唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
登科后
After Passing the Examination
昔日龌龊不足夸，今朝放荡思无涯。
春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花。
This morning, unbound and free, my thoughts stretch without limit.
On the spring breeze, delighted, my horse gallops swift,
In a single day I have seen all the flowers of Chang'an.
Meaning
Having finally passed the imperial examination at middle age, the poet pours out his long-suppressed joy, contrasting his past hardship with his present exhilaration.
往日困顿局促的时光不值一提，今日金榜题名、无拘无束，思绪飞扬无边。迎着春风，得意地策马疾驰，一天之内就看遍了长安的繁花。
Appreciation
Meng Jiao passed the jinshi exam at forty-six after repeated failures, and a lifetime of frustration bursts forth in this poem. The first two lines set a stark contrast between the 'sordid' past and the 'unbound' present; the last two capture his swelling pride in the light image of a horse galloping past the flowers. Not one word names joy, yet joy fills the page. It remains the most famous poem ever written about the rapture of examination success.
【白话串讲】 孟郊考了大半辈子，46岁终于中进士：“昔日龌龊不足夸，今朝放荡思无涯”。“春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花”——他骑着马，一天看尽长安花。“春风得意”这个词，就出自这里。 【意象与手法】 “春风”“马蹄”“长安花”构成明快流动的意象链，无一字写喜却喜气盈纸。“疾”字既是马行之速，更是诗人心头狂喜之速。 【情感与主旨】 这是千古以来最能写尽科举及第狂喜的诗。它不仅是个人命运的转折宣告，更道出了无数寒士“十年寒窗”后一朝释怀的集体情绪。 【名句点睛】 “春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花”——“春风得意”遂成及第的代名词，把抽象的狂喜化为具象的驰马看花，鲜活至极。
Background
Meng Jiao lived in seclusion on Mount Song in his youth and failed the examinations many times, until at last, in 796 (the twelfth year of Emperor Dezong's Zhenyuan reign), at age forty-six, he passed the jinshi exam and wrote this poem; people of the time called it his 'spring-breeze delight.'
《登科后》为唐代孟郊所作，是写登科得意、欣喜之情志的诗。孟郊（751—814），字东野，湖州武康人，唐代诗人。此诗：昔日龌龊不足夸，今朝放荡思无涯。春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花。全诗写登科得意、欣喜之情，是孟郊诗的名篇。
Art
Twenty-eight characters in four lines, contrasting past and present and blending scene with feeling; it opens with narration and closes with an image, its rhythm rising from restraint to exuberance in step with the emotion.
《登科后》艺术上以今昔之比的描摹与得意之情的酣畅见长。全诗四句：首写昔日龌龊——“昔日龌龊不足夸”写昔日龌龊不足夸；中写今朝放荡——“今朝放荡思无涯”写今朝放荡思无涯；末写春风得意——“春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花”写春风得意马蹄疾、一日看尽长安花。全诗以今昔之比写得意之情，正是孟郊诗酣畅的笔法。
Allusions
The flowers of Chang'an refer to the city's spring blossoms, also hinting at its splendors and the glory of official success; 'ascending the ranks' (dengke) means passing the jinshi examination.
《登科后》用典在“龌龊”“长安花”。“龌龊”写局促（困顿不遇）；“长安花”写长安繁花（曲江杏园宴赏花）。全诗以这些意象写登科得意、欣喜之情，用典自然而酣畅自见，正是孟郊诗的笔法。
Commentary
Su Shi said of Meng Jiao and Jia Dao, 'Jiao is cold, Dao is lean,' yet this poem reverses Meng Jiao's usual manner, pouring forth freely—showing how the joy of success could transform his nature.
《登科后》是孟郊诗的名篇，也是唐代科举诗中写得意之情的代表作。此诗写登科得意、欣喜之情，向为论者称道。论者多赏其今昔之比的描摹与得意之情的酣畅——“昔日龌龊不足夸”写昔日龌龊、不堪回首，酣畅之极；“今朝放荡思无涯”写今朝放荡、思绪无涯，更见其快；“春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花”写春风得意马蹄疾、一日看尽长安花，尤见其畅。孟郊一生苦吟，此诗为进士及第后作，正是其代表——以今昔之比写得意之情，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
昔日龌龊不足夸，今朝放荡思无涯。
The cramped days of old are not worth praising; this morning, unbound, my thoughts know no bounds.
昔日龌龊不足夸，今朝放荡思无涯。
The sordid days of old are not worth a word; today I am free, my thoughts without bound.
首写昔日龌龊、今朝放荡，是全诗写今昔之比的起点。“昔日龌龊不足夸”用龌龊之典写昔日龌龊不足夸——“昔日龌龊不足夸”用龌龊之典写往日困顿局促不足称道——昔日龌龊不足夸；“今朝放荡思无涯”写今朝放荡思无涯——“今朝放荡思无涯”写今日金榜题名、思绪飞扬无涯——今朝放荡思无涯。二句写昔日龌龊、今朝放荡：昔日龌龊不足夸，今朝放荡思无涯。以“昔日龌龊不足夸”写昔日困顿、不足称道，以“今朝放荡思无涯”写今日得意、思绪飞扬，正是孟郊诗写今昔之比的起点——昔日龌龊，今朝放荡。
The opening writes the sordid days of old and today's freedom, the starting point of the whole's writing the contrast of old and new. The sordid days of old are not worth a word uses the sordid allusion for the former cramped plight not worth mentioning. Today I am free, my thoughts without bound writes today's passing the examination and the soaring thought. The two lines write the former sordidness and today's freedom, exactly Meng Jiao's starting point of the old-new contrast - the former sordidness, today's freedom.
春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花。
On the spring breeze, elated, my horse runs swift; in one day I see all Chang'an's flowers.
春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花。
In the spring wind, my heart's at ease, my horse's hoofs are swift; in one day I have seen all the flowers of Chang'an.
末用长安花之典写春风得意马蹄疾、一日看尽长安花，是全诗写得意之情的归结。“春风得意马蹄疾”写春风得意马蹄疾——“春风得意马蹄疾”写迎着春风得意策马、马蹄轻疾——春风得意马蹄疾；“一日看尽长安花”用长安花之典写一日看尽长安花——“一日看尽长安花”用曲江杏园宴赏花之典写一日之内看尽长安繁花——一日看尽长安花。二句写春风得意马蹄疾、一日看尽长安花：春风得意马蹄疾，一日看尽长安花。以“春风得意马蹄疾”写春风得意、策马疾行，以“一日看尽长安花”用长安花之典写一日看尽繁花、何等畅快，正是孟郊诗写得意之情的归结——春风得意，一日看花。
The close uses the Chang'an flowers allusion for in the spring wind, my heart's at ease, my horse's hoofs are swift; in one day I have seen all the flowers of Chang'an, the landing of the whole's writing the elated feeling. In the spring wind, my heart's at ease, my horse's hoofs are swift writes the elated urging of the horse in the spring wind. In one day I have seen all the flowers of Chang'an uses the Qujiang and Xingyuan feast allusion for seeing all the Chang'an flowers in one day. The two lines write the elated ride and the one-day sight of flowers, exactly Meng Jiao's landing of the elated feeling - the spring wind elated, the one-day sight of flowers.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
孟郊《游子吟》“慈母手中线，游子身上衣”写慈母之恩，与本首同为孟郊诗。差异在情致：登科后写得意之快；游子吟写慈母之恩。一写“快”之纵，一写“恩”之深。两者并读，可见孟郊诗写情的两种情致。
把酒对月歌 Song of Wine and Moon 唐寅 · 同为写狂放得意之诗，一写登科得意一写对月把酒，皆酣畅 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
唐寅《把酒对月歌》写对月把酒、狂放自得之情，与本首同为写狂放得意之诗。差异在情境：登科后写科第得意；把酒对月歌写醉中狂态。一写“第”之快，一写“醉”之狂。两者并读，可见写狂放得意之诗的两种情境。
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孟郊《长安羁旅》写长安羁旅之愁，与本首同为孟郊诗。差异在情境：登科后写及第得意；长安羁旅写羁旅困顿。一写“第”之快，一写“旅”之愁。两者并读，可见孟郊诗写长安之境的两种情境。