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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

赠崆峒天水公

Presented to the Tianshui Duke of Kongtong

张方平

Zhang Fangping

送别Farewell 咏史Historical Reflection

天下赤龙诀，人间金液丹。
先生今已得，此事古传难。
阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒。
旧闻三五一，乞取畧开端。

Under heaven, the Crimson Dragon's secret art;
In human world, the Liquid Gold Elixir dwells.
Now you, Master, have attained this transmitted heart—
Since ancient times, its passing has been hard to tell.
Your hidden virtue lingers in the earthly dust;
Your immortal stair ascends to the Cold Moon's height.
I long have heard of the Three-Five-One, the sacred thrust;
I beg you now to open for me that first light.

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Meaning

The poet praises the Taoist master Tianshui Duke for having mastered the secret arts of both internal and external alchemy. He acknowledges the ancient difficulty of transmitting such arts, and humbly requests the master to reveal the fundamental principle of the "Three-Five-One" as a sincere seeker.

天下有赤龙炼炁之诀，人间有金液还丹之药。先生如今已然得传，此事自古相传极难。阴德留于尘世，仙阶已近广寒之境。我旧闻三五一的丹经枢要，乞请您略为开启端倪。

Appreciation

Composed in five-character lines, this short regulated verse builds its structure on alchemical essentials. The opening couplet sets forth two great traditions: the Crimson Dragon's art of inner refinement and the Liquid Gold Elixir of external alchemy. The second couplet contrasts the master's present attainment with the ancient difficulty of transmission, conveying both esteem and awareness of the path's rigor. The third couplet introduces hidden virtue as the foundation for ascending the immortal ranks, a distinctly Confucian reinterpretation. The closing couplet humbly asks for the key to the cryptic "Three-Five-One," revealing the poet's reverent attitude toward the Way.

【白话串讲】张方平赠崆峒天水公：“天下赤龙诀，人间金液丹”。“先生今已得，此事古传难”——“阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒”——他写修仙之人。【意象与手法】五言短章，以诀要立骨。首联对起赤龙诀、金液丹，笼括内外丹两途；颔联「今已得」对「古传难」，推重中见艰辛；颈联「阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒」以德论仙，转出儒理；结联以三五一丹经隐语收束，乞闻其要。【情感与主旨】主旨在以儒解道：欲仙先积阴德，丹道之传古来艰难。末以谦恳乞诀，见退老大臣求学之诚，非佞道妄语。【名句点睛】「阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒」一联最见宋儒底色，把升仙论拉回积德修身的常理，游仙诗而能说理，难得。

Background

Kongtong is a famed Taoist mountain where, according to legend, the Yellow Emperor sought the Way from the immortal Guangchengzi. The Tianshui Duke was likely a Taoist hermit active in the Longyou region, though not famous in historical records. Zhang Fangping, a high-ranking official who served under four Song emperors, turned to Taoism in his later years. This poem, written during a visit or correspondence with the master, reflects the literati's engagement with Taoism in the Northern Song dynasty. It also shows a retired elder statesman humbly seeking spiritual understanding, a phenomenon common among Song Confucian scholars who maintained respect for Daoist practitioners.

崆峒为道教名山，黄帝问道广成子处，自来为仙真所居之地；天水公当为隐于陇右或自号天水之道士，其名虽不显于史，而方平以诗论诀，足见其为当时有道之士。张方平晚年涉道，集中《赠三茅朱先生》《赠崆峒天水公》与此类同，皆赠方外之作，可见其晚年交游之一端。宋士大夫与道士交接，自真宗崇道而后成风，仁宗朝尤盛，司马光、王安石、苏轼莫不有赠道流诗，非独方平然也。方平此诗写赠天水公，言其已得金丹之诀，自己则乞闻三五之要，当是访道论诀时所作，亦见其以大臣之身而虚怀问道于方外。了解方平晚年思想由儒入道、于养生求安顿的背景，方能读懂「先生今已得，此事古传难」的推重，与「乞取畧开端」的谦恳——一位历仕四朝的老臣，于晚年反以学者之姿乞诀于道士，其胸次与时代风尚皆可想见。崆峒在道家为黄帝问道广成子处，诗虽未直用此典，而山名已自带道脉渊源，起笔便有仙山之重。再就诗题与赠者关系细味，方平称对方为「天水公」而不名，以「公」相尊，可见其于方外之士亦持敬重之礼，非以居高临下之态论道，这与唐人诗中每以「野老」「道人」轻呼者不同，显见宋儒「道不问贵贱」的平等态度。而「乞取畧开端」五字尤可玩：一位曾总揽朝政的元老，于道士前自处「乞者」，既见其问道之诚，亦见北宋士大夫「理无大小、学无尊卑」的格物精神。崆峒既为黄帝问道之所，诗以之地起兴，实已把一场私人访道升格为华夏道脉的赓续，天水公遂不只是个别道士，而成了道统在世之象征。明了此层，方能懂得方平此诗表面上平淡的「乞诀」，背后原有一整套关于道统、师承与谦德的文化心理支撑。

Art

The poem is a five-character regulated verse, spare and disciplined. It avoids ornate imagery, instead using encoded alchemical terms such as "Crimson Dragon," "Liquid Gold," and "Three-Five-One" to give the piece intellectual body. The progression is clear: the art and elixir are established; the master's attainment is affirmed; moral virtue is introduced as the basis for transcendence; and a humble request closes the poem. The pivot lies in the couplet "Hidden virtue lingers in the mortal world; immortal rank ascends to the Cold Moon," which grounds Daoist transcendence in Confucian ethics. This technique exemplifies the Song literati practice of explaining Daoism through Confucian moral principles.

此诗五言四联，短章而法度森然，是方平游仙诗中较简净一路，与《赠三茅朱先生》之丽密恰成对照。首联「天下赤龙诀，人间金液丹」以对起，赤龙诀、金液丹皆外丹要旨，落笔便见门户，且以「天下」对「人间」拓开空间格局，似言此诀此丹乃天地间至宝；颔联「先生今已得，此事古传难」一纵一收，推重中见艰辛，写出丹道之难传，亦暗含对天水公独得其传的推许；颈联「阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒」由人而仙、由德而阶，以德为仙基，是宋儒以儒理解道的痕迹，把升仙论拉回积德修身的常理；结联「旧闻三五一，乞取畧开端」以「三五一」丹经隐语收束，乞闻其要，章法由赞而请教，自然收束为一「乞」字。通篇不事设色，以诀要立骨，比《赠三茅朱先生》的丽密更见清瘦，是宋调游仙的另一面；其可贵在短而不空，四联各有指归，于二十字中笼括「诀—得—德—乞」四义，章法之密于此可见。若就律法细究，此诗虽仅四十字，而起承转合俨然有度：首联立「诀」「丹」二纲，是为起；颔联写「得」与「难」，由纲入事，是为承；颈联由事入理，以「阴德」转「仙阶」，是为转；尾联以「三五一」收束并以「乞」字逗出下问，是为合。四层如螺旋转进，愈转愈深，非平铺直叙者可比。其写游仙而不取楼阁幢幡之丽辞，独取「赤龙」「金液」「三五」一类丹经术语为意象，是宋人「以学入诗」的典型——景物让位于法度，兴象让位于知识。颈联「阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒」尤是全篇关捩：它把方外升仙之事重新锚定在儒家积德之说上，使此诗虽写丹诀而终归于世教，与一味求长生者截然异趣。此种「以儒理解道」的章法安排，正见方平作为儒臣的底线，亦宋调游仙区别于唐人游仙的根本处。

Allusions

Several alchemical terms carry esoteric references. "Crimson Dragon" may denote the tongue's saliva or the heart's fire in inner alchemy, representing the refinement of qi. "Liquid Gold Elixir" is the highest of the Nine Elixirs in Ge Hong's Baopuzi, symbolizing external alchemy. "Three-Five-One" derives from the Cantong qi: "three, five, and one are the finest essence of heaven and earth," where three refers to the Three Powers, five to the Five Phases, and one to the Great Ultimate. "Hidden virtue" originally is a Confucian term for unpublicized good deeds, here used as a prerequisite for attaining immortality. "Cold Moon" refers to the palace of Chang'e, representing the highest celestial realm. These references demonstrate the poet's genuine familiarity with Daoist scriptures and his syncretic worldview.

诗中丹经术语须疏解，且各有经据，非率尔道情。其一，「赤龙诀」：赤龙或指舌下津液（龙吐津涎）、或指南方之心火，诀即口诀、诀法，为炼炁之要门，方平以此概内炼之法。其二，「金液丹」：乃上清派金丹之一种，《抱朴子》列金液于九丹之首，葛洪明言服之可轻举，方平以此概外成之药。其三，「三五一」：出《周易参同契》「三五与一，天地至精」，三五谓三才五行，一谓太极，合参为丹道枢要，是丹经最核心的隐语，方平以之收束全篇，示其窥见丹道之要。其四，「阴德」：本儒家用语，谓潜修不显之德，方平移以说仙阶基础，示「欲仙先积德」之意，是宋儒以儒理释道的显例。其五，「广寒」：本嫦娥所居，此处泛指仙界高阶，言天水公仙阶已臻其境。诸语由法（诀）、药（丹）、枢（三五一）、德（阴德）、境（广寒）依次排布，内炼与外成、人事与仙阶俱摄，足见方平虽为儒臣而于丹经术语确有根柢，非泛作道情语。进一步会通诸典之关系，可见方平用典实有内在逻辑：赤龙诀与金液丹，一属内炼（炼炁）、一属外丹（服药），二者并举，正合丹家「内丹外丹兼修」之旨，是为「体」；三五一为丹道之枢要总纲，统摄上述内外二途，是为「纲」；阴德与广寒，一在尘世之积、一在仙界之阶，将丹道最终导向道德与果位，是为「用」与「归」。由体而纲、由纲而用，三层递进，把一部繁复的《参同契》之学浓缩为二十字间的脉理。尤为可味者，「阴德」本非道教原生概念，而是儒家功过报应之语（见《淮南子》《汉书》），方平偏以之作为升仙前提，正坐实了宋人「以儒理解道」的普遍取向——在北宋新儒学兴起的背景下，即便是谈仙说丹，士大夫亦不肯离「德」字立言。此种用典策略，使此诗虽满纸丹经，而精神仍属儒脉，足为研究宋儒三教合一思想之一手材料。

Commentary

This poem contrasts with Zhang Fangping's other Taoist-themed verse, such as "To Master Zhu of Sanmao," which is more ornate. Here the style is lean, straightforward, and grounded in real alchemical knowledge rather than superficial clichés. The work captures the mature mood of an old politician seeking spiritual peace beyond worldly success. It illustrates the Song intellectual ethos of integrating Confucian ethics into Daoist practice, as well as the respectful relationship between the literati and Taoist masters. This poem, though brief, is a valuable example of Northern Song literati's "learning-infused Taoism."

此诗与《赠三茅朱先生》同调而异趣，可合观方平涉道的两副笔墨。朱诗丽密铺陈仙班𬬻火，此诗清瘦直揭诀要，一以景象胜、一以法度胜，恰成对照。四库馆臣评方平文「明白洞达」，移评此诗最切：它不靠设色取胜，而靠「三五一」这类真诀立骨，是真正读过《参同》《真诰》的人写的，非掇拾道情套语者可比。与苏轼《和陶读山海经》相较，苏多旷达诙谐，以游戏语说长生，方平则庄重诚悫，以老臣求学口吻乞诀；与白玉蟾等南宋道士诗相较，方平又是士大夫论道口吻，不离儒者底色，其「阴德留尘世」一联尤见以儒解道的用心。宋人游仙每被讥为空廓，此诗以「此事古传难」「乞取畧开端」落到实处，反见老臣求学之谦，亦见宋儒「以学入道」的特质。读此当置于宋儒三教合一思潮中，方见其以学入道、以儒理解丹的特质；其诗虽短，而儒道交融之消息已具，足为研究北宋士大夫涉道诗之一例。若进而将此诗置于方平一生仕履中看，更可见其意味：方平历仕仁宗、英宗、神宗、哲宗四朝，官至参知政事，是北宋中期政局的重要参与者，晚年退居而涉道，其《乐全集》中亦多论养生、序道书之作。此诗之「乞取畧开端」，实非暮年无聊的消遣，而是一位功成名遂的老臣在功名之外另觅安顿的精神记录——比起青年时的经世热忱，晚岁的问道更多一分沉淀与谦抑。诗中「先生今已得，此事古传难」二句，既是推重道士，亦暗含对「道之难闻、得之不易」的感慨，与方平一生「凡事求其本」的格物精神一以贯之。后世论宋诗者每以苏黄为大宗，于方平此类小诗留意甚少，然正因其「大臣而问道、儒臣而谈丹」的特殊身份，此诗才格外具有思想史的价值：它是一扇窗口，透过它可见北宋精英阶层如何在儒学复兴的同时，仍以开放心态吸纳道门性命之学，从而形成了宋型文化「兼容并蓄而又以儒为归」的独特气质。

Prosody

Form Five-character Regulated Verse (Wuyan Lushi)五言律诗

Rhyme Single rhyme in the level tone 'han' group: dan, nan, han, duan.通押平声寒韵，入韵字为丹、难、寒、端，一韵到底。

Tone pattern Standard regulated verse tonal pattern; the two middle couplets exhibit parallelism in word class and tone.五律平仄，中二联「先生今已得，此事古传难」「阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒」讲对仗，词性相侔、平仄相对。

Reading note The rhyme in 'han' is clear and restrained, fitting the poem's spacious yet sincere mood. The regulated structure gives it a firm frame, while the clean rhyme supports the rational, moral argument.此诗寒韵，与《赠三茅朱先生》同部，清远微敛，宜写游仙之寥廓与求诀之诚。五言短章，音韵贵在紧凑，四联八句皆押寒韵，读来如一气贯注。首联「丹」字起，定丹道基调；颔联「难」字收，写传诀之艰；颈联「寒」字承，写仙阶之高；尾联「端」字合，写乞开其端。寒韵开口呼，音色清而不厉，正合此诗清瘦简净的体格——比起朱先生诗的丽密，此篇以韵之清助格之瘦。宋人五律游仙，每以意胜不以藻胜，此诗「阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒」一联，以德论仙，理趣盎然，寒韵的收敛底色恰能托住这份理味，不使流于疏放。欲辨宋调游仙之清骨，此篇可为一例。就格律而论，此诗五言八句，中二联「先生今已得，此事古传难」「阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒」对仗工稳，词性相侔、平仄相谐，是标准五律中间对联；首尾二联则以散句起结，起联直揭丹诀、结联以「乞」字逗问，章法于严整中见灵动。寒韵属山摄开口一等平声，元音舒缓开阔而收束有力，既宜写「天—人」「得—难」「尘—寒」「端」的层层推进，亦能托住「以德论仙」的那份理趣，使游仙题材不流于轻浮。方平以寒韵统筹全篇，与《赠三茅朱先生》同部而异趣——朱诗以寒韵铺仙班之丽，此诗以寒韵写诀要之清，同韵而格调有别，正见其用韵之自觉。读此篇，当于寒韵的清远微敛中，体会宋人五律游仙「以意胜、以韵助」的妙处。

Line by line

天下赤龙诀，人间金液丹。

Under heaven, the Crimson Dragon's secret art—Crimson Dragon symbolizes inner alchemy, the method of refining qi.

总写道家两大要旨：赤龙炼炁诀与金液还丹

The Red Dragon formula of the world; the Gold Elixir among men.

此开篇一联是全诗门户，以对起立定丹道两大纲领。赤龙诀者，炼炁之诀也，赤龙或指舌津（龙吐津涎）、或指南方心火，总属内炼要门；金液丹者，外丹之极品也，《抱朴子》列金液于九丹之首，服之可轻举。方平以「天下」对「人间」，空间上拓开格局，似说此诀此丹乃天地间至宝，非一人私秘。更可味者，上句言「诀」属法，下句言「丹」属物，一虚一实，已暗含修持须诀与药并重之意，为后文「先生今已得」伏笔——得者，得此诀此丹之传也。五言短联而能笼括内外丹两途，是游仙短章中极简净的开手，无唐人铺排之累，有宋人立骨之清。

The opening couplet is the poem's gate, establishing the two great lines of the elixir through parallel. The Red Dragon formula is the formula for refining breath: the red dragon may mean the tongue's saliva (the dragon spits saliva) or the southern heart-fire, in all belonging to the inner refinement's key gate. The Gold Elixir is the highest grade of outer elixir; the Baopuzi lists gold liquid first among the nine elixirs, and taking it makes one light and able to rise. Fangping pairs the world among men with the world, expanding the frame in space, as if saying this formula and this elixir are the world's greatest treasure, not one man's private secret. What is more to taste is that the first line speaks of the formula, belonging to method, and the second of the elixir, belonging to thing; one void one solid, secretly holding the meaning that practice must weigh both formula and medicine, planting the thread for the later the master has now attained - attained means attaining the transmission of this formula and this elixir. A short five-character couplet that can enclose both inner and outer elixir, the most spare opening of a short wandering-immortal piece, no Tang burden of expansion, with the Song clarity of standing up the bone.

阴德留尘世，仙阶在广寒。

In the human world, the Liquid Gold Elixir—the supreme external elixir from the Baopuzi.

言先生于尘世留阴德，仙阶已近广寒之境

His hidden virtue remains in the mortal world; his immortal rank is already in the Moon Palace.

此联是全诗转捩，由丹诀转入德行之论，最见宋儒以儒解道的底色。阴德本《淮南》《汉书》儒家功过报应之语，谓潜修不显之德；方平移以说仙基，言欲升仙阶先须积阴德，这是将道教升仙论纳入儒家德性框架的典型手法。下句「仙阶在广寒」，广寒本嫦娥所居，借指仙界高阶，言天水公仙阶已臻其境。一「留」一「在」，上句写德之沉淀于尘世，下句写阶之超拔于广寒，人仙对照、德阶相生，遂把方外之事拉回道德根基。宋人论道每如此，不以怪力乱神眩人，而归于积德修身的常理。此联看似平浅，实含三教调和之深意，是方平游仙诗的儒学灵魂所在。

This couplet is the poem's turn, moving from the elixir formula to the discussion of virtue, most showing the Song Confucian ground of interpreting the Way through Confucianism. Hidden virtue originally is the Huainanzi and Han-shu language of reward and punishment, meaning the virtue cultivated in secret and not shown; Fangping transfers it to the immortal foundation, saying that to rise to the immortal rank one must first accumulate hidden virtue, the typical way of bringing Taoist immortality into the Confucian framework of virtue. The second line, his immortal rank is already in the Moon Palace: the Moon Palace is where Chang'e dwells, borrowed for the high rank of the immortal realm, saying Lord Tianshui's immortal rank has reached that realm. The two words remain and in: the first writes virtue sinking into the mortal world, the second writes the rank rising to the Moon Palace, man and immortal set against each other, virtue and rank generating each other, pulling the beyond-the-world matter back to the moral root. Song writers on the Way are often like this, not dazzling men with prodigies and spirits, but returning to the common reason of accumulating virtue and cultivating the person. This couplet seems plain, really holding the deep meaning of harmonizing the three teachings, the Confucian soul of Fangping's wandering-immortal verse.

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Word focus

丹 A key expression in this poem; read it with the Chinese note below. 「人间金液丹」之「丹」字，与《赠三茅朱先生》同为核心意象，而此处更见简净之妙。金液丹是《抱朴子》九丹中品第最高者，葛洪明言「金液太极，所服而成仙」。方平不称「药」而称「丹」，正因丹是道教修炼文明的符号中枢，承载鼎𬬻、火候、九转整套法度。此丹前有「金液」限定，点明其品类，比泛言「仙丹」更专业。一字置于「人间」之后，与首句「天下赤龙诀」的「诀」虚实相配，构成内炼之法与外成之药的对举。五言短章中，丹字是收束全篇旨归的锚点——前面写诀、写得、写德、写阶，皆为此丹作铺垫。游仙诗最忌空廓，方平以丹字提挈，短章遂有骨力。

诀 A key expression in this poem; read it with the Chinese note below. 「天下赤龙诀」之「诀」字，是与「丹」相对的诗眼，代表丹道中「法」的一面。诀者，口传心授之秘法也，丹经每云「口诀不传」，正见其重。方平以此字起篇，示明所重不只在物（丹），更在法（诀），赤龙诀即炼炁之枢。与下句「金液丹」之「丹」构成法药对举，是内丹外丹并重的纲领性表达。尤为可味者，「诀」字带「言」旁，暗示此乃可传之言、可授之要，遂与结联「乞取畧开端」呼应——既云天下有诀，又乞先生为开端倪，前后血脉贯通。一字而系全篇「求诀」之愿，比泛用「术」「法」等字更见师承口传的郑重，是宋人论道重师授的体现。