现代 现代 · 词 Ci lyric
卜算子·咏梅
Ode to the Plum Blossom (to the Tune of Bu Suan Zi)
风雨送春归，飞雪迎春到。
已是悬崖百丈冰，犹有花枝俏。
俏也不争春，只把春来报。
待到山花烂漫时，她在丛中笑。
Flying snow welcomes spring's return.
Already on the cliff a hundred zhang of ice,
Yet there is a flower branch so pretty.
Pretty yet she does not contend for spring,
Only reporting that spring has come.
When the mountain flowers bloom in profusion,
She smiles in their midst.
Meaning
The poem personifies the plum blossom as a resilient revolutionary who endures extreme adversity (symbolized by the icy cliff), does not seek recognition, and ultimately rejoices in the collective triumph of spring. It conveys unwavering faith in the revolution and a selfless, optimistic spirit.
风雨把春天送走，飞雪又把春天迎来。已经是悬崖上结着百丈坚冰，仍然有梅花枝头俏丽地开放。俏丽也不去争抢春光，只把春天到来的消息报告。等到漫山遍野山花灿烂时节，她却在花丛之中微笑。
Appreciation
This ci, written in 1961, is Mao Zedong's masterpiece in response to Lu You's poem on the same theme, but Mao deliberately inverts the original meaning. The upper stanza depicts the plum blossom defiantly blooming amid a hundred zhang of ice, where the extreme cold sets off the vitality of the pretty branch. The lower stanza shifts to the blossom's humility: it does not claim spring for itself but only heralds its arrival, and finally smiles among the profusion of mountain flowers. Through symbol, personification, and contrast, Mao creates a vivid image of a communist warrior who is unyielding in adversity, modest in achievement, and shares joy with the masses. Compared with Lu You's solitary and mournful tones, Mao's poem is vigorous and forward-looking, with plain language yet broad vision, exemplifying classical ci forms expressing modern revolutionary sentiment.
【白话串讲】 “风雨送春归，飞雪迎春到”——毛泽东写咏梅。“已是悬崖百丈冰，犹有花枝俏”——悬崖百丈冰，梅花依然俏。“俏也不争春，只把春来报”——“待到山花烂漫时，她在丛中笑”——他写梅，写的是革命者的品格。 【意象与手法】 上片写梅花傲寒而开，“悬崖百丈冰”的酷烈反衬“花枝俏”的生机；下片写梅花报春而不争春、于山花烂漫时悄然丛笑的谦逊豁达。以梅喻人，融象征、拟人、衬托于一炉，语言浅白而境界宏阔。 【情感与主旨】 读陆游咏梅词后反其意而用之的杰作，塑造了一位虽处逆境而坚贞不屈、功成不居、与群众共欢乐的共产主义战士形象。较之陆游孤芳自赏的哀愁，毛词格调昂扬进取，是古典词形式表现现代革命情怀的典范。 【名句点睛】 常考“已是悬崖百丈冰，犹有花枝俏”以酷烈反衬梅之生机；“待到山花烂漫时，她在丛中笑”以丛笑写功成不居。
Background
Composed in November 1961, this ci was written during a severe period in which China faced economic difficulties, the Sino-Soviet polemics were intense, and the international communist movement was splitting. Mao's preface states that he read Lu You's poem on the plum blossom and 'countered its meaning.' Lu You's original, which depicts a plum blossom at a lonely bridge, bloomless and ignored, expresses solitary nobility, helplessness, and sorrow. Mao transforms this melancholy into heroic vigor, using the plum blossom to represent revolutionary character that fears no oppression, remains optimistic, and claims no merit. Historical records show that earlier drafts used 'a hundred zhang' and 'alone' which were later changed to 'a hundred zhang' and 'still,' reflecting careful word choice. The poem was published in 1963 with a preface explicitly alluding to anti-revisionism. It is both a political lyric at a historical juncture and a creative transformation of the traditional object-chanting ci, embodying encouragement and firm belief. As one of the most widely circulated and influential works in Mao's poetic corpus, it served as a spiritual pillar during the difficult years, and with its classical form carrying modern collective ideals, it remains an important example of the political function of modern poetry.
此词写于一九六一年十一月，时值中国经济困难、中苏论战方殷、国际共产主义运动分裂的严峻年代。毛泽东自序云读陆游咏梅词，反其意而用之。陆游原词驿外断桥边、寂寞开无主，写其孤高落寞、芳洁自守而无力回天的悲抑；毛泽东则反其孤愤为豪迈，借梅写不畏强压、乐观向前、功成不居的革命品格。据文献，词初稿曾作万丈冰、独有，后改为百丈冰、犹有，治学严谨可见。一九六三年公开发表时冠以小序，明确反修之旨。这首词既是特定历史关头的政治抒情，也是传统咏物词在现代的创造性转化，寄托了鼓励同志、坚定信念的深意。其以小小一词，写尽逆境中的坚贞与胜利后的谦逊，是毛泽东诗词中传播最广、影响最巨的作品之一。一九六一年正值三年困难时期，毛泽东以咏梅寄寓不畏艰难、信心不改之意，亦借此与党内同志共勉。词成后广为传抄，成为特殊年代里精神砥柱之一。其以古典小令承载现代集体理想，既延续民族咏物传统，又赋予其前所未有的乐观与群性，是研究现代诗词政治功用的重要标本。此词自发表即广为传诵，甚至被谱入歌曲、收入教材，其以古典形式传达现代集体理想的成功，使它成为二十世纪最具传播力的旧体词之一。
Art
The artistic triumph lies in its inverted conception and personification. The opening couplet describes the transition of seasons with 'send away' and 'welcome,' anthropomorphizing nature and hinting at the alternation of hardship (wind and rain) and hope (flying snow). 'Already on the cliff a hundred zhang of ice, Yet there is a flower branch so pretty' uses extreme contrast: the severity of the ice sets off the vitality of the blossom, with the word 'pretty' giving the plum a lively spirit rather than mere endurance. The lower stanza turns from pride to humility: 'Pretty yet she does not contend for spring, Only reporting that spring has come' transforms self-appreciation into selfless dedication. The concluding lines, 'When the mountain flowers bloom in profusion, She smiles in their midst,' elevate the poem from individual beauty to collective joy. The poem interweaves symbol, personification, and contrast, achieving an epic quality within a short ci. Its structure moves from perilous beauty to unpretentious heralding to a smile amid the crowd, shaping a complete and noble spiritual persona. The word 'pretty' serves as the eye of the poem, connecting form and character. The plain language masks rigorous organization, making it a model of modernizing classical xiaoling.
此词艺术之胜在逆向立意与拟人化塑造。起句风雨送春归，飞雪迎春到，以对偶写节候更替，送与迎二字赋予自然以动作，暗喻困难（风雨）与希望（飞雪迎春）的交替。已是悬崖百丈冰，犹有花枝俏，用极境反衬：百丈冰写环境之酷，犹有表意志之不可夺，俏字鲜活，把梅写得有神采而非仅坚忍。下片俏也不争春，只把春来报，由傲转谦，以不争写其无私；待到山花烂漫时，她在丛中笑，结于众芳共乐的微笑，境界由个体孤美升华为与群众同欢乐的集体情怀。全词以梅为人、以人写梅，象征、拟人、衬托交融，短章而具史诗气度。其谋篇由险境之俏到报春之不争再到丛中之笑，层层递转，写出一个完整而崇高的精神人格，是古典小令现代转化的成功范例。全词语虽浅近而章法森严：上片写境之逆与梅之俏，下片写梅之不争与群之笑，两两对照而归于人。俏字为眼，贯穿首尾，既写形之神采，又写格之谦冲，一身而兼傲骨与虚心，恰是理想人格的凝缩。以二十八字写尽一时代精神肖像，非大手笔不能办。俏字两见，一写形、一写格，首尾呼应；不争春与丛中笑则完成由个体到群体的升华。短章而有起承转合，是毛泽东小令章法严密的范例。
Allusions
Chanting the plum blossom is a long-standing tradition in Chinese poetry, from the Book of Songs to Lin Bu's 'sparse shadows slanting' and Lu You's Busuanzi, where the plum often symbolizes lofty solitude. Mao explicitly counters Lu You's intent: Lu You's poem ends with 'trampled into dust and ground to mud, only the fragrance remains,' embodying self-preserved nobility. Mao, however, writes 'Pretty yet she does not contend for spring' and 'She smiles in their midst,' emphasizing dedication and humility—a fundamental inversion of the image's connotation. The phrase 'a hundred zhang of ice' draws on earlier images of icy cliffs, while 'mountain flowers in profusion' echoes ancient descriptions of spring. 'Smiling amid the cluster' derives from Du Fu's flower-gazing poems but gives it revolutionary overtones of serene victory. The poem's allusions are simple but loaded, redefining the classical plum for the modern era by transforming it from a solitary individual to a communal yet joyful symbol.
咏梅为中国诗歌悠长传统，自《诗经》摽有梅至林逋疏影横斜、陆游卜算子等，梅多为高洁孤介之象。毛泽东此词明言反陆游之意：陆词零落成泥碾作尘，只有香如故，主孤芳自守；毛词则俏也不争春、她在丛中笑，主奉献与谦退，是意象内涵的根本翻转。悬崖百丈冰化用前人冰崖之句，极写险境；山花烂漫用烂漫本义之色彩绚烂，暗承《楚辞》与后世春景书写。丛中笑则脱胎于杜甫《江畔独步寻花》等花丛意象，而赋予革命胜利后的从容。故实虽简，却在反用古典中完成现代意义的重构。从驿外断桥的孤寂到悬崖百丈冰的壮阔，从只有香如故的自守到她在丛中笑的共乐，毛词把一株古典之梅，重新种进了二十世纪的风雪与春天。反陆游是此词公开的宣言，然其更深一层，是把古典梅花从孤芳自赏的个体符号，改造为与群众同乐的集体符号。丛中笑一语，既谢绝了零落成泥的悲剧美学，也拒绝了孤傲离群的旧式名士相，转而在山花烂漫的群体中完成自我实现，是意象内涵的现代性翻转。自陆游的孤芳到毛泽东的群芳，梅花意象完成从士大夫自恋到革命者献身的转捩；这一翻转，使一首小令获得了全新的现代精神内涵。
Commentary
The opening lines, 'Wind and rain send spring away, Flying snow welcomes spring's return,' describe seasonal change with a sense of ongoing alternation, suggesting that difficulties and hope succeed each other. 'Already on the cliff a hundred zhang of ice, Yet there is a flower branch so pretty' creates a startling contrast: amid the desolation of ice, the blossom stands out, and the word 'yet' carries the poem's inner strength, showing that the greater the oppression, the stronger the vitality. The lower stanza, 'Pretty yet she does not contend for spring, Only reporting that spring has come,' turns the pride into a selfless role, while the final lines show the plum smiling amid the full bloom of mountain flowers, indicating that it neither claims credit nor competes for attention, but takes joy in the collective joy. The poem thus depicts a complete spiritual personality—defiant in adversity, unassuming in victory—and encapsulates a generation's ideal image. The structure progresses from peril to beauty, beauty to mission, mission to smile, culminating in a statue of plum blossom spirit that is both proud and humble.
上片风雨送春归，飞雪迎春到，写时序流转：风雨送走残春，飞雪迎来新春，一送一迎暗含困难与希望在交替中前行。已是悬崖百丈冰，犹有花枝俏，陡起奇境：悬崖之上百丈坚冰，万物肃杀，却仍有梅花俏然开放，百丈冰之酷与花枝俏之丽形成强烈反差，犹有二字是全词骨力，写出压迫愈烈、生机愈旺的辩证。下片俏也不争春，只把春来报，承俏字而转：梅花虽俏却不与人争春，只默默报告春讯，把孤芳自赏翻转为无私奉献。待到山花烂漫时，她在丛中笑，收束于远景：当群芳竞放、山河烂漫，梅花已隐于花丛欣然微笑，不居功、不与争，一种功成不居、与民同乐的胸襟跃然纸上。全词由险境之俏，到报春之不争，再到丛中之笑，层层递转，写出一位完整的精神人格，亦写尽一个时代对理想者的想象。细读四句，起二句写节候交替、风雨飞雪相生，暗喻困厄与希望并来；三四句于百丈冰中独见花俏，是逆境见生机的辩证法；下片不争春、报春来，写其无私；末二句丛中之笑，写其功成不居。由险到俏、由俏到报、由报到笑，步步升华，终成一尊既傲且谦、既坚且温的梅花精神雕像。四句写尽一生襟抱：逆境中俏、功成时不争、胜利时笑，既是梅之品，亦是人之品。其所以感人，正在于把宏大的信念化入浅白可诵的二十八字。
Prosody
Line by line
已是悬崖百丈冰，犹有花枝俏。
These two lines are the poem's spiritual core. 'A hundred zhang of ice' on a cliff depicts extreme severity and isolation, symbolizing adversity, blockade, and pressure; 'still there is a flower branch so pretty' flips the despair with a single 'still,' showing the plum not merely surviving but blooming with spirit. The word 'pretty' gives the resistance a lively beauty, countering Lu You's sorrowful solitude. The heavy ice and the delicate branch create a dialectical contrast—the greater the pressure, the prouder the vitality. These lines have become an inspirational aphorism for persevering in difficult times.
Already the cliff hangs with ice a hundred fathoms thick; still there are flower-branches, bright and vivid.
这两句是全词最见风骨的对举。悬崖百丈冰极写环境的酷烈与孤立无援：高崖之上，坚冰百丈，象征逆境、封锁与高压；犹有花枝俏则以一个犹字翻转绝境，写梅花不仅存活，且俏然开放。俏字用得极活，它不写梅的惨淡苦撑，而写其神采飞扬，把抗争写得有美感、有生机，这正是反陆游孤寂哀愁的关键一笔。百丈冰之重与花枝俏之轻相映，愈显压迫愈大、生命力愈傲的辩证。这两句因此成为全词精神支柱，也是后来广为传诵、用以励人于困顿中挺立的警句。
These two lines are the couplet of backbone in the whole ci, set against each other for maximum force. 'A hundred fathoms of ice on the cliff' pushes the environment to its extreme of cold, isolation, and siege; 'still there are flower-branches, bright' overturns the ruin with a single 'still.' The word 'bright' is the life of it—not a flower enduring in misery, but blooming with verve and grace, turning resistance into beauty. The weight of the ice against the lightness of the blossom sets the dialectic: the greater the oppression, the prouder the living force. This is the deliberate reversal of Lu You's lonely, grieving plum, and the lines became the poem's pillar, quoted for centuries to hearten those who stand firm in adversity.
俏也不争春，只把春来报。
These two lines pivot from pride to humility. 'Pretty yet she does not contend for spring' restrains the vitality expressed earlier, showing an unassuming grace; 'only reports spring's arrival' clarifies that her purpose is not to claim spring but to bring its message—to bring hope to the world. This 'not contending' and 'reporting' transforms the plum from a self-appreciating classical image to a selfless modern symbol, precisely Mao's intended counter to Lu You. The lines reflect the communist ideal of not seeking credit and serving as a herald, and are the hinge from object description to higher moral statement.
Bright as it is, it does not contend for spring; it only brings word that spring is coming.
这两句是梅花品格由傲转谦的核心。俏也不争春紧承上片俏字，却忽然收束其锋：梅花虽美而不与百花争夺春色，写出一种不矜不伐的从容；只把春来报则点明其存在意义不在占春，而在通报春讯——把希望带给人间。这不争与报春，使梅从孤高自赏的古典形象，转为无私奉献的现代形象，正是毛泽东反其意而用之的要害。它暗合共产党人功成不居、甘作探路者的自我定位，语言极浅而立意极正，是全词由状物向言志过渡的枢纽。
These two lines turn the plum's character from pride to modesty. 'Bright as it is, it does not contend for spring' picks up the previous 'bright' and suddenly sheathes its edge: beautiful, yet not competing with the hundred flowers for the season. 'It only brings word that spring is coming' states its purpose—not to possess the spring, but to announce it, to carry hope to the world. This 'not contending, yet announcing' changes the plum from the classical image of aloof self-admiration into a modern figure of selfless devotion, the crux of the poet's reversal of Lu You. The language is plain, the intent upright: the plum asks no place in the spring it foretells.
待到山花烂漫时，她在丛中笑。
The concluding lines open a broad vista: 'when mountain flowers bloom in profusion' envisions the moment of revolutionary victory and universal joy, while 'she smiles amid the cluster' shows the plum hidden among the flowers, smiling without claiming credit. The smile is warm and serene, in absolute contrast to Lu You's 'trampled to dust.' It conveys a collective ethos: the individual's endurance merges into the communal celebration, and the greatest reward is the happiness of all. This transcends material description, becoming a poetic expression of ideal personality and historical confidence, with profound aftertaste.
When the mountain flowers are in full riot, then, among them, she smiles.
这两句以远景收束，境界最阔。待到山花烂漫时，把视野从一枝寒梅推及满山遍野的春花，象征革命胜利、众生欢腾的时刻；她在丛中笑，则写梅花隐身花丛、欣然微笑，不居其功、不与争艳。一个笑字从容温润，与陆词零落成泥的悲苦恰成对照。它传达的是一种大团圆的集体主义情怀：个体的坚守终将汇入群体的欢庆，而坚守者最大的满足便是看见众生皆春。这两句因此超越咏物，成为对理想人格与历史信心的诗化表达，余味深厚。
These two lines close on a wide, distant view. 'When the mountain flowers are in full riot' sweeps the eye from the single winter branch to a whole mountain of spring bloom, image of revolution triumphant and the people rejoicing. 'Among them, she smiles' pictures the plum hidden in the throng, smiling without claiming credit, without competing for beauty. The single 'smile' is warm and at ease, the exact opposite of the broken, mud-strewn plum in Lu You's verse. It expresses a collective vision of fulfillment: the individual's endurance at last merges into the people's celebration, and the keeper's greatest joy is to see all things in spring. Rising above mere object-praise, the lines become the poetic expression of an ideal character and a historical confidence, leaving a deep aftertaste.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Lu You's poem (by Lu You) depicts a solitary plum at a lonely bridge, unaided and unnoticed, enduring wind and rain, unwilling to contend for spring yet jealously watched, and finally ground to dust with only its fragrance remaining—a metaphor for personal integrity and helplessness. Mao inverts this: his plum faces a hundred zhang of ice but blooms proudly, does not contend but announces spring, and smiles among the profusion of flowers—a symbol of collective victory and revolutionary optimism. The contrast highlights the difference between individual sorrow and communal hope.
陆游《卜算子·咏梅》驿外断桥边，寂寞开无主。已是黄昏独自愁，更著风和雨。无意苦争春，一任群芳妒。零落成泥碾作尘，只有香如故，写梅花遭际孤寂、芳洁自守而无力回天之悲。毛泽东此词正反之：环境由黄昏凄雨转为悬崖百丈冰，品格由独自愁转为犹有俏，结局由零落成泥转为丛中笑。陆主孤高哀婉，毛主坚贞昂扬；一写个人遭际之无可奈何，一写集体胜利之必然信心。二词并读，最可见同一物象在不同人格与时代中的精神分野。
沁园春·雪 Snow (to the Tune of Qinyuan Chun) 毛泽东 · 同出毛泽东手笔，皆以壮景写豪情与历史自信 Both are by Mao Zedong and use grand imagery to express heroic sentiment and historical self-confidence.In 'Snow,' Mao describes the vast northern landscape and declares that true heroes are to be found in the present age. This ci uses a plum blossom to express resilience in adversity and a humble smile after victory. The former is grand and awe-inspiring, the latter delicate and warm, yet both employ strong contrast (the boundless snow against heroic figures; the freezing ice against the beautiful plum) and both end with faith in human agency and historical progress. Together they reveal the dual aspects of Mao's poetic world—bold in judging the past, gentle in serving the collective.
毛泽东《沁园春·雪》北国风光、数风流人物还看今朝，以宏阔北国雪景写对历史英雄的评骘与对今朝人物的信心。本词则以一枝梅花写逆境中的坚贞与胜利后的谦笑。二者一大气磅礴、一小巧温润，而皆善用反衬（雪之莽莽衬英雄，冰之酷烈衬梅俏），皆于结尾落脚于人的主体力量与历史信念。合观可见毛词两种面目的统一：对外敢评千古、对内甘为丛中一笑，刚柔相济，共同构成其诗词的精神世界。