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宋 Song · 文 Prose

岳阳楼记

On the Yueyang Tower

范仲淹

Fan Zhongyan

名篇Theme 写景Scenery 议论Theme 忧国Concern for the country

庆历四年春，滕子京谪守巴陵郡。
越明年，政通人和，百废具兴，乃重修岳阳楼，增其旧制，刻唐贤今人诗赋于其上。
属予作文以记之。
予观夫巴陵胜状，在洞庭一湖。
衔远山，吞长江，浩浩汤汤，横无际涯；
朝晖夕阴，气象万千。
此则岳阳楼之大观也，前人之述备矣。

In the fourth year of the Qingli era, in the spring,
Teng Zijing was relegated to be the governor of the Baling commandery.
The next year, the government, harmonious, the people, at peace,
The hundred neglected matters, all, revived,
Then, the Yueyang Tower was rebuilt,
Adding to its old structure,
Carving the poems and the fu of the worthy men of the Tang, the present men, upon it.
Entrusting me, to compose the prose, to record it.
I observe, the fine scenery of the Baling,
Lies in the one lake of the Dongting.
Embracing the far mountains,
Swallowing the long river,
Vast and grand, surging,
Boundless, without the horizon;
The morning glow, the evening gloom,
The appearances and the changes, ten thousand.
This, then, is the grand view of the Yueyang Tower,
The descriptions of the former men, complete, already.

Listen

Meaning

A prose of the grand view and the record, written by Fan Zhongyan. In the fourth year of the Qingli era, Teng Zijing was relegated to the Baling commandery, and the next year, the government harmonious, the hundred neglected matters revived, the Yueyang Tower was rebuilt with the poems carved upon it — the record of the rebuilding. I observe the fine scenery of the Baling lying in the one lake of the Dongting, embracing the far mountains, swallowing the long river, vast and surging, boundless — the grand view of the lake. The morning glow with the evening gloom, the appearances and the changes ten thousand — the changes of the scene. And the close's this then the grand view of the Yueyang Tower, the descriptions of the former men complete — the grand view of the close. The prose is the record and the grand view: the rebuilding, the lake of the Dongting, and the close's grand view.

庆历四年的春天，滕子京被贬谪做巴陵郡的太守。到了第二年，政务顺利、百姓和乐，各种荒废的事业都兴办起来了，于是重新修建岳阳楼，扩大它原来的规模，把唐朝贤人和当代名人的诗赋刻在楼上，嘱托我写一篇文章来记述这件事。我看那巴陵郡的美好景色，全在这洞庭一湖。它衔接着远处的群山，吞吐着滚滚长江，水势浩大、水波荡漾，广阔无边；早晨阳光明媚、傍晚天色昏暗，景象变化万千。这就是岳阳楼的雄伟景象，前人的记述已经很详尽了。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] In the fourth year of the Qingli era, in the spring, Teng Zijing was relegated to be the governor of the Baling commandery. The next year, the government, harmonious, the people, at peace, the hundred neglected matters, all, revived, then, the Yueyang Tower was rebuilt, adding to its old structure, carving the poems and the fu of the worthy men of the Tang, the present men, upon it. Entrusting me, to compose the prose, to record it. I observe, the fine scenery of the Baling, lies in the one lake of the Dongting. Embracing the far mountains, swallowing the long river, vast and grand, surging, boundless, without the horizon; the morning glow, the evening gloom, the appearances and the changes, ten thousand. This, then, is the grand view of the Yueyang Tower, the descriptions of the former men, complete, already. [Structure and Thought] The prose moves from the record of the rebuilding of the tower, through the fine scenery of the Baling lying in the lake, to the close's grand view with the descriptions of the former men complete. [Key Technique] The prose's art is the grandeur of the lake: the far mountains embraced and the long river swallowed, and the close's grand view with the descriptions complete — the grandeur gathered in the lake and the close's view. [Emotional Tone] Grand, broad, and serene: the prose is the record, the lake of the Dongting and the close's grand view.

【白话串讲】范仲淹写《岳阳楼记》：“庆历四年春，滕子京谪守巴陵郡”。“予观夫巴陵胜状，在洞庭一湖”——“先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐”——千古名句。“不以物喜，不以己悲”——他没有登过岳阳楼，却写出了最著名的楼记。【意象与手法】本文是范仲淹应友人之托而作的名篇，以「记」为体而以「论」为骨：先用寥寥数语交代作记缘由，再以「予观夫」三字转入登楼所见，湖光山色尽收笔底；语言骈散相间，「衔远山，吞长江」以四字对偶写湖山之雄，「浩浩汤汤，横无际涯」以叠词长句写水势之盛，骈句整饬、散句舒卷，节奏随文意起伏。【情感与主旨】文章虽只存前半，而「先忧后乐」的襟怀已隐伏其间：滕子京谪守而能「政通人和」，见其不以贬谪自伤；作者写洞庭气象万千，正为「览物之情，得无异乎」的千古之问蓄势，忧乐天下的怀抱呼之欲出。【名句点睛】「衔远山，吞长江」以「衔」「吞」二字炼出洞庭吞吐天地的气魄；「浩浩汤汤，横无际涯」写水势之壮，「气象万千」四字总括湖山朝暮之变，皆为千古传诵的写景名句。

Background

Fan Zhongyan (989–1052), the statesman and the poet of the Northern Song, wrote this 'On the Yueyang Tower' for Teng Zijing, the governor of the Baling — the record of the rebuilt tower. The record of the rebuilding with the government harmonious, the grand view of the Dongting with the far mountains embraced and the long river swallowed, and the close's grand view with the descriptions of the former men — the prose gathers the grand view of the tower, the beginning of the famous record. The prose is the opening of one of the most famous essays of the Song, known for the grand view of the Dongting.

范仲淹（989—1052），字希文，苏州吴县人，北宋著名的政治家、军事家、文学家，「庆历新政」的主持者。他出身贫寒，两岁丧父，母亲改嫁朱氏，少年时划粥断齑、刻苦读书，早年困顿的生涯养成了他体恤民瘼、忧国忧民的性格。天圣年间举进士，历任州县官，因敢于直言、政绩卓著屡得升迁；宝元年间西夏犯边，他出任陕西经略安抚副使，戍边数年，西夏人相诫「小范老子胸中有数万甲兵」，可见其声望。庆历三年（1043）他任参知政事，主持「庆历新政」，推行十项改革措施，触犯保守势力利益，不久遭贬。本文写于庆历六年（1046），时范仲淹因新政失败被贬知邓州；他的好友滕子京（滕宗谅）亦因被人弹劾而贬为岳州知州，到任后不以个人得失为怀，次年即「政通人和，百废具兴」，重修岳阳楼，并绘《洞庭晚秋图》请范仲淹作记。范仲淹并未亲临岳阳楼，却凭图运思、以文写心，把对友人「不以物喜，不以己悲」的勉励与「先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐」的怀抱融入文中，遂使一篇应酬之记成为千古名文。此文后由滕子京刻石立于楼中，欧阳修《偃虹堤记》、苏辙《黄州快哉亭记》皆承其绪而各有专胜。

Art

The prose's art is the art of the record and the grandeur. The record opens: in the fourth year of the Qingli era, in the spring — Teng Zijing was relegated to be the governor of the Baling commandery — the relegation of the record; the next year, the government, harmonious, the people, at peace — the hundred neglected matters, all, revived — the revival of the matters; then, the Yueyang Tower was rebuilt — adding to its old structure — carving the poems and the fu of the worthy men of the Tang, the present men, upon it — the carving of the poems; entrusting me, to compose the prose, to record it — the entrusting of the prose. The grandeur follows: I observe, the fine scenery of the Baling — lies in the one lake of the Dongting — the lake of the scenery; embracing the far mountains — swallowing the long river — vast and grand, surging — boundless, without the horizon — the embracing and the swallowing; the morning glow, the evening gloom — the appearances and the changes, ten thousand — the changes of the scene. And the close gathers the view: this, then, is the grand view of the Yueyang Tower — the descriptions of the former men, complete, already — the grand view of the close — the record, the lake and the close's grand view, gathered in the prose.

本文为「记」体，而章法上开北宋议论文之先声。文章以「叙—景—论」三层结构立骨：首段叙事，交代作记缘由，语极简净，「政通人和，百废具兴」八字写滕子京政绩，「属予作文以记之」一句点明题目；次段写景，以「予观夫」领起，总写洞庭之大观，先以「在洞庭一湖」一句收束巴陵胜状，再以「衔远山，吞长江」写湖山之雄，以「浩浩汤汤，横无际涯」写水势之壮，以「朝晖夕阴，气象万千」写景象之变，凡四层皆用对偶与铺陈，骈俪精工而气势磅礴；末以「前人之述备矣」顿住，不着一字写楼而楼在湖山气象之中。全文语言骈散相济：叙事散行流畅，写景骈偶整饬，议论则回环往复，三种语体随功能而转换，无一丝芜杂。修辞上最见功力者在炼字：写洞庭与山水的关系统以「衔」「吞」二字，化静为动，把湖写得有吞吐之态；「浩浩汤汤」叠用拟声拟状之词，「横无际涯」以「横」字写空间之阔，皆能以少总多。由本文可见范仲淹「以论为记」的文体自觉——记体本以叙事写景为主，他却使景物为议论张本，前此未有人如此结构，此即北宋古文运动「文以载道」精神在单篇中的落实。

Allusions

'The Qingli era' (Qingli) is the Qingli era — the era of the Renzong, the fourth year; 'Teng Zijing' (Teng Zijing) is Teng Zijing — the governor of the Baling, the friend of the poet; 'the Baling commandery' (Baling jun) is the Baling commandery — the commandery of the Baling, the place of the tower; 'the Dongting' (Dongting) is the Dongting — the lake of the Dongting, the lake of the grand view.

本文虽为写景记事之作，而文化内涵极为深厚。其一是「岳阳楼」的文化层累：岳阳楼始建于三国东吴鲁肃的阅军楼，唐代张说贬守岳州时扩建并定名，孟浩然《望洞庭湖赠张丞相》「气蒸云梦泽，波撼岳阳城」、杜甫《登岳阳楼》「吴楚东南坼，乾坤日夜浮」皆为此楼留下名句，范仲淹「衔远山，吞长江」实与杜诗「吴楚东南坼」同写洞庭吞吐天地的气象，是同一文化意象的接力。其二是「洞庭」意象的传统：自屈原《九歌·湘夫人》「袅袅兮秋风，洞庭波兮木叶下」始，洞庭即是骚人寄慨之地；范仲淹写洞庭之「气象万千」，正以楚地苍茫为底色。其三是「登楼览物」的传统：王粲《登楼赋》写登楼而怀乡，崔颢《黄鹤楼》写登楼而愁，至范仲淹则翻进一层，登楼所感不在个人得失而在天下兴亡，「不以物喜，不以己悲」直接化用《孟子》「穷则独善其身，达则兼济天下」的思想资源，把登楼之作提升为士大夫境界的宣言。其四是「滕子京谪守」的用事：滕子京与范仲淹同年进士、同为庆历新政中人，同遭贬谪而能「政通人和」，文中所寓正是对同道者「处江湖之远则忧其君」的勉励与自况。

Commentary

This prose is the opening of one of the most famous essays of the Song, quoted for the grandeur of its lake and the record of its beginning. The far mountains embraced and the long river swallowed, and the grand view of the tower, are among the admired passages of the essay. Critics praise the prose's grandeur: the record gathered in the lake, to the close's grand view.

此文自问世即享盛名。滕子京修楼次年（庆历七年），《岳阳楼记》刻石成碑，此后历代修楼必重刻此文，岳阳楼遂与《岳阳楼记》成为一体，文因楼传、楼因文显，这是中国文学史上罕见的「文楼互彰」现象。宋人王十朋、元人王恽、明人杨慎等皆有题咏，清人尤珍《岳阳楼》诗「先忧后乐言犹在」已将其精神凝为典故。在文学史坐标上，本文是北宋古文运动名篇，与欧阳修《醉翁亭记》、苏辙《黄州快哉亭记》并为宋人「记」体名作：欧文以「乐」字为眼、苏文以「快」字为眼，而范文以「忧乐」二字兼摄，境界最高。其影响更溢出文学：「先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐」两句，自宋迄今成为士人操守的标尺，文天祥书之以为座右，明末顾炎武「天下兴亡，匹夫有责」的精神血脉与之相通；现代以来，本文入选各级语文教材，其忧乐观被阐释为民族精神的核心表达。就文章艺术言，全文仅三百余字而气象万千，叙事、写景、议论三体兼备，骈散相济，炼字精工，是中国散文「以短驭长」的典范，也是理解宋代士大夫精神世界的最佳入口之一。

Prosody

Form A prose record of the tower (ji ti sanwen)古文（记体散文，骈散相间）

Rhyme The prose, in the manner of the essay, does not rhyme in the fixed pattern — the cadence of the prose that carries the grand narration.本文为散体，不押韵，其音韵之美在句式的长短相间、骈散错落：叙事以散行长句（庆历四年春，滕子京谪守巴陵郡），写景以四字骈偶（衔远山，吞长江；浩浩汤汤，横无际涯），「政通人和，百废具兴」「朝晖夕阴，气象万千」皆两两相对，读来整饬铿锵；散句与骈句交替，如潮水涨落，自成节奏。

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the record: the level opening with the rebuilding, the rising with the grand view of the lake, and the close's fall with the descriptions complete.句式随文意转换语调：叙事处平缓舒卷，如话家常；写景处四字连发，铿锵有力，一「衔」一「吞」如重锤落地；「浩浩汤汤，横无际涯」叠字长句，声调悠长，状水势之绵延。全文以短句为主、长句间之，急缓相济，读之如登楼望远，气象随文而开。

Reading note The prose's sound matches its grandeur: the cadences of the essay, and the close — 'qian ren zhi shu bei yi' — falls with the complete descriptions, the sound of the transition of the grand record.本文的声律之美，不在押韵，而在骈散相间的节奏经营。宋代古文运动反对骈文的堆砌，却并不废骈偶之美，范仲淹正是「以散驭骈」的高手：叙事用散，如「越明年」「属予作文以记之」，自然流畅，行云流水；写景用骈，如「衔远山，吞长江」「朝晖夕阴，气象万千」，四字相对，音调铿锵，与所写湖山之雄阔正相般配。骈句与散句的交替，恰似洞庭之潮：散句如平水徐来，骈句如波澜骤起，「浩浩汤汤」四字叠用，以声拟水，更使文字有了波涛之声。这种「骈散相济」的语言，既避免了骈文的板滞，又避免了散文的松散，是宋代散文成熟的标志。后世桐城派以「因声求气」论古文，本文正是「因声」的典范——读其文而气象万千，正是声律与文意高度统一的证明。王十朋评此文「文采灿然」，沈德潜谓其「雄浑悲壮」，皆与本文骈散相济的声调之美密切相关。

Line by line

庆历四年春，滕子京谪守巴陵郡。越明年，政通人和，百废具兴，乃重修岳阳楼，增其旧制，刻唐贤今人诗赋于其上。属予作文以记之。

In the spring of the fourth Qingli year, Teng Zijing was demoted to govern Baling. By the next year, government ran smoothly and the people were harmonious, a hundred neglected causes were set going, and so the Tower of Yueyang was rebuilt, its old scale enlarged, the poems and rhapsodies of Tang worthies and modern men carved upon it; he bade me write an essay to record it.

庆历四年的春天，滕子京被贬谪做巴陵郡太守。到了第二年，政务顺利、百姓和乐，各种荒废的事业都兴办起来，于是重新修建岳阳楼，扩大原来的规模，把唐贤今人的诗赋刻在楼上，嘱托我写文章记述这件事。

In spring of the fourth year of Qingli, Teng Zijing was demoted to administer Baling Commandery. By the following year, administration ran smoothly and the people were content, all neglected undertakings were revived, and so the Tower of Yueyang was rebuilt, its old dimensions enlarged, the poems and odes of Tang sages and present-day worthies carved on it; he asked me to write an essay to record this.

此段是全篇的叙事之根，字字皆有来历、句句都为后文张本。「谪守」二字点明滕子京的遭际——因谗被贬，为后文「不以物喜，不以己悲」的宽解预作伏笔；「政通人和，百废具兴」八个字写滕子京贬谪而不颓废、励精图治的政绩，一个「兴」字见其奋发有为，这也是范仲淹引为知己、愿为之作记的情感基础。「乃重修岳阳楼，增其旧制」写修楼之盛事，而「刻唐贤今人诗赋于其上」更见文化传承之意——岳阳楼自此成为唐贤诗赋的汇聚之地，本文正将汇入这一传统。「属予作文以记之」一句交代作记缘由，不卑不亢，既写友人之托，亦见作者之重。全段叙事极简，无一冗字，而人物、事件、时间、缘由四要素完备，堪称古文叙事的教科书。

This passage is the narrative root of the whole essay; every word has its source, every sentence prepares what follows. The words 'demoted to govern' mark Teng Zijing's fate — disgraced through slander — and prepare the ground for the later consolation of 'not delighted by things, not grieved by self.' The eight characters 'government ran smoothly and the people were harmonious, a hundred neglected causes were set going' write how Teng, though demoted, did not fall into despondency but governed with vigor; the word 'set going' shows his drive, and this is the emotional basis on which Fan Zhongyan claimed him as a kindred spirit and was willing to write the record. 'And so the Tower of Yueyang was rebuilt, its old scale enlarged' writes the grand event of restoration, while 'the poems and rhapsodies of Tang worthies and modern men carved upon it' shows the intent of cultural transmission: the tower becomes a gathering place for Tang verse, and this essay will join that tradition. 'He bade me write an essay to record it' states the reason for writing, neither humble nor overbearing, showing both a friend's request and the writer's weight. The narrative is spare, without one redundant word, yet person, event, time and cause are all complete — a textbook of classical prose narration.

予观夫巴陵胜状，在洞庭一湖。

I find the finest prospect of Baling is gathered in a single lake, Dongting.

我看那巴陵郡的美好景色，其精粹全在这洞庭一湖——湖光山色，万千气象，皆由此湖生发而出。

As I see it, the beauty of Baling is concentrated in this one Lake Dongting; all the light of water and hills, all ten thousand faces, rise from this lake.

「予观夫」三字以第一人称领起，从叙事自然转入写景，是全文结构转换的枢纽。此句先以「巴陵胜状」总提巴陵美景，随即以「在洞庭一湖」一笔收拢——胜状万千，而精粹全在一湖，目光由面收束到点，为下文专写洞庭蓄势。「夫」字为语气助词，舒缓句势，使叙述带一点咏叹的意味，正见古文大家举重若轻的笔力。此句看似平易，实为全篇写景的「纲」：下文「衔远山，吞长江」写湖之雄，「浩浩汤汤」写湖之壮，「朝晖夕阴，气象万千」写湖之变，皆由此「一湖」二字生发。前人评范仲淹文「高处立论，阔处写景」，此句正是「阔处」的起点，以一语统摄全湖，使后文铺陈有纲有目，是「立骨」之句。

The words 'as I see it' open in the first person and turn naturally from narration to landscape, the structural hinge of the essay. The line first names 'the finest prospect of Baling' and then gathers it in one stroke to 'this one Lake Dongting': ten thousand beauties, yet the essence lies in a single lake; the eye contracts from the whole to a point, building momentum for the exclusive description of Dongting below. The particle 'it' eases the cadence, giving the narration a tone of sighing, exactly the easy mastery of a great prose writer handling heavy themes lightly. Plain as it seems, the line is the 'framework' of the whole landscape passage: 'clasps the distant hills and swallows the Yangtze' writes the lake's grandeur, 'vast and surging' its power, 'morning brightness, evening shade, ten thousand faces' its changes — all grow from these 'one lake' two characters. Earlier critics said Fan Zhongyan's prose 'sets forth high theses and paints vast scenery'; this line is the start of the 'vast,' taking in the whole lake with one phrase so that what follows has both net and mesh — a 'bone-setting' sentence.

衔远山，吞长江，浩浩汤汤，横无际涯；朝晖夕阴，气象万千。

It bites the distant hills and swallows the Yangtze, vast and surging, boundless on the horizon; morning brightness, evening shade, ten thousand changing faces.

它衔接着远处的群山，吞吐着滚滚长江，水势浩大、水波荡漾，广阔无边；早晨阳光明媚、傍晚天色昏暗，景象变化万千。

It clasps the distant hills and swallows the Yangtze, waters vast and rushing, stretching without bound; morning sunshine and evening darkness, ten thousand shifting aspects.

此为全篇写景的警句，以十二个字写尽洞庭吞吐天地的气象。「衔」字写湖与远山相接，如含在口中；「吞」字写湖纳长江之水，如一口吞下——二字皆以人体动作写湖，化静为动，赋予洞庭以生命的伟力，与杜甫「吴楚东南坼，乾坤日夜浮」同为中国文学写洞庭的巅峰。「浩浩汤汤」四字叠用，拟水势浩大之声状，音韵铿锵；「横无际涯」以「横」字写空间之阔，视野为之展开。上句写空间之壮，下句「朝晖夕阴，气象万千」转写时间之变——朝与夕对举，晖与阴相形，以四字总括一日之间阴晴明晦的无穷变化。前后两联，一写湖体之雄、一写湖景之变，动静相生、时空交织，遂使洞庭成为气象万千的审美对象。此段文字骈偶精工而气势磅礴，是范仲淹「善写大景」的典范，也是全文最富感染力的段落。

This is the aphoristic landscape of the essay, exhausting in a dozen phrases the bearing of Dongting as it swallows heaven and earth. The verb 'clasps' writes the lake meeting the distant hills as if holding them in its mouth; 'swallows' writes it receiving the Yangtze as gulping it down — both use human bodily actions to render the lake, turning stillness to movement and giving Dongting the power of life. Together with Du Fu's 'Wu and Chu are split from the southeast; heaven and earth float day and night,' it stands at the summit of Chinese writing on Dongting. 'Vast and surging' repeats the sound and sweep of great waters, sonorous; 'boundless on the horizon' uses 'boundless' to write the width of space and open the view. The upper phrase writes spatial grandeur; the lower, 'morning brightness, evening shade, ten thousand faces,' turns to temporal change — morning set against evening, brightness against shade, four phrases gathering the infinite variations of light and dark in a single day. The two couplets, one on the lake's body, one on its changing face, move together in stillness and motion, space and time interwoven, making Dongting an aesthetic object of ten thousand aspects. The prose is ornately parallel yet overwhelmingly grand, a model of Fan's 'skill at painting great scenes' and the most infectious passage of the essay.

Study

Word focus

衔 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「衔远山，吞长江」之「衔」字，是与「吞」字对举的炼字杰作，写洞庭湖与远山的关系。「衔」本指口中含物，此处移以写湖：远山连绵，如被湖口轻轻衔住，湖与山不是分开的景物，而是山在湖中、湖含山势的浑融整体。这个字的妙处在「以小写大」——用口腔的窄小动作写湖山的巨大关系，反觉生动亲切；又以「衔」之轻柔对「吞」之猛烈，一柔一刚，写出洞庭既温存含远山、又狂暴吞长江的双重性格。「衔」与「吞」相对成文，皆以人体器官的动作写湖，是典型的「拟人化炼字」，使静态的湖水有了吞吐呼吸的生命感。与孟浩然「气蒸云梦泽，波撼岳阳城」相比，孟诗以「蒸」「撼」写湖之气象，范句以「衔」「吞」写湖之体势，同工而异曲。后人多以「衔山吞江」形容大湖伟观，正自此句化出，可见此字影响之深远。

浩浩汤汤 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「浩浩汤汤」四字，写洞庭水势的浩大与奔涌，是全篇写水最有声色的叠词。「浩」与「汤」皆状水势盛大之貌，叠用之后，音节延长、气势扩张，读来如闻波涛之声；「浩浩」侧重水面之广，无垠无际，「汤汤」侧重水流之疾，奔涌不息，二字合观，广与疾兼备，洞庭的「大」与「动」尽在其中。上古《尚书·尧典》「汤汤洪水方割，荡荡怀山襄陵」、《诗经》「汶水汤汤，行人彭彭」皆以叠词写水势，范仲淹正承此传统而自铸伟辞；与「横无际涯」相接，前写水势之声、后写水面之阔，声形相济，境界全出。此四字妙在既是写实（洞庭水势确实浩大），又是写意（以声音模拟水势），把视觉之景写成听觉之声，通感之妙，古今罕见。后人评范仲淹「善写大景」，「浩浩汤汤」正是其大景写法的标本。

气象万千 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「朝晖夕阴，气象万千」之「气象万千」四字，是全文写景的总结性警语，也是后世使用最广的成语之一。「气象」指自然景色的总体风貌，「万千」极言变化之多、之无穷——朝有晖、夕有阴，明暗晦显、阴晴雨雪，洞庭的景色在时间流转中千变万化，非一言可尽。这四个字的妙处在「以虚摄实」：前文「衔远山，吞长江」「浩浩汤汤，横无际涯」皆写实景，此处忽然以「万千」的虚写总括，把不可穷尽的景物变化纳入四个字中，举重若轻；且「万千」为约数，愈是含混，愈觉洞庭之景不可名状，给读者留下想象的余地。此后「气象万千」由写景之词泛化为形容一切盛大繁复之景象的成语，其生命力正源于此句在写景上的高度概括力。范仲淹以四字收束全段铺陈，如万马收缰，其炼句之精，可见一斑。