In Reply to a Court Official (答朝士) by He Zhizhang · Chinese Poem Audio and Explanation

Meaning

A silver plate, carved and inlaid, holds the clams; the Jinghu water-shield is tangled like silk. My village has of late prized this flavour; let them not say I am no son of Wu—I pride myself as a Wu man.

银盘雕镂盛着蛤蜊，镜湖莼菜纷披如丝。故乡近来最喜此味，任他们不称道我是吴地之人——我仍以吴儿自傲。

Appreciation

A seven-character quatrain of playful reply, it turns a court colleague's tease about his Wu accent into a proud boast of his home's flavours. The opening lines lay out the carved silver plate of clams and the Jinghu water-shield tangled like silk, making the local delicacy precious; the close meets the jest with a retort—"let them not say I am no son of Wu"—turning mockery into pride. Light in scene yet deep in love of home, the poem shows He Zhizhang's open, humorous, unpretentious heart.

【白话串讲】贺知章晚年回乡，有人笑他乡音土气，他答：“钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊，镜湖莼菜乱如丝”——家乡的蛤蜊和莼菜。“乡曲近来佳此味，遮渠不道是吴儿”——你们也爱吃家乡味，怎么就不说自己是吴人？【意象与手法】前二句“钑镂银盘”“镜湖莼菜”以精致器皿与名物铺写乡味之珍，“乱如丝”状莼菜柔美生动【情感与主旨】贺知章，越州永兴（今浙江萧山）人，晚居镜湖。其为人与诗皆疏放诙谐【名句点睛】此诗非传统考点重篇，但可考“以俗为雅”与乡情表达。常析“遮渠不道是吴儿”的反语自嘲之妙；亦考莼菜用典所指

Background

He Zhizhang, a man of Yongxing in Yuezhou (today's Xiaoshan, Zhejiang), late in life lived by Jinghu. His person and poetry were both free and humorous. This poem is a reply to a court colleague—someone had teased him for his Wu accent and rustic speech; the poet took no offence, but prided himself on his home's treasures, the clams and water-shield, answering the jest with play, fully showing his open, contented nature that would not forsake its root.

《答朝士》为唐代贺知章所作，是写思乡之情的七绝。贺知章（659—744），字季真，越州永兴人，唐代诗人。此诗：钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊，镜湖莼菜乱如丝。乡曲近来佳此味，遮渠不道是吴儿。全诗写以吴中风味答朝士、寄乡思，是贺知章诗的名篇。

Art

The first two lines "A carved silver plate holds the clams; the Jinghu water-shield lies tangled like silk" write the preciousness of the home flavour with fine vessels and famed things; "tangled like silk" pictures the water-shield's softness, vivid. The last two lines turn to a jesting tone: "My village of late has prized this flavour" states the fellow-villagers' shared taste; "let them not say I am no son of Wu" uses a retort to own the name of Wu, proudly pleasing. The whole writes deep love of home through a light scene of food and drink; the language seems rustic yet the spirit is open.

《答朝士》艺术上以乡味的描摹与乡思的含蓄见长。全诗四句，层层写来：前二句写吴中风味——“钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊，镜湖莼菜乱如丝”写银盘蛤蜊、镜湖莼菜；后二句写乡思之寄——“乡曲近来佳此味，遮渠不道是吴儿”写乡曲佳味、不道吴儿。全诗以乡味写乡思，正是贺知章诗含蓄的笔法。

Allusions

"Jinghu water-shield" uses the tale of Zhang Han's "longing for water-shield and perch" (when the autumn wind rose, Zhang Han of Jin thought of the Wu water-shield soup, perch, and molluscs, and resigned to go home); He quietly inherits the water-shield with the home-longing tradition. "Carved" names the silver plate's inlay craft. "Son of Wu" means a man of the Wu lands; the poet takes the name of Wu for himself, turning the courtiers' tease into pride—mockery made boast, humor with backbone.

《答朝士》用典少而意象自明。“钑镂银盘”写镂刻之银盘；“镜湖莼菜”写镜湖之莼菜（贺知章故乡越州之物）；“吴儿”写吴地之人。全诗以吴中风味写乡思，不用深典而含蓄自见，正是贺知章诗的笔法。

Commentary

The "Old Tang History" records He Zhizhang as "open and broad, fond of talk and laughter." Small as this poem is, it shows his "every time drunk he would write, the brush never stopping" sincerity. Later readers said "answering the jest with comedy, not less than the grace of Ji Kang and Ruan Ji." Moderns say among Tang reply-and-gift quatrains, He's piece is the most humorous.

《答朝士》是贺知章诗的名篇，也是唐代写思乡之情的代表作。此诗以吴中风味答朝士、寄乡思，向为论者称道。论者多赏其乡味的描摹——“钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊，镜湖莼菜乱如丝”写银盘蛤蜊、镜湖莼菜，乡味如在目前；“遮渠不道是吴儿”写不道是吴儿，更见乡思含蓄。贺知章晚年归乡，其诗以清新含蓄著称，此诗正是其代表——以乡味写乡思，正是其诗风。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain七言绝句

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, upper-level four zhi group (clams, silk, Wu)《答朝士》为七言绝句，四句，押平声韵。此诗用韵：丝、儿（支部），一韵到底，音节轻快。

Tone pattern Level-onset, first line enters rhyme七言绝句以音节轻快、情致含蓄见长。此诗以吴中风味答朝士、寄乡思，音节轻快而含蓄。全诗以七言贯底，声调与乡思之情的含蓄内容相合，是贺知章诗中清新含蓄的一路。

Reading note He Zhizhang's quatrain, open and humorous, writing native feeling through food.《答朝士》为唐代贺知章所作，是写思乡之情的七绝。此诗以“钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊，镜湖莼菜乱如丝”写吴中风味，以“乡曲近来佳此味，遮渠不道是吴儿”写乡思之寄。以乡味写乡思，正是贺知章诗的名篇。

Line by line

钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊，镜湖莼菜乱如丝。

An engraved silver plate holds the clams; the water shields of Mirror Lake tangle like silk threads.

镂刻的银盘盛着蛤蜊，镜湖的莼菜乱如丝缕。

An engraved silver dish holds clams; the water-shield of Mirror Lake lies tangled like threads of silk.

前二句写吴中风味，是全诗乡思的起点。“钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊”写银盘蛤蜊——“钑镂银盘”写镂刻的银盘，“盛蛤蜊”写盛着蛤蜊——银盘盛蛤蜊；“镜湖莼菜乱如丝”写镜湖莼菜——“镜湖莼菜”写镜湖之莼菜，“乱如丝”写乱如丝缕——镜湖莼菜乱如丝。二句写吴中风味：钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊，镜湖莼菜乱如丝。以“钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊”写吴中海鲜，以“镜湖莼菜乱如丝”写故乡镜湖之莼菜，正是贺知章诗写吴中风味、以寄乡思的起点——银盘蛤蜊、镜湖莼菜，皆故乡之味。

The first two lines write the Wu country flavors, the starting point of the whole's homesickness. An engraved silver plate holds the clams writes the silver plate and clams - the engraved silver plate the chased silver dish, holds the clams the serving. The water shields of Mirror Lake tangle like silk threads writes Mirror Lake's water shields - the water shields of Mirror Lake the home-water vegetable, tangle like silk threads the loose strands. The two lines write the Wu flavors: the engraved silver plate holding clams, the Mirror Lake shields like silk threads, exactly He Zhizhang's starting point of writing the Wu flavors to lodge homesickness - silver-plated clams and Mirror Lake shields, both the flavors of home.

乡曲近来佳此味，遮渠不道是吴儿。

The folks back home of late count this flavor fine; let them not say I am a Wu lad.

乡曲近来以为此味甚佳，管他（朝士）不说我是吴儿。

The people from my home place have lately taken to this flavor; let them not call me a Wu boy.

末二句写乡思之寄，是全诗乡思含蓄的归结。“乡曲近来佳此味”写乡曲佳此味——“乡曲近来”写乡曲近来，“佳此味”写以为此味甚佳——乡曲近来佳此味；“遮渠不道是吴儿”写不道吴儿——“遮渠”写管他、任凭他们，“不道是吴儿”写不说我是吴儿——遮渠不道是吴儿。二句写乡思之寄：乡曲近来佳此味，遮渠不道是吴儿。以“乡曲近来佳此味”写故乡之味为乡人珍爱，以“遮渠不道是吴儿”写任凭朝士不认我为吴儿、而我自爱吴味，正是贺知章诗写乡思含蓄的归结——我爱吴味，我即吴儿，乡思自在其中。

The last two lines write the lodging of homesickness, the reserved landing of the whole's longing. The folks back home of late count this flavor fine writes the home folk prizing the flavor. Let them not say I am a Wu lad writes the indifference to the court scholars' not acknowledging him, while he himself loves the Wu flavor. The two lines write the lodging of homesickness: the home folk count this flavor fine, let them not call me a Wu lad, exactly He Zhizhang's reserved landing of homesickness - I love the Wu flavor, I am the Wu lad, the homesickness within it.

Study

Word focus

钑镂银盘 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊”之“钑镂银盘”，写镂刻的银盘，是全诗写吴中宴饮之盛的关键词。“钑镂”写镂刻，“银盘”写银制之盘——镂刻的银盘盛着蛤蜊。这一词写盘之精丽：不是寻常之盘，而钑镂银盘；不是简陋之器，而镂银之盘。以“钑镂银盘盛蛤蜊”写吴中风味之盛，正是贺知章诗写乡味、以朝士之奢衬吴味之珍的笔法。

镜湖莼菜 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “镜湖莼菜乱如丝”之“镜湖莼菜”，写镜湖之莼菜，是全诗写故乡风物的关键词。“镜湖”写贺知章故乡越州之镜湖，“莼菜”写莼菜——镜湖的莼菜乱如丝缕。这一词写故乡之物：不是他乡之菜，而镜湖莼菜；不是寻常之味，而故乡之珍。以“镜湖莼菜乱如丝”写故乡风味，正是贺知章诗写乡思的笔法。

乡曲 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “乡曲近来佳此味”之“乡曲”，写乡里、故乡，是全诗写乡思之情的关键词。“乡曲”写乡里僻处——乡曲近来以为此味甚佳。这一词写故乡之人：不是朝士之流，而乡曲；不是京华之士，而故乡乡里。以“乡曲近来佳此味”写故乡之人珍此味，正是贺知章诗写乡思的笔法。

吴儿 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “遮渠不道是吴儿”之“吴儿”，写吴地之人，是全诗写乡思之情的归结词。“吴儿”写吴地之人——任凭他们不说我是吴儿。这一词以“吴儿”自指：不是他乡之人，而吴儿；不是可讳之籍，而吴地之子。以“遮渠不道是吴儿”写任凭人不认我吴儿、我自爱吴味，正是贺知章诗写乡思含蓄的归结。

答朝士