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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

别董大

Farewell to Dong Da

高适

Gao Shi

送别Farewell 友情Friendship 边塞Frontier 豪迈Heroic

千里黄云白日曛，北风吹雁雪纷纷。
莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君。

Yellow clouds spread for miles, the daylight dims,
North wind drives wild geese, heavy snow falls.
Fear not that ahead you'll have no bosom friend,
Who under heaven doesn't know your name?

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Meaning

The poet bids farewell to his friend Dong Da on a snowy, windy dusk, but instead of expressing sadness, he encourages his friend with the confidence that he is famous throughout the land and will surely find friends wherever he goes.

千里黄云遮蔽天日，天色昏暗；北风呼啸，吹送着南归的大雁，大雪纷纷扬扬。不要发愁前面的路上没有知己，普天之下，谁不认识您这位名满天下的人呢？

Appreciation

The first two lines depict a bleak winter farewell scene: rolling yellow clouds darken the sky, north wind blows with wild geese and heavy snow. The last two lines suddenly shift to a heroic tone, comforting the friend not to worry about the road ahead—your fame is so great that everyone knows you. The poem contrasts melancholy scenery with bold encouragement, showing the poet's open-mindedness and faith in his friend.

【白话串讲】 “莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君”——高适送别琴师董大，没有哭哭啼啼，反而大声劝朋友：别怕前路孤单，天下谁不认识你。这是唐诗里最硬气的送别。【意象与手法】诗前两句「千里黄云白日曛，北风吹雁雪纷纷」铺陈日暮雪飞的苍茫之景，用暗沉的黄云、昏黄的落日、呼啸的北风、纷飞的雪与离群之雁，渲染离别时分的萧瑟氛围，景中寓情。后两句「莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君」陡然振起，以反问的斩截语气一扫悲酸，先抑后扬、景抑情扬，刚健豪迈，尽显盛唐送别诗特有的骨力。【情感与主旨】高适早年久游梁宋，落魄潦倒；董大即董庭兰，是盛唐开元、天宝间著名的琴师，高适好友。两个飘零之人在风雪中相会又离别，高适不诉愁苦，反以「天下谁人不识君」的豪语相慰，既是对友人声名才艺的由衷赞美，也是对自己与友人终将奋起的自信，于悲凉的雪景中写出盛唐士人开阔自信的胸襟。【名句点睛】常考名句「莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君」的赏析与情感：一是「莫愁」领起的劝慰语气，斩截有力；二是「谁不」反问所写出的普世知名度；三是以豪语写离情、悲中见壮的盛唐气象。

Background

Gao Shi lived an unsettled early life. Dong Da (Dong Tinglan) was a renowned qin player during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods of the Tang Dynasty. Around 747 CE, Gao Shi met and parted with Dong Tinglan in Suiyang when both were down on their luck. Despite their own hardships, Gao Shi wrote this heroic farewell poem, reflecting the broad-mindedness of Tang scholars even in adversity.

高适（约704—765），字达夫，渤海蓨人，盛唐边塞诗派的代表诗人，与岑参并称「高岑」。他早年家贫，久游梁宋，客居宋州（今河南商丘一带），落魄潦倒，甚至「求丐取给」，直到年近五十方入仕途。董大即董庭兰，是盛唐开元、天宝年间著名的七弦琴演奏家，排行第一，故称董大，与高适、李颀等诗人交谊甚厚。约天宝六载（747）冬，高适在睢阳（今河南商丘南）一带与董庭兰相聚，旋又分别。其时高适仕途失意、生活困顿，董庭兰亦因依附宰相房琯而受牵连，失意离京。两个飘零之人于风雪中相会又离别，高适不诉愁苦，反以「天下谁人不识君」的豪语相慰，足见盛唐士人在困顿中依然开阔自信的胸襟，也为此诗平添了悲壮而昂扬的时代底色。又据后世学者考证，此诗或作于高适天宝年间北游蓟门、东归梁宋之际，诗中「吹雁」的南归之景与「天下谁人不识君」的豪语，皆与高适彼时虽穷蹇而不失志的心态相合，故历来被推为盛唐送别诗的代表。

Art

The first two lines use images like yellow clouds, dimmed sun, north wind, wild geese, and heavy snow to create a desolate, vast atmosphere that mirrors the sorrow of parting. The last two lines abruptly uplift the mood with a rhetorical question, reversing the gloom into bold confidence—a technique of 'first suppress, then uplift', typical of the vigorous style of Tang farewell poetry.

此诗虽为送别短章，章法却极具匠心。前两句「千里黄云白日曛，北风吹雁雪纷纷」纯用白描铺陈悲景：黄云蔽日、白日无光，是仰视所见之昏暗；北风呼啸、大雪纷飞，是身之所感之严寒；而「吹雁」一点，更于苍茫中画出离群的孤雁，暗喻行将远行的友人。十四个字由静到动、由远及近、由色到声，把送别置于天地苍茫的背景之中，景愈悲，情愈壮。后两句「莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君」陡然振起，由写景转入劝慰：「莫愁」二字以斩截的口吻拦断愁绪，「天下谁人不识君」以反问句法极写友人声名之盛，语势如江河直下，一扫前两句的悲酸，形成先抑后扬、景抑情扬的强烈对照。全诗不写眼泪、不写叮咛，唯以豪语相送，语言质朴刚健，音节铿锵有力，正是盛唐送别诗「悲壮而不衰飒」的典范，也见出高适诗风「骨力遒上、气韵沉雄」的本色。这种「悲而能壮」的艺术，正是盛唐诗人气骨的具体呈现，使此诗在历代送别诗中独标高格。

Allusions

Dong Da, i.e., Dong Tinglan (the eldest in his clan), was a famous qin master in the Tang Dynasty, praised by Li Qi as able to make rivers still and birds stop singing with his playing. Dong later fell from grace due to his association with Chancellor Fang Guan. Gao Shi's line 'Who under heaven doesn't know your name?' is not mere flattery but based on Dong's widespread fame as a musician.

诗中「董大」指董庭兰，董氏排行第一，故称董大，是盛唐著名的琴师，善抚七弦琴，琴艺冠绝一时，与高适、李颀等诗人交好。李颀《听董大弹胡笳声兼寄语弄房给事》称其琴声能使「川为净其波，鸟亦罢其鸣」，极言其演奏感天动地。董庭兰后因依附宰相房琯而受牵连，天宝年间失势离京，落魄远游，故高适此诗既是送别，亦是宽慰。高适以「天下谁人不识君」极言其声名之盛，并非泛泛的客套虚誉，而是基于董庭兰琴名满天下的实况——一位曾使「胡人落泪沾边草」的国手，纵使一时失意，亦终将为人所知。这种以友人真实才艺为据的劝勉，比一般「前程万里」的套语更有分量。此外，「莫愁前路无知己」亦暗承曹植《赠白马王彪》「丈夫志四海，万里犹比邻」的旷达传统，而以更口语、更斩截的方式出之，把魏晋士人的豪迈化为盛唐市井可感的壮语，可见盛唐送别诗对前代劝慰传统的承续与刷新。

Commentary

Ming critic Xu Shizeng noted that Tang farewell poems often speak from the heart without effeminate sentiment. This poem sweeps away sorrow with the grand declaration 'Who under heaven doesn't know your name?'—a prime example of the Tang spirit. Qing commentator Huang Shucan praised it as 'generous and tragic, free and unrestrained'. Gao Shi's frontier poems are majestic, and this short piece also reveals his heroic heart.

此诗历来被视为盛唐送别诗的压卷之作。明人徐师曾《文体明辨》论盛唐送别诗「多胸臆语，少儿女态」，此诗正以「天下谁人不识君」的雄阔之语慰友，一扫缠绵悱恻之态，是「胸臆语」的极致。清人黄叔灿《唐诗笺注》评曰「慷慨悲壮，落落有致」，道出其悲壮与旷达并存的风貌。高适以边塞诗雄视唐代，殷璠《河岳英灵集》称其诗「多胸臆语，兼有气骨」，此短短四句亦见其豪宕襟怀——于凄风苦雪的景中翻出豪迈自信的壮语，正是盛唐人所特有的精神气象。千百年来，「莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君」成为中国人送别时最常用的豪迈祝辞，其感染力已超越一时一地的送别，成为对自信人生与真挚友情的普遍礼赞，故能历久弥新，传诵不衰。近代以来，此诗更入选各类教材与诵读选本，其「莫愁」二字已成为中国人临别时最有力的祝福，足见其艺术生命力之恒久。无论雅俗，皆能诵之，此诗之深入人心可知。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (仄起首句入韵)七言绝句（仄起首句入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes in the twelfth rhyme group (上平十二文): xun, fen, jun押上平十二文韵：曛、纷、君。

Tone pattern Line 1: 仄平平仄仄仄平 (since 'bai' is entering tone, but in modern reading: qian li huang yun bai ri xun, tone pattern may vary slightly); Line 2: 仄平平仄仄平平; Line 3: 仄平平仄平平仄; Line 4: 平仄平平仄仄平.「千里黄云白日曛」为平仄平平仄仄平，「北风吹雁雪纷纷」为仄平平仄仄平平；「莫愁前路无知己」为仄平平仄平平仄，「天下谁人不识君」为平仄平平仄仄平。

Reading note The first two lines use bleak scenery to set the mood, the last two lines lift the spirit with heroic sentiment—first suppress, then uplift, representing the 'tragic yet not decadent' style of Tang farewell poems.此诗为七言绝句，仄起首句入韵，押上平十二文韵，韵脚「曛、纷、君」皆为开口度较大的阳声韵（以-n收尾），音色洪亮悠长，与全诗雄浑豪迈的情调相合。格律上，首句「千里黄云白日曛」平仄为「平仄平平仄仄平」，符合仄起首句入韵的格式；后两句在平仄上虽有个别拗字，但唐人绝句本不避拗，且「莫愁前路无知己」以「莫愁」仄平领起，「天下谁人不识君」以「平仄平平仄仄平」收束，语势如骏马下坡，一气呵成。绝句贵在「以少总多」，此诗二十八字，前两句写景、后两句抒情，先抑后扬，情景对照，声情与辞情高度统一。读时前两句宜沉缓，摹写苍茫悲凉之景；后两句宜高亢，传出豪迈自信之情，故历来为送别诗诵读的典范。盛唐绝句以「气象」胜，此诗正是「盛唐气象」在送别题材上的绝佳体现。

Line by line

千里黄云白日曛，北风吹雁雪纷纷。

Yellow clouds spread for miles, the daylight dims; north wind drives wild geese, heavy snow falls thickly.

千里黄云遮蔽天日，天色昏暗，北风呼啸，吹送着南归的大雁，大雪纷纷扬扬。

For a thousand li, yellow clouds dim the sun; the north wind drives the geese, and the snow falls thick.

前两句以十四个字铺开一幅苍茫悲凉的送别图景，是全诗的起兴与铺垫。「千里」以夸张写黄云铺展之广，极言天地昏暗之极，为全诗笼上沉重的色调；「曛」字写白日被黄云遮蔽后的昏暗，一语双关，既是日光之昏，亦是心境之郁。次句转写动态：北风呼啸，吹送着南归的大雁，大雪纷纷扬扬，铺天盖地。其中「吹雁」二字最见匠心——雁正南归，人却北行，以雁之归反衬人之别，且孤雁失群之象正是行将远行的友人的写照。两句由远及近、由静到动、由色到声，悲景写得愈足，后两句豪语的振起便愈有力，先抑后扬的章法于此奠定。

The first two lines, in fourteen characters, spread a vast desolate picture of parting, the rising and ground of the whole. The words for a thousand li write the spread of the yellow clouds in exaggeration, the world's dimness at its utmost, wrapping the whole in a heavy hue; the word dim writes the day's darkening under the yellow clouds, a double meaning - the light's dimness and the mood's oppression. The second line turns to motion: the north wind howls, driving the southbound geese, the snow falling thick across the sky. The words drives the geese are most artful - the geese are southbound, the man northbound, using the geese' return to set off the man's parting, and the lone goose lost from the flock is exactly the picture of the friend about to go far. The two lines from far to near, from still to motion, from color to sound; the more complete the grief-scene, the more forceful the later bold words' rising, the structure of first depressing then raising established here.

莫愁前路无知己，天下谁人不识君。

Do not worry that ahead you will have no bosom friend—who under heaven does not know you?

不要发愁前面的路上没有知己，普天之下，谁不认识您这位名满天下的人呢？

Grieve not that the road ahead has no friend; under heaven, who does not know you?

此二句是全诗的情感核心，以豪语劝慰，一扫前两句的悲凉。「莫愁」以劝止的口吻领起，语气斩截有力，仿佛伸手拦住友人的愁绪，表现出诗人对友人前途的坚定信心；「前路无知己」是离别者最深的隐忧，诗人先立起这层担忧，再以「天下谁人不识君」将其彻底击破。「谁不」二字是反问，答案不言自明——普天之下无人不识，又何必愁前路无知己？由「前路」到「天下」，由「知己」到「谁人」，空间与范围层层扩大，把对个别知交的依恋升华为对友人声名才艺的普世肯定。全诗不写眼泪、不写叮咛，唯以这般豪迈壮语相送，正是盛唐送别诗「悲壮而不衰飒」的典范，亦见诗人开阔自信的胸襟。

These two lines are the emotional core of the whole, comforting in bold words and sweeping away the desolation of the first two. Grieve not opens in an exhorting tone, decisive and forceful, as if reaching out to stop the friend's grief, showing the poet's firm confidence in the friend's future; the road ahead has no friend is the deepest hidden grief of the parting man, the poet first raises this worry, then shatters it with under heaven, who does not know you? The words who does not are a question, the answer self-evident - under heaven no one is unknowing, why grieve at the road ahead? From the road ahead to under heaven, from friend to who, the space and scope expanding layer by layer, raising the attachment to an individual friend into a universal affirmation of the friend's renown and talent. The whole writes no tears, no exhortation, only seeing off in such bold strong words, exactly the model of High Tang parting poetry's grand sorrow without decay, and showing the poet's open and confident breast.

Study

Word focus

曛 Dim, dark (of sunlight, due to clouds) 「白日曛」之「曛」本义为日落的余光，引申为昏暗，此处写黄云蔽日、白日失光的惨淡天色。一个「曛」字，兼摄时间（日暮）、光线（昏暗）、氛围（压抑）三重信息，把送别时刻天地昏暗的实景与诗人黯淡的心境一并写出，是景中寓情的炼字典范。与「千里黄云」配合，「千里」写云势之广，「曛」写日光之暗，广与暗叠加，顿觉天地为愁。此字之妙还在于为下文的转折蓄势：前路既已如此昏暗苍凉，诗人偏说「莫愁」，以乐语写悲景，反差愈大，豪情愈显，可见炼字不仅炼景，更炼全篇的情感张力。

莫愁 Do not worry; a phrase of encouragement 「莫愁前路无知己」以「莫愁」二字领起全句，是全诗由悲转壮的关键枢纽。「莫」是祈使性的否定副词，语气斩截，有不容置疑的力量；「愁」字点出离别者普遍的隐忧——前路茫茫、知音难觅。诗人不待友人开口，便以「莫愁」拦腰截断愁绪，表现出盛唐人特有的自信与担当。这两字之妙在于「以劝代慰」：寻常送别总以「珍重」「保重」叮嘱，高适却以「莫愁」振作友人之志，把对友人的关切转化为对其前程的坚定预言。下文「天下谁人不识君」正是对「莫愁」的回答——有如此声名，何愁无知己？一劝一答，环环相扣，顿挫有力，尽显盛唐送别诗的雄浑气象。

谁不 Who does not...? Rhetorical question meaning 'everyone' 「天下谁人不识君」之「谁不」是反问句式，是全诗豪情的顶点。「谁不」表面是疑问，实则答案已定——普天之下，无人不识。以反问出之，比直陈「天下人皆识君」更有语势：其一，反问把判断权交给读者，使人不由自主地在心中作答，参与感更强；其二，「谁不」囊括天下所有人，较「皆」「尽」等直陈副词更具横扫一切的力度；其三，以「君」字点出劝慰对象，语气恳切，赞美而不谄媚。短短七字，将友人的声名、才艺、地位尽数写出，慰勉之中带出自豪，旷达豪迈，迥异于一般送别诗的离愁别绪，是盛唐送别诗中最具冲击力的名句之一，千古传诵，至今不衰。

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