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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

兖海孙学士寄昼锦编述先德宣公进退之美报之长句四韵奉扬盛事

To Scholar Sun of Yanhai, on the 'Daytime Brocade Collection' Recording the Virtuous Life of His Late Father Duke Xuan – Four Rhymes in Praise of This Splendid Event

张方平

Zhang Fangping

咏史Historical Reflection

邹鲁衣冠古士乡，义方不独有扶阳。
德名垂世先君子，经术传家小太常。
闾巷共荣新昼锦，吏民司爱旧甘棠。
前人彝鼎铭勋伐，未似盈编盛事光。

In Zou and Lu, cap-crowned scholars were an ancient noble clan;
In rules of right, not Fuyang's house alone could teach a man.
The late lord's virtue, handed down, will light world after world;
The Junior Grand Master keeps the classics that he was taught.
The lanes all share the new brocade's bright day-glow;
The people love the shade the old sweet pear tree used to throw.
On ancient tripods, merits were engraved in metal cold,
But this full book of splendid deeds outshines all bronze of old.

Listen

Meaning

This poem praises the virtue and dignified conduct of Scholar Sun's late father, Duke Xuan, as well as the scholarly tradition and family standing of the Sun clan. It asserts that the recorded splendors of the 'Daytime Brocade Collection' outshine bronze inscriptions.

邹鲁之地衣冠世代，本是古来士大夫之乡；教子有方，并不独韦扶阳一家。德名垂于后世，端在先君子之遗范；经术传于家门，今有孙小太常继其绪。闾巷同感新颁昼锦之荣，吏民犹爱旧日甘棠之政。前人以彝鼎铭刻功勋，终究不如这满编盛事之光。

Appreciation

The poem is structured in four couplets: the first establishes the Sun family's roots in the ancient Confucian heartland and their excellent family teaching, comparing them to the Han dynasty scholar Wei Xian; the second pairs the father's virtue with the son's learning in a 'flowing couplet'; the third moves from family glory to popular affection for the father's governance; the fourth contrasts bronze inscriptions with the written volume, elevating the latter. It uses allusions skillfully, and the praise remains measured, typical of well-bred Song dynasty complimentary verse.

【白话串讲】张方平答孙学士：“邹鲁衣冠古士乡，义方不独有扶阳”。“闾巷共荣新昼锦，吏民司爱旧甘棠”——他赞孙家先德。【意象与手法】诗以「家学—门风—治绩—文编」为序，用扶阳、小太常、昼锦、甘棠诸典绾合三世，对仗严整而褒扬有度，是典型的投赠称美之体。【情感与主旨】盛赞孙学士先德宣公进退之美与家学渊源，推崇昼锦编存世家乘之价值，寓敬其门风、重其世德之意。【名句点睛】德名垂世先君子，经术传家小太常以流水对写三世文脉；前人彝鼎铭勋伐，未似盈编盛事光以彝鼎反衬书编之永。

Background

The poem was written after Scholar Sun of Yanhai sent Zhang Fangping a collection titled 'Daytime Brocade' (Zhoujin bian), which recorded the admirable conduct of his deceased father, Duke Xuan, especially his proper balance between serving at court and retiring. In Song culture, such 'advance and retreat' was a hallmark of the ideal official. The allusion to 'daytime brocade' comes from the idea of returning home in glory, popularized by Han Xin and later by Han Qi's Daytime Brocade Hall. Zhang's poem celebrates the family heritage and the preservation of ancestral virtue in writing.

此诗题长，记其事甚明：兖海孙学士寄来一部昼锦编，内容记述其父宣公（孙氏先德）在仕途进退之间的美德，张方平作此四韵长句以弘扬其盛事。所谓「进退之美」，在宋人价值中尤有分量——古人以「进思尽忠、退思补过」为臣道之全，宣公既能立朝有节、又能洁身而退，正合士大夫理想中人格之圆满，故其子裒辑生平盛事编为昼锦编，以范家门。孙学士其人虽难确考，然由题可知为兖海（兖州近海或泛指山东）人，官学士，其父谥宣称宣公，且曾居官有进退之节。张方平（1007—1091）历仕四朝，与士大夫交游酬唱极广，此类投赠称美之作，重在相钦相重，非泛应酬。北宋士大夫极重门风家学、父子相继，如眉山苏氏、临川王氏皆以家学显，孙氏亦其一脉；当时名臣之家多裒集先德、编次遗事以为世训，昼锦编即此类家乘之一种。昼锦本魏公子弟衣锦昼行之意（见史记项羽「衣锦夜行」反用，及韩琦昼锦堂），指富贵归乡、光显门闾。张方平以此诗应和，既敬孙氏先德，亦自见其推重世臣之家风。了解此背景，方能读懂全诗围绕「家学—门风—治绩—文编」的称扬逻辑，亦可见宋人如何将「称美先德」与「砥砺门风」合而为一。

Art

The poem is marked by tight allusive compliment and orderly composition. Each couplet advances from geography to family teaching, from paternal virtue to filial learning, from household honor to popular remembrance, and finally from metal to manuscript. The 'flowing couplet' in the second couplet reads as natural speech while being strictly parallel. The final couplet makes a pointed contrast, giving the poem a reflective depth beyond mere compliment.

此诗艺术上以「用典称美」为骨，章法井然，而尤见宋人投赠诗「称美有本」的经营。首联邹鲁衣冠古士乡，义方不独有扶阳，先立孙氏为邹鲁士族、教子有方，并以西汉韦贤（封扶阳侯，父子俱以经术为相）为衬，破题即高；颔联德名垂世先君子，经术传家小太常，以流水对写父（先君子宣公）子（小太常，谓孙学士）两代之德与学，是全诗中心，上下句一气直下，读来如话世系而不见对偶之痕，正见宋律化板为活之妙；颈联闾巷共荣新昼锦，吏民司爱旧甘棠，一写家族之荣、一写父政之遗爱，由家及民，空间上自门闾推至乡里，使称美不止于一家一姓；尾联前人彝鼎铭勋伐，未似盈编盛事光，以彝鼎铭功反衬书编纪德之永，收束有力。通观四联，由地望而家教、由父德而子学、由家荣而民爱、由金石而书编，层层推扬而脉络不乱。对仗精严，典丽而不浮，褒扬有节，是宋人投赠诗「称美而不谀」的得体之作；其可贵在不堆砌颂词，而以故实立骨、以类比见尊，故虽称美而气清，足为北宋应酬诗中之上乘。

Allusions

Zou-Lu refers to the native places of Confucius and Mencius, a byword for civilization. 'Fuyang' is Wei Xian of the Western Han, who was enfeoffed as Marquis of Fuyang and, together with his son, served as chancellor. 'Junior Grand Master' (xiao taichang) suggests an official in charge of rites, indicating the son's scholarly lineage. 'Daytime brocade' alludes to the saying 'to walk in brocade by day' – returning home in glory. 'Sweet pear tree' comes from the Book of Songs, commemorating the Duke of Shao's benevolent rule, here symbolizing Duke Xuan's legacy. 'Tripods' are bronze ritual vessels inscribed with merits.

诗中用典皆围绕「家学门风」展开，逐条如次，且各安其位、绾合三世。邹鲁：孔子、孟子之乡，后指文教鼎盛、士大夫辈出之地，以之地望称孙氏为士族之邦，五字而把孙氏置诸千年文脉，分量自重。义方：周易「蒙以养正，圣功也」，谓教子以正道；诗中义方不独有扶阳，以西汉韦贤（封扶阳侯，少子玄成亦至丞相，史称父子宰相）为典，说孙氏教子有方不亚韦家，且以「不独有」四字先认韦贤为范、再引孙氏并列，褒扬而能节制。小太常：太常为掌礼乐之官，小太常疑指孙学士所任礼官或美称，言其以经术世家入掌礼职，与「经术传家」呼应，见家学之用于朝。昼锦：本「衣锦昼行」，富贵归乡之荣，韩琦有昼锦堂，诗中新昼锦指孙氏新获之显，暗含「述先德而光门闾」之意。甘棠：诗经甘棠咏召公奭听政棠下、民思其德，后指良吏遗爱，旧甘棠即宣公旧日惠政，与「吏民司爱」句相承。彝鼎：宗庙铜器，铭勋伐以记功，与书编对举，用以反衬纪德之永。诸典由地望、家教、官守、荣显、遗爱、铭功依次铺展，既各有所指，又环环相扣，使一首短律容纳三世之事，是宋人「以学问为诗」而能驱遣自如的范例。

Commentary

Zhang Fangping's complimentary poems often highlight a family's ethical lineage rather than mere rank. Compared with Tang poets who dwelt on personal friendship, Song poets like Zhang pay more attention to family heritage and learning. This poem exemplifies the Song taste for using classical allusion to create measured, scholarly compliments. The final contrast between bronze inscriptions and a book of deeds is a distinctive Song rhetorical move, asserting that written virtue surpasses engraved power.

张方平此类投赠称美诗，宜与其文集乐全集中论门风、序家乘之文合观，其推重世臣清德，正是一贯之见，非临文敷衍。方回瀛奎律髓多选宋人「宗派」投赠之作，重其「有本者如是」，此诗称孙氏邹鲁衣冠、经术传家，正合其选，亦可见元明选家对「称美有本」之作的推许。较之唐人投赠多写交情穷达（如杜甫奉赠韦左丞），宋人更喜从家学门风着笔，此诗可为其代表；唐人尚情，宋人尚本，一题之异，足见时代诗学之转。又，昼锦一典在宋诗中出现极频（韩琦昼锦堂、欧阳修昼锦堂记），张方平用之而不落窠臼，能紧扣「述先德」之旨，以彝鼎反衬书编，翻出新意，使熟典别生 burden。近人论宋诗「以才学为诗」，此诗用典密而妥，正见学者之诗的本色；其可贵在不谀——称美止于门风治绩，未及其权位，故虽颂而雅。要之，此诗之价值不在辞采惊绝，而在以一节短律，将宋人重门风、重世德、重家学的文化心理凝为可诵之章，读之可想见北宋士大夫以清德相高、以世臣相重的风气。

Prosody

Form Seven-Character Regulated Verse (七言律诗)七言律诗

Rhyme Rhymes on the even-tone 'yang' category: xiang, yang, chang, guang. The open and resonant yang rhyme suits a poem of panegyric.押下平七阳韵：乡、阳、常、光。一韵到底，阳韵开口呼宏亮，宜于称扬门风盛事之体。

Tone pattern Level-tone first line with rhyme. The tonal pattern is generally regular, with some Song-style adjustments and oblique-rising saves.七言律诗平起首句入韵体。首联邹鲁衣冠古士乡（平仄平平仄仄平）对义方不独有扶阳（仄平仄仄仄平平），颔联德名垂世先君子（仄平平仄平仄仄）对经术传家小太常（平仄平平仄仄平），中二联粘对大致合律，偶以拗救腾挪，具宋调之态。

Reading note This is an eight-line, four-couplet regulated verse. The structure proceeds from family standing to paternal virtue, filial learning, governance, and the written record. The use of the yang rhyme gives a bright, solemn sound, appropriate for praising family glory.此诗为七言律诗，八句四联，章法以「门望—父德—子学—治绩—文编」为序，层层推扬，结构极为严整。首联立邹鲁士乡与义方家教，先以地望与家教双起，破题沉稳；颔联以流水对写先君子之德与小太常之学，上下句一气直下而工对自见，是宋律化板为活之佳例；颈联写昼锦之荣与甘棠之爱，由家及民，空间推展；尾联以彝鼎反衬盈编作结，翻案有力。用韵独取阳部，阳韵属宕摄开口三等，元音洪亮、音色昂扬，宜于称扬门风盛事之体，与全诗雍容称美之声情相称；四韵相贯，读来如钟磬相和。平仄虽偶以宋调之拗救腾挪变通，然大关节守律，中二联粘对无误，使短章不失庄重。整体声情典重温雅，是宋人投赠诗中「称美有本、褒扬有节」的得体之作，于密丽用典中仍见清通之气，宜与张氏序跋之文合观。

Line by line

邹鲁衣冠古士乡，义方不独有扶阳。

The first couplet establishes the Sun family's ancient roots in the land of Zou-Lu and their fine tradition of righteous teaching, not inferior to that of Wei Xian of Fuyang.

邹鲁之地衣冠世代，本是古来士大夫之乡；教子有方，并不独韦扶阳一家。

Zou and Lu, land of old scholars and their robes; the right way of teaching sons was not theirs alone, as it was of Fuyang.

首联破题，先立孙氏之门望与家教。邹鲁衣冠古士乡以地望称之，邹鲁为孔孟之邦，衣冠指士大夫世家，五字把孙氏放进千年文脉里，分量极重；义方不独有扶阳紧接以教子有方立骨，用西汉韦贤（封扶阳侯，父子相继为相）作比，说孙氏家教之善不让韦家。此联妙在「不独有」四字——它先承认扶阳为典范，再言孙氏与之并列，既不贬韦亦高孙氏，分寸极好。宋人投赠重「称美有本」，此联即本于地望与故实，不以空言谀人。更可玩者，全诗围绕「家学」展开，而首联已以「衣冠」「义方」二字提纲，后文德名、经术、昼锦、甘棠皆从此二端流出，章法之密可见。

The opening couplet strikes the theme, first establishing the Sun family's standing and family teaching. Zou and Lu, land of old scholars and their robes praises through geographic standing: Zou and Lu are the land of Confucius and Mencius, robes means scholar-official families, and the five characters place the Sun family within a thousand years of cultural vein, the weight enormous. The right way of teaching sons was not theirs alone, as it was of Fuyang follows with family teaching as the frame, using the Western Han Wei Xian (created Marquis of Fuyang, father and son succeeding as chancellors) as a comparison, saying the Sun family's fine teaching is not inferior to the Wei. The couplet's beauty lies in the four words not theirs alone: it first admits Fuyang as the model, then places the Suns beside it, neither belittling the Wei nor overreaching the Suns, the measure excellent. Song presentation poems valued praise grounded in something; this is grounded in geographic standing and old allusions, no empty flattery. What is more to taste is that the whole poem turns on family learning, and the opening already outlines it through the words robes and right teaching; the later fame, classical lore, brocade return and pear tree all flow from these two, showing the close-woven structure.

德名垂世先君子，经术传家小太常。

The second couplet pairs the dead father's enduring reputation for virtue with the living son's inheritance of classical learning, now serving as a ritual official.

德名垂于后世，端在先君子之遗范；经术传于家门，今有孙小太常继其绪。

His virtue and name live on through the ages, the late gentleman; the classical lore passes in the family to the little Grand Master of Ceremonies.

颔联为全诗中心，以流水对写孙氏父子两代之盛。上句德名垂世先君子，说其父宣公之德名传于后世，是先德；下句经术传家小太常，说其家经术之学传至身任礼官（小太常）的孙学士，是今嗣。先君子与小时相映，一亡一存、一德一经，构成三世文脉的脊梁。张方平于此不堆砌，只以「德」「经」二字撮其大要，既合儒家「德行为本、经术为用」的价值次序，亦见宋人推重「读经传家」的家风观。流水对使上下气脉如贯，读来不板。此联是全诗之所以作——弘扬宣公进退之美、孙氏传家之绪，一字不可移易。

The jaw couplet is the poem's center, writing the splendor of the Sun father and son in two generations through a flowing parallel. The first, his virtue and name live on through the ages, the late gentleman, says his father Lord Xuan's virtue and name pass to later ages, the deceased virtue; the second, the classical lore passes in the family to the little Grand Master of Ceremonies, says the family's classical learning has passed to the present scholar-official holding the rites (the little Grand Master), the living successor. The late gentleman and the little Grand Master answer each other, one dead one living, one virtue one classical lore, forming the spine of three generations of cultural vein. Fangping here does not pile up, but uses the two words virtue and classical to gather the outline, at once matching the Confucian order of virtue as root and classical lore as use, and showing the Song esteem for a family tradition of reading the classics. The flowing parallel makes the current of the two lines joined, not stiff in reading. This couplet is why the poem was made - to celebrate Lord Xuan's noble advance and retreat and the Sun family's transmitted tradition; not a character can be moved.

前人彝鼎铭勋伐，未似盈编盛事光。

The final couplet argues that bronze tripods inscribed with past merits cannot compare with the brightness of this full volume of splendid deeds.

前人以彝鼎铭刻功勋，终究不如这满编盛事之光。

The men of old carved merit on bronze tripods, yet none matched the luster of these filled volumes of noble deeds.

尾联收束，是全篇立意之翻案处。彝鼎铭勋伐用宗庙铜器记功之典，指古人以青铜器铭刻功勋以求不朽；未似盈编盛事光则说，比起冰冷的铜鼎，这部记述宣公盛德的满编书册，其光耀更胜。张方平于此作一价值判断：德之传于文字、行于人心，胜于功之镂于金石。这既是对昼锦编的至高推崇，亦流露宋人「重文轻器、重德轻功」的士风——在士大夫看来，家乘世德之书香，比钟鼎勋伐更可久。一联之间，由具体铜鼎翻向抽象书光，使投赠之作有了文化识见，不止于称美，而近于论世。

The closing gathers the poem, the reversal of the whole meaning. Carving merit on bronze tripods uses the allusion to temple bronzes recording achievement, meaning the ancients engraved merit on bronze and stone to seek immortality; yet none matched the luster of these filled volumes of noble deeds says that, compared with the cold bronze tripods, these filled volumes recording Lord Xuan's abundant virtue have a greater luster. Fangping here makes a value judgment: virtue transmitted in writing and walking in men's hearts outlasts merit engraved on bronze and stone. This is at once the highest praise of the Brocade Return compilation and the revealing of the Song scholar ethos of prizing letters over vessels, virtue over merit - in the scholar-official view, the bookish fragrance of transmitted family virtue is more enduring than tripod and bell and campaign. Within one couplet, it turns from the concrete bronze tripod to the abstract luster of the book, giving the presentation work cultural discernment, not stopping at praise but approaching a judgment on the age.

Study

Word focus

垂 The word 'chui' (to hang down, to be handed down) conveys the sense of virtue transmitted through generations, giving the father's name a lofty, enduring quality. 垂字在「德名垂世先君子」中极有重量。垂本义为自上而下、流传，如「永垂不朽」。此处写宣公之德名「垂世」，是说其德不随身殁而灭，而能下逮后世、泽被子孙。一字把时间维度拉开，使宣公的「先德」与孙氏的「今嗣」连成一线。若作「传」「留」，则稍平；「垂」字自带崇高与久远之感，最宜称述先贤。更妙在它与下句「传」字（经术传家）呼应：德由「垂」而显其高，学由「传」而显其续，一垂一传，把家学门风的代际绵延写得既有高度又有活气，是炼字见世系处。

盈 The word 'ying' (full) emphasizes the completeness and richness of the collection, and in contrast with bronze tripods suggests that fullness of recorded virtue outshines limited metal engravings. 盈字在「未似盈编盛事光」中为收束之眼。盈本义满，盈编即满编、全书之意。张方平以此字状昼锦编之丰实，暗含「德之积也厚，故其书也盈」的意味。更关键在它与「彝鼎」对照：彝鼎虽重，所铭者有限；盈编虽纸，所载盛事之光却更久更远。盈字以「满」写「丰」，以「丰」写「永」，把对一部家乘的推崇推到极点。若作「满编」则近俗，「盈编」雅饬而气足。一字之选，使尾联的翻案有力而不佻，足见宋人炼字于称美之中仍求雅训。

独 The word 'du' (only) in 'not only' reveals the poet's tactful method: he first acknowledges Wei Xian as the classic exemplar of family teaching, then places the Sun family on a par, praising without flattery. 独字在「义方不独有扶阳」中极见分寸。独本义单一、唯独，此处用于否定句「不独有」，意为「不止韦贤一家」。张方平以此字先认韦贤为教子典范，再言孙氏与之并列，既不夺韦之尊，又高孙之位，褒扬而不谀、比较而不亢。宋人投赠最忌平直夸饰，此字正显其节制——它把称美建立在「类比」而非「顶格」之上，分寸感极佳。若删此字作「义方不有扶阳」，则语滞意失；有「独」字，全句便有了「承认典范—引出同侪」的转圜，是炼虚字见章法处。