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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

芙蓉楼送辛渐

Farewell to Xin Jian at Lotus Tower

王昌龄

Wang Changling

送别Farewell 言志Expression of Ambition 友情Friendship

寒雨连江夜入吴，平明送客楚山孤。
洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶。

Cold rain mingles with the river as night invades Wu;
At dawn I bid farewell, alone as Chu's mountain.
Should friends in Luoyang ask about my state,
My heart is ice in a jade vase, pure and great.

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Meaning

The poet describes a cold, lonely farewell at dawn, then declares his moral integrity with the metaphor of an ice-cold heart in a jade vessel, showing that despite exile and slander, he remains pure.

寒冷的夜雨连绵不绝，与浩荡的大江连成一片，悄悄漫入吴地；天色刚明，在芙蓉楼送别友人辛渐，唯见楚山孤零零地峙立江畔。若是洛阳的亲友问起我的近况，请替我转告：我的心仍如玉壶之中的一片冰心，澄澈如初，不曾沾尘。

Appreciation

The first two lines create a bleak, isolated scene that mirrors the poet's inner loneliness. The last two lines transform a simple farewell into a powerful statement of character, using the 'ice heart' metaphor to express unwavering integrity.

【白话串讲】朋友要回洛阳了，王昌龄在芙蓉楼冒雨送别，千言万语只汇成一句：“洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶”——我在官场受尽流言，心却干净得像玉壶里的冰。【意象与手法】前两句即景抒情，以寒雨、连江、孤山三种意象叠加，营造出清冷孤寂的送别氛围；「孤」字景情双关，既写楚山之孤，亦写离人心境之独。后两句由景入志，以「冰心」「玉壶」设喻明志，托送别而自剖高洁，不写哀怨而写自守，章法由抑到扬、由景到品。【情感与主旨】此诗作于王昌龄被贬江宁（今南京）丞期间，诗人因「不护细行」遭谤，故借送别辛渐之机向洛阳亲友表明心迹：虽处逆境、流言缠身，操守依旧清白。全诗于送别中见风骨，是托物言志的典范，最能见盛唐诗人的胸襟与人格。【名句点睛】常考「洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶」的比喻手法与言志主旨——以冰之澄澈喻心之清白、以玉壶喻品行之莹洁，化用鲍照「清如玉壶冰」之句而翻出新意，成为后世自明高洁的通用意象。

Background

Wang Changling was demoted to Jiangning (present-day Nanjing) due to slander. At Furong Tower in Zhenjiang, he saw off his friend Xin Jian to Luoyang. This poem not only farewell but also a self-declaration of his pure heart to his hometown friends.

王昌龄，字少伯，盛唐著名边塞诗人，世称「七绝圣手」。此诗约作于唐玄宗开元末年至天宝初年之间。其时王昌龄因「不护细行」而遭人诋毁，自江宁（今江苏南京）丞任上被贬谪，仕途正处逆境。辛渐是诗人的好友，将自润州（今江苏镇江）渡江北上，前往洛阳。芙蓉楼相传即建于镇江西北的城楼上，俯临长江，为古时送别名地。诗人在此设宴饯行，临别之际，友人远行、自身蒙冤，万千心绪并集于一瞬，遂成此诗。诗人托辛渐带话，实则是向洛阳的亲友、也向天下人表明：虽遭谤贬、身处逆境，其心仍如冰玉般澄澈清白，不随流俗改节。全诗二十八字，将送别之情与自明之志熔铸一炉，是王昌龄七绝中托物言志的代表作，也是唐诗中借送别以显人格的典范。后世论者多以此诗与李白《闻王昌龄左迁龙标遥有此寄》对读，可见诗人在贬途中的真实心境与士人风骨。

Art

The poem skillfully uses scene to convey emotion: 'cold rain,' 'river,' and 'lonely mountain' set a desolate tone. The character 'gu' (孤) personifies the mountain and hints at the poet's solitude. The last two lines shift from scene to aspiration, using the metaphor of 'ice in a jade vase' to declare moral purity.

此诗的艺术妙处，在于以二十八字写出三重转折：由景入情、由情入志、由志见人。首句「寒雨连江夜入吴」写饯别前夜的江景——寒雨绵绵，与江水连成一片，茫茫夜色中悄悄漫入吴地，一个「寒」字既写秋雨之凉，亦暗透诗人贬谪中的凄清心绪；「连江」以雨之广写愁之深，为全诗定下清冷基调。次句「平明送客楚山孤」转写天明送别：天刚破晓即送客登程，唯见楚山孤零零地峙立江畔。「孤」字是全诗诗眼，景情双关——山孤、客孤、人亦孤，以山之孤映离人之寂，炼字极简而力重千钧。后两句「洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶」陡然由景转入言志：不写离愁别绪，不诉贬谪委屈，只以「冰心玉壶」四字自明高洁。「冰心」喻心之澄澈无瑕，「玉壶」喻品行之莹洁无滓，设喻精妙而境界自高。章法上，前两句蓄势、后两句点睛，由抑到扬、由景到品，把一首送别诗写出了士大夫的风骨与尊严。全诗语言洗练、意象明净，以淡语写深情，最能代表王昌龄七绝「深情幽怨、言旨深远」的风格。

Allusions

'Ice heart' and 'jade vase' originate from Bao Zhao's line 'clear as ice in a jade vase.' Wang Changling transforms it into a personal emblem. 'Luoyang relatives and friends' refers to his hometown acquaintances. Xin Jian is the messenger.

「冰心」「玉壶」化用南朝宋鲍照《代白头吟》「直如朱丝绳，清如玉壶冰」之句。鲍照原句以朱丝绳之直喻人品之直，以玉壶冰之清喻人品之清，王昌龄拈来翻用，凝为「一片冰心在玉壶」七字，将抽象的操守化为可感的意象，遂使「冰心玉壶」成为后世自明高洁的通用语。骆宾王《送别》「离心何以赠，自有玉壶冰」、李白《赠裴十四》以「玉壶冰」自明，皆同用此典而未能如王昌龄之凝练。又据《旧唐书》载，唐代名相姚崇作《冰壶诫》以「冰壶」喻廉洁，王昌龄此句或亦暗合此义，使典故既有文学渊源，又含现实讽谏。至于「洛阳亲友」，洛阳为唐之东都，王昌龄早年曾客居洛阳，故洛阳亲友即指其故乡故旧；「辛渐」为诗人挚友，唐人段成式《酉阳杂俎》等亦有零星记载。诗中不用僻典，唯取日常之景、寻常之物，而能寄寓深远，正是盛唐诗人举重若轻的化典功夫。此诗之所以千古传诵，正在于「冰心玉壶」四字以最浅显的意象承载了最高洁的人格，使典故与抒情、明志浑然一体，毫无斧凿之痕。

Commentary

Qing critic Shen Deqian praised its 'beauty within words, integrity beyond words.' Modern readings highlight how it turns a personal goodbye into a universal statement of moral steadfastness.

历代评家对此诗推崇备至。清代沈德潜《唐诗别裁》评其「言内之美，言外之节，可味」，谓其于字面之美外更有节操可味。近人刘永济《唐人绝句精华》亦言此诗「借送别以自明，不落凄切」，正点出它超越一般送别诗之处。论者多指出：一般送别诗多以惜别、劝慰为主调，王昌龄却把离愁轻轻放下，而以「冰心玉壶」向亲友、也向世人交出一纸清白的自白——哀而不伤、怨而不怒，最见盛唐诗人的人格自信。在文学史上，此诗确立了「以送别明志」的写法，与王维「西出阳关无故人」的惜别、李白「我寄愁心与明月」的慰藉鼎足而三，代表送别诗三种不同的落点。就修辞而言，「一片冰心在玉壶」为后世提供了「化典故为意象」的典范，使「冰心」「玉壶」由书袋中的死典变为活泼泼的抒情语言。直至今日，「冰心」仍是中国文化中高洁人格的代称，现代作家谢冰心取笔名即本于此，可见此诗影响之深远，已超越文学而成为民族精神的一部分。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (level-tone start, first line rhymed)七言绝句（平起首句入韵）

Rhyme wu, gu, hu (same rhyme group of the level-tone seven 虞)押平水韵上平七虞韵，韵脚为「吴」「孤」「壶」，首句入韵，三韵同部，一韵到底，读来圆转流畅。

Tone pattern First line: level, oblique, level, level, oblique, oblique, level (平仄平平仄仄平)首句「寒雨连江夜入吴」平仄为平平仄仄仄平平，为平起首句入韵式；全诗平仄基本合律，音节流畅，唯以意驭律，不因律害意。

Reading note The last two lines use a metaphor to express ambition, creating a unique style among farewell poems.此诗为七言绝句，属近体诗平起首句入韵一格。首句「寒雨连江夜入吴」以平起，入韵于「吴」，次句「孤」、末句「壶」相押，同押上平七虞韵，一韵到底，韵脚疏朗而音节和婉。平仄上，全诗以「平平仄仄仄平平」起式，中规中矩而不见斧凿，唯第二句「平明送客楚山孤」之「客」「楚」两仄相叠，正以仄声顿挫写出送别时的哽咽之情，声情相凑。绝句体短，贵在含蓄，此诗前两句写景蓄势，后两句言志点睛，章法上由实入虚、由景入品，完全符合绝句「起承转合」之妙。尤为难得者，此诗将送别、言志、自明熔于一炉，二十八字中既有离情之深，又有操守之高，以短章而具长篇之容量，实为七绝中「托讽言志」一格的开创之作，对后世同类诗作影响深远。

Line by line

寒雨连江夜入吴，平明送客楚山孤。

Cold rain and river merge as night enters Wu; at dawn I see off a guest, alone stands Chu Mountain. This line sets the bleak scene of a rainy night and a lonely dawn, with the mountain's solitude mirroring the poet's feelings.

寒冷的夜雨与江水连成一片，连夜漫入吴地；天刚破晓，在芙蓉楼送别友人，唯见楚山孤峙江畔。

Cold rain streamed with the river through the night into Wu; at dawn I speed my guest off, and only the Chu hills stand solitary by the water.

首联即景抒情，为全诗布下清冷孤寂的底色。「寒雨」着一「寒」字，既写秋雨之凉，亦透出诗人贬谪生涯中的凄清心绪；「连江」以雨之绵密写愁之深广，与江水连成一片的不仅是雨，更是离愁。次句「平明送客」点出送别之时——天刚亮便须送客，见出离别之匆匆；「楚山孤」以山拟人，友人去后唯余孤山与诗人相对，「孤」字景情双关，既写楚山之孤峙，更写离人心境之孤寂，客体之孤正映主体之寂。全联不着一「愁」字而愁满纸，以淡语写深情，正是盛唐七绝「语近情遥」的本色。

The opening couplet works the scene for feeling, laying the cold, lonely ground of the poem. 'Cold rain' — the word 'cold' names the autumn chill and the desolation of the poet's exile; 'joined to the river' spreads the rain's density to show grief's breadth, for what merges with the water is not only rain but parting sorrow. The second line, 'at dawn I speed my guest', fixes the early hour — leaving at first light shows the haste of farewell; 'the Chu hills stand solitary' makes a hill stand for a person: after the friend is gone only the lone hill keeps the poet company, and 'solitary' works both ways, the lonely peak and the lonely heart, object echoing subject. Not a word says grief, yet grief fills the page — the hallmark of High Tang quatrains, words near, feeling far.

洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶。

If friends in Luoyang ask about me, my heart is ice in a jade vase. The poet uses the metaphor of ice in a jade vase to declare his purity and integrity, turning the farewell into a statement of character.

若是洛阳的亲友问起我的近况，请替我转告：我的心仍如玉壶之中的一片冰心，澄澈洁白，不染尘滓。

If kinsfolk in Luoyang ask how I fare, tell them: my heart is still a piece of ice in a jade pot, clear and pure, unstained by the dust.

尾联由景入志，是全诗的点睛之笔，也是千古传诵的名句。「如相问」三字设想洛阳亲友的关切，转出对自身处境的回答——不诉苦、不辩解，只以「一片冰心在玉壶」七字自明心迹：冰喻心之澄澈，玉壶喻品行之莹洁，设喻精妙而境界自高。诗人化用鲍照「清如玉壶冰」之典而翻出新意，把贬谪中的委屈与流言中的清白，一并收束于一片冰心之中，磊落坦荡，风骨凛然。此联不写离愁而写自守，使送别诗上升为志士的人格宣言，故能超越一时一地，成为后世自明高洁的通用意象，千载之下犹令人肃然起敬。

The closing couplet turns from scene to character, the poem's eye and a line known through the ages. 'If kinsfolk ask' imagines the concern of friends in Luoyang and turns it into an answer of himself — no complaint, no defense, only 'a heart of ice in a jade pot': ice for the heart's clarity, jade pot for conduct's purity, the image exquisite, the height self-evident. The poet adapts Bao Zhao's 'pure as ice in a jade pot' and turns it to new meaning, gathering the grievances of exile and the rumors of the age into one piece of ice, open and unflinching. Writing not parting sorrow but self-fidelity raises a farewell poem into a declaration of noble character; it outgrows its time and place to become, for later ages, the standing image of a clean heart.

Study

Word focus

孤 This character describes the mountain as 'alone' but also reflects the poet's loneliness after parting. It is a typical example of blending scene and emotion. 「平明送客楚山孤」之「孤」字，是全诗诗眼，景情双关，一字而境界全出。就写景而言，友人乘舟远去，江畔唯余楚山，一座孤山静静峙立，是实写眼前之景；就抒情而言，友人既去、自身蒙冤，天地之间仿佛只剩下孤独的自己，山之孤正是人之孤的外化。此字妙在以客体之孤写主体之寂：不说「我孤」，而说「山孤」，将离愁与身世之感深藏于景中，含蓄蕴藉。又「楚山」本为镇江一带的实有之山，着一「孤」字，顿使无情的山有了情感的温度。炼字极简而力重千钧，一个「孤」字统摄了前两句的清冷氛围，也为后两句「冰心玉壶」的自明作好铺垫——正因为孤独无援，才更显出冰心不改的操守可贵。

冰心 Literally 'ice heart,' it symbolizes a pure, untainted heart. In this poem, it represents the poet's moral integrity despite slander. 「一片冰心在玉壶」之「冰心」，是全诗立意的核心意象。冰者，澄澈无瑕之谓；以冰喻心，即言此心晶莹剔透、纤尘不染。与「玉壶」相配，玉之莹洁衬冰之清冷，壶之包容寓心之自持，构成一幅清雅绝俗的画面。「一片」二字极妙，写出心之纯净单一、完整无缺，如一块无瑕的冰。此语化用鲍照「清如玉壶冰」而更凝练，把抽象的操守化为可触可感的物象，使高洁人格有了具体的形态。自此以后，「冰心」成为中国文化中清白人格的代称，不唯唐人骆宾王、李白沿用，现代作家谢冰心取笔名亦本于此。二字看似寻常，实含千钧，是托物言志手法的典范，也是此诗千古不朽的关键所在。

寒 The word 'cold' describes the rain and sets the overall chilly, desolate atmosphere, both literally and emotionally. 「寒雨连江夜入吴」之「寒」字，一字定调，统摄全篇。就气候而言，写的是秋夜冷雨的凉意，实景实写；就心境而言，诗人贬谪在外、流言缠身，心中自有寒意，景之寒正是情之寒。此字与「连江」「夜入吴」相配合：雨是寒的，江是连的，夜是沉的，三种冷色调意象层层叠加，把离别的清冷与人生的寒意渲染得淋漓尽致。尤为值得注意的是，「寒」字所定之调并非一味凄苦——诗人以寒雨起笔，却以冰心收束，冷色调的铺垫反衬出后文「冰心玉壶」的温润自持，由寒入清、由凉入洁，情感由抑到扬，章法井然。一字之寒，贯通全篇冷色，亦为「冰心」之洁白蓄势，炼字之精，于此可见。