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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

竹里馆

The Bamboo Hut

王维

Wang Wei

隐居reclusion 禅意Zen spirit 写景scenery depiction

独坐幽篁里，弹琴复长啸。
深林人不知，明月来相照。

Alone I sit in the dark bamboo grove,
Playing the lute and whistling long.
In the deep forest no one knows me,
The bright moon comes to shine on me.

Listen

Meaning

The poet sits alone in a secluded bamboo grove, playing the lute and whistling freely. Though hidden in the deep forest, the bright moon visits him like a friend, turning solitude into serene companionship.

独自端坐在幽深的竹林里，时而弹琴，时而撮口放声长啸。深林之中无人知晓我的踪迹，唯有那一轮明月遥遥飞来，与我清辉相照。

Appreciation

This poem captures the joy of reclusion with dynamic stillness. The actions of sitting, playing, and whistling enliven the quiet scene, while the moon's personification as a visitor transforms loneliness into intimate communion with nature, embodying Wang Wei's Zen-like clarity.

【白话串讲】一个人坐在竹林里弹琴，没人听，那就弹给月亮听。王维这首小诗只有二十个字，却把“独处”写成了最高级的享受。【意象与手法】全诗以动写静、以有写无。前两句「独坐」「弹琴」「长啸」三个动作，于幽静中见出声息，反衬竹林之静；后两句「人不知」与「月来照」对照，以明月之「有」破孤独之「无」，语言极省而意境极丰，二十字如一幅水墨小品。【情感与主旨】王维晚年半官半隐，居于终南山辋川别业，与友人裴迪优游唱和，合撰《辋川集》二十首，此即其中之一。诗中「幽篁」「深林」正是辋川实景，记录了他弹琴啸歌、与自然相得的闲适生活剪影，亦是其禅心渐熟、渐归恬淡时期的作品。【名句点睛】常考以动（弹琴、长啸）衬静的手法，以及「明月来相照」所体现的物我两忘、澄明禅意，与《鹿柴》《山居秋暝》并读可见王维辋川诗写静写月的三种笔法。

Background

Wang Wei spent his later years in semi-reclusion at his Wangchuan estate in the Zhongnan Mountains, where he composed a series of twenty poems with his friend Pei Di. 'The Bamboo Hut' is one of these, recording his leisurely life of playing music and whistling amidst bamboo, reflecting his growing Zen tranquility.

王维（701—761），字摩诘，号摩诘居士，盛唐山水田园诗派代表，苏轼评其「诗中有画，画中有诗」。此诗作于其晚年，约在开元末至天宝年间：王维半官半隐，先于蓝田辋川购得宋之问别业，与道友裴迪浮舟往来、弹琴赋诗，合编《辋川集》二十首，《竹里馆》即其一。彼时王维笃信佛教（名号「摩诘」即取自《维摩诘经》），历经张九龄罢相、李林甫专权等朝局动荡后，渐生归隐之心，晚年更「晚年惟好静，万事不关心」。诗中「幽篁」「深林」「明月」正是辋川实景，记录了他弹琴啸歌、与自然相得的闲适生活剪影，亦是其禅心渐熟、渐归恬淡时期的作品。此诗以二十字写尽隐者幽独清旷之趣，是研究王维晚年心态与禅宗思想的重要文本，亦其「诗中有画」主张在绝句中的极致体现。王维以诗、书、画、乐兼善闻名，此诗琴、啸、月三者并举，正见其通音律、善丹青的文人底色；诗中无一处写色彩而画面自足，恰是其以声写静、以光写空艺术理念的缩影，二十字内自有一片澄明天地。

Art

The poem uses action to contrast silence: 'sitting alone,' 'playing the lute,' 'whistling' bring sound to the quiet bamboo grove, amplifying its stillness. The final couplet pairs 'no one knows me' with 'the bright moon comes to shine,' using the moon as a living companion to dissolve solitude into luminous peace. The language is minimal yet rich in imagery, like an ink painting.

全诗以动写静、以有写无，二十字如一幅水墨小品。前两句「独坐幽篁里，弹琴复长啸」连用「独坐」「弹琴」「长啸」三个动作，于幽静中见出声息，反衬竹林之静——以声写静，声愈显而静愈深，此即「鸟鸣山更幽」的以动衬静法；后两句「深林人不知，明月来相照」以「人不知」与「月来照」对照，以明月之「有」破孤独之「无」，人不知而月知之，孤寂之境顿成活境。结构上四句两联：首联写人事（我独坐、我弹琴、我长啸），尾联写物境（林深、人不知、月来照），由我及物、由动入静，最后以月照收束，形成「人—琴—林—月」的意境链条。语言极省而意境极丰，「独」「深」「明」「相照」诸字皆着意锤炼又不见斧凿之痕，如天籁自鸣。尤其是「明月来相照」一句，将孤寂化为清辉中的相守，物我两忘、禅意澄明，二十字中见大千世界，是盛唐绝句以少总多的典范，历来被视为王维辋川诗中最具禅趣的一首。此种以简驭繁、以静写空的笔法，与《终南别业》「行到水穷处，坐看云起时」的从容一脉相承，皆是摩诘晚年心境的自然流露。

Allusions

'Dark bamboo grove' (幽篁) echoes the 'Nine Songs' of Chu, evoking a secluded, otherworldly setting. 'Whistling' (啸) recalls the unconstrained demeanor of Wei-Jin scholars like Ruan Ji, a gesture of free spirit. The moon as a confidant continues a tradition of pastoral solitude from Tao Yuanming.

「幽篁」出自《楚辞·九歌·山鬼》「余处幽篁兮终不见天」，指幽深竹林，王维以之点出居处之清幽，暗含隐逸之趣。「啸」为撮口发出长音，是魏晋名士抒怀的风度——阮籍善啸（《世说新语》载其「啸闻数百步」），嵇康、孙登亦以啸名世，王维借以写隐者洒脱不羁的性情，可见其骨子里的放达一面。诗中「深林人不知，明月来相照」则承陶渊明式的田园孤高：陶诗「结庐在人境，而无车马喧」写人境两忘，王维「人不知」更进一步，连人境亦不需，唯与明月相对——这种与自然独处、两相默契的隐逸情怀，源自庄子「独与天地精神往来」的境界。值得注意的是，「明月」意象在王维诗中屡见（「明月松间照」「明月来相照」），皆作知己与伴侣，正合禅宗「触目菩提」的观照方式：月在即是佛性在，明月来相照即是自性澄明之写照。全诗无一处用典之迹而处处有典之魂，融楚辞、魏晋风度、陶诗禅意于一炉，浑然天成。

Commentary

Su Shi praised Wang Wei for having 'painting in poetry and poetry in painting,' and these twenty words indeed form a moonlit bamboo grove scene. Qing critic Shen Deqian lauded its 'pure and otherworldly' quality, celebrating its serene, unsentimental solitude as a masterpiece of the recluse tradition.

苏轼评王维「味摩诘之诗，诗中有画；观摩诘之画，画中有诗」，此二十字正是一幅月下幽篁独坐图：幽篁、深林为背景，独坐弹啸的人为点景，明月为光源，清冷空明，可入画境。清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》赞其「清幽绝俗」，黄叔灿《唐诗笺注》谓其「淡而有味，妙在不着一字，尽得风流」。从文学史看，此诗是王维晚年辋川系列中最见禅趣的一首，与《鹿柴》《鸟鸣涧》同写幽静而各臻其妙：《鹿柴》以返景写空山之夕照，《鸟鸣涧》以鸟鸣写春山之静谧，《竹里馆》则以人琴月相得写自我之澄明，孤而不苦、空而不寂，意境空明，是为逸品。论其影响，后世隐逸诗——如柳宗元《江雪》的孤绝、陆游「小楼一夜听春雨」的闲淡——皆有此诗清空一脉的影子。今人读此诗，于快节奏的现代生活中正可借其澄明之境安顿心灵：二十字之所以千年传诵，正在于它以最简的笔墨写尽了人类对安宁与自足的永恒向往。

Prosody

Form Five-character-quatrain (closer to ancient style, with oblique rhyme)五言绝句（五绝，近古绝体，用仄韵）

Rhyme Oblique rhyme (里, 啸, 照; oblique tones, level and departing mixed)押仄韵（里、啸、照，上、去声通押），不取平声韵。

Tone pattern Near ancient-style, not strictly following regulated verse tonal patterns (e.g., '弹琴复长啸' is píng píng zè píng zè)句式近古绝，不依律诗平仄黏对之严（如「弹琴复长啸」平平仄平仄），以仄韵短促之音写幽独清冷之境。

Reading note Ends with 'bright moon comes to shine,' turning solitude into intimate companionship; twenty characters perfectly express the recluse's pure joy.此诗为五言四句二十字的绝句体，属近古绝：近体律绝要求平仄黏对、以平声韵为主，此诗却以仄声韵（里、啸、照）通押，句式亦不避「平平仄平仄」之类的拗调（如「弹琴复长啸」为平平仄平仄，「明月来相照」为平仄平平仄），故不视为严格合律的律绝，而是承六朝古绝血脉的近古绝。这种破律为体的选择并非疏漏，而是有意为之：仄韵短促收敛，正宜写幽独清冷之境；句式参差流转，免却律句的工整板滞，使二十字如随口吟出、自然天成。音节上，「独坐幽篁里」仄仄平平仄起调沉静，「弹琴复长啸」平平仄平仄声情舒放，前联由静入动；后联「深林人不知」平平仄平仄、「明月来相照」平仄平平仄，由动复静、以照收束，全诗声情与辞情相合，读来有琴声悠悠、啸声袅袅、月光溶溶之感。押仄韵而取「里」「照」等开口音，韵脚清亮，更添空明之致。以此观之，此诗格律上的「不守」，恰是其艺术上的「自成」：以最自由的近古绝写最澄明的禅境，是王维绝句「清水出芙蓉」风格的典型样本，亦见盛唐绝句由严守格律到以神驭形的演进趋势。

Line by line

独坐幽篁里，弹琴复长啸。

Sitting alone in the deep bamboo grove, I play the lute and let out long whistles.

独自端坐在幽深的竹林里，时而弹琴，时而撮口放声长啸。

Alone I sit in the dark bamboo grove; I play the lute and whistle long.

「独坐」二字立起隐者之姿，一人一林，万籁俱寂中见从容淡定；「幽篁」点出环境之深幽，暗含《楚辞》山鬼「余处幽篁兮终不见天」的清冷底色。「弹琴复长啸」连用两个动作，一雅一放：弹琴见文士之雅，长啸承魏晋名士阮籍、嵇康之风，写隐者抒怀之放任洒脱。「复」字写两种声音次第而起、绵绵不绝，与竹林之幽静形成以声衬静的对照——有声而愈显其静，动中愈见其定。值得注意的是，诗人不写幽篁之景而先写幽篁中的人与声，开篇即将「我」置于画面中心，以下种种皆由此生发。此联以动写静、以人写境，二十字起笔便定下全诗清旷疏淡的基调，为后文「人不知而月来照」的物我相得之境预作铺垫。

Alone I sit two characters establish the recluse's posture; one person one grove, in the ten-thousand-quiet showing composure. The dark bamboo grove names the environment's deep seclusion, secretly holding the Songs of Chu's Mountain Spirit's I dwell in the dark bamboo grove yet never see the sky's cold ground. I play the lute and whistle long uses two actions together, one elegant one free: playing the lute shows the literatus's elegance; whistling long carries on the Wei-Jin worthies Ruan Ji and Ji Kang's air, writing the recluse's free self-expression. Again writes the two sounds rising one after another, unceasing; with the bamboo grove's quiet forming the sound-sets-off-stillness contrast - sound all the more showing stillness, motion all the more showing steadiness. It is worth noting that the poet does not write the dark bamboo grove's scenery but first writes the person and sound within it; the opening places the I at the picture's center, all below generated from it. This couplet writes stillness through motion, the realm through the person; twenty characters at the opening set the poem's clear, sparse keynote, preparing the later no one knows me yet the bright moon comes and shines's thing-self-fitting realm.

深林人不知，明月来相照。

In the deep forest no one knows me; only the bright moon comes to shine its light on me.

深林之中无人知晓我的踪迹，唯有那一轮明月遥遥飞来，与我清辉相照。

In the deep wood no one knows me; the bright moon comes and shines on me.

「深林」承「幽篁」再进一层，写竹林之深邃，亦写隐者与世隔绝之深——「人不知」三字点破：无人知晓、无人来访，孤独至此已极。然诗人笔锋一转，「明月来相照」以明月为知己，为孤独之境注入清辉与温情：人不知而月知之，孤而不寂、寂而不苦，正是禅宗「无住生心」的澄明境界。「来」字赋予明月以主动的情意，仿佛月特为此独坐之人而来；「相照」之「相」字将月拟作有情的伴侣，我与月两相辉映、物我两忘。此联以有写无、以实写虚：以明月之「有」破孤独之「无」，以清辉之「明」化幽林之「深」，收束空灵，余味悠长。二十字由独坐而弹啸、由林深而月照，人境渐远而心境渐明，恰是王维晚年「行到水穷处，坐看云起时」般随缘自适的写照。

The deep wood carries on from the dark bamboo grove one level further, writing the bamboo grove's depth, also writing the recluse's depth of seclusion from the world - no one knows me three characters point it out: no one knows, no one visits; loneliness to the extreme. Yet the poet's brush turns abruptly, the bright moon comes and shines on me taking the bright moon as the soulmate, injecting clear light and warmth into the lonely realm: man unknown yet the moon knows; lonely yet not desolate, desolate yet not bitter; precisely Chan's no-abiding, give-birth-to-mind's clear realm. Comes gives the bright moon active feeling, as if the moon comes specially for this alone-sitting person. Shines on me's with-each-other word拟 the moon as a feeling companion; I and the moon shine on each other, thing and self both forgotten. This couplet writes nothing through something, the void through the solid: using the bright moon's something to break loneliness's nothing; using the clear light's brightness to transform the dark wood's depth; closing in ethereal emptiness, aftertaste long. Twenty characters from alone-sitting to playing-and-whistling, from deep wood to moon-shining; the human realm recedes yet the mind's realm clarifies - precisely Wang Wei's late-life walk till the stream runs dry, then sit and watch the clouds rise kind of following-conditions self-at-ease portrait.

Study

Word focus

幽篁 Deep bamboo grove; sets the reclusive, quiet atmosphere. 「幽篁」即幽深的竹林，「幽」字写竹林之深暗静谧，「篁」为竹之雅称，二字合观，一片清冷幽邃之境如在目前。此词出自《楚辞·九歌·山鬼》「余处幽篁兮终不见天」，本写山鬼居处之幽独，王维借以点染自己的居处，既写环境之清寂，亦暗含隐逸之趣。与下文「深林」呼应，「幽」写竹林之暗、「深」写竹林之邃，二字已将全诗的淡泊基调立定。妙在「幽」不直言其暗，而令读者自味其清冷之气；「篁」不用俗字「竹」，而取楚辞雅称，音节清越，见诗人取境之雅。二字一立，独坐其间的人便自然带上超然尘外的气质，全诗意境亦随之定调，可见炼字之精不在于奇，而在于准。

独 Alone; here implying self-sufficient solitude, not loneliness; contrasts with the moon's company. 「独坐」之「独」是全诗题眼，写隐者自得的孤，而非寂寞的孤。此「独」有三层意味：一是数量之独，幽篁深林之中唯此一人，万籁之中唯此一身；二是心境之独，不假外求、自足自乐，故能弹琴长啸，怡然自得；三是境界之独，与《庄子》「独与天地精神往来」相通，是禅者独处观照的自在，非世俗所谓孤单可比。与尾句「明月来相照」呼应，此「独」非孤绝之独——月来相伴，人月相得，孤而不寂。若解作寂寞孤单，便失却王维晚年拈花微笑的禅意。「独」字冠于「坐」前，诗人安然独坐的姿态宛然在目，二十字诗眼正在于此，一字之立，全诗的精神境界全出。

长啸 Long whistle; a gesture of free expression associated with Wei-Jin scholars. 「长啸」即撮口发出清越长音，是魏晋名士抒怀的标志性风度。《世说新语》载阮籍善啸、声闻数百步，孙登啸傲苏门山，皆以啸写不羁之性、寄托难言之怀，啸声之中自有一段风流。王维借「长啸」写隐者之放任洒脱，见其骨子里的放达——世人但知王维恬淡，却不知其亦有魏晋风流的一面，此句正可补足王维形象的立体感。「长」字写啸声之悠长不绝，与幽篁深林之空旷相衬，声传幽谷、余音袅袅，亦与「弹琴」的雅正之声形成一雅一放、一柔一刚的对照。琴与啸并起，正是隐者「独乐乐」的生动写照，人境两忘之态呼之欲出，亦为下句「人不知」的独处之境作了声情上的铺垫。

相照 Shines on me; personifies the moon as a companion, turning solitude into intimacy. 「明月来相照」之「相照」，是全诗收束处最见禅意与情味的二字。「相」字将月拟作有知有情的知己——你照我，我亦知月之照，人与月彼此映照、两相默契，物我之间的隔阂全消；「照」字写清辉之洒落，光被深林，独坐之人沐于月华，幽暗之林因之澄明。二字合观，以月之「来」见其有情，以「相照」见其互契，将前两句的孤独之境点化为圆融的自在之境。王国维论「无我之境」谓「以物观物，故不知何者为我，何者为物」，「相照」正是此境——我即月，月即我，主客交融、物我一体，禅意空灵，收束全诗，余韵不绝。二字是全诗最温柔的落点，亦是最深的禅机所在。

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