All poems

唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

江畔独步寻花

Strolling Alone by the River in Search of Flowers

杜甫

Du Fu

写景Scenery 闲适Leisure 咏物Object poem

黄四娘家花满蹊，千朵万朵压枝低。
留连戏蝶时时舞，自在娇莺恰恰啼。

Along Lady Huang Si's path, flowers fill the way,
Thousands and thousands weigh the branches low.
Playful butterflies linger and dance from time to time,
Free and lovely orioles chirp just so.

Listen

Meaning

The poet walks alone by the river to find flowers. At Lady Huang Si's garden, blossoms cover the path, bending the branches with their weight. Butterflies linger and dance among the flowers, while orioles sing freely—a scene of vibrant spring.

黄四娘家周围的小路边开满了鲜花，成千上万朵花儿沉甸甸地压弯了枝条。留恋嬉戏的蝴蝶在花间时时飞舞，自在的黄莺发出恰恰的娇啼声。

Appreciation

With vivid imagery and lively verbs, the poem captures the poet's joy in spring. 'Fill' and 'weigh' emphasize abundance, while butterflies and orioles add motion and sound, reflecting the poet's leisure and contentment.

【白话串讲】 “黄四娘家花满蹊，千朵万朵压枝低”——杜甫一个人沿江散步看花，蝴蝶留连，黄莺啼叫。一生写尽苦难的杜甫，也有过这样春天般明媚的时刻。【意象与手法】全诗善用数量与色彩渲染：「千朵万朵」以虚数极言花繁，「压枝低」由花重见春深；后两句转写蝶莺，「留连」对「自在」、「时时」对「恰恰」，对仗精工而声色兼备。【情感与主旨】《江畔独步寻花》为杜甫组诗，共七首，约作于上元二年（761）春，时诗人定居成都草堂，虽生计仍艰而战乱暂歇。此为其六，写独游江畔、寻花赏春之乐，是杜诗中难得的轻松明快之作，与其「沉郁顿挫」的主体风格互补，可见诗人热爱春光、珍惜生趣的一面。【名句点睛】常考「千朵万朵压枝低」的炼字（以重量写繁盛）与「自在娇莺恰恰啼」的拟声拟人；「留连」「自在」二语物我双关，须联系诗人独步寻花的闲适心境作答。

Background

This poem is the sixth of a set of seven written in the spring of 761, when Du Fu was living in his thatched cottage in Chengdu. Though life was still hard, the war had temporarily ceased, allowing him to enjoy the simple pleasures of spring.

杜甫，字子美，号少陵野老，唐代伟大现实主义诗人，与李白并称「李杜」。此诗为《江畔独步寻花七绝句》组诗第六首，作于唐肃宗上元二年（761）春。时安史之乱未靖而战火暂歇，杜甫自入蜀后定居成都浣花溪畔草堂，生活暂得安定，遂于春日出游江畔、寻花独步，写下这组明快小诗。组诗七首写独步寻花的全过程：从「江上被花恼不彻」的寻访之兴，到黄四娘家门前「花满蹊」的惊艳之喜，再至「嫩蕊商量细细开」的惜春之情，一题七章，移步换景，是杜诗中难得的轻松明快之作。此第六首专写黄四娘家花事之盛与蝶莺之乐，历来传诵最广。黄四娘为草堂附近村妇，以真实人名入诗，可见杜甫「即事名篇」、贴近生活的创作取向，也反映草堂时期诗人与邻里往还的乡居情味。全诗二十八字，无一句忧时语，而太平气象自在其中，恰与「安得广厦千万间」的忧患形成对照，展示杜甫人格的另一面——于乱世中依然热爱春光、珍惜生趣。从艺术传承看，此诗亦可见杜甫「以俗为雅」的取向：村妇姓名、口语象声词皆入诗而浑然天成，历代诗话多以此为「老杜小诗亦复大家」之证，与《绝句》《漫兴》诸作同为草堂时期「随物赋形」的成果，于平淡中见大家气象，读之可悟大家诗「愈小愈精」的道理。

Art

The poem uses quantity and color: 'thousands and thousands' exaggerates the flower density. The last couplet contrasts butterfly movement with oriole sound, and the parallelism of 'linger' and 'free' creates harmony between nature and the poet's mood.

全诗章法由面到点、由静入动，浑然一体。首句「黄四娘家花满蹊」点明地点，以「满」字总写花之繁盛，一条开满鲜花的小径直铺眼前；次句「千朵万朵压枝低」以数词与动词放大特写，「千朵万朵」用虚数极言其多，非实指而更有声势，「压枝低」三字写花之繁密竟使枝条低垂，以重量写繁盛，化静为动，画面感极强。后两句由花转写蝶莺：「留连戏蝶时时舞」写蝴蝶恋花不去、时起时舞，「留连」本写人之不舍，移用于蝶，是拟人手法的妙用；「自在娇莺恰恰啼」写黄莺自在啼鸣，「恰恰」以叠字拟鸟声，明快悦耳。两句对仗精工：「留连」对「自在」，「戏蝶」对「娇莺」，「时时」对「恰恰」，不仅词性声律相称，更以蝶之动态与莺之声响构成声色兼备的春景图。四句由静转动：前两句写花之静态繁盛，后两句写蝶舞莺啼之动趣，动静相生；且「留连」「自在」二语，既是蝶莺之态，亦是诗人「独步寻花」时悠然自得心境的外化，物我交融，深得「以我观物，故物皆著我之色彩」之妙。此外，全诗以「花」为暗线贯穿：首句「花满蹊」总写，次句「压枝低」特写，三四句虽写蝶莺而不离花——蝶因花而留连，莺亦因春而恰恰，通篇写花而不于句眼之外另着一「花」字，章法之浑融可见一斑。尤妙者，二十八字无一字写人，而「独步寻花」之人的愉悦自在全在言外，正是绝句「不著一字，尽得风流」的境界。

Allusions

Lady Huang Si is likely a local woman near the cottage, not a historical reference. This reflects Du Fu's style of using everyday people in his poetry. '恰恰' is a Tang dynasty onomatopoeia for bird song, derived from folk traditions.

此诗几乎不用典故，以白描取胜，唯「恰恰」一词值得玩味。「恰恰」为唐代口语，状鸟鸣声之和谐悦耳，亦含「正好、恰逢其时」之意，如王绩《春日》「年光恰恰来」即用此义。此处以叠字拟莺声，天然活泼，与六朝乐府以叠字拟禽声的传统一脉相承，而更见轻快。「黄四娘」乃草堂邻家村妇之名，以真实市井人物入诗，属杜甫「即事名篇」的家常笔法，同于《江村》「老妻画纸为棋局，稚子敲针作钓钩」的日常生活书写，将诗笔从庙堂山水引向寻常巷陌，是盛唐诗歌平民化、生活化的一个缩影。花、蝶、莺三者皆传统春景意象，但杜甫不铺陈艳辞，纯以白描与拟声写出，足见其晚年「老去诗篇浑漫与」的随意自然，于浅近处见真味。就诗语传统而言，「留连」「自在」二词亦见杜诗用语之妙：「留连」出于「流连光景」之意，写物而兼写人；「自在」本佛家语，指无挂碍之境，杜甫用之写莺，实亦自写心境——乱世之中能有片刻「自在」，正是诗人心灵的栖息。诗中无一僻典而处处有渊源，可见「用常得奇」正是杜甫晚年诗艺圆融的标志。

Commentary

Qing scholar Pu Qilong noted that the word '自在' (free) captures the poet's ease. Another critic, Qiu Zhao'ao, remarked that the dancing butterflies and chirping orioles convey the vitality of spring and the poet's pleasure.

此诗历来为选家所重，是杜甫诗中别开生面的明快之作。清人浦起龙《读杜心解》评：「此诗检出『自在』二字，即公之适意处。」以为「自在」正是诗人彼时心境。仇兆鳌《杜诗详注》引前人语：「戏蝶留连，娇莺自在，写出韶光骀荡。」皆着眼于诗中洋溢的春光与闲适。与杜甫惯常的「沉郁顿挫」相比，此诗以轻快口语写寻常景致，可见诗人风格的多样性——正如论者所谓「老杜于悲壮之外，时露清丽」。就题材而言，此诗开后世春日寻芳、即景抒怀小诗之先声，其「千朵万朵压枝低」的繁花意象、「自在娇莺恰恰啼」的声色写法，常为后人效仿。今人选入小学、初中语文教材，儿童诵之如见花繁蝶舞、如闻莺啼，是启蒙审美与语感培养的绝佳范本，其艺术生命力历千年而不衰。就接受史而言，此诗自宋以来即为选本常客，明人高棅《唐诗品汇》列之入七绝正格，清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》亦收之，谓其「直写胸臆，天然如话」。历代童蒙诗选（如《千家诗》）多录此作，与《春晓》《静夜思》并列为幼学启蒙名篇，可见其语言之浅近与意境之美妙兼得，真正做到了「老妪能解」而「雅俗共赏」，是古典诗歌大众化传播的典范。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain七言绝句

Rhyme 蹊, 低, 啼 (upper level, eighth rhyme)蹊、低、啼同押上平八齐韵，首句入韵，一韵到底

Tone pattern Level tone starting, first line rhymes; last two lines parallel平起首句入韵，后两句对仗工整（留连对自在、戏蝶对娇莺、时时对恰恰）

Reading note Belongs to the set 'Strolling Alone by the River in Search of Flowers' written during Du Fu's Chengdu period.此诗为七言绝句，属《江畔独步寻花七绝句》组诗第六首。首句「黄四娘家花满蹊」平起入韵，「蹊」与「低」「啼」同押上平八齐韵，韵脚悠长舒缓，与春景之明丽相协。前两句散句叙事写景，后两句以工对收束，绝句「前散后对」的变格在此运用得自然无痕——「留连戏蝶时时舞，自在娇莺恰恰啼」二句，词性、结构、声律一一相对，然读来流利如话，不觉对仗之痕，正见老杜炉火纯青之技。全诗二十八字，一韵到底，声调轻快，节奏上「千朵万朵」「时时」「恰恰」等叠字、复字穿插，造成回环往复的音韵之美，与繁花蝶舞的春日景象浑然相称。此种以口语白描、以叠字增韵的小诗，是杜甫「漫与」之作的典型，也展示了七绝体制在盛唐的成熟形态——以极小的篇幅、极平的语言写出极浓的春意，正是绝句「以少总多」的极致。

Line by line

黄四娘家花满蹊

Along Lady Huang Si's path, flowers fill the way.

黄四娘家门前的小路开满了鲜花。

Before Huang Siniang's door, the path is full of flowers.

点明寻花之地，起笔即见春意。黄四娘以村妇实名入诗，亲切家常；「满」字为全句诗眼，写花之繁盛覆盖路径，一字铺开一幅花径图。此句写静态之景，却暗含诗人独步而至、忽然惊艳的动态过程——先闻其名、后见其盛，一个「满」字已将春深花繁的盛况和盘托出，为下句的「压枝低」作了铺垫，全篇烂漫欢快的基调由此定下。

It names the place of seeking flowers, spring bright at the start. Huang Siniang, a village woman's real name in verse, familiar and homely; the word 'full' is the line's eye, writing the flowers' abundance covering the path, one word spreading a picture of a flowered way. It writes still scene, yet secretly holds the moving process of the poet walking alone and suddenly dazzled — first the name, then the abundance, the one word 'full' laying out deep spring's lushness, preparing 'bow the branches low'.

千朵万朵压枝低

Thousands and thousands weigh the branches low.

成千上万朵花沉甸甸地压弯了枝条。

A thousand blooms, ten thousand blooms, bow the branches low.

承接上句，由「满」进一层写花之密多。「千朵万朵」以数词叠用极言其多，属虚写而声势夺人；「压枝低」则化数量为重量，以枝条低垂的形态写花之繁盛，化静为动、以形写量，极具画面张力。此句将抽象的「多」化为可感的「重」，是杜诗体物入微的典型，与《春夜喜雨》「花重锦官城」同一笔法，繁花之态如在目前，亦是全诗最具视觉冲击力的句子。

Following the last, it goes from 'full' further to the flowers' thick multitude. 'A thousand blooms, ten thousand blooms' uses piled numbers for 'many', virtual yet stunning; 'bow the branches low' turns number into weight, writing the abundance through the bowed boughs, stillness into movement, measure through form, great pictorial force. It turns the abstract 'many' into tangible 'heavy', the typical Du Fu minute observation, like 'flowers weigh down the city of Brocade' in the happy spring rain.

留连戏蝶时时舞

Playful butterflies linger and dance from time to time.

蝴蝶在花间留恋不舍、时时飞舞。

Lingering butterflies dance again and again.

由花转蝶，以动写静、以物衬花。「留连」本写人之依恋不舍，移用于蝶，是拟人手法的妙用，实则借蝶之贪恋侧写花之迷人；「戏」字写蝶之活泼，点出其自由嬉戏之态；「时时」以叠字写蝶舞之频繁不断，非偶一为之，而是乐而忘返。此句不言花美而花美自见，侧写之法含蓄灵动，亦暗寓诗人流连春光、徘徊不去的心境，物我之趣融于一字一句之间。

Moving from flowers to butterflies, writing stillness through movement, setting flowers off through the creature. 'Lingering' properly writes human reluctance, applied to butterflies as personification, really using the butterflies' greed to write the flowers' charm; 'dance' writes the butterfly's playfulness; 'again and again' the repeated dancing, not occasional but lost in joy. Not saying the flowers are fair, yet their fairness shows itself; the oblique method, restrained and lively, secretly holding the poet's own lingering in spring, loitering on.

自在娇莺恰恰啼

Free and lovely orioles chirp just so.

自在的黄莺发出恰恰的娇啼声。

The free oriole calls out just so.

结句由蝶及莺，由视觉转入听觉，声色兼备。「自在」写莺之从容无拘，与上句「留连」相对，一写贪恋、一写闲适，物态不同而皆见春之生机；「娇」字以少女之娇媚拟莺声之柔婉，饱含爱赏之情；「恰恰」以叠字拟声，明快悦耳，如闻其啼。全诗至此由花而蝶而莺，层层铺展，以莺啼收束，余音袅袅，诗人寻花之乐与心之自在尽在其中，是「以声结情」的典范收尾。

The closing moves from butterfly to oriole, from sight to sound, sound and color complete. 'Free' writes the oriole's unhurried ease, matched with 'lingering' above, one greed, one leisure, different creature-ways yet all showing spring's life; 'softly' writes the oriole's tender song with a girl's grace, full of fond delight; 'just so' imitates the song, bright and pleasant, as if heard. The whole poem, from flowers to butterflies to oriole, layered and spread, closes on the oriole's song, the aftersound lingering, the poet's joy in seeking flowers and his free heart all within, the model close of 'closing feeling in sound'.

Study

Word focus

满 filled, covering entirely; emphasizes the abundance of flowers. 「花满蹊」之「满」，写路径被花覆盖、无处不花的繁盛景象，一字总写春花之盛，是首句诗眼。「满」字兼含空间（花占满小路）与数量（花之多不可胜数）两义，且暗含动态——花不是稀疏点缀，而是蓬勃盛放、将路径整个铺满，正见春日生机之烂漫。与「千朵万朵」呼应，「满」写整体之盛，数词写具体之多，由面到点，为下句「压枝低」蓄足气势，一字之工而全篇生色。

压 to weigh down; gives a sense of heaviness to the blossoms, making static flowers dynamic. 「压枝低」之「压」，以重量写花之密多，化静为动、以形写量，极具画面张力。枝条本柔韧向上，今被繁花压得低垂，一个「压」字使繁花的分量感扑面而来，从「多」写到「重」，是杜诗体物入微、炼字如铸的典型例证。与杜甫《春夜喜雨》「花重锦官城」之「重」异曲同工，皆以触觉、重量写花的繁盛，足见诗人观察之细、下字之准。一字之工，非深于体物者不能道。

留连 to linger; personifies butterflies, showing they are reluctant to leave the flowers. 本写人恋恋不舍，此处移用于蝶，是拟人手法的妙用。「留连」写蝶之贪看不去，不直言花美，而以蝶之留恋侧面烘托花之迷人，含蓄蕴藉；同时「留连」亦暗合诗人独步寻花、徘徊不去之情，物我双关，深得「以我观物」之旨。与下句「自在」相对，一写贪恋之动、一写闲适之静，蝶态人情两两相映，是全诗情韵最浓的一笔。

恰恰 onomatopoeia for oriole calls; lively and bright, adding sound to the scene. 黄莺啼鸣的象声词，亦含「正好」之意。以叠字拟鸟声，鲜活明快，如闻其声；且「恰恰」与上句「时时」对仗，音节上回环相应，声情并茂。此词以口语入诗，天然去雕饰，写莺之自在亦写诗人之自在，是全诗轻快明丽格调的句眼。唐人口语入诗而能如此妥帖生动，正见杜甫「语不惊人死不休」的锤炼与「老去诗篇浑漫与」的自然二者的统一。