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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

题临安邸

Written on the Wall of Lin'an Inn

林升

Lin Sheng

讽喻Satirical 南宋Southern Song

山外青山楼外楼，西湖歌舞几时休？
暖风熏得游人醉，直把杭州作汴州。

Hills beyond hills, towers beyond towers,
When will West Lake's songs and dances end?
Warm breezes make visitors drunk,
They mistake Hangzhou for Bianzhou.

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Meaning

The poet criticizes the Southern Song rulers for indulging in pleasure in Lin'an (Hangzhou) while forgetting their lost capital Bianjing (Kaifeng).

青山之外还有青山，高楼之外还有高楼，西湖上的轻歌曼舞要到何时才能停休？暖洋洋的风把游赏的人熏得如痴如醉，竟简直把临时苟安的杭州当成了沦陷的故都汴州。诗人以冷峻之笔，讽刺南宋君臣偏安一隅、沉醉享乐、忘却收复中原之志。

Appreciation

Starting with layered imagery of hills and towers, the poem questions when the revelry will stop. The final lines use irony to expose the rulers' numbness to national shame.

【白话串讲】 “山外青山楼外楼，西湖歌舞几时休”——南宋朝廷偏安杭州，整天歌舞升平。林升在旅店墙上题诗质问：“暖风熏得游人醉，直把杭州作汴州”——别忘了，汴州还在敌人手里。【意象与手法】诗前两句铺陈与诘问并用：「山外青山楼外楼」以顶真叠句写杭州繁华无尽，「几时休」陡作反诘，由写景转入议论。后两句以「暖风」「醉」写麻木沉溺，「直把杭州作汴州」以两地对照收束，冷峻尖锐。全诗不着一「讽」字而讥刺毕露，把乐景、醉态与国恨熔于一炉，含蓄而有力。【情感与主旨】林升，南宋淳熙年间士人，生平不详。此诗题于临安（今杭州）城邸壁间，约作于南宋偏安已久、西湖歌舞盛行之时。距汴京沦陷已数十年，朝廷苟安江左，不思恢复。诗人借题壁直刺时弊：歌舞无休、游人沉醉、竟把临安作汴州，字字沉痛，是南宋最著名的讽喻诗之一。【名句点睛】常考考点：一、「山外青山楼外楼」的叠句与铺陈手法；二、「几时休」的反问语气及其忧愤；三、「暖风」的双关含义；四、「直把杭州作汴州」的对比与反讽，为何不说「作汴京」而说「作汴州」。

Background

Lin Sheng, a scholar of the Southern Song dynasty, wrote this poem on the wall of an inn in Lin'an (modern Hangzhou). At that time, the court had fled south after the fall of the northern capital and was reluctant to recover lost territory, indulging instead in luxury.

林升，南宋孝宗淳熙年间士人，生平记载极少，《全宋诗》仅存其诗数首，而《题临安邸》一首流传千古。此诗题于临安城某客邸（旅店）墙壁之上，约作于南宋中期。此时距靖康之变、汴京沦陷已过数十年，南宋朝廷偏安江南，以临安（今杭州）为行在（临时都城），君臣上下耽于湖山之乐：西湖边画舫笙歌、楼台连云，达官贵人日以游宴为事，收复失地之志日渐消磨。诗人行旅至此，目睹此景，遂题诗壁上，借眼前繁华直刺时弊。此诗之所以著名，正因它以二十八字凝聚了一个时代的症候——偏安、享乐与忘却，与陆游「遗民泪尽胡尘里」、辛弃疾「却将万字平戎策，换得东家种树书」等爱国悲歌同属南宋士人忧时伤国的声音，而独以冷峭含蓄见长，千百年来读之犹觉其锋芒。临安本为吴越旧都，南宋定都后大兴土木，西湖周边园囿相望、画舫相接，成为偏安君臣的销金窟；时人有「一勺西湖水，渡江来、百年歌舞，百年酣醉」之叹，正与林升此诗同调。题壁之作本易湮没，此诗却因道出千万人心中的隐忧而不胫而走，足见其代表性。

Art

The poem employs repetition ('hills beyond hills, towers beyond towers') to depict endless opulence, then shifts to a rhetorical question. The 'warm breeze' is a metaphor for both literal spring and decadent music. The contrast between Hangzhou and Bianzhou is sharp and ironic.

此诗章法极简而层次分明，可作讽喻诗的典范来看。首句「山外青山楼外楼」连用两个「外」字作顶真式铺陈，写杭州依山傍水、楼阁连云、繁华无尽之貌，语势连绵，如登楼步步升高，愈见楼台之盛。次句「西湖歌舞几时休」由景入问，「几时休」三字以反诘顿折，把前句的铺排蓦地收住，转为对歌舞无休的质询，讥刺之意暗藏于问。后两句集中写「醉」：「暖风熏得游人醉」的「熏」字，写出暖风如酒气般熏人欲醉的绵软，「醉」字则直揭游人的麻木沉溺；结句「直把杭州作汴州」以「杭州」「汴州」两地对照，一针见血——杭州是苟安的乐土，汴州是沦陷的故都，把前者「作」后者，正是忘却国耻、偏安自欺的活写真。全诗前二句写繁华，后二句写荒诞，不着一「讽」字而讥刺毕露，冷峻之中自有一股郁愤，布局之精、转折之陡，皆见功力。语言上，此诗近于口语，「几时休」「直把」皆是当时话头，无一丝书卷气，正合题壁之作的即兴性质；然而口语入诗而不失凝练，二十八字层层递进，由繁华、质问、沉醉而至于点破，如匕首出鞘，一击中的，可见作者虽名不见经传，笔力却非等闲。尤妙者，全诗无一典故、无一冷字，妇孺可解，而讽意之深又非浅人可测，正是「深入浅出」的极致。

Allusions

Bianzhou refers to Bianjing (Kaifeng), the former capital lost to the Jurchens in 1127. The phrase 'mistake Hangzhou for Bianzhou' alludes to the court's willful ignorance. 'Warm breeze' recalls Du Mu's line 'The merchant girl does not know the sorrow of a lost kingdom' from 'Mooring on the Qinhuai River'.

此诗用典极浅而意极深，皆融化于字面。「汴州」即北宋都城汴京（今河南开封），靖康二年（1127）金兵陷城，徽钦二帝北掳，汴京沦于金人之手，北宋遂亡；此后南宋以临安为行在，故「汴州」一词本身即含故都沦陷、山河破碎的痛史。「直把杭州作汴州」将二地对举，暗用「乐不思蜀」一类典故的反面——阿斗乐不思蜀尚知蜀为故国，南宋君臣竟以偏安之地为乐土，连「思」的念头也泯灭了。又「暖风」一词双关：既指西湖畔温暖和煦的自然春风，亦指醉生梦死的享乐之风，承杜牧《泊秦淮》「商女不知亡国恨，隔江犹唱后庭花」的讽喻传统，血脉相连。题壁诗为宋人特有风气，旅邸墙壁往往题满诗作，此诗亦借题壁而传，其「邸」字正点明传播的现场感与写作的即兴锋芒。又「西湖歌舞」一语，暗承柳永《望海潮》「有三秋桂子，十里荷花」写杭州之盛的意象传统，相传金主完颜亮闻此词遂起投鞭渡江之志，南宋君臣不以为鉴，反沉湎于湖山之乐，此诗「西湖歌舞几时休」正是对这一「歌舞误国」循环的清醒警示；以杭州对汴州，又以地名之双声叠韵成对，音节上亦见匠心。

Commentary

This poem is considered a masterpiece of satire, akin to Du Mu's 'Mooring on the Qinhuai River'. The final line is often quoted to criticize complacency in the face of national crisis.

《题临安邸》是宋诗讽喻的压卷之作，历代评家无不击节。清人评：「『直把杭州作汴州』七字，写尽南宋君臣醉生梦死之状。」又谓此诗与杜牧《泊秦淮》「商女不知亡国恨，隔江犹唱后庭花」异代同调——杜牧刺晚唐的沉湎，林升刺南宋的偏安，皆以乐景写忧国之痛，而林诗更以「杭州」「汴州」的现时对照，把历史教训写得触目惊心。今人论南宋爱国诗，常以陆游、辛弃疾之慷慨，文天祥之悲壮与林升之冷峭并列，谓其讽喻之深不在直抒之下；更有论者指出，「山外青山楼外楼」的叠句本身即具双重意味——既写繁华无尽，又暗讽楼台园林之营建无度。此诗以其言浅意深、冷峻含蓄，成为讽喻诗的典范，历代传诵不衰，至今读之，犹能想见西湖歌舞中的沉沉醉意与诗人笔端的冷冷锋芒。南宋末年，此诗之讽犹有人继响，汪元量等遗民写亡国后西湖之凄凉，正是「几时休」的最终答案；明人杨慎《升庵诗话》亦摘此诗为「宋人绝句之佳者」。至于近世，此诗与《满江红》《示儿》同入教材，成为理解南宋偏安政局的重要文本，其讽喻之力历八百年而不衰，冷峭含蓄的艺术品格亦为后世讽喻诗树立了范式。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain七言绝句

Rhyme Rhymes on '楼' (lou), '休' (xiu), '州' (zhou) in the Even Tone (Level Tone) category.押平声尤韵（平水韵十一尤：楼、休、州），首句入韵

Tone pattern Rising tone pattern with first line entering rhyme.平起首句入韵式，平仄合律，后两句对仗工稳

Reading note A poem inscribed on a wall, typical of Southern Song protest poetry.此诗为七言绝句，押平水韵下平十一尤韵，「楼」「休」「州」三字入韵，首句即入韵。尤韵字音响亮而悠长，正合感叹、质问的声情，韵脚「楼」「休」「州」一韵到底，读来如一声长叹，与「几时休」「作汴州」的质问反讽相为表里。格律上属平起首句入韵式，平仄按近体正格安排，声调流利圆转，无一处拗涩——正因声调太流畅，恰与「醉」的沉溺相合，形式上的圆熟更衬出内容上的荒诞。后两句「暖风熏得游人醉，直把杭州作汴州」对仗虽不严整，而「杭州」「汴州」的地名对举自成工对，音义俱佳，为全诗之眼。七绝以二十八字写尽一代偏安之痛，言浅意深，声情并茂，是讽喻诗与格律完美结合的典范，也是宋人题壁诗中最精悍的一首。

Line by line

山外青山楼外楼

Beyond the green hills more green hills, beyond the towers more towers.

青山之外还有青山，高楼之外还有高楼。

Beyond green hills rise more green hills; beyond towers rise more towers.

此句连用两个「外」字，以顶真式叠句写杭州依山傍水、楼台连云之盛，语势连绵向上，如游人登楼步步高升，愈见繁华无尽。其妙在双关：表面是纯写景物的铺陈，极言湖山之胜、楼阁之多，暗里却已伏下讥刺——楼外有楼，正见达官贵人竞相营建园宅、挥霍无度；青山无尽，反衬国土日蹙、中原未复。此句为全诗「繁华」的正面，写得越足，与结句「作汴州」的荒诞对照便越强烈，乐景之盛正是讽意之深的根基，是讽喻诗「先扬后抑」的经典起笔。

This line's twice using the wai word, the chain-repetition's writing Hangzhou's mountain-and-water setting and towers-cloud-connecting abundance, the tone's continuous upward, like the visitor's tower-climbing step's rising, the prosperity the more endless. Its wonder in the double meaning: the surface's the pure scene's layering, the lake-and-hill's surpassing and the pavilion's many's extreme saying, and yet within already storing the satire foreshadowing — the beyond-the-towers more-towers precisely seeing the dignitaries' vying-built gardens and the reckless spending; the green-hills' endless, setting off the territory's daily shrink and the Central Plains' unrecovered. This line the whole poem's prosperity positive side, the more fully written, and the closing's as-Bianzhou absurd contrast the stronger, the joy-scene's abundance precisely the satire's depth foundation, the satirical poem's first-lift-then-press classic opening.

西湖歌舞几时休

When will the West Lake's songs and dances ever cease?

西湖上的轻歌曼舞要到何时才能停休？

When will the West Lake's singing and dancing ever stop?

此句由铺陈陡转反诘，「几时休」三字如当头棒喝，把前句的繁华画面蓦然截断。西湖歌舞不是一时的欢会，而是长年累月的常态——画舫笙歌、日日不休，诗人以问句责之：这歌舞几时方休？国难当头而歌舞无休，其荒诞不言自明。反诘的语气中暗藏忧愤与绝望：明知不休，偏问「几时」，正如明知故问，愈问愈见沉痛。此句是承上启下的枢轴，由景入论，为后两句的「醉」与「作」蓄势；同时以「休」字入韵，与「楼」「州」同韵，声口悠长，如一声叹息，把质问化入声情之中。

This line from the layering's sharp turn to the rhetorical question, the when-will-it-cease three words like the head-on blow, the above's prosperity picture's suddenly cut. The West Lake's song-and-dance not the one-time revel, and yet the long-year constant — the painted barge's pipes and songs, daily's no-rest, the poet using the question for the charge: this song-and-dance when's the cease? The national calamity at hand and yet the song-and-dance's no-rest, its absurdity's self-evident. Within the rhetorical tone's hidden grief and despair: knowing the no-rest and yet asking the when, precisely the knowing-and-yet-asking, the more-the-asking-the-more-the-grief. This line the above-below pivot, from scene to argument, storing the force for the below's drunkenness and as-Bianzhou; and yet using the xiu word for the rhyme, with the lou and zhou's same rhyme, the tone's long, like a sigh, turning the question into the voice-feeling.

暖风熏得游人醉

The warm wind fumes the visitors into drunkenness.

暖洋洋的风把游赏的人熏得如痴如醉。

The warm breeze fumes the sightseers into a drunken stupor.

「熏」字是全句的眼目：暖风本无形，着一「熏」字，便如酒气、烟气般弥漫缭绕，熏得人昏昏欲醉——风之软、日之暖、湖山之可乐，尽在「熏」中。而「游人醉」的「醉」字更含多层意味：一是沉醉于湖光山色之乐，二是麻木于国难当头之忧，三是自欺于偏安苟且之安。醉的既是游人，更是朝野上下的整个南宋社会。此句以乐景写麻木，语面温柔，骨子里却冷峻至极，为结句的致命一击铺足情势。值得注意的是，「醉」是过程的终点，「熏」是过程的展开，二字相生，把沉溺写得无孔不入、不可抗拒。

The xun word the whole line's eye: the warm wind originally shapeless, the one xun word's added, then like the wine-vapor and smoke-vapor's diffusing-winding, fuming the person into the drowsy drunkenness — the wind's soft, the sun's warm, the lake-and-hill's delight, all within the xun. And the visitor's drunkenness's zui word's the more carrying the multi-layer meaning: one the intoxication in the lake-and-hill joy, two the numbness before the national calamity grief, three the self-deception in the complacent peace. The drunk's at once the visitors, and yet the court-and-country's whole Southern Song society. This line using the joy-scene for the numbness-writing, the surface gentle and the bone's extremely cold, storing the full force for the closing's fatal strike. Worth noting, the zui the process's end, the xun the process's unfolding, the two words' mutual birth, writing the indulgence's no-hole-unavoidable and irresistible.

直把杭州作汴州

They take Hangzhou straight for Bianzhou.

竟简直把临时苟安的杭州当成了沦陷的故都汴州。

They simply take the temporary Hangzhou for the fallen capital Bianzhou.

结句以「杭州」「汴州」四字对照，是全诗最锋利的一刀。「直」字意为「竟然、简直」，以出乎常理的语气强化反讽——杭州是苟安的行在，汴州是沦陷的故都，二者一乐土一伤心地，竟被醉人混为一谈，仿佛从未有靖康之耻、从未有故国之思。「把……作……」句式点出这种自欺的主动与彻底：不是不知，而是甘愿忘却。七字写尽南宋君臣醉生梦死之状，冷峻警策，千载之下犹觉其寒光凛凛。诗人不说「作汴京」而说「作汴州」，取「州」字与「楼」「休」同韵，音义俱佳，更以地名之对举收束全篇，使讽喻在音节与意义两个层面同时完成。

The closing line using the Hangzhou-and-Bianzhou four-character contrast, the whole poem's sharpest stroke. The zhi word meaning the actually-and-simply, using the unreasonable tone for the irony's strengthening — Hangzhou the complacent temporary seat, Bianzhou the fallen old capital, the one joy-land and one sorrow-place, actually mixed by the drunken into one, as if the Jingkang humiliation's never happened and the old-country longing's never existed. The take...for... sentence pattern pointing out this self-deception's activeness and thoroughness: not the not-knowing, and yet the willing forgetting. Seven characters exhausting the Southern Song rulers-and-ministers' drunk-and-dreaming state, cold and alert, through the ages still feeling the cold gleam. The poet's not saying as-Bianjing and yet as-Bianzhou, taking the zhou word for the lou and xiu's same rhyme, the sound-and-meaning both fine, and using the place-name's juxtaposition for the whole piece's close, making the satire at the sound-and-meaning two levels' simultaneous completion.

Study

Word focus

休 stop (imploringly: when will it stop?) 「几时休」之「休」字，是全诗由景入论的关键字眼。休者，停止也，诗人不责歌舞之过，而问歌舞之「几时休」，把谴责化为反诘，语气愈委婉而讽意愈深——此问无人能答，因为歌舞不休已是常态，问「几时休」等于说「永不休」，其绝望与忧愤尽在一问之中。且「休」字平声，与「楼」「州」同韵，声口悠长，恰如一声长长的叹息。若易以「止」「已」等字，则或失其声情，或失其委婉，皆不如「休」字得反问之妙。此字承上启下，把「楼外楼」的繁华铺陈蓦然收束，转入讽喻的正题，是全诗章法上的枢纽，一字而兼声情、章法、讽意三义。

熏 to smoke, to suffuse; here: to intoxicate 「熏」字写暖风，是全诗最富感觉的词。熏者，以烟火气物熏炙之，本用于熏香、熏烟，移以写风，便把无形之风写得如酒气、如暖烟，弥漫缭绕、避无可避，游人便在不知不觉中被熏得昏昏欲醉。「熏」的过程是缓慢的、渐进的、无法抗拒的——正如偏安之毒日积月累，麻木之病深入骨髓，非一朝一夕而成。此字与「醉」字相生：「熏」是因，「醉」是果，风熏人醉，人醉而忘国，忘国而乐此不疲，层层递进，把南宋君臣的沉溺写得入木三分，极具讽刺力。若易以「吹」「拂」等字，则轻飘无物，尽失其绵软浸染、无孔不入的讽喻意味。

直 simply; actually (with sense of absurdity) 结句「直把杭州作汴州」的「直」字，意为「竟然、简直」，是点醒全诗的反讽之眼。此字写「作」之轻易与荒唐：杭州作汴州，本是不可容忍的荒谬，而醉人竟做得如此自然、如此理所当然，仿佛天经地义，「直」字正是对这种麻木的冷峻揭破——不是「错把」，而是「直把」，错可原谅，直则不可恕。此字又是全诗唯一直接表露诗人态度的地方，其余皆借景物、借醉态说话，唯此一字透出诗人的愤怒与悲凉，使二十八字在冷峭中忽然有了灼人的温度。若删此字，则「把杭州作汴州」只是陈述，讥刺之力大减；着一「直」字，则质问、嘲讽、痛心三情毕集，故为全诗诗眼。