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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

少年游·离多最是

Wandering While Young: Partings Are the Most

晏几道

Yan Jidao

离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢。
浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中。
可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重。
细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同。

Partings are the most —
The waters flowing east and west
In the end understand the two meetings.
The shallow feeling in the end is like
The moving clouds without fixity —
Yet they still reach into the dream-soul.
Pitiable is the human intention,
Thinner than the clouds and the water —
The good meetings are even harder to repeat.
Think carefully: of all the past
Heart-breaking places,
None is the same as this one.
Listen

Meaning

A lyric of the partings and the shallow feeling, written by Yan Jidao. Partings are the most: the waters flowing east and west — the streams that part — in the end understand the two meetings, for the waters can meet again. The shallow feeling is like the moving clouds without fixity — yet the clouds still reach into the dream-soul. Pitiable is the human intention, thinner than the clouds and the water — the good meetings are even harder to repeat. And the close: think carefully, of all the past heart-breaking places, none is the same as this one. The lyric is the meditation on the partings: the waters that meet again, the clouds that reach the dream, and the human intention thinner than both.

离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢。浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中。可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重。细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Partings are the most — the waters flowing east and west in the end understand the two meetings. The shallow feeling in the end is like the moving clouds without fixity — yet they still reach into the dream-soul. Pitiable is the human intention, thinner than the clouds and the water — the good meetings are even harder to repeat. Think carefully: of all the past heart-breaking places, none is the same as this one. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves through the three comparisons — the waters that can meet again, the clouds that reach the dream, the human intention thinner than both — to the close's assertion that this parting is beyond all the past heart-breaks. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the progression of the comparisons: the waters and the clouds are set against the human feeling, each comparison making the parting deeper, until the close declares this one the deepest of all. [Emotional Tone] Tender, melancholy, and precise: the lyric is the meditation on the partings, the shallow feeling and the hard repetition measured against the waters and the clouds.

【白话串讲】 晏几道写《少年游·离多最是》：“离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢”——“浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中”——“可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重”——“细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同”——他写离别——离多最是。 【意象与手法】 “离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢”以流水喻离别终会相逢；“浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中”以行云喻浅情；“可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重”写人意之薄；结以“细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同”写此番断肠尤甚。以物喻情、深婉动人。 【情感与主旨】 晏几道写离别之词，以流水、行云为喻写离多会少、人意之薄，结以“不与者番同”写此番离别尤苦，体现晏几道词婉约深婉的风格。 【名句点睛】 常考“离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢”以流水喻离别；“可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重”以云水写人意之薄。

Background

Yan Jidao (c. 1038–c. 1110), the son of the prime minister Yan Shu, was the most tender of the Northern Song lyricists, famous for his lyrics of the love and the parting, the memory and the dream. This 'Wandering While Young' lyric is a meditation on the partings, comparing the human feeling with the waters and the clouds. The lyric shows Yan Jidao's characteristic precision: the comparisons are exact, and the feeling is measured with the utmost delicacy.

《少年游·离多最是》为宋代词人晏几道所作词。晏几道（1038—1110），字叔原，号小山，抚州临川（今江西进贤）人，北宋词人，晏殊之子。此词写抒情离愁，为咏离愁之作。词中「离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢」写离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢；「浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中」写浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中；「可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重」写可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重；「细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同」写细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同。晏几道此词以抒情离愁、不与者番同写其离愁之情，深婉动人，是晏几道词中的名篇。此篇《少年游·离多最是》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《少年游·离多最是》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 lyric's art is the art of the exact comparison. The waters flowing east and west in the end understand the two meetings — the streams that part can meet again, unlike the parted lovers. The shallow feeling is like the moving clouds without fixity — yet the clouds still reach into the dream-soul, unlike the feeling that does not. Pitiable is the human intention, thinner than the clouds and the water — the good meetings are even harder to repeat. And the close gathers the whole: think carefully, of all the past heart-breaking places, none is the same as this one. Each comparison is exact, and the progression deepens the parting until the final assertion of the unique heart-break.

此词艺术上以「深婉动人、以水写情」见长。全词共八句，由离多最是而浅情终似而可怜人意。起「离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢」写离多最是：离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢；「浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中」写浅情终似：浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中；「可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重」写可怜人意：可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重；结「细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同」写不与者番同：细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同。全词以水写情，由离多最是而不与者番同，深婉动人，是晏几道词中的名篇。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。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 carries no learned allusion; its art is the plain comparison. 'The waters flowing east and west' (dongxi liushui) are the streams parting in their courses; 'the moving clouds without fixity' (xingyun wuding) are the clouds that drift; 'the dream-soul' (menghun) is the soul that reaches the beloved in the dream; and 'the good meetings' (jiahui) are the happy reunions, harder to repeat than the clouds' return to the dream.

词中「离多最是东西流水终解两相逢」「浅情终似行云无定犹到梦魂中」「可怜人意薄于云水佳会更难重」「细想从来断肠多处不与者番同」等语，皆含典故故实。「离多最是东西流水终解两相逢」用流水之典（流水东西写离分），写离多最是东西流水终解两相逢；「浅情终似行云无定犹到梦魂中」用行云之典（行云无定写飘忽），写浅情终似行云无定犹到梦魂中；「可怜人意薄于云水佳会更难重」写可怜人意薄于云水佳会更难重；「细想从来断肠多处不与者番同」写细想从来断肠多处不与者番同。词人以流水、行云之典入词，不着痕迹，而把抒情离愁之情写得真切可感，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 lyric is one of Yan Jidao's most precise meditations on the parting, quoted for the exactness of its comparisons. The waters that can meet again, the clouds that reach the dream, and the human intention thinner than both — the progression is among the most admired in the short lyric. Critics praise the lyric's delicacy: the feeling measured against the waters and the clouds, and declared beyond all the past heart-breaks.

这首《少年游·离多最是》，是晏几道写抒情离愁之作，写离多最是、浅情终似、可怜人意、不与者番同之情，深婉动人。起「离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢」——离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢。写离多最是：离多最是、东西流水、终解两相逢——离多、流水、两相逢；「浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中」——浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中。写浅情终似：浅情终似、行云无定、犹到梦魂中——浅情、行云、梦魂中；「可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重」——可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重。写可怜人意：可怜人意、薄于云水、佳会更难重——人意、云水、难重；结「细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同」——细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同。写不与者番同：细想从来、断肠多处、不与者番同——断肠、者番同。这「细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同」，是全词之结：以不与者番同写其离愁。全词深婉动人，以水写情，正是晏几道词中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。

Prosody

Form Shaonianyou (Wandering While Young), a short lyric词（少年游）
Rhyme The lyric rhymes on the level-tone feng, zhong, zhong, nan and tong — the flowing, level rhyme that carries the meditation's precision.此调为少年游。押韵：「逢」「中」「重」「同」押东冬部韵。此词依少年游词牌填制，音节婉转，正与写抒情离愁的深婉动人相称，也见其以少年游写离愁的深婉。
Tone pattern The cadence is that of the measured comparison: the level opening on the partings, the turning with the waters and the clouds, and the close's precise fall on the unique heart-break.句式上，「离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢」写离多最是，音节低回；「浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中」写浅情终似，音节婉转；「可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重」写可怜人意，音节沉婉；结「细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同」写不与者番同，音节悠长。全词音节随情起伏，由低回而婉转、由沉婉而悠长，正合少年游「深婉」之妙，读来如抒情离愁、不与者番同之音，深婉而动人。
Reading note The lyric's sound matches its precise meditation: the flowing level rhymes of the feng group carry the comparisons in the even, measured cadence, and the close — 'bu yu zhe fan tong' — falls with the final assertion, the sound of the feeling measured and placed beyond all the past.此调为少年游，是晏几道写抒情离愁之作，也是其词中的名篇。全词的艺术特色在于「深婉动人、以水写情」：「离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢」写离多最是、「浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中」写浅情终似、「可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重」写可怜人意、「细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同」写不与者番同。全词深婉动人，以水写情。尤为精妙者，是「东西流水」用流水之典；而「不与者番同」写尽者番同之情，正是晏几道词「深婉动人」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《少年游·离多最是》一诗之所以读来声情并茂，正在于诗人以声韵配合情思、以节奏烘托意境，音节之长短、平仄之起伏，皆与诗意相为表里，此亦可见中国古典诗歌声律之美与匠心之工。

Line by line

离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢。

Partings are the most — the waters flowing east and west in the end understand the two meetings.

离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢。

The greatest parting grief, like the east-west flowing water, and yet it knows to meet again.

起句写离多最是，起笔即见其离。「离多最是」写离多最是，「离多」写离多、「最是」写最是；「东西流水，终解两相逢」用流水之典写东西流水，终解两相逢，「东西流水」写东西流水、「终解两相逢」写终解两相逢。一句写离多最是东西流水终解两相逢，以离多最是写离多、以终解两相逢写两相逢，写尽离多最是、东西流水，终解两相逢之情。以水起兴，深婉而动人，是「以水起兴」的妙笔。

The opening writes the parting-grief-the-greatest, the parting present at the first stroke. The parting grief the greatest writes the parting grief and the the-most; the east-west flowing water, and yet it knows to meet again uses the flowing-water allusion, the east-west water and the knowing-meeting. One line, the parting-grief through the parting grief, the mutual meeting through the knowing-meeting, exhausting the parting grief and the water's meeting. Rising on water, graceful and moving, a wondrous brush of rising-on-water.

浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中。

The shallow feeling in the end is like the moving clouds without fixity — yet they still reach into the dream-soul.

浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中。

The shallow feeling, after all, is like the drifting cloud, unsettled; yet it still comes to my dreaming soul.

此句写浅情终似，是全词写浅情之态的关键。「浅情终似」写浅情终似，「浅情」写浅情、「终似」写终似；「行云无定，犹到梦魂中」用行云之典写行云无定，犹到梦魂中，「行云无定」写行云无定、「犹到梦魂中」写犹到梦魂中。一句写浅情终似行云无定犹到梦魂中，以浅情终似写浅情、以犹到梦魂中写梦魂中，写尽浅情终似、行云无定，犹到梦魂中之情。以云写情，深婉而动人，是「以云写情」的点睛之笔。

This line writes the shallow feeling's after-all, the ci's shallow-feeling-state key. The shallow feeling, after all, is like writes the shallow feeling and the after-all-like; the drifting cloud, unsettled, yet it still comes to my dreaming soul uses the drifting-cloud allusion, the unsettled cloud and the still-coming-to-the-dream. One line, the shallow feeling through the shallow feeling, the dream-soul through the still-coming, exhausting the shallow feeling and the cloud's coming to the dream. Writing feeling through cloud, graceful and moving, a telling stroke of feeling-through-cloud.

可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重。

Pitiable is the human intention, thinner than the clouds and the water — the good meetings are even harder to repeat.

可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重。

Pity the human heart, thinner than the cloud and water; the fair meeting is harder to repeat.

此句写可怜人意，是全词写人意之态的关键。「可怜人意」写可怜人意，「可怜」写可怜、「人意」写人意；「薄于云水，佳会更难重」写薄于云水，佳会更难重，「薄于云水」写薄于云水、「佳会更难重」写佳会更难重。一句写可怜人意薄于云水佳会更难重，以可怜人意写人意、以佳会更难重写难重，写尽可怜人意、薄于云水，佳会更难重之情。以云写情，深婉而动人，是「以云写情」的点睛之笔。

This line writes the pity-the-human-heart, the ci's human-feeling-state key. Pity the human heart writes the pity and the human heart; thinner than the cloud and water, the fair meeting is harder to repeat writes the thinner-than-cloud-and-water and the hard-to-repeat. One line, the human feeling through the human heart, the hard-to-repeat through the harder, exhausting the pity and the harder meeting. Writing feeling through cloud, graceful and moving, a telling stroke of feeling-through-cloud.

细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同。

Think carefully: of all the past heart-breaking places, none is the same as this one.

细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同。

Thinking it through, all the past gut-breaking times are not like this one.

结句写细想从来，是全词立意的落点。「细想从来」写细想从来，「细想」写细想、「从来」写从来；「断肠多处，不与者番同」写断肠多处，不与者番同，「断肠多处」写断肠多处、「不与者番同」写不与者番同。一句写细想从来断肠多处不与者番同，以细想从来写从来、以不与者番同写者番同，写尽细想从来、断肠多处，不与者番同之情。以肠写情，深婉而动人，是全词最动人处，也是「以肠写情」的点睛之笔。

The close writes the thinking-it-through, the landing of the ci's theme. Thinking it through writes the careful thought and the ever-since; all the past gut-breaking times are not like this one writes the many-gut-breaking and the not-like-this-time. One line, the ever-since through the careful thought, the this-time's-sameness through the not-like, exhausting the thought and the unlike times. Writing feeling through the gut, graceful and moving, the ci's most moving place.

Study

Word focus

流水 'The flowing waters' — the streams flowing east and west, that in the end meet again, the first comparison. 「流水」写东西流水终解两相逢，是写流水之态的关键。「东西流水终解两相逢」着一「流水」，写流水——着一「流水」，写东西流水终解两相逢，见其水之流。两字写尽流水之态，是「以词写水」的妙笔。「流水」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。
行云 'The moving clouds' — the drifting clouds without fixity, that still reach into the dream-soul, the second comparison. 「行云」写行云无定犹到梦魂中，是写行云之态的关键。「行云无定犹到梦魂中」着一「行云」，写行云——着一「行云」，写行云无定犹到梦魂中，见其云之行。两字写尽行云之态，是「以词写云」的点睛之词。「行云」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。
佳会 'The good meetings' — the happy reunions, harder to repeat than the clouds' return, the measure of the parting. 「佳会」写佳会更难重，是写佳会之态的关键。「薄于云水佳会更难重」着一「佳会」，写佳会——着一「佳会」，写佳会更难重，见其会之佳。两字写尽佳会之态，是「以词写会」的点睛之词。「佳会」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。
断肠 'Heart-breaking' — the heart-breaking places of the past, against which this parting is placed beyond. 「断肠」写断肠多处不与者番同，是写断肠之态的关键。「断肠多处不与者番同」着一「断肠」，写断肠——着一「断肠」，写断肠多处不与者番同，见其肠之断。两字写尽断肠之态，是「以词写肠」的点睛之词。「断肠」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。

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水调歌头·明月几时有 Prelude to Water Melody: When Did the Bright Moon Begin? 苏轼 · 同写离思感怀、深婉旷达，一写人有悲欢离合、一写离多最是东西流水终解两相逢，皆于离思之中见深婉 Both are the Song meditations on the parting — Su Shi's philosophical consolation of the moon, Yan Jidao's precise measure of the feeling.

Su Shi's 'Prelude to Water Melody' — 'people have joys and sorrows, partings and reunions' — resolves the parting in the philosophical necessity; Yan Jidao's lyric is the tender version — the waters and the clouds measured against the feeling, and this parting declared beyond all the past.

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」，写离思感怀、深婉旷达，是宋词长调的名篇；晏几道《少年游·离多最是》则以「离多最是，东西流水，终解两相逢」「浅情终似，行云无定，犹到梦魂中」写东西流水、犹到梦魂中。两词同写离思感怀、深婉旷达：一写人有悲欢离合、以悲欢写离合，一写离多最是东西流水终解两相逢、以流水写离愁；一为苏轼之旷达、一为晏几道之深婉，并读正可见词写「离思感怀」的两种笔法，皆于离思之中见深婉。

 八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Eight Beats of Ganzhou: Facing the Evening Rain That Spatters the Long River 柳永 · 同写江上离思、深婉凝望，一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写可怜人意薄于云水佳会更难重，皆于江上之中见离思 Both are the Song lyrics of the parting's depth — Liu Yong's evening rain and the rail, Yan Jidao's waters and clouds measured.

Liu Yong's 'Eight Beats of Ganzhou' is the long lyric of the parting's desolation; Yan Jidao's short lyric is the precise version — the partings measured against the waters that meet again and the clouds that reach the dream, and this one placed beyond all.

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」，写江上离思、深婉凝望，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；晏几道《少年游·离多最是》则以「可怜人意，薄于云水，佳会更难重」「细想从来，断肠多处，不与者番同」写薄于云水、断肠多处。两词同写江上离思、深婉凝望：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写可怜人意薄于云水佳会更难重、以云水写离愁；一为柳永之清丽、一为晏几道之深婉，并读正可见词写「江上离思」的两种笔法，皆于江上之中见离思。