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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

宫词·故国三千里

Palace Poem · Three Thousand Li from Home

张祜

Zhang Hu

宫怨palace grievance 悲慨pathos 五绝five-character quatrain

故国三千里，深宫二十年。
一声何满子，双泪落君前。

Three thousand li from my native land,
Twenty years deep within the palace.
One note of the 'Hemanzhi' song,
And twin streams of tears fall before my lord.

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Meaning

Twenty characters hold a palace woman's whole life: three thousand li from home, twenty years confined, and at one note of a mournful song, two tears before her lord—the briefest and most crushing of Tang palace laments.

故乡远在三千里之外，我幽闭在深宫已经二十年。一曲《何满子》唱出口，两行眼泪就落在了君王面前。

Appreciation

Twenty characters, four number-words (three thousand, twenty, one, twin) uphold the whole. 'Three thousand li' is distance, 'twenty years' is time, 'one note' is the sudden trigger, 'twin tears' the true response—far to near, long to brief, great to small, closing on two drops. This is among the shortest and most grievous palace-lament poems. The poet paints no splendor, no faithless lord, only two numbers for her state and one instant to close. Twenty years of confinement press into the 'twin tears' after 'one note'—tears before the lord are her last and only plea.

【白话串讲】 “故国三千里，深宫二十年”——张祜写宫女：离家三千里，入宫二十年。“一声何满子，双泪落君前”——唱一声《何满子》，眼泪就落下来。二十个字，写尽宫女的悲哀。【意象与手法】二十个字，四个数目字（三千、二十、一、双）撑起全篇。“三千里”写空间之远，“二十年”写时间之久，“一声”写触发之骤，“双泪”写反应之真。由远及近、由久及暂、由大及小，最后收束在两滴眼泪上，结构极紧。【情感与主旨】这是唐诗中最短小也最沉痛的宫怨诗之一。诗人不写宫廷的华丽，不写君王的薄幸，只用两组数字交代境遇，再用一个瞬间收束。二十年的幽闭之苦，全压在“一声”之后的“双泪”里——泪落君前，是最后的申诉，也是唯一的申诉。【名句点睛】 “故国三千里，深宫二十年”——十个字，两个数字，把一个宫人的全部人生写尽。空间的隔绝与时间的消磨并置，不加一句怨语而怨极。

Background

Zhang Hu's poem also titled 'Hemanzi.' He Manzi was a singer of Cangzhou in Xuanzong's time, condemned to death, who offered a song to buy his life and was refused; the tune took his name, mournful, a famous sad song of the Tang. The 'Tang Poetry Recorded Events' tells that when Emperor Wuzong lay dying, his favorite Meng Cairen sang 'Hemanzi' and died before the song ended. Zhang Hu's poem laments the palace woman; the title also reads 'Palace Poems, Two Songs, First.'

张祜，字承吉，中唐诗人，以宫词与山水小诗著称。此诗一作《何满子》，题又作《宫词二首·其一》。何满子本为唐玄宗时沧州歌者，因罪当刑，临刑前进此曲以赎死而未获免，后其曲遂以「何满子」为名，音调哀婉，为唐代著名的悲歌。《唐诗纪事》载，唐武宗病重时，宠妃孟才人为之歌《何满子》，一声未终而气绝，足见此曲催人之悲。张祜此诗即咏宫人之怨，借一位幽闭深宫二十年的宫人，于君王前歌《何满子》而双泪落下的瞬间，写尽闭锁青春、故乡永隔的惨痛。唐代宫人制度沿隋旧，良家子女入宫辄终身幽闭，老死不得归，此诗正抉出这一制度之残酷。张祜一生不遇，亦善以「小」写「大」——二十字写尽一人一生，正是其宫词「含蓄沉痛」的极致，与王维、王建宫词之铺陈迥异，在唐人宫怨诗中别立一帜，后人推为「二十字中无一字不悲」的绝唱。张祜一生不遇，善以小写大，二十字写尽一人一生，正是其宫词含蓄沉痛之极致，与王维王建之铺陈迥异，在唐人宫怨中别立一帜。

Art

The outstanding art is the use of numbers. 'Three thousand li,' 'twenty years,' 'one note,' 'twin tears' form a descending series: from farthest to longest, to shortest and smallest. The huge padding of space and time compresses at last to one instant, two tears, an extreme emotional drop. The whole uses pure exposition—no metaphor, no allusion—yet moves deeply through its strict structure, a model of 'winning by plainness over ornament.'

全诗最突出的艺术手法是数字的递降运用与结构的「大开小合」。「故国三千里，深宫二十年」以两个数量词对起，空间之远（三千里）与时间之久（二十年）并列，把宫人一生囚禁的广袤与漫长一笔兜住；「一声何满子，双泪落君前」则以「一声」「双泪」两个极小极微的数量词收束——由极远到极久，再到极短与极微，数字形成强烈的递降序列，前两句的巨大铺垫最终压缩到一个瞬间、两滴眼泪，情感落差惊心。此外全诗纯用赋笔（直陈），无一比喻、无一事典堆垛（何满子虽为曲名，此处亦实写所唱），却因结构的精严而感人至深，是以质胜文的典型。尤为巧妙者，前两句写「困」（空间隔绝、时间消磨），后两句写「溃」（一声歌起、二十年委屈全线崩溃），由蓄到发、由大到小，章法大开而小合，二十字抵得千言，是唐人五绝「以少总多」的极致，亦见张祜宫词不事藻绘、专以白描擒神的本领。数字递降、大开小合，由极远极久到极短极微，情感落差惊心，纯用赋笔而无比兴堆垛，是以质胜文之典型，诚五绝以少总多之极致。

Allusions

The 'Hemanzi' is a Tang tune-name, said to come from the Cangzhou singer He Manzi, who at execution offered this song to redeem his life in vain; the tune is exceedingly sad. Used here as the actual song sung, it also borrows the tale's tragic color to shade the palace woman's fate, naturally and aptly.

诗眼在一「何满子」，此曲本事极哀。相传何满子为唐玄宗时沧州歌者，临刑进歌求赎死而不得，曲遂以名，声调极悲，白居易诗「世传满子是人名，临就刑时曲始成」可证。张祜以曲名入诗，既是实写宫人所唱之曲，又借其本事的悲剧色彩渲染宫人命运，用得自然贴切——歌者何满子因歌殒命，宫人因歌落泪，同是「以歌写悲」的宿命呼应。此外「故国」本指故乡（非国家），「三千里」极言其远，与「深宫」对举，空间隔绝之酷毕见；「二十年」写幽闭之久，暗用班婕妤《怨歌行》、王建宫词「宫人扫地不开门」一类深宫久闭的传统。唐人写宫怨，每借「秋扇」「团扇」喻见弃，张祜此篇不假物喻，直以数字与曲名写尽，典故用之极省而意极沉，足见其「不堆砌而自厚」的化境，亦合大历以还宫词「尚质」的趋向。何满子本事极哀，以曲名入诗既实写所唱又借其悲剧色彩渲染命运，典故用之极省而意极沉，足见其不堆砌而自厚之化境。

Commentary

Hong Mai's 'Rongzhai Notes' calls the poem 'of twenty characters, not one is not sad.' Shen Deqian's 'Tang Poetry: Selected' says 'Hemanzi is the palace woman's plaint; the four lines hold many turns yet show no piling.' Legend says Meng Cairen sang it and died; Du Mu also wrote of it.

宋人洪迈《容斋随笔》称此诗「二十字中，无一字不悲」；清沈德潜《唐诗别裁》评「何满子，宫人之怨曲也。四语中层折甚多，而不见堆垛之迹」。此诗历来推为唐人宫怨绝唱，正在其以最经济的笔墨写最沉重的命运：不写宫廷华丽、不写君王薄幸、不写春老色衰，只用两组数字（三千、二十）交代境遇，再以一个瞬间（一声、双泪）收束，二十年的幽闭之苦全压在「一声」之后的「双泪」里。尤可注意者，「双泪落君前」的「君前」二字最沉痛——申诉的对象正是造成这一切的人，泪落君前是最后的、也是唯一的申诉。相传唐武宗孟才人歌《何满子》而卒，杜牧亦有诗记其事，可见此曲在唐人集体记忆中的悲感分量。与元稹《行宫》、杜牧《秋夕》并观，同写宫怨而各极其致：元稹冷隽、杜牧幽艳、张祜惨痛，张祜以「数字对起、泪收束」的结构独步，诚五绝中「以少总多」的巅峰，对理解唐人宫怨诗的抒情策略极有助益。此篇与元稹行宫、杜牧秋夕并观，独以数字对起、泪收束之惨痛结构立帜，诚五绝以少总多之巅峰，于宫怨诗中极有助益。

Prosody

Form Five-character quatrain (oblique-tone opening, first line not rhyming)五言绝句（仄起首句不入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes on the xian category of the first rhyme group: nian, qian.押下平一先韵：年、前。先韵清哀悠远，与宫怨的声情相称；仅两韵（首句不入韵），一舒一收，于短章中见沉郁，宜低声吟之而悲意自生。

Tone pattern Twenty characters, every line short, no filler; the first two are a tight antithesis (native land vs. deep palace, three thousand li vs. twenty years), the last two flow straight to a close.全诗二十字，句句短促，无一衬字；前两句为工整对仗（故国对深宫，三千里对二十年），以仄起铺开浩瀚时空；后两句「一声何满子，双泪落君前」流水而下，由数到泪、由唱到落，一气收束，声情由缓转急。平仄虽宽而得五绝之古质，读来如闻一声悲歌、两行清泪坠地，于极简的节奏中藏极重的命运之痛，正宜写宫怨之惨。

Reading note Among five-character quatrains, opening with number-antithesis and closing on tears, the structure opens wide and closes small—the extreme of 'much in little' in Tang mini-poems.张祜此篇为唐人宫怨五绝的绝唱，其成功全在「数字的递降结构」与「大开小合」的章法：前两句以「三千里」「二十年」两个巨大数量词，从空间（故国永隔）与时间（深宫久闭）两面兜住宫人一生的囚禁，形成双重囚禁的浩瀚悲感；后两句以「一声」「双泪」两个极小极微的数量词骤然收束，由蓄到溃、由大到小，情感落差惊心。全诗纯用赋笔、无一比喻堆垛，却因结构精严而感人至深，是以质胜文的典范。最沉痛在「双泪落君前」的「君前」——泪落的对象正是造成一切的人，无声的指控比申冤更摧心。与元稹《行宫》（冷隽）、杜牧《秋夕》（幽艳）并观，张祜独以「数字对起、泪收束」的惨痛结构立帜，诚五绝「以少总多」的巅峰。要之，二十字写尽一人一生，无一字不悲，此篇不仅为宫怨名作，更为研究唐人「以数量词结构抒情」手法的关键文本，对理解绝句凝练艺术极有助益。

Line by line

故国三千里，深宫二十年。

My home three thousand li away; deep in the palace for twenty years.

故乡远在三千里之外，我被关在这深宫里已经二十年。

My native place lies three thousand li off; I have been shut in this deep palace for twenty years.

起联两句，以两个数量词对起，是全诗悲剧基座的奠定，亦唐人五绝中极少有的「以数立骨」之格。「故国三千里」写空间之远——「故国」即故乡，加「三千里」极言隔绝之酷，宫人虽未死，而乡土已永不可归，生离如死别。「深宫二十年」写时间之久——「深宫」二字见幽闭之沉，「二十年」见消磨之长，青春尽葬于此。两句对仗精工（故国对深宫，三千里对二十年），一空间一时间，把宫人一生的囚禁从两个维度同时兜住，十字写尽一生。尤为沉痛者，空间与时间在此迭加成「双重囚禁」：人既走不出去（三千里），也熬不出头（二十年），乡与自由皆成绝响。起手不写一个「怨」字，而怨已如山；不写一个「悲」字，而悲已塞天地。这般以数字直接计量的写法，把不可说的苦楚变成了可计量的距离与岁月，反更具震撼力，为后文「一声」「双泪」的崩塌蓄满了势。

The opening couplet sets two quantities against each other, the tragic foundation of the poem, rare in a five-character quatrain for building its bones on numbers. 'My home three thousand li away' writes distance — 'native place' plus 'three thousand li' measures the cruelty of separation: she lives, yet her home is forever unreachable, living a parting as final as death. 'Deep in the palace for twenty years' writes duration — 'deep palace' the imprisonment, 'twenty years' the long erosion, youth buried here. The two lines are finely matched, space and time, holding a lifetime's confinement from two dimensions, ten words writing a whole life. Cruelest of all, space and time compound into double captivity: she cannot go out (three thousand li) and cannot outlast (twenty years); home and freedom alike are gone.

一声何满子，双泪落君前。

One single note of the Hemanzia — two tears fall before the lord.

一支《何满子》的曲子刚刚唱出口，两行眼泪便落在了君王面前。

No sooner has a single verse of the Hemanzia song left her lips than two tears fall before the emperor.

后联是全诗最摧心处，亦结构「大开小合」的收束。前句「一声何满子」以极小极短的数量词（一声）接前联的「三千里」「二十年」，形成剧烈的量级反差——二十年的委屈无处可诉，却在一声歌起时全线崩溃，数量越小、压强越大，情感的爆发因此格外惊心。「何满子」本是临刑歌者赎命不得的悲曲，宫人唱此，暗含以歌写悲的宿命呼应。后句「双泪落君前」以「双泪」这一最微之数收束，「落」字下得极静——泪是自坠而非流、非垂，人已无力控制，心如死灰后的自然流露。最沉痛在「君前」二字：泪落的对象正是造成这一切（幽闭二十年、隔故国三千里）的人，这泪是最后的、也是唯一的申诉，不诉苦、不申冤，只以泪作答。「一声」对「双泪」、「三千里」对「二十年」，前大后小，由蓄到溃，二十字抵千言，遂成唐人宫怨绝唱，千载之下读之犹觉彻骨之寒。

The closing couplet is the poem's most heartbreaking point, a 'broad opening, narrow close'. 'One single note of the Hemanzia' takes the smallest quantity (one note) against the 'three thousand li' and 'twenty years' above, a violent reversal of scale: twenty years of grievance have nowhere to go, yet collapse at the first note of song — the smaller the number, the greater the pressure. The Hemanzia was the tragic air of a singer who could not buy his life at the scaffold; singing it, the palace woman echoes that doom. 'Two tears fall before the lord' closes on the smallest count, the word 'fall' very quiet — tears drop of themselves, no longer controlled, the natural outflow of a heart turned to ash. Most bitter are the words 'before the lord': the tears fall on the very man who caused the twenty years and the three thousand li; they are the last and only plea, no complaint, no defense, only tears.

Study

Word focus

一声 'One note' makes an extreme grade-contrast with the 'three thousand li' and 'twenty years' above. Twenty years of grievance with nowhere to tell, yet it all collapses at the rise of one song—the smaller the quantity, the greater the pressure, and the outbreak is the more startling. 「一声何满子」的「一声」二字，与前两句的「三千里」「二十年」构成极端的量级反差，是全诗情感引爆的引信。二十年的委屈、三千里的隔绝，本该有千言万语，却在一个「一声」歌起时全线崩溃——数量越小，压强越大，这种以「微」破「巨」的手法，正是此诗最摄人心魄处。「一声」不写歌之长、之悲，而写其「骤」：歌方出口，积郁已溃，可见委屈之深、之不可忍。它也是结构「大开小合」的枢纽：前两句铺开浩瀚的时空，此二字骤然收束到一个瞬间的触发点，读者的情感随之由缓转急。若换「一曲」「歌罢」便失其猝不及防之力。炼字之妙在以最寻常的数量词举起了最沉重的身世之痛，亦见张祜宫词「不事藻绘、专以白描擒神」的本领——一个数字，胜过千言抒情。

落 In 'twin streams of tears fall before my lord,' the word 'fall' is set very still. Not 'stream' or 'hang' but 'fall,' as if the tears drop of themselves and the person can no longer control them. A static verb writes the natural outpouring after the heart has died—more bitter than any fierce word. 「双泪落君前」的「落」字，是全诗最静也最痛的一个动词，下得极有分寸。诗人不说「流」、不说「垂」、不说「滴」，而说「落」——仿佛泪水自行坠下，人已无力控制、无心擦拭，是心如死灰之后的自然流露。一个「落」字把宫人二十年的麻木与瞬间的溃决都写出来：平日是撑着的，歌起则防线尽碎，泪便「落」了下来。「落」较「流」更重、较「垂」更无助，自带下坠的重力感，与「双泪」的「双」呼应（两行并落，可见汹涌）。更沉痛在它落在「君前」——泪的落点正是造成幽闭的人，这「落」便成了一记无声的控诉。动词之工在俗中见奇，以最朴素的「落」字举起了全诗的悲剧重量，比任何激烈的字眼都更沉痛，诚五绝炼字「着一字而境界全出」的范例，亦见张祜「以质胜文」的深厚功力。

君前 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「双泪落君前」的「君前」二字，是全诗最沉痛的落点，亦悲剧意识的焦点。「君」即君王，是赐其入宫、幽其二十年、隔其故国三千里的人；「前」写空间之近——泪就落在造成一切者的面前。这两个字把「申诉」的对象与「造成者」重合，使双泪不只是一己的悲伤，而成了一记无声的指控：我二十年之痛，你近在眼前。宫人无言，唯以泪「落君前」，这是最后的、也是唯一的申诉，不诉苦、不申冤，却比申冤更摧心。它使前文的「三千里」「二十年」骤然有了具体的指向——所有的隔绝与消磨，都指向「君」这一权力中心。二字极简而意极重，把个人的宫怨上升为对制度的无言诘问，足见张祜宫词「含蓄沉痛」的极致：不著议论，而制度之酷、君王之责尽在「君前」二字之中，诚唐人宫怨诗「不写之写」的巅峰用笔。