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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

山行

Mountain Journey

杜牧

Du Mu

秋景autumn scenery 山林mountain forest 红叶red leaves

远上寒山石径斜，白云生处有人家。
停车坐爱枫林晚，霜叶红于二月花。

A stony path winds far up the cold mountain steep,
Where white clouds rise, there appear hamlets deep.
I stop my carriage to admire the maple grove at dusk,
Frosted leaves are redder than spring flowers in the bush.

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Meaning

The poet journeys through autumn mountains, following a winding stone path. Amid the white clouds, he glimpses a remote village. Stopping his carriage, he is captivated by the maple forest at dusk, exclaiming that the frost-touched leaves are even more brilliant than the flowers of February spring.

一条石头小路蜿蜒斜伸向遥远的寒山，在那白云生起的地方隐约住着人家。我停下车来，只因爱赏这傍晚枫林的景色，经霜的枫叶比二月春花还要红艳。

Appreciation

The first two lines paint a distant, serene mountain space with 'far up,' 'winding,' and 'where white clouds rise.' The latter two lines zoom in on the maple grove, using a bold contrast: autumn leaves surpass spring blossoms, overturning the traditional autumnal melancholy. The poem moves from far to near, from scene to emotion, with vivid colors.

【白话串讲】 “停车坐爱枫林晚，霜叶红于二月花”——杜牧走在深秋的山路上，被一片红枫留住。别人悲秋，他却觉得霜打的枫叶比春天的花还红。【意象与手法】前两句写远景，远上二字写山路之悠长，斜字状石径之坡势，白云生处有人家于高远中见人间烟火；后两句由远及近、由景及情，停车坐爱以果写因，突出诗人对枫林晚景的痴迷，末句霜叶红于二月花以春花反衬秋叶，色彩对比鲜明，于白描中见绚烂，翻悲秋为赞秋。【情感与主旨】此诗约作于杜牧行旅途中，具体年代难确。诗人秋日登山，为枫林晚景所动，即兴成篇。全诗无一字悲秋，反以热烈笔调写秋山之明丽，体现其豪宕洒脱的性情与不同于传统文人伤秋的胸襟，是唐人七绝中明朗健康的秋之颂歌。【名句点睛】常考霜叶红于二月花的对比反衬手法及其破悲秋传统的情感立意；白云生处有人家以人烟点活秋山、以动衬静的手法也常被命题赏析。

Background

The poem was likely composed during Du Mu's later years when he served as prefect of Chizhou (c. 844–846). During a mountain journey, he was moved by the maple forest at dusk and wrote extemporaneously. The piece shows no trace of autumn sorrow; instead, it celebrates the vitality of autumn scenery, reflecting the poet's bold and open-minded character.

杜牧（803—852），字牧之，京兆万年（今陕西西安）人，晚唐杰出诗人，与李商隐并称小李杜。他出身京兆杜氏，乃宰相杜佑之孙，早年即有济世之志，精通兵法，曾注《孙子》，作《阿房宫赋》《罪言》以讽时政，然身处牛李党争之际，仕途蹭蹬，长期辗转于黄州、池州、睦州等地任刺史。此诗为七绝，写作年代难以确考，一般认为作于诗人秋日行旅途中，或即任池州刺史（约844—846）前后往返江南时所见秋山红叶之景。晚唐国势日蹙，士人多有伤时悲秋之慨，杜牧却以其豪宕洒脱的个性，于萧瑟秋山中发现热烈明丽之美，以一篇二十八字的小诗，写出与刘禹锡我言秋日胜春朝相呼应的赞秋情怀。诗中寒山、石径、白云、人家、枫林、霜叶诸景，皆寻常山行所见，而经诗人点化，遂成明朗健康的秋之图画，可见其胸次之高与诗思之敏捷。全诗即兴而成，不假雕琢，却自具一种俊爽峭健的气象，于唐人七绝中独树一帜，是研究杜牧诗风与晚唐山水纪行诗的重要文本。

Art

The first two lines use 'far up,' 'winding,' and 'rise' to create a lofty, quiet spatiality. The last two lines shift focus: 'I stop my carriage because I love the maple forest at dusk' turns the narrative inward, while 'redder than spring flowers' uses the familiar image of spring blossoms to highlight the surprising beauty of autumn leaves, employing strong color contrast.

章法上，此诗以行字为线索，按游踪由远及近展开：首句远上寒山石径斜写遥望，石径蜿蜒斜伸，直上寒山；次句白云生处有人家写仰望，于白云缭绕的高处点出人家，以人烟之温润反衬山行之幽远；三句停车坐爱枫林晚写驻足，因爱暮色中的枫林而停车；末句霜叶红于二月花写特写，将镜头定格于经霜的红叶。四句之间，视角由远而近、由全景而特写，层层推进，如电影镜头般收束，章法极为谨严。手法上，最著者有三：一是因果倒置，停车坐爱枫林晚以坐（因为）字将结果（停车）与原因（爱枫林晚）倒装出之，突出诗人一见倾心、流连忘返的痴态；二是对比反衬，霜叶红于二月花以人人熟知的二月春花之红艳反衬霜叶，翻出新意，使秋叶之红倍加鲜明；三是设色，白云之白与霜叶之红、寒山之青相映，红白对照，明丽动人。全诗白描与绚烂兼济，语浅而味永，于二十八字中写尽秋山之明净与诗人胸次之豪宕。

Allusions

'Cold mountain' is generic for chilly autumn hills, not a specific place. 'February flowers' refer to the abundant blooms of spring. Du Mu draws on a common trope but inverts it: autumn leaves outshine spring flowers, creating a fresh, unexpected line that has become iconic.

此诗几乎不用典，其妙正在化常景为奇句。寒山非专指某山，乃秋日寒凉山峦之通称，与王维寒山转苍翠（《辋川闲居赠裴秀才迪》）同一用法，诗中并无隐逸之意，只取山色之清寒。白云生处承古典诗中白云意象的传统——白云在古诗中常与高远、隐逸、仙家相连，陶渊明云无心以出岫、王维白云回望合皆是其例，此处以白云点染山巅人家，使实景带上空灵缥缈之趣，生字（或作深字）尤见云气蒸腾的动态。至于二月花，则是唐人写春色极盛的习用语，杜甫江碧鸟逾白，山青花欲燃已开以花之红艳写景物之例，杜牧反其道而行，以春花拟秋叶，谓霜叶之红胜过春花，遂翻出赞秋的新意。全诗无一处僻典，而霜叶红于二月花一句，却以其比较结构成为千古名句，正见杜牧用意精密而辞不害意的本领——用常得奇，化熟为新，是晚唐七绝造语的上乘境界。至于霜字，则直承《诗经·蒹葭》霜露之思与《楚辞·九辩》悲秋之传统，然诗人着意翻案，使霜从凋零之符号一变而为生命炽烈之证明，正见其用意之精密。

Commentary

Qing scholar Hengtang Tuishi remarked: 'Infinite charm lies beyond the words.' Ming scholar Yang Shen praised it for 'depicting a scene difficult to paint as if before the eyes.' Du Mu's quatrains are known for their vigorous elegance, and this piece is a masterpiece of autumn verse, standing apart from the traditional lament.

此诗历来为唐诗选本必录之作，清人蘅塘退士编《唐诗三百首》即收入七绝卷，与《清明》《江南春》等同为杜牧绝句之代表作。历代评家激赏其写景之妙，所谓状难写之景如在目前，正可移评此诗——二十八字中，石径之斜、白云之生、枫林之晚、霜叶之红，一一如在目前，而无一字说破，含蓄不尽。就文学史而言，此诗的独特价值在于翻案立新：自宋玉《九辩》悲哉秋之为气也以下，中国文人写秋多主悲凉萧瑟，杜甫无边落木萧萧下、白居易枫叶荻花秋瑟瑟皆是其流；杜牧却以霜叶红于二月花的明丽一笔，将秋日写得比春天更热烈，与刘禹锡《秋词》自古逢秋悲寂寥，我言秋日胜春朝同调而更具体可感，遂成为唐诗中赞秋一脉的绝唱。后世影响深远，霜叶红于二月花至今仍为人们咏秋、咏枫的常用语，其比较修辞亦常为诗话称引。此诗篇幅虽小，而足以见杜牧俊爽峭健、风调悠扬的诗风，为晚唐七绝中不可多得的明朗之作。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (仄起首句入韵)七言绝句（仄起首句入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes with the 'xia' group of the six 'ma' rhyme in Pingshui: 斜 (xiá), 家, 花押平水韵下平六麻：斜（古音读xiá）、家、花，首句即入韵，一韵到底

Tone pattern First line: 仄仄平平仄仄平; second: 仄平平仄仄平平; third: 平平仄仄平平仄; fourth: 仄仄平平仄仄平.首句远上寒山石径斜为仄仄平平仄仄平，次句白云生处有人家为仄平平仄仄平平，三句停车坐爱枫林晚为平平仄仄平平仄，四句霜叶红于二月花为平仄平平仄仄平，平仄合律，粘对无误

Reading note The character 斜 is read as xiá to rhyme with 家 and 花; the final line overturns the autumn sorrow tradition, representing Du Mu's vigorous style.此诗为七言绝句，仄起首句入韵格。七绝格律以首句第二字定平仄起式，此诗首句远上寒山石径斜第二字上为仄声，故属仄起；首句末字斜入韵，故为首句入韵格，全诗押平水韵下平六麻：斜（唐音读xiá）、家、花，一韵到底，无换韵。平仄方面，远上寒山石径斜为仄仄平平仄仄平，白云生处有人家为仄平平仄仄平平（白为入声，仄声；生处一三五不论可平可仄），两句平仄相对；第三句停车坐爱枫林晚为平平仄仄平平仄，与次句相粘（第二字车平粘云平），第四句霜叶红于二月花为平仄平平仄仄平（霜平代仄，叶入声为仄），与三句相对，全诗粘对无误，完全合律。值得注意的是，斜字在唐宋音中读xiá，属麻韵，与家、花同韵，若以今音读xié便觉不押，此是古今音变所致。绝句不要求对仗，此诗两联皆散行不对，正见绝句灵活自由之体；又因句句合律、音节流畅，读来朗朗上口，与诗中山行之轻快、赏枫之欢悦正相谐和。末句霜叶红于二月花以仄声叶、月与平声红、于交错，形成抑扬顿挫的节奏，收束有力，是声情与辞情相凑的典范。

Line by line

远上寒山石径斜，白云生处有人家。

A winding stone path stretches far up the cold mountain; where white clouds rise, there are dwellings.

一条石头小路蜿蜒斜伸向遥远的寒山，在那白云生起的地方隐约住着人家。

A stone path winds far up the chill hill; where the white clouds rise, there are dwellings.

起笔两句勾勒全诗远景，是山行之始。远上二字写山路之悠长，一个上字点明山势之高、行之渐远；石径斜的斜字状坡势之蜿蜒，为山行之路画出曲折的轨迹；白云生处有人家更于高寒缥缈中见人间烟火——生字写云气蒸腾欲出之态（或作深字），而人家藏于白云深处，若隐若现，既点出山之幽深高远，又以人烟之温润反衬山行之孤寂清寒，构图疏朗如画。两句一写路、一写家，一静一动，远上而渐行渐深，为下文停车赏枫预作铺垫，也暗示诗人此次山行并非匆匆赶路，而是闲适从容的游赏之行，其心境之旷达已隐隐可见。

The opening two lines sketch the poem's distant prospect, the start of the mountain journey. The word 'far' writes the road's length, and 'up' the mountain's height, the walking the farther; the 'slant' of 'stone path' the winding slope, drawing the road's crooked track; 'where the white clouds rise, there are dwellings' showing human warmth in the cold heights — the word 'rise' the vapor's rising (some texts read 'deep'), and the dwellings hidden in the cloud depths, now faint now clear, both naming the hill's depth and height, and setting the human warmth against the journey's loneliness and cold, the composition open as a painting. Two lines, one road one home, one still one moving, the far ascent and the deepening, the groundwork for the later stopping to admire the maples, and the hint that this mountain journey is no hurried passing but an unhurried excursion, the poet's ease of mind faintly visible.

停车坐爱枫林晚，

I stop the carriage, loving the maple grove at dusk,

我停下车来，只因爱赏这傍晚枫林的景色。

I stop the carriage, only because I love the evening maple grove.

停车坐爱枫林晚是全诗由景及情、由行到止的关键一转。停车写行为之突变——山行本在行进之中，忽然驻马不前，可见眼前景致之动人；坐字训为因为，以果写因，先言停车之果，后补爱景之因，语序倒装而情味自出，把诗人一见枫林、即生留恋、索性停车的痴态写得宛然在目；晚字尤不可轻过——枫林之美正在于夕照之下，晚霞与霜叶交相辉映，红得愈发浓烈，若在日间，其色便减了三分。爱字直抒其情，是全诗唯一直接表露情感的动词，与末句红于二月花的赞叹相呼应。此句为全诗枢纽：前二句写远望之景，至此戛然而止，转入近观特写，节奏由舒缓变为凝注，诗人的主体性亦由隐而显。

'I stop the carriage, loving the maple grove at dusk' is the poem's key turn, from scene to feeling, from walking to stopping. 'I stop the carriage' the abrupt change of action — the mountain journey in progress, and suddenly the horse is held, showing how moving the scene before the eyes; the word 'for' reads as 'because', writing the cause through the effect, first the result of the stopped carriage, then the cause of loving the scene, the order inverted and the flavor of itself, writing the poet's infatuation at first sight of the maples, the stopping of the carriage, as before the eyes; the word 'dusk' the more not to be passed lightly — the maples' beauty is precisely in the slanting light, the evening glow and the frosted leaves together, the red the more intense; by day, the color would have faded by three parts. The word 'love' speaks the feeling directly, the only verb in the poem that shows emotion, answering the admiration of the closing 'redder than the flowers of February'. This line is the poem's pivot: the first two lines write the distant view, and here it stops short, turning to the close-up, the rhythm from unhurried to rapt, the poet's subjectivity from hidden to manifest.

霜叶红于二月花。

the frost-bitten leaves are redder than the flowers of February.

经霜的枫叶比二月春花还要红艳。

The frost-bitten maple leaves are redder than the spring flowers of February.

霜叶红于二月花是全诗结穴之句，亦是千古名句。其妙有三：一是以比较立论，红于二字将秋叶与春花置于天平之上，春花是春色极盛的象征，人人以为最艳，而霜叶竟胜之，出语惊人；二是以反衬见色，不直写霜叶之红，而以二月花之红作参照，红上更红，颜色倍加鲜明；三是以翻案立意，自宋玉悲秋以来，霜叶向为萧瑟凋零之符号，此句却赋予霜叶以胜过春花的生命力，把悲秋翻作赞秋，秋之壮美尽在其中。从句法看，霜叶红于二月花七个字，主语（霜叶）、谓语（红）、补语（于二月花）一气贯注，音节铿锵，读来掷地有声。此句一出，遂成咏秋绝唱，杜牧俊爽峭健的诗风于此可见一斑。

'The frost-bitten leaves are redder than the flowers of February' is the poem's knot, and a famous line through the ages. Three beauties: first, the argument through comparison — 'redder than' sets the autumn leaf and the spring flower on the scale, the spring flower the symbol of the season's height, all think it the brightest, and the frosted leaf surpasses it, the word startling; second, the color through contrast — not writing the frosted leaf's red directly, but using the February flower's red as reference, red beyond red, the color the more vivid; third, the reversal of theme — since Song Yu's grief of autumn, the frosted leaf has been the sign of bleakness and falling, and this line gives it a vitality surpassing the spring flower, turning the grief of autumn into a praise of autumn, the autumn's majesty all within. In syntax, 'the frost-bitten leaves are redder than the flowers of February' seven words, subject (the frost-bitten leaves), predicate (red), complement (than the flowers of February) flowing in one, the rhythm sonorous, the reading ringing. This line once written, became the unmatched song of autumn, Du Mu's brisk, sharp, strong style seen here at a stroke.

Study

Word focus

斜 winding/oblique; describes the stone path's slope and rhymes with the other lines. 石径斜之斜字，是首句的诗眼，一字而兼形、声、韵三妙。就形而言，斜状山路之坡势，写出石径蜿蜒而上、随山势倾斜的动态线条，使静态的小路活了起来；就声而言，斜在唐音中读作xiá（古音属麻韵），与家、花同韵相押，首句即入韵，声情悠扬；就韵而言，正因斜读xiá，全诗斜、家、花三字一韵到底，音节回环流转。更进一层，斜字还暗含视觉的倾斜与山行的艰难——路是斜的，山是寒的，正衬出诗人登临之兴与后文停车的从容。此字看似寻常，实经锤炼，历来论者多拈出此字与生、坐、红于并观，谓杜牧炼字精到而不露斧凿痕。

坐 because; indicates the reason for stopping, revealing the poet's fascination. 停车坐爱枫林晚之坐字，训为因为，是理解此句结构的关键，也是全诗炼字最见功力处。此句本可作爱晚停车看枫林之类平铺直叙，杜牧却将原因与结果倒装，先写停车之果，再用坐字补出爱枫林晚之因，使句子形成因果倒置的倒装结构，读来跌宕有致。更重要的是，坐字以虚词入句，却承担了全句的枢纽功能——它把停车的动作与爱景的情感焊接在一起，既写出行者被美景深深吸引、不由自主驻马的痴态，又省去许多交代，笔法极为经济。古人诗中坐训因者常见，如孟浩然坐观垂钓者，徒有羡鱼情，然如杜牧此句之自然浑成、情态毕现者不多。一字之炼，而诗人赏秋之痴、山行之乐尽在其中。

红于 redder than; a comparative that contrasts autumn leaves with spring blossoms, creating a striking image. 霜叶红于二月花之红于，是全句比较结构的核心，也是立意翻新的支点。红是形容词用作谓语，写霜叶的颜色；于是介词，引出比较的对象二月花。以于字构成的比较句在古诗中并不少见，然多用以写程度之同或相似，杜牧却以红于写程度之胜——霜叶之红，胜过春花之红，出语奇警。这一比较的妙处在于：春花是唐人写春色极盛的惯用意象，人人以为红艳之最，诗人偏偏说秋叶更红，既出人意表，又合于秋深霜重时枫叶如火的事实，奇而能真。由红于二字，可见杜牧翻新立意、以常语造奇句的功夫，也奠定了此诗赞秋而不悲秋的情感基调。

山行