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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

送陈章甫

Seeing Off Chen Zhangfu

李颀

Li Qi

四月南风大麦黄，枣花未落桐阴长。
青山朝别暮还见，嘶马出门思旧乡。
陈侯立身何坦荡，虬须虎眉仍大颡。
腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽。
东门酤酒饮我曹，心轻万事如鸿毛。
醉卧不知白日暮，有时空望孤云高。
长河浪头连天黑，津吏停舟渡不得。
郑国游人未及家，洛阳行子空叹息。
闻道故林相识多，罢官昨日今如何。

In April the south wind blows and the barley turns yellow;
the jujube flowers have not fallen, and the paulownia shade grows long.
The green hills I saw at dawn farewell, at dusk I see them again;
the neighing horse goes out the gate, longing for its old home.
How open and upright stands Lord Chen —
curling beard, tiger brows, and still a broad forehead.
Ten thousand volumes stored in his belly,
yet he would not bow his head among the weeds.
At the east gate he buys wine to drink with us,
his heart holding all affairs lighter than a wild goose feather.
Drunk, he lies down, never knowing the white day is done;
at times he gazes in vain at a lone cloud soaring high.
On the long river the waves touch the sky with blackness;
the ferry officer moors his boat — we cannot cross.
The wanderer of Zheng has not yet reached home;
the traveler of Luoyang sighs to no purpose.
I hear that in your old woods many friends remain —
dismissed from office yesterday, how do you fare today?

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Meaning

This is a farewell poem Li Qi wrote for his friend Chen Zhangfu as Chen left office and returned home. Rather than dwelling on the sorrow of parting, Li Qi paints a vivid portrait of the departing man: upright and open in conduct, learned enough to hold ten thousand volumes in his breast, too proud to bow his head among the weeds, and so broad of heart that he weighs all worldly affairs lighter than a goose feather. Beneath the bold, generous tone lies deep friendship and quiet sympathy for a talented man out of office.

四月南风，大麦已黄；枣花未落，桐阴正长。青山朝别暮还见，嘶马出门，思念旧乡。陈侯立身何等坦荡，虬须虎眉，额头宽大。腹中藏书一万卷，不肯低头屈居于草莽。东门买酒饮我辈，心轻万事如鸿毛。醉卧不知白日将暮，有时空望孤云高。长河浪头连天黑，津吏停舟，渡不得。郑国游人未及到家，洛阳行子空自叹息。听说故林相识颇多，罢官之后，如今又如何呢？

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] In April the south wind ripens the barley; jujube blossoms still hang and the paulownia shade grows long. Against this early-summer scene the poet sees off Chen Zhangfu: the green hills are seen at dawn and again at dusk, while the neighing horse at the gate seems to long for its old home. The heart of the poem is the portrait of Chen — curling beard and tiger-like brows above a broad forehead, ten thousand volumes stored in his breast, and a will that refuses to bow among the weeds. Buying wine at the east gate, he drinks with the poet, holding all affairs light as goose down; drunk he forgets the dying day, or gazes up at a lone cloud. At the end, black waves bar the ferry: the friend of Zheng has not reached home and the poet of Luoyang sighs in vain, closing with a warm question about how he fares among his old friends at home. [Structure] The sixteen lines fall into three movements: the first four set the season and the mood of parting; the middle eight, the poem's core, portray the man in three layers — appearance, learning, and untrammeled spirit; the last four return to the river crossing and the fact of dismissal. Portraiture and parting are fused, so the friend is seen through the occasion. [Imagery] April wind, yellow barley, jujube flowers, paulownia shade, neighing horse, lone cloud, black waves, moored boat — the season's abundance and the blocked ferry frame a man at once grand and stranded, giving the poem its bold yet tender coloring.

【白话串讲】李颀写《送陈章甫》：“四月南风大麦黄，枣花未落桐阴长”——“青山朝别暮还见，嘶马出门思旧乡”——“陈侯立身何坦荡，虬须虎眉仍大颡”——“腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽”——“东门酤酒饮我曹，心轻万事如鸿毛”——他送陈章甫——腹中贮书一万卷。【意象与手法】四月南风大麦黄、青山朝别暮还见，写送别时令与景；陈侯立身何坦荡、腹中贮书一万卷，写其为人与才学；东门酤酒饮我曹、心轻万事如鸿毛，写其豪迈；结以“闻道故林相识多，罢官昨日今如何”以问句写其罢官后之况。于送别中见豪迈。【情感与主旨】李颀送别友人陈章甫之作，写其磊落坦荡之为人与罢官还乡之况，以“腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽”写其才学气节，是唐人送别诗中的名篇。【名句点睛】常考“陈侯立身何坦荡，虬须虎眉仍大颡”写其为人；“腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽”写其才学气节。

Background

Li Qi (c. 690–c. 751), a native of Yingyang in Henan, was a High Tang poet who passed the jinshi examination in the Kaiyuan era and served as a county defender. His verse is bold and flowing, and he was especially admired for his frontier and music themes. Chen Zhangfu, a man of Zheng (the old land of modern Henan), was a learned friend whose official career met with disappointment; this poem was written to see him off as he returned home after dismissal. Farewell poems had long been a staple of Tang verse, but Li Qi's stands out for the sheer vividness of its portrait of the departing friend. Widely anthologized through the centuries, it is a classic example of the generous, high-spirited farewell style of the High Tang.

《送陈章甫》为盛唐诗人李颀所作歌行体长诗。李颀（约690—约751），盛唐诗人，河南颍阳人，开元年间进士，曾任新乡县尉，诗风豪放，尤善写边塞与音乐题材。陈章甫为李颀之友，河南（郑国故地）人，有才学而仕途不遇，此诗为其罢官还乡时李颀送别之作。诗中「四月南风大麦黄，枣花未落桐阴长」写送别时令；「陈侯立身何坦荡，虬须虎眉仍大颡」写其为人；「腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽」写其才学与志节；「东门酤酒饮我曹，心轻万事如鸿毛」写其豪迈；「长河浪头连天黑，津吏停舟渡不得」写送别之景；「郑国游人未及家，洛阳行子空叹息」写其还乡之况；「闻道故林相识多，罢官昨日今如何」写其罢官后之况。李颀与陈章甫为友，深知其为人，此诗以送别写其磊落坦荡之为人与罢官还乡之况，豪迈中见深情，是唐人送别诗中的名篇，也是李颀「豪放酣畅」诗风的典型体现。此篇《送陈章甫》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。

Art

The poem's craft lies in fusing portraiture with parting, boldness with depth of feeling. Structurally it moves in three waves: four lines of seasonal scene, eight lines characterizing the friend, and four lines returning to the crossing and his dismissal. The characterization is layered — 'curling beard, tiger brows, and a broad forehead' gives him the look of a hero; 'ten thousand volumes stored in his breast, yet he would not bow his head among the weeds' gives him learning and pride; 'his heart holds all affairs lighter than a goose feather' and 'drunk, he lies down, never knowing the white day is done' give him untrammeled spirit. Contrast does much of the work: the ripe, breezy April scene against the blocked ferry; the man of wide horizons now moored with nowhere to cross; the bold surface against the quiet sympathy beneath. The closing question — 'dismissed from office yesterday, how do you fare today?' — turns fact into feeling, so the poem ends in warmth rather than gloom.

此诗艺术上以「写人送别相融、豪迈深情」见长。全诗十六句，前四句写送别时令与景，中八句写陈章甫之为人，后四句写送别之景与罢官之况。首四句「四月南风大麦黄，枣花未落桐阴长。青山朝别暮还见，嘶马出门思旧乡」写送别时令与景：四月南风、大麦已黄，枣花未落、桐阴正长；青山朝别暮还见，嘶马出门思旧乡。中八句「陈侯立身何坦荡，虬须虎眉仍大颡。腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽。东门酤酒饮我曹，心轻万事如鸿毛。醉卧不知白日暮，有时空望孤云高」写陈章甫之为人：立身坦荡，虬须虎眉；腹中贮书万卷，不肯低头草莽；东门酤酒饮我曹，心轻万事如鸿毛；醉卧不知白日暮，有时空望孤云高。后四句「长河浪头连天黑，津吏停舟渡不得。郑国游人未及家，洛阳行子空叹息。闻道故林相识多，罢官昨日今如何」写送别之景与罢官之况：长河浪头连天黑，津吏停舟渡不得；郑国游人未及家，洛阳行子空叹息；闻道故林相识多，罢官昨日今如何。全诗写人送别相融，豪迈中见深情，是唐人送别诗中的名篇。

Allusions

Several phrases carry classical weight. The 'wanderer of Zheng' is Chen Zhangfu himself, Zheng being the old name of his native region (modern Henan); the 'traveler of Luoyang' is the poet, whose home was in Luoyang — one heads east to Zheng, the other stays in Luoyang, each on his separate road. 'Old woods' echoes Tao Yuanming's image of the caged bird longing for its old woods and the tired bird knowing to return, a standard phrase for one's homeland, so the news that many old friends remain there is a genuine comfort. 'Lighter than a goose feather' draws on the Mencius, where Shun is said to have cast the empire away as lightly as a worn-out sandal; Li Qi applies the lightness to worldly affairs as a whole, a mark of his friend's disdain for gain and loss. These allusions are melted seamlessly into the poem, never displayed for their own sake.

诗中「郑国游人」「洛阳行子」「故林」等语，皆含典故故实。「郑国游人」指陈章甫，陈为郑国故地（河南）人，故称郑国游人；「洛阳行子」指李颀自己，李颀家在洛阳，故称洛阳行子，两句写二人一归郑国、一居洛阳，各奔前程；「故林」指故乡旧林，陶渊明《归去来兮辞》「鸟倦飞而知还」、《归园田居》「羁鸟恋旧林」，后世以故林写故乡，「闻道故林相识多」写陈章甫故乡相识颇多。「心轻万事如鸿毛」以鸿毛写万事之轻，语出《孟子》「舜视弃天下犹弃敝蹝也」之轻天下，亦含以名利为轻之意。诗人以郑国游人、洛阳行子、故林等典入诗，不着痕迹，而把送别之况与友人罢官还乡之况写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。

Commentary

This poem, 'Seeing Off Chen Zhangfu,' is Li Qi's farewell to his friend Chen Zhangfu, written as Chen left office and returned home; it portrays his open, upright character and his dismissal with bold generosity covering deep feeling. The opening sets the season: 'In April the south wind blows and the barley turns yellow; the jujube flowers have not fallen, and the paulownia shade grows long' — early summer, full of life; 'the green hills I saw at dawn farewell, at dusk I see them again; the neighing horse goes out the gate, longing for its old home' — the horse itself seems to miss home as its master departs. The middle section, the poem's main body, portrays Chen: 'How open and upright stands Lord Chen — curling beard, tiger brows, and still a broad forehead' paints his appearance and character; 'ten thousand volumes stored in his belly, yet he would not bow his head among the weeds' gives his learning and integrity; 'at the east gate he buys wine to drink with us, his heart holding all affairs lighter than a wild goose feather' gives his generosity; 'drunk, he lies down, never knowing the white day is done; at times he gazes in vain at a lone cloud soaring high' gives his drunken, lofty ease. In eight lines a bold, learned, unfulfilled friend stands before us. The closing section returns to the crossing and the dismissal: 'on the long river the waves touch the sky with blackness; the ferry officer moors his boat — we cannot cross'; 'the wanderer of Zheng has not yet reached home; the traveler of Luoyang sighs to no purpose'; 'I hear that in your old woods many friends remain — dismissed from office yesterday, how do you fare today?' ends on a question, caring for the friend's future and sighing over his thwarted career at once. Fusing portraiture with parting, the poem is a model of Li Qi's bold, flowing style and a celebrated Tang farewell.

这首《送陈章甫》，是李颀送别友人陈章甫之作，写其磊落坦荡之为人与罢官还乡之况，豪迈中见深情。开篇写送别时令与景：「四月南风大麦黄，枣花未落桐阴长」——四月南风吹拂，大麦已黄；枣花未落，桐阴正长，写初夏送别之时令，一片生机；「青山朝别暮还见，嘶马出门思旧乡」——青山朝别暮还见，嘶马出门思念旧乡，写陈章甫将离，马嘶思乡。中段写陈章甫之为人，是全诗的主体：「陈侯立身何坦荡，虬须虎眉仍大颡」——陈侯立身何等坦荡，虬须虎眉、额头宽大，写其形貌与为人，坦荡磊落；「腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽」——腹中藏书万卷，不肯低头屈居于草莽，写其才学与志节，有才而不甘屈居下位；「东门酤酒饮我曹，心轻万事如鸿毛」——东门买酒饮我辈，心轻万事如鸿毛，写其豪迈，轻万事如鸿毛；「醉卧不知白日暮，有时空望孤云高」——醉卧不知白日将暮，有时空望孤云高，写其醉卧高望之态，豪放中有其孤高。这八句，把一个坦荡豪迈、有才而不得志的友人形象写得栩栩如生。后段写送别之景与罢官之况：「长河浪头连天黑，津吏停舟渡不得」——长河浪头连天黑，津吏停舟，渡不得，写送别时河浪阻渡之景；「郑国游人未及家，洛阳行子空叹息」——郑国游人（陈章甫）未及到家，洛阳行子（李颀）空自叹息，写二人一别一叹；「闻道故林相识多，罢官昨日今如何」——听说故乡相识颇多，罢官之后，如今又如何呢？以问句写其罢官后之况，既关心其归乡后的境遇，也暗含对友人仕途不遇的感慨。全诗写人送别相融，豪迈中见深情，正是李颀「豪放酣畅」诗风的体现，也是唐人送别诗中的名篇。

Prosody

Form Ge-xing (song-style) verse in seven-syllable lines — ancient-style verse, not regulated verse歌行体（七言古诗，非近体律诗）

Rhyme A seven-syllable ge-xing with free, shifting rhymes: the opening section rhymes on 'huang', 'chang' and 'xiang' (all in the yang rhyme group); the middle section rhymes on 'dang', 'sang' and 'mang', then on 'mao' and 'gao'; the close shifts again to 'hei', 'de', 'xi' and 'he'. The rhymes turn as the feeling turns — seasonal freshness, heroic pride, then blocked melancholy — the freedom of the ge-xing form matched to the poem's swings of mood.全诗为七言歌行，句式以七言为主，押韵自由转韵：前段「黄」「长」「乡」押阳部；中段「荡」「颡」「莽」押养部，「毛」「高」韵；后段「黑」「得」押职部，「息」「何」转韵。歌行体不拘平仄对仗，而以意运笔、转韵自由，此诗随写人送别之情的起落而转韵，音节长短相间、随情起伏，正与写友人豪迈与别情之酣畅相称，也见其作歌行以写送别的匠心。

Tone pattern The lines move with the emotion: the opening couplets are bright and quick in cadence; the portrait lines ('How open and upright stands Lord Chen') are high and ringing; the learning couplet is taut and forceful; the wine couplet is expansive; the drunk-and-cloud couplet is remote and lingering; the black-wave couplet sinks low; the sighing couplet is wistful; and the final question trails off in deliberation. Ancient-style verse is not bound by tonal patterns, but here the cadence rises and falls with the subject, from brightness through pride to wistfulness.句式上，首段「四月南风大麦黄，枣花未落桐阴长」写时令之景，音节明快；「青山朝别暮还见，嘶马出门思旧乡」写送别，音节舒缓；中段「陈侯立身何坦荡，虬须虎眉仍大颡」写其为人，音节轩昂；「腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽」写其才志，音节劲健；「东门酤酒饮我曹，心轻万事如鸿毛」写其豪迈，音节豪放；「醉卧不知白日暮，有时空望孤云高」写其醉态，音节悠远；后段「长河浪头连天黑，津吏停舟渡不得」写河浪阻渡，音节低沉；「郑国游人未及家，洛阳行子空叹息」写别情，音节怅惘；「闻道故林相识多，罢官昨日今如何」以问作结，音节沉吟。全诗音节随情起伏，由明快而轩昂、由豪放而怅惘、由怅惘而沉吟，正合歌行「以意运笔」之体，读来如送友人还乡、豪语依依之音，酣畅而动人。

Reading note This seven-syllable ge-xing is a celebrated Tang farewell poem and a prime example of Li Qi's bold, flowing style. Its art lies in fusing portraiture with parting, boldness with feeling: the opening quatrain sets the season; the middle eight lines portray Chen Zhangfu in three layers — appearance, learning, and untrammeled spirit; the closing quatrain returns to the crossing and the dismissal. Most admirable are 'ten thousand volumes stored in his belly, yet he would not bow his head among the weeds,' which fixes the friend's talent and backbone, and 'his heart holds all affairs lighter than a goose feather,' which captures his freedom from care — together a model of Li Qi's art of writing the man within the farewell.此诗为七言歌行，是唐人送别诗中的名篇，也是李颀「豪放酣畅」诗风的典型体现。全诗的艺术特色在于「写人送别相融、豪迈深情」：首段「四月南风大麦黄，枣花未落桐阴长」写送别时令之景；中段「陈侯立身何坦荡，虬须虎眉仍大颡」「腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽」「心轻万事如鸿毛，醉卧不知白日暮」以形貌、才学、豪迈三层写陈章甫之为人，是全诗主体；后段「长河浪头连天黑，津吏停舟渡不得」写送别之景，「郑国游人未及家，洛阳行子空叹息」写二人各奔前程之况，「闻道故林相识多，罢官昨日今如何」以问句写其罢官后之况。全诗写人送别相融，豪迈中见深情。尤为精妙者，是「腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽」写尽友人的才学与风骨，「心轻万事如鸿毛，醉卧不知白日暮」写尽友人的旷达与放达，把陈章甫的形象写得栩栩如生，正是李颀「以诗写人」的典范，为历代选本所常收。

Line by line

陈侯立身何坦荡，虬须虎眉仍大颡。

How open and upright stands Lord Chen — curling beard, tiger brows, and still a broad forehead.

陈侯立身何等坦荡，虬须虎眉，额头宽大。

How open and upright is Master Chen's bearing; the curling beard, the tiger brows, the broad forehead.

此二句写陈章甫之形貌与为人，是全诗写人的总起。「陈侯立身何坦荡」写陈侯立身何等坦荡，「陈侯」称陈章甫，以其封侯相称，含敬重之意，「立身坦荡」写其为人磊落光明，胸襟坦荡；「虬须虎眉仍大颡」写其虬须虎眉、额头宽大，「虬须虎眉」写其形貌之雄奇，「大颡」写其额头宽大，一副豪杰之相。两句一写其立身之坦荡、一写其形貌之雄奇，由内而外，把陈章甫磊落坦荡、雄奇豪迈的形象写得如在目前，为后文写其才学与豪迈作了铺垫，是写人点睛之笔。

These two lines write Chen Zhangfu's appearance and his nature, the opening of the poem's portrait. 'How open and upright is Master Chen's bearing' — 'Master Chen' addresses Chen Zhangfu, with the honor of his enfeoffment, holding respect; 'open and upright' his open, luminous nature, his broad breast; 'the curling beard, the tiger brows, the broad forehead' — 'curling beard, tiger brows' the strange, heroic features, 'broad forehead' the wide brow, the look of a hero. Two lines, one his upright bearing, one his strange features, within and without, writing to the full the open, upright, strange, heroic image of Chen Zhangfu as before the eyes, the groundwork for the later writing of his learning and his boldness, the eye-stroke of the portrait.

腹中贮书一万卷，不肯低头在草莽。

Ten thousand volumes stored in his belly, yet he would not bow his head among the weeds.

腹中藏书一万卷，不肯低头屈居于草莽。

In his belly, ten thousand volumes stored; refusing to bow his head in the grassy wilds.

此二句写陈章甫之才学与志节，是全诗写其人的关键。「腹中贮书一万卷」写腹中藏书一万卷，「贮书万卷」写其才学之富，学富五车；「不肯低头在草莽」写不肯低头屈居于草莽，「不肯低头」写其志节之傲然，「在草莽」写其居于民间、不得其位。两句一写其才学之富、一写其志节之高，有才而不甘屈居下位，正是陈章甫仕途不遇而志节不改的写照——腹中万卷，不肯低头，其才与志皆可敬。以「万卷」写才、以「不肯低头」写志，写尽友人的才学与风骨，是写人的点睛之笔。

These two lines write Chen Zhangfu's learning and his integrity, the key of the poem's portrait. 'In his belly, ten thousand volumes stored' — 'ten thousand volumes' the wealth of his learning, learning filling five carts; 'refusing to bow his head in the grassy wilds' — 'refusing to bow' the pride of his integrity, 'in the grassy wilds' his dwelling among the people, no place of his own. Two lines, one the wealth of learning, one the height of integrity, talent yet not willing to bow to the low place, precisely the portrait of Chen Zhangfu's thwarted official road and unaltered integrity — ten thousand volumes in the belly, refusing to bow the head, his talent and his integrity both admirable. Writing talent through 'ten thousand volumes', writing integrity through 'refusing to bow his head', to the full the friend's learning and his backbone, the eye-stroke of the portrait.

心轻万事如鸿毛。

His heart holds all affairs lighter than a wild goose feather.

心中把万事看得轻如鸿毛。

He holds all things light as a goose feather in his heart.

此二句写陈章甫之豪迈，是全诗写其人的传神处。「心轻万事如鸿毛」写心中把万事看得轻如鸿毛，「心轻万事」写其视万事为轻，「如鸿毛」以鸿毛写其轻，见其胸襟之旷达、不以得失为意；「醉卧不知白日暮」写醉卧不知白日将暮，「醉卧」写其醉饮高卧之态，「不知白日暮」写其沉醉忘时、浑然忘我。两句一写其心之旷达、一写其醉之放达，心轻万事、醉卧忘时，把陈章甫豪迈旷达、放浪不羁的形象写得传神，正见其虽不遇而自得其乐之态，是写人的妙笔。

This line writes Chen Zhangfu's boldness, the vivid stroke of the poem's portrait. 'He holds all things light as a goose feather in his heart' — 'holds all things light' his taking all things lightly, 'like a goose feather' the lightness, showing the breadth of his breast, his care nothing for gain or loss. 'He lies drunk and knows not the daylight's fall' — 'lies drunk' his drunken lying at ease, 'knows not the daylight's fall' his drunken forgetting of time, his whole self lost. Two lines, one the heart's breadth, one the drunken freedom, holding all things light, lying drunk and forgetting the hour, writing vividly the image of Chen Zhangfu's bold, open, free, untrammeled nature, precisely showing his ease and delight though thwarted, the fine stroke of the portrait.

郑国游人未及家，洛阳行子空叹息。

The wanderer of Zheng has not yet reached home; the traveler of Luoyang sighs to no purpose.

郑国游人未及到家，洛阳行子空自叹息。

The traveler of Zheng has not reached home; the wayfarer of Lu, in vain, sighs.

此二句写送别后二人各奔前程之况，是全诗写送别之情的关目。「郑国游人未及家」写郑国游人（陈章甫）未及到家，「郑国游人」指陈章甫，其为郑国故地之人，罢官还乡，尚未到家；「洛阳行子空叹息」写洛阳行子（李颀）空自叹息，「洛阳行子」指诗人自己，家在洛阳，「空叹息」写其送别后叹息。两句一写友人归途未到家、一写自己送别空叹，以「郑国游人」与「洛阳行子」对举，一归一叹，写尽送别后二人各奔前程、依依不舍之情，含蓄而深挚，是「以对仗写别情」的妙笔。

These two lines write the two men's going their own ways after the parting, the pivot of the poem's farewell feeling. 'The traveler of Zheng has not reached home' — 'the traveler of Zheng' means Chen Zhangfu, a man of the old Zheng region, retired from office and returning home, not yet arrived; 'the wayfarer of Lu, in vain, sighs' — 'the wayfarer of Lu' means the poet himself, his home in Luoyang, 'in vain, sighs' his sighing after the parting. Two lines, one the friend's road not yet home, one the self's parting sigh in vain, pairing 'the traveler of Zheng' and 'the wayfarer of Lu', one return one sigh, writing to the full the two men's going their own ways after the parting, their reluctant care, restrained and deep, the 'writing the parting through the couplet' stroke.

Study

Word focus

坦荡 'Tan dang' — open and aboveboard — describes the moral grandeur of Chen Zhangfu's conduct: a heart that is broad, bright, and without concealment. The word sets the standard by which the whole portrait of the man is judged. 「坦荡」写陈章甫立身之磊落光明，是写其为人的关键。「陈侯立身何坦荡」着一「坦荡」，写其立身坦荡、胸襟开阔光明——着一「坦荡」，见其为人之磊落无私、光明磊落，正是豪杰之相。两字写尽友人为人之本，为后文写其才学、豪迈作了铺垫，是写人的纲领词。「坦荡」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

贮 'Zhu', to store up, implies a granary or treasury: Chen's belly is a storehouse holding ten thousand volumes. The verb turns learning into abundance and weight, making his erudition something physical and vast. 「贮」字写腹中藏书之富，是写其才学的关键。「腹中贮书一万卷」着一「贮」，写腹中贮藏着万卷书——着一「贮」字，以「贮」写藏书，见其胸中才学之富、如仓廪之贮，学问之厚积。一字写尽友人才学之富，是「以一字写才」的妙笔。「贮」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

轻 'Qing', light — here used as a verb, 'to count as light.' In 'his heart holds all affairs lighter than a goose feather,' it shows a spirit that weighs success, fame, and loss as almost nothing: the essence of his untroubled breadth. 「轻」字写心轻万事，是写其豪迈旷达的关键。「心轻万事如鸿毛」着一「轻」，写心中把万事看得轻如鸿毛——着一「轻」字，见其视万事为轻、不以得失名利为意，正是旷达豪迈之怀。一字写尽友人胸襟之旷达，与「醉卧不知白日暮」之放达相映，是写其人的点睛之词。「轻」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

空 'Kong', in vain — 'the traveler of Luoyang sighs in vain.' Once the friend has gone, sighing cannot bring him back; the adverb admits helplessness and makes the farewell's attachment felt through futility. 「空」字写送别后空自叹息，是写别情的关键。「洛阳行子空叹息」着一「空」，写洛阳行子空自叹息——着一「空」字，见其叹息之无益、之别情之无奈，友人已去，唯余空叹。一字写尽送别后依依不舍而又无可奈何之情，含蓄深挚，是写别情的点睛之词。「空」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。