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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

登飞来峰

Climbing Feilai Peak

王安石

Wang Anshi

言志Expressing Ambition 哲理Philosophical 登高Climbing High

飞来山上千寻塔，闻说鸡鸣见日升。
不畏浮云遮望眼，自缘身在最高层。

On Flying Peak there stands a tower a thousand fathoms high,
They say at cockcrow one can see the sunrise.
Not afraid of floating clouds to block my view,
Because I myself am at the highest layer.

Listen

Meaning

The poet climbs Feilai Peak in Hangzhou, atop which stands a very high pagoda. Legend says at cockcrow one can see the sun rise from the tower. This inspires the firm idea: since one is at a high place, one need not fear floating clouds blocking the view. The whole poem uses the act of climbing to express the broad vision, fearlessness, and confidence of a reformer.

飞来峰上矗立着一座千寻高的宝塔，听说在鸡鸣时分登塔，便能望见红日喷薄升起。我一点也不怕浮云遮住远望的双眼，只因为自己已经站在了最高的一层。

Appreciation

Climbing gives rise to a philosophical insight. The thousand-fathom tower and cockcrow sunrise create a grand scene. The couplet 'Not afraid... because I am at the highest layer' shifts from scene to reason: floating clouds symbolize obstacles or petty people, and the highest layer represents both the tower top and a high vantage point. The poet's resolute tone reveals the audacity and confidence of a reformer on the eve of political change.

【白话串讲】 “不畏浮云遮望眼，自缘身在最高层”——年轻王安石登飞来峰，二十几岁就写出了这句话。后来他推行变法，大概一直记着：站得高，才不怕浮云遮眼。【意象与手法】即景说理，气象宏阔。二十八字将登高之壮与胸襟之阔熔铸一体，是宋诗"理趣"与豪气结合的佳作【情感与主旨】王安石此诗约作于皇祐二年（1050），时年三十，任鄞县知县期满入京，途经杭州登飞来峰（一说在浙江绍兴宝林山）【名句点睛】常考"不畏浮云遮望眼，自缘身在最高层"的哲理

Background

Wang Anshi wrote this poem around 1050 at age 30, after completing his term as magistrate of Yin County and on his way to the capital, passing Hangzhou to climb Feilai Peak (some say it is Baolin Mountain in Shaoxing). As a young official with ambitions to reform the country, he expresses his political self-confidence and far-sightedness in this poem.

《登飞来峰》约作于宋仁宗皇祐二年（一〇五〇年），时王安石年三十，任鄞县知县秩满入京，途经杭州登飞来峰（一说在浙江绍兴宝林山，峰上有应天塔）。此刻距其熙宁变法尚远，诗人年富力强、志存高远，正欲一展抱负于朝堂。飞来峰相传为晋咸和初印度僧慧理所称『此乃中天竺国灵鹫山之小岭，不知何以飞来』，故得名，其下有千寻之塔，为登高望远之胜境。此诗在文学传统上处于唐人登高怀古与宋人即景说理的过渡地带：它不同于陈子昂《登幽州台歌》的苍凉孤独，亦不同于杜甫《望岳》的壮阔包举，而是将登高体验直接转化为人生哲理的宣示，开启了宋诗『以理入诗』『理趣交融』的一脉先声。后世多将其与苏轼《题西林壁》并视为宋诗理趣双璧，足见其在唐宋诗风转关中的坐标意义。又据宋人笔记，王安石少时即好穷究物理、议论古今，此诗『不畏浮云』之语已隐见其后来主持新法、不为流俗所动的定力，故读此诗不可仅作风景看，实乃中年政治家气象之早现。

Art

The poem combines immediate scenery with philosophical reasoning in a grand manner. The first line exaggerates height with 'thousand fathoms,' setting the stage. 'They say at cockcrow' adds imaginative space. The last two lines use the causal structure 'not afraid... because' to transition naturally from description to reasoning. Clever double meanings: 'floating clouds' as actual clouds and as petty men; 'highest layer' as tower top and high political/ideological position.

此诗章法简净而气象宏阔，二十八字完成了由实入虚、由景及理的跃升。前两句『飞来山上千寻塔，闻说鸡鸣见日升』实写登高所见所闻，以『千寻』极言塔高，以『鸡鸣见日升』写出晨登望日的壮景，铺垫出高远开阔的视境；后两句『不畏浮云遮望眼，自缘身在最高层』笔锋一转，由叙事跳入议论抒情，将物理之高转为精神之高。其艺术核心在于『登高—望眼—遮障—超越』的逻辑结构：浮云本为实景，在此被提炼为阻碍见识的象征，而『最高层』既是塔之顶层，更是胸襟境界的隐喻。全诗不假雕琢，以议论为诗而不流于枯燥，正因前有具体登览之景撑起，后有真切豪气贯注，景、理、情三者如水乳交融，是宋诗理趣而不病于理的典型范本。更可注意者，四句皆以『不』『自』等虚字斡旋气脉，使议论有顿挫、有血脉，绝非枯燥说理，此正宋人『以意胜』而能不堕理障之妙。清人论宋诗，每讥其以议论为诗而失比兴，此作却能景理交融，正可证宋诗亦自有其诗味在，非徒说理而已。

Allusions

'Floating clouds blocking the view' alludes to the traditional image of 'floating clouds obscuring the sun' (e.g., in Han yuefu and Li Bai's poems), which usually symbolizes villains blocking the wise. Wang Anshi reverses it: since he is at the top, he is not blocked. 'Cockcrow and sunrise' also suggests diligence and bright prospects, possibly alluding to 'rise at cockcrow'.

诗中『浮云』一典渊源甚古，最先见于《新语·慎微篇》『故邪臣之蔽贤，犹浮云之障日月也』，后以『浮云蔽日』喻奸邪蒙蔽君王、小人阻隔贤路，李白《登金陵凤凰台》『总为浮云能蔽日，长安不见使人愁』即用此意。王安石反用其典：他不忧浮云蔽日，只因身在高处，暗含对自己立足真理、不为谗邪所惑的自信，是对传统『浮云』语典的翻新与主体化。『千寻』之『寻』为古长度单位（八尺为寻），极言其高，属字面训诂常识。『见日升』暗合《庄子》与佛家『日出』之象，喻光明前景。历来注释于『飞来峰』具体所在略有异说（杭州灵隐 vs 绍兴宝林山），然于诗意无大碍。要之，本诗用典贵在化熟为生，将政治隐喻收摄于个人登高体验之中，看似用事而实不见堆垛，此亦宋诗用典『水中着盐』之高境。又『鸡鸣见日升』之『鸡鸣』兼写破晓与闻道，暗用『闻鸡起舞』之勤，与少年入仕之志相映，注家亦多及之，可见一字之中亦藏用典之细。

Commentary

Qing critic Wu Qiao commented on the rational interest of Song poems, citing this as an example. Modern critics praise Wang's early poems for their boldness and decisive tone. 'Not afraid' couplet is often cited as a symbol of far-sightedness and firm belief.

此诗自南宋即入评选，明人推为荆公早年七绝代表作。清人陈衍《宋诗精华录》称其『二十一字中有千寻塔、见日升、最高层三层意，的是名作』。在传播史上，它因寄寓『站得高方能看得远』的普世哲理，与苏轼《题西林壁》『不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中』并称宋诗理趣双璧，长期并列为语文教材必读篇目。其经典地位尤在末二句所凝练的进取精神：既被解读为政治上的自信（变法的先声），亦被引申为人生的励志格言。需要注意的是，古人亦有误将此诗与李白、杜甫登高诗比高下者，实则体性不同——唐人重兴象，宋人重理悟，王诗之长正在以浅近语道破深刻理，开后世说理诗之法门。近现代以来，它更因契合科学世界观与积极进取的时代精神而备受推崇，成为激励青年立志向上的经典篇目，其生命力历久弥新。近人论宋诗理趣，必举此篇与《题西林壁》，以为宋调成熟之标志，良有以也；少年读之励志，长者读之会心，正见经典之包容。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (level-tone opening, first line not rhyming)七言绝句（七绝）

Rhyme Rhymes on -sheng and -ceng in the even tone; 'tower' (ta) is a checked tone, not rhyming.押平声蒸韵，塔字古属入声（此处不押韵，首句不入韵），升、层押韵，一韵到底，声情开阔爽朗。

Tone pattern First line: ping ping ping ze ping ping ze; last two lines: ze ze ping ping ping ze ze, ze ping ping ze ze ping ping.首句『飞来山上千寻塔』平平平仄平平仄（塔入声），次句『闻说鸡鸣见日升』平仄平平仄仄平，三句『不畏浮云遮望眼』仄仄平平平仄仄（眼上声），四句『自缘身在最高层』仄平平仄仄平平，合七绝平起首句不入韵常格，平仄谐畅。

Reading note First two lines narrate scene, last two lines reason from scene—a model of Song philosophical poetry.本诗格律谨严而读来痛快，声情与辞意互为表里。首句不入韵，以『塔』字入声顿住，起势峭拔；次句『升』字平收，舒展开朗，与旭日初升之象相应。后两句『望眼』『最高层』一仄一平，收放有度，将议论之语念得如奔泻而下。整体属七绝中平起式，未见拗句，法度圆熟。宋人七绝本易流于枯率，此诗却能于严整声律中见豪宕之气，正因内容有骨力，声律遂为骨力所驱使，读之但觉英气逼人而非格套所囿。蒸韵本属清亮之韵，与『层』字所寄高远之志相生，声情辞意于此高度统一，故虽短章而能振起人心。读之令人神旺，良非偶然；其理趣之妙，正在不见理障而英气自溢，此方为宋人七绝之上乘。

Line by line

飞来山上千寻塔，

On Feilai Peak rises the thousand-xun pagoda,

飞来峰上矗立着一座千寻高的宝塔

On Feilai Peak stands a pagoda a thousand xun high.

起句点明登临之地与所仰之塔。『千寻』极言其高，以夸张的尺度先声夺人，为后文『最高层』『不畏浮云』蓄势。飞来峰本带神话色彩（相传自天竺飞至），与高塔相配，更添超拔尘寰的意味。此句纯为叙事铺垫，却已暗藏诗人欲凌绝顶、骋远怀的雄心，是写景，更是写胸次之高的序笔。『千寻』二字以虚数写实景，既合登临之实感，又见少年意气之昂藏，起笔便有吞吐天地之势，为全诗的豪宕气骨奠定第一块基石。

The opening marks the climbing place and the tower looked up to. The thousand xun writes the height to the extreme, the hyperbolic scale striking first, storing force for the highest tier and the fear not the drifting clouds below. Feilai Peak by nature carries the myth (said to have flown from India), and with the high tower the more adding the meaning of soaring above the dust. The line is pure narrative groundwork, and yet secretly carries the poet's ambition to reach the summit and range far, writing the scene and the height of the breast, the preparatory stroke. The two words thousand xun write the real scene through the virtual number, at once the real feeling of the climb and the young spirit's loftiness, the opening already with the air of swallowing heaven and earth, laying the first cornerstone of the poem's bold bone.

闻说鸡鸣见日升。

They say at the cock's crow you see the sun rise.

听说在鸡鸣时分登塔，便能望见红日喷薄升起

I am told that at the cock's crow, one can watch the red sun burst forth.

承句由塔及景，以『闻说』带出登塔观日之奇，『鸡鸣见日升』写出破晓时分红日喷薄的壮美，暗喻光明前程与蓬勃朝气。『闻说』二字看似转述传说，实则以虚写实，将客观晨景化为心中期待。日升意象与诗人入京求仕、欲有所作为的时机暗合，景中已有志得意满之兆，为下文理悟之语作好情绪铺垫。鸡鸣破晓、红日初升，本是天地间最充满希望的一刻，诗人择此入诗，正见其胸中所蓄乃旭日般的进取之心，而非迟暮之嗟。

The carrying line moves from the tower to the scene, bringing the wonder of watching the sun from the tower through the words they say; at the cock's crow you see the sun rise writes the splendor of the red sun's burst at dawn, secretly figuring the bright future and the vigorous spirit. The words they say seem to retell the legend, in truth using the virtual to write the real, turning the objective dawn scene into the inner expectation. The sun-rise image secretly matches the poet's entering the capital for office, the time for doing, the scene already carrying the omen of the satisfied will, preparing the emotional ground for the reasoned insight below. The cock's crow and the dawn, the first rising sun, by nature the moment of the world most full of hope; the poet's choosing it for the poem shows the breast's stored forward-striving heart, not the old man's sigh.

不畏浮云遮望眼，

I fear not the drifting clouds clouding my gazing eyes,

我一点也不怕浮云遮住远望的双眼

I do not fear the drifting clouds veiling the far-gazing eyes.

转句由景入理，『浮云』由实景升华为阻碍见识的象征（传统喻奸邪谗佞），『不畏』二字斩钉截铁，显出睥睨小人的气度。望眼被遮本是登高常忧，诗人却反其意而用之，将可能的阻碍轻描淡写地化解，足见其立足高处的从容。此句为全篇精神枢纽，把物理的云障转化为精神层面的无畏，气势陡然振起。『不畏』一词以否定加动词构成断语，力重千钧，正是宋人『以意胜』的典型用词，读来觉其骨力铮铮，已预演后来变法中『天变不足畏』的魄力。

The turning line moves from scene to reason, the drifting clouds sublimed from the real scene to the symbol of the obstruction to insight (the traditional metaphor of the wicked slanderers); the words fear not, decisive as cut metal, show the air of scorning the petty men. The veiled gazing eyes by nature the usual anxiety of the high climb, and the poet turns its meaning, lightly dissolving the possible obstruction, showing the composure of the high standing. The line is the spiritual hinge of the whole, turning the physical cloud-veil into the spiritual fearlessness, the air suddenly rising. The phrase fear not, the negation-plus-verb verdict, the weight a thousand jun, precisely the Song usage of the meaning's triumph, reading with the ringing bone, already rehearsing the daring of the later reforms' the portent changes are not to be feared.

自缘身在最高层。

For my body stands on the highest tier.

只因为自己已经站在了最高的一层

Simply because I stand on the highest tier.

合句揭出原委，以『自缘』收束因果，点明『不畏』之根由全在『最高层』。此层既是塔之顶层，更是站位、识见、境界之高层。诗人以登塔之实，喻处世之理：唯有立身正、站位高，方能不为浮云（谗邪、偏见）所蔽。哲理与形象合一，警策有力，是宋诗以理趣胜的千古名句，亦为王荆公早年自信襟抱的自我写真。『最高层』三字虚实相生，将具体的空间高度抽象为认知与道德的制高点，使一己登览之得升格为普适的处世箴言，至今犹能激励人登高望远、超越蒙昧。

The closing reveals the reason, closing the cause and effect through the word simply because, marking the root of the fear not wholly in the highest tier. This tier is at once the pagoda's top and the height of standing, insight, and realm. The poet, through the real climb of the tower, figures the principle of living in the world: only standing upright and high can one not be veiled by the drifting clouds (the slander, the prejudice). Reason and image one, warning and force, the Song immortal line of the speculative triumph, and the self-portrait of Wang Anshi's early confident breast. The three words highest tier, virtual and real engendering each other, abstracting the concrete spatial height into the cognitive and moral height, raising one man's climb into the universal maxim of living, still able today to inspire the high gaze and the rising above the dark.

Study

Word focus

不畏 not afraid; fearless 『不畏』二字是全诗气骨所在。通常登高临远，人多以浮云蔽日、前景难明为忧，诗人却以否定词『不』配以『畏』字，将常情之虑一笔扫空。这一反常合道的处理，使诗歌由写景顺势翻入抒怀，彰显出变法前夜王安石睥睨流俗、坚信真理在握的精神姿态。二字看似平易，实则以断语式的肯定撑起后句因果，力重千钧，是宋人『以意胜』的典型用词。其语气之决绝，已隐隐透出后来执政时『天命不足畏，人言不足恤』的魄力，故读此诗当知『不畏』非偶然之豪语，乃其一生命格之早现。

最高层 the highest layer (both tower top and high position) 『最高层』三字虚实相生，是全诗理趣的凝结点。字面指应天塔的最高一层，实则可两解：一为政治地位之高（即将入朝任职），一为精神境界之高（超越世俗遮蔽）。王安石将具体的空间高度抽象为认知与道德的制高点，使『层』字由建筑术语变为哲理符号。正是这一双关，让末句既是个人的豪言，又升格为普适的处世箴言，至今仍能激励人登高望远。它与首句『千寻塔』遥相呼应，由实写之塔高归于虚写之境高，结构环环相扣，足见宋人七绝以理绾景、以景证理的匠心。