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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

春夜喜雨

Happy Rain on a Spring Night

杜甫

Du Fu

写景scene painting 春雨spring rain

好雨知时节，当春乃发生。
随风潜入夜，润物细无声。
野径云俱黑，江船火独明。
晓看红湿处，花重锦官城。

Good rain knows its time right;
It will fall when comes spring.
With wind it steals in night;
Mute, it moistens each thing.
O'er wild lanes dark cloud spreads;
In boat a lantern looms.
Dawn sees saturated reds;
The town's heavy with blooms.

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Meaning

A timely spring rain falls quietly at night, nourishing all things. The poet imagines that at dawn the city of Chengdu will be full of heavy, rain-soaked blossoms.

好雨仿佛懂得时令，正当春天便悄然降临。它随着夜风悄悄而来，无声无息地滋润着万物。乡间小路与云色一同漆黑，唯有江上渔船的灯火独自明亮。清晨去看那被雨水沾湿的地方，锦官城里的花朵定是沉甸甸地开放。

Appreciation

The poem expresses joy at the spring rain without using the word 'joy'. The rain is personified as knowing the right time and coming gently to nourish the world. The contrast between the dark paths and the lone boat lantern creates a serene night scene, while the final couplet imagines the morning's heavy flowers, turning the night's moisture into visible abundance.

【白话串讲】这场雨下在成都的春夜，悄悄潜入杜甫的窗外，也悄悄潜入中国人的审美里。“润物细无声”，后来成了形容一切好东西的最高级。【意象与手法】首联即赞雨知时节，以拟人立骨，一个好字定调【情感与主旨】此诗约作于唐肃宗上元二年（761）杜甫定居成都草堂时。经安史之乱流离，诗人于浣花溪畔筑草堂，暂得安宁【名句点睛】常考颔联随风潜入夜，润物细无声的细腻体物与拟人；潜、润、细的炼字；尾联晓看红湿处，花重锦官城的想象之笔

Background

Written around 761 AD, after Du Fu settled in a thatched cottage in Chengdu following the An Lushan Rebellion. This period of relative peace allowed him to observe nature with delight. The spring rain was especially welcome after a drought.

杜甫写此诗约在唐肃宗上元二年（公元七六一年）春，时诗人已于浣花溪畔筑成成都草堂，结束了自安史之乱以来的多年漂泊。此前他携家入蜀，赖友人严武接济，方得在成都定居。上元二年距安史之乱爆发已六载，两京虽复而河山残破、战火未熄，故一场应时好雨在诗人眼中便别有慰藉民生、期盼复苏的深意。成都草堂营建于上元元年暮冬，次年春方落成，此诗正写于草堂落成后的第一个春天，躬耕暂安，喜不自胜，与同期《客至》《江村》同一温厚恬淡之调。春日喜雨，既是自然之雨，亦暗喻战乱暂歇、民生得苏的期盼。此诗历来传本文字无大异文，唯『晓看红湿处』之『红湿』一作『红重』，『花重锦官城』之『重』读平声（chóng），言花因沾雨而沉坠饱满。自《诗经·小雅·信南山》『益之以霢霂』写雨雪之润，至陶渊明『微雨从东来』，春雨入诗久矣；杜甫此作承六朝状物之细与初唐应制之丽，而另开『体物入微、即小见大』一脉，为后世田园雨景之范型。

Art

The first couplet personifies the rain. The second uses words like 'steal' and 'mute' to capture its gentleness and selflessness. The third couplet juxtaposes dark clouds and a single boat light to create depth and stillness. The final couplet shifts to an imagined morning scene, turning the rain's effect into visual richness.

全诗八句，前两联写雨之『知』与『润』，后两联写雨中之景与及雨后之想，章法由虚入实再归于悬想。全诗以『喜』为暗脉而通篇不着一『喜』字，是为含蓄之极；前半写雨之德，后半写雨之境与效，由物及人、由夜及晓，时空递进自然。首联『好雨知时节，当春乃发生』以『好』字立骨，将雨拟人，着一『知』字便见诗人欣悦；颔联『随风潜入夜，润物细无声』于『潜』『润』『细』三字极尽体物之妙，写春雨之静柔而不著一『春』字而春意自满。颈联『野径云俱黑，江船火独明』以浓墨写雨夜之暗，独以一点渔火破之，明暗相映，构图如画；尾联『晓看红湿处，花重锦官城』由夜雨跳至翌晨，以想象收束，色调由黑转红，由实转虚。中二联一写雨之精神（潜润），一写雨之夜境（黑明），虚实相生。四联皆对仗工整而气脉流贯，无一字生硬，诚为『语不惊人死不休』之浑成者。综而言之，《春夜喜雨》正是以如此艺术匠心，于尺幅之间见千里之势，言有尽而意无穷，足见作者驾驭语言、熔铸意境之深厚功力，故能历久而不失其动人之处。

Allusions

The phrase 'good rain knows its time' echoes the Confucian idea of timely blessing. 'Moistening things silently' also alludes to the subtle influence of a virtuous ruler or teacher, akin to Mencius's concept of nourishment. 'Jinguan Cheng' is an old name for Chengdu, referring to the official brocade office set up in the Han Dynasty.

『知时节』之拟人化雨思，渊源甚古。《礼记·月令》载『仲春之月，始雨水』，以雨系于时令；陶渊明《读山海经》『微雨从东来，好风与之俱』已有以自然为友之意。杜甫翻新出奇，以『好雨』直接称雨，在唐人诗中罕见其俦，遂开以『好』赞物之风。又『润物』一语，本于《周易·说卦》『润万物者莫润乎水』及《论语》『温润』之义，暗合儒家『仁者如春』之德。『锦官城』为成都别称，因汉设锦官于此而得名，亦称锦城；『红湿』『花重』之『重』字，旧注或误读去声（zhòng），清人仇兆鳌《杜诗详注》明辨其当作平声『重』（重复、层叠）言花因雨重而垂。又『红湿处』之『湿』亦见异文作『重』，然以『湿』为长，状雨后花叶带水之态，与『花重』正相承接，足见诗人炼字之连环巧思。历代注家于『潜』『细』炼字尤多推许，以为得阴阳动静之微。观《春夜喜雨》用典使事之妙，正在于不泥于古而能化用无痕，信手拈来皆成佳境，既增诗境之厚重，又不失自然浑成之趣，非徒摭拾故实以炫博者也。

Commentary

Qing scholar Qiu Zhao'ao noted that the joy comes from the poet's care for the people—the rain benefits farmers. Pu Qilong added that the words 'good' and 'joy' are the eye of the poem, yet they are subtly implied. Both views highlight how Du Fu's personal delight and concern for the common good merge into restrained, profound verse.

此诗自宋代即享盛名，苏轼谓杜甫『一洗万古凡马空』，其状物之工于此可见。南宋朱熹称杜诗『贯穿今古，缕格律而工造化』，春雨一篇尤称体物入神。明清诗评家多以此诗为『喜雨』正格：明人胡应麟《诗薮》列杜律为盛唐之冠；清人浦起龙《读杜心解》特赏其『不作惊人语，而喜跃之意自在言外』。仇兆鳌《杜诗详注》引赵汸云『此诗妙在纳喜意于雨中，不即不离』。近代学界则以『知时节』之拟人为杜甫仁爱人格之投射，钱锺书《谈艺录》谓其『以物我同春为乐，仁者之境也』。此诗后世传播极广，选本无不录，清人蘅塘退士《唐诗三百首》亦收之，遂成童蒙能诵之作；近世语文教材多所采撷，更使其成为国人集体记忆中的春雨意象原型。且『润物细无声』更化为成语，喻教化之潜移默化，足见其经典地位历久弥新。由古及今，评骘《春夜喜雨》者代不乏人，或赏其辞章，或味其情志，虽各有侧重而皆许为名篇，其艺术生命之活跃、在文学史上地位之重要，于此可见一斑。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated verse (abbreviated form, first couplet not entering rhyme)五言律诗

Rhyme Rhymes with level tone 'geng' (八庚): 生, 声, 明, 城押平声庚韵，次句『生』起韵，以下『声』『明』『城』依次相押，一韵到底，首句『好雨知时节』不入韵（节属屑韵）。

Tone pattern First couplet: 仄仄平平仄, 平平仄仄平. Middle two couplets are parallel: 随风潜入夜 vs 润物细无声, 野径云俱黑 vs 江船火独明.五言律诗仄起首句不入韵式。首联仄仄平平仄，平平仄仄平；颔联仄平平仄仄，仄仄仄平平；颈联仄仄平平仄，平平仄仄平；尾联仄平平仄仄，仄仄仄平平。中二联对仗工稳。

Reading note The entire poem celebrates 'joy' without once using the character 'xi' (joy). The joy is conveyed through the rain's timeliness, gentleness, and the imagined morning scene.此诗虽为律体，却无律诗常见的矜持雕琢，一气流转而格律精严。首联仄起不入韵，开门即以『好雨』二字振起，平仄如『仄仄平平仄，平平仄仄平』，于规矩中见从容。中二联为全诗筋骨：颔联『随风潜入夜，润物细无声』不仅对仗工稳，且『潜』『细』二字于仄仄平平仄仄平平之格中，以入声与清音相配，读来如雨丝轻落；颈联『野径云俱黑，江船火独明』以『俱黑』对『独明』，色彩与光影形成强烈张力，平仄『仄仄平平仄，平平仄仄平』恰成镜像。尾联复归仄起，于收束处留一抹晓色想象，声情与画境同归于浑成，是为声律与情韵合一的典范。

Line by line

好雨知时节，

The good rain knows its season,

好雨仿佛懂得时令

The good rain knows the right season;

起句以『好』字领起全诗，开门见山而毫不费力，一个『好』字已含无限欣悦。更妙在『知时节』三字将春雨拟人，雨本无知，诗人却赋予其灵性，仿佛天地间自有安排在最恰当的时候降下甘霖。这既切合春旱待雨的农时，也暗喻战乱甫定、民生待苏的政治隐喻，以最浅近的口语道出最深的感恩与喜悦，是为杜诗『老妪能解』而意蕴厚重之范例。

The opening leads the whole with the word good, coming straight to the point without effort, the single word good already holding boundless delight. The beauty further lies in the three words knows its season personifying the spring rain - the rain originally passionless, yet the poet gives it a spirit, as if heaven and earth of themselves arrange to send the sweet rain at the most fitting hour. This at once suits the farming time of the spring drought waiting for rain, and secretly meta-phors the political hope of the war just settled and the people awaiting revival, speaking the deepest gratitude and joy in the plainest speech, the model of Du's verse that the old woman can understand yet the meaning thick.

随风潜入夜，

steals in with the wind in the night,

它随着夜风悄悄而来

with the wind it slips into the night,

此句承『知』字而来，写雨之来也『潜』——不说『随』风『来』夜，而说『潜入』，赋予春雨以轻盈灵动的身姿，仿佛一位体贴的客人怕惊扰主人，趁夜色与风悄然降临。一个『潜』字尽写春雨之细、之静、之善解人意，与夏日暴雨之倾盆截然不同。杜甫炼字如盐入水，不着痕迹而滋味自出，正见其『语不惊人死不休』之下，更有『看似寻常最奇崛』的从容。

This line follows the word knows, writing the rain's coming as stealthy - not saying comes with the wind in the night, but steals in, giving the spring rain a light and nimble posture, as if a considerate guest, fearing to disturb the host, quietly arriving in the night and wind. The single word steals writes to the full the spring rain's fineness, its quiet, its thoughtfulness, utterly unlike the summer rain's pouring. Du's word-polishing is like salt dissolved in water, without a trace yet the flavor of itself rising, exactly showing that, beneath his not startling the words to the death, there is also the composure of the seemingly common that is the most wondrous.

润物细无声。

nourishing all things, fine and soundless.

无声无息地滋润着万物

moistening all things, fine and without a sound.

『润物』二字点出春雨之功效，『细无声』则写其方式之温柔。雨之德在润，而不在喧；以『细』状其形，以『无声』状其神，形神兼备。此句后被提炼为成语，用以比喻教育、感化之潜移默化，正因其抓住了『不令而行、不言而信』的至高境界。在诗中，它与上句『潜入夜』呼应，共同构成一个沉默而慷慨的施予者形象，也是诗人自家仁爱宽厚人格的写照。

The two words nourishing all things point the spring rain's effect; fine and soundless writes the gentleness of its manner. The rain's virtue lies in nourishing, not in clamor; writing its form with fine and its spirit with soundless, form and spirit both. This line was later refined into an idiom, used to meta-phor the silent influence of education and persuasion, precisely because it has seized the highest realm of acting without command and being trusted without words. In the poem, it echoes the last line's steals in the night, together forming the image of a silent yet generous giver, and the portrait of the poet's own benevolent and broad character.

花重锦官城。

The flowers hang heavy over Brocade City.

锦官城里的花朵定是沉甸甸地开放

The rain-heavy flowers of Brocade City.

尾句以悬想收束，由眼前之夜雨跃至翌晨之锦官城，时空一跳而境界顿开。一个『重』字极炼：花因饱含雨水而低垂沉重，既是物理之实写，亦是春意丰盈之象。锦官城即成都，点明地点而不滞于地点，红湿之花与首联之『好雨』遥相呼应，形成由黑（雨夜）转红（晓花）的色彩收束。诗人未写己之喜，而喜意尽在满城繁花之中，所谓『不着一字，尽得风流』。

The closing line closes in imagination, leaping from the present night rain to the next morning's Brocade City, space and space leaping and the realm at once opening. The single word heavy is most polished: the flowers, heavy and bowed with the rain, at once the physical reality and the image of spring's abundance. Brocade City means Chengdu, pointing the place without clinging to the place; the red wet flowers echo from afar the opening's good rain, forming the color close from black (rainy night) to red (dawn flowers). The poet writes not his own delight, yet the delight is all within the city of lush flowers, the so-called not using one word, yet fully attaining the grace.

Study

Word focus

潜 steals in, quietly enters 『潜』字是全诗炼字之眼。本义为盛水之器，引申为隐藏、不露痕迹。此处写春雨趁夜随风而来，不用『来』『降』『落』等常字，而独取『潜』，既状其轻柔无声之态，又暗含一种体贴周到、不欲惊扰人事的善意。与『润物细无声』相为表里，共同塑造出春雨如谦谦君子般的品格。清人已多以『潜』与『细』对举称赏，以为得造化之微。一字之易，而物我之情毕现，足见杜甫下字如弈棋，落子皆活。

重 heavy, laden with water (read zhòng) 『重』字读平声（chóng），言花因沾雨而层叠垂坠，与『轻』相对。此字最见杜诗体物之精：雨后之花非凋零，而是因饱吸甘霖而沉甸甸地饱满，是生命的丰盈而非衰谢。旧有注家误读作去声『重』（重量），仇兆鳌特为辨证，谓当作『重迭』之『重』方得其神。一字之音读关系全诗意象之正误，亦见古典诗歌声义相通之妙。此『重』与首联『好雨』呼应，满城红花便是喜雨最好的回音。

知 knows, personifying the rain as sentient 『知』字在首联『好雨知时节』中最为灵动。雨本无情无知，诗人以移情之笔赋予其感知时令的能力，遂使天地万物皆具灵性。这一『知』奠定了全诗的拟人基调，也使后文『潜』『润』有了人格依据——正因为雨『知』时节，它才懂得在夜里悄悄滋润。以字法语法的活用写物我交融，正是杜甫『以常语写奇情』的看家本领，于极平常处藏极深挚之情。