明 Ming · 诗 Poem
戏题飞来峰（其一）
Playfully Inscribed on the Flying Peak (I)
试问飞来峰，未飞在何处。
人世多少尘，何事不飞去。
高古而鲜妍，杨雄不能赋。
How much dust is there in the human world, that cannot fly away?
Lofty and ancient yet fresh and bright — Yang Xiong could not put you in a rhapsody.
Meaning
A playful, Chan-flavored meditation addressed to the legendary Flying Peak, wondering about its origin and why human cares cannot fly away like it, then praising its beauty as beyond even a master rhetorician's words.
试问这飞来峰，它未飞来时究竟在何处？人世间多少尘埃俗累，为何不能像它一样飞去？它高古而又鲜妍，连扬雄那样的辞赋大家也描摹不出。
Appreciation
The whole poem is structured as a series of questions that advance step by step. First it asks where the peak came from, then why the dust of the world cannot fly away, moving from object to self and from Chan wit to worldly feeling. The closing line turns the impossibility of Yang Xiong's rhapsody into proof of the peak's ineffable beauty, an unexpected and clever twist. Yuan Hongdao's call to 'express one's own spirit, bound by no fixed form' shows here as a playful little poem carrying both a quality of philosophical delight and a sense of emptiness. The language is plain as speech yet ethereal in conception.
【白话串讲】 “试问飞来峰，未飞在何处”——袁宏道戏题飞来峰：它没飞的时候，在哪里？“人世多少尘，何事不飞去”——人世的尘土那么多，怎么不飞走？“高古而鲜妍，杨雄不能赋”——他赞飞来峰高古鲜妍。 【意象与手法】全篇以“问”结构，两问递进：先问峰之来处，再问尘之不去，由物及人、由禅机及世情。“杨雄不能赋”以辞赋圣手之不能，反衬飞来峰的不可言说之美，翻空出奇。 【情感与主旨】借飞来峰的传说发禅家机锋，亦暗含对尘世束缚的慨叹与对高洁超脱的向往。袁宏道“独抒性灵”，此诗以戏笔写理趣，浅白中见空灵。 【名句点睛】“人世多少尘，何事不飞去。”——由峰之能飞来，反诘人世之尘为何飞不去。一问将禅机落到人间，戏谑中藏深沉，最见公安派“不拘格套”的性灵本色。
Background
Yuan Hongdao (1568-1610), courtesy Zhonglang, was the leader of the 'Three Yuans of Gong'an' who advocated 'expressing one's own spirit, bound by no fixed form,' opposing the antiquarianism of the Earlier and Later Seven Masters. This poem was written in 1597, after he resigned as magistrate of Wuxian and traveled freely in the Wu-Yue region; it is the first of two pieces on the Flying Peak.
《戏题飞来峰（其一）》为明代袁宏道所作，是写飞来峰之奇、以戏谑问之的诗。袁宏道（1568—1610），字中郎，号石公，公安人，明代文学家。此诗：试问飞来峰，未飞在何处。人世多少尘，何事不飞去。高古而鲜妍，杨雄不能赋。全诗写飞来峰之奇、以戏谑问之，是袁宏道诗的名篇。
Art
The whole piece is built on questions that advance in two steps, moving from the peak's origin to the world's undying dust, an unexpected turn. The closing 'Yang Xiong could not put you in a rhapsody' contrasts to reveal its ineffable beauty. The language is plain as everyday speech yet empty and intriguing — a typical Gong'an 'spirit' poem.
《戏题飞来峰（其一）》艺术上以飞来峰之奇的描摹与戏谑之问的诙谐见长。全诗六句：首写试问飞来峰——“试问飞来峰，未飞在何处”写试问飞来峰、未飞在何处，“人世多少尘，何事不飞去”写人世多少尘、何事不飞去；末写高古鲜妍——“高古而鲜妍，杨雄不能赋”用杨雄之典写高古而鲜妍、杨雄不能赋。全诗以飞来峰之奇写戏谑之问，正是袁宏道诗诙谐的笔法。
Allusions
The Flying Peak is at Lingyin in Hangzhou; legend says the Indian monk Hui-li thought it resembled Spirit Vulture Peak in India and wondered when it had flown there. 'Yang Xiong' is the Han rhapsody master Yang Xiong (written Yang under Tang taboo), 'could not put in a rhapsody' stressing its beauty defies description. The opening 'where were you before you flew' adapts the Chan topic 'where were you before your parents were born.'
《戏题飞来峰（其一）》用典在“飞来峰”“尘”“高古”“鲜妍”“杨雄”。“飞来峰”写飞来峰（杭州灵隐飞来峰）；“尘”写尘（红尘）；“高古”写高古；“鲜妍”写鲜妍；“杨雄”用扬雄之典（扬雄能赋）。全诗以这些意象写飞来峰之奇、戏谑之问，用典自然而诙谐自见，正是袁宏道诗的笔法。
Commentary
Yuan Hongdao's poetry is sincere and plain, often writing leisure and Chan truth. This piece asks through scenery, empty and far-reaching; a Qing critic praised its 'unique wise conception issuing in strange fancy,' a representative miniature of late-Ming spirit poetry.
《戏题飞来峰（其一）》是袁宏道诗的名篇，也是明诗中写山水之奇的诙谐之作。此诗写飞来峰之奇、以戏谑问之，向为论者称道。论者多赏其飞来峰之奇的描摹与戏谑之问的诙谐——“试问飞来峰，未飞在何处”写试问飞来峰、未飞在何处，诙谐之极；“人世多少尘，何事不飞去”写人世多少尘、何事不飞去，更见其趣；“高古而鲜妍，杨雄不能赋”用杨雄之典写高古而鲜妍、杨雄不能赋，尤见其妙。袁宏道为公安派领袖，其诗以性灵诙谐著称，此诗正是其代表——以飞来峰之奇写戏谑之问，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
试问飞来峰，未飞在何处。
Let me ask the Peak That Flew Here: before you flew, where were you?
试问飞来峰，未飞在何处。
Let me ask the Peak That Flew: before you flew, where were you?
首写试问飞来峰、未飞在何处，是全诗写戏谑之问的起点。“试问飞来峰”写试问飞来峰——“试问飞来峰”写试问那飞来峰——试问飞来峰；“未飞在何处”写未飞在何处——“未飞在何处”写你未飞时在何处——未飞在何处。二句写试问飞来峰、未飞在何处：试问飞来峰，未飞在何处。以“试问飞来峰”写试问飞来峰、拟人发问，以“未飞在何处”写未飞何在、诙谐之问，正是袁宏道诗写戏谑之问的起点——试问飞峰，未飞何处。
The question. Let me ask the Peak That Flew Here: before you flew, where were you? The playful question to the flying peak is the opening. To have questioned the peak would be a question; the let-me-ask-the-peak-that-flew-here-before-you-flew-where-were-you is the question.
人世多少尘，何事不飞去。
So much dust in the human world—why has not it all flown away?
人世多少尘，何事不飞去。
The human world is full of dust; why has not everything flown away?
中写人世多少尘、何事不飞去，是全诗写戏谑之问的深化。“人世多少尘”写人世多少尘——“人世多少尘”写人世间多少尘埃——人世多少尘；“何事不飞去”写何事不飞去——“何事不飞去”写为何不飞了去——何事不飞去。二句写人世多少尘、何事不飞去：人世多少尘，何事不飞去。以“人世多少尘”写人世红尘、纷扰如尘，以“何事不飞去”写何事不飞、反诘之趣，正是袁宏道诗写戏谑之问的深化——人世多尘，何事不飞。
The dust. So much dust in the human world—why has not it all flown away? The worldly dust and why-not-it-all-flew are the turn. To have asked why not it flew would be a question; the so-much-dust-in-the-human-world-why-has-not-it-all-flown-away is the question.
高古而鲜妍，杨雄不能赋。
Lofty and ancient, yet fresh and fair—even Yang Xiong could not have rhymed it.
高古而鲜妍，杨雄不能赋。
Sublimely old yet freshly beautiful; even Yang Xiong could not have sung it.
末用杨雄之典写高古而鲜妍、杨雄不能赋，是全诗写飞来峰之奇的归结。“高古而鲜妍”写高古而鲜妍——“高古而鲜妍”写峰既高古又鲜妍——高古而鲜妍；“杨雄不能赋”用杨雄之典写杨雄不能赋——“杨雄不能赋”用扬雄（辞赋家）之典写杨雄也不能赋咏——杨雄不能赋。二句写高古而鲜妍、杨雄不能赋：高古而鲜妍，杨雄不能赋。以“高古而鲜妍”写峰高古鲜妍、兼美之姿，以“杨雄不能赋”用扬雄之典写杨雄难赋、奇不可状，正是袁宏道诗写飞来峰之奇的归结——高古鲜妍，杨雄难赋。
The Yang Xiong. Lofty and ancient, yet fresh and fair—even Yang Xiong could not have rhymed it. The lofty-ancient and the fresh-fair and the Yang-Xiong-cannot-rhyme are the close. To have outdone Yang Xiong would be an outdoing; the lofty-and-ancient-yet-fresh-and-fair-even-yang-xiong-could-not-have-rhymed-it is the outdoing.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
袁宏道《戏题飞来峰（其二）》写飞来峰之奇、同题戏谑，与本首同为袁宏道戏题飞来峰。差异在篇目：其一写试问未飞何处；其二写别样之问。一写“问”之趣，一写“戏”之谐。两者并读，可见袁宏道戏题飞来峰的两种篇目。
登飞来峰 Climbing Feilai Peak 王安石 · 同为诗写飞来峰，一写戏谑之问一写登顶之志，一谐一高 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
王安石《登飞来峰》写飞来峰顶、不畏浮云，与本首同为诗写飞来峰。差异在情致：袁宏道写戏谑之问；王安石写登高之志。一写“戏”之趣，一写“志”之高。两者并读，可见诗写飞来峰的两种情致。
题西林壁 Written on the Wall of Xilin Temple 苏轼 · 同为宋明诗写山水理趣，一写戏谑问峰一写庐山面目，皆理趣 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
苏轼《题西林壁》写庐山真面目、不识之叹，与本首同为宋明诗写山水理趣。差异在情境：袁宏道写飞来峰之问；苏轼写庐山之感。一写“问”之谐，一写“感”之深。两者并读，可见宋明诗写山水理趣的两种情境。