唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
过华清宫·其一
Passing the Huaqing Palace · First
长安回望绣成堆，山顶千门次第开。
一骑红尘妃子笑，无人知是荔枝来。
One rider raises red dust, the consort smiles — none know it is the lychees arriving.
Meaning
Looking back from Chang'an at Mount Li, its woods and pavilions are heaped like brocade; on the summit the thousand gates of the Huaqing Palace open in turn. One horse gallops raising red dust, and the consort smiles — none knows that what comes at such speed is lychees borne for her. The poet uses an ordinary seeming shot to quietly satirize the emperor's doting on his consort at the people's cost and his neglect of the affairs of state.
从长安回望骊山，林木楼台葱茏繁盛，宛如锦绣堆叠；山顶上华清宫的千重宫门正依次敞开。一匹快马踏起红尘疾驰而来，杨贵妃嫣然一笑——没有人知道，那奔马飞驰，竟是为贵妃运送的荔枝。
Appreciation
The first line 'Looking back from Chang'an, the hills are piled like brocade' uses 'piled like brocade' for the wooded pavilions of Mount Li, one stroke drawing luxury. The second 'the thousand gates on the summit open in turn' writes the palace gates opening layer on layer, hiding expectation and stir. The third and fourth turn sharply: 'One rider raises red dust, the consort smiles' sets the moving shot (flying dust) against the consort's smile, colours and feeling in strong clash; closing with 'none know it is the lychees arriving', in plain telling hides a cold satire — the whole realm unaware, this 'urgent military news'-like gallop is only for a mouth's pleasure. The whole poem drops no word of blame, yet the dissipation shows itself, reserved and keen.
【白话串讲】 “一骑红尘妃子笑，无人知是荔枝来”——一匹快马卷着红尘跑进长安，贵妃笑了，没人知道那是运荔枝的。杜牧用二十八个字，讽刺了唐玄宗的荒淫。 【意象与手法】 首句「长安回望绣成堆」以「绣成堆」喻骊山林木楼台之盛，一笔画出奢华气象；次句「山顶千门次第开」写宫门层层洞开，暗藏期待与喧动。三四句陡转，「一骑红尘妃子笑」以动态镜头与贵妃笑容对举，结以「无人知是荔枝来」，于平淡叙述中藏冷峻讥讽。 【情感与主旨】 华清宫在骊山（今陕西临潼），为唐玄宗开元末年所建避暑行宫。史载杨贵妃嗜食荔枝，玄宗命驿骑飞递、日夜兼程以保鲜，劳民伤财。杜牧借古讽今，既刺玄宗宠妃怠政，亦暗戒当时统治者。 【名句点睛】 中考必考名篇。命题要点：①「绣成堆」的比喻义；②「妃子笑」暗用褒姒亡国之典的讽意；③「无人知」三字含蓄讥刺的手法。
Background
The Huaqing Palace stood on Mount Li (today's Lintong, Shaanxi), a summer retreat built late in Kaiyuan by Xuanzong, who often visited with the consort Yang. Du Mu's set (three poems) was likely written in the Dali years of Wenzong, when the poet passed the old site and felt at the relic. History says lychees grew in the south (Lingnan or Shu), Yang craved them, and Xuanzong ordered post-horses to fly them, day and night, to keep them fresh, taxing the people. The An Lushan rebellion began, and Tang turned from rise to fall. Du Mu uses the past to warn the present, pricking both Xuanzong's doting and the rulers of his own day, showing his historical insight of 'high intent, warning in the common'.
华清宫在骊山（今陕西临潼），为唐玄宗开元末年所建避暑行宫，玄宗与杨贵妃常游幸其间，穷极奢华。杜牧此组诗共三首，约作于文宗大和年间，诗人途经华清宫旧址，抚迹生慨，借古讽今。史载荔枝产于南方（岭南或蜀地），杨贵妃嗜食，玄宗命驿骑飞递、日夜兼程以保鲜味，人马多有倒毙于途者，劳民伤财。《新唐书·杨贵妃传》载：「妃嗜荔枝，必欲生致之，乃置骑传送，走数千里，味未变已至京师。」安史之乱起，唐室由盛转衰，华清宫亦成废址。杜牧生当中晚唐国势日蹙之际，咏史以警当世，既刺玄宗宠妃怠政、荒废国事，亦暗戒当时统治者勿蹈覆辙，体现其咏史「立意高绝、于常事中见警策」的史识，此诗即其「二十八字史论」的代表作。杜牧生当唐王朝江河日下之际，其咏史绝句多借前朝旧事警戒当世，此诗即以其「二十八字史论」之笔，截取飞驿送荔一瞬，为玄宗贵妃之荒淫存照，亦为晚唐统治者立镜，其借古讽今的现实关怀，正是其咏史诗的精神内核。
Art
The first line 'Looking back from Chang'an, the hills are piled like brocade' uses 'piled like brocade' for the wooded pavilions, one stroke drawing luxury; the second 'the thousand gates on the summit open in turn' writes the gates opening layer on layer, hiding expectation and stir. The third and fourth turn sharply: 'One rider raises red dust, the consort smiles' sets the moving shot against the smile, colours and feeling clashing; closing with 'none know it is the lychees arriving', in plain telling hides cold satire — the realm-wide gallop is only for a mouth's pleasure. No word of blame, yet the dissipation shows, reserved and keen.
首句「长安回望绣成堆」以「绣成堆」喻骊山林木楼台之盛，一笔画出奢华气象：从长安回望，骊山如一幅锦绣堆叠的画屏，开篇便以浓丽之笔蓄势。次句「山顶千门次第开」写宫门层层洞开，「次第」二字暗写宫中早有期待、层层传报的喧动，繁华之下已藏蹊跷。三四句陡转，「一骑红尘妃子笑」以动态镜头（红尘飞扬）与贵妃笑容对举，色彩与情绪强烈碰撞，快马之急切与美人之嫣然形成极具张力的画面；结以「无人知是荔枝来」，于平淡叙述中藏冷峻讥讽——举国不知的「紧急军情」般驰递，竟只为贵妃口腹之娱。全诗不着一贬词而荒淫自见，以乐写悲、以小见大，含蓄犀利，正是杜牧咏史绝句「于轻描淡写中寓讥刺」的典范。此外，全诗以「回望—开门—飞骑—笑—无人知」的镜头链推进，如一组蒙太奇画面，由静到动、由喜到讽，四句之间转折陡峭而气脉连贯；诗人始终不动声色，不作褒贬，而褒贬自在画面之中，这种「以画面说话」的含蓄笔法，正是杜牧咏史绝句的独到之处。
Allusions
'The consort smiles' darkly uses King You of Zhou's 'beacon-fire jesting at the lords' (Baosi's one smile lost a state); Du Mu links two ages of downfall by the word 'smiles', the satire deep. The 'lychees arriving' event is in the New Tang History, 'Yang the Consort's Biography': 'the consort craved lychees and must have them fresh, so post-rides were set, running thousands of li, the flavour unchanged by the time they reached the capital.' 'Thousand gates' comes from Han Wudi's Jianzhang Palace 'a thousand gates and ten thousand doors', to show the palace's vastness. Du Mu melts history and allusion into plain description, not piled yet the meaning shows — a master of historical verse.
诗中「妃子笑」暗用周幽王「烽火戏诸侯」之典：幽王为博宠妃褒姒一笑，屡举烽火戏弄诸侯，终致犬戎入侵、西周灭亡，褒姒一笑遂成亡国之鉴。杜牧以「笑」字勾连两代帝王的宠妃误国，讽意深长，不言玄宗而玄宗自见。「荔枝来」本事见《新唐书·杨贵妃传》「置骑传送，走数千里」之载，为当时实有其事的飞驿致鲜，杜牧取之入诗，以真实史事写荒淫之实。「千门」则语本汉武帝建章宫「千门万户」之制，状宫殿之宏丽，暗指帝王穷奢极欲之传统。杜牧将史事、典故化入白描，不堆砌而寓意显，一事一典皆紧扣「荒政」之旨，是为咏史高手运典于无痕的典范。「绣成堆」一语又暗含「锦绣山河」的联想：骊山之绣堆即大唐之锦绣，而锦绣之下已伏危机，正如「妃子笑」之笑下已伏亡国之祸，意象的双关使二十八字具有了四两拨千斤的讽喻力量。「次第开」之「次第」又暗写宫中传报之有序，与「无人知」的举国蒙昧恰成内知外不知的对照，用笔极细而讽意更深。
Commentary
Qing Shen Deqian's Tang Shi Bie Cai says: 'the line "one rider raises red dust" has how many turns; the three words "none know" hold especial satire.' Modern Yu Bixian's Shi Jing Qian Shuo says 'this writes Tang's luxury seen in one rider's red dust, no argument yet the jest cuts deep'. Du Mu's historical quatrains are known as 'twenty-eight-character histories'; this with 'Mooring at Qinhuai' and 'On the Wu River' are his representatives, later praised as 'small-seeing-great, reserved and warning'.
清·沈德潜《唐诗别裁》评：「『一骑红尘』句，多少曲折；『无人知』三字，尤含讽意。」近人俞陛云《诗境浅说》谓「此首写唐室之奢，于一骑红尘中见之，不着议论而讥刺自深」。杜牧咏史绝句向以「二十八字史论」著称，此诗与《泊秦淮》《题乌江亭》并为其代表。全诗仅四句，前二句极写骊山之盛、宫门之开，后二句以「一骑红尘」与「无人知」轻轻一转，便使帝妃之荒淫、驰递之劳民、举国之蒙昧尽现笔底，真正做到了「以小见大、含蓄警策」。诗中不说一句议论，而讥刺之意比议论更锋利，正是咏史诗「不著一字，尽得风流」的高境，历代选本无不收录，至今仍是讽喻诗教学的首选名篇。此诗在传播史上亦极著名：历代选本皆录，咏史诗中罕有其匹；苏轼《荔枝叹》「宫中美人一破颜，惊尘溅血流千载」即化用其意，可见此诗「一骑红尘」的意象已成为中国文学中讽刺帝王荒淫的经典符号，其以小见大、以笑写哀的艺术，至今仍具警示意义。
Prosody
Line by line
长安回望绣成堆
Looking back from Chang'an, the hills are piled like brocade.
从长安回望骊山，林木楼台葱茏繁盛，宛如锦绣堆叠。
Looking back from Chang'an, Li Mountain lies piled like brocade.
首句以「绣成堆」写骊山之盛，一笔画出奢华气象。诗人不写华清宫如何巍峨，而写从长安回望的整体印象：骊山上下，楼阁台榭、林木葱茏，层层叠叠如锦绣堆成，「绣」字见色彩之绚烂，「堆」字见体量之厚重，二字将皇家行宫的富丽堂皇写得如在目前。此句纯写景而寓意已藏：如此锦绣成堆的宫苑，正是帝王穷奢极欲的物证，为后文「无人知是荔枝来」的荒淫讽刺预作铺垫。同时，「回望」点明诗人行经华清宫旧址、回望骊山，以今之废墟对昔之繁华，咏史的怅惘已在起笔之中。一个比喻，既写盛景，又埋伏笔，是杜牧炼句举重若轻的体现。
The opening line writes Li Mountain as 'piled like brocade', one stroke drawing the splendor. The poet does not describe how towering the Huaqing Palace is, but the whole look from Chang'an: towers, terraces, and trees layer on the mountain like piled brocade. The word 'brocade' gives the dazzling color, 'piled' the massive weight — the imperial retreat's luxury as if before the eyes. Pure scenery, yet the meaning hidden: such a brocade-piled park is the very evidence of extravagant indulgence, preparing the satirical 'no one knows it is the lychees come'. 'Looking back' also marks the poet at the ruined site, the present ruin against the past splendor, the elegy's melancholy already at the first brush.
山顶千门次第开
The thousand gates on the summit open in turn.
山顶上华清宫的千重宫门正依次敞开。
A thousand gates on the hilltop open one after another.
次句写宫门层层洞开，「次第」二字是全句的机关。宫门不是同时敞开，而是「次第」——依次、陆续地开，这一细节极传神：它暗示宫中上下早已得到消息、层层传报，从山门到内廷一道道门次第开启，正是为了迎接那匹飞驰而来的快马。一幅盛大的迎候场面，写尽宫中对荔枝的期待之切、重视之甚，繁华喧动之下已藏蹊跷。「千门」极言宫门之多、宫苑之宏，与「山顶」相合，见华清宫依山而建、鳞次栉比的壮观。此句以宫门之开暗写飞骑将至，为下句「一骑红尘」的出场蓄足声势，章法上承上启下，是全诗由静入动的枢纽。
The next line writes the palace gates opening layer on layer, and the words 'one after another' are the mechanism of the line. The gates do not open at once, but 'one after another', in succession — a detail that tells much: the court has long had word, messages passed down, gate after gate from the mountain entrance to the inner quarters opened in turn to receive the galloping horse. A grand scene of welcome, writing how deeply the palace expected the lychees, how highly they prized them, the hidden absurdity beneath the bustle. 'A thousand gates' strains the number of gates and the vastness of the park, set with 'hilltop' to show the palace climbing the mountain. The opening gates secretly write the coming horseman, building the momentum for 'a single horseman raises red dust'.
一骑红尘妃子笑
One rider raises red dust, the consort smiles.
一匹快马踏起红尘疾驰而来，杨贵妃嫣然一笑。
A single horseman raises red dust; the concubine smiles.
此句是全诗的画面中心，动与静、急与闲形成强烈反差。「一骑红尘」写快马飞驰、尘土飞扬，一个「红尘」既写实景，又暗含尘世纷扰、帝王劳民之意；「妃子笑」写贵妃见马而笑，笑容嫣然，与马蹄的急切并置，极具戏剧张力。此「笑」字暗用周幽王烽火戏诸侯、博褒姒一笑而亡国之典，杜牧以一笑关合两代亡国教训，讽意深长：一骑飞尘，为博美人一笑，而国事之荒废、民力之耗费尽在其中。画面愈生动，讽刺愈冷峻；笑容愈灿烂，历史愈沉重。此句以最富画面感的一瞬写最深的讽喻，是杜牧「以小见大」笔法的巅峰。
This line is the visual center of the poem, where still and movement, haste and leisure, strike against each other. 'A single horseman raises red dust' writes the galloping horse and flying dust; 'red dust' both the real scene and the turmoil of the world, the emperor's exhausting the people. 'The concubine smiles' — Yang Guifei smiles at the sight of the horse, set against the urgent hoofbeats, a dramatic tension. The 'smile' secretly alludes to King You's beacon fire to win Bao Si's smile and the fall of his house; Du Mu links the two dynasties' lessons in one smile, the satire deep: a horseman's dust to win a beauty's smile, and in it the neglect of state and the draining of the people. The more vivid the picture, the colder the satire; the brighter the smile, the heavier the history.
无人知是荔枝来
None know it is the lychees arriving.
没有人知道，那奔马飞驰，竟是为贵妃运送的荔枝。
No one knows it is the lychees that have come.
结句于平淡叙述中藏冷峻讥讽，是全诗的点睛之笔。「无人知」三字最妙：举国上下，只看见快马飞驰、红尘滚滚，以为是十万火急的军情，谁能想到这竟是只为送几颗荔枝？一个「无人知」，写出帝妃之事的隐秘与荒唐，也写出举国蒙在鼓里的可悲——百姓的血汗在驿路上飞驰，却无人知晓其真实用途。「荔枝来」轻轻点破谜底，不着一字议论，而荒淫之讥、劳民之叹、兴亡之慨尽在其中。全诗至此戛然而止，讽刺之力反而更加强烈，真所谓「含而不露，刺而不骂」，是咏史诗含蓄美的极致，也是杜牧「二十八字史论」最精彩的一笔。
The closing line hides a cold mockery in plain narrative, the poem's eye. The words 'no one knows' are the finest: all the world sees the galloping horse and the rolling dust, and thinks it urgent military dispatches; who would guess it is only to deliver a few lychees? 'No one knows' writes the secrecy and absurdity of the imperial pair, and the pathos of a nation kept in the dark — the people's sweat flying along the post roads, and no one knows its true use. 'The lychees have come' lightly solves the riddle, not a word of argument, yet the mockery of indulgence, the sigh for the people, the grief of rise and fall, are all there. The poem stops short, and the satire only sharpens — 'implied not spoken, satirized not reviled', the height of the reserved historical quatrain, Du Mu's most brilliant 'history in twenty-eight words'.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both by Du Mu on Xuanzong and the consort — one the luxury in life, one the grief in death; compare his historical insight.
两诗同咏唐玄宗与杨贵妃事而角度迥异。《过华清宫》写生前之奢：以「一骑红尘妃子笑」的飞驿送荔，讽刺帝妃荒淫劳民；《马嵬·其二》则写马嵬兵变、贵妃缢死之悲，以「海外徒闻更九州」写玄宗求仙访道的痴妄。一写乐极，一写生悲，恰成因果：生前之奢正是死后之悲的根源。两诗并读，可见杜牧对玄宗贵妃题材的完整把握，亦可比较其咏史绝句在不同角度下的不同笔法——一以含蓄讥刺，一以冷峻反讽，皆见其「二十八字史论」之妙。
长恨歌 Song of Everlasting Sorrow 白居易 · 同写玄宗贵妃题材，诗体不同，一铺叙一含蓄 Different (same subject / different form)Both write Xuanzong and the consort; Bai narrates the lasting sorrow at length, Du satirizes with restraint — compare narrative and historical modes.
两作同写玄宗贵妃故事而体制、笔法、主旨皆异。《长恨歌》为长篇叙事诗，以一百二十句铺叙李杨爱情始末，「天长地久有时尽，此恨绵绵无绝期」寄同情于感慨，情辞并茂；《过华清宫》为四句绝句，只截取飞驿送荔一个瞬间，不叙其事而讽意自深。白诗铺叙长恨、重在情，杜诗含蓄讽喻、重在鉴；白诗以叙事写爱情悲剧，杜诗以细节写政治荒唐。一铺张扬厉、一惜墨如金，恰成唐人写同一题材的两种极致，并读可深味叙事诗与咏史绝句的不同美学追求。
金谷园 The Golden Valley Garden 杜牧 · 同属杜牧咏史，一刺宠溺、一伤繁华易逝 Same (Du Mu / historical verse on rise-and-fall)Both are Du Mu's historical poems — one satirizes doting favour, one mourns faded splendour; compare the wit of his 'twenty-eight character history'.
两诗同出杜牧手笔，同以咏史寄托感慨而情调有别。《金谷园》凭吊西晋石崇金谷园旧址，「繁华事散逐香尘」直写繁华易逝、物是人非的怅惘，以「落花犹似坠楼人」暗伤绿珠坠楼之悲；《过华清宫》则重在讽刺当世，以飞驿送荔之事刺帝妃荒淫。一伤悼、一讥刺；一悲凉、一冷峻。两诗并读，可见杜牧咏史绝句的两种基调：既有对历史兴亡的深沉感伤，也有对现实政治的犀利批判，合观方能窥见其咏史诗「伤盛衰而警当世」的完整面目。