宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
满江红·敲碎离愁
Man Jiang Hong: Smashing the Sorrow of Parting
敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹。
人去后、吹箫声断，倚楼人独。
满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿。
但试将、一纸寄来书，从头读。
相思字，空盈幅。
相思意，何时足。
滴罗襟点点，泪珠盈掬。
芳草不迷行客路，垂杨只碍离人目。
最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲。
Since you left, the flute's song has broken off; the one leaning on the tower is alone.
My eyes cannot bear the late third month; I lift my head and feel a thousand mountains turning green.
Let me take the letter you sent, and read it through from the beginning.
Words of longing, they fill the page in vain.
The will to long for you, when will it ever be satisfied?
Drop by drop on my silk robe, tears gather a double handful.
The fragrant grass does not mislead the traveler's road; the drooping willows only block the parting one's eyes.
Bitterest of all: standing until the moon sets at dusk, by the winding railing.
Meaning
A tender, melancholic lyric in which Xin Qiji, famous for bold patriotic verse, shows his softer side. After a beloved departs, the speaker cannot break free of longing: the wind-rattled bamboo seems to mock the wish to smash grief, and the letter from the absent one is read over and over, its characters of love filling the page in vain. Tears soak the silk robe, and even spring's green mountains are painful because they mark time passing without the beloved. The poem ends on the image of a figure standing by the railing until the moon sets at dusk, love rendered as a kind of stubborn vigil.
敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹。人去后、吹箫声断，倚楼人独。满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿。但试将、一纸寄来书，从头读。相思字，空盈幅。相思意，何时足。滴罗襟点点，泪珠盈掬。芳草不迷行客路，垂杨只碍离人目。最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] Outside the gauze window the wind shakes the green bamboo, as if the noise could break the weight of parting sorrow. Since the beloved went, the flute has fallen silent and the person on the tower is alone. The dying third month is too much for the eyes; the lifted head already feels the green of a thousand mountains. Take out the letter and read it again from the start: words of longing fill the sheet emptily, and the longing itself can never be filled. Tears drip on the silk robe, a cupped double handful. Sweet grass will not lead the traveler astray; hanging willows only cloud the eyes of the one left behind. The bitterest thing: standing till the moon sets at yellow dusk, leaning on the winding rail. [Imagery and Craft] The opening verb to smash is startling, since grief is usually poured out rather than shattered, and it sets the tone of helpless effort. The middle distills longing into two parallel three-word sentences whose emptiness and insufficiency are echoed by the in vain and the when enough that follow. The close turns static: standing until the moon sets at dusk converts emotion into a duration, and the curved railing, the classic perch of the pining watcher in Tang and Song poetry, seals the poem in a literary echo.
【白话串讲】 辛弃疾写《满江红·敲碎离愁》：“敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹”——“人去后、吹箫声断，倚楼人独”——“满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿”——“相思字，空盈幅。相思意，何时足”——他写离愁——敲碎离愁。 【意象与手法】 “敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹”以风摇翠竹敲碎离愁写别绪；“人去后、吹箫声断，倚楼人独”写倚楼独望；“满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿”以三月暮千山绿写春去；“相思字，空盈幅。相思意，何时足”以反复写相思；结以“最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲”以立尽月黄昏写痴望。沉郁深婉。 【情感与主旨】 辛弃疾写离愁相思之作，写别后的孤寂与相思，以“敲碎离愁”的奇语写愁绪之重，体现稼轩词婉约与豪放兼备的风格。 【名句点睛】 常考“敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹”以风摇翠竹写敲碎离愁；“最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲”以立尽月黄昏写痴望。
Background
Xin Qiji (1140-1207), courtesy name You'an, studio name Jiaxuan, was a native of Licheng (modern Jinan, Shandong). Born while north China lay under Jin rule, he raised a volunteer force in his teens, joined the Southern Song and won early fame, yet his career was twice sidetracked by cautious, appeasement-minded courtiers, and he spent long years in retirement or minor rural posts. His lyrics range from the most fervent patriotic calls to tender, delicate love-longing like this piece. The poem belongs to the tender mode of the Jiaxuan school: even here his unerring sense for a telling verb, to smash, to read from the start, to stand till the moon sets, keeps the sentiment from dissolving into prettiness. It is a standard anthology piece for studying Xin Qiji's stylistic breadth, alongside his bold Po zhen zi.
《满江红·敲碎离愁》为南宋词人辛弃疾所作词。辛弃疾（1140—1207），字幼安，号稼轩，历城（今山东济南）人，南宋词人，「豪放派」代表。此词写感怀相思，为敲碎离愁之作。词中「敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹」写敲碎离愁，纱窗外风摇翠竹；「人去后、吹箫声断，倚楼人独」写人去后吹箫声断，倚楼人独；「满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿」写满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿；「相思字，空盈幅。相思意，何时足」写相思字空盈幅，相思意何时足；「最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲」写最苦是立尽月黄昏，栏干曲。辛弃疾此词以感怀相思、最苦是立尽月黄昏写其相思之情，沉郁深婉，是辛弃疾词中的名篇。此篇《满江红·敲碎离愁》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 poem's craft lies in three moves. First, a shocking verb at the outset: to smash the sorrow of parting treats grief as a solid object that might be broken, an impossible act that measures its weight. Second, the letter scene: reading from the head is a small domestic ritual that reveals obsession without a word of comment, and the paired terse lines, words of longing filling the sheet in vain and the will to long, when will it be enough, use parallelism to let feeling double back on itself. Third, the shift from interior to landscape: a thousand mountains turning green marks the season's indifference to private grief, and the willows that hinder the parting one's eyes turn plants into obstacles to vision, so the very landscape seems to conspire against reunion. The close freezes the figure into a silhouette, converting time itself into the measure of longing.
此词艺术上以「沉郁深婉、以愁写情」见长。全词共十九句，由敲碎离愁而去人后吹箫声断而满眼不堪三月暮。起「敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹」写敲碎离愁：敲碎离愁，纱窗外风摇翠竹；「人去后、吹箫声断，倚楼人独」写人去后吹箫声断：人去后吹箫声断，倚楼人独；「满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿」写满眼不堪三月暮：满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿；「相思字，空盈幅。相思意，何时足」写相思字空盈幅：相思字空盈幅，相思意何时足；结「最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲」写最苦是立尽月黄昏：最苦是立尽月黄昏，栏干曲。全词以愁写情，由敲碎离愁而最苦是立尽月黄昏，沉郁深婉，是辛弃疾词中的名篇。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 lyric's allusions are woven lightly into landscape. The broken flute-song echoes the classic flute-duet of Nongyu and Xiao Shi, the archetypal loving pair who ascended to immortality on their flutes, so the silence of the flute marks a paradise ended. Reading the letter from the head recalls the fish letter, the classical poetic name for a missive from an absent dear one. The fragrant grass not misleading the traveler's road inverts the ancient conceit of grass confusing the seeker: the poet wishes the grass would guide the beloved home, yet even this comfort fails, for only the willows hinder the watcher's gaze. The closing winding rail invokes the long tradition of the tower-leaning watcher, from Wang Changling's do not let the sorrow of parting grow in the jade tower to Fan Zhongyan's leaning alone on the rail at the tower's height. Each allusion is absorbed into the scene rather than displayed, a mark of Jiaxuan's polish in his tender mode.
词中「敲碎离愁纱窗外风摇翠竹」「人去后吹箫声断倚楼人独」「满眼不堪三月暮举头已觉千山绿」「但试将一纸寄来书从头读」「相思字空盈幅相思意何时足」「滴罗襟点点泪珠盈掬」「芳草不迷行客路垂杨只碍离人目」「最苦是立尽月黄昏栏干曲」等语，皆含典故故实。「敲碎离愁纱窗外风摇翠竹」写敲碎离愁纱窗外风摇翠竹；「人去后吹箫声断倚楼人独」用吹箫之典（吹箫写弄玉箫史），写人去后吹箫声断倚楼人独；「满眼不堪三月暮举头已觉千山绿」写满眼不堪三月暮举头已觉千山绿；「但试将一纸寄来书从头读」用鱼书之典（鱼书写书信），写但试将一纸寄来书从头读；「相思字空盈幅相思意何时足」写相思字空盈幅相思意何时足；「滴罗襟点点泪珠盈掬」写滴罗襟点点泪珠盈掬；「芳草不迷行客路垂杨只碍离人目」写芳草不迷行客路垂杨只碍离人目；「最苦是立尽月黄昏栏干曲」写最苦是立尽月黄昏栏干曲。词人以吹箫、鱼书等典入词，不着痕迹，而把感怀相思之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
Critics have long prized this lyric as proof that Xin Qiji's talent was not confined to heroic spleen. The Ming and Qing anthologists noted that the bold and the tender are two faces of one man, and this piece is the tender face at its most disciplined. Its most celebrated line, standing until the moon sets at dusk, by the winding rail, has been read as the poet's own standing vigil: a man who spent his life watching the horizon for a lost northern homeland may pour national grief into the posture of a private watcher. The poem's small domestic gestures, a letter re-read, tears soaking the robe, a railing leaned on till moonset, give it an intimacy that stands in instructive contrast to the public grandeur of his Po zhen zi. For students, the piece demonstrates how a great poet can handle a conventional theme and make it new through exactness of verb and a refusal of easy consolation.
这首《满江红·敲碎离愁》，是辛弃疾写感怀相思之作，写敲碎离愁、人去后吹箫声断、相思字空盈幅、最苦是立尽月黄昏之情，沉郁深婉。起「敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹」——敲碎离愁，纱窗外风摇翠竹。写敲碎离愁：敲碎离愁、纱窗外风摇翠竹——敲碎离愁、风摇翠竹；「人去后、吹箫声断，倚楼人独」——人去后吹箫声断（用吹箫之典），倚楼人独。写人去后吹箫声断：人去后吹箫声断、倚楼人独——吹箫声断、倚楼人独；「满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿」——满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿。写满眼不堪三月暮：满眼不堪三月暮、举头已觉千山绿——不堪三月暮、已觉千山绿；「相思字，空盈幅。相思意，何时足」——相思字，空盈幅，相思意，何时足。写相思字空盈幅：相思字空盈幅、相思意何时足——空盈幅、何时足；结「最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲」——最苦是立尽月黄昏，栏干曲。写最苦是立尽月黄昏：最苦是立尽月黄昏、栏干曲——立尽月黄昏、栏干曲。这「最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲」，是全词之结：以最苦是立尽月黄昏写其相思。全词沉郁深婉，以愁写情，正是辛弃疾词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹。
Smash the sorrow of parting, beyond the gauze window the wind sways the emerald bamboo.
敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹。
The wind shakes the green bamboo beyond the gauze window, beating my parting grief to pieces.
首句写敲碎离愁，起笔即见其愁。「敲碎离愁」写敲碎离愁，「敲碎」写敲碎、「离愁」写离愁；「纱窗外、风摇翠竹」写纱窗外风摇翠竹，「纱窗外」写纱窗外、「风摇翠竹」写风摇翠竹。两句一写敲碎离愁、一写纱窗外风摇翠竹，以敲碎离愁写敲碎离愁、以纱窗外风摇翠竹写风摇翠竹，写尽敲碎离愁、纱窗外风摇翠竹之情。以愁起兴，沉郁而深婉，是「以愁起兴」的妙笔。
The opening writes the grief beaten to pieces, the grief present at the first stroke. The wind shakes the green bamboo beyond the gauze window, beating my parting grief to pieces writes the beating and the grief; beyond the gauze window, the wind shakes the green bamboo writes the window and the bamboo. Two lines, one the beaten grief, one the wind-shaken bamboo, writing the grief's breaking and the bamboo's shaking, exhausting the grief and the bamboo. Rising on grief, somber and deep, precisely the wondrous brush of rising on grief.
满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿。
My eyes cannot bear the late third month; I lift my head and feel a thousand mountains turning green.
满眼不堪三月暮，举头已觉千山绿。
All before my eyes, the unbearable late third month; raising my head, I already feel the thousand mountains green.
此句写满眼不堪三月暮，是全词写三月之态的关键。「满眼不堪三月暮」写满眼不堪三月暮，「满眼不堪」写满眼不堪、「三月暮」写三月暮；「举头已觉千山绿」写举头已觉千山绿，「举头已觉」写举头已觉、「千山绿」写千山绿。两句一写满眼不堪三月暮、一写举头已觉千山绿，以满眼不堪三月暮写不堪三月暮、以举头已觉千山绿写千山绿，写尽满眼不堪三月暮、举头已觉千山绿之情。以春写愁，沉郁而深婉，是「以春写愁」的点睛之笔。
This line writes the unbearable late third month, the key of the ci's third-month mood. All before my eyes, the unbearable late third month writes the unbearable and the late month; raising my head, I already feel the thousand mountains green writes the raised head and the green mountains. Two lines, one the unbearable late month, one the raised head and green mountains, writing the late month's burden and the thousand mountains' green, exhausting the scene. Writing grief through spring, somber and deep, precisely the telling stroke of writing grief through spring.
相思字，空盈幅。
Words of longing, they fill the page in vain.
相思字，空盈幅。
The characters of longing, empty on the page.
此句写相思字空盈幅，是全词写相思之态的关键。「相思字」写相思字，「相思」写相思、「字」写字；「空盈幅」写空盈幅，「空盈」写空盈、「幅」写幅。两句一写相思字、一写空盈幅，以相思字写相思字、以空盈幅写空盈幅，写尽相思字、空盈幅之情。以字写情，沉郁而深婉，是「以字写情」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。
This line writes the longing characters empty on the page, the key of the ci's longing. The characters of longing writes the longing; empty on the page writes the empty fullness of the page. Two lines, one the longing characters, one the empty page, writing the letter and the void, exhausting the longing. Writing feeling through the characters, somber and deep, precisely the telling stroke of writing feeling through the characters. This line in the few words exhausts the deep meaning, feeling and charm both supreme, precisely the poem's telling stroke. Its hidden waves between the words, the turns within the plainness, require the repeated savouring to grasp its heart.
最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲。
Bitterest of all: standing until the moon sets at dusk, by the winding railing.
最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲。
The bitterest thing: standing through the moonlit dusk, at the railing's bend.
结句写最苦是立尽月黄昏，是全词立意的落点。「最苦是」写最苦是，「最苦」写最苦、「是」写是；「立尽月黄昏」写立尽月黄昏，「立尽」写立尽、「月黄昏」写月黄昏；「栏干曲」写栏干曲，「栏干」写栏干、「曲」写曲。三句一写最苦是、一写立尽月黄昏、一写栏干曲，以最苦是写最苦、以立尽月黄昏写月黄昏、以栏干曲写栏干曲，写尽最苦是、立尽月黄昏、栏干曲之情。以苦写情，沉郁而深婉，是全词最动人处，也是「以苦写情」的点睛之笔。
The close writes the bitterest standing through the moonlit dusk, the landing of the ci's theme. The bitterest thing writes the bitterest; standing through the moonlit dusk writes the dusk; at the railing's bend writes the bent railing. Three lines, one the bitterest, one the moonlit dusk, one the railing bend, writing the bitterness, the dusk, the bent rail, exhausting the standing. Writing feeling through bitterness, somber and deep, the ci's most moving place, and the telling stroke of writing feeling through bitterness.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Liu Yong's 'thinking of her on her tower of adornment, gazing expectantly, mistaking the distant sail for the returning boat how many times' looks outward across water for the absent traveler; Xin Qiji's watcher stands inward, by a rail, till the moon itself sets. Liu Yong's longing is clear-browed and lyrical, Xin Qiji's dark and clenched. Read together, they show two Song manners of the same posture, the pining gaze.
柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「想佳人妆楼颙望，误几回、天际识归舟」，写相思羁旅、凝望天涯，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；辛弃疾《满江红·敲碎离愁》则以「最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲」「相思字，空盈幅。相思意，何时足」写立尽月黄昏、相思字空盈幅。两词同写相思羁旅、凝望天涯：一写误几回天际识归舟、以凝望写思归，一写最苦是立尽月黄昏栏干曲、以黄昏写相思；一为柳永之清丽、一为辛弃疾之沉郁，并读正可见词写「相思凝望」的两种笔法，皆于相思之中见凝望。
水调歌头·明月几时有 Shui diao ge tou: When Will the Moon Be Clear and Bright? 苏轼 · 同写感怀相思、超然旷达，一写人有悲欢离合、一写敲碎离愁纱窗外风摇翠竹，皆于感怀之中见相思 Both are meditations on separation, one rising to 'men have sorrow and joy, parting and reunion,' the other staying inside the room to smash the sorrow of parting.Su Shi's 'men have sorrow and joy, coming together and parting, the moon has its dark and clear, its waxing and waning, such things have been hard to perfect since antiquity' lifts parting into philosophical consolation and the blessing 'may we all live long, though far apart, sharing the moon's beauty.' Xin Qiji's lyric never lifts from the room: the letter, the tears and the rail hold the grief at body scale. Where Su Shi transcended, Xin Qiji endured, two great answers to the same human fact.
苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全」，写感怀旷达，是宋词长调的名篇；辛弃疾《满江红·敲碎离愁》则以「敲碎离愁，纱窗外、风摇翠竹」「最苦是、立尽月黄昏，栏干曲」写敲碎离愁、立尽月黄昏。两词同写感怀相思、超然旷达：一写人有悲欢离合、以悲欢写离合，一写敲碎离愁纱窗外风摇翠竹、以离愁写相思；一为苏轼之超然、一为辛弃疾之沉郁，并读正可见词写「感怀相思」的两种笔法，皆于感怀之中见相思。