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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

近试上张水部

Before the Exam, Sent to Secretary Zhang

朱庆馀

Zhu Qingyu

干谒patronage 比体allegory 含蓄reserve

洞房昨夜停红烛，待晓堂前拜舅姑。
妆罢低声问夫婿，画眉深浅入时无。

Last night in the bridal chamber the red candles burned on,
Waiting for dawn to bow before the parents-in-law in the hall.
Her makeup done, she asks her husband in a low voice,
'Are my brows painted too dark or too light for the fashion?'

Listen

Meaning

Written before the exams and sent to the official Zhang Ji, the poem wears the face of a bride asking her husband if her brows suit the fashion—a coded question of whether the poet's writing meets the examiners' taste.

新房里昨夜红烛通宵未灭，只等天亮到堂前拜见公婆。梳妆完毕，新娘低声问丈夫：我画的眉毛深浅，合不合当下的时兴样式呢？

Appreciation

The whole poem is allegory; not a word mentions himself or the exam, yet every word does. The bride is the candidate, the parents-in-law the examiners, the husband Zhang Ji, the brow's depth the style of his writing. The allegory is so tight that each role has its match, while the surface remains a complete, lively little wedding poem—the two meanings fused as one, allegory at its height. As a patronage poem it is hardest to write without losing dignity; the poet boasts nothing, complains of nothing, only asks through the bride 'is it in fashion,' hiding trepidation, modesty, hope, and intimacy in three words.

【白话串讲】朱庆馀在考试前写给考官张籍：“洞房昨夜停红烛，待晓堂前拜舅姑”——他把自己比作新娘子。“妆罢低声问夫婿，画眉深浅入时无”——他问：我的眉毛画得合不合时宜？一首绝妙的求情诗。【意象与手法】全诗通体用比，无一字说自己、说考试，却处处在说。新娘即应试的自己，公婆即主考官，夫婿即张籍，画眉深浅即文章风格。比喻系统严密到每一个角色都有对应，而字面又是一首完整生动的新婚小诗，双层意思浑然一体，堪称比体的极致。【情感与主旨】干谒诗最难写——求人而不失体面。朱庆馀不夸才、不诉苦，只借新娘之口问一句“入时无”，把忐忑、谦逊、期待、亲近都藏在这三个字里。张籍读后回赠《酬朱庆馀》，同样以比作答，成为诗坛佳话。【名句点睛】 “妆罢低声问夫婿，画眉深浅入时无”——“低声”二字最传神，写尽新妇的娇羞，也写尽士子的小心翼翼。一问之中，分寸拿捏得恰到好处。

Background

The Tang saw a fashion of 'submitting scrolls'—candidates sent poems to worthies before the exam to win fame. Before the Boxue Hongci exam of 826, Zhu Qingyu sent this to Zhang Ji, then a water-ministry secretary, a man of literary standing who liked to aid the young. The title also reads 'Bridal Mood, Presented to Secretary Zhang'; 'near the exam' means the test was close. Zhang replied with 'In Reply to Zhu Qingyu' in the same allegory, and Zhu passed that year.

朱庆馀名可久，以字行，越州人，唐敬宗宝历年间进士。此诗题一作闺意献张水部，近试即临近考试之意，张水部指时任水部郎中的张籍。唐代科举盛行行卷之风，应试举子在考试之前，多将平日所作的诗文录成卷轴，投献给当朝的名公巨卿与文坛前辈，以求其赏识揄扬、为自己延誉造势，因为唐代科举尚未糊名誊录，考官取士往往参酌举子平日的声名与荐者的品评。朱庆馀于宝历二年应进士试之前，将此诗投赠给以文名重于当时、又素来乐于奖掖后进的张籍。张籍读后大为激赏，作《酬朱庆馀》一诗回赠，中有越女新妆出镜心、自知明艳更沉吟、齐纨未足时人贵、一曲菱歌敌万金之句，以越女采菱、歌值万金相答，盛赞其才；由是朱庆馀声名大振，当年即登进士第。这一投赠与酬答，皆以设喻双关出之，问答相映、比体相续，遂成唐代诗坛脍炙人口的一段佳话，此诗也因此成为干谒诗与比体诗的典范之作。

Art

The poem's life is a thoroughgoing metaphor whose vehicle stands alone. On the surface it is a wedding morning—figures, actions, feelings complete, readable as an independent love poem; beneath, each image points: the bridal candles mean the night of study before the exam, bowing to parents-in-law means facing the examiners, the husband means Zhang Ji, the brow's depth means the writing's manner, 'in fashion' means fitting the trend. The two levels fit seamlessly without a seam—among the highest examples of Tang allegory.

全诗的艺术生命在于通体设喻而喻体自足。表层是一幅新婚晨起图：新房红烛通宵未灭，新妇天亮即将拜见公婆，梳妆已毕而心中忐忑，遂低声问丈夫自己画的眉毛是否合于时尚——人物、动作、心理俱全，声口毕肖，完全可以当作一首独立生动的闺情小诗来读。深层则每一个意象都有确切的对应：新妇即临考的朱庆馀自己，公婆即将要评判他的主考官，夫婿即他所投献、请其品鉴的张籍，画眉深浅即自己诗文的格调风格，入时无即是否合于时下取士的风尚与考官的口味。表里两层意思严丝合缝、处处对应而又浑然一体，字面绝无一处说破考试、说破自己，却字字都在探问前程，比喻系统之严密、之自然，几乎到了羚羊挂角、无迹可求的地步。干谒之作最难写，难在求人而不失体面、自荐而不落痕迹；朱庆馀不夸己才、不诉己苦，只借新妇之口轻轻一问入时无，便把临考的忐忑、谦逊、期待与对荐者的亲近信赖，尽数含蓄地托出，是唐诗中比体运用的最高范例之一。

Allusions

The 'painted brows' quietly uses the tale of Zhang Chang painting his wife's brows (Book of Han), a classic of marital love here turned into self-scrutiny of style, used without trace. 'Parents-in-law' (jiugu) is the old term for husband's parents, not today's uncle and aunt—the key to reading the whole.

此诗用典不多而融化极妙。画眉一语，暗用汉代张敞为妻画眉的典故：《汉书·张敞传》载张敞为京兆尹，尝为其妻画眉，有司以为有失官仪而奏之，汉宣帝问及，张敞对以闺房之内、夫妇之私有甚于画眉者，帝遂不复责问，后世遂以张敞画眉为夫妇恩爱、闺房情笃的典故。朱庆馀此处化用画眉，表层写新妇晨起描眉、问夫是否合式的闺房情景，暗层则以画眉深浅喻自己诗文格调的浓淡工拙，用典而全不着痕迹，浑然融入新婚的情境之中。舅姑一词为古称，指公婆而非今义的舅父姑母：古时新妇过门，次晨须至堂前拜见夫之父母，即拜舅姑，此为理解全诗喻意的关键——拜舅姑正对应举子应试、初次面对主考官的评判。入时之无，无为唐人口语中的疑问语气词，相当于么、吗，入时无即合不合时兴呢，口语入诗，天然生动。诸语或用典、或用古义、或用口语，皆服务于表里双关的整体构思，融典实与俗语于一炉而不见斧凿，是此诗用典的高明处。

Commentary

The 'Tang Poetry Recorded Events' tells of Zhang Ji's reply poem, saying 'thereby Zhu's name spread across the realm.' Huang Shucan's 'Tang Poetry Annotated' says 'comparing himself to the bride, the parents-in-law to the examiners, the husband to Secretary Zhang—not a word lacks double meaning, yet the sense is whole, with no trace.'

此诗与张籍的酬答，历来被传为唐代诗坛以比体问答、以诗代简的佳话。《唐诗纪事》载其本末，谓张籍得诗后作酬朱庆馀相答，由是朱之名流于海内矣，可见此一投一酬对朱庆馀声名之显、登第之速，实有关键之功。后世评家于此诗的双关设喻尤多称赏：清人黄叔灿《唐诗笺注》评曰以新妇自比、以舅姑比试官、以夫婿比张水部，无一字不双关，而语意浑成、绝无痕迹，一语道破此诗通体设喻而表里浑融、不露机心的高妙——比喻系统严密到每一角色皆有对应，而字面又天然是一首完整的闺情诗，两层意思毫无扞格。历代论干谒诗者，亦每以此篇为楷模，谓干谒之作贵在不亢不卑、求人而不失自尊，朱庆馀以新妇低声问夫的姿态出之，既显谦抑恭谨，又不失亲近信赖，分寸拿捏恰到好处，比之直陈才学、干求引荐者，其含蓄委婉、意味深长远过之。故此诗不仅是比体诗的范本，更是唐代行卷风气与士人交往情态的生动写照。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (oblique-tone opening, first line not rhyming)七言绝句

Rhyme Rhymes on the yu category of the seventh rhyme group: gu, wu. The first line's 'zhu' is an entering-tone word and does not rhyme.押平水韵上平七虞韵，韵脚为姑、无，首句烛为入声、不入韵，仄起首句不入韵式

Tone pattern The whole poem's music flows like everyday speech; the last line 'Are my brows too dark or too light for the fashion?' ends on level tones, the tune light and rising, fitting a smiling question.仄起首句不入韵式，全诗音节流转如日常口语，末句画眉深浅入时无以平声收，语调轻扬

Reading note Four lines in one breath: the first three narrate, the last asks without answering, the aftertaste long; colloquial and elegant together, a clean, natural strain of Tang quatrains.此诗为七言绝句，仄起首句不入韵，押上平七虞韵，姑、无二字收音圆润、略带含蓄，虞韵本以幽约温婉见长，用于此写新妇低声相问的闺情，读来自有一种柔婉亲昵、欲言又羞的情致，与全诗谦抑含蓄的语气恰相契合。首句洞房昨夜停红烛的烛字为入声，短促收煞而不入韵，于起句先作一顿，使叙事从容展开。全诗声调最可称道处，在于其音节流转自然、宛如日常口语：洞房昨夜、待晓堂前、妆罢低声云云，皆平易亲切、如话家常，全无雕琢矜持之态，这正与新婚晨起、夫妻私语的生活情境浑然相合。末句画眉深浅入时无以平声字收束，语调轻扬上挑，恰似新妇含笑相询、语带撒娇的口吻，问而不答、余音袅袅，把那份忐忑期待悬于言外，令人回味无穷。全诗四句一气贯注，前三句从容叙事、末句轻轻设问，于流丽自然之中见含蓄深婉，口语与雅意兼得、俗调与深情并存，正是唐人七绝清丽自然、以俗为雅一路的代表，也使这首本为干谒而作的应景之诗，获得了超越其实用目的的独立艺术生命。

Line by line

洞房昨夜停红烛，待晓堂前拜舅姑。

In the bridal chamber last night the red candles stayed lit; at dawn she waits to greet her parents-in-law in the hall.

新房里昨夜红烛通宵未灭，只等天亮到堂前拜见公婆。

In the bridal chamber the red candle burned all night, waiting for dawn to come to the hall and greet the parents-in-law.

此联铺叙新婚次晨的情境，表里双关，句句关合应试。上句洞房昨夜停红烛，停即留置不熄，写新房红烛通宵长明，表层是新婚之夜的喜庆与温馨，暗层则以彻夜不眠暗写举子考前的辗转难安——一夜红烛，正是考前苦读、心事萦怀的写照。下句待晓堂前拜舅姑，待晓写等待天明的急切与心中忐忑，拜舅姑写新妇初次拜见公婆、听候评判，正对应举子初次应试、面对考官的品鉴。舅姑之评关乎新妇能否见容于夫家，考官之评关乎举子能否登第显身，二者情境如出一辙。此联以新婚晨起之景起笔，而临考之忐忑已隐然其中，双关之妙，全在不着一字而处处关合。

This couplet narrates the scene of the wedding morning, double throughout, every line touching the examination. The upper line, 'the red candles stayed lit' — 'stayed' means left burning; the chamber's red candle burned all night, on the surface the joy and warmth of the wedding, beneath the sleepless night figuring the candidate's tossing before the exam — one night of red candles is the portrait of burning the midnight oil, the heart on the hook. The lower line, 'waits to greet her parents-in-law in the hall' — 'waits for dawn' the eagerness and nervous suspense, 'greet her parents-in-law' the bride's first audience, awaiting judgment, exactly the candidate's first exam before the examiner's appraisal. The parents-in-law's verdict decides whether the bride is accepted by the house; the examiner's decides whether the candidate passes and rises. The two situations are one. Opening on the wedding morning, yet the pre-exam suspense already hidden within; the double meaning's beauty is that not one word names it, yet everything answers to it.

妆罢低声问夫婿，画眉深浅入时无。

Her toilet done, she asks her husband in a low voice: are my brows painted just deep or light, to the fashion?

梳妆完毕，新娘低声问丈夫：我画的眉毛深浅，合不合当下的时兴样式呢？

Her toilet complete, the bride asks her husband softly: are the brows I painted just deep or light, by today's fashion?

此联是全诗的点睛之笔，也是双关设喻的落脚处。妆罢低声问夫婿，低声二字为全诗神来之笔：新妇不敢高声、只敢附耳私问，娇羞、亲昵、忐忑之态尽在其中，而这一低声相询的姿态，恰对应举子向所信赖的前辈私下请教、探询前程的小心翼翼。下句画眉深浅入时无，明面上问的是眉毛画得深浅是否合于时兴的妆样，暗里问的却是自己的诗文格调是否合于考官的口味、时下的取向。妙在她不问工拙美丑，只问入时与否——可见举子真正忧虑的，并非文章本身的好坏，而是合不合主考官的眼光、投不投时尚的取向，一问之下，科场取士的现实与士人自荐的谦卑、忐忑尽显无遗，含蓄而意味深长。

This couplet is the eye of the poem, the landing of the double allegory. 'She asks her husband in a low voice' — 'in a low voice' is the inspired stroke: the bride dares not speak aloud, only whispers in his ear; shy, intimate, uneasy, all in it; and this whispering appeal answers exactly the careful, private way a candidate asks a trusted senior about his prospects. The lower line, 'are my brows painted just deep or light, to the fashion?' — on the surface asking whether the brows suit the current style; beneath, asking whether his own writing suits the examiner's taste and the age's bent. The subtlety: she asks not whether they are well or ill done, only whether they are 'in fashion' — showing what the candidate truly fears is not the quality of his essay, but whether it catches the examiner's eye and the fashion of the day. In one question, the reality of the examination hall and the humility and suspense of the self-recommending scholar stand revealed, restrained and infinitely suggestive.

Study

Word focus

低声 In 'she asks her husband in a low voice,' 'in a low voice' writes the bride not daring to speak aloud, only daring to ask privately—shyness and unease that exactly match the candidate's carefulness in seeking advice. Had it been 'smiling' or 'speaking out,' the measure would be lost. The two words' wonder is in laying the two identities' psychology precisely atop one another. 低声二字见于妆罢低声问夫婿一句，是全诗最见分寸、最传神的字眼。它写新妇不敢高声张扬、只敢附在夫婿耳边悄悄相问的情态：这一低声之中，既有新嫁娘的娇羞矜持，又有初见公婆前的忐忑不安，还有对夫婿的亲昵与依赖，几重心绪一并含蓄地流露出来。而在双关的层面上，这低声恰好对应举子向前辈请教、探问前程时的小心翼翼、恭谨谦卑——不敢张扬自炫，只能私下低声求教。设若换作含笑问、开口问，则或失之轻佻、或失之直露，那份娇羞与忐忑、那份谦抑与恭敬便荡然无存。低声二字之妙，正在于它以最精准的语调，把新妇与举子两重身份的微妙心理严丝合缝地叠合在一起，一词而兼摄表里，是全诗双关得以浑成无痕的关键。

入时无 'In fashion' means suiting the current taste; 'wu' is a Tang colloquial question word, like 'or not.' Three colloquial words enter the poem, natural and alive; their real weight is that the candidate fears not whether his writing is good but whether it suits the examiners' eye—one question lays bare the exam-hall reality and the scholar's helplessness. 入时无三字见于画眉深浅入时无一句，是全诗双关意旨的凝结点。入时即合乎当下的时兴风尚，无是唐人口语中的疑问语气词，相当于么、吗，入时无即合不合时兴呢，三字口语入诗，天然生动、活泼自然，绝无书卷的板滞。而其真正的分量，在于所问的不是画得好不好、美不美，而是入不入时——放到双关的层面，便是举子所忧虑者并非自己文章的高下工拙，而是合不合主考官的眼光、投不投当下取士的风尚。一个入时无，把科场取士重时尚、重口味甚于重才学本身的现实，以及士人不得不揣摩上意、迎合风尚的无奈与忐忑，全都轻轻兜出。以最寻常的口语作结，而含尽干谒者的谦卑、期待与惴惴不安，语浅而意深，是此诗以俗语载深意、以双关见巧思的绝好例证。