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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

登快阁

Climbing the Kuai Pavilion

黄庭坚

Huang Tingjian

登高Ascending High 抒怀Expressing Feelings 山水Landscape

痴儿了却公家事，快阁东西倚晚晴。
落木千山天远大，澄江一道月分明。
朱弦已为佳人绝，青眼聊因美酒横。
万里归船弄长笛，此心吾与白鸥盟。

Done with official duties, the fool I play,
On Kuai Pavilion I lean at sunset ray.
In boundless sky the endless forests fall,
The river清澈 and the moonlight all.
No longer will I play my lute for one who knew,
Drinking, I roll my eyes only at you.
Let me sail home with flute at length,
And pledge my heart to seagulls with no strength.

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Meaning

The poet, after finishing government affairs, climbs the Kuai Pavilion to relax in the evening. He sees vast autumn scenery: mountains stripped of leaves under a wide sky, and a clear river bright with moonlight. He laments the loss of a soulmate and finds solace only in wine. Finally, he resolves to sail home and live freely with seagulls, escaping the world's troubles.

我这痴人总算办完了公家的差事，登上快阁，在晚晴中东西眺望、倚栏舒怀。千山落叶尽脱，更显天宇辽远；一道澄澈的江面上，明月分外分明。琴弦早已为知音而断绝不弹，如今只因美酒才肯露出青眼相看。终要乘上万里归船、吹弄长笛，这颗心啊，我愿与白鸥订下盟约。

Appreciation

This poem records Huang Tingjian's relief after finishing official work and his enjoyment of the distant view from Kuai Pavilion. The first couplet expresses relaxation; the second describes the grand autumn landscape; the third shifts to emotion, lamenting the lack of a kindred spirit and finding only wine as company; the last couplet resolves to return home and live with seagulls, symbolizing withdrawal from worldly affairs. Notable for its grand imagery and refined use of classical allusions.

【白话串讲】黄庭坚办完公事登上快阁，看落木千山、澄江月明。“万里归船弄长笛，此心吾与白鸥盟”——一个想归隐的人，把心事说给了白鸥听。【意象与手法】全诗起承转合老练，颔联「落木千山天远大，澄江一道月分明」最见功力：以「落木千山」衬「天远大」，以「澄江一道」映「月分明」，大景与小景、阔与清相生，对仗如铜墙铁壁而气象开张。炼字亦巧，「倚晚晴」之「倚」写出人与阁相偎的闲适，「横」字写青眼之放达，用典（痴儿、青眼、白鸥）融化无迹，体现江西诗派「点铁成金」之长【情感与主旨】此诗作于宋神宗元丰五年（1082），黄庭坚任吉州太和（今江西泰和）知县。为政间常感公务繁冗、知音难觅，公务稍暇便登城西快阁散怀，于壮阔秋景中寄寓脱略世务、向往江湖的心声【名句点睛】常考「落木千山天远大，澄江一道月分明」的意境与对仗，以及典故「青眼」（阮籍）、「白鸥盟」的含义

Background

Written in 1082 when Huang Tingjian was magistrate of Taihe, Jiangxi. Feeling burdened by government duties and lacking a true friend, he often visited Kuai Pavilion to relax. The poem reflects his weariness with bureaucracy and his longing for a carefree life by the river.

黄庭坚（1045—1105），字鲁直，号山谷道人，洪州分宁（今江西修水）人，北宋诗人，江西诗派开山祖，与苏轼并称「苏黄」。此诗作于宋神宗元丰五年（1082），时黄庭坚任吉州太和（今江西泰和）知县。太和地僻事繁，黄庭坚以「简淡」治县，然公事之累、俗务之扰仍时时袭来，加之王安石新法余波未平，党争渐起，士人处境微妙，诗人常感知音难觅、仕隐两难。快阁在太和县治东澄江（赣江支流）之上，为登览胜地。公务之暇，黄庭坚常登阁散怀，此诗即记一次晚晴登临。「痴儿了却公家事」是自嘲自解之笔，暗含对官场俗务的厌倦；「此心吾与白鸥盟」则直抒归隐江湖之志。全诗于壮阔秋景中寄寓脱略世务、向往自由的性灵追求，是黄庭坚中年诗风成熟期的代表作。元丰五年黄庭坚三十八岁，正值中年，诗艺已臻成熟。太和任上，他推行简静之政，不事苛扰，然县务琐碎，常以登览自遣，其《寄黄几复》「桃李春风一杯酒，江湖夜雨十年灯」亦作于此时，可见其心境之一斑。此诗写晚晴登阁，由公事之累写到归隐之志，正是其仕隐矛盾的真实流露，亦为江西诗派「以俗为雅、以故为新」诗学主张的实践样本。

Art

The poem's structure is masterful: the second couplet 'Falling trees on countless mountains, the sky seems vast; The clear river flows, the moon shines bright' is particularly praised for its expansive and brilliant imagery. The use of dynamic and static, distance and closeness creates a powerful and refined style. The diction, such as 'lean' (倚) and 'roll' (横), is precise and expressive. Classical allusions are seamlessly integrated, showcasing the Jiangxi School's skill of transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.

全诗起承转合极为老练，八句四联层层递进。首联「痴儿了却公家事，快阁东西倚晚晴」以自嘲起笔，写卸去公务后的如释重负，「倚晚晴」三字点出登临时节与闲适情态，「东西」写凭栏四望，眼界为之打开。颔联「落木千山天远大，澄江一道月分明」写登阁所见，是全诗最著名的对句：千山落叶尽脱，天宇为之空阔；一道澄江横陈，月色为之分明——以「落木千山」之旷衬「天远大」，以「澄江一道」之清映「月分明」，大与小、阔与清相生相发，境界雄浑而意境澄明。颈联陡然一转，由外景折入内心：「朱弦已为佳人绝，青眼聊因美酒横」，用伯牙、阮籍二典写知音难觅、唯酒是亲，孤傲之气见于言外。尾联「万里归船弄长笛，此心吾与白鸥盟」以归隐之志收束，想象中万里归船、长笛一曲，心与白鸥为盟，旷达之中又见落寞。四联由事入景、由景入情、由情入志，转接无痕，是「豪放中见精严」的典范。

Allusions

'Playing the fool' (痴儿) alludes to a Jin dynasty story where a person said 'If a son is foolish, he can get official business done.' Huang uses it self-mockingly. 'Roll my eyes' (青眼) refers to Ruan Ji, who used black eyes (青眼) for friends and white eyes for vulgar people. 'Pledge to seagulls' (白鸥盟) comes from a tale in Liezi about a man who lived harmoniously with seagulls because he had no cunning thoughts, symbolizing a pure heart free from worldly schemes.

此诗用典凡三，皆融化无迹。「痴儿」用《晋书·傅咸传》所载杨济语：「生子痴，了官事。官事未易了也。」本谓愚痴之人才去理会官事，黄庭坚反其意而自嘲，说自己这个「痴儿」居然办完了公家事，于自贬中见出自解与厌倦。「青眼」用《晋书·阮籍传》典：阮籍能为青白眼，见礼俗之士以白眼对之，见嵇康等知己则以青眼（黑眼珠正视）相待。黄庭坚说自己的青眼如今只肯为美酒而「横」——一个「横」字写出酒徒放达之态，也暗含知音已绝、无复青眼可施于人的孤寂，用典而能出新。「白鸥盟」用《列子·黄帝》典：海上有人每日与鸥鸟相狎，其父欲其捕鸥，此人再往海上，鸥鸟便盘旋不下，因他有「机心」。黄庭坚用此典，表示愿弃绝机心、与鸥鸟为盟，即归隐江湖、脱略世务。三典一自嘲、一自伤、一自许，层次分明而气脉一贯，正是江西诗派「无一字无来处」而「点铁成金」的典范。至于「弄长笛」之「长笛」，亦暗含汉乐府《长笛赋》与晋人桓伊「梅花三弄」的雅事传统，与「归船」相配，写归隐之乐的高雅脱俗，是尾联画龙点睛之笔。

Commentary

Huang Tingjian is the founder of the Jiangxi School of poetry. This poem is considered one of his best seven-character regulated verses. Critics praise its smooth flow and grand style. The modern scholar Chen Yan ranked it as the finest in Huang's collection, noting its seamless structure and elevating power.

此诗历来推为黄庭坚七律第一，论者极多。宋人方回《瀛奎律髓》评山谷诗「平淡而山高水深」，此诗可见其「豪放」一面；近人陈衍《宋诗精华录》列此诗为「山谷集中第一」，谓「起接流转，一气呵成，而风力足以举之」；清人姚鼐《今体诗钞》亦称其「气象阔大」。此诗所以为七律典范，在于它把江西诗派的功力与个人性情完美结合：用典精严而情致流转，对仗工稳而气象开张，章法谨严而气脉贯通，尤其是颔联「落木千山天远大，澄江一道月分明」，融杜甫「无边落木萧萧下，不尽长江滚滚来」的苍茫与谢朓「余霞散成绮，澄江静如练」的澄明于一炉，而更见清峻。此联历来为选家必录，成为写秋江晚景的千古名句。就文学史而言，此诗标志着宋诗「以才学为诗」与「以理趣为诗」的成熟，也可见黄庭坚由学杜而自成一家的轨迹，对南宋陆游、杨万里皆有沾溉。现代以来，此诗入选多种中学语文教材与诗歌选本，颔联成为写景名句之典范，全诗亦被视为理解宋诗「以理趣为诗」的入门之作。论者谓黄庭坚七律气象之开阔、用典之精严、炼字之奇峭，于《登快阁》一篇而兼备，其于杜诗之外自辟蹊径的成就，由此可见。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated verse with even tone start and no rhyme on the first line.七言律诗（平起首句不入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes in level tone 'qing' (晴), 'ming' (明), 'heng' (横), 'meng' (盟); first line ends with a deflected tone word 'shi' (事) not rhyming.押平水韵下平八庚韵：晴、明、横、盟（首句「事」仄收不押韵）

Tone pattern The second and third couplets have strict parallelism: 'falling trees vs clear river' and 'zhu xian vs qing yan' both demonstrate the lean and forceful style.首句「痴儿了却公家事」为平平仄仄平平仄，平起仄收不入韵；颔联「落木千山—澄江一道」、颈联「朱弦已为—青眼聊因」对仗精严，瘦硬通神。

Reading note Written when Huang was magistrate of Taihe; integrates allusions, parallelism, and an untrammeled spirit—a representative work of the Jiangxi School.此诗为七言律诗，平起首句不入韵式。首句「痴儿了却公家事」（平平仄仄平平仄）以仄声「事」字收句，不入韵而见顿挫，第二句「快阁东西倚晚晴」以平声「晴」入韵，押下平八庚韵，韵脚「晴」「明」「横」「盟」四字皆平声，音色清亮，正合秋江晚景的澄明与诗人脱俗的意趣——庚韵字声响而有余韵，宜于写开阔之境。对仗上，颔联「落木千山天远大，澄江一道月分明」最为精工：「落木—澄江」为名词相对、「千山—一道」为数量相对、「天—月」为天文相对、「远大—分明」为形容词相对，十四字无一字不工而气象浑然；颈联「朱弦已为佳人绝，青眼聊因美酒横」以典对典、以「已为」对「聊因」，虚字传神，属对中见流转。全诗平仄合律而气脉流动，起承转合一气呵成，是宋人七律中「精严与豪放兼得」的典范。

Line by line

痴儿了却公家事，快阁东西倚晚晴。

The foolish one has finished public business; on the Kuai Pavilion, east and west, I lean against the clear evening sky.

我这痴人总算办完了公家的差事，登上快阁，在晚晴中东西眺望、倚栏舒怀。

The fool that I am has finished the office work; on the Kua Pavilion I lean, east and west, into the evening clearness.

首联以自嘲起笔，情致闲逸。「痴儿」用《晋书》杨济「生子痴，了官事」之典而反用其意，自称痴儿，实是以痴自解，暗含对官场俗务的厌倦；「了却公家事」写公务已毕的如释重负，一个「了」字见出摆脱羁绊的快意。第二句「快阁东西倚晚晴」顺势展开：快阁为登览胜地，「东西」写凭栏四望、目之所及的开阔，「倚晚晴」三字尤妙——「倚」写人与阁相偎、身心俱闲的舒放，「晚晴」点出雨后或日暮初晴的澄明光景，为下联的秋江月色预作底色。起笔不写登阁所见，先写登阁之人，人物情态一现，全诗的闲逸基调便定。

The first couplet opens in self-mockery, the feeling leisurely. The fool that I am uses the Jin Shu allusion of Yang Ji's the son is a fool, and has done the official business, reversing its meaning; naming himself the fool is in truth the self-ease through foolishness, secretly carrying the weariness of the official drudgery; finished the office work writes the relief of duties done, the single done showing the joy of slipping the bonds. The second line on the Kua Pavilion I lean, east and west, into the evening clearness opens in its train: the Kua Pavilion the famed climb, the east and west the gazing over the rail, the wide reach of the eye; the three words lean, evening, clearness are the finest — the lean writes the man's resting against the pavilion, body and mind at ease; the evening clearness marks the clear light after rain or at dusk, preparing the ground color for the autumn river and moon below. The opening writes not the pavilion's view, but the man on the pavilion; the figure's bearing once shown, the poem's leisurely tone is fixed.

落木千山天远大，澄江一道月分明。

Falling leaves over a thousand mountains, the sky seems vast and far; a stretch of clear river, the moon shines bright.

千山落叶尽脱，更显天宇辽远；一道澄澈的江面上，明月分外分明。

Fallen leaves on a thousand hills, the sky vast and far; the clear river a single band, the moon bright and sharp.

颔联是全诗最著名的对句，写登阁所见的壮阔秋景。上句「落木千山天远大」：万木凋落、千山空疏，反衬出天宇的高远空旷——以「落」写秋之肃杀，以「千山」写视野之广，落木越尽，天越显大，是「以空阔衬空阔」的妙笔；下句「澄江一道月分明」：一道澄碧的江流横陈于前，月色照临，愈见清澈分明——「一道」写江之横绝，「分明」写月之皎洁，是「以澄澈写澄澈」的工对。两句一横一纵、一远一近、一旷一清，大景与小景相生，对仗如铜墙铁壁而气象开张，把秋夜江天的澄明高远写到极致，是宋诗「以理入景」而归于浑成的名句。

The second couplet is the poem's most famous couplet, writing the grand autumn scene from the pavilion. The upper fallen leaves on a thousand hills, the sky vast and far: all trees shed, the thousand hills bare, setting off the sky's height and emptiness — the fallen writing autumn's severity, the thousand hills the view's breadth, the more the leaves fall the vaster the sky, the fine brush of setting the broad against the broad; the lower the clear river a single band, the moon bright and sharp: a clear emerald river spread before, the moonlight upon it the more clear and sharp — the single band writing the river's cross, the bright and sharp the moon's purity, the balanced couplet of clarity writing clarity. Two lines, one horizontal one vertical, one far one near, one vast one clear, the grand scene and the small scene engendering each other, the balance like an iron wall and the air open, writing the autumn river-and-sky's clarity and height to the extreme, the famous line of Song poetry's entering reason into scene and ending in fusion.

朱弦已为佳人绝，青眼聊因美酒横。

The red strings have been broken for the beautiful lady; my black eyes only roll for fine wine.

琴弦早已为知音而断绝不弹，如今只因美酒才肯露出青眼相看。

The crimson strings are snapped for the fair one gone; the green eye opens but for the good wine.

颈联由外景折入内心，是全诗的转折。「朱弦已为佳人绝」用伯牙破琴绝弦之典：伯牙痛失知音钟子期，终身不复鼓琴，黄庭坚借此写知音已逝、琴声遂绝，明写不弹琴，实写无人可语的心事，孤寂之深可见；「青眼聊因美酒横」用阮籍青白眼之典，说自己如今只剩为美酒而青眼相看——一个「聊」字写无可奈何的将就，「横」字写醉眼横斜、放达不羁之态，唯酒是亲的落寞与孤傲同在。二句用典写情，不直言孤独而孤独满纸；上句「已为」之决绝，下句「聊因」之勉强，一冷一热，恰恰写出知音既绝之后百无聊赖的心境，为尾联归隐之志作势。

The third couplet turns from the outer scene to the inner heart, the turning of the poem. The crimson strings are snapped for the fair one gone uses the Boya allusion: Boya, grieving the loss of his soulmate Zhong Ziqi, broke his strings and played no more for life; Huang Tingjian uses it to write the soulmate gone and the strings then silent, on the surface not playing the lute, in truth writing the heart with none to speak to, the loneliness deep; the green eye opens but for the good wine uses the Ruan Ji green-and-white eye allusion, saying he now opens the green eye but for the good wine — the single word but writes the helpless settling, the word horizontal the drunken eyes' roving, the unrestrained bearing, the loneliness and the pride of the wine as the only kin together. Two lines writing feeling through allusion, not speaking loneliness and loneliness filling the page; the upper the already snapped resolve, the lower the but-for makeshift, one cold one warm, precisely writing the bored heart after the soulmate's silence, storing force for the closing's retirement will.

万里归船弄长笛，此心吾与白鸥盟。

A boat returning from ten thousand miles playing a long flute, this heart of mine makes a pact with the white seagulls.

终要乘上万里归船、吹弄长笛，这颗心啊，我愿与白鸥订下盟约。

The homecoming boat ten thousand li away, the long flute played — this heart of mine has sworn a league with the white gulls.

尾联以归隐之志收束，旷达而见深情。上句「万里归船弄长笛」是想象之辞：驾一叶归船，于万里江天之中吹弄长笛，何其自在——「万里」写江湖之远，「弄长笛」写志趣之雅，与首联「倚晚晴」的闲适遥相呼应，构成一幅脱略尘网的江湖行乐图；下句「此心吾与白鸥盟」用《列子》海上鸥鸟忘机之典，明言愿与白鸥订盟、弃绝机心，把归隐之志推到极致——「吾与」二字斩截有力，见出决绝。此联由颈联的孤寂一转而为超脱，知音既绝，便索性投向江湖白鸥，悲中见达、郁而能旷，全诗在开阔的境界中收束，余韵悠长。

The last couplet closes on the retirement will, broad-minded and deep-feeling. The upper the homecoming boat ten thousand li away, the long flute played is the imagined word: steering a homecoming boat, playing the long flute in the ten-thousand-li river and sky, what ease — the ten thousand li the rivers and lakes' distance, the long flute the lofty taste, answering the first couplet's leaning into the evening clearness, forming a picture of the rivers-and-lakes joy unbound from the dusty net; the lower this heart of mine has sworn a league with the white gulls uses the Liezi allusion of the gulls forgetting schemes, plainly saying the league with the white gulls, the renouncing of worldly scheming, pushing the retirement will to the extreme — the two words I have sworn decisive and forceful, showing the resolve. The couplet turns from the third's loneliness to the transcendence: the soulmate silent, then simply turning to the rivers and lakes and gulls, the grief within the ease, the gloom within the breadth, the poem closing in the open realm, the aftertone long.

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Word focus

痴儿 foolish child; a self-mocking term referring to someone engrossed in tasks without worldly wisdom. 「痴儿了却公家事」之「痴儿」用《晋书·傅咸传》典，是全诗自嘲自解的关键词。杨济谓其弟曰「生子痴，了官事」，本意是说只有痴人才肯去理会那办不完的官事；黄庭坚拈此二字自称，反其意而用之——既然做了官就得办差，办完差便自嘲一声「痴儿」，把官场俗务的无奈与厌倦轻轻化解。此词妙在以贬为褒、以俗为雅：自称痴儿，实含「众人皆巧我独拙」的清高；自嘲了事，实寓「摆脱公事一身轻」的快意。一个「痴」字，既是自谦，更是自守，为全篇「厌宦—登览—归隐」的情感线索埋下伏笔，是起笔即见性情之字。

倚 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「快阁东西倚晚晴」之「倚」字，写人与阁、人与景的亲昵关系，是全诗情态之眼。「倚」本指凭靠，此处写诗人凭栏而立，身心俱付于晚晴之中——不是「登」的用力，不是「望」的专注，而是「倚」的松弛：公事已了，一身轻松，闲闲地倚着栏杆，让目光在东西之间随意游走，让心神融化在晚晴的光色里。此字以闲适写情态，看似平常而最见功力：它把人物从「办事的官」还原为「赏景的人」，与「痴儿」的自嘲一脉相承，也为颔联静观落木江月、颈联感怀知音难觅的转折准备了心境。山谷炼字之精，于一个「倚」字可见一斑。

横 to roll; to cast a glance. 「青眼聊因美酒横」之「横」字，是颈联的诗眼，极写放达之态。阮籍青眼本是正视，黄庭坚却以「横」字写之——醉眼横斜、目光横逸，一个「横」字把酒徒的放浪形骸写得活灵活现，也把「聊因美酒」的勉强与无奈透出：青眼本应施于知己，如今知己已绝，只能聊借美酒一横其目，看似豪放，骨子里是无人可青眼相看的孤寂。「横」字之妙在于把静态的眼神写出动态的逸气，与上句「绝」字相对——琴弦已绝而醉眼犹横，一静一动、一灭一放，知音之痛与放达之姿同时呈现，是全诗情感张力最强的两个字。炼「横」字而情态、心境毕现，正是江西诗派「无一字无来处」而又「字字如铸」的功力。

白鸥盟 A key expression in this poem; read it with the Chinese note below. 「此心吾与白鸥盟」之「白鸥盟」用《列子·黄帝》典，是尾联归隐之志的归结。典谓海上有人与鸥鸟相狎，鸥鸟群集不去；后其父欲其捕鸥，此人复往，鸥鸟皆盘旋不下，因他已怀「机心」。黄庭坚拈此典言「吾与白鸥盟」，即愿与鸥鸟订盟、永绝机心，明写归隐江湖，实写脱略世务、返璞归真的精神归宿。「白鸥」意象之妙，在于它既是实景——澄江之上白鸥翩飞，与颔联「澄江一道月分明」的江景相映；又是虚指——鸥鸟忘机，象征无牵无挂的自由。以「吾与」二字直陈盟誓，斩截有力，把归隐之志写到绝处；而「盟」字又暗示此志之郑重，与「聊」的勉强、「横」的放达遥相对照，全诗心境至此由孤寂升华为超脱。

登快阁