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元 Yuan · 曲 Qu song

白梅

White Plum

王冕

Wang Mian

冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘。
忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春。

In the forest of ice and snow I take my stand, not mixing with peach and plum in the dusty world of fragrance.
Suddenly, in one night, a pure fragrance bursts forth, scattering into a spring that fills the universe for ten thousand li.
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Meaning

Wang Mian's white plum stands alone in ice and snow, refusing to mingle with the common peach and plum in the dusty world. In a single night its pure fragrance bursts forth and scatters into a spring that fills the universe. The quatrain uses the plum as a persona for unyielding integrity whose hidden virtue, in time, benefits all.

冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘。忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The white plum stands in the forest of ice and snow, refusing to mingle with peach and plum in the dusty world of fragrance. Then, in a single night, its pure scent bursts forth and scatters into a spring filling the whole universe. [Structure] The quatrain splits cleanly: the first couplet asserts the plum's separateness and purity by negative contrast with the common flowers; the second couplet releases its fragrance as a world-renewing spring. Assertion gives way to effusion. [Imagery] 'Ice and snow' and 'not mixing with peach and plum' establish chaste autonomy; 'a night's pure fragrance' and 'spring filling the universe' turn private virtue into public, cosmic benefaction—the plum's hidden purity becomes universal new life.

【白话串讲】 王冕写《白梅》：“冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘”——“忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春”——他写白梅——散作乾坤万里春。 【意象与手法】 “冰雪林中著此身、不同桃李混芳尘”写冰雪林中著此身；结以“忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春”写散作乾坤万里春。慷慨豪迈。 【情感与主旨】 王冕咏梅言志之作，以白梅写不与桃李混芳尘、散作乾坤万里春的志向，是咏梅诗中的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘”写白梅之高洁；“忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春”写清香万里。

Background

Wang Mian (1287–1359), styled Yuanzhang, also known as the Hermit of Boiling-Stone Mountain and Master of the Plum-Blossom Hut, was a poet and painter of the Yuan dynasty from Zhuji (in present-day Zhejiang), celebrated especially for his plum paintings. Living at the close of the Yuan, he never attained office and expressed his integrity through art. 'White Plum' is a short quatrain in the tradition of 咏物言志 (object-chanting to voice aspiration): using the plum as a persona, Wang Mian declares his refusal to compromise with a corrupt, worldly age and his quiet confidence that true virtue, though hidden, will in the end refresh the world. The poem is a touchstone of Yuan-dynasty reclusive self-expression and remains one of his most anthologized lines.

《白梅》为元代诗人、画家王冕所作诗。王冕（1287—1359），字元章，号煮石山农、梅花屋主，诸暨（今浙江诸暨）人，元代诗人、画家，善画梅。此诗写咏物言志，为咏白梅之作。诗中「冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘」写冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘；「忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春」写忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春。王冕此诗以咏物言志、散作乾坤万里春写其言志之情，慷慨豪迈，是王冕诗中的名篇。此篇《白梅》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。此篇《白梅》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 art is 'generous-and-heroic, writing aspiration through the plum.' In four lines it moves from 'in the forest of ice and snow I take my stand' to 'not mixing with peach and plum' to 'suddenly, in one night, a pure fragrance bursts forth.' The craft is threefold: (1) contrast—the plum's icy isolation is set against the showy, dusty peach and plum, so purity is defined by refusal; (2) compression—the whole argument of reclusion and renewal is carried in two tight couplets, the classical 'say much with little'; (3) release—the final line leaps from a single tree to 'the universe for ten thousand li,' turning private chastity into cosmic spring. The plum is at once the man and his message: hidden worth that, in due time, benefits all.

此诗艺术上以「慷慨豪迈、以梅写志」见长。全诗共四句，由冰雪林中著此身而不同桃李混芳尘而忽然一夜清香发。起「冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘」写冰雪林中著此身：冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘；「忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春」写散作乾坤万里春：忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春。全诗以梅写志，由冰雪林中著此身而散作乾坤万里春，慷慨豪迈，是王冕诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。

Allusions

The diction of 'White Plum' draws on the long Chinese tradition of plum symbolism. 'Ice and snow' (冰雪) evoke the moral purity associated with cold-enduring things (as in 冰雪襟怀), while standing 'in the forest of ice and snow' aligns the poet with the recluse who keeps apart from the dusty world. 'Peach and plum' (桃李) conventionally stand for commonplace, worldly success (桃李满天下), here the 'dusty fragrance' he will not join. 'Pure fragrance' (清香) is the standard mark of the noble blossom, and 'the universe' (乾坤) the cosmic frame in which the plum's virtue finally spreads. Wang Mian fuses these inherited images so that the plum becomes a seamless persona for unyielded integrity—scholarship worn without display.

诗中「冰雪林中著此身不同桃李混芳尘」「忽然一夜清香发散作乾坤万里春」等语，皆含典故故实。「冰雪林中著此身不同桃李混芳尘」写冰雪林中著此身不同桃李混芳尘；「忽然一夜清香发散作乾坤万里春」写忽然一夜清香发散作乾坤万里春。诗人以冰雪、乾坤等语入诗，不着痕迹，而把咏物言志之情写得慷慨淋漓，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。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

'White Plum' is a celebrated quatrain of Wang Mian's object-chanting aspiration and a classic of Yuan reclusive verse. Critics prize its 'generous-and-heroic' clarity and the way a single night's fragrance expands into 'a spring filling the universe.' Its distinction is moral, not decorative: where many plum poems dwell on lonely beauty, Wang Mian stresses refusal (not mixing with peach and plum) and eventual benefaction (scattering spring). Read beside Lin Bu's 'Small Plum by the Mountain Garden' (one 'sparse shadows, evening water; faint fragrance, moon at dusk,' one 'in ice and snow I take my stand') and Yan Shu's 'Huanxisha' (one 'what can be done, flowers fall,' one 'a night's pure fragrance scatters spring'), it shows how the plum-topos serves both quiet elegance and assertive aspiration. For readers it remains the clearest statement of Wang Mian's unbending self-definition.

这首《白梅》，是王冕写咏物言志之作，写冰雪林中著此身、不同桃李混芳尘、散作乾坤万里春之情，慷慨豪迈。起「冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘」——冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘。写冰雪林中著此身：冰雪林中著此身、不同桃李混芳尘——冰雪林中著身、不同桃李混芳尘；「忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春」——忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春。写散作乾坤万里春：忽然一夜清香发、散作乾坤万里春——一夜清香发、散作万里春。这「忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春」，是全诗之结：以散作乾坤万里春写其言志。全诗慷慨豪迈，以梅写志，正是王冕诗中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。

Prosody

Form Poetry — seven-character quatrain (七言绝句)诗（七言绝句）
Rhyme A seven-character quatrain of four lines, two couplets; level-tone rhyme on 尘 (chén) and 春 (chūn) (the 真/文 class), one rhyme throughout.此诗为七言绝句，共四句，两句一联。押平声韵：「尘」「春」押真文部韵。诗体依绝句而定，句式整齐，音节随情起伏，正与写咏物言志的慷慨豪迈相称，也见其以绝句写言志的自然。
Tone pattern The first couplet 'in the forest of ice and snow…' is heroic; the second 'suddenly a pure fragrance…' is uplifting—the music rises from heroic to uplifting, suiting the quatrain's reserve.句式上，「冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘」写冰雪林中著此身，音节豪迈；「忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春」写散作乾坤万里春，音节昂扬。全诗音节随情起伏，由豪迈而昂扬，正合绝句「含蓄」之妙，读来如咏物言志、散作乾坤万里春之音，慷慨而动人。
Reading note A seven-character quatrain, a famous object-chanting piece by Wang Mian. Its art is 'generous-and-heroic, writing aspiration through the plum': 'in the forest of ice and snow…' and 'suddenly a pure fragrance scatters into a spring filling the universe.' Especially fine is the first couplet's writing of the plum's icy separateness and the second's scattering of spring—the model of Wang Mian's 'generous-and-heroic' clarity, widely anthologized.此诗为七言绝句，是王冕写咏物言志之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「慷慨豪迈、以梅写志」：「冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘」写冰雪林中著此身、「忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春」写散作乾坤万里春。全诗慷慨豪迈，以梅写志。尤为精妙者，是「冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘」写尽梅之冰雪；而「忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春」写尽梅之春，正是王冕诗「慷慨豪迈」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《白梅》一诗之所以读来声情并茂，正在于诗人以声韵配合情思、以节奏烘托意境，音节之长短、平仄之起伏，皆与诗意相为表里，此亦可见中国古典诗歌声律之美与匠心之工。

Line by line

冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘。

In the forest of ice and snow I take my stand, not mixing with peach and plum in the dusty world of fragrance.

冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘。

In a forest of ice and snow it takes its stand; it does not mingle with peach and plum in the fragrant dust.

首二句写冰雪林中著此身，起笔即见其梅。「冰雪林中著此身」写冰雪林中著此身，「冰雪林中」写冰雪林中、「著此身」写着此身；「不同桃李混芳尘」写不同桃李混芳尘，「不同桃李」写不与桃李、「混芳尘」写混芳尘。两句一写冰雪林中著此身、一写不同桃李混芳尘，以冰雪林中著此身写冰雪著身、以不同桃李混芳尘写不同桃李，写尽冰雪林中著此身、不同桃李混芳尘之情。以梅起兴，慷慨而豪迈，是「以梅起兴」的妙笔。

These opening lines write the plum standing in the ice-and-snow forest, refusing to mix with peach and plum. 'In a forest of ice and snow it takes its stand' sets the plum's body in the bitter winter; 'it does not mingle with peach and plum in the fragrant dust' distinguishes it from the showy spring blossoms. The plum in the snow is Wang Mian's self-portrait—standing aloof from the common crowd. If stated as 'the plum stands in snow, above the other flowers,' the heroism would fade; only through the ice-and-snow forest and the refusal to mingle does the plum become a character.

忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春。

Suddenly, in one night, a pure fragrance bursts forth, scattering into a spring that fills the universe for ten thousand li.

忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春。

Suddenly, in a single night, its clear fragrance opens and spreads into spring across ten thousand miles of heaven and earth.

尾二句写散作乾坤万里春，是全诗立意的落点。「忽然一夜清香发」写忽然一夜清香发，「忽然一夜」写忽然一夜、「清香发」写清香发；「散作乾坤万里春」写散作乾坤万里春，「散作乾坤」写散作乾坤、「万里春」写万里春。两句一写忽然一夜清香发、一写散作乾坤万里春，以忽然一夜清香发写一夜清香、以散作乾坤万里春写散作万里春，写尽忽然一夜清香发、散作乾坤万里春之情。以梅写志，慷慨而豪迈，是全诗最动人处，也是「以梅写志」的点睛之笔。

These closing lines are the poem's resolution, the clear fragrance opening overnight and spreading into spring for ten thousand miles. 'Suddenly, in one night, the clear fragrance opens' writes the plum's sudden bloom; 'spreading into spring across heaven and earth' carries the single flower's scent to the whole world. The plum's quiet purity becomes a universal spring—Wang Mian's ambition that integrity should warm the world. If stated as 'the plum blooms and spreads spring everywhere,' the loftiness would fade; only through the 'suddenly in one night' and 'ten thousand miles of spring' does the modest plum become grand.

Study

Word focus

著 著 (zhuó): 'to stand / plant oneself; to take one's station.' In 'in the forest of ice and snow I take my stand' it means the plum plants itself amid cold—asserting autonomous, unyielding presence. 「著」字写冰雪林中著此身，是写着身之态的关键。「冰雪林中著此身」着一「著」，写著——着一「著」字，写冰雪林中著此身，见其身处冰雪。一字写尽著身之态，是「以一字写身」的妙笔。「著」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。
混 混 (hùn): 'to mix / mingle.' In 'not mixing with peach and plum in the dusty fragrance' it is the rejected blending with worldly, common success—purity maintained by refusal to commingle. 「混」字写不同桃李混芳尘，是写混同之态的关键。「不同桃李混芳尘」着一「混」，写混同——着一「混」字，写不同桃李混芳尘，见其不混之志。一字写尽混尘之态，是「以一字写混」的点睛之词。「混」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。
清香 清香 (qīng xiāng): 'pure / clean fragrance.' The plum's characteristic scent, the mark of noble character; its 'bursting forth in one night' images hidden virtue finally revealed. 「清香」写忽然一夜清香发，是写清香之态的关键。「忽然一夜清香发」着一「清香」，写清香——着一「清香」，写忽然一夜清香发，见其香之清。两字写尽清香之态，是「以词写香」的点睛之词。「清香」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。
万里 万里 (wàn lǐ): 'ten thousand li / vast distance.' In 'a spring filling the universe for ten thousand li' it expands the plum's scent into cosmic renewal, turning private integrity into universal benefit. 「万里」写散作乾坤万里春，是写万里之态的关键。「散作乾坤万里春」着一「万里」，写万里——着一「万里」，写散作乾坤万里春，见其春之远。两字写尽万里之态，是「以词写远」的点睛之词。「万里」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。

Related Reading

山园小梅 Small Plum by the Mountain Garden 林逋 · 同写咏梅言志、以物喻志，一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、一写冰雪林中著此身不同桃李混芳尘，皆于咏梅之中见言志 Both chant the plum to voice aspiration, using object as persona: one 'sparse shadows by clear water, faint fragrance at dusk,' one 'in the forest of ice and snow I take my stand, not mixing with peach and plum'—both find aspiration in the plum.

Lin Bu's 'Small Plum by the Mountain Garden' ('sparse shadows lie aslant by clear water, faint fragrance floats at dusk moon') writes the plum's elegance and aspiration, a peerless Song object-poem; Wang Mian's 'White Plum' writes 'in the forest of ice and snow… not mixing with peach and plum' and 'suddenly a pure fragrance scatters into a spring filling the universe.' Both chant the plum to voice aspiration—one the elegant sparse shadow and faint fragrance, one the icy stand and refusal to mingle; one Lin Bu's refined ease, one Wang Mian's heroic assertiveness. Read together they show two ways of finding aspiration in the plum.

林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」，写梅之清雅、言志，是宋诗咏物的绝唱；王冕《白梅》则以「冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘」「忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春」写冰雪林中著身、散作乾坤万里春。两诗同写咏梅言志、以物喻志：一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以梅写清雅，一写冰雪林中著此身不同桃李混芳尘、以梅写志；一为林逋之清逸、一为王冕之豪迈，并读正可见诗写「咏梅言志」的两种笔法，皆于咏梅之中见言志。

 浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯 Tune: Huanxisha — A Cup of New Wine, a Song 晏殊 · 同写感怀言志、无可奈何，一写无可奈何花落去、一写忽然一夜清香发散作乾坤万里春，皆于感怀之中见言志 Both write reflection with aspiration: one 'what can be done, flowers fall,' one 'suddenly a pure fragrance scatters into a spring filling the universe'—both find aspiration in reflection.

Yan Shu's 'Huanxisha' ('what can be done, flowers fall; as if acquainted, swallows return') writes reflection and aspiration, a famous Song lyric; Wang Mian's 'White Plum' writes 'suddenly a pure fragrance scatters into a spring filling the universe' and 'in the forest of ice and snow, not mixing with peach and plum.' Both write reflection with aspiration—one flowers fall and swallows return in regret of time, one a night's pure fragrance scattering spring in asserting virtue; one Yan Shu's gentle warmth, one Wang Mian's heroic assertiveness. Read together they show two ways of finding aspiration in reflection.

晏殊《浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯》「无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来」，写感怀言志，是宋词小令的名篇；王冕《白梅》则以「忽然一夜清香发，散作乾坤万里春」「冰雪林中著此身，不同桃李混芳尘」写散作万里春、冰雪林中著身。两诗同写感怀言志、无可奈何：一写无可奈何花落去、以花落燕归写惜时，一写忽然一夜清香发散作乾坤万里春、以清香写志；一为晏殊之温润、一为王冕之豪迈，并读正可见诗写「感怀言志」的两种笔法，皆于感怀之中见言志。