写照，那「共笑语」写尽昏昏灯火的话平生；昏昏灯火话平生，那「昏昏灯火话平生」写尽昏昏灯火的话平生——昏昏灯火话平生，正是灯下话旧的写照，那「话平生」写尽昏昏灯火的话平生；那「草草杯盘共笑语」写尽草草杯盘的共笑语，那「昏昏灯火话平生」写尽昏昏灯火的话平生，一写共笑语，一写话平生，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生——便饭笑语而灯下话旧，正是话旧的写照；此二句以共笑语、话平生写尽昏昏灯火的话平生，也为下文的湖海作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写话旧的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「简单的饭菜说笑着，昏暗的灯下叙谈平生」，则失其情味；唯以「草草杯盘共笑语」写共笑语、「昏昏灯火话平生」写话平生，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生，也让此二句成为全诗写话旧的核心。

The two lines are the core of the poem's recalling the past, writing the shared laughter through a simple cup and platter, shared laughter and talk and the lifelong talk through in the dim lamplight, recounting all our lives, exhausting the lifelong talk in the dim lamplight, an immortal line. A simple cup and platter, shared laughter and talk is precisely the picture of the casual meal and laughter; in the dim lamplight, recounting all our lives precisely the picture of the lamplight reminiscence. One writes the shared laughter, one the lifelong talk, exhausting the reminiscence. Were it said plainly simple food and laughter, in the dim light recounting our lives, the savor would be lost; only through the simple platter and the dim lamplight is the reminiscence exhausted, preparing the lake and sea below and making the lines the core of the poem.

自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行

I pity us — lakes and seas kept us apart three years; now again I journey ten thousand li through dust and sand.

自怜湖海三年隔，又作尘沙万里行。

Pity that lake and sea have kept us three years apart; now I set out again on a ten-thousand-li road of dust.

此二句是全诗写离别核心，以自怜湖海三年隔写三年隔，以又作尘沙万里行写万里行，写尽又作尘沙的万里行，是千古名句。「自怜湖海三年隔」写自怜湖海三年隔——那「自怜湖海」写自怜湖海，「三年隔」写三年隔，写尽自怜湖海的三年隔；「又作尘沙万里行」写又作尘沙万里行——那「又作尘沙」写又作尘沙，「万里行」写万里行，写尽又作尘沙的万里行。这句的深意在于：它以「自怜湖海三年隔」的三年隔与「又作尘沙万里行」的万里行，写尽又作尘沙的万里行——自怜湖海三年隔，那「自怜湖海三年隔」写尽自怜湖海的三年隔——自怜湖海三年隔，正是三年相隔的写照，那「三年隔」写尽又作尘沙的万里行；又作尘沙万里行，那「又作尘沙万里行」写尽又作尘沙的万里行——又作尘沙万里行，正是万里远行的写照，那「万里行」写尽又作尘沙的万里行；那「自怜湖海三年隔」写尽自怜湖海的三年隔，那「又作尘沙万里行」写尽又作尘沙的万里行，一写三年隔，一写万里行，写尽又作尘沙的万里行——三年相隔而万里远行，正是离别的写照；此二句以三年隔、万里行写尽又作尘沙的万里行，也为下文的雁南征作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写离别的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「自叹湖海三年相隔，又作尘沙万里远行」，则失其沉挚；唯以「自怜湖海三年隔」写三年隔、「又作尘沙万里行」写万里行，写尽又作尘沙的万里行，也让此二句成为全诗写离别的核心。

The two lines are the core of the poem's parting, writing the three years' parting through pity that lake and sea have kept us three years apart and the ten-thousand-li journey through now I set out again on a ten-thousand-li road of dust, exhausting the ten-thousand-li journey, an immortal line. Pity that lake and sea have kept us three years apart is precisely the picture of the three years' separation; now I set out again on a ten-thousand-li road of dust precisely the picture of the far journey. One writes the three years, one the ten thousand li, exhausting the parting. Were it said plainly grieving that lake and sea have parted us three years, now again a ten-thousand-li journey of dust, the depth would be softened; only through the three years and the ten thousand li is the parting exhausted, preparing the south-flying geese below and making the lines the core of the poem.

Study

Word focus

昏 'Dim, dusky': the doubled 'dim, dim' lamplight paints the low warm light under which brother and sister talk their lives away — a homely detail that carries the whole warmth of the reunion. 「昏昏灯火话平生」之「昏」字是写话旧关键词，一个「昏」字写尽昏昏灯火的话平生。昏者，昏暗、昏黄也。王安石以「昏昏灯火话平生」写话旧，这个「昏」字至少有双重意味：其一，写灯之昏——那「昏昏灯火话平生」写昏昏灯火话平生，那「昏」字写尽昏昏灯火的话平生——昏昏，正是灯火昏黄的写照，那「昏」字写尽昏昏灯火的话平生；其二，写情之暖——那「昏」字更是写暖——昏，正见灯下促膝的意味，那「昏」字写尽王安石的亲情。以「昏」字写话旧，正是王安石写兄妹的枢纽——若换作「暗」「黄」等字，则或失其与「昏昏灯火话平生」「草草杯盘共笑语」的配合，或失其写昏的意味；唯「昏」字，以昏昏灯火话平生写尽灯火之昏黄与话旧之温馨，与「草草杯盘共笑语」的共笑语相合，写尽昏昏灯火的话平生，也让「昏昏灯火话平生」成为全诗写话旧的名句。

隔 'Separated, kept apart': the word carries both distance and regret — three years of lakes and seas between them, and the ache of a love that separation has made precious. 「自怜湖海三年隔」之「隔」字是写离别关键词，一个「隔」字写尽自怜湖海的三年隔。隔者，相隔、隔绝也。王安石以「自怜湖海三年隔」写离别，这个「隔」字至少有双重意味：其一，写地之隔——那「自怜湖海三年隔」写自怜湖海三年隔，那「隔」字写尽自怜湖海的三年隔——三年隔，正是三年相隔的写照，那「隔」字写尽自怜湖海的三年隔；其二，写情之憾——那「隔」字更是写憾——隔，正见相见恨晚的意味，那「隔」字写尽王安石的感慨。以「隔」字写离别，正是王安石写兄妹的枢纽——若换作「离」「分」等字，则或失其与「自怜湖海三年隔」「又作尘沙万里行」的配合，或失其写隔的意味；唯「隔」字，以自怜湖海三年隔写尽湖海之相隔与聚散之无常，与「又作尘沙万里行」的万里行相合，写尽自怜湖海的三年隔，也让「自怜湖海三年隔」成为全诗写离别的名句。