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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

酬郭给事

In Reply to Imperial Secretary Guo

王维

Wang Wei

酬赠reply/compliment 官场officialdom

洞门高阁霭余辉，桃李阴阴柳絮飞。
禁里疎钟官舍晚，省中啼鸟吏人稀。
晨摇玉佩趋金殿，夕奉天书拜琐闱。
强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣。

Deep gates and lofty halls glow in the lingering light; peaches and plums stand shady, willow catkins fly.
Within the forbidden precincts a sparse bell sounds as the offices grow late; in the Secretariat birds cry and clerks are few.
At dawn he shakes his jade pendants hastening to the golden hall; at dusk he bears the heavenly edict bowing at the carved gate.
I would fain follow you, but alas I am old; soon, laid low by illness, I shall lay aside my court robes.

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Meaning

Deep gates and lofty halls are bathed in evening's lingering glow, with peaches and plums in shade and willow catkins drifting. Within the palace a sparse bell marks the late hour; in the Secretariat birds sing and clerks have thinned. At dawn you shake your jade pendants hastening to the golden hall; at dusk you bear the imperial edict bowing at the carved gate. I would fain follow you, but how can I, being old? Soon, sick abed, I must lay aside my court robes. The poem praises a friend's eminent station while voicing the poet's own weariness of office and quiet resolve to retire—courteous yet self-revelatory.

深深的宫门、高高的楼阁，笼罩在傍晚的余晖里，桃李成荫，柳絮纷飞。宫禁之中疏落的钟声传来，官舍已近黄昏；门下省里鸟声啼鸣，吏人已渐渐稀少。清晨你佩着玉佩快步趋入金殿，傍晚你捧着天子的诏书拜进琐闱。我勉强想追随你，怎奈年已老迈，恐怕要因病卧床而脱去朝服了。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Deep gates and lofty halls glow in the lingering light; peaches and plums stand shady, willow catkins fly. Within the forbidden precincts a sparse bell sounds as the offices grow late; in the Secretariat birds cry and clerks are few. At dawn you shake your jade pendants hastening to the golden hall; at dusk you bear the heavenly edict bowing at the carved gate. I would fain follow you, but alas I am old; soon, laid low by illness, I shall lay aside my court robes. [Imagery and Method] This is Wang Wei's reply to Guo the Imperial Secretary, praising the friend's favored office and the poet's own aged weariness. The first two couplets scene: 'deep gates lofty halls glow' the palace at dusk, 'peaches plums shady willow catkins fly' spring's luxuriance; 'forbidden precincts a sparse bell… Secretariat birds cry clerks few' the secretariat at dusk, quiet—scene also hints the friend's leisure. The last two couplets person: 'at dawn shakes jade pendants… at dusk bears heavenly edict' with fine antithesis writes his eminence; 'I would fain follow you, but alas I am old' writes the poet's inability to follow and coming retirement. Scene then feeling, praise without flattery, lament without resentment—a famous reply poem. [Emotion and Theme] The poem replies to friend Guo. The Imperial Secretary, a key post in the Secretariat auditing edicts, was a close emperor's man; Wang Wei writes his 'at dawn hastens to the golden hall, at dusk bears the heavenly edict' as his successful career. The first three couplets praise the friend's stature; the last turns to 'I would fain follow you, but alas I am old; soon, laid low by illness, I shall lay aside my court robes'—wanting to follow yet old, he can only retire. This seeming self-pity hides a deeper meaning: Wang Wei, already leaning to reclusion (his late 'in old age I love only quiet, nothing concerns me'), uses the reply to praise the friend and委婉 reveal his own weariness of office and wish to retire. Sincere congratulation meets faint self-lament; one flourishing one reclusive, the contrast shows his late-life turn—a key work for understanding Wang Wei's 'half-official, half-recluse' choice.

【白话串讲】王维写《酬郭给事》：“洞门高阁霭余辉，桃李阴阴柳絮飞”——“禁里疎钟官舍晚，省中啼鸟吏人稀”——“晨摇玉佩趋金殿，夕奉天书拜琐闱”——“强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣”——他说自己老了，要辞官归隐。【意象与手法】此诗是王维酬赠郭给事（郭子仪或郭某给事中）之作，写对友人得宠官场、身居要职的赞美与自己年老倦宦的感叹。前两联写景：「洞门高阁霭余辉，桃李阴阴柳絮飞」写宫中傍晚的景色，洞门高阁、余晖桃李，气象雍容；「禁里疎钟官舍晚，省中啼鸟吏人稀」写官署黄昏的清寂，钟声疏落、吏人稀少，既写景也暗示友人公务之暇；后两联写人：「晨摇玉佩趋金殿，夕奉天书拜琐闱」以工对写友人清晨趋朝、傍晚奉诏的显赫，赞其位高权重、深得信任；「强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣」则写自己年迈多病、欲随而不得，只能辞官归隐。全诗前写景后抒情，赞友而不谄，叹己而不怨，含蓄得体，是酬赠诗中的名作。【情感与主旨】此诗是王维酬答友人郭给事的诗。给事中为门下省要职，掌驳正政令，唐代多为皇帝近臣。王维此诗写作时，友人任给事中之职，深得皇帝信任，晨趋金殿、夕奉天书，正是其仕途得意的写照。诗中前三联赞美友人的地位与声望，以宫中的雍容气象与官署的从容气象烘托友人；尾联却一转，写自己「强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣」——想追随友人而年已老迈，恐怕只能辞官归隐了。这看似自谦自伤，实则暗含深意：王维此时已萌生归隐之志（其晚年「晚年惟好静，万事不关心」正是此志的延续），此诗借酬赠之机，既赞美友人，也委婉地表露了自己厌倦官场、欲归山林的心迹。诗中既有对友人仕途顺遂的真诚祝贺，也有对自身年老倦宦的淡淡感叹，一荣一隐、一仕一隐，对照之中见出王维晚年思想的转变，是理解王维「半官半隐」人生选择的重要作品。【名句点睛】常考“洞门高阁霭余辉，桃李阴阴柳絮飞”写宫中傍晚的雍容景色；“强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣”写年老倦宦、欲辞官归隐。

Background

This is Wang Wei's reply to Imperial Secretary Guo, c. the Tianbao reign, late in his Chang'an official life. Guo, name unknown, perhaps Guo Ziyi, then in the Secretariat's important post of Imperial Secretary (给事中), auditing edicts, often near the emperor—hence 'at dawn shakes jade pendants hastening to the golden hall, at dusk bears the heavenly edict bowing at the carved gate.' Wang Wei, near the end of life yet in office, already weary of its bustle and strife, longing for his Wangchuan retreat. The poem shows this: the first three couplets praise the friend's eminence, the last turns to 'I would fain follow you, but alas I am old; soon, laid low by illness, I shall lay aside my court robes'—a hint of retirement, echoing Tao Yuanming's 'not bowing for five pecks of rice.' Wang Wei's life was 'half-official, half-recluse'—this poem is key evidence of that choice.

此诗为王维酬赠郭给事之作，约作于唐玄宗天宝年间，王维晚年居官长安时期。郭给事，名不详，一说为郭子仪，一说为郭某，时任门下省给事中之职。给事中是门下省的重要官职，掌审核封驳诏令，位虽不高而权颇重，且常侍皇帝左右，故王维诗中以「晨摇玉佩趋金殿，夕奉天书拜琐闱」写其亲近皇帝、身居要职的显赫。王维此时年近暮年，虽仍在朝为官，但已厌倦官场的繁剧与倾轧，向往山水田园的闲适生活（其辋川别业即建于此时）。此诗正是这种心境的流露：前三联写友人的显赫与官署的雍容，尾联却以「强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣」自述年老倦宦、欲辞官归隐。诗中「解朝衣」即辞官之意，暗含陶渊明「不为五斗米折腰」挂印归隐的典故，表明王维此时已萌生退隐之志。值得注意的是，王维一生「半官半隐」，既离不开朝廷的俸禄与身份，又向往山林的闲适，这种矛盾在此诗中表现得十分含蓄——他赞美友人的仕途，却说自己要归隐，语气平和而意味深长，正是其「晚年惟好静」思想的前奏，也是盛唐士人「兼济」与「独善」两种人生选择在王维身上的交织。

Art

Four aspects. First, scene衬托 person: the first two couplets write the palace and secretariat—'deep gates lofty halls glow,' 'peaches plums shady willow catkins fly,' 'sparse bell,' 'birds cry'—not mere scenery but setting off the friend's stature and ease. Second, fine antithesis and dignified bearing: 'within the forbidden precincts a sparse bell… in the Secretariat birds cry' antithetical; 'at dawn shakes jade pendants… at dusk bears the heavenly edict' with 'dawn' vs 'dusk,' impeccable and composed, writing his eminence. Third, the reply's decorum of 'lowering self, raising other': the last couplet 'I would fain follow you, but alas I am old' praises the friend yet states his own retirement without loss of face—praise without flattery. Fourth, implicit feeling: not one word says 'I retire,' yet 'lay aside my court robes' says it all,含蓄.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以景衬人的烘托手法。前两联写宫中与官署的景色：「洞门高阁霭余辉」写宫阙的雍容，「桃李阴阴柳絮飞」写春日的秾丽，「禁里疎钟」「省中啼鸟」写官署的从容清寂——这些景色不是单纯的写景，而是烘托友人的身份与气度：宫阙的雍容映衬其位高，官署的清寂映衬其从容。其二，工对与雍容的气度。中二联对仗精工：「禁里疎钟官舍晚，省中啼鸟吏人稀」以「禁里」对「省中」、「疎钟」对「啼鸟」；「晨摇玉佩趋金殿，夕奉天书拜琐闱」以「晨」对「夕」、「摇玉佩」对「奉天书」、「趋金殿」对「拜琐闱」，对偶精整而气度从容，写出友人晨趋夕拜、亲近天颜的显赫。其三，抑己扬人的酬赠分寸。尾联「强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣」，以自谦自伤之辞托出归隐之意——「强欲从君」是赞友之切，「无那老」是叹己之衰，「卧病解朝衣」是言归之志，抑己扬人而不失身份，赞友而不谄媚，正是酬赠诗「得体」的最高境界。其四，含蓄委婉的情志表达。全诗无一字直说「我欲归隐」，而「解朝衣」三字已把归隐之意和盘托出，含蓄蕴藉。四重手法相得益彰，使此诗成为王维酬赠诗中的名作，也是盛唐酬赠诗中「雍容得体」的典范。

Allusions

The allusions center on the last couplet. 'Lay aside my court robes' means resigning, echoing Tao Yuanming's 'not bowing for five pecks of rice' and his 'Returning'—Wang Wei's retirement feeling. 'I would fain follow you, but alas I am old'—'alas' (无那) is Tang colloquial; 'follow you' hints emulation. 'At dawn shakes jade pendants…' though factual, hints at court rite: 'jade pendants' per the Liji 'walk and the pendants sound'; 'golden hall' the palace, 'carved gate' (琐闱) the palace gate, 'hasten' and 'bow' are audience acts. The first couplets' scenes also have sources: 'deep gates lofty halls' the palace's grandeur; 'peaches plums shady' hints the Han Shi Waizhuan 'plant peaches and plums in spring, in summer shade beneath, in autumn eat their fruit,' suggesting Guo's many worthy disciples; 'willow catkins fly' late-spring. The whole uses allusions unnoticeably—court rite, retirement, peaches-plums—Wang Wei's 'write feeling through allusion, dignified and proper.'

此诗的典故与意象主要见于尾联「强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣」。「解朝衣」即脱去朝服，指辞官归隐，暗用陶渊明「不为五斗米折腰」的典故：陶渊明任彭泽县令八十余日，因不愿为五斗米向乡里小儿折腰而弃官归隐，其《归去来兮辞》「归去来兮，田园将芜胡不归」正写挂印归田的决心。王维以「解朝衣」自述将辞官，正是陶渊明式归隐情怀的流露。「强欲从君无那老」的「无那」，即无奈，是唐人常用口语（如王维「无那尘缘容易绝」），「从君」暗含追随、效仿之意。「晨摇玉佩趋金殿，夕奉天书拜琐闱」虽写实景，却暗含朝仪的典故：「玉佩」是官员佩带的玉饰，步则有声，《礼记》有「行则鸣佩玉」之制；「金殿」指皇宫大殿，「琐闱」指雕有连琐花纹的宫门，代指皇宫，「趋」「拜」皆是朝仪动作，写出友人的显赫。前两联的景物也各有出处：「洞门高阁」写宫阙的壮丽，「桃李阴阴」暗用《韩诗外传》「夫春树桃李，夏得阴其下，秋得食其实」之说，暗喻郭给事门下多贤才，「柳絮飞」则写暮春风物。全诗用典不着痕迹，化朝仪、归隐、桃李诸典于酬赠之中，正是王维「以典写情、雍容得体」的本领。

Commentary

Long praised as a model of Wang Wei's reply poems and key to his late thought. Critics prize the first couplets' dignity and the last's implicit decorum: Shen Deqian's 'Tang Poems Selected' says 'praise is proper, the close婉而多讽'; modern readers note the last two lines write retirement through self-deprecation—courteous to the friend, revealing his own heart, the model of reply-poem 'propriety.' In reply-poem history its value: it unites 'praising friend' and 'stating intent'—the first three couplets praise, the last states retirement. Praise without flattery, lament without resentment—the 'ample and elegant' High-Tang bearing. Against Du Fu's 'Presented to Vice-Minister Wei' anger, this shows Wang Wei's gentle side. It also evidences his 'half-official, half-recluse': not wholly weary, but old and ill, able only to 'lay aside his robes.' For today's readers it is a window on High-Tang 'office vs reclusion' and a model of reply-poem decorum—praise with measure, intent with含蓄, the 'gentle and honest' tradition.

此诗历来被推为王维酬赠诗中的名作，也是理解其晚年思想的重要作品。历代论者多赏其前两联的雍容气象与尾联的含蓄得体：清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》评此诗「颂扬得体，结语婉而多讽」，近人更指出「强欲从君无那老，将因卧病解朝衣」二句，以自谦自伤之辞写归隐之志，既不失对友人的礼敬，又委婉地表露了自己的心迹，是酬赠诗「进退得体」的典范。在酬赠诗史上，此诗的独特价值在于：它把「颂友」与「言志」巧妙地统一起来——前三联赞美友人的显赫，是酬赠的应有之义；尾联自述年老归隐，是言志的婉转表达。颂而不谄、叹而不怨，正是盛唐士人酬赠诗「雍容大雅」的气度。相较于杜甫《奉赠韦左丞丈二十二韵》「纨绔不饿死，儒冠多误身」的愤激，此诗更见王维温润平和的一面。此诗也为我们理解王维「半官半隐」的人生提供了直接证据：他并非彻底厌倦官场，而是年老多病、力不从心，只能「解朝衣」而归隐。对于今日读者，此诗是理解盛唐士人「仕隐」观念的窗口，也是学习酬赠诗「得体」艺术的范本——赞友有分寸，言志有含蓄，正是中国诗歌「温柔敦厚」传统的体现。

Prosody

Form A seven-character regulated verse (平起首句入韵).七言律诗（平起首句入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes with the upper-level 'wei' rhyme; rhyme-words 'fly' (飞), 'few/sparse' (稀), 'gate' (闱), 'robes' (衣). The first line's 'glow' (辉) enters the rhyme, a first-line rhyme. The 'wei' sound is distant and long, suiting the dignified mood.押上平五微韵，韵脚为「飞」「稀」「闱」「衣」。首句「辉」字平声入韵，属首句入韵之格。韵脚「飞」「稀」「闱」「衣」皆属微部，韵音悠远绵长，与「余辉」「柳絮飞」的雍容意境相谐。

Tone pattern Level-rising: 'Deep gates lofty halls glow in lingering light' (平平平仄仄平平); 'Peaches plums shady willow catkins fly' (平仄平平仄仄平); 'Within forbidden precincts sparse bell offices late' (仄仄平平平仄仄); 'In Secretariat birds cry clerks few' (仄平平仄仄平平); 'At dawn shakes jade pendants hastening golden hall' (平平仄仄平平仄); 'At dusk bears heavenly edict bowing carved gate' (仄仄平平仄仄平); 'I would fain follow you but alas I am old' (平仄平平平仄仄); 'Soon laid low by illness lay aside court robes' (平平仄仄仄平平). The whole obeys the seven-character regulated pattern with fine antithesis, dignified syllables.洞门高阁霭余辉，平平平仄仄平平；桃李阴阴柳絮飞，平仄平平仄仄平；禁里疎钟官舍晚，仄仄平平平仄仄；省中啼鸟吏人稀，仄平平仄仄平平；晨摇玉佩趋金殿，平平仄仄平平仄；夕奉天书拜琐闱，仄仄平平仄仄平；强欲从君无那老，平仄平平平仄仄；将因卧病解朝衣，平平仄仄仄平平。全诗平仄合于七律格律，对仗精工，音节雍容。

Reading note A level-register, first-line-rhyming seven-character regulated verse, strict in pattern, fine in antithesis, a model of Wang Wei's regulated verse. Four couplets: first writes the palace spring scene, second the secretariat dusk, third the friend's eminence, fourth the poet's resolve. The first two couplets scene, the latter two person, from scene to person to self. Tonally it uses the level 'wei' rhyme, distant in sound, matching the dignified scene and the婉转 resolve; read the first two couplets with composure, the neck couplet with gravity, the last with a婉转 turn, and the levels show in the voice. Wang Wei's seven-character regulated verses are known for 'rounded, correct, and elegant'; this is his courteous, dignified representative.此诗是平起首句入韵的七言律诗，押平声微韵，格律严整，对仗精工，是王维七律中的典范之作。全诗四联结构分明：首联写宫中春景（洞门高阁、桃李柳絮），颔联写官署黄昏（疎钟啼鸟、吏人稀少），颈联写友人显赫（晨趋金殿、夕奉天书），尾联写己志（卧病解朝衣、欲从无奈）。前两联写景，后两联写人，由景及人、由人及己，章法井然。声调上，全诗以平声微韵为韵脚，韵音悠远，配合「余辉」「柳絮飞」的雍容景象与「解朝衣」的婉转心迹，全篇音节从容不迫，正合酬赠诗「雍容得体」的风格。诵读此诗，宜以从容的语调读前两联的雍容景致，以庄重的语调读颈联的朝仪，以婉转的语调读尾联的归隐之志，使全诗的层次在声调中呈现。王维七律以「浑厚雅正」著称，此诗正是其七律中酬赠得体、气度雍容的代表。

Line by line

禁里疎钟官舍晚，省中啼鸟吏人稀。

Within the forbidden precincts a sparse bell sounds as the offices grow late; in the Secretariat birds cry and clerks are few.

宫禁之中疏落的钟声传来，官舍已近黄昏；门下省里鸟声啼鸣，吏人已渐渐稀少。

Sparse bells within the palace; the offices are evening. Birds cry in the ministry; the clerks are few.

这两句写官署黄昏的清寂，既是写景，也是烘托友人的从容。「禁里疎钟官舍晚」写黄昏的宫禁——疏落的钟声在宫禁中回荡，天色已晚，「疎钟」的「疎」字写出钟声的悠远稀少，也写出黄昏的宁静；「省中啼鸟吏人稀」写清寂的门下省——鸟声啼鸣而吏人稀少，说明公务已毕、署中无人，「啼鸟」与「吏人稀」相映，更见官署的空旷清寂。两句一写「禁里」，一写「省中」，一写「钟」，一写「鸟」，声景交融，营造出官署黄昏特有的宁静从容。这宁静不是死寂，而是一种「公务已毕、余闲自得」的从容——郭给事能在这样的官署中怡然自处，正见其身份的尊贵与心境的平和。同时，这两句也为尾联「卧病解朝衣」作了暗衬：官署的清寂与从容，反衬出王维自己「身在朝中、心向山林」的倦怠。以景写人、以景见志，正是此联的妙处，也是王维「诗中有画」在酬赠诗中的体现。

The two lines write the quiet of the offices at dusk, at once scenery and a foil for the friend's composure. Sparse bells within the palace; the offices are evening writes the dusk palace - the sparse bells echoing in the precinct, the day late, the single word sparse writing the bells' distant thinness and the dusk's quiet. Birds cry in the ministry; the clerks are few writes the quiet Chancellery - the birds calling while the clerks grow few, showing business done and the offices empty; the crying birds and the few clerks setting off, further showing the office's void quiet. The two lines, one writing within the palace, one writing in the ministry, one the bell, one the bird, the sound and scene fused, create the offices' peculiar evening composure. This quiet is not dead stillness, but the composure of business done and leisure won; that Guo the Attendant can dwell at ease in such an office shows his noble station and his peace of mind. At the same time, the two lines secretly foil the tail couplet's rising from my couch of sickness to unrobe: the office's quiet composure sets off Wang Wei's own weariness of being at court while his heart turns to the hills. Writing the man through scenery and the will through scenery, exactly the beauty of this couplet, and the showing of Wang Wei's poetry within painting in the reciprocal poem.

晨摇玉佩趋金殿，夕奉天书拜琐闱。

At dawn he shakes his jade pendants hastening to the golden hall; at dusk he bears the heavenly edict bowing at the carved gate.

清晨你佩着玉佩快步趋入金殿，傍晚你捧着天子的诏书拜进琐闱。

At dawn, shaking the jade pendants, you hasten to the golden hall; at dusk, holding the royal edict, you bow at the latticed gate.

这两句以精工的对仗写友人的显赫，是赞颂的核心。「晨摇玉佩趋金殿」写清晨——友人佩着玉佩，快步趋入金殿，一个「摇」字写玉佩随步伐摆动的声音，一个「趋」字写快步上朝的恭敬，清晨趋朝的画面如在目前；「夕奉天书拜琐闱」写傍晚——友人捧着天子的诏书，恭敬地拜进雕花的宫门，「奉天书」写其代传诏命的重任，「拜琐闱」写其出入宫禁的荣宠。两句以「晨」对「夕」，写友人从早到晚、趋朝奉诏的忙碌与显赫；以「金殿」对「琐闱」，写其出入宫禁、亲近天颜的地位。对仗之精工，气度之雍容，正是对郭给事最高的赞美。值得注意的是，这两句虽是赞美，却不露谀词，而是以具体的动作（摇玉佩、趋金殿、奉天书、拜琐闱）写出友人的日常，让读者自行体味其位高权重。这种「以实写虚」的赞颂，比空泛的恭维高明得多，也正是王维酬赠诗「雍容得体」的体现。

The two lines write the friend's eminence in a wrought parallel, the core of the praise. At dawn, shaking the jade pendants, you hasten to the golden hall writes the morning - the friend, jade pendants swinging, hastening to the golden hall, the single word shaking writing the pendants' sound at each step, the single word hasten writing the reverence of the morning court, the picture as if before the eyes. At dusk, holding the royal edict, you bow at the latticed gate writes the evening - the friend holding the emperor's edict, reverently bowing at the carved gate, holding the royal edict writing his heavy charge of transmitting the commands, bowing at the latticed gate the honor of entering and leaving the palace. The two lines set dawn against dusk, writing the friend's busyness and eminence from morning to night of hastening to court and bearing the edict; set the golden hall against the latticed gate, writing his station of entering the palace and nearing the sovereign. The wrought parallel and the dignified bearing, exactly the highest praise of Guo. Notably, though praise, the two lines reveal no fawning words, but write the friend's daily life through concrete acts (shaking the pendants, hastening to the hall, bearing the edict, bowing at the gate), letting the reader savor his rank and power. This praise of writing the void through the real is far finer than empty flattery, exactly the showing of Wang Wei's reciprocal poem's dignified propriety.

Study

Word focus

疎 The character 'shu' (疎, variant of 疏, 'sparse') is the eye of the first couplet, writing the dusk bell's distance, one word conjuring the whole realm. 'Shu' means sparse, scattered. Wang Wei writes 'forbidden precincts a sparse bell'—at least three layers: first, the bell's rarity—at dusk the time-bell is unhurried and sparse, not the morning's urgent密集, 'shu' writes dusk's quiet rhythm; second, the bell's distance—it comes from deep in the forbidden precincts, across halls, and 'shu' hints the far space; third, the mind's ease—the bell's sparseness mirrors the viewer's calm, one 'shu' fuses outer bell and inner mood. 'Residual' or 'late' would lose the sparse texture or the distant mood; only 'shu' writes both the bell's sparseness and dusk's quiet, and echoes the 'few' of 'clerks are few,' building the secretariat-dusk quiet. This one 'shu' lets the forbidden bell echo forever in the reader's heart. 「疎」字（异体作「疏」）是首联的点睛之字，写黄昏钟声的悠远，一字而境界全出。疎者，稀疏、疏落也。王维以「禁里疎钟」写宫禁的钟声，「疎」字至少写出三层意味：其一，写钟声之稀——黄昏时分，报时的钟声不紧不慢、疏疏落落，不像清晨那样急促密集，「疎」字写出黄昏的宁静节奏；其二，写钟声之远——钟声从宫禁深处传来，越过重重殿阁，传到耳中时已疏疏落落，「疎」字暗含距离的辽远；其三，写心境之淡——钟声的疏落，正衬出观者心境的从容淡泊，一个「疎」字，把客观的钟声与主观的心境融为一体。若换作「残」「晚」等字，则或失其疏落的质感，或失其悠远的意境；唯「疎」字，既写钟声的稀疏，又写黄昏的宁静，还与下句「吏人稀」的「稀」字遥相呼应，构成官署黄昏的清寂意境。这一个「疎」字，让宫禁的晚钟永远在读者心中悠远地回荡。

奉 The character 'feng' (奉, 'to bear/reverently present') is the key word for Guo's favor, one verb writing his closeness to the throne. 'Feng' means to hold with both hands, to revere. Wang Wei writes 'at dusk bears the heavenly edict'—'feng the heavenly edict' has at least two senses: first, reverence—bearing the Son of Heaven's edict with both hands, 'feng' writes the subject's deference; second, favor—only a trusted close minister may 'bear the edict' and enter the forbidden precincts, the greatest favor. Paired with 'bows at the carved gate,' 'feng' writes the holding, 'bows' the entering, the deference and favor complete. 'Hold' or 'carry' would lose the reverence or the favor's weight; only 'feng' holds both the action and the respect—the fittest word for subject to sovereign. This one 'feng,' with the neck couplet's 'hastens to the golden hall,' writes Guo's dawn-haste and dusk-bow, his devotion to the king's business, and shows Wang Wei's fine craft. 「奉」字是写郭给事荣宠的关键字，一个动词写出其亲近天颜的显赫。奉者，捧持、尊奉也。王维以「夕奉天书拜琐闱」写友人傍晚奉诏入宫，「奉天书」的「奉」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写恭敬——奉天书，是恭敬地捧着天子的诏书，一个「奉」字写出臣子对诏命的恭谨；其二，写荣宠——奉天书者，必是皇帝信任的近臣，能「奉天书」出入宫禁，正是最大的荣宠。与「拜琐闱」的「拜」字相配合，「奉」写捧诏的恭敬，「拜」写入宫的行礼，一奉一拜，把臣子侍奉天颜的恭谨与荣宠写得淋漓尽致。若换作「持」「捧」等字，则或失其恭敬的意味，或失其荣宠的分量；唯「奉」字，既含「捧持」的动作，又含「尊奉」的敬意，正是「臣」对「君」最恰当的字眼。这一个「奉」字，与上句「趋金殿」的「趋」字相映，写尽郭给事晨趋夕拜、勤于王事的显赫，也见王维炼字之精。