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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

初食笋呈座中

First Tasting of Bamboo Shoots, Presented to the Company

李商隐

Li Shangyin

咏物object-lyric 言志aspiration

嫩箨香苞初出林，于陵论价重如金。
皇都陆海应无数，忍剪凌云一寸心。

Tender sheaths and fragrant buds have just emerged from the bamboo grove; at Yuling their price is reckoned heavier than gold.
The imperial capital's land-and-sea bounty should be beyond count; how can one bear to cut the inch of heart that would soar to the clouds.

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Meaning

This quatrain uses the bamboo shoot as a metaphor for the young scholar of promise. Its first couplet describes the tender new shoot—its soft sheaths and fragrant bud—just pushing up from the forest, and notes that at Yuling such shoots are prized as heavily as gold, a figure for the rarity and worth of emerging talent. The second couplet turns to the act of eating: the imperial capital teems with every delicacy drawn from land and sea, yet the poet cannot bear to clip the single inch of 'heart' that aspires to the clouds—at once the shoot's upward nature and his own lofty ambition. Through the image of cutting shoots, Li Shangyin laments the truncation of ability, voicing a quiet, sorrowful protest against a world that destroys its promising youth. The poem is a model of his object-lyric art: restrained yet profound.

嫩箨香苞初出林，于陵论价重如金。皇都陆海应无数，忍剪凌云一寸心。

Appreciation

Plain paraphrase: Tender husks and fragrant buds have just left the forest; at Yuling their price is weighty as gold. The imperial capital's land-and-sea bounty should be countless; how can one bear to cut that inch of cloud-soaring heart? Imagery and technique: This is a famous quatrain in which Li Shangyin uses the shoot to voice his ambition, written upon first tasting shoots at a feast and presented to those present—a masterpiece of his object-lyric aspiration. The first two lines write the shoot's preciousness: 'tender sheaths and fragrant buds just out of the forest' depicts the new shoot's soft husk and fragrant heart; 'at Yuling their price is weighty as gold' writes its worth. The latter two lines turn to the feeling of cutting: the capital teems with delicacies, yet how can one bear to cut that cloud-soaring inch of heart? The whole poem makes the 'shoot' stand for 'talent' and 'cutting the shoot' for 'crushing talent'—using the object to declare the ambition, restrained and deep; it is a paradigm of Li Shangyin's object poetry. Feeling and theme: Written around 834, when Li was in the staff of Linghu Chu and first tasted shoots at a banquet, the poem voices his unrecognized worth. 'Tender sheaths and fragrant buds just out of the forest' symbolizes the young, gifted poet himself; 'at Yuling their price is weighty as gold' figures his self-valued talent; 'the capital's land-and-sea should be countless' evokes Chang'an's abundance of men and goods; 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart' puns the shoot's rise and the poet's soaring will, the rhetorical question voicing pain at crushed talent. All his life frustrated in office amid factional strife, Li knew the truncation of ability firsthand; this poem, through the shoot, speaks his grief that great ambition finds no outlet.

【白话串讲】李商隐写《初食笋呈座中》：“嫩箨香苞初出林，于陵论价重如金”——新笋如金。“皇都陆海应无数，忍剪凌云一寸心”——京城美味无数，怎么忍心剪断那要长成凌云竹子的笋心——他借笋写才华被扼杀。【意象与手法】此诗是李商隐以笋咏志的名篇，写食笋而感怀自身的不遇，是李商隐咏物言志的绝句名篇。前两句写笋的珍贵：「嫩箨香苞初出林」写新笋初出竹林，嫩壳香苞；「于陵论价重如金」写笋在于陵的价值重如黄金。后两句写剪笋的感慨：「皇都陆海应无数，忍剪凌云一寸心」写皇都山珍海味无数，怎忍心剪断那凌云的一寸心。全诗以「笋」喻「才」，以「剪笋」喻「摧折人才」，借物言志，含蓄深沉，是李商隐咏物诗的典范。【情感与主旨】此诗约作于唐文宗大和八年（834）前后，时李商隐赴令狐楚（天平军节度使）幕府，在宴席上初食新笋，感怀自身，写下此诗呈座中诸人。诗中「嫩箨香苞初出林」写新笋初出竹林——那嫩壳香苞的春笋，正象征青春年少、才华初露的李商隐自己；「于陵论价重如金」写笋在于陵（地名，借指产笋之地）的价值重如黄金——那新笋如黄金般珍贵，正如李商隐自视其才的珍贵；「皇都陆海应无数」写皇都长安的山珍海味应有无数——长安物产丰富、人才众多，正如那「陆海」般应有尽有；「忍剪凌云一寸心」写怎忍心剪断那凌云的一寸心——「凌云一寸心」既写春笋初生、其心可凌云（春笋破土，终可成竹凌云），也喻李商隐的凌云之志、进取之心，那「忍剪」的反问，写尽对摧折人才的痛惜。全诗以「笋」喻「才」，以「剪笋」喻「摧折人才」：那初出的嫩笋，如青春的人才；那论价如金的价值，如人才的珍贵；那剪断的凌云寸心，如被摧折的抱负。李商隐一生仕途坎坷（进士屡试不第，后在牛李党争中沉浮），对「人才被摧折」有深切的体会，此诗即借笋抒怀，写其壮志难伸的感慨与对摧折人才的痛惜。全诗以咏物言志，含蓄深沉，是李商隐咏物诗的代表作。【名句点睛】常考“嫩箨香苞初出林，于陵论价重如金”写新笋之珍贵；“皇都陆海应无数，忍剪凌云一寸心”以剪笋喻摧折人才，含蓄深沉。

Background

Composed around the eighth year of the Taihe era (834) of Emperor Wenzong, this is a celebrated quatrain in which Li Shangyin uses the bamboo shoot to voice his ambition. In his early years he entered the staff of Linghu Chu, Military Governor of Tianping, who favored him; in 833 he failed the examination and around 834 was still with Linghu or traveling between capital and Luoyang. Written at a banquet upon first tasting new shoots and presented to those present, the poem uses the shoot to express his feelings. 'Tender sheaths and fragrant buds just out of the forest'—tuo is the shoot's husk, the fragrant bud its heart—symbolizes young talent just emerging (and covertly the poet himself); 'at Yuling their price is weighty as gold' figures the worth of talent, Yuling being an ancient shoot-producing region (around present Zouping, Shandong). 'The capital's land-and-sea should be countless'—luhai, from the Hanshu's praise of Qin territory as 'land-and-sea,' fertile and abundant—here borrows to mean Chang'an's delicacies and, by implication, its multitude of talents. 'How can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart' puns both the shoot's nature to tower into clouds and the poet's soaring ambition; the rhetorical 'how can one bear' voices sorrow at the cutting of talent. Having failed the exams and stalled in his career, Li at the height of his soaring will yet repeatedly frustrated, writes this as a lament that ambition cannot be realized. It is a key work for understanding his early aspiration and his grief at being unrecognized.

此诗约作于唐文宗大和八年（834）前后，是李商隐以笋咏志的绝句名篇。李商隐早年（约大和三年）入天平军节度使令狐楚幕府，深受令狐楚赏识。大和七年（833），李商隐应举不第；大和八年前后，他仍在令狐楚幕府或往来于京洛之间。此诗写于一次宴席上「初食笋」之时，呈座中诸人，借笋咏怀。诗中「嫩箨香苞初出林」写新笋初出竹林——「嫩箨」（箨是笋壳，嫩箨写笋壳之嫩）、「香苞」（香苞写笋心之香），那初出林的新笋，正象征初露头角的青年人才（也暗指李商隐自己）；「于陵论价重如金」写笋于陵（于陵是古地名，在今山东邹平一带，古代产笋之地，或泛指产笋之地）论价重如金——那新笋价值如金，正如人才的珍贵；「皇都陆海应无数」写皇都长安——「陆海」本指物产富饶之地（《汉书》「秦地……号称陆海」），此处借指长安的山珍海味、物产丰饶，也暗喻长安人才之众；「忍剪凌云一寸心」写剪笋的感慨——「凌云一寸心」双关：既写春笋初生、其心可凌云（春笋破土，终可成竹凌云），也喻李商隐的凌云之志、进取之心；「忍剪」的反问，写尽对「剪笋」（摧折人才）的痛惜。李商隐此时应举不第、仕途未达，正当「凌云」之志而屡受挫折，故借「忍剪凌云一寸心」写其壮志难伸的感慨。此诗是李商隐咏物言志的代表作，以笋喻才、以剪笋喻摧折，含蓄深沉，是理解其早年志向与不遇感慨的关键作品。

Art

The art of this poem may be read on four levels. First, the conception of using the object to figure the man: the whole poem makes the 'shoot' stand for 'talent' and 'cutting the shoot' for 'crushing talent'—the tender new shoot figures the young man just emerging, its gold-weighed value figures the preciousness of talent, and the grieved cutting figures sorrow at crushed ability. Using object to figure man and thing to voice ambition, it is restrained yet deep. Second, the use of pun: the last line 'the cloud-soaring inch of heart' puns shoot and man—'soaring to the clouds' writes both the shoot's growth into a towering bamboo and the man's lofty will; 'inch of heart' writes both the shoot's tender center and the man's original mind, fusing object and ambition. Third, feeling voiced through rhetorical question: 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart' ends on the rhetorical 'how can one bear,' voicing sorrow at crushed talent and covertly the poet's own frustration—asking to voice feeling, meaningful and lingering. Fourth, the rise from object to principle: from the daily small matter of 'first tasting shoots' the poem ascends to the deep lament of 'crushing talent'—the contrast of 'the capital's land-and-sea should be countless' and 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart' writes the cherishing of talent and the pain of its truncation, from object to principle, from small to large. These four devices advance layer by layer, making this twenty-eight-character poem a masterpiece of Li Shangyin's object-lyric ambition.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以物喻人的构思。全诗以「笋」喻「才」，以「剪笋」喻「摧折人才」：嫩箨香苞的新笋，喻初露头角的青年；论价如金的价值，喻人才的珍贵；忍剪的感慨，喻对摧折人才的痛惜。以物喻人、借物言志，含蓄而深沉。其二，双关的运用。末句「凌云一寸心」以双关写笋与人——「凌云」既写春笋终可凌云（成竹），也喻人的凌云之志；「一寸心」既写笋心之嫩，也写人之初心，双关的运用使咏物与言志融为一体。其三，以反问写感慨。「忍剪凌云一寸心」以「忍剪」的反问作结——怎忍心剪断那凌云的一寸心？这反问写尽对摧折人才的痛惜，也暗含诗人自身壮志难伸的感慨，以问写情、意味深长。其四，由物及理的升华。全诗由「初食笋」的日常小事，升华到「摧折人才」的深沉感慨——那「皇都陆海应无数，忍剪凌云一寸心」的对照，写尽了对人才的珍惜与对摧折的痛惜，由物及理、由小见大。四重手法层层推进，使这二十八字的小诗成为李商隐咏物言志的名篇。

Allusions

The imagery and diction of this poem are rooted in the tradition of object-lyric and aspiration. 'Tender sheaths and fragrant buds just out of the forest'—tuo is the shoot's husk (the Shijing speaks of bamboo bursting forth), xiangbao the fragrant heart—the new shoot evokes the idiom 'after the rain, bamboo shoots' and Du Fu's tradition of 'hating that the new pine is not a thousand feet tall.' 'At Yuling their price is weighty as gold'—Yuling is an ancient place (around Zouping, Shandong, where Chen Zhongzi of the Warring States is said to have retired; the Qimin Yaoshu records it as a shoot region); 'price weighty as gold' evokes the tradition of 'Luoyang paper dear' and the Zhanguoce's way of writing price. 'The capital's land-and-sea should be countless'—luhai from the Hanshu geography chapter ('Qin's land... called land-and-sea, the fat of the nine provinces'), originally the fertile abundance of Guanzhong, here borrowed for Chang'an's delicacies and, covertly, its multitude of men. 'How can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart'—'soaring' evokes the bamboo rising straight, the Shijing's 'like bamboo bursting forth, like pine flourishing,' and 'potential like breaking bamboo'; 'inch of heart' evokes the loyal 'inch of crimson heart' and Li He's 'a youth's mind should grasp at the clouds.' The rhetorical 'how can one bear' recalls the Mencius precept that axe and hatchet enter the forest in season so timber is inexhaustible, and Yu Xin's 'Fu on the Withered Tree' grieving felled trees. The whole poem, drawing on the Hanshu, Shijing, and Mencius, makes shoot stand for talent and cutting for crushing—precisely Li Shangyin's gift of 'object-lyric aspiration.'

此诗的意象与用语深植于咏物与言志的传统。「嫩箨香苞初出林」写新笋初出竹林——「箨」是笋壳（《诗经》「如竹苞矣」），「香苞」写笋心之香，那「初出林」的新笋，令人想到「雨后春笋」的意象与杜甫「新松恨不高千尺」的咏物传统；「于陵论价重如金」写笋的价值——「于陵」是古地名（今山东邹平一带，相传为战国陈仲子隐居之地），古代于陵产笋有名（《齐民要术》载笋之产地），「论价重如金」写其价值如金，令人想到「洛阳纸贵」的价重传统与《战国策》「一顾价增」的写价笔法。「皇都陆海应无数」写长安物产之丰——「陆海」出自《汉书·地理志》「秦地……号称陆海，为九州膏腴」，本指关中土地肥饶、物产丰富如陆海，李商隐以「陆海」借指皇都的山珍海味，也暗喻人才之众；「忍剪凌云一寸心」写剪笋的感慨——「凌云」写春笋终可凌云（竹子凌云直上），令人想到《诗经》「如竹苞矣，如松茂矣」的竹意象与「势如破竹」的凌云之势；「一寸心」写笋心之嫩，也写人之初心，令人想到「丹心一寸」的忠贞传统与李贺「少年心事当拏云」的凌云之志。「忍剪」的反问，令人想到《孟子》「斧斤以时入山林，材木不可胜用也」的爱惜草木之思与庾信《枯树赋》对树木摧折的感慨。全诗化用《汉书》《诗经》《孟子》的意象与传统，以笋喻才、以剪喻摧折，正是李商隐「咏物言志」的本领。

Commentary

This poem has long been ranked a masterpiece of Li Shangyin's object-lyric aspiration and is the source of the famous line 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart.' Critics through the ages have prized it for using the shoot to figure talent and cutting the shoot to figure the crushing of talent—a fine work in which Li borrows the object to voice his unrecognized ambition. Its special value in literary history lies in this: from the daily trifling of 'first tasting shoots' it writes the deep lament that 'talent is crushed'—the tender new shoot is the young man just emerging (and covertly the poet himself); its gold-weighed value is the preciousness of talent; the rhetorical 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart' is the sorrow at crushed talent. The couplet 'the capital's land-and-sea should be countless; how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart' contrasts the multitude of men with the pain of truncation—Chang'an teems with talent, yet how cut that cloud-soaring inch? The rhetorical question pleads both for the shoot (for all nascent talent) and voices Li's own frustration that his great ambition finds no outlet; the sorrow of 'how can one bear' is precisely his experience that 'talent and fate thwart each other.' Together with his other object poems ('The Cicada,' 'The Oriole'), it uses object to figure man—a key work for understanding his object tradition and his grief at being unrecognized. For today's readers it is a window onto Li's early aspiration and the object-lyric tradition—that tender shoot and cloud-soaring heart still speak, across a millennium, for every nascent talent whose great ambition finds no outlet.

此诗历来被推为李商隐咏物言志的名篇，也是「忍剪凌云一寸心」这一名句的出处。历代论者对此诗评价较高：论者多指出此诗以笋喻才、以剪笋喻摧折人才，是李商隐借物抒怀、言志不遇的佳作。在文学史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以「初食笋」的日常小事，写出了「人才被摧折」的深沉感慨——那嫩箨香苞的新笋，正是初露头角的青年（也暗指李商隐自己）；那论价如金的价值，正是人才的珍贵；那「忍剪凌云一寸心」的反问，正是对摧折人才的痛惜。诗中「皇都陆海应无数，忍剪凌云一寸心」两句，以「皇都陆海」写人才之众、以「忍剪」写摧折之痛——长安人才无数，怎忍心剪断那凌云的一寸心？这反问既是替笋（替所有初出茅庐的人才）请命，也是李商隐自身壮志难伸的感慨——他自视其才如新笋之珍贵、其志如凌云之高远，却在现实中屡受挫折，那「忍剪」的痛惜，正是其「才命相妨」的体会。此诗与李商隐的其他咏物诗（如《蝉》《流莺》）一样，以物喻人、借物抒怀，是理解其咏物诗传统与不遇感慨的关键作品。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李商隐早年志向与咏物言志传统的窗口，也是感受中国诗歌「以物喻才」传统的典范——那初出的嫩笋、凌云的寸心，穿越千年，仍在为所有「初出茅庐」而壮志难伸的人才发声。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (oblique-register opening, first line entering the rhyme).七言绝句（仄起首句入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes with the lower-level tone qin rhyme (侵), with rhyme feet 林 (lin), 金 (jin), 心 (xin). The first line's 林 enters the rhyme, conforming to the first-line-enters-rhyme pattern. The feet lin, jin, xin all belong to the qin group; the rhyme sound is long and deep, fitting the poem's restrained, aspiring tone.押下平十二侵韵，韵脚为「林」「金」「心」。首句「林」字平声入韵，属首句入韵之格。韵脚「林」「金」「心」皆属侵部，韵音悠长深沉，正合其咏物言志的深沉风格。

Tone pattern Tender sheaths and fragrant buds just out of the forest — oblique-oblique-level-level-level-oblique-level; at Yuling their price is weighty as gold — level-level-oblique-oblique-oblique-level-level; the capital's land-and-sea should be countless — level-level-oblique-oblique-level-level-oblique; how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart — oblique-oblique-level-level-oblique-oblique-level. The whole conforms to the seven-quatrain tonal pattern, its syllables fluent and deep.嫩箨香苞初出林，仄仄平平平仄平；于陵论价重如金，平平仄仄仄平平；皇都陆海应无数，平平仄仄平平仄；忍剪凌云一寸心，仄仄平平仄仄平。全诗平仄合于七绝格律，音节流畅深沉。

Reading note This is an oblique-register, first-line-rhyming seven-character quatrain, in the level-tone qin rhyme, of simple, fluent meter—a masterpiece of Li Shangyin's object-lyric aspiration. Its two couplets are clearly structured: the first two lines write the shoot's preciousness (tender sheaths and fragrant buds, price weighty as gold), the latter two write the feeling of cutting (capital's land-and-sea, how can one bear to cut the soaring), rising from object to principle, layer by layer. In tone, the level-tone qin rhyme feet are long and deep, matching the cherishing of 'weighty as gold' and the sorrow of 'how can one bear'; the whole reads fluent yet not without depth. Recite the first two lines with a bright tone for the new shoot, the latter two with a deep tone for the feeling—especially 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart,' which should be read with sorrow and depth, to convey Li Shangyin's intent in using the shoot to voice ambition. Li's quatrains are famed for 'deep feeling, lingering distance'; this is the classic of his object-lyric quatrains that 'uses object to figure talent.'此诗是仄起首句入韵的七言绝句，押平声侵韵，格律简洁，音节流畅，是李商隐咏物言志的绝句名篇。全诗两联结构分明：前两句写新笋的珍贵（嫩箨香苞、论价如金），后两句写剪笋的感慨（皇都陆海、忍剪凌云），由物及理、层层推进。声调上，全诗以平声侵韵为韵脚，韵音悠长深沉，配合「重如金」的珍重与「忍剪」的痛惜，全篇音节流畅而不失深沉。诵读此诗，宜以明快的语调读前两句的新笋，以深沉的语调读后两句的感慨，尤其「忍剪凌云一寸心」一句，要读得痛惜而深沉，方能传达出李商隐借笋咏志的深意。李商隐绝句以「深情绵邈」著称，此诗正是其咏物绝句中「以物喻才」的经典。

Line by line

嫩箨香苞初出林，于陵论价重如金。

These two lines are famous for writing the new shoot, using 'tender sheaths and fragrant buds' for its freshness and 'weighty as gold' for its preciousness, object yet containing ambition. 'Tender sheaths and fragrant buds just out of the forest' writes the shoot's new tenderness—soft sheath (nenduo), fragrant bud (xiangbao), the spring shoot just risen from the grove; 'tender' and 'fragrant' exhaust its freshness and scent, 'just out of the forest' its first emergence—the new shoot is the vitality of spring, and the symbol of young talent just appearing. 'At Yuling their price is weighty as gold' writes its preciousness—at Yuling (the shoot region) it is priced heavier than gold; 'weighty as gold' writes its dearness—not an ordinary vegetable but a gold-valued delicacy, figuring both the shoot's worth and, covertly, talent's rarity. The deep intent: it uses the 'new shoot' as self-figure—the tender-sheathed, fragrant-budded shoot is the young, gifted Li Shangyin himself; the 'weighty as gold' value is his cherishing and confidence in his own talent. Using 'tender sheaths and fragrant buds' for freshness and 'weighty as gold' for preciousness is precisely Li Shangyin's gift of 'object figures man,' and prepares for the latter line's 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart'—precisely because the shoot is so precious, one the more cannot bear to cut it.

嫩壳香苞刚出竹林，在于陵论价重如黄金。

The tender sheaths, the fragrant buds, newly come from the grove; at Yiling they are priced as weighty as gold.

这两句是写新笋的名句，以「嫩箨香苞」写笋之新嫩，以「重如金」写笋之珍贵，咏物而含志。「嫩箨香苞初出林」写笋之新嫩——嫩壳（嫩箨）、香苞（香心），刚从竹林里长出来的春笋，「嫩」「香」二字写尽新笋的鲜嫩与清香，「初出林」写其初露头角——那刚出林的新笋，正是春日的生机，也正是初露头角的青年人才的象征；「于陵论价重如金」写笋之珍贵——在于陵（产笋之地）论价，这新笋价值重如黄金，「重如金」写其价值之昂——不是寻常的菜蔬，而是价值如金的珍馐，那「重如金」既写笋之贵，也暗喻人才之珍。这两句的深意在于：它以「新笋」自喻——那嫩箨香苞的新笋，正是青春年少、才华初露的李商隐自己；那「重如金」的价值，正是他对自身才华的珍视与自信。以「嫩箨香苞」写新嫩、以「重如金」写珍贵，正是李商隐「以物喻人」的本领，也为后两句「忍剪凌云一寸心」的感慨作了铺垫——正因为新笋如此珍贵，才更不忍剪断。

The two lines are the famous writing of the new bamboo shoot, using the tender sheaths, the fragrant buds for the shoot's freshness, and as weighty as gold for its preciousness, singing of the object yet lodging the will. The tender sheaths, the fragrant buds, newly come from the grove writes the shoot's freshness - the tender sheath, the fragrant bud, the spring shoot just grown from the grove, the two words tender and fragrant writing to the full the new shoot's tenderness and clear scent, newly come from the grove writing its first show of horns - the new shoot just out of the grove is exactly the spring's life, and exactly the symbol of the young talent first showing. At Yiling they are priced as weighty as gold writes the shoot's preciousness - at Yiling (the place of bamboo shoots) in price, the new shoot valued as weighty as gold, as weighty as gold writing its high value - not an ordinary vegetable, but a delicacy worth gold, as weighty as gold at once writing the shoot's costliness and secretly meta-phoring the talent's rarity. The deep meaning of the two lines lies in: it uses the new bamboo shoot to meta-phor the self - the tender-sheathed, fragrant-budded new shoot is the young, talent-first-showing Li Shangyin himself; the as weighty as gold value is his treasuring and confidence in his own talent. Using the tender sheaths, the fragrant buds for the freshness and as weighty as gold for the precious, exactly Li Shangyin's craft of meta-phoring the man through the thing, and laying a ground for the later two lines' sigh at could you bear to cut that inch of heart that would soar to the clouds - precisely because the new shoot is so precious, the more cannot bear to cut it.

皇都陆海应无数，忍剪凌云一寸心。

These two lines are the poem's thematic stroke and its famous lines, using 'the capital's land-and-sea' for abundance and 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart' for the sorrow of truncation, restrained and deep. 'The capital's land-and-sea should be countless' writes abundance—Chang'an's delicacies (land-and-sea, the fertile region) should be beyond number; 'should be countless' writes its plenty—the capital's dainties are innumerable, the shoot need not be eaten at all. 'How can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart' writes sorrow at truncation—how bear to cut that cloud-soaring inch of heart? 'Cloud-soaring inch of heart' puns: the shoot's nature to rise (growing into a towering bamboo) and the man's soaring will; the rhetorical 'how can one bear' exhausts the sorrow at 'cutting the shoot' (crushing talent). The deep intent: it uses 'the capital's land-and-sea should be countless' to contrast 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart'—Chang'an teems with delicacies, why must this cloud-soaring shoot be cut? As in a world full of men, why crush this young talent just emerging? The rhetorical question pleads for the shoot and voices Li's own frustration; the sorrow of 'how can one bear' is his experience that 'talent and fate thwart each other.' Contrasting 'countless' with 'one inch,' writing sorrow through 'how can one bear,' is precisely Li Shangyin's gift of object-lyric aspiration, making these two lines an eternal famous line of 'using the shoot to figure talent.'

皇都长安的山珍海味应有无数，怎忍心剪断那凌云的一寸心。

In the imperial capital's land and sea there are countless such; could you bear to cut that inch of heart that would soar to the clouds?

这两句是全诗的点题之笔，也是名句，以「皇都陆海」写物产之丰，以「忍剪凌云一寸心」写对摧折的痛惜，含蓄深沉。「皇都陆海应无数」写物产之丰——皇都长安的山珍海味（陆海，物产富饶之地）应有无数，「应无数」写其丰富——那长安的珍馐美味多得数不清，笋本不必非吃不可；「忍剪凌云一寸心」写对摧折的痛惜——怎忍心剪断那凌云的一寸心？「凌云一寸心」双关：既写春笋初生、其心可凌云（春笋破土，终可成竹凌云），也喻人的凌云之志、进取之心，「忍剪」的反问，写尽对「剪笋」（摧折人才）的痛惜。这两句的深意在于：它以「皇都陆海应无数」反衬「忍剪凌云一寸心」——长安山珍海味无数，何必非要剪这凌云的新笋？正如人才济济的世间，何必摧折这初露头角的青年？那「忍剪」的反问，既是替笋请命，也是李商隐自身壮志难伸的感慨——他自视其志如凌云之高远，却在现实中屡受挫折，那「忍剪」的痛惜，正是其「才命相妨」的体会。以「无数」反衬「一寸」、以「忍剪」写痛惜，正是李商隐「咏物言志」的本领，也让这两句成为咏物诗中「以笋喻才」的千古名句。

The two lines are the title-pointing brush of the whole, and a famous line, using the imperial capital's land and sea for the abundance of products and could you bear to cut that inch of heart that would soar to the clouds for the grief at being broken, reserved and deep. In the imperial capital's land and sea there are countless such writes the abundance of products - the imperial capital Chang'an's mountain and sea delicacies (land and sea, the rich land of products) should be countless, should be countless writing the richness - Chang'an's delicacies numberless, the bamboo shoot originally not indispensable. Could you bear to cut that inch of heart that would soar to the clouds? writes the grief at being broken - could you bear to cut that inch of heart that would soar to the clouds? The inch of heart that would soar to the clouds is double: at once writing the spring shoot newly sprung, its heart able to soar to the clouds (the spring shoot breaking earth, at last becoming bamboo that reaches the clouds), and meta-phoring man's heaven-soaring will and aspiring heart; the rhetorical could you bear to cut writes to the full the grief at cutting the shoot (breaking the talent). The deep meaning of the two lines lies in: using In the imperial capital's land and sea there are countless such to set off could you bear to cut that inch of heart - Chang'an's mountain and sea delicacies numberless, why must you cut this heaven-soaring new shoot? As in the world of abundant talent, why break this youth first showing horns? The rhetorical could you bear to cut, at once pleading for the shoot and Li Shangyin's own sigh at his unfulfilled ambition - he holds his will as high as the soaring clouds, yet in reality meets repeated setbacks, the grief of could you bear to cut exactly his experience of talent and fate thwarting each other. Using countless to set off the inch and could you bear to cut for the grief, exactly Li Shangyin's craft of singing the object to speak the will, making these two lines the age-famous model in object-poetry of meta-phoring talent through the bamboo shoot.

Study

Word focus

嫩 The character 嫩 (tender) is the key word for writing the new shoot; a single 'tender' exhausts the shoot's freshness and covertly figures talent's youth, apt and restrained. Nen means soft, newborn. Li Shangyin writes the new shoot with 'tender sheaths and fragrant buds just out of the forest'; this one 'tender' carries at least two meanings: first, it writes the shoot's freshness—'tender sheath' writes the husk's softness, the just-risen spring shoot with soft husk and fragrant heart; 'tender' exhausts its freshness and newness. Second, it writes talent's youth—'tender' figures not only the shoot but the man: the tender-sheathed, fragrant-budded shoot symbolizes the young, just-emerging talent; 'tender' covertly means youth and malleability, and implies not-yet-formed, needing nurture. Writing the new shoot with 'tender' is Li Shangyin's opening art of 'object figures man': one 'tender' both exhausts the shoot's freshness and figures talent's youth, laying the groundwork for the later sorrow of 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart'—precisely because it is 'tender,' one the more cannot bear to cut. Had he used 'new' or 'fresh,' he would lose either the soft texture of 'tender' or the covert meaning of youthful; only 'tender' writes in one character both the shoot's freshness and talent's youth, making 'tender sheaths and fragrant buds just out of the forest' a famous line on the shoot. 「嫩」字是写新笋的关键字，一个「嫩」字写尽新笋的鲜嫩，也暗喻人才的年轻，含蓄贴切。嫩者，柔嫩、新生也。李商隐以「嫩箨香苞初出林」写新笋，一个「嫩」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写笋之鲜嫩——「嫩箨」写笋壳之嫩，那刚出林的春笋，笋壳柔嫩、笋心清香，「嫩」字写尽新笋的鲜嫩与初生；其二，写才之年轻——「嫩」不仅是写笋，更是写人——那嫩箨香苞的新笋，正象征青春年少、初露头角的青年人才，「嫩」字暗喻人才的年轻与可塑，也暗含其尚未成材、需要呵护的意味。以「嫩」写新笋，正是李商隐「以物喻人」的开篇艺术：一个「嫩」字，既写尽春笋的鲜嫩，也暗喻人才的年轻，为后文「忍剪凌云一寸心」的痛惜埋下伏笔——正因为「嫩」，才更不忍剪。若换作「新」「鲜」等字，则或失其「嫩」的柔嫩质感，或失其暗喻年轻的深意；唯「嫩」字，以一字写尽笋之鲜嫩与才之年轻，也让「嫩箨香苞初出林」成为咏笋的名句。

剪 The character 剪 (cut) is the key word for writing the crushing of talent; a single 'cut' exhausts the pain of truncation, the finishing stroke of the whole poem. Jian means to cut, to break. Li Shangyin writes cutting the shoot with 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart'; this one 'cut' carries at least two meanings: first, the fact of cutting the shoot—'cut' literally means to sever, writing the severing of the cloud-soaring new shoot as it is eaten; the shoot's heart severed writes its fate of being consumed. Second, the pain of crushing talent—'cut' figures not only the shoot but the crushing of talent: that 'cloud-soaring inch of heart' (the soaring will) severed is the symbol of talent crushed; one character exhausts the pain of truncation and the wound of talent. And the 'bear' in 'how can one bear to cut' deepens the pain—'how can one bear to cut' is the rhetorical 'how can one bear,' exhausting the sorrow at truncation: that cloud-soaring new shoot (cloud-soaring talent), how bear to cut? Writing 'cut' for crushing is precisely Li Shangyin's intimate pain at 'talent crushed': he valued his talent as the shoot's preciousness and his will as cloud-soaring, yet in reality was repeatedly frustrated; the character 'cut' exhausts the agony of his ambition severed. Had he used 'break' or 'sever,' he would lose either the daily act of 'cut' or the decisiveness of 'cutting off'; only 'cut' writes in one character both the daily cutting of shoots and the deep pain of crushing talent, making 'how can one bear to cut the cloud-soaring inch of heart' an eternal famous line of object-lyric aspiration. 「剪」字是写摧折人才的关键字，一个「剪」字写尽摧折之痛，是全诗的点睛之笔。剪者，剪断、摧折也。李商隐以「忍剪凌云一寸心」写剪笋，一个「剪」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写剪笋之实——「剪」本指剪断，写食笋时剪断那凌云的新笋——笋心被剪断，正写其被采食的命运；其二，写摧才之痛——「剪」不仅是剪笋，更是喻摧折人才——那「凌云一寸心」（凌云之志）被「剪」断，正是人才被摧折的象征，一个「剪」字，写尽摧折之痛与人才之伤。而「忍剪」的「忍」，更见其痛——「忍剪」是「怎忍心剪」的反问，写尽对摧折的痛惜：那凌云的新笋（凌云的人才），怎忍心剪断？以「剪」写摧折，正是李商隐对「人才被摧折」的切肤之痛：他自视其才如新笋之珍贵、其志如凌云之高远，却在现实中屡受挫折，那「剪」字写尽其壮志被摧折的痛楚。若换作「折」「断」等字，则或失其「剪」的日常动作，或失其「剪断」的决绝；唯「剪」字，以一字写尽剪笋的日常与摧才的深痛，也让「忍剪凌云一寸心」成为咏物言志的千古名句。