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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

凉州词

Liangzhou Song

王之涣

Wang Zhihuan

边塞frontier fortress 豪放bold and unconstrained 思乡Homesickness

黄河远上白云间，一片孤城万仞山。
羌笛何须怨杨柳，春风不度玉门关。

The Yellow River rises to the white clouds,
Amid towering peaks stands a lonely town.
Why should the Qiang flute complain of willows' gloom?
Spring wind ne'er blows beyond the Jade Gate Pass.

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Meaning

The poet depicts the majestic border scene: the Yellow River seems to ascend into the clouds, and a solitary fortress stands among towering mountains. The Qiang flute plays a plaintive tune about willow branches, but the poet asks why it should complain, for the spring wind never reaches the Jade Gate Pass. This expresses the homesickness of soldiers stationed at the remote frontier.

黄河奔腾远去，远远望去仿佛直上白云之间；一座孤零零的城池，坐落在万仞高山之中。羌笛何必吹奏那哀怨的《折杨柳》曲调，要知道春风根本吹不到这遥远的玉门关外。诗人以壮阔的边塞风光起笔，转而借羌笛与杨柳点出戍卒的思乡之愁，景中寓情，苍凉悲壮，将征人远戍、春风不度的荒寒与幽怨凝于二十八字之中。

Appreciation

The poem opens with a grand vista, then contrasts the lone city with the immense mountains. The last two lines use the flute song 'Breaking Willow Branches' to evoke parting sorrow, and 'spring wind' symbolizes imperial favor, which never reaches the desolate border. The mood is bleak yet heroic.

【白话串讲】 “黄河远上白云间，一片孤城万仞山”——王之涣写边塞，一出手就是极致的辽阔。“羌笛何须怨杨柳，春风不度玉门关”，成了每个戍边人心里最深的乡愁。【意象与手法】前两句以大写意的泼墨笔法勾勒边塞图景：黄河逆流直上白云之间，孤城孤悬于万仞高山之中，一远一高，一纵一横，气象雄阔；后两句由景入情，借羌笛与杨柳写戍卒之怨，以「何须」反问翻进一层，再以「春风不度」作结，将自然之景化为抒情之媒。全诗以壮景写悲、以乐景写哀，对比反衬之中，怨情愈深，含蓄蕴藉，怨而不怒。【情感与主旨】此诗为盛唐边塞诗的代表作，写戍卒久戍不归的思乡之怨，亦暗含对边地苦寒、皇恩难及的体察。诗人不直言怨，而借黄河、孤城之壮景与羌笛、杨柳之哀音，将怨情写得苍凉而深厚，境界开阔，哀而不伤，最能见盛唐边塞诗雄浑悲壮的时代精神。【名句点睛】常考「春风不度玉门关」的双关意蕴（自然春风与皇恩）、「羌笛何须怨杨柳」的反问与拟人、前两句的壮阔构图与「孤城」意象；须结合盛唐边塞诗怨而不怒的传统作答。

Background

According to legend, Wang Zhihuan wrote this poem during the Kaiyuan reign of Emperor Xuanzong (713-741) when he visited Liangzhou (modern Wuwei, Gansu). Liangzhou was a key military outpost against the Tibetans and Turks. The poet observed the desolate border scene and expressed the soldiers' longing for home.

王之涣（688—742），字季凌，晋阳（今山西太原）人，盛唐诗人，曾任冀州衡水主簿，后遭诬去官，漫游大河南北，与高适、王昌龄、崔国辅等交游唱和，晚年补文安县尉。《凉州词》约作于开元年间（713—741），时王之涣游历凉州（今甘肃武威一带）。凉州地处河西走廊东端，是丝绸之路的重镇，唐玄宗开元年间设河西节度使，常年驻重兵以御吐蕃、突厥，为西北军事要冲。诗人亲见黄河奔流、孤城悬险、戍卒久戍的荒寒景象，遂以二十八字写边塞风光与征人之怨。盛唐国力强盛，边功赫赫，士人纷纷出塞游历、投笔从戎，边塞诗因此兴盛，王昌龄、高适、岑参皆一时之选；王之涣存诗仅六首，而此篇与《登鹳雀楼》皆千古传诵。相传他与王昌龄、高适在旗亭赌唱，歌妓所唱即此诗，可见当日已脍炙人口。此诗以雄阔之景写苍凉之怨，正是盛唐边塞诗精神的集中体现。诗题《凉州词》为乐府旧题之变体，唐人以此题多写边塞风物，王之涣此作与王翰同题之作并称双璧，尤以气象阔大、怨而不露为后世所称，历代选本无不收录，是学习盛唐边塞诗不可绕过的名篇。

Art

The poem integrates scenery, event, and emotion. The first two lines paint a broad picture of the Yellow River and the solitary city against the mountains. Then the poet shifts to the sound of the Qiang flute, turning the external scene into an internal lament. The use of contrast and personification deepens the pathos.

全诗二十八字，前两句写景，后两句抒情，景中寓情，情由景生。首句「黄河远上白云间」以逆向仰望之笔写黄河逆流直上、与天相接，极写边地之高远苍茫；次句「一片孤城万仞山」以一片对万仞、以小对大、以少对多，写出孤城之孤危与戍守之艰。第三句「羌笛何须怨杨柳」以羌笛拟人、以「何须」反问，表面劝慰笛声莫怨，实则翻进一层，怨情更深；末句「春风不度玉门关」以春风不度写边地苦寒，暗喻皇恩难及，以景结情，含蓄不尽。章法上由远及近、由景及情、由实入虚，起承转合自然；又以壮景写悲情、以乐景衬哀情，对比反衬之中，悲凉之意油然而生。全诗尺幅之内有万里之势，无一字直说怨而怨意弥深，含蓄蕴藉，怨而不怒，深得风人之旨，是盛唐七绝中情景交融的典范。尤可注意者，全诗以疑问句与否定句传情：何须一问，不度一断，皆以退为进，将欲言之情吞吐于字句之间。前二句雄阔而不失沉静，后二句委婉而不失力度，二十八字之间，壮与悲、景与情、显与隐互为表里，浑然一体，故明人王世贞谓此诗神韵天成，是盛唐绝句不可无一、不能有二之作。

Allusions

The willow (杨柳) alludes to the old custom of breaking willow twigs at parting. The Qiang flute plays 'Breaking Willow Branches,' a song of parting sorrow. 'Jade Gate Pass' (玉门关) is a historical pass on the Silk Road, symbolizing the distant frontier. 'Spring wind' (春风) metaphorically refers to imperial grace, which cannot reach the border.

「杨柳」化用北朝乐府《折杨柳歌辞》「上马不捉鞭，反折杨柳枝」及汉代折柳赠别之俗，柳谐「留」音，古有羌笛吹《折杨柳》以喻离别之怨者。「玉门关」为汉武帝所置，故址在今甘肃敦煌西北，是汉代通西域的门户，自汉以来即为边塞的象征，唐诗中玉门关常代指戍守绝域。「万仞」之「仞」为古代长度单位，一仞约合今七八尺，万仞极言山势之高峻。「春风不度」暗用《楚辞》香草美人之喻传统，以春风代指皇恩与生机，借地理之远写恩泽之不及，亦暗含戍卒归期无望之叹。全诗用典自然无痕：杨柳、玉门关、万仞皆为边塞诗常用意象，一经组织便成雄浑苍凉的画面，而羌笛与杨柳之怨又为全诗注入思乡之情，典与情、景与意浑然一体，正是盛唐诗人善用熟典而能翻出新境的证明。此外，孤城、万仞、羌笛等意象皆非僻典，而一经组合，便成苍茫之境，可见盛唐边塞诗用典不以生僻取胜，而以意象的典型性与组合的新颖性见长，此为读边塞诗者不可不知的门径。

Commentary

Qing dynasty scholar Hengtang Tuishi commented in 'Three Hundred Tang Poems': 'Bleak and forceful, it can be painted as a frontier scene.' Ming scholar Yang Shen noted: 'This poem speaks of imperial grace not reaching the border, with deep yet restrained complaint.'

此诗历代评价极高。明人杨慎《升庵诗话》云此诗「言恩泽不及于边塞」，怨之切而厚，得风人之旨，正指其怨而不怒、含蓄敦厚的风骨；清人蘅塘退士《唐诗三百首》收录此诗，评其悲凉苍劲，可作边塞画图。又传此诗为旗亭画壁故事中与王昌龄、高适竞技之绝唱，可见其当日即已风行。关于首句，有作「黄河直上白云间」者，历代聚讼纷纭，而「远上」流传最广，盖远上二字更见空间之拉伸与气象之苍茫。王之涣与王昌龄、高适并称盛唐边塞诗人，此诗尤为后世所重：历代选本无不收录，玉门关与春风不度的意象更成为边塞诗的原型，后世李益、岑参等边塞诗皆受其沾溉。现代以来，此诗入选各版语文教材，春风不度玉门关一语至今广为流传，是中国诗歌史上传播最广的绝句之一，其以壮景写哀情的艺术经验，至今仍是边塞诗创作的典范。近人刘永济《唐人绝句精华》亦盛称此诗绝妙千古，以为其景真情真，全以气象胜人。今日教材选诗，边塞一体多以此篇为首，足见其经典地位。

Prosody

Form 七言绝句 (seven-character quatrain)七言绝句（近体）

Rhyme 间, 山, 关 (jian, shan, guan) - level tone, Pingshui rhyme category 删间、山、关，押平水韵上平十五删，首句入韵，一韵到底

Tone pattern Ping-qi pattern with first line in rhyme平起首句入韵式；首句平平仄仄仄平平，通篇以平声韵与入声字错落相间，声情苍劲

Reading note The third line is a common variation; the poem is a masterpiece of frontier poetry.本诗为七言绝句，平起首句入韵式。首句「黄河远上白云间」作平平仄仄仄平平，次句「一片孤城万仞山」作仄仄平平仄仄平，平仄相对相粘，大体合律；第三句「羌笛何须怨杨柳」作平仄平平仄平仄，后三字「怨杨柳」为仄平仄，属七绝常见的特拗变格，唐人并不视为失律，反以拗中见峭，与末句「春风不度玉门关」的平平仄仄仄平平相配，声情顿挫苍劲。韵脚「间、山、关」三字押上平十五删韵，一韵到底，删韵开阔洪亮，正与边塞的苍茫气象相合。全诗以入声字（白、笛、玉）与平声字错落相间，读来有金石之声；又以仄声起句、平声收句，起势挺拔、收势悠远，音节与情思同调，是盛唐七绝中以声韵写气象的典范。此诗格律并非严整无疵，然其声情之佳远过格律之工，可见绝句贵在情韵天成，不以字句绳墨为限。

Line by line

黄河远上白云间，

The Yellow River stretches far up, into the white clouds.

黄河奔腾远去，远望仿佛直上白云之间

The Yellow River rushes far away, seen rising straight into the realm of white clouds.

首句以逆向仰望的视角写黄河之壮阔。黄河本自西向东奔流入海，诗人却写其「远上白云间」，仿佛河水逆流直上、与天相接，这正是遥望黄河出塞时的错觉与想象：河水在高远处与天光云影融为一体，故觉其直上云霄。「远上」二字将空间纵向拉伸，使河与天相接，气象苍茫；「白云间」以高远的天际为背景，烘托出边地的高旷辽远。此句与李白「黄河之水天上来」的写法异曲同工，皆以倒挂天河之势写黄河，而此句更见空阔。以黄河起笔，先声夺人，为孤城万仞的荒寒布下宏阔的底色，景中已含苍凉之气，是全诗气势的起点，也是历代论者激赏的起句。

The opening line writes the grandeur of the Yellow River in a reverse upward gaze. The river properly flows west to east into the sea, yet the poet writes it 'stretches far up, into the white clouds', as if the current reversed, reaching the sky — this is the illusion and imagination of gazing at the river at the frontier: the water at the height blends with the light of heaven and cloud, so it seems to mount the empyrean. The words 'stretches far up' draw the space vertically, joining river and sky, the air vast; 'the white clouds' the high horizon as ground, setting off the border's height and distance. This line and Li Bai's 'the Yellow River's waters come from heaven' are of one craft, both writing the river as an inverted heavenly stream, yet this line the more open. Beginning with the Yellow River, it seizes the ear at once, laying the vast ground for the desolate lone city and ten-thousand-ren peaks, the scene already carrying a bleak air, the start of the poem's momentum, the opening line praised by critics through the ages.

一片孤城万仞山。

One lone city, amid ten-thousand-ren mountains.

一座孤零零的城池坐落在万仞高山之中

A single lonely city sits amid mountains of ten thousand ren.

次句写城与山的对比。「一片」与「万仞」相对：一片言其小、其少，万仞言其高、其大，以小衬大，以少对多，孤城之孤危立见；「孤」字既写城之孤立荒凉，又暗写戍卒之孤寂无依，一字双关，奠定全诗苍凉基调。「万仞山」以夸张写山势之陡绝，孤城悬于万仞之间，如沧海一粟，更见戍守之艰危。两句一水一山、一纵一横，构成壮阔的边塞图景，而孤城正是全诗的焦点：黄河的奔放、高山的崔嵬，都只为烘托这座孤城的寂寥。景中含情，情在景中，为后两句的羌笛之怨作好铺垫，其构图之妙，堪称以景写人的典范。

The next line writes the contrast of city and mountain. 'One lone' set against 'ten thousand ren': 'one lone' its smallness, its fewness, 'ten thousand ren' its height, its vastness, setting the small against the great, the few against the many, the lone city's isolation and peril showing at once; 'lone' writes both the city's isolated desolation and the soldier's loneliness without support, one word double, tuning the bleak tone of the whole. 'Ten-thousand-ren mountains' the exaggeration of the steep peaks, the lone city hung among the ten-th thousand ren, like a grain in the vast sea, the hardship of the garrison the more visible. Two lines, one river one mountain, one vertical one horizontal, making the grand frontier picture, and the lone city is the focus: the river's rush and the peaks' majesty all exist to set off the city's loneliness. Feeling within the scene, scene within the feeling, preparing the grievance of the Qiang flute below, the composition's art the model of 'writing the person through scene'.

羌笛何须怨杨柳，

Why should the Qiang pipe complain of the willows?

羌笛何必吹奏那哀怨的《折杨柳》曲调

Why should the Qiang flute play the mournful 'Folding the Willow'?

第三句由景入情。羌笛为羌族乐器，边地常见；「杨柳」指《折杨柳》曲，北朝乐府有《折杨柳歌辞》，古来折柳赠别，柳谐「留」音，故笛曲多写离愁。诗人以「何须」反问，表面劝慰羌笛莫要吹奏哀怨之曲，实则翻进一层：笛声本无情，怨者实为吹笛听笛之人，以拟人笔法写笛之怨，正是写戍卒之怨；「何须」二字更暗示怨亦无用，春风既不到，怨又何益，于劝慰之中见无奈，怨情因而更深。此句以问句传情，含蓄吞吐，不直言怨而怨意弥深，是典型的婉而多讽之笔，为末句蓄足势头，也是全诗由景入情的转折枢纽。

The third line turns from scene to feeling. The Qiang pipe is the instrument of the Qiang people, common on the border; 'the willows' means the tune 'Folding the Willow', the Northern Dynasty yuefu song of parting, the willow sounding like 'to stay', so the pipe tunes mostly write the grief of parting. The poet uses the counter-question 'why should' — on the surface urging the pipe not to play the mournful tune, really turning one layer deeper: the pipe is feelingless, the one who grieves is the player and the listener, personifying the pipe's grievance is really writing the garrison soldier's; the words 'why should' further hint that grievance is useless — since the spring wind does not come, what good is grievance? Within the comfort lies the helplessness, and the grief the deeper. This line transmits feeling through a question, restrained and winding, not naming the grievance yet the grief the deeper, the typical delicate, ironic stroke, storing the fullest momentum for the last line, the pivot of the poem's turn from scene to feeling.

春风不度玉门关。

The spring wind never crosses the Jade Gate Pass.

春风也吹不到玉门关外

The spring wind never blows beyond the Jade Gate Pass.

末句以景结情，是全诗点睛之笔。春风本为自然之风，玉门关深处西北，春风难至，此为写实；而春风又暗喻朝廷恩泽，皇恩不及边塞，戍卒久戍不归、归期无望，则为寄托。「不度」二字将春风拟人化，赋予其翻越关山的动作，却偏说不度，一扬一抑，怨意含而不露。以自然之景写人事之悲，双关妙合，含蓄深沉，怨而不怒，正是盛唐边塞诗怨而不伤、哀而不怨的风骨所在。此句与第三句呼应：羌笛怨杨柳，怨春风不度，怨皇恩难及，层层递进，而全诗止于一片苍茫景象，言有尽而意无穷，遂成千古绝唱。

The closing line ends in scene, the eye of the poem. The spring wind is the natural wind, the Jade Gate deep in the northwest, the wind's coming rare — this is the fact; yet the spring wind also figures the court's grace, imperial favor not reaching the border, the garrison soldiers long at their posts with no hope of return — this is the allegory. The words 'never crosses' personify the spring wind, giving it the action of crossing the passes, yet saying it does not cross, one lift one press, the grievance hidden and not shown. Writing human grief through natural scene, the double meaning perfectly fused, restrained and deep, grieving without rage, the very bone of High Tang frontier verse that 'grieves without wounding, sorrows without bitterness'. This line echoes the third: the Qiang pipe complains of the willows, complaining the spring wind does not cross, complaining imperial favor does not reach, layer on layer, and the whole poem ends on a vast, bleak scene, words finite, meaning endless, become the masterpiece of the ages.

Study

Word focus

孤 lonely, solitary - describes both the isolated city and the soldiers' isolation 「孤城」之「孤」，是全诗情感的支点。孤字既状城之孤立荒凉——万仞高山之中，唯此一城，形单影只，绝无依托；又暗写戍卒之孤寂——久戍绝域，亲人隔绝，归期无望，人同此城，一样孤危。一字而兼写物我，景与情合。以孤城对万仞山，以小对大，以寡对众，孤危之感倍增；而黄河之奔放、高山之崔嵬，皆反衬此城之孤。此字与王昌龄「孤城遥望玉门关」的「孤」字同妙，皆以孤城写戍边之孤危，而此诗之孤更与后文「春风不度」相呼应：城孤、人孤、恩泽不及，层层孤绝，故全诗苍凉之气，实由此一字生发，可见炼字之精。

怨 to complain, resent - the key emotion, expressed through the flute's song 「怨」字为全诗诗眼。「羌笛何须怨杨柳」，怨者谁？表面是笛，实则戍卒；笛声本无喜怒，诗人以拟人手法写笛之怨，正是移情于物，写吹笛听笛之人心中之怨。「何须」二字以反问出之，表面劝慰，实则怨情翻进一层：既然春风不度，怨又何用，于清醒的无奈中见出怨之深、怨之切。怨而不怒，正是此诗风骨：诗人不直言戍卒之苦、朝廷之疏，而借笛声一问，将满腔怨情化为一声叹息，含蓄蕴藉，深得风人之旨。后世评此诗「怨之切而厚」，正着眼于怨字的分寸：怨得深，却怨得温厚，不流于激切叫嚣，这是盛唐边塞诗高出后世同类之作的地方。

度 to cross, pass over - personifies the wind, implying imperial care does not reach 「春风不度玉门关」之「度」，字面上写春风越过关山，实际暗喻皇恩到达边塞。度字将无生命的春风拟人化，赋予其远行越关的动作，一扬——仿佛春风本该度关而来；又一抑——却偏不度，于转折中见出怨意。以春风度与不度写恩泽之及与不及，化抽象为具体，化政治寄托为自然景象，双关妙合，了无痕迹。若换作「到」「至」等字，则失其动态与双关之妙；度字兼含越过、经过之意，正与玉门关这一关隘意象相配，关而曰度，愈见关山之阻隔、恩泽之难及。全诗二十八字，以度字收束，余味悠长，千载之下，「春风不度玉门关」仍被用作恩泽难及、生机难至的经典表述。

凉州词