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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

春雪

Spring Snow

韩愈

Han Yu

写景Landscape 春Spring 时序Theme

新年都未有芳华，二月初惊见草芽。
白雪却嫌春色晚，故穿庭树作飞花。

In the new year, no fragrant blooms yet appear;
In early February, I'm startled to see grass shoots.
But the white snow, disliking the late spring,
Deliberately flies through the courtyard trees as blossoms.

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Meaning

The poet expresses impatience for spring's arrival: no flowers by the new year, and only grass shoots in February. Just as he laments the delay, snow playfully transforms into blossoms, compensating for nature's tardiness with a whimsical display.

新年里都还没有芬芳的花朵，二月初才惊喜地看见草芽冒头。白雪却嫌弃春色来得太迟，故意穿过庭院树木化作飞舞的飞花。

Appreciation

This short poem delights in its personification of snow, turning a common disappointment into a witty, imaginative scene. The snow's 'dislike' and 'deliberate' action imbue it with a mischievous charm, reflecting the poet's own playful mood and appreciation for the unexpected beauty of late spring snow.

【白话串讲】新年到了还不见花开，二月才见到草芽。韩愈写：白雪嫌春天来得太晚，故意化作飞花穿过树枝——连雪都急着扮春天。【意象与手法】诗以「新年都未有芳华」起笔，直写盼春之急，「都未」二字见失望；「二月初惊见草芽」以「初惊」写乍见春信的惊喜，亦含春来迟暮之憾。后两句陡转奇想：「白雪却嫌春色晚，故穿庭树作飞花」赋雪以人的娇嗔，「嫌」「故」二字拟人，将无情白雪化为有意飞花，于无花处「造」出花来，构思新颖，情趣盎然。【情感与主旨】韩愈（768—824）此诗约作于唐宪宗元和年间，时韩愈居长安任朝官。长安初春气候尚寒，正月无花、二月方见草芽，诗人于盼春不至中忽见春雪纷飞，遂以奇思赋雪。诗虽短章，却可见韩愈「横空盘硬语」之外幽默轻灵活泼的一面，亦折射出其贬谪归来、心境渐舒的从容。【名句点睛】常考：①「初惊」一词的妙处——写乍见草芽的惊喜与春来之迟的遗憾；②「嫌」「故」二字的拟人手法——以雪之娇嗔写盼春之切，翻空出奇；③「作飞花」的想象——于无花处造花，是化无情为有情的典范。

Background

Han Yu (768–824) wrote this poem during his tenure as a court official in Chang'an around 815 AD, after returning from exile. The late arrival of spring flowers in the chilly capital inspired him to write this lighthearted piece, showing a cheerful and resilient spirit.

韩愈（768—824），字退之，河阳人，郡望昌黎，世称韩昌黎，中唐古文运动领袖，「唐宋八大家」之首。此诗约作于唐宪宗元和年间，韩愈当时在长安任职（一说任考功郎中知制诰，约元和十年左右，一说元和元年自阳山召还后初任国子博士时期）。元和年间，韩愈仕途几经起伏：元和元年由贬所阳山令北归长安，元和十四年又因谏迎佛骨贬潮州，故诗中所写「新年都未有芳华」的盼春之态，亦可视为其人生境遇的隐喻——在漫长的贬谪与困顿之后，诗人对「春天」的到来格外敏感而渴望。长安地处关中，初春气候尚寒，正月往往无花，二月方见草芽破土，这是北方初春的真实景象；韩愈于盼春不至、春色来迟之际，忽见春雪纷飞，竟生出奇想：莫不是白雪嫌弃春色来得太晚，才故意化作飞花来装点春景？诗人以游戏笔墨写盼春深情，于平常物色中翻出无穷趣味，正可见其「以文为诗」之外的另一副笔墨——诙谐、灵动、充满生命的情趣。

Art

The poem employs clever personification: '嫌' (dislikes) and '故' (deliberately) animate the snow, turning a natural event into a willful act. The contrast between expectation (no flowers) and surprise (snow as blossoms) creates a humorous effect, typical of Han Yu's ability to find novelty in ordinary scenes.

此诗的艺术妙处在「翻空出奇」四字，全篇二十八字，章法上有起、有承、有转、有合。起句「新年都未有芳华」直写盼春之急，「都未」二字写失望之切——新年已过，百花无信，一个「都」字把漫长等待的焦灼尽数写出；承句「二月初惊见草芽」以「初惊」写乍见春信的惊喜——「初」字写时间之早，「惊」字写心理之动，草芽初露的细微春色，被诗人写得既惊喜又怅然，喜其终于有春，憾其毕竟来迟。转句「白雪却嫌春色晚」是全诗机杼所在：诗人不写自己嫌春色晚，反写白雪「嫌」春色晚，将无情的白雪赋以人的娇嗔，一个「嫌」字，物我易位，无理而妙；合句「故穿庭树作飞花」以「故」字坐实白雪的「故意」，它穿过庭树，纷纷飘落，仿佛不甘寂寞地化作漫天飞花，要替人间补出一个春天。前两句写实，后两句写虚；前两句是人盼春，后两句是雪争春，虚实相生，物我交融，于无花处「造」出花来，正是诗家所谓「不写雪而雪之神理俱出」。

Allusions

The image of snow as flying blossoms echoes Xie Daoyun's famous comparison of snow to willow catkins (未若柳絮因风起), but here the metaphor is reversed: instead of comparing snow to flowers, the snow actually becomes flowers, showcasing the poet's originality.

此诗无明显用典，纯以奇思与拟人为工，然其意象却有深远的文学渊源。「芳华」一词出《楚辞·九章·思美人》「芳与泽其杂糅兮，羌芳华自中出」，本指芬芳的花朵，韩愈借以泛指春花，暗含屈子香草美人的雅韵；「二月初惊见草芽」则暗合「春草」的古典意象——谢灵运「池塘生春草」写乍见春草之惊喜，韩愈的「初惊」与之异代同调，皆写诗人对细微春色的敏锐感知。「飞花」更与咏雪传统相勾连：谢道韫咏雪以「未若柳絮因风起」喻雪，以花喻雪自此成为经典；而韩愈反其道而行之——不写雪像花，反写雪化作花，将「雪喻花」的静态比喻翻成「雪作花」的动态想象，翻空出奇，自成新境。此外，「白雪却嫌春色晚」的拟人，遥承鲍照、庾信写雪之灵性的传统，而「故穿庭树作飞花」的「故」字，又赋予雪以人的心机与情感，使咏物诗由状物升华为写心，这是韩愈对咏雪诗传统的创造性发展。诗中『草芽』『飞花』等意象，亦为后世咏春雪诗反复化用，影响及于杨万里诸人。

Commentary

Critics praise the poem's ingenuity. The 'Tang Poetry Appreciation Dictionary' notes that '嫌' and '故' capture the spirit of snow. Qian Zhongshu remarked that Han Yu here shows a 'charming and playful side' beyond his usual forceful style.

此诗历代传诵，评家多着眼于其「拟人」「翻空」之妙。《唐诗鉴赏辞典》评：「『嫌』字、『故』字，写出雪之性灵，是诗家所谓『不写雪而雪之神理俱出』。」清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》谓「『白雪却嫌春色晚』七字，便觉满纸皆春」，极言其以少总多、意在言外之能。近人钱钟书《谈艺录》论韩愈诗，称其「以文为诗而能小中见巧，于硬语盘空外别开妩媚一境」，正以此诗为证——韩愈素以雄奇险怪著称（如《南山诗》《石鼓歌》），而此诗却轻灵俏皮，如冰雪聪明的小令，足见大家手笔不拘一格。诗中「嫌春色晚」「作飞花」的奇想，与《晚春》「杨花榆荚无才思，惟解漫天作雪飞」恰成姊妹篇，一以雪作花、一以花作雪，两两对观，可见韩愈咏物诗中那种「以反常合道为趣」的审美追求。此诗篇幅虽短，却在唐诗咏雪题材中独树一帜，对后世如杨万里、范成大等以诙谐写景一路，影响深远。此诗以二十八字写尽盼春情态，是韩愈短章中的精品，历来与《晚春》并称其春日双璧。

Prosody

Form 七言绝句 (seven-character quatrain)七言绝句

Rhyme 平水韵·下平六麻 (华, 芽, 花)平水韵·下平六麻（华、芽、花），首句入韵，一韵到底，音韵流转。

Tone pattern 平起首句入韵式平起首句入韵式：平平仄仄仄平平（新年都未有芳华），仄仄平平仄仄平（二月初惊见草芽），仄仄平平平仄仄（白雪却嫌春色晚），平平仄仄仄平平（故穿庭树作飞花），平仄合律，声调谐婉。

Reading note A quatrain with clever personification, exemplifying Han Yu's lighter, more whimsical verse.此诗为七言绝句，属近体诗中体制最小者，而韩愈于二十八字中完成了「起承转合」的完整章法：前两句实写盼春，为「起」「承」；后两句虚写雪之娇嗔，为「转」「合」，虚实之间以「嫌」「故」二字过渡，如行云流水。七绝以含蓄蕴藉为常格（如王昌龄、王维之作），而韩愈此诗却以奇思议论出之——「却嫌」「故穿」皆是理路语，正见其「以文为诗」的个性：用写文章的思路经营绝句，于小体中翻出大波澜。全诗押开口度较大的「麻」韵（华、芽、花），音色明亮疏朗，与诗中盼春、迎春的欢快情调相谐；「芳华」「草芽」「飞花」三个意象皆以「华、芽、花」收束，如珠走玉盘，回环成趣。这种「以谐写庄、化俗为雅」的七绝新格，对宋人（如杨万里）的活泼诗风有开启之功。

Line by line

新年都未有芳华，二月初惊见草芽。

In the new year there were no fragrant blossoms at all; in the second month I startle to see the grass sprouting.

新年里都还没有芬芳的花朵，二月初才惊喜地看见草芽冒头。

Through the new year there were no fragrant flowers at all; in early February I am surprised to see the grass shoots appear.

前两句写盼春的焦灼与乍见的惊喜，是「欲扬先抑」的铺垫。「都未」二字极写失望之深：新年是万象更新的节令，而百花竟无一点消息，一个「都」字把从岁首盼到二月的漫长等待浓缩殆尽；「初惊见草芽」的「初」字写春信之微——不过是刚冒头的草芽而已，「惊」字则写诗人心理的骤动：久盼无花，忽见草芽，如绝处逢生，惊喜之情溢于言表。但惊喜之中又有遗憾——毕竟只是草芽，不是繁花，春天终究来迟了。这两句为后文的奇想埋下伏笔：正因为花信太迟，春天太晚，才引出白雪「嫌春色晚」的娇嗔。喜与憾交织，实写与铺垫相生，章法上已是滴水不漏。

The first two lines write the anxiety of longing for spring and the surprise of the first sight, the ground of suppressing before rising. The two words at all write to the utmost the depth of disappointment: the new year is the season of all things' renewal, yet the hundred flowers have not a trace of news, the single word at all condensing the long waiting from the year's start to the second month. The word first in startle to see the grass sprouting writes the faintness of the spring token - no more than the newly sprouted grass shoots; the word startle writes the sudden movement of the poet's mind: long expecting no flowers, suddenly seeing the grass shoots, like meeting life at the edge of death, the surprise overflowing the words. Yet within the surprise there is regret - after all it is only grass shoots, not lush flowers, spring coming late after all. The two lines lay a ground for the later fancy: precisely because the flower news is so late and spring so slow, the white snow's reproach that spring is late arises. Joy and regret interweaving, the real writing and the ground breeding each other, the structure already watertight.

白雪却嫌春色晚，故穿庭树作飞花。

The white snow, as if displeased that spring is late, purposely threads the courtyard trees and turns into flying flowers.

白雪却嫌弃春色来得太迟，故意穿过庭院树木化作飞舞的飞花。

The white snow, as though regretting that spring comes late, purposely drifts through the courtyard trees like flying petals.

后两句是全诗的灵魂，妙在一个「反客为主」的奇想。诗人不写自己嫌春色晚，反写白雪「嫌」春色晚——把无情的雪写成有情的人，一个「嫌」字，物我易位，无理而妙：雪竟嫌弃春天来得太迟，仿佛它比盼春的诗人还着急。「故穿庭树作飞花」的「故」字坐实其「故意」，雪穿过庭树，纷纷扬扬，不是败兴的寒雪，而是有意来凑趣、来补景的飞花。雪本无情，却偏要替春天「造」出花来；人本盼春，却借雪写尽了盼春的痴情。这两句化静为动、化无情为有情，把北方春寒中纷纷的春雪写得娇憨可喜，正见韩愈「翻空出奇」的想象力和「以谐写庄」的幽默感。

The last two lines are the soul of the whole, the beauty in the fancy of turning the guest into the host. The poet writes not that he himself regrets spring's lateness, but that the white snow regrets it - writing the passionless snow as a passionate person, the single word regret shifting object and self, unreasonable yet beautiful: the snow actually regrets that spring comes too late, as if it were more impatient than the poet who longs for spring. The word purposely in purposely threads the courtyard trees and turns into flying flowers establishes the intention: the snow threading the courtyard trees, falling thick and fast, is not the spoiling cold snow, but flying flowers purposely coming to make sport and fill the scene. The snow is originally passionless, yet insists on making flowers for spring; the man originally longs for spring, yet through the snow writes to the full the obsession of longing. The two lines turn stillness into motion and the passionless into the passionate, writing the falling spring snow in the northern cold as dainty and endearing, exactly showing Han Yu's imagination of turning the void to novelty and his humor of writing the solemn through the playful.

Study

Word focus

嫌 dislike, be displeased with 「白雪却嫌春色晚」之「嫌」字，是全诗拟人的诗眼。「嫌」本是人情——嫌弃、嗔怪，诗人却移之于雪：不是诗人嫌春色晚，而是白雪嫌春色晚。这一字的关键在于「无理而妙」：雪与春色本无恩怨，何嫌之有？然而正因这「无理」，雪的灵性、雪的娇嗔、雪的生机才被写活了。它仿佛是一个着急的孩子，嫌春天来得太慢，便自作主张地穿树作花，替春天补景。若易为「怨」「惜」等字，则失其俏皮；若直写「春色晚」而无「嫌」字，则无由转入「故穿庭树作飞花」的奇想。故「嫌」字既是拟人的支点，又是章法的枢纽——上承盼春之急，下启造花之奇，一字之炼，全诗皆活，是韩愈炼字「于平易处见奇崛」的典范。

故 deliberately, on purpose 「故穿庭树作飞花」之「故」字，意为「故意、特意」，与「嫌」字呼应，把雪的行为由「被动的飘落」升华为「主动的创造」。「嫌」字只写雪的态度，「故」字则写雪的用心——它不只是嫌弃春色晚，还要特意穿过庭树，化作飞花，来弥补春色的缺憾。一个「故」字，使雪的穿树作花不再是自然现象，而成了有意志、有目的的行为，拟人至此，雪已是诗人心中的另一个「盼春者」，与诗人同气相求。「故」字还暗含嗔怪的亲昵：雪这般「多事」，固然俏皮，却也正因这多事，才使春天虽迟而春意不缺。若易为「忽」「自」等字，则失其灵性；唯「故」字能于无理中见情味，与「嫌」字珠联璧合，共同铸成后两句翻空出奇的妙境。

初惊 A key expression in this poem; read it with the Chinese note below. 「二月初惊见草芽」之「初惊」二字，写乍见春信的惊喜与春来迟暮的怅然，是前两句的传神处。「初」字双关：既写时间之早——二月初旬，冬寒未退，草芽便已破土；又写初见之新——苦盼无果之后，第一次看见生命的绿意。「惊」字则写心理的骤动：草芽本极细微，若非久盼之人，未必留意；而诗人一眼瞥见，如触电般心惊——这草芽是春天最早的使者，是漫长寒冬后第一缕生机的昭示。「初」与「惊」相叠加，惊喜的成分中又渗着遗憾：草芽虽萌，芳华犹远，春天毕竟来得太迟。此二字与下文的「嫌」「故」暗中勾连——正因为「初惊」于草芽之微，才更嫌春色之晚，才更盼飞花之盛。炼字之精，前后照应，浑然一体。

春雪