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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

鲁山山行

Traveling in Mount Lu

梅尧臣

Mei Yaochen

山水landscape 纪游travelogue

适与野情惬，千山高复低。
好峰随处改，幽径独行迷。
霜落熊升树，林空鹿饮溪。
人家在何许，云外一声鸡。

Just suited to my rustic mood,
A thousand hills rise high and low.
Fine peaks change shapes as I proceed,
Lost on the lonely path I go.
Frost falls, a bear climbs up a tree;
Woods empty, a deer drinks the stream.
Where is the cottage? Can it be?
Beyond the cloud a cock's loud scream.

Listen

Meaning

The mountain scenery perfectly suits the poet's love for the wild. Thousands of peaks rise and fall. The beautiful peaks change appearance everywhere. Walking alone on the secluded path, he gets lost. In the frost, a bear climbs a tree; in the empty forest, a deer drinks from the stream. Where are the people? A rooster crows from beyond the clouds.

山路上的景致正合我喜爱山野的性情，千山起伏，高高低低。美好的山峰随处变换着面貌，幽僻的小路独自前行竟迷失了方向。霜落的时节熊爬上树干，林间空旷，鹿在溪边饮水。人家在哪里呢？云外传来一声鸡啼。

Appreciation

The poem expresses the poet's delight in nature and solitude. The dynamic description of peaks and paths, the vivid images of bear and deer, and the concluding question answered by a distant rooster crow all create a tranquil and evocative atmosphere.

【白话串讲】梅尧臣一个人在鲁山走，山越走越高，路越走越迷。霜落了熊爬上树，林空了鹿在溪边喝水——人在哪？“云外一声鸡”。整首诗像一幅会动的水墨画。【意象与手法】中间两联工于写景，「好峰随处改，幽径独行迷」虚实相生；「霜落熊升树，林空鹿饮溪」以工整对仗写野趣，以动显静。尾联「人家在何许，云外一声鸡」设问作结，以声点景，含蓄蕴藉。【情感与主旨】梅尧臣是宋诗开山祖师之一，主张「状难写之景如在目前，含不尽之意见于言外」。此诗写鲁山（今河南鲁山）山行之所见，当为其中年游历之作，体现其平淡邃美、善写野趣的诗风。【名句点睛】常考颔联颈联的写景手法与以动衬静、设问作结之妙；亦考平淡自然诗风。

Background

Mei Yaochen is a pioneering poet of the Song dynasty, advocating for 'depicting hard-to-describe scenes as if before the eyes, and conveying endless meaning beyond words.' This poem describes his travels in Mount Lu (Lu Shan) in Henan, likely from his middle years, reflecting his plain yet profound style and his knack for depicting rustic charm.

梅尧臣（1002—1060），字圣俞，宣城（今安徽宣城）人，北宋前期著名诗人，与欧阳修交厚，欧阳修推之为宋诗开山祖师之一。他出身寒微，仕途偃蹇，一生多在州县任小官，长期沉于下僚，因而对山水田园、民生疾苦有真切体验。其诗主张「状难写之景如在目前，含不尽之意见于言外」，追求平淡邃美、以意取胜的诗风，力矫西昆体绮靡之弊。此诗写鲁山（今河南鲁山县一带）山行之所见所感，当为其游历中原山水时所作。诗中千山高低、好峰随改、熊升鹿饮的野趣，与尾联云外鸡声的悠远，正体现其「意新语工」的追求，是宋代山水纪游诗中平淡自然一路的代表作，也为后来王安石、苏轼等人的山水诗开辟了先声。梅尧臣一生沉于下僚，其山水纪游之作多写寻常景致中的野趣与闲情，此诗正以其「意新语工」的追求，将鲁山之行写成一次与自然的亲密对话，既见其田园山水之爱，也见其以平淡写真趣的审美理想，为宋诗「以意胜」的转变提供了范本。

Art

The middle couplets excel in scene-painting. 'Fine peaks change shapes' blends reality and imagination; 'Frost falls, a bear climbs' uses dynamic contrast and parallelism. The closing couplet uses a rhetorical question answered by a sound, leaving a lingering resonance.

中间两联工于写景，是全诗艺术的核心。「好峰随处改，幽径独行迷」虚实相生：上句写山容之变幻——同一座山峰，随着行人的移动而时时改变面貌，是动中见景、景随人移；下句写幽径独行竟至迷路，「迷」字以失路写沉醉，把人对山景的流连写得真切。「霜落熊升树，林空鹿饮溪」以工整对仗写野趣，以动显静：霜落而林木萧疏，视野空阔，故能见熊升于树、鹿饮于溪，两个动物特写使空山顿时生意盎然，而愈是见兽之活跃，愈显山行之幽静。首联「适与野情惬」直抒胸臆，点出物我相惬的闲适；尾联「人家在何许，云外一声鸡」设问作结，不答而借鸡声点出人烟，以声破静、以远写近，深得「言外之意」，全篇由近及远、由实入虚，章法浑成。此外，全诗写景由总而分、由实而虚：首联总写千山，颔联细写峰径，颈联特写熊鹿，尾联虚写鸡声，四联如四幅画面次第展开，远近、虚实、动静、声色交织，章法缜密而气韵流动，正是梅尧臣「状难写之景如在目前」主张的完整实践。

Allusions

The phrase 'beyond the cloud a cock's crow' echoes Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring' poem and Wang Wei's technique of using sound to accentuate stillness, continuing the tradition of 'birds chirping, mountains more serene'.

此诗用典极少而渊源可寻。「云外一声鸡」化用陶渊明《桃花源记》「阡陌交通，鸡犬相闻」及《桃花源诗》「鸡犬互鸣吠」所构想的世外之境，以鸡声暗点山中人家，兼有王维「竹喧归浣女，莲动下渔舟」以声响写人迹、以动衬静的手法；其「鸟鸣山更幽」式的以声写寂，又上承南朝王籍「蝉噪林逾静，鸟鸣山更幽」的经典命题。「熊升树」「鹿饮溪」则取秋冬山行实景，熊鹿本是山林常物，入诗而见野趣，与《诗经》「呦呦鹿鸣」的物象传统相通。全诗无僻典而意象自足，正体现梅尧臣「意新语工」的主张——不依赖典故，而以眼前之景、寻常之声营造不尽的韵味，是宋诗「以俗为雅、以故为新」的先声。「适与野情惬」又暗含宋人「物我合一」的理学趣味：景适人意、人意惬景，主客交融而两忘，这种以山水印证心性的写法，上承陶渊明「悠然见南山」，下开杨万里「诚斋体」的活趣，是宋诗由唐诗「以景传情」转向「以意观物」的过渡。

Commentary

Ouyang Xiu praised Mei's 'novel ideas and refined language'; Liu Kezhuang called his poetry 'profound and tranquil'. This poem exemplifies Mei's principle of 'depicting hard-to-describe scenes as if before the eyes', pioneering the Song landscape travelogue style.

欧阳修《六一诗话》引梅尧臣语，推重其「意新语工，得前人所未道者」，又赞其诗「状难写之景如在目前，含不尽之意见于言外」；刘克庄《后村诗话》称其诗「深远闲淡」。此诗写山行如画，正是梅尧臣诗学主张的实践：千山高低、好峰随改是「难写之景」而写得如在目前，云外鸡声、熊升鹿饮是「不尽之意」而余韵悠长。全诗不用一典、不施藻绘，纯以白描写野趣，平淡中见奇崛，为宋人山水纪游诗树立了范本，开王安石《书湖阴先生壁》、苏轼《题西林壁》等宋人山水诗以意取胜一脉，在中国诗歌由唐入宋的转型中居功至伟，历来被视为宋诗平淡自然一路的典型。此诗在宋诗史上地位重要：欧阳修推梅诗为宋诗开山，此作正是其平淡诗风的代表；其后苏轼「横看成岭侧成峰」写山容之变、杨万里「儿童急走追黄蝶」写物趣之活，皆可见此诗以意写景、以趣观物的影响，堪称宋代山水纪游诗承前启后的关键之作。

Prosody

Form five-character regulated verse五言律诗

Rhyme rhymes in the 'qi' category (level tone, eighth sub-category): di, mi, xi, ji押平水韵下平八齐（低、迷、溪、鸡），首句不入韵，一韵到底，韵脚皆平声，音调清朗悠远，正合山行闲适的情调。

Tone pattern standard five-character regulated verse, middle couplets parallel五律常格，首联散起直抒，中间两联「好峰—幽径」「霜落—林空」对仗工整，尾联以问句收，留白见韵，声情由直白渐入悠远。

Reading note Mei Yaochen uses plain language to depict rustic charm.此诗为五言律诗，格律严谨而语言平淡，是梅尧臣以律诗写山野真趣的代表作。全诗八句四联：首联起笔直抒，点明「野情」与「千山」，定下全篇基调；颔联写峰之变、人之迷，虚实相生，对仗工而不板；颈联写熊鹿之趣，以动显静，是「状难写之景如在目前」的实证；尾联以问句作结，不正面作答而借「云外一声鸡」点出人烟，破常格而出新意。用韵上，押下平八齐韵，韵脚「低、迷、溪、鸡」皆平声细音，声调清朗悠远，正合山中独行、闲适自得的氛围；对仗上，颔联「好峰」对「幽径」、「随处改」对「独行迷」，颈联「霜落」对「林空」、「熊升树」对「鹿饮溪」，皆精工而不见斧凿。欧阳修谓梅诗「状难写之景如在目前，含不尽之意见于言外」，此诗正是这一主张的完美实践，为宋人山水律诗树立了平淡遒美的范式。

Line by line

适与野情惬，千山高复低

It suits exactly my love of the wild; a thousand hills rise and fall.

山路上的景致正合我喜爱山野的性情，千山起伏，高高低低。

It suits exactly my fondness for the wild; a thousand hills, now high, now low.

首联起笔直抒胸臆，「适」字点出物我相惬：山行之景恰合诗人喜爱山野的性情，人与景一拍即合，全篇闲适之趣由此立定。「野情」二字是诗眼，既写诗人本性爱山野，也定下全诗回归自然、远离尘嚣的基调。「千山高复低」以一句总写山势：「千山」见其多，「高复低」见其起伏连绵、错落有致，一句勾勒出整体山景的轮廓，为颔联的细写张本。此联由情入景、由总到分，起得自然从容，不故作惊人之语，而平淡中已有味，正合梅尧臣「平淡邃美」的诗风，也可见其开篇即立「野情」、以情统景的章法功力。

The first couplet opens with direct utterance, the word suited naming the thing-and-self accord: the mountain-walking scene precisely suits the poet's wild-loving temper, man and scene matched at once, the whole poem's leisured charm established here. The two words wild feeling are the poem's eye, at once writing the poet's nature loving the wild, and setting the whole poem's tone of the return to nature and the distance from the dust. A thousand hills rise and fall writes the mountain's shape in one line: the thousand the abundance, the rise-and-fall the rolling range, one line sketching the outline of the whole mountain scene, storing ground for the neck couplet's detail. This couplet moves from feeling to scene, from the general to the particular, opening naturally and unhurriedly, not forcing the startling word, and yet the plainness already flavored, precisely Mei Yaochen's plain, deep beauty, and showing his craft of opening with the wild feeling and the feeling commanding the scene.

好峰随处改，幽径独行迷

The fair peaks change at every turn; on the secluded path, walking alone, I lose my way.

美好的山峰随处变换着面貌，幽僻的小路独自前行竟迷失了方向。

The lovely peaks change shape at every turn; on the secluded path, walking alone, I lose my way.

颔联写山行之趣，虚实相生，是千古传诵的写景名句。「好峰随处改」写山峰之美处处不同、时时变化：同一座山，随人行进的角度不同而呈现出新的面貌，「随处」「改」三字写尽山容之变幻无穷，是「移步换形」的典范；「幽径独行迷」写独自走在幽僻小径上竟至迷路，「迷」字用得极妙——不是惊慌失措的迷路，而是沉醉于山景而忘路之远近的迷，闲适中透着悠然。两句一写山之变、一写人之迷，景物与心境的交融，把「野情惬」具体化了：唯有真心爱山者，才看得出「随处改」，才会「独行迷」而不以为苦。此联对仗工整而不板滞，是梅诗「状难写之景如在目前」的实证。

The chin couplet writes the mountain-walking charm, the real and imagined feeding each other, the famous scenic line recited through the ages. The fair peaks change at every turn writes the peaks' beauty different at every place and every time: the same mountain, presenting new faces with the walker's angle, the three words everywhere and change exhausting the endless metamorphosis of the mountain's face, the model of the walking and the changing shape; on the secluded path, walking alone, I lose my way writes the solitary walking on the hidden path until the losing of the road, the word lost used exquisitely — not the panic of the lost, but the losing of the road's distance in the drunkenness of the mountain scene, leisure with ease within. Two lines, one the mountain's change, one the man's losing, the fusion of scene and mood, concretizing the suited wild feeling: only the true mountain-lover can see the everywhere change, and will lose the way alone and count it no hardship. This couplet in steady parallelism and yet not rigid, the proof of Mei's showing the hard-to-write scene as before the eyes.

霜落熊升树，林空鹿饮溪

Fallen frost, the bear climbs the tree; the empty wood, the deer drinks at the stream.

霜落的时节熊爬上树干，林间空旷，鹿在溪边饮水。

Fallen frost, the bear climbs the tree; the wood is empty, the deer drinks from the stream.

颈联以工整对仗写山野生机，是全诗最见画意的一联。霜落时节，草木凋零，林中视野空阔，这才得以望见熊升树、鹿饮溪的野趣：熊爬上树干，憨态可掬；鹿在溪边饮水，悠然自得。两个特写镜头使空旷寂寥的冬山顿时活跃起来，以动物的动态反衬山林之静，愈见其静，正是「以动显静」的妙笔；同时，熊鹿本是山林常物，唯在无人惊扰之处才肯现身，它们的自在也暗示此地远离人烟、野趣天成。此联对仗精工：「霜落」对「林空」，「熊升树」对「鹿饮溪」，名词、动词、方位皆工，而读来不觉雕琢，只觉画面如在目前，是梅尧臣「状难写之景如在目前」诗学主张的最佳实践。

The neck couplet writes the mountain's wild life in crafted parallelism, the poem's most pictorial couplet. The frost-fallen season, the grass and trees withered, the wood's view open, and only then may one see the wild charm of the bear climbing the tree and the deer drinking at the stream: the bear climbing the trunk, the lumbering charm; the deer drinking at the bank, the ease. Two close-ups make the empty, bleak winter mountain alive at once, the animals' motion set against the forest's stillness, the stillness the deeper, precisely the wondrous brush of showing stillness through motion; at the same time, the bear and the deer by nature the common forest creatures, and willing to appear only where no man disturbs, their ease also hinting the place's distance from the human haunts and the wild charm's natural birth. This couplet in crafted parallelism: fallen frost against empty wood, bear climbs tree against deer drinks stream, nouns, verbs, directions all exact, and the reading feels no carving, only the picture as before the eyes, the best practice of Mei's poetic principle of showing the hard-to-write scene as before the eyes.

人家在何许，云外一声鸡

Where is the homestead? Beyond the clouds, one cock's crow.

人家在哪里呢？云外传来一声鸡啼。

Where is the household? Beyond the clouds, a single cock's crow.

尾联设问作结，以声点景，含蓄蕴藉，是全诗最富韵味的一笔。诗人迷路已久，忽然想问人家在哪里，这一问自然承接「幽径独行迷」；而回答不靠目见，只靠耳闻——云外传来一声鸡啼，告诉他人间烟火就在那白云深处。以「一声鸡」点出人烟，妙在不直接说出答案，让读者循声远望、想象云外山村，意境由近推远、由实入虚，清空悠远，余味不尽；以声破静，「一声」鸡鸣划破空旷的冬山，愈显山行之幽静，是「鸟鸣山更幽」传统的化用。两句一问一答、有声无形，把山行之趣推向高潮又戛然而止，深得「含不尽之意见于言外」之妙，是梅尧臣以淡语造远境、以声景写幽趣的点睛之笔。

The tail couplet closes in the question, naming the scene through sound, restrained and pregnant, the poem's most flavorful stroke. The poet lost for long, and suddenly asks where the homestead is, the question naturally inheriting the secluded path's losing of the way; and the answer not by sight, but by hearing — beyond the clouds, one cock's crow, telling the human fireside is there in the deep of the white clouds. The one cock's crow names the human smoke, the beauty in not saying the answer directly, letting the reader follow the sound to gaze afar and imagine the cloud-hidden village, the realm from near to far, from the real to the imagined, lucid and distant, the aftertone unending; breaking stillness through sound, the one cock's crow cutting the empty winter mountain, the mountain walk's quiet the deeper, the transformation of the birdsong makes the mountain stiller tradition. Two lines, one question one answer, sound and no form, pushing the mountain-walking charm to the peak and closing abruptly, precisely the deep skill of the unspoken meaning beyond the words, the telling stroke of Mei's distant realm in the plain words and the secluded charm through the sound scene.

Study

Word focus

适 shi: indicates that the scenery perfectly matches the poet's disposition, establishing the poem's leisurely mood. 「适与野情惬」之「适」字，是全诗起笔的诗眼，写山行之景恰合诗人性情。适有恰好、适合、适意多重含义，此处兼有「恰好相遇」与「正合心意」两层：山中景致不期然而然，正合我喜爱野情的本性，人与景一拍即合，物我两惬。「适」字轻轻一点，便把客观之景与主观之情打成一片，一句定下全篇闲适愉悦的基调，统摄后文千山、好峰、熊鹿、鸡声等一切景物，皆为此「惬」而设。若用「喜」「爱」则直露，唯「适」字兼有恰逢其时的偶然感与称心快意的满足感，平淡而隽永，正合梅尧臣「意新语工」的炼字追求，也可见其开篇即以一字立骨、以情统景的功力。

迷 mi: 'lost' - conveys the poet's absorption in the scenery, turning getting lost into a delightful experience. 「幽径独行迷」之「迷」字，以失路写沉醉，化拘束为意趣，是全诗情感的关键字。迷本指迷失道路，此处却毫无慌张之意，而是写诗人独行幽径，为山景所吸引而忘路之远近、不辨东西，「迷」中自有悠然。此字妙在双关：既写路径之幽深曲折、容易迷失，更写人心之迷恋山色、乐而忘返，客观的路与主观的情在此合而为一。同时，「独行」与「迷」相配，见诗人独自一人、无伴无扰，正可尽情流连，也见其野情之真、山行之乐。一个「迷」字，把迷路的寻常经历写成醉心山水的诗意境界，是梅尧臣善以常字造妙境、化俗为雅的典型，为尾联「人家在何许」的疑问作了铺垫。

一声 yisheng: 'one sound' - the single crow breaks the silence, implying human presence with endless resonance. 「云外一声鸡」之「一声」，以声破静、以少胜多，是全诗收束的妙笔。「一声」极言其少，唯其少，才显得空旷寂寥的山野如此静谧；唯其静，这一声鸡鸣才如此清晰，穿透云外，直达耳际。以一声鸡鸣点出云外人家的存在，不写人家之屋舍、炊烟，而人烟气象已在想象之中，以听觉写视觉、以虚写实，含蓄蕴藉。「一声」与「云外」相配，声音来自天外，缥缈悠远，仿佛仙音，把山野之幽静推向极致，也把读者的目光引向白云深处，余韵不尽。二字看似平淡，实则是全诗「以声点景」手法的点睛之笔，正合梅尧臣「含不尽之意见于言外」的追求，堪称以少胜多的典范。