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元 Yuan · 散曲 Sanqu song

大德歌·冬

Song of Great Virtue: Winter

关汉卿

Guan Hanqing

写景Scenery description 冬景Winter scene 隐逸Hermitage 时序Theme

雪粉华，舞梨花，再不见烟村四五家。
密洒堪图画，看疏林噪晚鸦。
黄芦掩映清江下，斜揽着钓鱼艖。

Snow flakes like powder, dancing pear blossoms fair,
No longer see the misty village homes four or five.
Thick falling worthy of a painting rare,
See sparse woods where evening crows cry.
Yellow reeds shade the clear river's side,
A fishing boat is tied slantwise.

Listen

Meaning

This poem depicts a winter snow scene: snowflakes dance like pear blossoms, obscuring distant villages; only sparse woods with cawing crows, yellow reeds by the clear river, and a fishing boat remain, creating a tranquil and serene picture.

雪花像细粉又像白花，如同梨花一样漫天飞舞，雪势渐密，再也望不见烟霭中那四五户人家。密密地飘洒，正堪入画；看那稀疏的树林里，晚归的乌鸦正在聒噪。黄色的芦苇掩映在清清的江水之下，水边斜斜地系着一只钓鱼的小船。

Appreciation

The poem uses metaphor (snow as powder and pear blossoms) and contrast (crows' noise against silence) to paint a vivid, ink-wash landscape. Its language is elegant yet unpretentious, capturing the unique charm of Yuan sanqu.

【白话串讲】雪像梨花一样舞，烟村都看不见了。疏林里晚鸦叫，黄芦掩映清江，渔船斜揽着——关汉卿把冬天的江景，写得又冷又美。【意象与手法】起二句「雪粉华，舞梨花」以「粉华」「梨花」双喻写雪，色态兼具，轻盈秀美；「再不见烟村四五家」忽作远望之失，于雪骤中见苍茫。中幅「密洒堪图画，看疏林噪晚鸦」以画家的眼光点景，鸦噪反衬雪天之静，是「以动衬静」的妙笔。结二句「黄芦掩映清江下，斜揽着钓鱼艖」将视线收回水边，黄芦、清江冷暖相映，小船斜系，姿态随意，全曲构图如一幅逸笔水墨，疏淡中见野趣，得雪天清寂之致。【情感与主旨】关汉卿是元杂剧的奠基人，《大德歌》为其自制曲牌，此曲写冬日雪景，全篇无一字言情，而闲适之情、江湖野逸之气自见。雪没烟村、鸦噪疏林、钓船斜系，景物的疏淡正是心境的疏淡，透出这位杂剧大家于瓦舍勾栏之外那份清雅闲适的文人情怀；一说「斜揽着钓鱼艖」暗含作者不遇于时、寄身江湖的自况，可备一说。【名句点睛】中考常考「雪粉华，舞梨花」的比喻，命题多问「如何写雪」，须答出以粉华、梨花双喻写雪之色态，轻盈秀美；亦考「噪」字之妙，须答出以声衬静、反添雪天清寂；「斜揽着钓鱼艖」则考炼字与野趣，须点出「揽」字移用、小船随意斜系之态。

Background

Guan Hanqing (c.1220–1300), style Yizhisou, was a foundational playwright of Yuan drama and also skilled in sanqu. 'Da De Ge' (Song of Great Virtue) is a tune he created (Da De being Emperor Chengzong's reign name). This piece belongs to a set of four seasonal songs (spring, summer, autumn, winter) and is likely a spontaneous composition from his late leisurely life.

《大德歌》是关汉卿自制的散曲曲牌，大德为元成宗年号（1297—1307），曲牌因年号而得名，今存春、夏、秋、冬四季组曲，此为其一。关汉卿（约1220—1300），号已斋（一作一斋）叟，大都（今北京）人，元杂剧的奠基人，《窦娥冤》《救风尘》《单刀会》等皆出其手，与白朴、马致远、郑光祖并称元曲四大家。其生平史料极简，《录鬼簿》记其为「太医院尹」，约略活动于金末至元成宗大德年间。关汉卿的散曲创作与其杂剧并称，今存小令数十首、套曲十余篇，题材多涉男女恋情、离愁别恨与市井风光，语言本色当行，泼辣生动，王国维《宋元戏曲史》称其「一空依傍，自铸伟词」。此曲写冬日雪景，当为其晚年闲居时的即景之作：雪粉如华、梨花乱舞，烟村没于雪中，晚鸦噪于疏林，黄芦清江之间斜系钓艖，全篇不见一个「愁」字，而冬日清寂、江湖野逸之气自见，正透出元曲特有的市井气息与江湖风味，也隐约可见这位杂剧大家于瓦舍勾栏之外，那一份闲适疏淡的文人情怀，是研究关汉卿散曲风格与晚年心境的重要作品。

Art

The opening lines use double metaphors 'powder' and 'pear blossoms' to describe snow’s whiteness and lightness. The line 'no longer see' shifts the view to vastness. 'Dense sprinkling' frames the scene like a painting, while cawing crows in sparse woods set off the stillness. The closing image of yellow reeds and a slantwise-tied boat evokes the rustic charm of a freehand ink painting.

此曲写雪，妙在一个「静」字上做文章，而以声、色、形三途衬之。起二句「雪粉华，舞梨花」以「粉华」「梨花」双喻写雪，一喻其色之白细如粉，一喻其形之轻飏如花，色态兼具，轻盈秀美，是正面写雪。「再不见烟村四五家」忽作远望之失——「再不见」三字写雪势渐密，烟村没入雪幕，于视线受阻处见出雪之苍茫厚重，是侧面写雪。中幅「密洒堪图画，看疏林噪晚鸦」以画家的眼光点景：「密洒」承「再不见」而写雪之密，点出「堪图画」的画意；「疏林噪晚鸦」则于一片素白中添入数点鸦影、数声鸦噪，以动衬静、以声衬寂，鸦噪愈响，雪天愈静，正是「鸟鸣山更幽」的笔法。结二句「黄芦掩映清江下，斜揽着钓鱼艖」将视线由空中拉回水边：黄芦、清江一暖一冷，色彩相映；小船斜系，姿态随意。全曲七句，由空中之雪写到地上之村、林间之鸦、水边之舟，视线渐次下移，层次分明，构图如一幅逸笔水墨，疏淡中见野趣，得雪天清寂之致，无一字言情而闲适之情自见。

Allusions

'Dancing pear blossoms' alludes to Cen Shen's line 'thousands of pear trees bloom' (a classic snow metaphor). 'Misty village' echoes Du Mu's water-village imagery, and the 'fishing boat' continues the hermit tradition from Liu Zongyuan's 'Fishing in Snow' and Zhang Zhihe's fisher songs. These allusions are seamlessly integrated, conveying reclusive intent without obscure references.

此曲用典不多，而意象源流清晰。其一「舞梨花」化用岑参《白雪歌送武判官归京》「忽如一夜春风来，千树万树梨花开」，以梨花喻雪自岑参始为咏雪名喻，关汉卿此处以「舞」字写雪之飘飏，较岑参的「开」字更多动态与轻盈，是取古人意象而重铸新境。其二「烟村四五家」脱胎于杜牧《江南春》「水村山郭酒旗风」的江南村郭意象，又近苏轼雪村图景的暖色点缀，烟霭笼罩的村落是中国山水画与田园诗最习见的意象，此处被雪吞没，一「再不见」写尽雪势之猛。其三「钓鱼艖」承柳宗元《江雪》「孤舟蓑笠翁，独钓寒江雪」的渔父意象与张志和《渔歌子》「青箬笠，绿蓑衣，斜风细雨不须归」的隐逸传统——钓船在中国文学中是江湖隐逸的符号，自《楚辞·渔父》以来，渔父即与「濯缨沧浪」的隐者精神相连。全篇以习见雪景意象重构，无生僻故实，而江湖隐逸之意自见，正是元曲「本色」一路：以俗为雅，以常见意象写深致情韵，也是关汉卿把市井生活的亲切感注入传统隐逸题材的创造。

Commentary

Commentators note that Guan Hanqing's sanqu often 'blend humor with desolation'. This winter piece, however, shows no chill but rather elegant rusticity. Sui Shusen's Complete Yuan Sanqu records this song alongside the other seasonal 'Da De Ge' pieces. Some interpret the 'slantwise-tied fishing boat' as an oblique reference to the poet's own unfulfilled ambition and hermit life.

近人论关汉卿散曲，每拈出「滑稽中含苍凉」一语，此冬景小令虽写雪景却无寒苦之音，反见清雅野趣，恰可作为元曲「本色」与「当行」的注脚。元人钟嗣成《录鬼簿》列关汉卿于「前辈已死名公才人有所编传奇行于世者」之首，称其「驱梨园领袖，总编修师首，捻杂剧班头」，虽就杂剧立论，而其散曲的泼辣自然实与杂剧本色一脉相承。隋树森《全元散曲》录此曲，与《大德歌》春、夏、秋、冬并传，可见此四季组曲已为传世名篇。此曲写雪，全用白描，无一典故掉书袋，而「密洒堪图画」「斜揽着钓鱼艖」等句，画意与野趣兼备，正见元散曲「蛤蜊味」——既不同于诗之雅正，亦不同于词之清空，而以口语、俗字、本色语写眼前景、心中情，疏淡天成。一说「斜揽着钓鱼艖」暗含作者不遇于时、寄身江湖的身世之感：一代杂剧大家，终其身不过「太医院尹」小吏，钓船斜系、无人问津，或即其自况，可备一说。

Prosody

Form Yuan sanqu · Da De Ge (Da De Yue) xiaoling元散曲小令·大德歌（双调）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'hua, jia, ya, cha' (Family-hemp rhyme category)押《中原音韵》家麻韵，韵字为：华、花、家、鸦、艖，一韵到底，韵脚疏朗，声调悠扬开阔。

Tone pattern Not bound by strict tone patterns; lines vary in length句式三、五、三、五、三、五、七言相参，长短错落，句内多用仄声字收束句逗，节奏顿挫分明，宜于朗诵。

Reading note Self-composed by Guan Hanqing; part of the four-season suite《大德歌》为关汉卿自创曲牌，因元成宗大德年间得名，属北曲双调，句式无定格而多以三、五、七言相间，全曲七句，韵脚疏朗，一韵到底。此曲用家麻韵，家麻韵为开口呼，声音响亮悠长，宜写开阔明朗之境——雪天虽寒，而韵脚「华、花、家、鸦、艖」字字清亮，恰与曲中明丽的雪景、闲逸的情趣相合，声情一体。北曲小令不受近体诗平仄对仗束缚，句间可加衬字（此曲「着」即衬字），口语自然入律，故读来如说话般流转顺畅，而无诗词的板滞。全曲句短韵疏，顿挫分明：首句三字一顿，写雪之起；中二句五字一换，写雪之盛；末二句渐舒，写景之收，节奏由急而缓，恰合由仰观雪舞到俯瞰钓船的视线转移。关汉卿制此调而传春夏秋冬四曲，声律上最见元曲「以俗为雅、以声传情」的本色精神，为北曲小令的自度曲开一范式，在元散曲声律史上自有其位置。

Line by line

雪粉华，舞梨花，再不见烟村四五家

Snow like fine powder, snow like blossoms — dancing pear blossoms; the four or five cottages in the mist are seen no more.

雪花像细粉又像白花，如同梨花一样漫天飞舞，雪势渐密，再也望不见烟霭中那四五户人家。

Snow fine as powder, snow like flowers, whirling like pear blossoms; as the snow thickens, the four or five cottages in the mist fade from sight.

起三句正面写雪而笔法极活。「雪粉华」以「粉」「华（花）」双喻写雪之细白轻飏，色态兼备，一个「华」字更带出雪花的粲然光感；「舞梨花」化用岑参「千树万树梨花开」的咏雪名喻，而着一「舞」字，雪的飘飏之姿、飞旋之态如在目前，较岑诗更见动态的轻盈。三句两喻一意，反复铺写而不觉重复，反见雪势之盛。至「再不见烟村四五家」笔势一顿，由仰观转平望：雪已密到吞没了烟霭中的村落，「再不见」三字既是视觉的失却，亦是空间的延伸——村庄没入雪幕，天地愈显苍茫，雪之大、天之寒尽在不言中。三句由近及远、由实入虚，秀美与苍茫并见，为全曲定下清寂的基调，而「烟村」的暖意与雪的寒冷对照，更添一份苍茫中的牵挂。

The opening three lines write snow directly, yet with the liveliest hand. 'Snow like fine powder, snow like blossoms' uses powder and flower for the fine, white, drifting snow — color and motion together, the word 'blossom' catching the sparkling light of flakes. 'Dancing pear blossoms' takes Cen Shen's famous 'a thousand trees, ten thousand, in bloom of pear' and adds 'dancing,' the whirl and flight of snow before the eyes, lighter and quicker than Cen's. Three lines, two similes, one image, embroidered without repetition, showing the snow's full force. Then 'the four or five cottages in the mist are seen no more' pauses, turning from looking up to looking level: snow so thick it has swallowed the misty village — 'seen no more' is both the loss of sight and the extension of space, cottages sunk behind the screen, heaven and earth vaster, snow's weight and cold unspoken. Near to far, solid to void, beauty and vastness together fix the song's quiet tone; the warmth of 'misty cottages' against the cold of snow adds a thread of longing within the vastness.

密洒堪图画，看疏林噪晚鸦

Dense sprinkling worthy of a painting; watch sparse woods with cawing evening crows—sound sets off silence.

密密地飘洒，正堪入画；看那稀疏的树林里，晚归的乌鸦正在聒噪。

It falls thick and fast, fit for a painting; watch the sparse woods where evening crows caw.

此二句是全曲动静相生的枢纽。「密洒」二字承上句之「再不见」而补足雪势，写出雪花密密的斜织飘洒之态；「堪图画」以画家的眼光品评眼前之景，一个「堪」字透出赏雪人的闲逸心绪——雪景入画，人亦在画中。下句「看疏林噪晚鸦」是画中最见生气的一笔：疏林点出冬木萧疏，「晚」字点明时近黄昏，光色转暗，而「噪晚鸦」以鸦声打破寂静——数点鸦影横过雪空，几声鸦噪回荡林间，素白的画面因之有了声息。此句妙在以动衬静、以声衬寂：鸦噪愈聒，雪天愈显清寂，正如王籍「鸟鸣山更幽」，声音的存在反使静谧更加纯粹。且「噪」字自带黄昏的纷乱感，与「密洒」的持续飘雪相配，织成一幅有声有色的暮雪图，动静之间，天地的空旷与生命的骚动相映成趣。

These two lines are the joint of motion and stillness. 'Falls thick and fast' follows 'seen no more,' completing the snow's force — flakes weaving down in dense, slanting lines; 'fit for a painting' judges the view with a painter's eye, the word 'fit' letting through the watcher's leisurely mood — snow in a painting, and the watcher inside the painting. 'Watch the sparse woods where evening crows caw' is the most alive stroke in the picture: sparse woods mark the bare winter trees; 'evening' the nearing dusk, light dimming; the cawing crows break the silence — a few crow-shadows cross the white sky, a few cries echo in the grove, and the blank picture gains sound. The line works through motion against stillness, sound against silence: the more the crows caw, the quieter the snowbound world, as Wang Ji's 'a bird's cry makes the hill more still' — sound purifies quiet. And 'caw' carries the dusk's bustle, matched with the dense falling snow, weaving a loud, colorful dusk-of-snow picture; between motion and stillness, the vastness of heaven and earth answers the stir of life.

黄芦掩映清江下，斜揽着钓鱼艖

Yellow reeds set off against the clear river below; a fishing boat tied slantwise—a rustic, freehand closing.

黄色的芦苇掩映在清清的江水之下，水边斜斜地系着一只钓鱼的小船。

Yellow reeds are mirrored below the clear stream; at an angle, moored — the little fishing boat.

结二句由空中之雪收回水边之景，是全曲画境的收束与点睛。「黄芦」对「清江」，黄与青一暖一冷，色彩相映成趣，冬日芦荻枯黄、江水澄碧的色调跃然纸上；「掩映」二字写芦丛与江水的叠映关系，芦影入水、水光映芦，层次迷离，正合中国画「虚实相生」的构图。「斜揽着钓鱼艖」一句最见野趣：「揽」本为手挽、系结之意，此处移用于系船，写出小船随意斜系之态，不系于埠头而系于芦丛水边，可见主人之疏懒闲适；「斜」字更添画面之不平衡美，与小船闲泊的散淡意趣相合。一只钓船，斜斜系在雪后的黄芦清江之间，无人问津而自在，江湖隐逸之意尽在其中，为全曲画上最悠远的一笔，也给漫天飞雪一个静谧的归宿。

The closing two lines draw the eye from the snow in the sky back to the waterside, the gathering and finishing point of the picture. 'Yellow reeds' against 'clear stream,' warm yellow against cool green, the winter withering of reeds and the jade-green water at once on the page; 'mirrored' renders the layering of reed and stream — reed shadows in the water, water-light on the reeds, depth on depth, exactly the 'solid and void in mutual birth' of Chinese painting. 'At an angle, moored — the little fishing boat' holds the wildest charm: 'moored' is properly to tie by hand, here moved to the boat, rendering the craft tied at random, not at the pier but among the reeds by the water — the owner's slack ease; 'at an angle' adds the beauty of off-balance, suiting the unanchored leisure. One fishing boat, slant-moored among the snow-lit yellow reeds and clear stream, untended, at ease — the recluse's meaning of rivers and lakes in full, the farthest stroke of the song, giving the boundless falling snow a quiet resting place.

Study

Word focus

粉华 powder-like beauty (describing snow’s fineness and purity) 「雪粉华」之「粉华」二字，是以女子妆饰喻雪的叠义复词。「粉」取女子傅面之粉，写雪之细、之白、之匀——落雪如粉，簌簌而下，色白而质轻；「华」本为花，此处兼有光华、华美之义，写雪之明粲、之晶莹，日光或暮光下闪烁如碎玉。二字连用，既写雪的色（白）与质（细），又写雪的光（华）与形（粉粒），一喻而四美兼备，且语带市井的亲切气息——以粉妆喻雪，正是元曲语言贴近生活的本色。若单言「雪白」「雪细」则平板无味，「粉华」以女子的妆粉与花朵作比，让雪的轻盈洁净可触可感，更有一种生活化的温馨。此二字亦定下全曲「秀美」的基调，与后文疏林鸦噪、黄芦钓船的疏淡之景相配，一秀一淡，相映成趣，足见关汉卿遣词造句的本色当行。

噪 caw (crows’ cry to heighten the stillness of the snow scene) 「看疏林噪晚鸦」之「噪」字，是全曲以声写静的关键炼字。「噪」本指众鸟喧鸣，声带杂乱、鼓噪之意，此处写晚鸦，既状其声之聒噪纷乱，又暗含黄昏时分鸦群归林的喧闹景象，与「晚」字相配，时间感与画面感俱足。妙在「噪」之喧正是为了衬「静」之深：雪天四野无人，万籁俱寂，唯鸦声数点划破长空，愈见天地之清寂——这是中国诗学「以动衬静」「以声衬寂」的经典手法，王籍「鸟鸣山更幽」、王维「蝉噪林逾静」皆用此法。且「噪」字不避俗、不避吵，正见元曲语言的泼辣本色：诗人不写鸦之「鸣」「啼」而写「噪」，把黄昏雪林的萧索嘈杂如实写出，反而更添生活的真实感与画面的灵动感，静中寓动，动处愈静，炼字之匠心由此可见。

斜揽 tied slantwise (the boat casually moored, evoking rustic charm) 「斜揽着钓鱼艖」之「斜揽」二字，是全曲最见野趣的炼字。「揽」本为手挽、牵系之意，如揽辔、揽舟，此处移用于系船，写出小船被缆绳随意系住之态；「斜」字写船身的倾斜姿态——船非端正泊于岸，而是斜斜地歇在水边，仿佛主人随手一系、任其自在。二字连用，妙处在「随意」二字：若写「正系」「稳泊」，则船之姿态端正而少情味；「斜揽」则船随水波微漾、缆绳松紧自如，一种不事安排、顺任自然的闲适意趣油然而生。这只钓船无人、无蓑笠翁，唯斜斜一系，正是中国山水画中「空亭」「孤舟」一类符号的变体——物在而人不在，反令人想见主人的疏懒与旷达，江湖隐逸之思尽在不言中，炼字之精，于一个「斜」字见其匠心。

密洒 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「密洒堪图画」之「密洒」二字，状写雪势之绵密飘洒，是全曲承上启下的字眼。「密」写雪之浓密，承上句「再不见烟村」而来——雪密到吞没村落，方见「密」字之实；「洒」写雪之飘落姿态，如筛如扬、纷纷而下，化整片之雪为缕缕之丝，画面顿时细碎生动。二字合观，「密」定其量，「洒」定其态，雪之持续、之均匀、之无声俱在其中，仿佛听见雪粒簌簌落地的轻响。而「堪图画」三字紧接其后，点出这「密洒」之景正堪入画——诗人以赏画之心观雪，把自然之景当成画卷来品题，闲逸的审美心态溢于言表。「密洒」一词兼有写实与写意之妙：写实者，雪势之密历历可见；写意者，与「堪图画」相连，使读者恍如面对一幅「雪景图」，为下文疏林鸦噪、黄芦钓船的画境张本。