All poems

元 Yuan · 杂剧 Zaju drama

西厢记·端正好

Romance of the Western Chamber: Duan Zhenghao

王实甫

Wang Shifu

爱情Love 离别Parting

碧云天，黄花地，西风紧，北雁南飞。
晓来谁染霜林醉？
总是离人泪。

Azure clouds in the sky, yellow flowers on the ground.
The west wind blows tight, north wild geese fly south.
At dawn, who dyed the frosty woods drunken red?
Always the tears of those who part.

Listen

Meaning

Through autumn imagery, Cui Yingying expresses her sorrow and reluctance at parting with Zhang Sheng in the farewell scene.

碧蓝的天空，遍地的黄花，西风凄紧，北雁向南飞去。清晨是什么把经霜的树林染得如醉般红艳？——那全是离别人儿的眼泪。此曲以秋景起兴，将满林红叶化为离人血泪，寥寥数语写尽长亭送别时崔莺莺的凄楚与不舍。

Appreciation

This short aria from the 'Farewell at Pavilion' scene paints a bleak autumn scene with vivid images: blue clouds, yellow flowers, west wind, and north-flying geese. The final two lines use a rhetorical question and personification to transform the red maple leaves into the tears of lovers parting, perfectly blending scenery and emotion.

【白话串讲】 “碧云天，黄花地，西风紧，北雁南飞”——王实甫写崔莺莺送张生，一句话就把秋天的离别写尽了。“晓来谁染霜林醉？总是离人泪”——霜叶的红，是离人的眼泪染的。【意象与手法】前四句「碧云天，黄花地，西风紧，北雁南飞」以四组意象并列，构成秋景长卷，不用虚字而境界全出；后二句陡然以设问收束，「染」「醉」二字拟人化，将客观秋色转为主观离泪，由景入情，水到渠成，体现王实甫词句警人、余香满口的语言功力【情感与主旨】《西厢记》为王实甫所撰杂剧，写张珙与崔莺莺的爱情故事。此〔正宫·端正好〕出自第四本第三折「长亭送别」，系崔莺莺赴长亭饯别张生进京赶考时所唱，以秋景起兴，将满林红叶化为离人血泪，写尽离别时的凄楚与不舍【名句点睛】常考「晓来谁染霜林醉？总是离人泪」的设问与拟人手法；把握前四句秋景对离愁的烘托作用；识记「碧云天，黄花地」对范仲淹《苏幕遮》的化用；默写易错字「黄花地」之「黄」勿误作「荒」

Background

The play "Romance of the Western Chamber" by Wang Shifu tells the love story of Zhang Gong and Cui Yingying. This aria from the fourth act is sung by Yingying at the farewell feast before Zhang Sheng travels to the capital for the imperial examination. It is a monologue by the leading female role, pouring out her grief of parting.

《西厢记》为元代剧作家王实甫所作杂剧，敷演唐代元稹《莺莺传》所载张生与崔莺莺的爱情故事，而改其始乱终弃的结局为「愿天下有情的都成了眷属」的圆满团圆，是元杂剧中最负盛名的爱情名作，也是中国古典戏曲抒情艺术的巅峰。此〔正宫·端正好〕出自第四本第三折「长亭送别」：老夫人以崔家三代不招白衣女婿为由，逼张生即日进京应试，莺莺被迫与爱人分离，赴十里长亭饯别，此曲即莺莺出场时所唱。元杂剧每折由一人主唱，此折由正旦崔莺莺独唱，〔端正好〕为全折之首曲，一开场即以秋景写离愁，定下全折凄恻的基调。王实甫生卒年不详，约与关汉卿同时而稍晚，与关汉卿、白朴、马致远并称元曲四大家，其《西厢记》文辞华美，向被推为元杂剧文采派之首。全折由端正好、滚绣球、叨叨令等曲连缀成套，向为戏曲抒情文学的典范，此曲尤为其中传诵最广的一支，其辞采之工、情韵之深，皆足为后世剧曲之范，长亭送别一折，遂成为中国戏曲文学中最动人心魄的篇章，其地位之隆，千载不易，戏曲史家论长亭一折，无不叹为观止。

Art

The aria displays highly condensed beauty. The first four lines present four parallel images—blue clouds, yellow flowers, west wind, north geese—creating a panoramic autumn scene without function words. The final couplet shifts abruptly with a rhetorical question, personifying the ‘drunken’ frosty woods as tears, moving from scene to emotion seamlessly, showcasing Wang Shifu's masterful language.

此曲仅一曲六句，却具高度浓缩之美。前四句「碧云天，黄花地，西风紧，北雁南飞」以四组意象并列，构成一幅深秋长卷：云天碧、黄花黄、西风紧、北雁飞，色有冷暖、景有动静、物有远近，仰视俯视、触觉动态俱全，不用一个虚字而境界全出，秋之萧瑟已扑面而来，无一字写情而离愁满纸。后两句「晓来谁染霜林醉？总是离人泪」陡然以设问振起，「染」「醉」二字拟人化，将经霜的红枫说成被离人泪水染醉，化客观之景为主观之情，由景入情，水到渠成，把崔莺莺的离愁推至顶点。前实后虚、前静后动、前叙后问，章法精妙，层层逼进，正合王实甫词句警人、余香满口的语言评价，也是元曲以景写情、情景交融的典范，故金圣叹评此折为「真正妙绝」，前四句写景，后二句写情，一实一虚，章法井然，正见王实甫以诗法入曲、以词笔写情的深厚功力，此曲遂为元曲抒情之首唱，其写景之工，直入唐诗三昧；其写情之切，又尽曲家之长。

Allusions

The phrase 'blue clouds, yellow flowers' adapts Fan Zhongyan's line 'blue clouds, yellow leaves' from 'Robe of Fragrance', changing 'leaves' to 'flowers' to fit the farewell banquet. 'West wind, north geese' echoes the ancient poem 'Hu horses lean to the north wind; Yue birds nest on southern branches' and the legend of wild geese carrying letters, contrasting the geese flying south with the traveler going north, deepening the resentment of parting.

「碧云天，黄花地」明显化用范仲淹《苏幕遮》「碧云天，黄叶地」，易「叶」为「花」，既存秋意，又切眼前送别之实（黄花即菊花，为秋日之物），一字的改动最见功力，既避熟又切景。「西风紧，北雁南飞」暗承《古诗十九首》「胡马依北风，越鸟巢南枝」之意与雁足传书之典：雁南飞而人北去，物候之变反衬离人之行，倍增怅惘，古来以雁写别，此曲用得最为自然。末句「离人泪」则遥应江淹《别赋》「黯然销魂者，唯别而已矣」，以「泪」字点破「别」字，将《别赋》的意绪化为可感的画面。「霜林」又暗含红叶题诗的唐人故事，红枫与情书、离泪相连，意象绵密。全曲用典不着痕迹，化前人词境与别赋意绪于一曲，深得文人曲以诗为曲、以词入曲之妙，其化用之妙，正见文人曲脱胎于诗词而又能自成面目的特点，典故入曲而不觉其典，全在融化之工，故王世贞推《西厢》为北曲压卷，良有以也，然其用典亦非无本，范词别赋，皆成我注脚，正是文人曲之能事。

Commentary

Wang Shizhen in 'Qu Zao' praised 'The Western Chamber' as the best of northern drama. Jin Shengtan commented on this aria: 'The line "At dawn, who dyed..." is truly wonderful, beyond human words.' Zhu Quan in 'Taihe Authentic Music Score' likened Wang Shifu's lyrics to 'a beauty among flowers,' lauding their graceful narration and poetic charm.

明代王世贞《曲藻》称《西厢记》「北曲故当以《西厢》压卷」，金圣叹更将此折评为「真正妙绝」，于「晓来谁染霜林醉，总是离人泪」句批曰「非复人间语」，推崇备至。朱权《太和正音谱》评王实甫之词如「花间美人」，赞其铺叙委婉、深得骚人之趣。此曲之妙在于以极短的篇幅容纳极深的感情：前四句写景不着一个愁字而离愁满纸，后两句设问，一问一答，将千古离情凝于两语，遂成元曲中写别情的绝唱，数百年来传诵不衰。在文学史上，此曲与柳永《雨霖铃》并称中国离别文学的双璧，一为宋词一为元曲，皆是抒情文学的最高典范，也是戏曲文学中抒情曲辞的极致，其以景写情、由景入情的笔法，深刻影响了后世戏曲与散曲的抒情传统，其写别情之深挚、意境之浑成，实已超越前人同类之作，故能历数百年而不衰，至今仍为舞台与案头共赏的绝唱，其艺术生命力，历元明清三代而不衰，且影响及于小说与弹词，蔚为大观。

Prosody

Form Yuan zaju aria (Zheng Gong · Duan Zhenghao)元杂剧曲辞（正宫·端正好，北曲正宫套曲之首曲）

Rhyme fei, lei (borrowed rhyme, transition between Qiyi and Zhisi)「飞」「泪」押韵，属齐微韵部，一韵到底，虽仅两韵而声情相应

Tone pattern Irregular line lengths of zaju, free from regulated verse tonal patterns, excelling in image juxtaposition曲牌句式长短错落（四三三四、七五），不拘近体诗平仄，以语气的自然顿挫为节奏，前四句短句铺陈，后二句长句抒情。

Reading note Blends poetic imagery into melodic drama, merging scene and emotion, pioneering the lyrical vein in Yuan sanqu.〔端正好〕为北曲正宫常用曲牌，句式作四三三四、七五，凡六句，长短错落，节奏疏朗，适合铺写景物与直抒胸臆。曲辞不似近体诗讲究平仄粘对，而以曲牌的定式配合宾白与科介，形成宜歌宜诵的声情。此曲前四句以四三三、四的短句急促铺陈秋景，如连珠炮发，一气流注，正合秋色扑面而来的视感；后二句转为七五长句，一问一答，顿挫沉郁，正合由景入情的章法需要。全曲押齐微韵，「飞」「泪」皆属之，韵位虽疏而声情相应，尾句「总是离人泪」以「泪」字仄声收束，凄切斩截，余响不绝。王实甫熔诗词意境入曲，使曲辞兼具诗之凝练与曲之流利，开元代文人曲抒情一脉之先声，此曲正是其曲辞艺术的典范，也是北曲正宫调中抒情性最强的名篇之一，故后世剧家论北曲正宫抒情，必首举此曲，其曲律之疏朗、声情之凄婉，皆足为北曲正宫之准式。

Line by line

碧云天，黄花地，西风紧，北雁南飞。

Blue clouds on the sky, yellow flowers on the ground; the west wind keen; the wild geese flying south.

碧空飘着云，黄花铺满地，秋风一阵紧似一阵，北雁向南飞去。

Blue clouds drift across the sky; yellow flowers carpet the ground; the autumn wind blows keener; the northern geese wing south.

四组意象并置，秋色长卷扑面而来。「碧云天」仰视，「黄花地」俯视，「西风紧」写触觉，「北雁南飞」写动态，色、触、动、静俱全，而无一字写情。然而云天愈碧、黄花愈黄、西风愈紧、雁飞愈急，离愁愈深——以乐景写哀、以壮景衬悲，秋之萧瑟正是离人心境的外化，为下文「离人泪」蓄足气势，是元曲中写景最凝练传神的开篇之一，寥寥十二字，已尽深秋送别之景与情，四景一气流注，正是以景寓情、以物写心的最高手笔，其境界之开阔，气韵之流动，直可上追唐人绝句，其凝练含蓄，更开北曲抒情之新境。

Four image-groups set side by side, a long scroll of autumn rushes to the face. 'Blue clouds on the sky' looking up, 'yellow flowers on the ground' looking down, 'the west wind keen' the touch, 'the wild geese flying south' the motion — color, touch, motion, stillness all complete, not one word of feeling. Yet the bluer the clouds, the yellower the flowers, the keener the wind, the faster the geese, the deeper the parting grief — writing grief through joyous scenery, setting off sorrow through grand scenery, the bleakness of autumn the externalization of the parting heart, charging the 'parting tears' below. One of Yuan qu's most condensed, vivid openings; a few words already hold the deep-autumn farewell's scene and feeling, four scenes in one breath, the highest brush of feeling dwelling in scenery and heart written through things.

晓来谁染霜林醉？总是离人泪。

At dawn, who dyed the frosty woods drunken red? Always the tears of those who part. Uses rhetorical question and personification to transform the red leaves into lovers' tears, reaching the peak of grief.

清晨是谁把经霜的枫林染醉？原来是离人的眼泪。

At dawn, who has dyed the frost-edged maple woods to drunken crimson? The very tears of the parting one.

设问振起，是全曲之眼。「谁染」故作一问，引而不发，蓄势于前；「霜林醉」以拟人写枫叶红艳如醉，兼写离人悲极如醉，景与情浑然一体；答句「总是离人泪」直捣题旨：枫叶之红，原是离人血泪所染。「染」「醉」二字使无情之景化为有情之物，情景交融，把崔莺莺送别张生的凄楚推至极致，一问一答之间，千古离情尽在其中，遂成戏曲史上最著名的抒情名句，也是中国文学写离情的神来之笔，其设问之妙，在于问得痴、答得痛，痴问痛答之间，离人血泪尽在眼前，此联一出，后世写别者几难措手，其影响之深远，于此可见。

The question starts with a lift, the eye of the song. 'Who dyed?' the deliberate question, held back, charging the part before; 'frosted woods drunk' personifying the maple leaves' drunken red, and the parting one's grief to drunkenness, scene and feeling whole; the answer 'the tears of the one who parts' strikes the theme: the maple's red, dyed by the parting one's blood and tears. The words 'dyed' and 'drunk' turn the feelingless scene into a feeling thing, scene and feeling fused, pushing Cui Yingying's grief at parting from Zhangsheng to the extreme; one question, one answer, the parting grief of ages within — the most famous lyrical line in Chinese drama, the god-sent stroke of writing parting in Chinese literature. The question's wit lies in asking foolishly, answering painfully; between the foolish question and the painful answer, the parting tears are before the eyes. Once this couplet appeared, later writers on parting could scarce set brush; its far-reaching influence is here seen.

Study

Word focus

染 Personification: describes the frosty woods as dyed red by parting tears, making static scenery carry deep emotion. 「谁染霜林醉」之「染」字拟人化，把经霜枫林之红说成是离人泪水浸染而成，由静变动、由物及人，使无情之秋景承载深挚的离情。「染」字本是织染之词，移以写秋色，暗含着色、浸渍之意，比「红」「赤」等直说更具过程感与深情，仿佛可见泪痕一点一点浸透霜叶，炼字之妙，堪称一字千金，与「醉」字配合，景与情浑然一体，是天成妙对，其妙处正在于以动作写情感，予秋色以泪痕，一字千金，信非虚语。

醉 Double meaning: both the intoxicating red of maple leaves and the drunken grief of the lovers, blending scenery and feeling. 「霜林醉」之「醉」字双关：既写枫叶红艳如醉酒的酡颜，又暗写离人悲极如醉如痴的神态，景与情、物与人浑然一体。「醉」字以人的情态写物的颜色，赋予枫林以生命与感情，是全曲最富神韵的字眼；与「染」字一虚一实，共同完成秋色向离泪的转化，使原本无情的霜林成为离人愁绪的化身，可谓画龙点睛，一字活全曲，此字一出，全曲之神为之凝聚，其双关之妙，尤为后人击节，其神韵之胜，实为全曲点睛之笔。

紧 A single word captures the force of autumn wind and the urgency of parting sorrow, concise yet powerful. 「西风紧」之「紧」字写秋风之劲急，一字兼写风力之大与离愁之迫促，以无形之风写有形之迫，张力十足。「紧」字本是写绳索拉紧的词语，移以写风，暗含催促、逼迫之意，与张生即将离去的紧迫相映，为「晓来谁染」的深情设问预设了氛围，是全曲写景中炼字最凝练的一例，也是前四句由静入动、由景入情的关节所在，一字而写尽秋风之劲与离情之迫，张力自见，其炼字之精，直可与词中名句相颉颃。