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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

寒食

Cold Food Day

韦应物

Wei Yingwu

节令Seasonal Festival 思乡Homesickness 七言绝句Seven-character Quatrain 韦应物Wei Yingwu

雨中禁火空斋冷，江上流莺独坐听。
把酒看花想诸弟，杜陵寒食草青青。

In cold rain, fire is banned, the empty study is cold;
Alone I sit and listen to the river's wandering orioles.
Wine cup in hand, flowers in view, I think of my brothers—
At Duling on Cold Food Day the grass is green, green.

Listen

Meaning

On the rainy Cold Food Festival, with fires forbidden and the study empty and cold, the poet sits alone listening to orioles by the river. Wine and flowers remind him of his younger brothers, and he imagines the green grass of his hometown Duling.

细雨中禁火冷食，空寂的斋舍一片清冷，独坐听着江上黄莺啼鸣。手把酒杯看着花开，思念起各位兄弟，杜陵的寒食节里芳草正青。

Appreciation

Wei Yingwu builds a mood of chilly solitude through three layered images at the start—rain, no fire, empty room. The lively song of orioles only deepens his loneliness as he sits alone. The festive wine and flowers turn bittersweet when they trigger thoughts of his brothers, and the closing image of green grass in Duling carries emotion without overt feeling. This is his quiet, refined style at its best.

【白话串讲】 “雨中禁火空斋冷，江上流莺独坐听”——韦应物写寒食：禁火，空斋冷。“把酒看花想诸弟，杜陵寒食草青青”——他端着酒看花，想起远方的弟弟们。寒食节的思念。【意象与手法】首句“雨中禁火空斋冷”以雨、禁火、空斋三重意象叠加出孤寂清冷；次句“江上流莺独坐听”以莺啼之热闹反衬独坐之寥落；后两句“把酒看花想诸弟，杜陵寒食草青青”以故乡杜陵的青青寒草收束，景中含情。以乐景写哀情，以冷、独二字为骨。【情感与主旨】寒食节独处江上斋舍思弟之作，把节令之感、宦游之孤与手足之念融于一体，语言平淡自然却情致深婉，体现韦应物诗高雅闲淡的典型风格。【名句点睛】常考“雨中禁火空斋冷”以三重意象写孤寂；“杜陵寒食草青青”以故乡春草收束思亲之情。

Background

Wei Yingwu wrote this poem while serving as a local official far from his home near Duling, outside Chang'an. The Cold Food Festival, when fire was forbidden and cold meals were eaten, was a time for family remembrance, yet he was alone by the river. Born into the powerful Wei clan, he had been an attendant to Emperor Xuanzong in his youth, then served in local posts; his poetic style turned from ornate to pure and plain. This piece blends seasonal custom, official exile, and longing for his brothers.

韦应物《寒食》写于任地方刺史期间，寒食节禁火冷食、游春扫墓，本是家人团聚忆亲之时，诗人却独处江上斋舍，因节生感，作此思弟之作。韦应物出身长安韦氏，早年为玄宗近侍，后历仕州县，诗风由绮丽转清雅，是中唐山水田园诗派的代表。要读懂此诗，先要明白「寒食」二字的分量：这是唯一以禁火为礼俗的节日，家家冷食、户户思亲，最易触动羁旅之人的孤怀。韦应物此时远离故乡杜陵，兄弟天各，节至而人独，故以「想诸弟」三字点出全篇之骨。值得注意的是，他写思弟而不作流涕之语，只以冷斋、流莺、把酒、看花淡淡写来，这种「淡而有味」正是韦诗的标志。此诗一小品，却把节令之感、宦游之孤与手足之念融于一体，是唐人寒食诗中抒情小品的佳作。寒食在韦应物笔下并非孤例，他集中另有《寒食寄京师诸弟》等作，可见此节对其必有特殊触动。韦应物写节令从不铺排习俗，而只取与己相关的那一角：雨、火、斋、莺、酒、花皆日常之物，却被节令点亮成思念的引线。这种以小见大的本领，来自他中年以后阅历渐深、心胸渐宽的修养。他不再如少年般呼天抢地，而把深情藏进淡景，恰如书法之绵里藏针，柔处皆力。读懂这份克制，才懂唐人节令诗从初唐应制热闹转向中唐私人絮语这一脉络。

Art

The poem displays Wei Yingwu's refined, tranquil style, using joyful scenes to express sorrow and rooted in the key words 'cold' and 'alone.' The first line piles up rain, forbidden fire, and an empty study into one great cold. The second sets the noisy orioles against his solitary sitting. In the second couplet, wine and flowers are normally joyful, but the thought of his brothers makes them bitter. The final image of green grass in his hometown is pure scene yet full of lingering feeling. Plain language carries deep sensitivity—the balanced, distant quality of the Wang–Meng tradition.

此诗艺术上最见韦应物「高雅闲淡」的典型风格，全以乐景写哀情、以「冷」「独」二字为骨。首句「雨中禁火空斋冷」以雨、禁火、空斋三重意象叠加出孤寂清冷：雨添湿，禁火添寒，空斋添孤，三冷合一冷。「江上流莺独坐听」以莺啼之热闹反衬独坐之寥落，以声写静，以闹写孤。后两句由眼前景转入心中情，「把酒看花想诸弟」直点思念，酒与花本乐事，却因「想诸弟」而转为苦酒苦花；「杜陵寒食草青青」以故乡杜陵的青青寒草收束，景中含情，余味绵长。全诗语言平淡自然却情致深婉，不使力而力自深，体现了王孟一脉清远诗学的精髓——不着情语，而情自远。尤其「空斋」与「独坐」的叠加，把物理的冷与心理的孤焊在一起，使后文的「想诸弟」不为突兀，而如水到渠成。这种层层垫势的章法看似随意，实经锤炼，是韦诗「淡而弥旨」在结构上的体现。韦应物此诗之「淡」并非无力，而是将浓情酝于浅语，读来如嚼橄榄，初平淡而后有余甘。中唐以降，文人节令诗渐由应制的热闹转向私人的低语，此诗正是这一转向中最为温润的一章，以寻常物事写不寻常之思，足见大家举重若轻的功力。

Allusions

The poem draws on two cultural allusions. 'Cold Food' recalls Jie Zitui, who died in a fire set by Duke Wen of Jin, so on this day fire was forbidden and cold meals were eaten—a festival of mourning. Wei Yingwu's 'empty study' quietly echoes that pathos. 'Duling' (Du Mausoleum) was his home region, where his brothers lived; naming it brings his longing to a specific patch of green earth. The 'wandering orioles' are an ordinary sign of spring, but heard by a solitary man they stress his sadness. The use of allusion is restrained and rooted in personal experience.

诗中用事多用节令与地理之典，贵在切境。「寒食」本介子推之典：春秋晋文公焚山求介子推，子推不出而死，文公乃定是日禁火寒食以志哀，后成民间大节。韦应物于此日「禁火空斋」，既是写俗，也是暗扣这个哀思的源头，使个人的孤与节日的哀叠合。「杜陵」即长安杜陵原，韦应物所居之地，亦其兄弟所在，以地名收束，把抽象的思念落到实处的一块土地——草青青者，故乡之草也，亦是兄弟眼前之草。「流莺」用莺啼报春之常典，春深莺啼本乐景，偏被「独坐」之人听出寥落，是以乐景反衬哀情的典型手法。这些典故与地名都不是掉书袋，而是把个人的孤怀织进节令与乡土的记忆里。此外，寒食禁火与清明改火之俗相连，唐人于此日重燃新火，韦应物不写火而写空斋之冷，正以无声写有声。「独坐听」之「听」亦暗含对节令声音的敏感：流莺是春之信使，而诗人所听非莺之悦，乃己之孤。地名杜陵更牵出韦氏郡望与兄弟聚居的记忆，使个人之思有了宗族的纵深。全诗用典不在多，而在每一典皆贴着身世落地，这是韦应物以少胜多的老境。

Commentary

As a representative of the mid-Tang landscape idyll, Wei Yingwu melts seasonal feeling, official exile, and brotherly love into a short quatrain. Its restraint is often praised—Qing critic Shen Deqian said Wei was skilled at closing lines: the final line carries feeling far away without a sentimental word. Unlike Du Fu's heavy festival poems, this one is light, cool, and far-reaching. It shows how Tang festival poetry moved from public, ceremonial pieces to private, subdued lyricism.

作为中唐山水田园诗派代表，韦应物此诗将节令之感、宦游之孤与手足之念融于一体，短小精悍而含蓄不尽，与其《寄全椒山中道士》《秋夜寄邱员外》等同具清空闲远之致。清人沈德潜评其「工于结句」，末句不着情语而情自远，正是王孟一脉清远诗学的体现。韦应物早年为玄宗近侍，诗风绮丽，后经丧乱、历州县，诗转清雅，此诗即其后期风格的代表：不追逐奇丽，而求淡永。近人论韦诗，多以「澄淡精致」概括，此诗二十八字而具三重情感（孤、思、遥），却无一笔着力，恰是「豪华落尽见真淳」的范例。它不与杜甫寒食诸作比沉郁，而独以闲远胜，是唐人寒食诗中别调。与杜甫《小寒食舟中作》写老病孤舟、北望长安的沉郁相比，韦应物此诗轻得多，也冷得多——暖的是故乡的草，冷的是眼前的斋。二者同写寒食，一重一国之思，一重手足之念，恰好构成节令诗的两极。韦应物的贡献在于把「淡」写成一种风格而非一种匮乏：他的诗不靠奇字险韵取胜，而靠自始至终的温润与余韵。后世学韦者众，然多得其淡而不得其厚，正因淡易伪、厚难偷。此诗二十余字而具孤、思、遥三层，正是厚而不肆的典范。寒食的冷与杜陵的青，一在此岸一在彼岸，韦应物只轻轻一转，便把身世之孤写成了天地之远。读其诗如饮清茶，初觉无味，回甘却久，这等好处原不在惊心动魄，而在日子越久越想起。唐人写节令，盛唐多应制的热闹，中唐多私人的清冷，韦应物正是由热入冷那一转的关键，他教会后人思念不必号啕，也可是一川烟草之外的安静。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (qiyan jueju), a plain and leisurely mid-Tang style七言绝句（平起首句入韵，中唐七绝闲淡一体）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'ting' (听) and 'qing' (青), both in the lower-level 'nine qing' rhyme group. The first line ends with the oblique-tone 'leng' (cold) and does not enter the rhyme.押下平九青韵：听、青。首句「冷」属上声，不押韵，亦不碍；听、青一韵到底，韵脚清泠，宜写孤寂遥思之音。

Tone pattern The tonal pattern generally follows common flattish/oblique alternations of the seven-character quatrain; the first line ends on a clipped oblique tone, strengthening the cold mood.仄平仄仄平平仄，平仄平平仄仄平；仄仄仄平平平仄，仄平平仄仄平平。平仄合七绝常格，首句「雨中禁火空斋冷」虽仄起而声韵从容，与闲淡之情相称。

Reading note The strength of the quatrain lies in its closing line. Wei Yingwu ends with 'Duling on Cold Food Day the grass is green, green.' The rhyme words 'ting' and 'qing' are bright and lingering, echoing the gaze toward home. Read it slowly, pausing at the empty-study solitude and lengthening at the green grass.七绝之妙在结句，韦应物此诗正以「杜陵寒食草青青」七字收尽前文。其声律之善在「稳」：听、青二韵皆青韵，韵母清亮悠长，正合遥望故乡的余音；前两句写冷写独，后两句写酒写思，节奏由敛而放，由景而情，与情感的流动同频。中唐七绝多尚含蓄，此诗以淡语入韵，不使奇字、不逞险韵，正是韦应物「高雅闲淡」在声律上的体现——格正而情远。此诗虽短，于声调却极讲究，首句以仄声「冷」收，先压住一股清寒之气，后两句转平声「听」「青」，由抑而扬，如一声轻叹后归于悠远。七绝最忌直遂，韦应物以「空斋冷」与「草青青」首尾相映，冷者此身、青者故园，声情与景情同构。读此诗宜缓读，于空斋独坐处稍顿，至草青青处放长，方得其闲淡之味。中唐七绝多尚含蓄，此诗以淡语入韵，不使奇字、不逞险韵，正是声律服务于情致的范例——格不必奇，而韵自远。

Line by line

雨中禁火空斋冷，江上流莺独坐听。

The first line piles three layers of cold—rain, no fire, empty study—creating physical and mental chill. The second line sets the lively orioles against his solitary sitting, using sound to emphasize silence and loneliness.

细雨中禁火冷食，空寂的斋舍一片清冷，独坐听着江上黄莺啼鸣。

In rain, fire-banned, the empty room is cold; alone I sit listening to the oriole on the river.

首句七字叠三层冷意：雨中是天冷，禁火是食冷，空斋是居冷，三冷逼出一个「冷」字，也逼出诗人的孤。空斋之「空」，既写斋舍无人，也写心中无伴。「江上流莺独坐听」以动写静：流莺啼啭，本是热闹的春声，诗人却「独坐听」，一个「独」字把热闹反衬成加倍的寥落。更妙在江上与斋舍相对，江上春意盎然，斋中清冷如冰，空间的反差即是心境的反差。这两句未提思弟，而孤怀已溢于言外，是为后文「想」字蓄势。

The first line piles three coldnesses into seven words: rain gives cold weather, the fire-ban gives cold food, the empty room gives cold lodging — three colds forcing out the central 'cold', and forcing out the poet's solitude. 'The oriole on the river, alone I sit listening' writes stillness through sound: the oriole's song is a lively spring noise, yet 'alone I sit' doubles the bustle into desolation. The river's spring against the room's cold, a space that is also a mood. Not a word of missing his brothers, yet the loneliness overflows.

把酒看花想诸弟，杜陵寒食草青青。

The third line directly says he thinks of his brothers while holding wine and watching flowers, turning joy into sorrow. The fourth line closes with the green grass of his hometown Duling, a scene that carries emotion without words and leaves a lasting aftertaste.

手把酒杯看着花开，思念起各位兄弟，杜陵的寒食节里芳草正青。

Holding wine, watching flowers, I think of my brothers; at Duling, in the Cold Food, the grass is green.

后两句由景入情，由眼前往故乡。「把酒看花」本该是乐事，却因「想诸弟」三字，酒成苦酒、花成愁花——乐景在此陡转为哀。「诸弟」 plural，可见思念之广，非独一人；寒食团圆之节，偏偏兄弟分散，对照愈显其孤。末句「杜陵寒食草青青」最见韦诗结法之高：他不写「我思弟」，而写「弟所在之杜陵，寒食草青」，以故乡之景收束，把思念推到千里之外，自己却仍在此斋中。草青青者，年年如此，而人各一方，景之恒与聚之难相对，余味悠然。沈德潜所谓「工于结句」，正指此种不着情语而情自远。

The last two lines turn from scene to feeling, from before his eyes to home. 'Holding wine, watching flowers' should be joy, yet the words 'think of my brothers' turn wine to bitter wine and flowers to sorrowful blooms. 'Brothers' plural shows the wide reach of longing. The Cold Food is a festival of reunion, yet the brothers are scattered. The closing 'at Duling, in the Cold Food, the grass is green' shows the height of Wei's ending: he does not say 'I miss my brothers', but writes that where they are, at Duling, the grass is green — fixing the longing a thousand li away, while he remains in this room. The grass greening year after year against the difficulty of gathering, an aftertaste long and quiet.

Study

Word focus

空斋 Empty study; conveys both a deserted room and an empty heart. 「空斋」二字是首句的诗眼之一。空既写斋舍无人的物理之空，也写诗人独处时的心理之空。斋本为静修之所，加以「空」字，更显清寂；而此斋又在寒食禁火之日，冷与空叠加，孤怀毕现。这个意象为全诗定下「闲而冷」的基调，也是韦应物宦游诗常见的空间符号——以空斋写空心。韦应物一生写斋极多，如郡斋县斋皆其宦游精神的容器，空斋之空实为心斋之空，是他在乱离之后求得安宁的隐喻。此句以空斋承雨中禁火，冷意由外而内，已由物候转为心境，为后文独坐听莺立稳了孤寒的支点。

独坐 Sitting alone; the solitude contrasts with the orioles' lively song. 「独坐听」的「独」字是反衬的关键。流莺成双啼鸣、江上春意喧和，诗人却独自坐听，以群体的热闹衬个体的孤单。独坐之「坐」又见出静定：他不是奔波中的偶感，而是安然坐对春声而生远思，这份从容中的孤，恰是韦诗「闲淡」的精髓——不是号啕的孤，而是静水深流的孤。独坐与空斋互为表里，一写空间之空，一写人之独，二者叠加便把寒食的孤写到了极致。韦应物善用静坐之姿收束动景，如门对寒流雪满山亦以静御动，此处独坐听莺正是同一手法，于喧闹春声中独自守住一份清寂，愈显其闲淡之难能。

想诸弟 Think of my younger brothers; the plural 'brothers' broadens the sense of separation. 「想诸弟」三字是全篇情感的破题。前文层层写冷写独，至此才点出所思者为何人。「诸弟」用复数，见出兄弟成群而己独远，思念之广非一端。这三个字平淡如话，却把前面所有的景语一把收束到人情上——原来雨、火、斋、莺，皆为「想弟」而设。平淡处正是深情处，是韦诗「淡而弥旨」的范例。想字是全诗的眼，前面冷雨空斋流莺皆是想字之前奏，至此方收束到人情实处。韦应物重亲情，集中寄弟诗屡屡，此想字看似平淡，实含多年宦游而兄弟离散的深痛，正因淡到极处，反觉其情不可解，是所谓语淡而情浓。

杜陵寒食草青青 The green grass of Duling on Cold Food Day; a closing scene that blends homesickness with the festival. 结句七字是韦诗结法的代表。「杜陵」落实故乡，「寒食」呼应节令，「草青青」以恒在之景写难聚之人。他不直说思，而说故乡此日草色正青，仿佛兄弟就在那片青草里，自己却在江上斋中——景的亲近与人的远离形成张力。草青年年，而聚首无期，余味正从这「青」字里漫出，是所谓「不着情语，情自远」。青青者，非仅写草色，更写时间之恒与思念之远，年年草青而人不可聚，以不变之景对无常之人世，最是凄然。韦应物以此作结，不著一个思字而思满天地，正是王孟一脉不着痕迹而情自远的绝唱。

寒食