All poems

唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

浪淘沙·其八

Waves of the River · Eighth

刘禹锡

Liu Yuxi

哲理philosophy 励志inspiration

莫道谗言如浪深，莫言迁客似沙沉。
千淘万漉虽辛苦，吹尽狂沙始到金。

Say not the slander is deep as the raging wave;
Say not the banished man sinks like sand in the grave.
Through a thousand washings and ten thousand strainings, though bitter the toil,
Blow away the wild sand and at last you reach the gold.

Listen

Meaning

Do not say that slander and calumny are as fathomless as the muddy waves; do not say that the banished man is buried and forgotten like sinking sand. Though a thousand washings and ten thousand strainings are bitter hard, yet once the wild sand is blown away and the dross gone, in the end you sift out the true gold.

不要说谗言诋毁如同浊浪般深不可测，也不要说被贬谪的人就像沉沙一样埋没无闻。千遍万遍的淘洗过滤虽然十分辛苦，但吹尽狂沙、去尽杂质之后，终究会淘到真金。

Appreciation

This poem by Liu Yuxi of the Tang uses 'wave', 'sand', and 'gold' as its core images, building a contrast of clear and foul, true and false, floating and sinking. The first two lines use the double negation 'say not... say not' to break the worldly prejudice first, in a cutting tone; the last two write the hardship of 'a thousand washings and ten thousand strainings' and the belief found in 'at last you reach the gold'. The metaphor is plain yet the meaning deep; the folk-song manner blends with reasoned thought, showing strength within the simple—fully the mark of Liu Yuxi's poetry, 'weighty and free, feeling flung far'.

【白话串讲】 “莫道谗言如浪深，莫言迁客似沙沉”——刘禹锡说：别说谗言像浪深，别说迁客像沙沉。“千淘万漉虽辛苦，吹尽狂沙始到金”——千淘万漉虽辛苦，吹尽狂沙才见真金。这是他的自勉，也是给所有被贬之人的话。【意象与手法】全诗以“浪”“沙”“金”为核心意象，构成清浊、真伪、浮沉的对照【情感与主旨】刘禹锡因参与“永贞革新”失败，于永贞元年（805）被贬为朗州司马，此后辗转连、夔、和诸州，前后贬谪二十三年【名句点睛】中高考多从“哲理诗”与“托物言志”角度命题。常考

Background

Liu Yuxi was banished as a result of the failed Yongzhen Reform; in the first year of Yongzhen (805) he was made Marshal of Langzhou, then moved through Lian, Kui, and He, banished for three-and-twenty years in all. This is the eighth of his nine 'Waves of the River' poems. The set takes rise from the washing of sand on the Yellow River and the Luo, often bearing the feeling of his own fate and political meaning. Ever slandered and long exiled, the poet would not sink with the tide; he borrows the parable of washing for gold to declare that, though he has endured trials, his steadfast will is unchanged, and also darkly satirizes that the muddy current at court will in the end be cleared.

《浪淘沙·其八》为中唐诗人刘禹锡所作。刘禹锡（772—842），字梦得，洛阳人，中唐诗人，有“诗豪”之称。此诗写谗言与迁谪之慨：莫说谗言如浪之深，莫言迁客似沙之沉；千淘万漉虽辛苦，吹尽狂沙始到金。全诗以淘金喻人生，写谗言虽多而真相终现，迁谪虽苦而志节终存，是刘禹锡贬谪诗中的名篇。刘禹锡因参与永贞革新而被贬，屡遭谗言，然其志不衰，此诗正是其“诗豪”精神的写照——以淘金之喻写清白终见，乐观而坚定。

Art

The whole poem uses 'wave', 'sand', and 'gold' as its core images, building a contrast of clear and foul, true and false, floating and sinking. The first two lines use the double negation 'say not... say not' to break the worldly prejudice first, in a cutting tone; the last two write the hardship of 'a thousand washings and ten thousand strainings' and close on 'at last you reach the gold', showing belief within suffering. The metaphor is common yet the reasoning deep; the folk-song manner blends with thought, showing bone within the plain—fully the mark of Liu Yuxi's 'weighty and free, feeling flung far'.

《浪淘沙·其八》艺术上以比喻的贴切与志节的坚定见长。全诗四句，层层写来：“莫道谗言如浪深，莫言迁客似沙沉”以浪、沙喻谗言与迁客——莫说谗言如浪之深，莫言迁客似沙之沉，两个“莫”字写其不畏；“千淘万漉虽辛苦，吹尽狂沙始到金”以淘金喻真理终现——千淘万漉虽辛苦，吹尽狂沙始见真金。全诗以淘金之喻写谗言之不足畏：谗言如浪，终有平息之时；迁客如沙，终有澄清之日；千淘万漉，狂沙吹尽，真金自现。比喻贴切而志节坚定，正是刘禹锡“诗豪”的风格——以乐观之笔写贬谪之慨。

Allusions

'The banished man' inherits the tradition of Qu Yuan and Jia Yi—officials punished and sent far away—not a single story. 'Slander like a wave' and 'the banished man like sand' are the poet's images from the scene, not allusions proper. 'Washing sand to find gold' takes the folk custom of gold-washing as a parable, yet quietly fits the Shi Jing tradition of comparing virtue to gold and tin, using everyday experience to speak of the gentleman's unshaken constancy—'borrowing the thing to show the principle' rather than citing a classical tale.

《浪淘沙·其八》用典在“淘金”与“狂沙”。“淘金”为古代采金之法，以水淘沙取金，比喻筛选真伪；“狂沙”指沙尘，与“金”相对，写泥沙俱下之时；“千淘万漉”写淘金之反复，亦写人生之磨炼。全诗以淘金之喻写清白终见，不用深典而道理自明。刘禹锡以“诗豪”著称，其贬谪诗多乐观旷达，此诗正是其代表——以淘金喻人生，写谗言不足畏、真金终自现，正是“吹尽狂沙始到金”的坚定信念。

Commentary

Later critics often praise Liu Yuxi's poetry as 'strong in bone, feeling flung far'. This piece, using washing sand to find gold as a parable, holds deep feeling within plain words, and with 'A Reply to Bai Juyi at a Banquet in Yangzhou' ('a thousand sails pass by the side of the sunk boat') shows the same open spirit amid adversity. Critics hold that though banished, his bone stood proud and he did not follow the crowd—most representing Liu's 'weighty and free' character.

《浪淘沙·其八》是刘禹锡贬谪诗的名篇，也是《浪淘沙》九首中的代表作。此诗以淘金喻人生，乐观而坚定，向为论者称道。论者多赏其“吹尽狂沙始到金”的比喻——以淘金写清白终见，遂成千古名句，为后人所引用；“莫道谗言如浪深，莫言迁客似沙沉”两个“莫”字，更见其不畏谗言的坚定。刘禹锡一生屡遭贬谪而不改其志，其诗以“诗豪”著称，此诗正是其精神的写照。此诗与《酬乐天扬州初逢席上见赠》的“沉舟侧畔千帆过”同写贬谪之慨，而一以金喻、一以舟喻，皆见其乐观旷达。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (one of the 'Waves of the River' set, after the yuefu tune)七言绝句

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, lower-level twelve qin group (deep, sink, gold), first line enters rhyme《浪淘沙·其八》为七言绝句，押平声韵。此诗用韵：深、沉、金（侵部），一韵到底，音节有力。七绝句式整饬，宜于写坚定之志。

Tone pattern Level-onset, first-line-enters-rhyme form七言绝句以声调抑扬、音节流丽见长。此诗以“莫道谗言如浪深”起，音节顿挫；“莫言迁客似沙沉”以“莫言”承，声情坚定；“千淘万漉虽辛苦”写磨炼之艰，音节沉著；“吹尽狂沙始到金”以“金”收，声情昂扬。全诗以平韵贯底，声调与坚定乐观的内容相合，是七绝中气骨豪健的一路。

Reading note Liu Yuxi's nine 'Waves of the River' imitate folk song; near a seven-character quatrain, not judged by the ci tune.《浪淘沙·其八》为七言绝句，是刘禹锡《浪淘沙》九首中的名篇。此诗以淘金喻人生：谗言如浪、迁客如沙，虽深虽沉而不畏；千淘万漉、吹尽狂沙，虽苦虽劳而终见真金。比喻贴切而志节坚定，正是刘禹锡“诗豪”精神的写照。刘禹锡一生屡遭贬谪而不改其志，此诗“吹尽狂沙始到金”正是其清白自信的宣言。此诗与《酬乐天扬州初逢席上见赠》同为贬谪诗，而一以金喻、一以舟喻，皆见其乐观旷达。

Line by line

莫道谗言如浪深，莫言迁客似沙沉。

Say not that slander is deep as the waves; say not that the exiled man sinks like sand.

莫说谗言如浪涛般深险，莫说迁谪之客如泥沙般沉没。

Say not that slander runs deep like the waves; say not that the exiled man sinks like sand.

首二句以浪、沙设喻，写对谗言与迁谪的不畏。“莫道谗言如浪深”写谗言之险——“莫道”即不要说，谗言如浪之深，本写其险恶，而“莫道”二字，写其不以为意；“莫言迁客似沙沉”写迁谪之悲——“莫言”即不要说，迁客如沙之沉，本写其沉沦，而“莫言”二字，写其不甘沉没。二句以“莫道”“莫言”两个否定领起，写诗人对谗言与迁谪的态度：纵使谗言如浪、迁客如沙，亦不足畏、不足悲。这一起笔，见出刘禹锡“诗豪”的不屈气概——不以谗言为惧，不以迁谪为悲，为后文的淘金之喻张本。

The first two lines take wave and sand as metaphor, writing the fearlessness before slander and exile. 'Say not that slander is deep as the waves' — 'say not' means do not say; slander deep as waves, properly writing its danger, yet 'say not' writes his unconcern; 'say not that the exiled man sinks like sand' — the grief of exile, the exiled man sinking like sand, properly writing his downfall, yet 'say not' writes his refusal to sink. The two lines are led by the two negations 'say not' and 'say not', writing the poet's stance: though slander be waves and the exiled man be sand, neither is to be feared nor grieved. This opening shows Liu Yuxi's 'poet-hero's' unyielding spirit — not fearing slander, not grieving exile, preparing the gold-washing metaphor below.

千淘万漉虽辛苦，吹尽狂沙始到金。

A thousand washings, ten thousand siftings, hard though it be — blow away the wild sand, and at last the gold appears.

千淘万漉虽然辛苦，但吹尽狂沙之后，才能见到真金。

A thousand washings and ten thousand siftings, bitter though they be — once the wild sand is blown away, the true gold shows.

后二句以淘金喻人生，写清白终见。“千淘万漉虽辛苦”写淘金之劳——千淘万漉，反复淘洗，虽辛苦而不止；“吹尽狂沙始到金”写真金终现——狂沙吹尽，真金自现。二句以淘金之喻写谗言与清白：谗言如狂沙，清白如真金；千淘万漉的辛苦，正是人生磨炼的过程；吹尽狂沙的耐心，正是清白终见的信念。以“千淘万漉”写其不辞辛苦，以“吹尽狂沙”写其终见真金，乐观而坚定。这一收束，正是刘禹锡贬谪诗的精神所在——不以谗言为意，不因迁谪而屈，坚信清白终将大白于天下。以“始到金”作结，言简而意深，遂成千古名句。

The last two lines take gold-washing as the metaphor for life, writing that innocence will at last be seen. 'A thousand washings, ten thousand siftings, hard though it be' — the labor of gold-washing, a thousand washings, ten thousand siftings, hard yet unceasing; 'blow away the wild sand, and at last the gold appears' — the wild sand blown away, the true gold showing itself. The two lines use gold-washing for slander and innocence: slander is the wild sand, innocence the true gold; the hard labor of a thousand washings is the process of life's tempering; the patience of blowing away the sand is the faith that innocence will be seen. 'A thousand washings, ten thousand siftings' the unsparing labor, 'blow away the wild sand' the final revealing of gold, optimistic and firm. This close is the spirit of Liu Yuxi's exile poems — unmindful of slander, unbowed by exile, firmly believing innocence will at last be cleared to the world. Closing on 'at last the gold appears', brief in words, deep in meaning, it became a famous line.

Study

Word focus

莫道 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “莫道谗言如浪深”之“莫道”，写不要这样说，是全诗立场的起点。“莫道”即不要说，着一词，便见出诗人对谗言的态度——谗言如浪之深，虽为事实，而“莫道”二字，写其不以为意、不屑一辩。这一词与下句“莫言”对举，两个否定领起全诗，写尽诗人对谗言与迁谪的不屈。以“莫道”起，正是刘禹锡“诗豪”气概的体现。

千淘万漉 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “千淘万漉虽辛苦”之“千淘万漉”，写淘金之反复，是全诗写磨炼的关键词。“千”写淘之多次，“万”写漉之频繁，“淘”“漉”皆写筛洗——千淘万漉，反复淘洗，是淘金之劳，亦是人生之磨。这一词以夸张之笔写磨炼之艰辛：不是一次淘洗，而是千淘万漉；不是一帆风顺，而是反复磨砺。以“千淘万漉”写辛苦，正是以淘金喻人生的绝妙一笔。

吹尽 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “吹尽狂沙始到金”之“吹尽”，写吹散狂沙之彻底，是全诗写清白终见的关键词。“吹”写风吹，“尽”写吹散殆尽——狂沙吹尽，真金自现。这一词写淘金之成：不是吹去少许，而是吹尽狂沙；不是偶见真金，而是终现真金。以“吹尽”写狂沙之尽，正是以彻底的淘洗写清白的最终显现。这一词与“始到金”相承，吹尽则金现，正是“功夫不负有心人”的信念。

始到金 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “吹尽狂沙始到金”之“始到金”，写吹尽狂沙之后才见到真金，是全诗的点睛之词。“始”写才、方，“到金”写见金——狂沙吹尽，方见真金。这一词写真金之不易得：不是轻易可见，而是历经千淘万漉、吹尽狂沙之后才到；正是以“始”字写清白之珍贵。以“始到金”作结，既是写淘金，亦是写人生——谗言终被洗清，清白终将自现。这一收束，正是刘禹锡贬谪诗乐观坚定的精神所在。