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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

滁州西涧

On the West Stream at Chuzhou

韦应物

Wei Yingwu

写景Scenery 山水Landscape 闲适Leisure 恬淡Placid

独怜幽草涧边生，上有黄鹂深树鸣。
春潮带雨晚来急，野渡无人舟自横。

Alone I love the hidden grass that grows by the creek,
Above, orioles sing deep in the thick trees.
With spring tide and evening rain the dusk comes hurried,
At the wild ferry with no one, the boat lies crosswise.

Listen

Meaning

The poet expresses his unique fondness for the secluded grass by the creek, accompanied by orioles singing in the deep woods. As spring tide and rain hasten the evening, the unmanned ferry boat lies idly across the water, evoking a sense of solitude and serenity.

独独偏爱那涧边生长的幽草，上面有黄鹂在密林深处啼鸣。春潮裹着夜雨傍晚骤急，荒野渡口空无一人，小船悠闲地横泊水面。

Appreciation

The poem captures a vivid scene of nature with contrasts: the quiet grass and vibrant oriole song, the urgent tide and the idle boat. The word 'alone' reveals the poet's preference for secluded beauty, while the final image of the drifting boat symbolizes a carefree, unattached spirit.

【白话串讲】黄昏的滁州西涧，春潮带雨，野渡口空无一人，只有一条小船横在水上。韦应物写的是景，心里想的却是自己的官场进退——“野渡无人舟自横”，写尽了顺其自然。【意象与手法】首句「独怜幽草涧边生」以「独怜」领起，偏怜幽僻之草，见孤高情趣；次句「上有黄鹂深树鸣」以声衬静，黄鹂鸣于深树，愈显涧边幽寂。后两句「春潮带雨晚来急，野渡无人舟自横」写晚雨潮急、渡口空寂、孤舟横泊，动静相生，以动衬静，画面疏淡而有生气。全诗不着议论，以景语写心境，清空闲远。【情感与主旨】韦应物于唐德宗建中四年（783）至兴元元年（784）出任滁州刺史，此诗即作于滁州任上。诗人早年为玄宗侍卫，豪纵不羁，后折节读书，诗风转为闲淡清远。滁州西涧（俗名上马河）在城西，春日独游，见幽草黄鹂、春潮野渡，写景中寓恬淡胸襟与少许闲愁，是中唐山水田园诗的代表小品。【名句点睛】考点在「春潮带雨晚来急，野渡无人舟自横」的意境与炼字：「急」与「自横」的动静对照、「野渡无人」的空寂意象，以及「独怜」所见的孤高自赏情怀。

Background

Wei Yingwu served as prefect of Chuzhou from 783 to 784. He had a transformation from a wild youth to a refined poet. This poem was written during his leisurely visit to the West Stream, a small creek west of the city. It reflects his taste for tranquility and subtle melancholy, embodying the landscape poetry of the Mid-Tang.

韦应物（约737—约792），京兆万年人，出身关中望族。他早年任玄宗侍卫，「身作里中横，家藏亡命儿」，豪纵不羁；安史之乱后折节读书，出任滁州、江州、苏州等地刺史，诗风亦由雄豪转为闲淡清远，与王维、孟浩然、柳宗元并称山水田园诗名家。唐德宗建中四年（783）至兴元元年（784），韦应物出任滁州刺史，此诗即作于滁州任上。滁州西涧（俗名上马河）在城西，春日雨后，诗人独游涧边，见幽草黄鹂、春潮野渡，写景中寓恬淡胸襟与少许闲愁。当时正值安史之乱后藩镇割据、民生凋敝，诗人于州郡任上亦多感慨，然此诗只写山水，不涉时事，正见其以自然山水安顿心境的超脱，是中唐山水田园诗的代表小品。韦应物任滁州刺史时，正值建中年间藩镇叛乱频仍，诗人虽居州守之位而心怀去就，诗中「野渡无人」的荒寂与「舟自横」的自在，正是他于乱世中安顿自我的写照。其诗学陶潜、王维，而能以清丽之笔写平淡之境，被白居易赞为「高雅闲淡，自成一家之体」，此诗即其代表作。

Art

The first line begins with 'alone love', highlighting the poet's unique perspective. The second line uses sound to deepen the stillness. The final couplet contrasts the dynamic swiftness of rain and tide with the static, carefree boat. The poem achieves a balance of motion and stillness, typical of Wei's elegant and placid style.

全诗四句二十八字，却写尽涧边幽景与渡口晚景，动静相生，层次分明。前两句写幽静：首句「独怜幽草涧边生」以「独怜」领起，偏怜幽僻之草，见孤高情趣；次句「上有黄鹂深树鸣」以声衬静，黄鹂鸣于深树，只闻其声不见其形，愈显涧边幽寂。后两句转写动景：「春潮带雨晚来急」写春潮裹雨、傍晚骤急，满纸风涛之声；「野渡无人舟自横」陡转静境，渡口无人，孤舟自横，以动衬静，动静对照。全诗由近及远、由静入动、由声入寂，不着议论，纯以景语写心境，疏淡中有生气，闲适中含孤高，是韦应物「高雅闲淡」诗风的集中体现，也是绝句以少总多、以景寓情的典范。全诗四句，前两句写涧边幽景，后两句写渡口晚景，一静一动、一近一远，章法分明。首句自下而上写草与鸟，次句由声入静写鸣与幽；第三句以「急」字振起全篇，第四句以「自横」悠然收束，动极而静、闹极而寂，正是绝句「起承转合」的典范，于平淡中见深厚功力。

Allusions

The West Stream is a real location in Chuzhou. The image of a boat 'lying crosswise' (自横) evokes a sense of freedom and non-attachment, reminiscent of the 'unmoving heart' in the Book of Songs. It implies the poet's desire to live simply, detached from worldly concerns.

西涧为滁州城西之溪涧，韦应物另有《西涧》等作记其地，是真实可考的地理意象。诗中「野渡无人舟自横」化用《诗经·邶风·柏舟》「泛彼柏舟，亦泛其流」的孤舟意象，并承王维「渡头余落日，墟里上孤烟」的田园静境，与柳宗元「孤舟蓑笠翁」的孤寂舟影同出一脉。「幽草」意象承《楚辞》「惟草木之零落兮」的幽微传统，暗含自怜自惜之情；「黄鹂深树鸣」则近于王维「鸟鸣山更幽」的以声写静之法。韦应物以「自横」写舟之任运自在，不假外力、不系于人，暗寓诗人虽处闲职、甘于淡泊而随遇自适的魏晋风神，典故化于无形，正是中唐诗「发纤秾于简古」的体现。「独怜」二字暗含屈原「哀众芳之芜秽」的孤芳自赏传统，与陶渊明「采菊东篱下」的悠然一脉相承；「幽草」则近于杜甫「幽草涧边生」的同题意象，可见中唐诗人于草木幽微处寄托心志的普遍趣味。韦应物以寻常物象写高远襟怀，不假典故而自成典境，正是其「发纤秾于简古」的体现。

Commentary

Su Shi highly praised Wei Yingwu's poetry for its subtlety and depth. Wang Shizhen considered this poem the finest of Wei's quatrains. It exemplifies Wei's 'elegant and placid' style, achieving a perfect fusion of scenery and inner feelings.

宋人苏轼极赏此诗，其《书黄子思诗集后》谓「韦应物、柳宗元发纤秾于简古，寄至味于澹泊」，又曾书此诗贴于斋壁，以为「徐熙画花鸟」般的逸品；清人王士禛《唐人万首绝句选》推为「韦苏州（应物）绝句之冠」。历代评家多注目「野渡无人舟自横」一句：或以「自横」写舟之自在，喻诗人安于淡泊；或联系韦应物时任刺史而遭逢乱世，谓「急」字暗含时局动荡，孤舟自横正是乱世中人的自处之道。今人更从禅意解读，以为幽草自生、舟自横泊，皆见万物自然之性，深得道禅「无心」之旨。此诗以二十八字写尽山水清音，闲而不冷、淡而有味，足见韦诗「高雅闲淡」之本色，是中唐山水诗之逸品。此诗之所以千古传诵，在于它以二十八字写尽了中国士人安顿心境的理想图景：幽草自生、黄鹂自鸣、孤舟自横，万物各得其所而互不相扰，正是道家「无为」与禅宗「无心」的境界。历代读者于「野渡无人舟自横」中读出的，既是韦应物的个人心境，也是历代士大夫共通的栖心之所，故能历久弥新。

Prosody

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

Rhyme Rhyme on 'sheng', 'ming', 'heng' (下平八庚韵)押下平八庚韵：生、鸣、横。

Tone pattern Pattern: 仄平平仄仄平平, 仄仄平平平仄平; 平平仄仄仄平仄, 仄仄平平平仄平「独怜幽草涧边生」仄平平仄仄平平，「上有黄鹂深树鸣」仄仄平平平仄平；「春潮带雨晚来急」平平仄仄仄平仄，「野渡无人舟自横」仄仄平平平仄平，首句入韵，粘对合律。

Reading note The poem progresses from still to moving, ending with the serene image of the boat, embodying Wei's 'elegant and placid' style.此诗为七言绝句，仄起首句入韵，押下平八庚韵，韵脚「生、鸣、横」皆为开口呼阳声韵，声情响亮悠长，与山水清音相合。全诗四句，前两句写涧边幽景，后两句写渡口晚景，由静入动、由近及远，章法严整。第三句「春潮带雨晚来急」末字「急」为入声仄韵，仄收以振起，第四句「野渡无人舟自横」以平声「横」收束，仄起平收，声情由急促转悠扬，正合「急」而后「自横」的章法。绝句贵在以少总多，此诗二十八字写尽幽草、黄鹂、春潮、野渡、孤舟五种意象，动静相生、情景交融，是七绝中「以景写心」的典范。韦应物以「幽草—黄鹂—春潮—野渡」由静转动，结于「舟自横」的悠然，是「高雅闲淡」诗风的代表，格律精严而意境疏淡，为中唐绝句名篇。

Line by line

独怜幽草涧边生，上有黄鹂深树鸣。

I alone love the hidden grass growing by the creek; above, orioles sing deep in the trees. The word 'alone' shows the poet's unique taste for secluded beauty; the sound of orioles contrasts with the quiet, emphasizing solitude.

独独偏爱那涧边生长的幽草，上面有黄鹂在密林深处啼鸣。

I alone love the quiet grass growing by the ravine; above, the oriole sings in the deep trees.

首句「独怜幽草涧边生」以「独怜」领起，是全诗情感之眼。「独」字见诗人幽独之趣：众人所爱或是繁花闹景，诗人独独偏爱涧边无人问津的幽草，其孤高自赏、不趋流俗的性情于此立见。「幽草涧边生」写草之幽僻，暗含自怜自惜之意；「上有黄鹂深树鸣」由下而上，以声写静，黄鹂鸣于深树，只闻其声不见其形，愈显涧边幽寂。两句一静一动、一草一鸟，上下相映，恬淡中见孤赏。值得注意的是「独怜」与「深树」的呼应：幽草因无人赏而自荣，黄鹂因藏深树而自鸣，皆是不求人知的自然生命，正与诗人独游西涧的孤高心境相合，为后两句「野渡无人」的空寂意象作了铺垫。

The opening line, I alone love the quiet grass growing by the ravine, leads with I alone love, the eye of the whole's feeling. The single word alone shows the poet's secluded taste: what the crowd loves is the lush flowers and lively scenes, the poet alone loves the untrodden quiet grass by the ravine, his lofty self-appreciation and non-conformity showing at once. The quiet grass growing by the ravine writes the grass's seclusion, secretly holding the self-pity and self-treasure. Above, the oriole sings in the deep trees moves from below to above, writing stillness through sound, the oriole singing in the deep wood, the sound heard yet the form unseen, the more showing the ravine's quiet. The two lines, one still one motion, one grass one bird, upper and lower setting off, the solitary appreciation showing within the calm. Notably, the echo of I alone love and the deep trees: the quiet grass flourishing of itself for no one's appreciation, the oriole singing of itself hidden in the deep wood, both natural lives seeking no man's knowledge, exactly matching the poet's lofty mood in his lone wander by the western ravine, laying a ground for the later two lines' empty solitude of the wild ferry with no one.

春潮带雨晚来急，野渡无人舟自横。

With spring tide and rain the evening comes hurried; at the wild ferry, no one is there, the boat lies crosswise. The hurried tide contrasts with the idle boat, 'self-crosswise' symbolizing carefree independence.

春潮裹着夜雨傍晚骤急，荒野渡口空无一人，小船悠闲地横泊水面。

The spring tide, bearing rain, comes swift at dusk; at the wild ferry, no one, the boat of itself lies across.

此二句是全诗眼目，写晚雨潮急、渡口空寂、孤舟横泊，动静相生。「春潮带雨晚来急」以「急」字写潮雨骤至的动势：春潮裹雨、傍晚骤至，满纸风涛之声，画面由静转动；「野渡无人舟自横」陡转静境：渡口荒寂无人，一叶孤舟自在地横泊水面，「自横」二字写出舟之不假外力、任运自在。以动衬静，「急」反衬「自横」之闲；以有衬无，潮雨之急反显渡口之空。此句历来被视为「无人之境」的极致：舟自横泊，无人问津，恰如诗人自处闲职、安于淡泊，暗寓随遇而安的悠然禅意。「自横」二字为全诗诗眼，炼字绝佳，是韦应物「高雅闲淡」诗风的点睛之笔。

The two lines are the eye of the whole, writing the evening rain's swift tide, the ferry's emptiness, and the lone boat lying at anchor, motion and stillness breeding each other. The spring tide, bearing rain, comes swift at dusk uses the word swift to write the tide-rain's sudden motion: the spring tide wrapped in rain, coming suddenly at evening, the page full of wind and wave sound, the picture turning from stillness to motion. At the wild ferry, no one, the boat of itself lies across abruptly turns to the still realm: the ferry desolate and empty, a lone boat at its ease lying across the water, the two words of itself write the boat's needing no external force, drifting at will. Setting stillness off through motion, the word swift setting off the leisure of of itself; setting the void off through being, the tide-rain's urgency the more showing the ferry's emptiness. This line has always been seen as the extreme of the realm of no one: the boat lying at anchor of itself, untrodden, exactly like the poet holding an idle post, content in plainness, secretly lodging the Zen ease of adapting to whatever comes. The two words of itself are the poem's eye, the word-polishing superb, the eye-dotting brush of Wei Yingwu's elegant and leisured style.

Study

Word focus

独怜 Alone loves (prefers) - the poet's unique fondness for the secluded grass. 「独怜幽草涧边生」之「怜」作喜爱解，偏爱的是涧边无人问津的幽草，见出诗人孤高自赏、不趋流俗的性情。「独」字极有分量：众人所爱是繁花盛景，诗人独独怜爱幽僻之草，这一「独」字写出他与众不同的审美趣味与人生取向。幽草生于涧边，无人观赏而自生自荣，正是诗人自处的写照——韦应物于乱世中任州郡闲职，不慕荣利，甘于淡泊，幽草之「幽」实为其心境之投影。「独怜」连用，主观之情与客观之景相融，开篇即定全诗闲淡孤高的基调，是炼字与写心合一的典范。

急 Hurried - describes the swiftness of the spring tide and rain, creating dynamic tension. 「春潮带雨晚来急」之「急」写潮雨骤至的动势，是全诗由静转动的关键。「春潮」本已上涨，「带雨」更添水量，「晚来」又值日暮，三重叠合，一个「急」字写尽潮涌雨骤、声势夺人的动态。此字之妙在于以动衬静：前两句写幽草黄鹂之静，此句陡起波澜，满纸风涛；而「急」愈甚，下句「舟自横」之闲愈显，动静对照，张力顿生。同时「急」字暗含时光迫促之意，晚来潮急，日暮将至，于热闹中隐见苍茫，为「野渡无人」的空寂蓄势，是炼字中「以一字领全篇转折」的典范。

自横 Self-crosswise - the boat lies diagonally of its own accord, implying nonchalance and freedom. 「野渡无人舟自横」之「自」字是全诗诗眼，写舟之闲适自在、不假外力，暗喻诗人随遇而安、孤高脱俗的心境。渡口无人，舟本无所系属，却自在地横泊水面，一个「自」字赋予孤舟生命，仿佛舟亦有性情，安然自处、不慕不惧。此字之妙有三：一写舟之自然，无人驾而自横，见万物任运之性；二写境之空寂，「无人」而舟「自横」，愈显渡口荒凉；三写心之自适，孤舟即诗人自况，虽处闲职、虽遭乱世，而心自安宁。炼「自」字以写物性，实则以物性写人性，与柳宗元「孤舟蓑笠翁」的孤傲不同，韦应物之舟是悠然自得的，正见其「高雅闲淡」本色，为千古炼字名句。