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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

归嵩山作

On Returning to Mount Song

王维

Wang Wei

隐逸reclusion 山水landscape 禅意Theme

清川带长薄，车马去闲闲。
流水如有意，暮禽相与还。
荒城临古渡，落日满秋山。
迢递嵩高下，归来且闭关。

Clear stream winds through the long thicket; carriage and horse go leisurely, leisurely.
The flowing water seems to have a will; the evening birds return together.
A desolate town fronts the old ferry; the setting sun fills the autumn hills.
Far below lofty Songshan, I return and close my gate.

Listen

Meaning

A clear stream winds about the long thicket; the carriage and horses go unhurried. The flowing water seems to have feeling and will; the evening birds return together. A desolate town stands by the old ferry; the setting sun fills the autumn hills. Far below lofty Songshan, I return and close my gate to live in seclusion.

清澈的河水萦绕着丛生的草木，车马从容不迫地缓缓前行。流水仿佛含情有意，暮色中的飞鸟结伴归还。荒凉的城池紧临着古老的渡口，落日余晖洒满了秋日的山峦。在遥远的嵩山脚下，归来之后且掩上柴门，闭门隐居吧。

Appreciation

The first couplet 'Clear stream winds through the long thicket; carriage and horse go leisurely, leisurely' opens with stream winding the thicket and an unhurried carriage, and the word 'leisurely' already shows a calm, faint interest. The second couplet 'The flowing water seems to have a will; the evening birds return together' gives feeling to things — the water seems to know him, the birds return together, hinting the poet's natural, willing retirement, self and thing merged. The third couplet turns a little, 'A desolate town fronts the old ferry; the setting sun fills the autumn hills' vast and dim, holding a faint sigh at the world's long course. The last 'I return and close my gate' closes with force, from scene into will. The whole is spare and graceful, nearing and deepening, typical Wang Wei clear-far tone.

【白话串讲】王维辞官归嵩山：清川、暮禽、荒城、古渡。“迢递嵩高下，归来且闭关”——回到嵩山脚下，关上门，过自己的日子。这首诗，是一个隐士的告别。【意象与手法】首联「清川带长薄，车马去闲闲」以清流萦草、车马缓行起笔，「带」字炼得灵动，「闲闲」二字已透出归隐者从容恬淡的心境。颔联「流水如有意，暮禽相与还」移情于物，流水似解人意、暮禽结伴而还，与归人相映成趣，物我交融。颈联「荒城临古渡，落日满秋山」笔锋一转，气象苍茫阔大，「荒」「古」「落」「秋」四字染尽秋色，隐含世事悠悠之慨。尾联「迢递嵩高下，归来且闭关」由景入志，以「闭关」收束，点明归隐之志。全诗由近及远、由景及情，疏淡有致，渐近渐幽，是王维五律清远一格的代表。【情感与主旨】王维早年仕途坎坷，开元年间曾隐居嵩山、终南。此诗约作于其归嵩山隐居途中，时当秋季。嵩山为五岳之中岳，地近洛阳，自古为隐逸胜地；诗人车马行于清川秋山之间，流水暮禽皆若有情，正是归隐者心境的写照。诗中「闭关」兼指闭门谢客与佛家闭关修行——王维笃信佛教，归隐之中自含禅意。全诗标志诗人由用世转向退隐的思想转折，与其后期山水田园诗一脉相承。【名句点睛】颔联「流水如有意，暮禽相与还」为全诗点睛之笔：以拟人写流水含情、暮禽知还，物的「有意」「相还」正是诗人归心已决、欣然返山的映照，物我交融，意境空灵，是王维「万物皆着我之色彩」的典型手法，也是历代选家激赏的名联。

Background

Wang Wei met rough fortune early in office, and in the Kaiyuan years retired to Songshan and Zhongnan. This poem was likely written on his way home from resigning to retire at Songshan, in autumn. Songshan is the central of the Five Sacred Mountains, near Luoyang, since old a retreat haunt. 'Close my gate' means to shut the door to guests and live in seclusion (with a Buddhist sense too, for Wang Wei was a devout Buddhist). The poem writes the journey home and the state of mind, from far to near, from scene to feeling, marking his turn from serving the world to withdrawing, in one line with his later pastoral verse.

王维（701—761），字摩诘，太原祁人，后徙蒲州，盛唐山水田园诗派的代表诗人，晚年官至尚书右丞，世称王右丞。他早年丧父，弟妹众多，家计清寒，母崔氏笃信佛教，对他一生影响至深。开元九年（721），王维进士及第，任太乐丞，旋因伶人舞黄狮子事被贬为济州司仓参军，初入仕途即遭挫折；后经张九龄提拔，官至右拾遗，然张九龄罢相后，朝政日非，王维渐生退隐之志。此诗约作于开元年间王维归嵩山隐居之时——他早年曾隐居嵩山，与僧人往来，有《过感化寺昙兴上人山院》《登辨觉寺》等嵩山诗可证。嵩山为五岳之中岳，地近洛阳，山势雄峙，佛寺林立，许由、巢父箕山之隐的传说即在此地，自古为隐逸胜地。诗写秋日归山途中所见，清川、暮禽、荒城、落日次第入目，诗人车马缓行其间，心情由仕途的纷扰转向山林的宁静。诗中「闭关」二字兼指闭门谢客与佛家闭关禅修，可见王维此时的归隐已不止于避世，更含向佛之意，标志着他由用世转向退隐、由儒入禅的思想转折。又王维早年亦曾隐终南，晚年隐辋川，嵩山之隐为其隐居生涯之始；此诗与其《终南别业》《辋川闲居》诸作参看，正可见其由初隐、安禅到彻底栖心的完整过程。

Art

The first couplet opens with stream winding the thicket and an unhurried carriage, and 'leisurely' already shows a calm, faint interest. The second gives feeling to things — water seems to know him, evening birds return together, darkly hinting the poet's willing retirement, self and thing merged. The third turns a little, 'A desolate town fronts the old ferry; the setting sun fills the autumn hills' vast and dim, holding a faint sigh at the world's long course. The last 'I return and close my gate' closes with force, from scene into will. Spare and graceful, nearing and deepening — typical Wang Right-Assistant clear-far manner.

此诗章法以「归」为线索，按归途所见次第展开，由近及远、由景及情，疏淡中自有层次。首联「清川带长薄，车马去闲闲」写初行所见：清流如带，萦绕草木丛生之野；车马缓缓，去意从容。「带」字炼得灵动，写川水萦绕如带束之，将静态的景物写出动势；「闲闲」二字叠用，写车马缓行之态，更透出归隐者卸下尘累后的恬淡心境，一开篇便定下全诗清远基调。颔联「流水如有意，暮禽相与还」移情于物：流水似解人意，缓缓相送；暮禽结伴还巢，与归人同路。物之「有意」「相还」皆是诗人归心的投射，物我交融，浑然一体。颈联「荒城临古渡，落日满秋山」笔锋顿转，由清丽入苍茫：荒城古渡，落日秋山，四个意象叠加，写出旅途的荒凉与时节的萧瑟，也暗含世事悠悠、人事代谢之慨，「满」字炼得有力，写夕晖铺洒之广。尾联「迢递嵩高下，归来且闭关」点题收束：山高路远，终于将至；归来之后，闭门谢客。由景入志，一「闭」字收尽前文，悠然世外，余味不尽。全诗有动有静、有明有暗、有清丽有苍茫，而归于一个「闲」字、一个「闭」字，正是王维「诗中有画」而画中有禅的典型。

Allusions

'Long thicket' means a low, tangled growth of grass and trees ('thicket' was a wild place where plants cross, from the Chu Ci, 'Jiu Zhang · She Jiang': 'spread-calyx and magnolia die in the forest thicket'); 'close my gate' carries Buddhist sense, originally a monk's sitting in stillness, door shut, and Wang Wei, a Buddhist devotee, here writes both retirement and chan practice. 'Far-lofty' describes the mountain high and road long (a rhyming binome). The diction is elegant yet natural, not piled — just Wang Wei's 'lotus from clear water' taste.

此诗用典不多而皆贴切自然，深合王维「用典如己出」的一贯作风。其一，「长薄」出《楚辞·九章·涉江》「露申辛夷，死林薄兮」——王逸注：丛木曰林，草木交错曰薄，故「林薄」即草木丛生之地，王维以「长薄」写水边绵延的草木之野，典雅而不生涩。其二，「流水如有意，暮禽相与还」化用陶渊明《归去来兮辞》「云无心以出岫，鸟倦飞而知还」「木欣欣以向荣，泉涓涓而始流」之意境：陶渊明以归鸟写归心，王维以暮禽写归途，同是「倦而知还」的隐逸母题，而王维更以「有意」二字将流水也写得含情，比陶诗更多一层物我交融的禅趣。其三，「嵩高」即嵩山，《诗经·大雅·崧高》「崧高维岳，骏极于天」以嵩山为四岳之最，王维以「迢递嵩高」写其高远，兼有崇仰之意。其四，「闭关」本佛家语，指僧人静坐敛心、闭门修行，王维佞佛，此处既写归隐闭门谢客，又暗含禅修之意，一字而双关，与「归」字呼应，点出此行的终极意义。四重典故或出楚辞、或出陶诗、或出诗经、或出佛典，融化于白描之中，无一处斧凿。此外「暮禽」意象亦承汉魏古诗「越鸟巢南枝，胡马依北风」的恋归传统，禽鸟恋巢与游子思归，本是中国诗歌中极古老的比兴，王维以暮禽与归人并写，正是这一传统的自然延续。

Commentary

Ming Hu Yinglin's Shi Sou calls Wang's ancients 'faint, elegant, sparse and deep' — this piece is near it. Qing Shen Deqian's Tang Shi Bie Cai says of the 'flowing water' couplet 'composed and free', and of the 'desolate town' lines 'scene like a painting'. Modern Yu Bixian's Shi Jing Qian Shuo says 'this writes what is seen on the road home: the first four lines composed, the last four vast, all returning to one word "close" — aloof from the world', a true explication. Wang's poems win by faintness; this stands for his five-character ancient clear-far manner.

此诗历来为论者所重。明人胡应麟《诗薮》论王维五律，谓其「清远」一格「淡雅幽疏」，此诗正是其代表。清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》选录此诗，评颔联「流水如有意，暮禽相与还」曰「从容自在」，又谓颈联「荒城临古渡，落日满秋山」二句「写景入画」——以「入画」评王维，正合苏轼「味摩诘之诗，诗中有画」的著名论断。近人俞陛云《诗境浅说》析此诗最为精到：「此诗写归隐途中所见，前四句从容，后四句苍茫，而归一『闭』字，悠然世外。」以「从容」与「苍茫」对举，点出全诗由清丽入苍凉的情绪流转，又以「闭」字为全诗诗眼，可谓的解。今人论王维归隐诗，多以《归嵩山作》《终南别业》《辋川闲居》诸篇并观，谓其共同之处在于以淡墨写归心、以景物写禅意；而此诗写「归」之途程，前有陶渊明《归去来兮辞》的远源，后有历代文人归隐诗的流裔，在中国隐逸文学的谱系中占有承上启下的位置。全诗以淡取胜、以空见长，是王维五律「清远」一格不可多得的范本。又此诗「前四句从容，后四句苍茫」的跌宕，实为途程的实录：行近嵩山，荒城古渡、落日秋山渐次展开，景随步移，情随景转，由初行之怡然到日暮之苍茫，再到归山之决然，情绪的弧线完整而可信，读之如随诗人一路同行，此亦其艺术魅力所在。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated poem五言律诗

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, shan group (leisurely, return, hill, close; 'thicket' belongs yao rhyme, not rhyming, first line not entering rhyme)首句不入韵，押平水韵上平十五删韵（闲、还、山、关）

Tone pattern First-line-not-entering-rhyme, oblique-onset oblique-close平起仄收式（首句「清川带长薄」为平平仄平仄，是平起仄收正格「平平平仄仄」的变格，即古人所谓锦鲤翻波；二四六字分明合律）

Reading note Though regulated, near the ancient's spareness; writes the road home and the mind of retirement.此诗为五言律诗，首句不入韵，押平水韵上平十五删韵（闲、还、山、关）。首句「清川带长薄」为平平仄平仄，是平起仄收式「平平平仄仄」的变格（即古人所谓锦鲤翻波，允许以平平仄平仄代平平平仄仄），其余各句二四六字皆分明合律。全诗八句四联，起承转合井然：首联写初行之景与从容之态，颔联移情于物，颈联转入苍茫，尾联点题言志；中间两联对仗工整而自然——「流水」对「暮禽」、「有意」对「相与还」，「荒城」对「落日」、「古渡」对「秋山」，皆工而不板，是盛唐五律对仗「清水出芙蓉」的典型。韵脚「闲」「还」「山」「关」皆平声，声调舒缓悠长，与归途的从容、山林的宁静相称；「闲」字韵又暗合诗中「闲闲」之心境，韵与意合。此诗虽为律体，而疏淡自然，几近古诗，正体现了王维五律由精工入平淡、以淡取胜的艺术追求。

Line by line

清川带长薄，车马去闲闲

Clear stream winds through the long thicket; carriage and horse go leisurely, leisurely.

清澈的河水萦绕着丛生的草木，车马从容不迫地缓缓前行。

The clear stream winds through the long grassy wilds; cart and horse go on at leisure.

首联起笔即定全诗基调，清丽而从容。「清川带长薄」写景：清澄的河水如一条素带，萦绕在草木丛生的原野之间，「带」字炼得极活，既写川水蜿蜒如带之形，又写水流萦回缠绕之势，将静态的景物写出动态的生命；「长薄」出《楚辞》，指绵延的草木之野，典雅而不雕琢。下句「车马去闲闲」写人：车马缓缓前行，「闲闲」二字叠用，写尽从容不迫、信马由缰的姿态——这不是赴任赶路的匆忙，而是归隐还山的闲适，一开篇便把诗人卸下尘务后的恬淡心境和盘托出。清川与车马、自然与行人并置，物我同归从容之境，为全诗定下疏淡清远的基调，也预示了这场「归」是一次心境上的回归。

The opening couplet sets the poem's tone at once, fresh and composed. 'The clear stream winds through the long grassy wilds' — the clear water, like a plain band, winds through grassy country; the word 'winds' is alive, writing both the ribbon-like shape and the winding course, giving the still scene a moving life. 'Cart and horse go on at leisure' — the doubled 'at leisure' writes the unhurried pace, not the haste of office but the ease of return. Clear stream and traveler, nature and man, together in a calm realm.

流水如有意，暮禽相与还

The flowing water seems to have a will; the evening birds return together.

流水仿佛含情有意，暮色中的飞鸟结伴归还。

The flowing water seems to have feeling; the evening birds return together.

此联是全诗移情于物的妙笔，物我交融的极致。「流水如有意」以拟人写水：流水本是无情之物，诗人却说它仿佛懂得人的心意——是相送之意，还是挽留之意？不必坐实，正是这种似有似无的「有意」，写出归人与山水之间心领神会的默契。「暮禽相与还」以归鸟写归人：暮色中飞鸟结伴还巢，与诗人的车马同路而归，「相与」二字写鸟与鸟结伴，也暗写鸟与人同行，鸟倦而知还，人倦而知归，物我之间形成奇妙的映照。此联承陶渊明「鸟倦飞而知还」的隐逸母题，而更以「有意」写流水，比陶诗多一层禅趣——在王维眼中，山水鸟兽皆有情有性，与人心相通。归途有清流相伴、暮禽同行，归隐便不是孤独的逃遁，而是与自然万物的欣然共还。

This couplet is the poem's finest stroke of projecting feeling onto things, the fusion of self and world. 'The flowing water seems to have feeling' — water is feelingless, yet the poet says it seems to understand: a farewell, a reluctance? Left unresolved, the 'feeling' is the quiet understanding between the returning man and the hills. 'The evening birds return together' — dusk birds fly home in flocks, going the poet's way; birds weary know return, as the weary traveler knows it, a strange mirror between things and self.

荒城临古渡，落日满秋山

A desolate town fronts the old ferry; the setting sun fills the autumn hills.

荒凉的城池紧临着古老的渡口，落日余晖洒满了秋日的山峦。

The desolate town faces the old ford; the setting sun fills the autumn hills.

此联是全诗的情绪转折，由清丽转入苍茫。「荒城临古渡」写静态的荒凉：荒废的城池、古老的渡口，一「荒」一「古」，写尽人迹罕至的沧桑——城池曾有人烟，渡口曾是通衢，如今皆成陈迹，暗含人事代谢、今昔兴衰之慨，也暗示诗人所归之处是远离尘嚣的僻静山林。「落日满秋山」写动态的壮阔：落日余晖洒满秋山，「满」字炼得有力，写夕晖铺天盖地、无处不到，秋山的苍茫与落日的辉煌交织成一片金红的暮色，气象阔大。此联虽写荒凉，却不衰飒，荒城古渡的静与落日满山的动、历史的苍茫与自然的壮美相映成趣。诗人行于其间，既是实写归途之景，也是心境的写照——告别仕途的荒凉，迎接山林的光辉，苍茫之中自有归去的笃定。

This couplet is the emotional turn, from freshness to vastness. 'The desolate town faces the old ford' writes still desolation — ruined walls, ancient ford, the words 'desolate' and 'old' writing the weathered trace of human passage, a hint of the rise and fall of things. 'The setting sun fills the autumn hills' writes moving grandeur — the afterglow flooding the autumn hills, the word 'fills' powerful, the gold-red dusk vast. Writing desolation without being bleak, the poet walks between farewell to office and the welcome light of the hills.

迢递嵩高下，归来且闭关

Far below lofty Songshan, I return and close my gate.

在遥远的嵩山脚下，归来之后且掩上柴门，闭门隐居吧。

Far off, beneath the high slopes of Song Mountain, I come home and close my gate.

尾联点题收束，由景入志，是全诗的精神归宿。「迢递嵩高下」写归途之远：迢递形容山高路远、绵延不尽，嵩山为五岳之中岳，高峻入云，诗人一路行来，终于将至山脚——「迢递」二字既写路程之遥，也暗含心路之遥，从纷扰的仕途到清净的山林，这是一段漫长的精神归途。「归来且闭关」明志收束：「归来」二字点破题面，宣告此行是「归」而非「去」，回归嵩山、回归本心；「闭关」兼写闭门谢客与佛家闭关禅修，王维笃信佛教，此二字既写隐居的决绝，又含禅修的深意，把归隐从生活方式提升为精神境界。一个「且」字从容不迫，一个「闭」字斩钉截铁，前六句的景物至此尽收于「闭关」二字之中，悠然世外，余味无穷，全诗在此完成由景到志、由行到心的升华。

The closing couplet names the theme, moving from scene to resolve. 'Far off, beneath the high slopes of Song Mountain' — 'far off' writes the long road, and the long inner journey from official turmoil to the clear hills. 'I come home and close my gate' — 'come home' declares this a return, not a departure; 'close my gate' doubles as shutting the door on the world and Buddhist seclusion, raising reclusion from a way of life to a spiritual state. One word 'but' unhurried, one word 'close' decisive; all the scenery gathers into 'closing the gate', and the poem completes its ascent from scene to will.

Study

Word focus

闲闲 The reduplicated word writes the carriage's slow going, showing the composed, self-content mind of the retirer — finely chosen. 「车马去闲闲」之「闲闲」二字，是全诗心境的总纲，也是首联炼字的眼目。「闲闲」为叠词，写车马从容缓行之态，而意蕴远不止于「慢」：其一，写姿态之闲——车马不疾不徐，信步而行，正是归隐者卸下尘务后的松弛；其二，写心境之闲——步履的从容是内心恬淡的外化，诗人此行是主动的回归而非被动的流放，故能于归途之中悠然自得；其三，写格调之闲——《诗经》「十亩之间兮，桑者闲闲兮」以「闲闲」写采桑者闲暇自得之状，王维用此语，暗承其田园闲适的传统，典雅而有来历。与「清川」「长薄」的清丽之景相配，「闲闲」二字使全诗一开篇便弥漫着疏淡闲远的韵味，此后流水、暮禽、落日、闭关，皆由此「闲」字生发，堪称全诗的定调之笔。

带 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「清川带长薄」之「带」字，是写景炼字的典范，历代评家多所称道。「带」本为名词（衣带），此处活用作动词，意为「如带般萦绕」，写清澄的河水蜿蜒曲折、萦绕于草木丛生的原野之间，如一条素带束于大地。此字之妙有三：其一，以名词作动词，化静态为动态——川水本是静景，着一「带」字便有了萦回缠绕的动势，仿佛水流正温柔地环抱草木；其二，写出水与岸的关系——「带」是依附、是环绕，清川与长薄相依相存，景物之间有了有机的联系，不再是各自孤立的散点；其三，暗含审美趣味——「带」字轻盈柔美，正合清川之「清」、长薄之「长」，于淡雅中见精致。王维以「带」字写水，与孟浩然「绿树村边合」之「合」异曲同工，皆以一字活化一片风景，是盛唐诗人炼字的典型手法。

满 In 'the setting sun fills the autumn hills', 'fills' writes how wide the evening light spreads, the mood open and vast, one word showing the autumn hills at dusk in full. 「落日满秋山」之「满」字，是颈联由清丽转入苍茫的关键，也是全诗气象最阔大的一字。「满」写落日余晖铺洒之广：夕晖不偏不倚、无处不到，把整座秋山染成一片金黄，「满」字使静态的「落日」「秋山」顿生充溢流动之势，境界开阔苍茫。此字的深意有二：其一，以「满」写「尽」——落日满山，正是一天将尽、一年将尽的时刻，秋山的苍茫与夕照的辉煌交织，暗含时序流转、光明将逝的感慨，与「荒城古渡」的沧桑相呼应；其二，以「满」写心境——诗人行于满山夕照之中，既是实写所见，也是归隐者坦荡襟怀的投影，山满夕晖，心满宁静。沈德潜评此句「写景入画」，正是「满」字使画面有了光与色的充盈感。一字而兼状物、写时、抒情，炼字之精，于此可见。

闭关 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「归来且闭关」之「闭关」二字，是全诗的诗眼，也是王维归隐之志的最高凝缩。「闭关」本为佛家语，指僧人静坐敛心、闭门修行，不与外界接触；王维笃信佛教，此处写归隐后掩门谢客、潜心修行，一字而兼双重意蕴：于世俗层面，是闭门隐居、与尘嚣隔绝；于精神层面，是闭关禅修、向内观照本心。细味此字的妙处：其一，「闭」字与前文呼应——前有「清川」「暮禽」的欣然，后有「荒城」「落日」的苍茫，一切归途景物至此尽收于「闭关」一闭之中，由动归静、由外归内；其二，「且」字从容、「闭」字决绝，一缓一急，写出归隐的自觉与坚定；其三，「闭关」使归隐超越避世而升华为修行，标志王维由儒入禅的思想转折。一字而境界全出，故俞陛云谓全诗「归一『闭』字，悠然世外」。