唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
晨诣超师院读禅经
Reading a Zen Scripture at Master Chao's Monastery at Dawn
汲井漱寒齿，清心拂尘服。
闲持贝叶书，步出东斋读。
真源了无取，妄迹世所逐。
遗言冀可冥，缮性何由熟。
道人庭宇静，苔色连深竹。
日出雾露馀，青松如膏沐。
澹然离言说，悟悦心自足。
Purify the mind and dust off robe.
Idly holding palm-leaf sutra,
I walk from east study to read.
The true source is utterly ignored,
False traces are pursued by the world.
The legacy words I hope to grasp in silent accord,
But how can I perfect my nature's cultivation?
The monk's courtyard is still,
Moss color links to deep bamboos.
Sun rises, mist and dew remain,
Green pines as if bathed in ointment.
Calmly beyond words and speech,
Enlightened joy fills the heart with content.
Meaning
The poet visits a Zen monastery at dawn, reads sutras, reflects on the true source versus worldly illusions, enjoys the serene scenery, and attains inner peace through enlightenment.
打来井水漱口使齿间生寒，澄净心地、拂去衣上的尘俗。闲来手捧贝叶佛经，步出东斋诵读。佛法的真源世人全然不取，虚妄的形迹却被世俗追逐。先贤的遗言或可冥然会通，而修养心性又何由纯熟。超师院中庭院幽静，苔色与幽深的竹林相连。日出之后雾露渐散，青青的松树如同膏沐般润泽。淡泊恬静，已非言语所能形容，悟得禅悦，内心自感满足。
Appreciation
This poem was written during Liu Zongyuan's exile in Yongzhou. It blends Buddhist reflection with landscape description. The first half describes reading sutras and philosophical pondering; the second half depicts the quiet monastery and natural beauty, culminating in a state of serene enlightenment. The style is clear, isolated, and lofty, typical of Liu's exile works.
【白话串讲】 柳宗元清晨到寺院读禅经：“汲井漱寒齿，清心拂尘服”——打井水漱口，拂去衣上尘土。“日出雾露馀，青松如膏沐”——太阳出来，雾气散去，青松像洗过一样。“澹然离言说，悟悦心自足”——他悟了，也平静了。 【意象与手法】 此诗以清新淡雅之笔写禅悟之境。开篇「汲井漱寒齿，清心拂尘服」以日常动作起兴，暗喻去尘入净；「真源了无取，妄迹世所逐」以议论见理；「道人庭宇静，苔色连深竹。日出雾露馀，青松如膏沐」转写清景，苔竹松露皆清丽如画；结以「澹然离言说，悟悦心自足」，由景入悟。 【情感与主旨】 此诗写于柳宗元贬谪永州期间。永贞革新失败后，诗人远贬南荒，政治理想受挫，遂于佛理中寻求精神慰藉。诗写清晨往超师禅院读禅经的完整过程，将贬居中的心灵调适娓娓道来，融儒释情怀与山水清景于一体，可见其「统合儒释」的思想取向与孤峭清空的审美追求。 【名句点睛】 中高考常从写景句与情感主旨命题。考点一：赏析「道人庭宇静，苔色连深竹。日出雾露馀，青松如膏沐」——静景如画、以物写心；考点二：「澹然离言说，悟悦心自足」的禅悟境界与全诗主旨的关系。
Background
After the failure of the Yongzhen Reform, Liu Zongyuan was exiled to Yongzhou, where he sought solace in Buddhist teachings. One dawn, he visited Master Chao's monastery to read Zen scriptures. The poem records his process from physical purification, philosophical contemplation, to spiritual satisfaction amidst the tranquil scenery.
柳宗元（773—819），字子厚，河东人，唐代文学家，「唐宋八大家」之一。永贞元年（805），柳宗元参与王叔文领导的永贞革新，失败后被贬永州司马，一贬十年。政治理想受挫、身处南荒瘴疠之地，柳宗元遂于佛理与山水间寻求精神慰藉，贬所多有佛寺名僧与之往还，超师即永州当地高僧。此诗即写某个清晨往超师禅院读禅经的经过：自汲井漱齿、拂尘净衣的清晨功课，到闲持贝叶、步出东斋的读经之乐，再到对「真源」「妄迹」的思辨，最终在禅院清景中悟得禅悦。全诗将贬谪中的心灵调适过程娓娓道来，融儒释情怀、山水清景于一体，是柳宗元五古的代表作，也是唐代佛理诗中的名篇。柳宗元自谓「统合儒释」，其贬永州时期多与僧人交游、读经悟道，此诗正是这种思想实践的诗化记录，可见其于失意中安顿身心的努力与孤峭清空的审美追求。柳宗元贬永州期间「与囚徒为朋」，处境困厄，然其于佛学用力甚勤，尝与永州龙兴寺重巽和尚等论道，其《送巽上人赴中丞叔父召序》自述「吾自幼好佛，求其道积三十年」，可见佛学根柢之深。此诗写晨起读经之功课，正是其贬居生活中「以佛安顿身心」的日常实践，与《始得西山宴游记》的「心凝形释，与万化冥合」同为贬谪中的精神自救，合观可见柳宗元「处困而不失其心」的士人品格。
Art
The poem uses fresh, light strokes to depict the Zen realm. Opening with everyday actions like rinsing teeth and dusting robes symbolizes purification. The middle section uses contrast (true source vs. false traces) for philosophical expression. The latter part describes moss, bamboos, mist, and pines in clear, picturesque language. Ending with 'beyond words' conveys ineffable enlightenment, blending scene, reason, and emotion in a quintessential Liu style: clear, empty, isolated, and upright.
此诗结构以「晨诣读经」为线索，分三层递进。前四句写晨起入禅院的仪式感：「汲井漱寒齿，清心拂尘服」以日常动作起兴，漱齿拂衣皆暗喻洗去尘浊、清净身心；「闲持贝叶书，步出东斋读」写读经之从容，一个「闲」字见心境之澹定。中四句转入义理之思：「真源了无取，妄迹世所逐」以对比揭示世态——真源无人取法而虚妄之迹反被追逐，冷峻地批判世俗；「遗言冀可冥，缮性何由熟」写读经者之自省，冀与先贤冥会而叹修养未熟，谦退中见精进。后六句转写禅院清景：「道人庭宇静，苔色连深竹」以静景写禅境，「日出雾露馀，青松如膏沐」以「膏沐」拟松，写朝日下松之润泽，暗喻心境之澄明；结以「澹然离言说，悟悦心自足」，由景入悟，点明禅悦不可言说而内心自足。全诗由行入思、由思入景、由景入悟，层层剥进，清空孤峭，是「以静写心」的典范。全诗在语言上尤见「简古」之致：十二句五言，句句质实，不用典语、不施藻绘，而「漱」「拂」「持」「步」「读」等动作词连缀成线，如一幅晨课图卷徐徐展开；「了无取」「何由熟」等议论语亦以质朴出之，不落理障。尤妙者，写景四句（「庭宇静」「苔色连深竹」「日出雾露馀」「青松如膏沐」）纯用白描，而禅意自见，正是苏轼所谓「发纤秾于简古，寄至味于淡泊」，于极简处见极丰。
Allusions
'Palm-leaf sutra' (贝叶书) refers to Buddhist scriptures written on pattra leaves, a common Tang poetic allusion. 'Cultivate nature' (缮性) originates from Zhuangzi, blending Daoist cultivation with Buddhist ideas. 'True source' and 'false traces' are Buddhist terms distinguishing ultimate reality from illusion. Liu seamlessly integrates Buddhist and Daoist references, showing his erudition.
「贝叶书」指佛经。古印度以贝多罗树叶书写经文，故称贝叶经，唐诗写佛事多用之（如「贝叶经文手自书」）。「真源」「妄迹」为佛教辨别本真与虚妄的术语——真源指佛法的真如本源，妄迹指世俗的虚妄形迹，此处以之批判世人舍本逐末。「缮性」出自《庄子·缮性》篇，本为道家修养心性之说，柳宗元借以融通儒释道三家修养之义，可见其思想之会通。此外「澹然离言说」暗合《老子》「道可道，非常道」与禅宗「不立文字，教外别传」的言意观，指真谛非言语所能尽。「膏沐」本指润发之膏，此处拟写青松经朝露滋润之态，取喻于日常生活，体物入微。全诗熔佛典、庄语、常喻于一炉，不着痕迹，足见其学识淹通、融贯三教。此外「遗言冀可冥」之「冥」亦出《庄子》的冥会之境，指与先贤遗言的精神契合；「缮性」一词则直接取《庄子·缮性》篇「缮性于俗学，以求复其初」之义，柳宗元反其意而用之——不在俗学中缮性，而在禅经中求「熟」，可见其融庄入禅的思想特色。至于「澹然」，《庄子·刻意》「澹然无极而众美从之」已开其源，柳宗元以之写悟后心境，正是「庄禅合流」的诗化表现，足见其学问之淹博与会通之自然。
Commentary
Su Shi praised Liu's poetry as 'delicate richness in simplicity, ultimate flavor in plainness.' Qing critic Shen Deqian called this poem 'obtaining the pure principle without falling into reasoning.' Modern scholars see it as a model of Tang Buddhist poetry, pairing landscape with Zen joy, unique in its solitary clarity.
柳宗元诗与韦应物并称「韦柳」，以清空淡远见长。苏轼尝评柳诗「发纤秾于简古，寄至味于淡泊」，又谓「柳子厚诗在陶渊明下，韦苏州上」，此诗正可见其简古淡泊之风。清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》称此诗「得清净理，不落理障」，赞其言理而不枯涩；贺裳《载酒园诗话》谓其「幽峭有致」。历代论中唐禅诗，必举此篇以为楷式，与王维《终南别业》《鹿柴》等辋川禅诗并读，可见盛唐至中唐佛理诗由「空寂之境」向「身心调适」的转变。就柳宗元个人而言，此诗与《江雪》《小石潭记》同为贬谪永州时期的作品，一写禅悦之自足、一写孤绝之傲岸、一写山水之清冷，合观可见其贬居心态的丰富层次。此诗在禅诗史与文学史上皆具坐标意义：就禅诗史言，盛唐王维以「空」写禅境，中唐柳宗元以「静」写禅悟，同属禅意诗而侧重点不同；就文学史言，此诗与《江雪》《渔翁》同出贬所而面目各异，恰可见柳宗元「一身而兼众美」——同一贬谪经历，既可以孤绝之笔写《江雪》，亦可以清和之笔写禅悦，其艺术世界之丰富，正是「唐宋八大家」气象的体现，今人读之，犹可想见唐代士人在困境中的精神风度。
Prosody
Line by line
汲井漱寒齿，清心拂尘服。
I draw the well water and rinse my cold teeth; I purify my heart and brush the dust from my robe.
打来井水漱口使齿间生寒，澄净心地、拂去衣上的尘俗。
Drawing the well water, I rinse my teeth in the cold; I cleanse my heart and brush the dust from my clothes.
开篇以日常动作起兴，暗喻去尘入净，起笔即带禅意。「汲井」写取水之劳，「漱寒齿」写井水之冽，以生理上的清冽之感引发心理上的清净之意；「清心」点出目的——漱齿非徒为洁口，实为澄心；「拂尘服」以拂衣写除尘，兼喻拂去尘俗之累。两个动作一内一外、一净心一洁身，构成入禅的「斋戒」仪式，为全诗定下清冷肃穆的基调，也暗含诗人贬居中自洁自守的志意。
The opening rises through daily acts, secretly meta-phoring the leaving of dust and entering purity, the brush at once carrying a Zen air. Drawing the well water writes the labor of fetching; rinse my cold teeth writes the well water's bite, using the physical chill to arouse the mental purity. Purify my heart points the purpose - rinsing the teeth not merely to clean the mouth, but to clarify the heart. Brush the dust from my robe writes the removing of dust through brushing, at once meta-phoring the brushing off of the worldly burden. The two acts, one inner one outer, one purifying the heart one cleansing the body, form the fasting rite of entering Zen, fixing the whole's cold solemn key, and secretly lodging the poet's will to keep himself clean in exile.
闲持贝叶书，步出东斋读。
At ease I take the palm-leaf scripture, and stroll out of the eastern study to read.
闲来手捧贝叶佛经，步出东斋诵读。
At leisure I hold the palm-leaf sutra and step out of the eastern study to read.
写读经之从容，一个「闲」字是全句诗眼。「闲」非无所事事之闲，而是心无挂碍之闲——贬谪之愤、得失之念暂放一边，方有此闲；「持贝叶书」写捧经在手，「步出东斋」写移步就光，诵读之景如在目前。由「清心拂尘」到「闲持贝叶」，入禅的仪式完成了从「洗」到「读」的推进，诗人那份从容澹定的心境，正是后面禅悟的起点。且「闲」与「步」相映，一静一动，写其从容。
It writes the ease of reading the scripture; the single word at ease is the poem's eye. At ease is not the ease of doing nothing, but the ease of a heart without hindrance - the exile's resentment and the thoughts of gain and loss laid aside for the moment, and only then this ease comes. At ease I take the palm-leaf scripture writes the sutra in hand; stroll out of the eastern study to read writes moving into the light, the scene of reading as if before the eyes. From purify the heart and brush the dust to at ease holding the palm leaves, the Zen rite completes its advance from washing to reading; the poet's calm and settled state is exactly the starting point of the later Zen awakening. And at ease and stroll set off each other, one still one moving, writing his composure.
真源了无取，妄迹世所逐。
The true source the world wholly neglects; the delusive shows are what it pursues.
佛法的真源世人全然不取，虚妄的形迹却被世俗追逐。
The true source of the dharma the world takes not at all; the delusive shows are what the world pursues.
由读经转入义理之思，以对比揭示世态，是全诗最见锋芒的一联。「真源」指佛法的真如本源，「了无取」写世人全然不取——真谛无人问津；「妄迹」指虚妄的形迹，「世所逐」写世人竞相追逐——假象反受追捧。两句对举，冷峻地批判了世俗的颠倒取舍，也暗含诗人对自身处境的感慨：怀真而不用，正如己之贬谪。议论而不干枯，因为其中贯注着诗人的身世之感。
Moving from the scripture to the reasoning thought, it uses contrast to uncover the world's ways, the couplet most showing the edge of the whole. The true source means the suchness source of the dharma; wholly neglects writes the world's taking not at all - the truth unsought. The delusive shows means the delusive traces; what it pursues writes the world's eager chase - the false semblance prized. The two lines set against each other, coldly criticizing the worldly inverted choosing, and secretly holding the poet's feeling for his own lot: holding the truth yet unused, exactly like his exile. The argument not dry, because the poet's own lot is infused through it.
道人庭宇静，苔色连深竹。
The master's courtyard is still; the mossy green runs into the deep bamboo.
超师院中庭院幽静，苔色与幽深的竹林相连。
The master's courtyard is quiet; the moss-green runs on into the deep bamboo grove.
由议论转写禅院清景，静景如画，是全诗最清丽的句子。「道人」指超师，「庭宇静」写院之幽静，以「静」字点出禅境；「苔色连深竹」写青苔之色与深竹相连，苔之青与竹之翠融为一体，一片幽碧。「连」字写苔色沿地蔓延、直入竹林深处的景象，层次深远，意境幽邃。以色彩写清幽，以静景写禅心，正是柳宗元「以静写心」的典型笔法，也暗喻心境的澄净无尘。
Turning from argument to the Zen courtyard's clear scene, the still scene like a picture, this is the most fresh and beautiful line of the whole. The master means the monk Chao; the courtyard is still writes the quiet of the yard, the word still pointing the Zen realm. The mossy green runs into the deep bamboo writes the moss's hue joining the deep bamboo, the moss's blue and the bamboo's green fused, a stretch of sequestered emerald. The word runs writes the moss spreading along the ground into the bamboo's depth, the layers far, the mood profound. Writing the seclusion through color and the Zen heart through the still scene, exactly Liu Zongyuan's typical brush of writing the heart through stillness, and secretly meta-phoring the heart's clarity without dust.
日出雾露馀，青松如膏沐。
The sun rises, the mist and dew still lingering; the green pines are as if anointed and combed.
日出之后雾露渐散，青青的松树如同膏沐般润泽。
As the sun rises, the mist and dew still hang; the green pines look as if combed and anointed.
写朝日初升、雾露未干的松树之态，拟人新巧，是全诗体物最细的句子。「日出」点明晨光初照，「雾露馀」写雾露未消，晨光与雾露交映；「青松如膏沐」以「膏沐」（润发的油脂）拟松——经雾露滋润的松树，如梳洗过般青翠润泽，赋松以人之容光。「如膏沐」取喻于日常，新颖贴切，写松之温润亦暗喻心境之澄明：沐浴晨光、洗去尘滓，正与开篇的「清心拂尘」遥相呼应。
It writes the pines at sunrise with the mist and dew not yet gone, the personification novel and apt, the line most minute in observing things. The sun rises points the first light; the mist and dew still lingering writes the vapor not yet dispersed, the light and the vapor interplaying. The green pines are as if anointed and combed uses the unguent (hair-oil) to meta-phor the pine - the pines moistened by the mist and dew, green and glossy as if washed and combed, giving the pine the human look of freshness. The meta-phor as if anointed and combed is taken from daily life, novel and apt; writing the pine's warmth also secretly meta-phors the heart's clarity: bathed in the morning light, the dross washed off, exactly echoing from afar the opening's purify the heart and brush the dust.
澹然离言说，悟悦心自足。
Calm and beyond words, the joy of awakening makes the heart of itself content.
淡泊恬静，已非言语所能形容，悟得禅悦，内心自感满足。
Serene and beyond speech, the joy of awakening leaves the heart self-sufficient.
结句点明不可说之禅悟，归于自足，是全诗眼目。「澹然」写心境之淡泊恬静，「离言说」写真谛非言语所能尽——禅悟本是「如人饮水，冷暖自知」的体验，说破即非；「悟悦心自足」写悟后之悦：不求人知、不假外物，内心自足。此句由景入悟，将全诗的清景、义理、身世之感一并收束于「自足」二字，正是柳宗元贬居中安顿心灵的最终归宿，也是「发纤秾于简古，寄至味于淡泊」的绝佳注脚。
The closing line points the ineffable Zen awakening and returns to self-sufficiency, the eye of the whole. Serene writes the heart's calm; beyond speech writes that the truth cannot be exhausted by words - Zen awakening is originally the experience of like a man drinking water, cold or warm he knows himself; once spoken, it is no longer. The joy of awakening leaves the heart of itself content writes the joy after awakening: seeking no man's knowledge, relying on no external thing, the heart self-sufficient. This line moves from scenery to awakening, gathering the whole's clear scenery, reasoning, and the feeling of lot into the two words self-sufficient, exactly Liu Zongyuan's final resting place of settling the mind in exile, and a perfect footnote to the saying that fineness and richness issue from the plain and ancient, and the utmost flavor lodges in calm.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both depict the poet's isolation in exile. 'River Snow' uses a lone fisherman to symbolize aloofness; this poem uses Zen contentment for inner peace. Both are clear and solitary.
《江雪》「孤舟蓑笠翁，独钓寒江雪」以千山万径的绝灭之境写孤绝之傲岸，《晨诣超师院读禅经》以禅院清景写禅悦之自足，皆作于贬谪永州时期，皆清空孤峭，而情感取向不同：江雪之翁孤独而倔强，超师院之我澹定而自足；一为「抗」、一为「化」，一以极端之境写志、一以清和之景写心。比较二诗可见柳宗元贬居心态的两个层面，也可见其五绝与五古两种体裁的极致。
鹿柴 Deer Enclosure 王维 · 同属禅意写景诗，可比较盛中唐禅诗 Similar in Zen-inspired landscape writingWang Wei's 'Empty mountain not seen people' conveys Zen through silence; Liu's 'courtyard still' and 'beyond words' also capture Southern Zen spirit. Comparable as Tang Zen poems.
王维《鹿柴》「空山不见人，但闻人语响」以空山返景写南宗禅的空寂之境，纯以意象呈现，不言禅而禅意自在；柳宗元此诗以「庭宇静」「离言说」写禅悟，议论与写景并作，禅意落实于身心调适。一为盛唐禅诗的「羚羊挂角、无迹可求」，一为中唐禅诗的「理趣入诗、身心受用」，比较可见禅诗由「境」到「心」的演进，也可看出王维的静美与柳宗元的孤峭之别。