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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

永遇乐·落日熔金

The Joy of the Eternal Encounter: The Setting Sun, Melting the Gold

李清照

Li Qingzhao

时序Theme 怀古History 愁思sorrow

落日熔金，暮云合璧，人在何处。
染柳烟浓，吹梅笛怨，春意知几许。
元宵佳节，融和天气，次第岂无风雨。
来相召、香车宝马，谢他酒朋诗侣。
中州盛日，闺门多暇，记得偏重三五。
铺翠冠儿，拈金雪柳，簇带争济楚。
如今憔悴，风鬟霜鬓，怕见夜间出去。
不如向、帘儿底下，听人笑语。

The setting sun, melting the gold,
The dusk clouds, joining the jade,
The man, in, where.
The smoke of the dyeing willows, thick,
The flute of the blowing mumes, mournful,
The spring meaning, knowing, how much.
The Lantern Festival, the fine festival,
The mild and harmonious weather,
In sequence, how, without the wind and rain.
Coming to invite, the fragrant carriages, the precious horses,
Thanking the wine friends, the poem companions.
The flourishing days of the middle land,
The women's quarters, much of the leisure,
Remembering, especially valuing, the fifteenth.
The spreading green crowns,
The pinching gold, the snow willows,
The clusters and the wearings, vying for the neat and the pretty.
Now, haggard and worn,
The hair in the wind, the frost sideburns,
Fearing, seeing, the going out at the night.
Rather than, toward, under the curtain,
Listening to the men, the laughing speech.

Listen

Meaning

A lyric of the festival and the old age, written by Li Qingzhao. The setting sun melting the gold with the dusk clouds joining the jade, the man in where asked, and the smoke of the willows with the flute of the mumes — the dusk of the festival. The Lantern Festival with the mild weather, the inviting of the fragrant carriages with the thanking of the wine friends — the festival and the thanking. The flourishing days of the middle land with the leisure of the women's quarters, the green crowns with the snow willows vying for the pretty — the memory of the past festival. And the close's haggard with the frost sideburns fearing the going out, rather than listening to the laughing speech under the curtain — the close's fear. The lyric is the festival and the old age: the dusk of the opening, the memory of the past, and the close's fearing the night.

落日灿烂得像熔化的金子，暮云华美得像合拢的璧玉，而我如今却不知身在何处。柳色被烟霭染得浓绿，笛声吹出《梅花落》的幽怨，这春意还能有几分？元宵佳节，天气融和，可转眼之间难道就不会有风雨吗？旧日的酒朋诗侣以香车宝马前来相召，我一概谢绝了。想当年汴京全盛之日，闺门中多有闲暇，记得那时人们特别看重正月十五。那时我头戴铺翠的冠儿，簪着拈金雪柳，与女伴们簇拥打扮，争比俏丽。如今我形容憔悴，鬓发如霜，怕在夜里出门。不如就躲到帘儿底下，听听别人家的笑语罢。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The setting sun, melting the gold, the dusk clouds, joining the jade, the man, in, where. The smoke of the dyeing willows, thick, the flute of the blowing mumes, mournful, the spring meaning, knowing, how much. The Lantern Festival, the fine festival, the mild and harmonious weather, in sequence, how, without the wind and rain. Coming to invite, the fragrant carriages, the precious horses, thanking the wine friends, the poem companions. The flourishing days of the middle land, the women's quarters, much of the leisure, remembering, especially valuing, the fifteenth. The spreading green crowns, the pinching gold, the snow willows, the clusters and the wearings, vying for the neat and the pretty. Now, haggard and worn, the hair in the wind, the frost sideburns, fearing, seeing, the going out at the night. Rather than, toward, under the curtain, listening to the men, the laughing speech. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the dusk of the festival and the thanking of the friends, through the memory of the flourishing days and the pretty crowns, to the close's haggard with the frost sideburns, listening to the laughing speech under the curtain. [Key Technique] The lyric's art is the contrast of the past and the now: the flourishing days of the past with the vying for the pretty, and the close's haggard fearing the going out — the old age gathered in the contrast and the close's curtain. [Emotional Tone] Melancholy, nostalgic, and restrained: the lyric is the festival, the memory and the close's fearing the night.

【白话串讲】李清照写永遇乐，元宵：“落日熔金，暮云合璧，人在何处”。“染柳烟浓，吹梅笛怨”——“中州盛日，闺门多暇，记得偏重三五”——她想起当年汴京的元宵。“如今憔悴，风鬟霜鬓，怕见夜间出去”——她写今昔之痛。【意象与手法】全词以今昔对照为基本章法，时空在「中州盛日」与「如今憔悴」之间往复跳跃。上片先以「落日熔金，暮云合璧」的丽景起笔，接以「人在何处」的突兀一问，乐景写哀；「次第岂无风雨」在节日融和中陡转出忧患之虑；「谢他酒朋诗侣」写与热闹世界的疏离。下片回忆「中州盛日」元宵盛装出游之乐，陡转「如今憔悴，风鬟霜鬓」，结句「不如向、帘儿底下，听人笑语」，以他人之乐写己之哀，倍增其痛。【情感与主旨】此词为李清照南渡后晚年流寓临安之作，写元宵佳节抚今追昔：由眼前临安灯市之盛，忆及北宋汴京的繁华，今昔对照，家国之痛与身世之悲交织，是李清照后期词的代表作。【名句点睛】常考「落日熔金，暮云合璧」的炼字与「不如向、帘儿底下，听人笑语」的乐景哀情——丽句与悲情对照，写尽国破家亡后词人的彻骨孤独，为千古元宵词之冠。

Background

Li Qingzhao (1084–c. 1155), the greatest woman poet of the ci, wrote this 'The Joy of the Eternal Encounter: The Setting Sun, Melting the Gold' of the festival and the old age — the sorrow of the late years. The dusk of the festival with the setting sun melting the gold, the memory of the flourishing days with the pretty crowns, and the close's haggard fearing the going out with the laughing speech under the curtain — the lyric gathers the sorrow of the poet's late years, the memory of the past festival. The lyric is one of the most famous works of the poet's lyrics of the festival.

此词为李清照南渡后晚年之作，约作于宋高宗绍兴年间，时李清照流寓临安（今杭州）。靖康之变（1127）后，李清照携金石书画南渡，夫赵明诚于建炎三年（1129）病逝，李清照辗转漂泊于江浙，晚年孑然一身，居无定所，甚至一度因再嫁离异而身心俱疲。此词写元宵佳节，由眼前临安灯市之盛，忆及北宋汴京「中州盛日」的繁华，抚今追昔，家国之痛与身世之悲交织。据南宋张端义《贵耳集》载，李清照晚年居临安，「每值大雪……即登楼远眺」，此词正是其晚年心境的自画像。南宋偏安，临安元宵灯会犹盛，而词人「怕见夜间出去」，只在帘内听人笑语，其沉痛可知。此词与《声声慢》同为李清照后期词的代表作，是研究其晚年生活与情感的重要文献。《贵耳集》又载，李清照晚年「虽处忧患困穷，而志不屈」，此词写元宵而「谢他酒朋诗侣」「怕见夜间出去」，正是其志节在词中的投影——不肯以憔悴之身周旋于热闹场中，是词人最后的自尊。

Art

The lyric's art is the art of the contrast. The dusk opens: the setting sun, melting the gold — the setting sun of the gold; the dusk clouds, joining the jade — the dusk clouds of the jade; the man, in, where — the where of the man; the smoke of the dyeing willows, thick — the smoke of the willows; the flute of the blowing mumes, mournful — the mournful flute; the spring meaning, knowing, how much — the spring meaning. The festival follows: the Lantern Festival, the fine festival — the mild and harmonious weather — in sequence, how, without the wind and rain — the festival of the fine; coming to invite, the fragrant carriages, the precious horses — thanking the wine friends, the poem companions — the thanking of the friends. The memory: the flourishing days of the middle land — the women's quarters, much of the leisure — remembering, especially valuing, the fifteenth — the fifteenth of the past; the spreading green crowns — the pinching gold, the snow willows — the clusters and the wearings, vying for the neat and the pretty — the pretty of the past. And the close gathers the old age: now, haggard and worn — the hair in the wind, the frost sideburns — fearing, seeing, the going out at the night — the fearing of the night; rather than, toward, under the curtain — listening to the men, the laughing speech — the laughing speech of the close — the dusk, the memory and the close's curtain, gathered in the lyric.

全词以今昔对照为基本章法，时空在「中州盛日」与「如今憔悴」之间往复跳跃，是「双线对照」结构的典范。上片四层：先以「落日熔金，暮云合璧」的绚烂丽景起笔，接以「人在何处」的突兀一问，丽景与茫然对冲，奠定全词「乐景写哀」的基调；次写「染柳烟浓，吹梅笛怨」的初春之景，一个「怨」字暗泄心事；再写「元宵佳节，融和天气，次第岂无风雨」——在节日融和中陡转出「风雨」之虑，是历经患难者的本能警觉；末以「来相召、香车宝马，谢他酒朋诗侣」写谢绝应酬，点出与热闹世界的疏离。下片转入回忆：「中州盛日，闺门多暇」四句写少女时代元宵盛装出游的欢乐，色彩明丽；然后陡转「如今憔悴，风鬟霜鬓，怕见夜间出去」，白发与翠冠、憔悴与济楚，形成刺目的对照；结句「不如向、帘儿底下，听人笑语」，以他人之乐写己之哀，乐景哀情，倍增其痛。全词丽句与悲情交织，今与昔往复，章法回环而情感一贯。

Allusions

'The setting sun, melting the gold' (luo ri rong jin) is the setting sun melting the gold — the golden sun of the dusk; 'the middle land' (zhong zhou) is the middle land — the central land of the past, the Bianjing of the flourishing days; 'the fifteenth' (san wu) is the fifteenth — the fifteenth of the first month, the Lantern Festival; 'the snow willows' (xue liu) are the snow willows — the ornaments of the willows, the gold of the pinching.

此词用典与意象皆含深意。「落日熔金，暮云合璧」以熔金、合璧喻落日暮云，金、璧皆贵重之物，写出晚景之灿烂华美，与「人在何处」的茫然对照，暗含「夕阳无限好」的迟暮之感。「吹梅笛怨」用汉横吹曲《梅花落》——笛曲写梅花飘落，声调幽怨，此处兼写春寒料峭与心绪之怨。「香车宝马」写元宵车马之盛，为节日繁华的符号；「铺翠冠儿，拈金雪柳」为宋代元宵妇女头饰——翠冠以翠羽为饰，雪柳以金纸或绢制柳枝簪戴，皆当日汴京元宵的流行装扮，如今「簇带争济楚」的盛装与「风鬟霜鬓」的憔悴对照，两段人生尽在其中。「三五」指正月十五，「中州」指汴京——故都之忆，即是亡国之痛。结句「帘儿底下，听人笑语」，化热闹为清冷，不言悲而悲自深，是「以乐景写哀」的经典收束。全词用典亦皆系于「昔盛今衰」一脉：熔金合璧是昔之盛景，梅花落笛是今之怨曲，铺翠雪柳是昔之盛妆，风鬟霜鬓是今之衰容，典故与意象交织成今昔两幅画卷，正是「以典写心」的典范。

Commentary

This lyric is one of the most famous works of Li Qingzhao's lyrics of the festival, quoted for the contrast of its past and its now. The setting sun melting the gold, and the laughing speech under the curtain, are among the admired passages of the poet's lyrics. Critics praise the lyric's sorrow: the old age gathered in the contrast, to the close's curtain.

南宋张端义《贵耳集》评此词，独赏首句「落日熔金，暮云合璧」，以为「工致」，然此词的真正价值远在丽句之外。宋末词人刘辰翁读此词而「为之涕下」，并依韵和作两首，序中自言「每闻此词，辄不自堪」，可见其感人至深——刘辰翁以遗民之身和此词，正是「中州盛日」之忆在南宋末年的回响。此词以个人身世写家国兴亡，由「闺门多暇」到「风鬟霜鬓」，由「铺翠冠儿」到「帘儿底下」，一己之盛衰即是国运之盛衰，是「以小见大」的典范。与《声声慢》写「愁」的层层铺叙不同，此词以鲜明的今昔对照直击人心，故明代杨慎《词品》谓李词「皆以浅俗之语，发清新之思」，此词即其晚期「深婉」风格的极致。近代以来，论者多以此词与《声声慢》并推为李清照词的两座高峰，为千古元宵词之冠。王国维《人间词话》虽未及此词，然其「以血书者」之论，移评此词亦无不可——词中句句是泪，而字字不写泪，深婉至此，已臻词之极诣。

Prosody

Form A slow ci lyric of the festival (ci diao)词牌《永遇乐》，双调一百零四字，上下片各四仄韵

Rhyme The lyric rhymes on the level and the oblique of the group — the cadence of the slow ci that carries the melancholy contrast.押词韵第四部，上片韵脚「处、许、雨、侣」，下片韵脚「五、楚、去、语」，上声、去声通押，一韵到底。

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the contrast: the level opening with the dusk, the turning with the memory, and the close's fall with the laughing speech under the curtain.全词以四字、六字句为主，间以五字、七字长句，形成整齐而多变的节奏；「次第岂无风雨」「记得偏重三五」等句平仄相间、声情顿挫；「来相召」「不如向」两处三字领字，提起下文，跌宕生姿。

Reading note The lyric's sound matches its sorrow: the cadences of the slow ci, and the close — 'ting ren xiao yu' — falls with the laughing speech, the sound of the old age of the poet.《永遇乐》为双调长调，一百零四字，上下片各四仄韵，此词严格依格。用韵方面，词人选择词韵第四部「语、麌、御、遇」四韵通押：上片「处、许、雨、侣」（处去声遇韵、许上声语韵、雨上声麌韵、侣上声语韵）、下片「五、楚、去、语」（五上声麌韵、楚上声语韵、去去声遇韵、语上声语韵），上去声交错通押，声情抑扬而不失和谐，正与全词今昔往复、悲欣交织的情感相应。句法上，全词以四字句（「落日熔金」「暮云合璧」「染柳烟浓」「吹梅笛怨」）起势，两两对偶，形成铿锵的节奏；中间穿插五字、六字长句（「人在何处」「春意知几许」「次第岂无风雨」「记得偏重三五」），长短相间，如泉流跌宕。尤其值得注意的是「来相召、香车宝马」「不如向、帘儿底下」两处三字领字（「来相召」「不如向」），以领字提起下文，顿挫生姿，是长调中常见的「领字格」，此词两处领字一在上片写谢绝、一在下片写退避，位置与情感暗合。此词平仄谐婉、声情相济，丽句与悲情、铿锵与低回兼而有之，是李清照后期词「深婉」风格在声律上的完整体现。

Line by line

落日熔金，暮云合璧，人在何处。

The setting sun, melting the gold, the dusk clouds, joining the jade, the man, in, where.

落日灿烂如熔化的金子，暮云华美如合拢的璧玉，而我却不知身在何处。

The setting sun blazes like molten gold, the evening clouds fold like a matched jade disc, and yet — where am I?

起句以丽景写哀情，是全词基调的定盘。「熔金」写落日——西沉的太阳像金子熔化成液体，光焰流溢，一个「熔」字写尽落日之绚烂、之流动，把静态的落日写成动态的熔金过程；「合璧」写暮云——晚霞聚拢如璧玉相合，温润华美，一动一静，写出晚景的壮美。两句对偶工丽，是李清照词中罕见的浓艳之笔。然第三句「人在何处」陡然一问，如冷水浇头——如此良辰美景，我却在何方？这问不是问地理位置，而是问「我」这个漂泊丧偶、流离失所的人，究竟还有没有安放之处？丽景与茫然的巨大反差，一开始就写出晚年词人「热闹是别人的」的彻骨孤独，是「以乐景写哀」的经典起笔，亦为全词今昔对照的悲剧性定下基调。

The opening sets the keynote of the whole ci: gorgeous scenery used to sound a note of grief. 'Molten gold' paints the sinking sun as if metal had liquefied, its light spilling and flowing; one verb 'melt' turns a static sunset into a dynamic process. 'Fitted jade disc' paints the evening clouds gathering like two halves of jade closing, warm and lustrous. One image moving, one still, the couplet achieves a rare splendor among Li Qingzhao's restrained lines — a deliberately opulent brush. Then, with 'where am I?', the third phrase falls like a dash of cold water. This is no question of geography; it asks whether a widowed, uprooted woman still has any place on earth to rest. The cruel contrast between such a evening and her own bewilderment establishes at once the aged poet's bone-deep solitude — 'the revelry belongs to others' — and becomes the classic model of 'sorrow written through joyful scenery', fixing the tragic, past-versus-present tone of the song that follows.

元宵佳节，融和天气，次第岂无风雨。

On this Lantern Festival the air is soft and warm, yet in a moment's time, must wind and rain not break again?

元宵佳节，天气融和，可转眼之间难道就不会有风雨吗？

On the Lantern Festival the weather is mild and warm, but in a twinkling, could wind and rain not rise?

此句在节日融和的高潮中陡转出风雨之虑，是历尽患难者特有的警觉。「元宵佳节，融和天气」写灯节良夜、天公作美，欢乐气氛正要铺开，三个词组连用，如鼓点般催动节日的欢腾；「次第岂无风雨」却急转直下——「次第」即转眼、随即，「岂无风雨」以反问出之：难道就没有风雨将至吗？这风雨既是自然之风雨，更是人生之风雨——李清照一生经历了靖康之变、夫死、金石散佚、再嫁离异、颠沛流离，深知「融和」背后危机四伏，「岂无风雨」四字是她用一生苦难换来的生存智慧，也是她谢绝「酒朋诗侣」相召的心理根源。在节日欢乐的顶点写忧患的警觉，正是此词沉痛处：别人看的是灯月交辉，她看到的是风雨将至。今昔对比的情感张力至此已经拉满。

At the very height of the festival's warmth, the line swerves abruptly into dread of coming storms — the peculiar vigilance of one who has survived calamity. 'Lantern Festival, mild and warm weather' piles three phrases like drums beating the holiday revelry forward; then 'in a moment, must there not be wind and rain?' plunges downward. 'A moment' means before long, and 'must there not be' is a rhetorical question: is not some storm about to break? The storm is both the weather and the weather of a life. Li Qingzhao lived through the Jingkang catastrophe, the death of her husband, the scattering of their art collection, a disastrous second marriage and divorce, and years of displacement; she knew that 'mildness' hides lurking danger. These four characters are survival wisdom bought with a lifetime of suffering, and the psychological root of her later refusal of the summonses of her 'wine companions and poetry friends.' Writing alarm at the very apex of festive joy is what makes this ci so poignant: where others see lantern and moon intertwined, she sees a storm arriving. The tension between past and present is already stretched to its limit.

中州盛日，闺门多暇，记得偏重三五。

The flourishing days of the middle land, the women's quarters, much of the leisure, remembering, especially valuing, the fifteenth.

当年汴京全盛之日，闺门中多有闲暇，记得那时人们特别看重正月十五。

In the prosperous days of the Central Plain, when my chambers held much leisure, I remember the fifteenth night of the first month being especially cherished.

下片转入回忆，笔调明丽，是全词情感的另一极。「中州盛日」直指汴京全盛之时——北宋末年都市繁华，元宵灯会尤盛，东京梦华，一时无两；「闺门多暇」写少女时代的清闲无忧，闺阁之中有的是闲暇与兴致，与今日「风鬟霜鬓」的憔悴形成对照；「记得偏重三五」一个「偏」字，写汴京人对元宵的格外看重——三五即正月十五上元灯节，「偏重」见当日举国狂欢的盛况。四句以「记得」领起，回忆的语气亲切而怅惘：越是写得繁华热闹，越见今日之孤寂冷清；中州之「盛」与临安之「偏安」、少女之「暇」与老妇之「怕」，两重对照在此埋下伏笔。「记得」二字尤可玩味——记得越清楚，失去越彻底，为下句「如今憔悴」的陡转蓄足势头。

The lower stanza turns to memory in bright, clear strokes — the emotional pole opposite the opening. 'The prosperous days of the Central Plain' points straight at the glory of Bianjing, whose Lantern Festival lantern shows were the wonder of the Northern Song capital. 'Much leisure in the chambers' recalls the carefree girlhood, set against today's 'wind-tousled hair and frosted temples.' 'I remember especially cherishing the fifteenth' — the adverb 'especially' shows how the people of Bianjing exalted the Lantern Festival; 'the fifteenth' is the Shangyuan night of the first month. Led by 'I remember,' the tone is affectionate yet wistful: the more splendid the memory, the lonelier the present. The 'prosperity' of the Central Plain shadows the 'partial peace' of Lin'an; the girl's 'leisure' shadows the old woman's 'fear' — a double contrast planted here. 'I remember' is the key: the clearer the memory, the more absolute the loss, building momentum for the sudden turn to 'now I am haggard.'

如今憔悴，风鬟霜鬓，怕见夜间出去。

Now, haggard and worn, the hair in the wind, the frost sideburns, fearing, seeing, the going out at the night.

如今我形容憔悴，鬓发如霜，怕在夜里出门。

Now I am haggard, hair windswept and temples frosted, and I dread going out at night.

此句陡转今昔，是全词对照的顶点，也是情感的深渊。「如今憔悴」四字如重锤落下，把上文的繁华记忆一举击碎；「风鬟霜鬓」写老态——鬓发斑白如霜，「风鬟」写发乱如风，「霜鬓」写鬓白如雪，四字写尽憔悴之形；「怕见夜间出去」写心理——一个「怕」字，是全句也是全词的词眼：怕什么？怕见灯市繁华，怕见他人团圆，怕见自己已无当年的身影，更怕忆起「中州盛日」的自己。不是不愿，是不敢、不忍。盛装的少女与憔悴的老妇、汴京的元宵与临安的元宵，在这一句的对照中轰然并置，国破家亡、夫死身孤之痛尽在其中。全句无一字言悲，而悲已彻骨，是「不言愁而愁自深」的典范。

This line is the summit of the past-present contrast and the abyss of the song's feeling. 'Now I am haggard' falls like a hammer and shatters the splendid memory above at a blow. 'Wind-tousled hair, frosted temples' paints old age — hair disordered by the wind, temples white as frost — four characters exhausting the look of decline. 'Dread going out at night' paints the mind, and the word 'dread' is the eye of the whole piece: what does she fear? The lantern crowds, other families reunited, the sight of herself without her former shape, and above all the memory of the girl she was in the prosperous Central Plain days. It is not unwillingness but inability to bear. The少女 in her finery and the haggard old woman, the Lantern Festival of Bianjing and that of Lin'an, crash together in this one line; the ruin of country and home, the death of her husband, and her own orphanhood are all compressed within. Not a word names grief, yet grief has pierced the bone — a model of 'sorrow deepening without being spoken.'

不如向、帘儿底下，听人笑语。

Rather than, toward, under the curtain, listening to the men, the laughing speech.

不如躲到帘儿底下，听听别人家的笑语。

Better to slip behind the curtain and listen to other people's laughter and talk.

结句是全词最沉痛处，以极平淡之语写极深之悲，千古传诵。「不如向」三字轻轻转折，退避之意已出——不是不屑出门，而是不敢、不忍：怕见灯市繁华，怕见他人团圆，怕见自己已无当年的身影；「帘儿底下」写躲藏之处，一个「底」字见出瑟缩之态——堂堂一代才女，如今只能蜷缩在帘幕后，「底下」二字，低到了尘埃里；「听人笑语」最为刺心——他人的欢笑隔着帘子传来，热闹是他们的，我什么都没有。全句无一字言悲，而国破家亡、夫死身孤之痛尽在其中，以他人之乐写己之哀，乐景哀情，倍增其痛。这句平淡到极点的结语，比千言万语的哭诉更令人心碎，是「深婉」词境的至高境界，也是此词被称为千古元宵词之冠的根本原因。

The closing is the most mournful place in the ci, saying the deepest sorrow in the plainest words, and has been cherished for a thousand years. 'Better to' turns gently, and the urge to retreat is already clear: it is not disdain for going out but inability and tenderness — fear of the lantern crowds, of others' reunion, of her vanished self. 'Beneath the curtain' names the hiding place; the word 'beneath' catches the cowering posture — a foremost woman of letters now huddles behind a screen, sunk to the dust. 'Listen to others' laughter' is the sharpest sting: their merriment drifts through the curtain, the revelry is theirs, she has nothing. Not a word speaks of grief, yet the ruin of country and home, the death of her husband, and her orphaned age are all pressed beneath the curtain; others' joy sets off her sorrow, joyful scenery doubling the pain. This flat-to-the-bone ending breaks the heart more than a thousand sobs; it is the height of the 'deep and restrained' mode and the very reason this ci is called the crown of all Lantern Festival poems.

Study

Word focus

熔 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「落日熔金」之「熔」字，是李清照炼字的惊人之笔。「熔」本指金属在高温下化为液态，此处写落日——夕阳如熔炉中的金液，光焰流溢、灿然欲滴，一个「熔」字把静态的落日写成动态的熔金过程，色彩之浓烈、质感之流动，全在想象中完成。妙在：一、以工艺动词写自然景象，化俗为新——不说「落日如金」而说「熔金」，金之熔解、光之流溢，如在目前，夕阳之壮美被写得可触可感；二、「熔」字暗含「毁灭」的潜台词——金熔则形毁，落日熔金，正是辉煌将尽的最后一刻，为「人在何处」的茫然与「次第岂无风雨」的忧患埋下伏笔，辉煌愈烈、毁灭愈近；三、与「合璧」对举，熔金是液态的光、合璧是固态的玉，一动一静，写出晚景的壮美与易逝。一字而兼形、光、情三层，是「炼字」的典范。

谢 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「谢他酒朋诗侣」之「谢」字，写谢绝应酬，是上片情感的落点。「谢」本为辞谢、推辞，此处写词人谢绝香车宝马的相召——旧日的酒朋诗侣仍以热闹相邀，而词人一概辞谢。妙在：一、「谢」字写得极有分寸——不是拒人于千里之外的「斥」，也不是勉强敷衍的「辞」，而是客客气气的「谢」，见出词人虽孤寂而不失风度的教养，也见出与旧友之间已隔了一层说不清的疏远；二、「谢」字背后是「怕」——怕见热闹、怕触伤心、怕对比出今昔之痛，一个「谢」字藏着千般难言，谢绝的是邀约，躲开的是自己的往事；三、「谢」字与「香车宝马」对照——宝马香车是外部世界的繁华邀请，轻轻一「谢」，词人退守到自己的帘内世界，为结句「帘儿底下」的自我封闭埋下伏笔。一「谢」字，写尽繁华场中的孤绝与清醒。

听 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「听人笑语」之「听」字，是全词最见力量的字眼。「听」写帘内听帘外——不是「看」（隔着帘子也看不清），不是「闻」（笑语是声音），而是一个孤身老妇在帘幕后静听别人家的欢声笑语。妙在：一、以「听」写隔——帘内帘外，一帘之隔便是两个世界：帘外笑语喧阗，帘内形影相吊，听觉的清晰更衬出视觉的隔绝与心境的孤绝，越听得真切，越觉得自己被世界抛下；二、「听」是主动的退避——词人选择了听而不是参与，这「听」里既有自怜，更有傲骨：我不屑、也不忍卷入那不属于我的热闹；三、「听人笑语」与上片「谢他酒朋诗侣」呼应——谢绝了相召，却躲起来听，热闹终究还是闯进了耳朵，躲也躲不开，这「听」字便写尽了无处可逃的悲凉。全词以「听」字收束，平淡而惊心动魄，是「以一字收束万钧」的典范。