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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

赠韦不伐

Presented to Wei Bufa

张方平

Zhang Fangping

田园Pastoral 咏史Historical Reflection 哲理Philosophical

莫随世伪作圆方，坦坦元邪是履祥。
学鄙浅讹趋古道，天教𫐘轲与刚肠。
俛投胯下人皆笑，独卧隆中自不常。
毕竟途穷无所合，何妨持钓坐沧浪。

Don't follow the world's falsehood to make the square round;
The even, open path itself is the auspicious sign.
Your learning spurns the shallow and erroneous, cleaving to the ancient Way;
Heaven gives you a rugged road and an unyielding heart.
Han Xin crawled beneath another's legs—all men laughed;
Alone, Zhuge Liang lay in repose in Longzhong—not common after all.
When at last the road ends and nowhere fits,
Why not take a fishing rod and sit by the Canglang?

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Meaning

This poem urges Wei Bufa to stay true to his square integrity rather than follow worldly hypocrisy. Though Heaven has made his path rugged and his heart unbending, it also gives him a dignified retreat: if he finds no place in the world, he may simply take up a fishing rod and sit by the Canglang waters, at peace with his own principles.

不要跟着世俗的虚伪去把方的削成圆的；坦荡地循直道而行，原本就正是《易经》所说的视履考祥、其旋元吉啊。你治学鄙弃那些浅薄讹谬的说法而一心趋向古道，上天便偏偏给了你坎坷的命运和一副刚直的心肠。当年韩信俯身从人胯下爬过，旁人都笑他；诸葛亮独自高卧隆中，自然与寻常人不同。到头来若真是路走到尽头、与世无一处相合，那又何妨提着钓竿，坐到沧浪的水边去。

Appreciation

The poem opens with a firm admonition to keep one's squareness, then explains that a straight path is itself auspicious. It pairs the learning of the ancient Way with heaven-sent hardship. Using the examples of Han Xin's humiliation and Zhuge Liang's reclusion, it shows that great men are not recognized by common eyes. The final couplet offers a serene retreat: if all roads end, fishing by the Canglang is a dignified alternative. The structure moves from principle to example to consolation, with the 'why not' softening the bitterness of frustration.

【白话串讲】张方平赠韦不伐：“莫随世伪作圆方，坦坦元邪是履祥”——劝他别学世间的圆滑。“俛投胯下人皆笑，独卧隆中自不常”——“毕竟途穷无所合，何妨持钓坐沧浪”——他劝朋友学姜太公钓鱼。【意象与手法】全诗以圆方、古道、刚肠、胯下、隆中、沧浪构成一条由守正到受挫、由受挫到自安的线。前四句说理，后四句用事，理有典撑，事有理贯；圆与方、笑与卧、穷与妨三组对照，把一个不合于时者的处境层层推开，末以钓竿一物收束，笔力全在退处。【情感与主旨】这是一封写给不遇者的慰藉书，也是一份操守的申明：诗人不劝对方变通，只劝对方守住；不许诺前程，只指出退路。天教二字尤见胸怀——把坎坷与刚肠同看作上天所赐，则不遇便不再是失败。【名句点睛】「俯投胯下人皆笑，独卧隆中自不常」以两个尽人皆知的故实作对，一屈一高，写尽大器不为俗眼所识；「毕竟途穷无所合，何妨持钓坐沧浪」以何妨二字轻轻托住穷途，语淡而气不衰。

Background

Zhang Fangping (1007–1091), courtesy name Andao, was a Northern Song statesman known for his outspoken remonstrance. Wei Bufa, the recipient, is obscure; his name 'Bufa' (not boasting) echoes the Book of Documents. The poem reflects the intellectual trend after the Qingli era, when scholars turned from exegetical commentary to the ancient Way. It was a gift of moral support to a man of integrity who suffered frustration for his learning.

张方平（一〇〇七至一〇九一），字安道，号乐全居士，应天府宋城人，举茂材异等，历三司使、御史中丞、参知政事，以太子太保致仕，谥文定，苏轼为撰墓志。他一生以议论剀切著称，为御史中丞时以直言得罪，晚年又与新法当事者往复争辩，故于刚直而不遇之士，天然有一份同情。此诗即赠一位这样的人。受赠者名不伐，其人生平文献无征。不伐二字当有来历：《尚书·大禹谟》有汝惟不矜，天下莫与汝争能；汝惟不伐，天下莫与汝争功之语，不伐即不自夸功。以此为名或为字，可见其家教与自许。而诗中所写，正是一个与名相副的人：为学不肯趋附浅薄讹谬之说，行事不肯随世俗削方为圆，结果便是𫐘轲不遇。诗的学术背景亦可寻。北宋庆历以后，学风大变，士人厌弃唐人以来的章句训解，转而讲求经义、上追古学，孙复、石介、胡瑗一辈开其端，一时以趋古道为高。学鄙浅讹趋古道一句，正是这一风气中的自我定位；然而复古的代价往往是与流俗相违，科第与仕进反受其累。韦不伐大约就是这样一位为学问所困的人。因此这首诗不是泛泛的酬赠，而是一次立场的表明。张方平以执政之身写给一个不得志者，不谈援引，不许前程，只谈守正与退处；他举韩信、诸葛为例，是说大器本不为俗眼所识；他以持钓沧浪作结，是替对方留一条尊严的退路。北宋士大夫的相勉之道，最可观者正在此处：不以势相接，而以义相守。

Art

The poem is logically structured: first principle, then examples, then a turn. It uses antithesis and allusions from the Book of Changes, Records of the Grand Historian, and Songs of Chu. The language is plain yet forceful, and the final 'why not' carries a light touch that diffuses the weight of frustration. The couplets are carefully balanced, with the second couplet contrasting human endeavor with heavenly decree, and the third pairing humiliation with lofty reclusion.

此诗的章法是前理后事、先立后转，八句分作三段读，层次极清。前四句是立论。首联从反面说起：莫随世伪作圆方——不许你随俗；随即从正面接住：坦坦元邪是履祥——直道而行本身就是吉兆。一反一正，把守正的道理说定。颔联紧承，把人与命一并交代：学鄙浅讹趋古道是他的选择，天教𫐘轲与刚肠是这选择的结果。妙在与字，坎坷与刚肠并列而受同一个天教管辖，于是不遇不再是惩罚，而成了赠予。这一笔最见胸襟，也把全诗从劝慰提到了认命而不失志的高度。中二句是用事。俯投胯下人皆笑，独卧隆中自不常，一屈一高，一辱一傲，取韩信、诸葛两个尽人皆知的故实作对。妙在两句的落点都不在功业，而在当时人的眼光：人皆笑是众人所见，自不常是本人所守。诗人不说他们后来如何显达，只说他们当时如何不被理解——这才切合韦不伐的现状。若把韩信的封侯、诸葛的出师写进来，便成了空头许诺，反不如止于此处的诚实。末二句是退转。毕竟途穷无所合，何妨持钓坐沧浪。上句把最坏的结果先认下来，语气斩截；下句以何妨二字轻轻一托，全诗的重量便卸掉了。这是宋人常用的以退为进：不与命争，而在命之外另开一处安身。以持钓一物收束满篇议论，理遂落在一个可以看见的姿势上。对仗方面，颔联学鄙对天教、浅讹对𫐘轲、古道对刚肠，是以人事对天意，最见奇思；颈联俯投对独卧、胯下对隆中、人皆笑对自不常，则以两个故实相对，工稳而气不塞。全诗无一句写景，纯以理与事推进，而读来不觉干枯，靠的正是这两联的骨力与末联的一转。

Allusions

Terms like 'tan tan' and 'li xiang' come from the Book of Changes; 'round and square' from Qu Yuan's 'Huai Sha'; 'Han Xin under the crotch' from the Records of the Grand Historian; 'Zhuge Liang in Longzhong' from the Records of the Three Kingdoms; and 'Canglang' from the Fisherman in Songs of Chu. The allusions progress from classics to history to rhapsody, each serving to define integrity and retreat. The sequence also mirrors the poet's own judgment: establish resolve with the Classics, illustrate it with history, and give it emotional depth with the Sao tradition.

此诗用典密而皆熟，且分属儒家经、史、辞赋三路，正是宋人赠答诗的常法。圆方之说，源出《楚辞·九章·怀沙》所谓刓方以为圜兮，常度未替——把方的削成圆的，是屈原斥责世人败坏常度之语。诗云莫随世伪作圆方，即用此意：随俗即是自削其方。坦坦与履祥皆出《周易·履卦》。九二爻辞云履道坦坦，幽人贞吉，谓循平直之道而行，虽处幽隐亦得吉；上九爻辞云视履考祥，其旋元吉，谓省察自己所行而考其吉凶，返而得大吉。诗人把坦坦与履祥合为一句，又以元字暗接元吉，一句之内三处扣《易》，而读来只如寻常语气，是化典的高手。古道一语，唐宋人多指古圣贤之道，与后世浅陋相对；韩愈以来的复古运动即以此为号。𫐘轲则是自汉魏以来的成语，谓道路不平，引申为人生不遇，《文选》诸作屡见之。俯投胯下用《史记·淮阴侯列传》韩信少年时受淮阴屠中少年之辱，俯出其胯下，一市人皆笑信以为怯——诗中人皆笑三字，几乎是原文的移录。独卧隆中用诸葛亮未出之时躬耕南阳、高卧不起之事，《三国志》及《出师表》所谓臣本布衣，躬耕于南阳是其本。二事一辱一傲，共明一理：非常之人，当时必不为常人所识。沧浪出《楚辞·渔父》，渔父歌曰沧浪之水清兮，可以濯吾缨；沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯吾足，遂成避世自洁的象征。持钓则兼带吕尚渭滨垂钓、严光富春垂纶的影子，一为待时，一为忘世，皆士人穷则退处的典范。最可注意的是这些典故的排序：先经（《易》），后史（韩信、诸葛），末以辞赋（屈原、渔父）作结。以经立志，以史示例，以骚寄慨，一篇之内三种典籍各司其职，故八句虽满是旧事，却层次分明而不觉堆垛。

Commentary

This is a sincere and honest consolation poem. It does not promise future success, but acknowledges that the road may end. The phrase 'tianjiao' elevates frustration to a worthy counterpart of an unbending heart. By employing familiar allusions, the poet avoids hollow rhetoric and gives the recipient a path of dignified retreat. The strict prosody mirrors the theme of maintaining squareness, and the open, resonant rhyme keeps the tone from becoming plaintive.

此诗题为赠人，实是一篇以诗代书的立身之论，在张方平集中属较有分量的一类。它最堪称许的是不说假话。慰藉不遇者，最容易的写法是许以将来：或谓终有遇合之日，或谓明主自会识才。此诗偏偏一句不许。颈联举韩信、诸葛，却只取二人未显之时的窘状与孤高，绝不提后来的封侯与出师；尾联更直承毕竟途穷无所合，把最坏的结局摆在纸上。然后才说何妨持钓坐沧浪——不是因为将来会好，而是因为即使不好，人也还有地方可去。以张方平当日的地位，本可轻易许一句援引之言，他不肯；这份诚实，比任何宽解都更见交情。次可称者是天教二字所含的气度。学鄙浅讹趋古道，天教𫐘轲与刚肠：坎坷与刚肠同出于天，则不遇不是失败，而是配得上这副刚肠的代价。这个想法把儒者的守正从道德义务转成了性命之常，语气遂由悲愤转为坦然。宋人处不遇之境，往往有此一转，欧阳修、苏轼集中屡见，而此诗说得尤简。张方平诗名素不显。《宋史》本传重其识量，苏轼为撰墓志亦极称其虑事之远，历代唐宋诗选本罕录其诗。他确不长于绮丽的辞采，然议论落纸每能中的，此诗即其本色。严羽《沧浪诗话》讥近代诸公以议论为诗，若单看此诗前四句，正是那种全无景语的说理之体；然钱钟书《谈艺录》谓宋诗多以筋骨思理见胜，此诗的筋骨恰在议论之中，且有韩信、诸葛两个活人撑住，故不落空谈。可见以议论为诗未必是病，病在议论无所附丽。若论不足，则用典略嫌其熟：韩信胯下、诸葛隆中、渔父沧浪，皆是几乎人人能道之事，读来少一分惊喜。然赠人之作，本以说得明白为上，太奇则伤于卖弄。就此而论，用熟典而不觉其陈，亦是一种功夫。

Prosody

Form Seven-character Regulated Verse七言律诗

Rhyme Ping tone, yang rhyme (Lower-level seventh rhyme): fang, xiang, chang, chang, lang. First line enters rhyme; no borrowed rhymes.押平声阳韵（下平七阳）：方、祥、肠、常、浪。首句入韵，五个韵脚同在一部，无借韵之处。

Tone pattern Ping-qi pattern with first-line rhyme. All key positions conform to tonal rules, with correct adhesion and antithesis.平起首句入韵式，八句的二四六字平仄悉合，粘对无一失误。莫随世伪作圆方为仄平仄仄仄平平，坦坦元邪是履祥为仄仄平平仄仄平，学鄙浅讹趋古道为仄仄仄平平仄仄，天教𫐘轲与刚肠为平平仄仄仄平平，俯投胯下人皆笑为仄平仄仄平平仄，独卧隆中自不常为仄仄平平仄仄平，毕竟途穷无所合为仄仄平平平仄仄，何妨持钓坐沧浪为平平平仄仄平平。

Reading note The strict prosody mirrors the theme of maintaining squareness. The yang rhyme is open and resonant, keeping the tone from becoming plaintive. The rhythm is even and argumentative, matching the poem's discursive nature.此诗格律极为端正，八句关键位置无一处出格，粘对亦无差失。这份严整与题旨恰相表里：全诗所讲的正是不肯削方为圆、宁守常度的操守，若声律上反而随意腾挪，便自相矛盾。格律的方正，在此成了内容的一部分。用韵尤见用心。方、祥、肠、常、浪同属下平七阳，韵母为开口洪音，发声时口腔全开，气息外送而不收，是诸韵中最响亮的一部。以它写不遇之人，便有一个极关键的效果：诗中所述皆是坎坷、被笑、途穷一类窄处，而声音始终是敞开的、明亮的，于是通篇虽言不遇而绝无凄音。设若改押微、鱼一类细韵，胯下之辱与途穷之叹立刻转为哽咽，全诗的骨气便折了一半。五个韵脚方、祥、肠、常、浪连读，恰又排成一条意脉：由方正而吉祥，由刚肠而不常，最后落在沧浪的水上，声愈放而境愈远。节奏方面，七言的四三停顿贯彻始终：莫随世伪——作圆方，何妨持钓——坐沧浪。八句节拍如一，无一处跨读，读来如逐条陈说，与全诗议论的性质相合。而末句在同一节拍中忽然由议论转为姿势，节奏未变而气息一松，正是此诗最好的一处呼吸。中二联的对仗亦助其稳：颔联以人事对天意，颈联以两个故实相对，皆工而不塞，格律遂被撑得笔直。

Line by line

莫随世伪作圆方，坦坦元邪是履祥。

Do not follow the world's falsehood and turn the square into a circle. Explanation: Do not allow worldly hypocrisy to erode your integrity; keep your principles and do not conform to corrupt customs.

不要跟着世俗的虚伪去把方的削成圆的；坦荡地循直道而行，原本就正是《易经》所说的视履考祥、其旋元吉啊。

Do not follow the world's falsehood to round the square; walking the level road, is that not itself the omen traced in the Book of Changes?

起手便是一句断然的禁止，语气近于面命。作圆方三字取《楚辞·九章》刓方以为圜之意，把随俗写成一个具体的手上动作——拿刀去削自己的棱角。屈原说常度未替，是斥世人败坏法度；诗人移来劝人，则是说：世人如此，你不要跟。一个莫字，全诗的立场就定了。下句从反面转正面，且连用《周易·履卦》两处爻辞。九二云履道坦坦，幽人贞吉；上九云视履考祥，其旋元吉。诗人把坦坦与履祥合成一句，又以元字暗接元吉，三处扣《易》而字面浑然，读来只像寻常口语中的一句反问：坦坦荡荡地走，原本不正是《易》所说的吉兆么。这一联的分量在于它把守正说成了利，而非仅仅是义。世人以随俗为便，诗人偏说直道才是真正的吉；这就把劝勉从道德的高处放回了实际的地面。以经语作断，语气自足，故下文说𫐘轲、说途穷，皆不显得可怜。

The opening is a flat prohibition, the tone near a command to the face. The three words round the square take the Li Sao's whittling the square to make a circle, writing following the world as a concrete hand motion - taking a knife to pare down one's own angles. Qu Yuan said the constant measure was not displaced, rebuking the world's ruin of law; the poet transfers it to urge a man: the world does so, but you do not follow. The single word do not fixes the poem's stance. The second line turns from reverse to positive, and uses two lines of the Treading hexagram of the Book of Changes: the nine-two says the way of treading is level, the hidden man's constancy is auspicious; the top nine says watch your steps and trace the omen, the turning is supremely auspicious. The poet joins level and trace the omen into one line, and with the word prime secretly joins supremely auspicious, three places drawn from the Changes yet the surface seamless, reading only like a question in ordinary speech: walking level and straight, is that not itself the omen the Changes speaks of? The couplet's weight lies in that it writes holding the straight as advantage, not merely as duty. The world takes following the crowd as convenience, yet the poet says the straight way is the true auspice, returning the encouragement from the height of morality to the actual ground. Using a scripture phrase as the verdict, the tone is self-sufficient, so that the later talk of stumbling and of the road's end does not feel pitiful.

俛投胯下人皆笑，独卧隆中自不常。

The open and even path itself is the auspicious sign. Explanation: Walking the straightforward path accords with the Book of Changes, which says that treading the plain path brings good fortune.

当年韩信俯身从人胯下爬过，旁人都笑他；诸葛亮独自高卧隆中，自然与寻常人不同。

He who bowed under another's thigh, all men laughed; alone lying at Longzhong, he was never common.

这一联取两个尽人皆知的故实作对，而剪裁极有分寸。上句用《史记·淮阴侯列传》韩信受淮阴少年之辱，俯出胯下而一市人皆笑之事，人皆笑三字几乎是原文的移录；下句用诸葛亮未出之时躬耕南阳、高卧不起之事。一屈一高，一辱一傲，看似相反，其实同指一理：非常之人，当时必不为常人所识。最见识力的是它不写结局。韩信后来封侯，诸葛后来出师，这些辉煌处诗人一字不提，只取二人最不被理解的那一刻。为什么？因为受赠者眼下正在那一刻里。若把封侯出师写进来，便成了将来必有大用的空头许诺，反不如止于此处诚实。人皆笑与自不常的对照尤须细读。前者是众人的眼光，是外部的判决；后者是本人的自处，是内在的确信。一句之内把外与内劈开：别人笑不笑，与我是不是常人，本是两件事。有了这一层，前面的𫐘轲便不再可怜，后面的途穷也就不那么难堪。

This couplet takes two universally known allusions as a pair, yet the cutting is most measured. The first uses the Shiji biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin: Han Xin, suffering the insult of the youth of Huaiyin, crawled between his thighs while all the city laughed; the three words all men laughed are almost a transcription of the original. The second uses Zhuge Liang, before he went out, plowing in Nanyang and lying high, not rising. One bent, one high; one insulted, one proud - opposite in appearance, really pointing to one truth: an extraordinary man, at the time, is not recognized by ordinary men. What most shows discernment is that it does not write the ending. Han Xin later became a marquis, Zhuge later led the armies; of these splendor the poet says not a word, taking only the moment when the two were least understood. Why? Because the recipient is now in that moment. If the enfeoffment and the campaign were written in, it would become an empty promise of future great use, and less honest than stopping here. The contrast between all men laughed and he was never common must be read closely: the former is the crowd's eye, the external verdict; the latter is the man's own holding, the inner certainty. In one line it cleaves the outer from the inner: whether others laugh or not, and whether I am a common man, are two matters. With this layer, the earlier stumbling is no longer pitiful, and the later road's end no longer so hard to bear.

毕竟途穷无所合，何妨持钓坐沧浪。

Your learning despises shallow errors and moves toward the ancient Way. Explanation: You reject the shallow and erroneous interpretations of the day and devote yourself to the true Way of the ancients.

到头来若真是路走到尽头、与世无一处相合，那又何妨提着钓竿，坐到沧浪的水边去。

After all, if the road ends and nothing in the world fits you, what prevents taking up the rod and sitting by the blue waves?

尾联先认最坏，再给出路，是全诗最见胸襟的一转。上句毕竟二字下得极硬，等于说：把话说到底吧。途穷无所合，是把所有侥幸的可能一次扫清——不是暂时不遇，是终究与世无一处相合。慰人之诗敢说这样的话，殊为难得。下句忽然一松。何妨二字是全诗的呼吸所在：不是必须如此，不是无路可走，只是这样也未尝不可。语气之轻，恰好托住上句之重。持钓坐沧浪则用《楚辞·渔父》沧浪之水的旧典，兼带吕尚渭滨、严光富春垂纶的影子；一钓竿、一水边、一个坐的姿势，把满篇的议论落到了实处。更须留意的是坐字。前面写的是随、是趋、是投、是卧，动作或屈或起，皆有牵扯；到这里只是坐——不争、不辩、不待，也不逃。全诗至此才真正安定下来。以最平常的一个姿势收束一篇讲操守的诗，比慷慨陈词更有力量，因为它说明这条退路是真的可以走的。

The closing first admits the worst, then gives the way out, the turn in which the poem's breadth most shows. The word after all is laid on with hardness, equivalent to saying: let us speak to the end. The road ends and nothing in the world fits sweeps away every chance of luck at one stroke - not that he is temporarily unknown, but that after all he fits nowhere in the world. A consoling poem that dares say this is rare. The second line suddenly loosens. The two words what prevents are the poem's breath: not that he must, not that there is no road, only that this also may be done. The lightness of the tone exactly supports the weight of the line above. Taking up the rod and sitting by the blue waves uses the Fisherman of the Chuci, and carries the shadow of Lü Shang on the Wei and Yan Guang fishing on the Fuchun; a rod, a waterside, a sitting posture, bringing the whole page of argument to the solid ground. Notice the word sit: earlier there was following, hastening, crawling, lying, motions now bent now rising, all with attachments; here there is only sit - not contending, not arguing, not waiting, and not fleeing. By now the poem at last settles. Closing a poem on integrity with the most ordinary posture carries more force than a passionate speech, because it shows this way of retreat is truly walkable.

Study

Word focus

坦坦 Broad and even (from the Book of Changes); describes a straightforward and unimpeded path, both physical and moral, conveying an open and serene state of mind. 坦坦是全诗唯一的叠字，出《周易·履卦》九二爻辞履道坦坦，幽人贞吉。诗人取来作句首，一开口便有一片平坦开阔的气象，与上句作圆方那种拿刀削角的窄小动作恰成反照。叠字之妙在于它兼写形与心。就形而言，是路面无坑无坎，一望到底；就心而言，是胸中无曲无隐，一坦到底。若只用一个坦字，便只剩形容；叠而为坦坦，声音一放，那份坦荡就有了绵延的意思，仿佛这条路可以一直走下去。它在全诗中还担着调停的责任。此诗后文尽是𫐘轲、胯下、途穷一类不平之语，若无这一处坦坦垫在前面，通篇便压得太低。有了它，读者才知道诗人所说的不遇并非怨望，而是明知路平而世自不平。一处叠字，把全诗的底色定成了明的而非暗的。

教 To make, to cause; here in 'tianjiao' it means Heaven has ordained, coupling both hardship and a steadfast heart, turning frustration into a gift rather than a misfortune. 天教𫐘轲与刚肠的教字，是全诗最耐咀嚼的一字。教训作使、令，天教即上天使之如此。这个字把坎坷从偶然的遭遇变成了有意的安排：不是他运气不好，是上天要他如此。真正的妙处在于教字所管的宾语是两样：𫐘轲与刚肠。坎坷是苦，刚肠是美；一苦一美同出天意，且用一个与字并列。于是逻辑就变了——上天既给你这副刚直的心肠，自然一并给你与之相配的坎坷；两样是一套，不能只要其一。这一想通，怨气便无处可生。若换成天与，则只是赐予，少了强制的意味，也少了那点无可奈何的口吻；换成天赋，太文，且失掉与字并列的巧；换成天遣，则偏于惩罚，与刚肠二字不合。唯有教字，既有上天作主的强硬，又留着受者一份领受的从容。宋人处不遇之境每有此种转念，而说得如此简省者不多。

何妨 Why not; a soft rhetorical phrase that turns a dead end into an acceptable alternative, conveying ease and composure in the face of adversity. 何妨二字是全诗的收势，也是通篇气脉不至于坠下去的关键。上句毕竟途穷无所合，把话说到了绝处；若接以只应、便当、须学，语气都嫌用力，像是被迫认命；若接以不如，则含着比较与退让，仍有一分不甘。唯有何妨，是反问，是轻描淡写的一句那又有什么关系，把绝境说成了不成问题的事。它的分量正在于其轻。前七句一路守正、受挫、被笑、认穷，积了许多重量；到此二字，忽然全部卸下。这不是不在乎，而是在乎过了、算过了、认过了之后的松手。语气之松与处境之紧相激，读来反觉其人可敬。何妨又是口语。全诗前面满是《易》语、史事、《骚》典，文气偏正；末联忽以两个白话字领起，顿觉亲切，像是说完一番道理之后拍着肩膀添的一句。这一转不但救了议论的板滞，也把赠答之诗应有的人情味补足了。