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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

送僧南游雪窦

Seeing a Monk Off on His Southward Journey to Xuedou

张方平

Zhang Fangping

山水Landscape 咏史Historical Reflection 哲理Philosophical 时序Time and Seasons

早出都门何往哉，四明雪窦指崔嵬。
便从古道扬眉去，莫到宝山空手回。
乘月晓行松露湿，迎风晚渡海涛来。
普贤楼阁知非远，逦迤南游想善财。

At dawn you leave the city gate—where do you go?
Toward Siming and Xuedou's peaks that tower high.
Follow the ancient road with brow uplifted, go—
Do not return empty-handed from the mountain of treasure.
Riding the moon at dawn, pine dew dampens your robe;
Facing the wind at dusk, sea waves come rolling in.
The tower of Samantabhadra, I know, is not far—
Winding southward, you recall the worthy Sudhana.

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Meaning

The poet sends off a monk on a pilgrimage to the Xuedou mountain in Siming, urging him to follow the ancient path with confidence, not to return without spiritual attainment, and comparing his journey to Sudhana's southern quest for enlightenment.

清早出了都城的门，你这是要往哪里去呢？原来是指着四明山雪窦那一带的高峻峰峦。你便沿着古人走过的那条大道，扬起眉头径直去吧，切莫到了宝山却空着两手回来。趁月色在清晓赶路，松间的露水打湿了衣裳；迎着风在傍晚渡海，海上的波涛迎面涌来。普贤菩萨的楼阁想来已经不远了，你这一路蜿蜒南行，令人想起当年南询的善财童子。

Appreciation

The first couplet asks a question and answers it, setting the destination as the towering peaks of Xuedou in Siming. The second couplet shifts to encouragement, urging the monk to go along the ancient road with raised brows and not to return empty-handed from the mountain of treasure. The third couplet paints the journey's scenes: traveling at dawn under moonlight with pine dew wetting clothes, and crossing the sea in the evening wind with waves surging. The final couplet invokes the tower of Samantabhadra and the example of Sudhana, presenting the journey as a quest for Buddhist wisdom. The poem is structured with contrasts between low and high, road and mountain, subtle and grand, showing masterful regulation of the seven-syllable regulated verse.

【白话串讲】张方平送僧人游雪窦：“早出都门何往哉，四明雪窦指崔嵬”。“便从古道扬眉去，莫到宝山空手回”——“普贤楼阁知非远”——他劝僧人别空手而归。【意象与手法】都门与崔嵬一低一高，古道与宝山一路一境，松露与海涛一细一壮，普贤楼阁与善财童子一境一人，四联各成一组对照，层层推远。全诗以问起、以想结，中二联一虚励一实景，虚不空浮，实不琐碎，是七律章法的正格。【情感与主旨】不作离愁，只作策励。诗人把送别写成对一位求道者的期许：路且不论远近艰险，要紧的是不可徒然往返。莫到宝山空手回一句既是勉人，也隐含一个久在世务中人的自警。【名句点睛】「便从古道扬眉去，莫到宝山空手回」用禅林熟语而气象轩昂，扬眉二字尤见精神；「乘月晓行松露湿，迎风晚渡海涛来」以一细一壮两幅画面写尽长途，声色俱到。

Background

Zhang Fangping (1007–1091), courtesy name Andao, was a high-ranking official of the Northern Song who was deeply devoted to Buddhism. Xuedou in Siming (modern Ningbo, Zhejiang) was a major Chan Buddhist center, especially under the abbot Mingjue Chongxian. The poem is a parting gift to a monk heading south to study Chan. The poet uses familiar Buddhist imagery and allusions, demonstrating his familiarity with Chan lore and his expectation that the monk would gain real insights.

张方平（一〇〇七至一〇九一），字安道，号乐全居士，历三司使、御史中丞、参知政事，谥文定，有《乐全集》四十卷。他一生笃好佛法，晚年手写《楞伽经》，苏轼为之作序，称其多生宿习；与僧人往还极密，集中赠僧送僧之作不在少数，此诗便是其一。雪窦在明州奉化四明山中，即今浙江宁波一带。北宋此地正是禅林的重镇：明觉大师重显住雪窦资圣寺三十余年，为云门宗一代宗匠，所作颂古百则后来成为《碧岩录》的底本，时人称其中兴云门。重显与张方平年代相接，其名震动南北，故当日僧人以雪窦为参学之地，正如后来学者以书院为宗。诗题作南游，用的是参访之意，与游山玩水无关。首句早出都门，可知送别之地在汴京。由京城赴明州，须先南下过江淮，再取道浙东，末段更有渡水之险，故颈联特写晓行与晚渡。一僧一钵，跋涉数千里，只为访一处禅席，这在北宋并不稀奇——禅门重行脚，不遍参诸方便不算数，宋人所谓走江湖者即指此。值得注意的是诗中的语气。张方平不写不舍，不写路远，通篇是鼓励与告诫：便从古道扬眉去，是催他快走；莫到宝山空手回，是提醒他别白跑一趟。这种口气近于师长而非友朋，说明他与这位僧人交谊虽厚，年辈或有先后，且他对禅门的规矩相当熟悉，才敢用宝山空手、善财南询一类内行话。以宰执之身而能与禅僧作内行语，正是北宋士大夫与佛门关系之深的一个侧影。

Art

The poem is a model of regulated verse. The opening couplet uses a rhetorical question, making the tone lively. The second couplet is the backbone, full of vigor, with 'raise your brows' contrasting with 'empty hands.' The third couplet gives concrete scenes: fine dew and vast waves, day and night, land and sea, all captured with clarity. The final couplet closes with a hopeful vision, using the allusion to Sudhana, elevating the journey. The language is plain yet powerful, avoiding obscure words, blending Chan sayings naturally.

此诗八句四联，各有一副面目，而气脉一贯，是七律章法的正格。首联用设问起。早出都门何往哉，明知其所往而故作一问，语气便活；下句自答，四明雪窦指崔嵬，一个指字把答案落到远处的峰峦上，仿佛顺手一比。以问起是唐宋七律常法，此处的好处在于它同时交代了时间（早）、地点（都门）与目的地（雪窦），却毫不像交代。颔联忽转策励，是全诗的骨。便从古道扬眉去，莫到宝山空手回，上句放行，下句设限；上句是气象，下句是告诫。两句皆用禅林熟语，而排得极有精神：扬眉是抬头挺胸的姿态，空手是最难堪的结局，一扬一空，一去一回，对得工而意思相反。宋人七律颔联常患平顺，此联偏能斩截有声。颈联落到实景，且是全诗唯一的景语。乘月晓行松露湿，迎风晚渡海涛来，一句写陆，一句写水；一句写细，松间露水沾衣，是极静极小之物；一句写壮，海上波涛扑面，是极动极大之势。晓与晚又把一昼夜的行程包在里面，读者眼前遂展开千里长途。妙在两句全无一个苦字，湿也好，涛也好，都写得清爽，可见诗人要写的是行脚的兴致，不是行路的艰难。尾联以想字收。普贤楼阁知非远，是替他把终点先看一眼；逦迤南游想善财，则拿《华严经》中南行参访的善财童子作比。知非远是慰，想善财是许，一句拉近距离，一句拔高身份。全诗以问起、以想结，一头一尾都不落实处，中间却有实景实语撑住，故虚而不浮。还须一说的是用字的干净。全诗除普贤、善财两个佛名外，无一僻字，禅门语汇如古道、宝山、扬眉、空手，皆已化入寻常口语。这是张方平的本色——他集中的诗少雕琢而多筋骨，此诗尤为显例。

Allusions

The poem draws on Buddhist sources: 'empty-handed returning from the mountain of treasure' from the *Mahāyāna Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra*, the Chan expression 'raising the brows,' the double meaning of 'ancient road' as both physical path and Buddhist path, and the story of Sudhana's pilgrimage in the *Avatamsaka Sutra*, where he visits fifty-three teachers and finally sees Samantabhadra. These allusions are seamlessly integrated, not for display but to frame the journey as a spiritual quest.

此诗所用皆佛门语，而无一处冷僻，这正是宋人以释典入诗的成熟处。宝山空手一语，本于《大乘本生心地观经》所说如人无手、虽至宝山、终无所得之譬，谓虽入宝所而无取宝之具，则终归空返。禅林遂化为常语，警策学人不可徒然行脚，所谓莫向宝山空手回。诗人用它送一位赴雪窦参学的僧人，可谓切题到极处：路是宝山之路，去了不悟，便是空手。扬眉出禅家扬眉动目、扬眉瞬目之说，谓举手投足无非佛事，一动眉一转目皆是活的机关。用作去的状语，写出一种昂然不疑的神情：不是低头赶路，是抬头前行。古道二字双关。就实说，是京师南下的驿路；就虚说，是古佛古人所行之道，与后世的邪径捷路相对。禅门好言古人、古辙，诗人取此二字，遂使一条现实的路同时成了一条法脉的路。普贤楼阁与善财，同出《华严经·入法界品》。善财童子受文殊菩萨指示，发心南行，参访五十三位善知识，历弥勒之楼阁，终见普贤菩萨而成就大愿，禅林称之为南询或善财五十三参。诗云逦迤南游想善财，是拿这一部南行求法的大故事，比一位僧人千里访师之行；普贤楼阁知非远，则合楼阁与普贤为一，泛指那即将参访的殊胜法席，不必逐字比附经文。四明、雪窦、崔嵬三者，则以地志入诗。四明山绵亘明州，雪窦为其中名刹所在，崔嵬本《诗经》所谓陟彼崔嵬的高峻之貌，用于此处既写山势，又暗喻禅席之高不可易到。通篇所用，一佛经譬喻、一禅门口头语、一双关地名、一佛典本生，皆围绕参学求道一事，不为炫博，只为把一趟行程说成一件大事，是用典中最本色的一路。

Commentary

Unlike Tang dynasty poems that focus on the solitude and scenic farewell, this poem emphasizes the purpose and potential of the journey. It combines practical advice with spiritual aspiration, showing the poet's intimate understanding of Chan practice. The language is direct and forceful, typical of Song poetry's preference for moral and intellectual edge. The final couplet, with its allusion to Sudhana, elevates the monk's journey to a grand scale, while the third couplet keeps it grounded in sensory details.

唐宋送僧诗，最脍炙人口者多是写景一路，如刘长卿《送灵澈上人》，苍苍竹林寺，杳杳钟声晚，荷笠带斜阳，青山独归远，全篇不着一句道理，人在青山中愈行愈远，馀韵不绝；贾岛《送无可上人》，独行潭底影，数息树边身，则以奇警之句写行脚之孤。此诗与二者路数不同：它写的不是僧人的清孤，而是求道者的锐气，故通篇是催、是励、是许。就格调而论，它少了唐人那份悠然的馀味；就气象而论，却有一股不肯空手而归的硬劲，是宋人特有的东西。它最可称许的是分寸。以张方平当日的地位，赠一位远行僧人，稍不留意便流为居高临下的训诲；他却把话说得像同门之间的叮咛：便从古道扬眉去五字，是替对方加一分神气，而非替自己长一分身份。末联更以善财童子相比，把对方安放在求法者的谱系里，敬意与期许同时到位。宋代士大夫与禅僧往还，最难得的正是这种既内行又不越位的态度。张方平的诗名向来不显。《宋史》本传重其识量，苏轼为撰墓志亦极称其虑事之远，历代唐宋诗选本却罕录其诗，《乐全集》中此类赠僧之作更少人过目。平心而论，他不长于绮丽的辞采，此诗颈联乘月晓行松露湿、迎风晚渡海涛来一联，写景却极干净有力，一细一壮，声色俱到，置于北宋七律中不为弱手。钱钟书《谈艺录》谓宋诗多以筋骨思理见胜，此诗的筋骨全在颔联的两句策励；而颈联的景，恰好证明宋人并非不能写景，只是不肯让景把话说完。若说不足，则末联以佛典本生作结，读者若不谙《华严》南询之事，便隔一层。这是宋人以释典入诗的通病，然亦正因如此，此诗于了解北宋禅林行脚之风颇有实证的价值。

Prosody

Form Seven-Character Regulated Verse (Qīyán Lǜshī)七言律诗

Rhyme Rhymes on the Level Tone 'Hui' (十灰): 哉, 嵬, 回, 来, 财. The first line enters rhyme; all five rhyme words belong to the same category, no cross-rhyming.押平声灰韵（上平十灰）：哉、嵬、回、来、财。首句入韵，五个韵脚同在一部，无借韵通押之处。

Tone pattern Oblique-tone opening with first-line rhyme. The second, fourth, and sixth characters of each line strictly follow tonal patterns, with no flaws in alternation or linkage.仄起首句入韵式，八句的二四六字平仄悉合，粘对无一失误。早出都门何往哉为仄仄平平平仄平，四明雪窦指崔嵬为仄平仄仄仄平平，便从古道扬眉去为仄平仄仄平平仄，莫到宝山空手回为仄仄仄平平仄平，乘月晓行松露湿为平仄仄平平仄仄，迎风晚渡海涛来为平平仄仄仄平平，普贤楼阁知非远为仄平平仄平平仄，逦迤南游想善财为仄仄平平仄仄平。

Reading note This poem is metrically perfect. Each word in key positions adheres to the pattern, and the rhyme scheme is pure. The tonal order is regular, matching the determined, unwavering journey described in the poem. The choice of rhyme with its open-closing quality reflects the alternation of departure and return, journey and rest.此诗是全组中格律最为齐整的一首。八句的关键位置无一处出格，粘对亦无差失，五个韵脚又同出一部，绝无借韵之嫌。这份严整与题旨相当契合：全诗写的是一趟有方向、有目的、不容游移的行程，声调若参差跌宕，反与那份笃定相违；正因句句循规，读来才有一步一步向南推进的踏实感。用韵的选择尤宜细品。哉、嵬、回、来、财同属上平十灰，韵母为开口而带合势的音，发声时先开后收，尾音略作回环，不似阳韵那样一放到底，也不似微韵那样细而即隐。这种一开一收的音色恰好对应全诗的结构：出门是开，宝山空手回是收，晓行是开，晚渡是收，最后落在财字上——那是善财之名，也是宝山所出之物，声与义在此合成一处。首句以哉字的疑问语气入韵，音扬而意问，一起便有精神，随后四韵渐次沉稳，全诗于是由发问转为笃定。节奏方面，七言的四三停顿贯彻始终：便从古道——扬眉去，逦迤南游——想善财。八句节拍如一，无一句跨读。这种整齐使颔联的两句策励格外斩截：句式既平常，语意愈见硬朗。颈联同一节拍而气象忽阔，则靠松露、海涛两组名物的大小相激，可见声律不变而境界能变，全在取象之功。

Line by line

便从古道扬眉去，莫到宝山空手回。

Follow the ancient road with brow raised high; do not return empty-handed from the mountain of treasure.

你便沿着古人走过的那条大道，扬起眉头径直去吧，切莫到了宝山却空着两手回来。

Go then along the ancient way, brow raised; do not come back empty-handed from the mountain of treasure.

这一联是全诗的骨，两句一放一收，一催一警。上句放行：便字有不必迟疑之意，古道二字双关，就实说是京师南下的驿路，就虚说是古佛古人所行之道；扬眉则出禅家扬眉动目之说，写出昂首前行、不疑不惧的神情。四字之内，把一个行脚僧的精神状态立起来了。下句设限，用的是《大乘本生心地观经》如人无手、虽至宝山、终无所得的譬喻，禅林化为常语，警策学人莫向宝山空手回。诗人把它原样搬来，正因所送之人此行是去雪窦参学：路本是宝山之路，去而不悟，便是空手。莫字下得极重，是全诗唯一的禁止词。两句对得工而意反：扬眉对空手，一昂一垂；去对回，一往一返。更妙的是它把整个旅程的价值一次说定——不在走了多远，在有无所得。以策励代惜别，是此诗有别于唐人送僧诗的关键，也是宋人赠答诗的一种典型气味。

This couplet is the poem's bone, the two lines one release one close, one urging one warning. The first releases: the word then carries no need to delay; the ancient way is double - in fact the post road south from the capital, in void the way walked by ancient Buddhas and men; brow raised comes from the Zen school's raising the brow and moving the eye, writing the look of going forward with head high, no doubt no fear. Within four words, the spiritual state of a wandering monk stands up. The second sets a limit, using the simile from the Sutra on the Maturing of the Primitive Vow: as a man without hands, though he reaches the mountain of treasure, after all gains nothing; the Zen community has made it a common saying, warning the student not to return empty from the treasure mountain. The poet brings it in as it stands, precisely because the man sent this journey goes to Xuedou to study: the road is originally the road to the treasure mountain, and to go without awakening is to return empty. The word do not is laid on with weight, the only prohibition in the poem. The two lines are parallel yet opposite in sense: brow raised against empty hands, head high against head lowered; go against return, going against coming back. The beauty is that it fixes the value of the whole journey at a stroke - not how far one walked, but whether one gained. Replacing regret with encouragement is the key that distinguishes this poem from Tang monk-farewells, and a typical flavor of the Song presentation poem.

乘月晓行松露湿，迎风晚渡海涛来。

Riding the moon at dawn, pine dew dampens your clothes; facing the wind at dusk, sea waves come rolling in.

趁月色在清晓赶路，松间的露水打湿了衣裳；迎着风在傍晚渡海，海上的波涛迎面涌来。

Riding the moon, you walk at dawn through the wet pine dew; facing the wind, you cross at evening, and the sea waves come.

这是全诗唯一的景语，也是最见笔力的一联。两句一陆一水、一细一壮、一晓一晚，把千里长途压进十四字里。上句极静：残月未落，人已上路，松间露水一点一点把衣裳沾湿，写的是行路中最细微的触感。下句极动：风迎面来，涛也迎面来，一叶舟在傍晚的水上颠簸，气象顿然阔大。晓与晚二字尤须留意，它们把一昼夜的行程包了进去：天未明即行，至暮犹在渡，其人之勤、其路之长，不必再说一句。诗人也不肯说苦。露湿本是狼狈事，配上乘月二字便成清致；海涛本是险事，配上迎风二字便成豪兴。可见他要写的是行脚的兴致，不是行路的艰难，这与颔联扬眉去的精神完全一致。还须一说的是来字。海涛来，是涛向人涌，而人正逆之而进；一个来字把行者与自然的对峙轻轻点出，比说渡海难高明得多。

This is the poem's only scenery couplet and the one most showing brush force. The two lines, one land one water, one fine one grand, one dawn one evening, press a thousand-li road into fourteen characters. The first is utterly still: the wan moon not yet set, the man already on the road, the dew among the pines wetting his clothes drop by drop, writing the subtlest touch of the journey. The second is utterly moving: the wind meets him, the waves meet him, a single boat tossing on the evening water, the air suddenly vast. The words dawn and evening must be noticed: they take in the course of a whole day and night - setting out before dawn, still crossing at dusk, and the man's diligence and the road's length need not be said. The poet will not say hardship: wet dew is originally a wretched thing, yet paired with riding the moon it becomes a clear charm; sea waves are originally danger, yet paired with facing the wind it becomes a bold delight. One sees he wants to write the relish of wandering, not the hardship of the road, fully matching the jaw couplet's spirit of brow raised. One should also note the word come: the sea waves come means the waves surge toward the man, who is advancing against them; the single word come lightly points out the standoff between the traveler and nature, far better than saying the sea crossing is hard.

普贤楼阁知非远，逦迤南游想善财。

The tower of Samantabhadra, I know, is not far; winding southward, you make one think of Sudhana.

普贤菩萨的楼阁想来已经不远了，你这一路蜿蜒南行，令人想起当年南询的善财童子。

The pavilion of Samantabhadra, I know, is not far; winding southward, I think of Sudhana.

尾联一句拉近距离，一句拔高身份，收得极有分量。上句说普贤楼阁知非远：普贤与楼阁同出《华严经·入法界品》，是善财童子求法之路的终点所在，诗人合而用之，泛指那即将参访的殊胜法席。知非远三字是慰语——路虽千里，所求之处其实不远；这话既指地理，也指心地，禅门本来就说不隔一丝。下句以善财相比。善财童子受文殊指示发心南行，参访五十三位善知识，禅林称为南询。逦迤二字写路之蜿蜒曲折，正与五十三参那种一处接一处的行程相合；想字则把眼前这位僧人放进了求法者的谱系，一句之内，敬意与期许同时到位。以想收束全篇最见分寸。诗人不说你必成道，只说令人想起善财——把话留在想象里，既是极高的许可，又不至于说得太满。全诗以何往哉一问起，以想善财一念结，首尾皆不落实处，而中间自有实景实语撑着，故虚而不浮，远而有味。

The closing, one line drawing near, one line raising the standing, closes with great weight. The first says the pavilion of Samantabhadra, I know, is not far: Samantabhadra and the pavilion both come from the Gandavyuha chapter of the Flower Garland Sutra, the destination of Sudhana's quest for the dharma, and the poet uses them together to mean the noble dharma seat he is about to visit. The three words I know, not far are a comfort - though the road is a thousand li, what is sought is really not far; this refers to geography and to the heart, for the Zen school has always said nothing is barred. The second compares him to Sudhana. The youth Sudhana, instructed by Manjusri, set his heart and traveled south, visiting fifty-three good friends, called in the Zen community the southern quest. The word winding writes the road's twists, exactly suiting the journey of the fifty-three visits, one place after another; the word think places this monk before the eyes into the lineage of dharma-seekers, and within one line respect and expectation both arrive. Closing on the word think shows the finest measure: the poet does not say you will surely attain the Way, only says I think of Sudhana, leaving the words in imagination - at once the highest allowance and not too full. The poem opens on the question whither? and closes on the thought of Sudhana; the head and tail both do not land on the solid, yet the middle is held by real scenes and real words, so it is void without being floating, distant yet with savor.

Study

Word focus

扬 A key expression in this poem; read it with the Chinese note below. 便从古道扬眉去的扬字，是全诗最有神采的一笔。它本是禅家语，扬眉动目、扬眉瞬目，谓一举一动无非佛事；用作去的状语，便写出一种抬头挺胸、不疑不惧的神情。此字的妙处在于它管的是脸上一寸的动作，却决定了全句的姿态。行脚僧千里跋涉，寻常笔墨多写其芒鞋破钵、风尘满面，愈写愈低；一个扬字反其道而行，人便昂然起来。若换成信步、迈步、径去，只写得出行动，写不出神情；若换成振衣、拂衣，则偏于潇洒，与求道的锐气不合。扬字又与下句的空手相反相成。扬是向上，空是向下；扬眉去是出发时的意气，空手回是最不堪的结局。一联之内以一个向上的动作与一双垂下的空手对峙，全诗的劝勉之意便不待说明。宋人七律善在动词上着力，此字可为一例。

空 A key expression in this poem; read it with the Chinese note below. 莫到宝山空手回的空字，是全诗分量最重的字。它出自《大乘本生心地观经》如人无手、虽至宝山、终无所得的譬喻，禅林化为莫向宝山空手回的常语；一个空字，把徒劳往返的全部难堪都装在里面。它的力量首先来自对比。宝山是至富之地，空手是至贫之状；一句之内极富与极贫相撞，遂觉惊心。其次来自它的双重含义：字面是两手无物，深一层则是佛家所说的空——若只是把佛法当成知识带回来，那也仍是空。诗人未必有意作此双关，然而语在字外，读者自能会得。再看它与全诗的关系。前面写路，写月露海涛，写得那样兴致盎然；有了这个空字，那一路风尘才有了意义的标尺——走得再远，若空手，便什么也没走。若换作徒手、垂手、赤手，皆只写手中无物，不能兼有佛理的一层；换作虚，则文气偏软。唯有空字，俗语与佛语两面俱到。

逦迤 Winding; describing the long, meandering journey. 逦迤南游想善财的逦迤二字，是全诗写路的最后一笔，也是最省力而最见景的一笔。逦迤谓连绵曲折、断续相接，本用于形容山脉道路之貌；置于南游之前，一条数千里的路便在纸上弯曲起来。它与颈联的关系尤须留意。颈联已用晓行、晚渡写足了昼夜与水陆，若尾联再作实写，便成重复；诗人只用逦迤两个叠韵的字轻轻一带，把那许多具体的路程收成一个总貌，笔墨极经济。且此二字读来本身就有回环延展之感，声音与路形合一。更深一层，逦迤还暗合善财童子五十三参的行程。那是一处接一处、一位接一位的参访，本不是直线到底，而是曲折相续；用逦迤形容，正与之相应。于是这两个字既写地上的路，又写求道的路，字面平常而所含不浅。若换作迢递，只得远意；换作蜿蜒，只得形貌；换作跋涉，则又添出辛苦，与全诗清爽的调子不合。