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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

汉江临泛

Boating on the Han River

王维

Wang Wei

山水landscape 旅途journey 豁达open-minded

楚塞三湘接，荆门九派通。
江流天地外，山色有无中。
郡邑浮前浦，波澜动远空。
襄阳好风日，留醉与山翁。

Chu's border joins the three Xiang rivers,
Jingmen connects nine branches.
The river flows beyond heaven and earth,
Hills now appear, now vanish.
Cities float on the watery shores,
Waves shake the distant sky.
Xiangyang has fine days and breeze,
I'll stay drunk with the old man of the hills.

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Meaning

The poem describes the Han River's grandeur: it connects the southern border of Chu with the three Xiang rivers, and Jingmen leads to nine tributaries. The river stretches beyond the horizon, while mountains appear faintly visible or not. Cities seem to float on the water, and waves stir the distant sky. The scenery at Xiangyang is so beautiful that the poet wants to stay and drink with a local hermit.

楚地边塞与三湘相接，荆门之下九派奔通；江流浩渺直奔天地之外，山色空蒙似有若无。城邑仿佛浮在前浦之上，波澜摇动着遥远长空。襄阳风日如此美好，且留下来与山翁同醉。

Appreciation

This poem depicts the magnificent scenery of the Han River with bold strokes. The middle couplet 'The river flows beyond heaven and earth; hills now appear, now vanish' is a masterpiece of ethereal imagery, balancing reality and illusion. The words 'float' and 'move' animate the still scenery. The poem ends with a desire to stay and drink with a companion, revealing the poet's open-mindedness and appreciation for nature.

【白话串讲】 “江流天地外，山色有无中”——王维在汉江上泛舟，把江水写得流出了天地，把山色写得若有若无。九个字，画出了中国山水画里最经典的一角。【意象与手法】首联“楚塞三湘接，荆门九派通”以大笔勾勒汉江枢纽的地理形胜【情感与主旨】此诗题一作《汉江临眺》，约作于唐玄宗开元二十八年（740）王维任殿中侍御史、知南选途经襄阳时【名句点睛】必考颔联“江流天地外，山色有无中”的虚实相生与盛唐气象；“郡邑浮前浦，波澜动远空”中“浮”“动”的炼字亦常设题

Background

This poem, also titled 'Overlooking the Han River,' was written around 740 AD when Wang Wei was on his way to Xiangyang as a censor. It captures his expansive mood upon seeing the vast Han River.

王维《汉江临泛》，题一作《汉江临眺》，约作于唐玄宗开元二十八年（740年）。这一年，王维以殿中侍御史身份「知南选」，赴岭南主持选官，途经襄阳时作此诗。襄阳在今湖北，为汉江中游的重镇，水陆交通的枢纽；汉江又称汉水，是长江最大的支流，流经汉中、襄阳，在武汉汇入长江。「临泛」谓临江泛舟，「临眺」谓登高远眺，二题皆可通，今本多作《汉江临泛》。首联「楚塞三湘接，荆门九派通」写汉江枢纽的地理形胜；末句「留醉与山翁」之「山翁」，指西晋山简——山简字季伦，山涛之子，永嘉年间任征南将军、镇守襄阳，唯酒是耽，常饮于习氏高阳池，醉后倒著白接篱，事见《晋书·山简传》与《世说新语·任诞》。王维以山简自比或指当地贤达，取其纵酒风流之意，收束全篇。此诗写襄阳汉江的浩渺烟波，是王维山水诗中雄浑开阔的一格，与其「知南选」途中行色匆匆而心怀逸兴的心境正相契合。版本方面，各本文字大体一致，唯题目的「泛」「眺」之异及个别字的小异，不碍诗旨。王维「知南选」之行，往返经襄阳，得览汉江之胜，此诗与《终南山》同为这一时期的写景杰作，可见其行旅所至、山川所感，皆能入诗而自成气象。汉江入楚之地，古称云梦，烟波浩渺，自古为诗人咏叹之资，王维此诗正承此传统。襄阳本为荆楚重镇，人文荟萃，王维过此而发此雄阔之想，亦与襄阳自古多豪杰、多胜迹的地望相称。

Art

The first couplet outlines the geographical features with broad strokes. The second couplet uses virtual and real contrasts to depict the distant water and misty mountains. The third couplet vivifies static scenes with verbs 'float' and 'move'. The structure moves from geography to scenery to emotion, demonstrating the grandeur of Tang landscape poetry.

此诗以宏阔之笔写汉江烟波，章法由远及近、由景及情。首联「楚塞三湘接，荆门九派通」以大笔勾勒汉江枢纽的形胜——楚地边塞与三湘相接，荆门之下九派奔通，一「接」一「通」，写出汉江沟通南北、襟带九流的地理气势，是全局的宏观布局。颔联「江流天地外，山色有无中」是千古名句：江流浩渺，直向天地尽头奔去，仿佛流出天外；远山在烟波中时隐时现，若有若无。一「外」一「中」，写尽了江水之远与山色之迷，虚实相生，境界空濛。颈联「郡邑浮前浦，波澜动远空」由远及近，写舟行所见——江面浩阔，城邑仿佛浮在前浦之上；波澜起伏，仿佛摇动着远方的天空。一「浮」一「动」，以幻觉写真景，写尽水势之浩瀚。尾联「襄阳好风日，留醉与山翁」由景入情，以山简自况，收束于留醉之兴。全诗先总后分、先景后情，气象雄浑而情致高逸，是王维五律的扛鼎之作。就章法言，前六句写景，句句写江之阔、水之盛，末二句突然落到「留醉」，以逸兴收束，一放一收，余味无穷。此诗与一般「临眺」之作不同，全篇不写一「人」之动作，而纯以江、山、城、波的浩渺相映成景，至末联方以「留醉」点出人的存在，人景相忘，正见盛唐诗人「以大观小」的胸襟。全诗以「接」「通」「外」「中」「浮」「动」诸字，句句写动，而境归于静，是王维以动写静、以大衬空的又一法门。

Allusions

'Nine branches' alludes to Guo Pu's 'Rhapsody on the Yangtze River,' and 'old man of the hills' refers to Shan Jian of the Jin Dynasty, who was fond of drinking in Xiangyang. Wang Wei uses this allusion to express his own desire to indulge in the beauty of the place.

此诗用典与意象皆有深厚源流。「三湘」指潇湘、蒸湘、沅湘，泛指湖南，湘江流域古称三湘，语出《水经注》以来的地理文献；「九派」指长江在浔阳一带分流为九派，语本郭璞《江赋》「流九派乎浔阳」，九为约数，极言支流之众。「荆门」即荆门山，在今湖北宜都市西北、长江南岸，与北岸虎牙山对峙，为长江出入三峡的门户。「楚塞」指楚国的边塞要地。首联连用三湘、九派、荆门、楚塞四个地理意象，织成一张纵横交错的江河之网，写出汉江襟带天下、沟通九流的枢纽地位。末句「山翁」用西晋山简镇襄阳、嗜酒高阳池的典故，事见《晋书·山简传》与《世说新语》——山简「唯酒是耽」，常醉倒于习氏高阳池，有「山公倒载」之趣。王维以山翁自比，正取其风流任诞、纵酒山水之意，为全篇的壮景添了一分高逸的人情。全诗化典无痕，地理典故与人事典故交织，愈显其博雅。「郡邑浮前浦」的「浮」字，与王维自己写水势的手法一脉，而其「波澜动远空」更可与曹操《观沧海》「星汉灿烂，若出其里」的浩瀚相参，可见汉江之壮在王维笔下已近于沧海之观。「九派」「三湘」之说，又见于《汉书·地理志》及郭璞《江赋》，王维取之以写汉江襟带之势，地理之实与文辞之壮相得益彰。「楚塞」「荆门」二语，一状楚地之险，一状荆门之雄，皆出《水经注》以来的地理文献，王维以之入诗，遂使首联兼有地理之实与气象之壮。

Commentary

Wang Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty praised 'The river flows beyond heaven and earth…' as the epitome of poetry-painting fusion. Wang Shizhen of the Qing Dynasty cited it as an example of ethereal beauty.

此诗为王维五律名篇，历代评价极高。颔联「江流天地外，山色有无中」尤为千古绝唱，后世化用者不绝——北宋欧阳修《朝中措》「平山阑槛倚晴空，山色有无中」即径用王维成句写扬州平山堂，可见其影响之深。苏轼对「山色有无中」一句的意境亦曾论及，谓其写「隔江看山」之迷离，非亲历者不能道。清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁集》选入此诗，评首联「三湘、九派，写其接、通，气象雄阔」；论颔联则推其「虚处传神」。此诗与《终南山》常被并提，同被视为王维以五律写大景的典范——「太乙近天都，连山接海隅」之写山，「江流天地外，山色有无中」之写水，一山一水，撑起了王维山水诗中雄浑的一半。在传播史上，「山色有无中」已成为形容远山迷蒙的经典语汇，影响远及宋词与后世散文。清人方东树《昭昧詹言》亦论此诗，谓其「气象浑成，为五律正格」。此诗自《唐诗三百首》以下，历代选本多录，与《终南山》并称，共同奠定了王维作为盛唐山水诗大宗的地位，也是后世论「王右丞五律」必举的范本。此诗颔联之妙，后人更以「江流天地外」与杜甫「吴楚东南坼」对读，谓一写江之远、一写湖之裂，同为盛唐写水之雄，而各臻其极。此诗通篇以「接」「通」「外」「中」「浮」「动」诸字写水势，笔笔雄健，而结以「留醉」之闲，刚柔相济，正是王维五律的大家手笔。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated verse (oblique tone, first line not rhymed)五言律诗

Rhyme Rhymes on 'ong' (tong, zhong, kong, weng)平水韵上平一东韵，押「通」「中」「空」「翁」四韵，首句不入韵

Tone pattern First couplet: oblique-oblique-level-level-oblique, level-level-oblique-oblique-level; middle couplets are antithetical and emphasize spatial expansion.此诗为平起首句不入韵的五律。楚塞三湘接（仄仄平平仄），荆门九派通（平平仄仄平），江流天地外（平平平仄仄），山色有无中（平仄仄平平），郡邑浮前浦（仄仄平平仄），波澜动远空（平平仄仄平），襄阳好风日（平平仄平仄，为特拗句），留醉与山翁（平仄仄平平）。

Reading note The second couplet is a pinnacle of Wang Wei's landscape poetry, using presence and absence to evoke a water-ink atmosphere.此诗为五言律诗，平起首句不入韵，押上平一东韵，韵脚「通」「中」「空」「翁」同部相押，一韵到底。「东」韵音色浑厚宏亮，读来有气象雄阔之感，正合汉江浩渺、天地空濛的意境。就平仄论，全篇粘对工稳，是五律正格；唯第七句「襄阳好风日」为平平仄平仄，是五言常见的特拗句式（平平平仄仄之变），于声律无碍，反添流转自然之致。中二联对仗极工——颔联「江流」对「山色」、「天地外」对「有无中」，空间与色相相对；颈联「郡邑」对「波澜」、「浮」对「动」、「前浦」对「远空」，静物与动态相对，字字稳切而境界开阔。全诗以平声韵一韵到底，声调洪亮舒展，读来如见江流浩荡、山色空蒙，是声情与意境高度统一的典范。颔联「江流天地外，山色有无中」的「外」「中」二字，一去声一平声，声调的开合正与空间的远近距离相应；全诗以东韵的浑厚，托起汉江浩渺的烟波，声情相生，气象浑成。

Line by line

楚塞三湘接

The Chu frontier joins the three Xiang rivers.

楚地边塞与三湘相接

The borderland of Chu joins the three Xiang streams.

首句以「楚塞」领起，点明襄阳的地理位置——此地古为楚国边塞，南接三湘。一个「接」字，写出汉江流域的襟带之势：楚塞与三湘之间，江河相连、水陆相通。诗人不写眼前的一江一岸，而以「楚塞」「三湘」两个宏阔的地理名词对举，视野顿时拉向千里之外，气象自雄。此句与下句「荆门九派通」对举，一「接」一「通」，织成纵横交错的水道网络，为全诗奠定了雄浑开阔的基调。以地理名词入诗而能不板滞，正是盛唐诗人以大笔写大景的功力所在。

The opening line begins with 'the Chu frontier', naming Xiangyang's position — ancient Chu's border, southward joined to the three Xiang. The word 'joins' writes the river system's girdling reach; by pairing two vast geographic names the gaze leaps a thousand li, the scale majestic. It matches the next line's 'the nine branches of Jingmen are linked', the two verbs 'join' and 'link' weaving a web of waterways and setting the grand, open tone.

江流天地外

The river flows beyond heaven and earth.

江流浩渺直奔天地之外

The river rolls vast and runs beyond the world.

「江流天地外」写江水之远，是全诗最富想象力的句子。江流本有尽头，诗人却写其直奔「天地外」——仿佛这江水要流出天地，流到这个世界之外去。一个「外」字，把有限的江景推向了无限的宇宙，视觉的尽头被想象所突破。此句写的是远望江水的实感：江天相接，水随天尽，望去仿佛流入天地之外。以「外」字写江流的浩渺无涯，是虚笔传神，境界空濛而开阔，历来为论者所称道，也是此诗「气象浑成」的核心所在。此联一写江之远、一写山之迷，是全诗境界由实入虚、由壮阔入空濛的转折。

'The river flows beyond heaven and earth' writes the distance of the water, the most imaginative line. Rivers have their end, yet the poet sends it running 'beyond heaven and earth', as if it would pour out of the world itself. The word 'beyond' pushes the finite river scene into infinite space. This is the real feeling of watching the distant flood where river meets sky; through the word 'beyond' he renders the boundless reach, and it is the heart of the poem's fused atmosphere.

山色有无中

The mountain colors hang between being and nothingness.

山色空蒙似有若无

The mountain haze is dim, half real, half vanished.

「山色有无中」写远山在烟波中的迷离，是写景的极境。远山隔着浩渺的江面与迷蒙的水气，望去时隐时现、若有若无——「有」与「无」之间，正是远山在雾霭中的真实样态。诗人不写「山色淡」或「山色迷」，而写「有无中」，把视觉的若即若离化为一种哲学意味的呈现，山色遂在虚实之间获得了无限的空灵。此句与上句「江流天地外」一实一虚、一远一迷，构成颔联空濛壮阔的意境，欧阳修后来径用此句入词，足见其妙，苏轼亦赞其写景入微。

'The mountain colors hang between being and nothingness' writes the distant hills dim through mist, the height of scenic description. Across the wide water and hazy air the hills appear and vanish, now seen, now lost — between 'being' and 'nothingness' lies the true look of hills in fog. Rather than 'the hills are pale' he writes 'between being and nothingness', turning the visual hovering into a philosophical shimmer, the hills gaining an ethereal emptiness between the real and the void. Ouyang Xiu later borrowed the very line into a ci.

郡邑浮前浦

The towns seem to float on the near waters.

城邑仿佛浮在前浦之上

The towns appear to float upon the foreground waters.

「浮」字是此句的诗眼。城邑本坐实地，诗人却写其「浮前浦」——江面过于浩阔，水势过于浩瀚，远望城邑仿佛漂浮在水浦之上。这是舟行江中、水天一色时的视觉错觉，诗人却以「浮」字把这种错觉凝固为画面，愈显江水之浩荡。一个「浮」字，化实为虚、化静为动，城邑的稳重与江水的流动在此形成奇妙的张力。此句与「波澜动远空」连读，一浮一动，把汉江的水势写得撼天动地，是全诗由远望转入近观的转折，笔力由虚而实。

The word 'float' is the poem's eye. Towns sit on solid ground, yet he writes them 'floating on the near waters' — the river so vast, the water so immense, that the towns seem afloat on the flood. This is the visual illusion of sailing where water and sky are one, and he fixes the illusion in the word 'float', making solidity virtual and stillness motion, the towns' weight against the river's flow creating a wonderful tension. Read with 'the great waves stir the far sky', one float and one stir, the Han River's power becomes overwhelming.

Study

Word focus

外 'Beyond' – This character exaggerates the river's reach beyond heaven and earth, expanding the spatial dimension. 「外」字写江流直奔天地之外，是全诗想象力的顶峰。江流有尽而天地无穷，诗人以一个「外」字，把江水推出了天地的边界，让有限的景物获得了无限的空间。这个字是虚笔，不写实景而写幻觉——远望江天相接，水随天尽，望去便仿佛流出了世界之外。「外」字与下句「中」字对举（天地外、有无中），一外一中，构成了空间上的无尽与哲学上的空濛。以「外」写远，以虚传神，正是王维写景善于「不著一字，尽得风流」的体现，也是此联成为千古名句的关键。

浮 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「浮」字写城邑浮于前浦，是以幻觉写真景的妙笔。城邑本然立于陆地，诗人舟行江中，但见水天相接、城影入水，遂觉城邑仿佛浮在水上。一个「浮」字，写出了江面之阔与水势之盛——唯其水浩无涯，城才显得轻如浮物。此字化静为动、化实为虚，城邑的稳重被江水的浩瀚所颠覆，愈显汉江的壮阔。与下句「动」字相配，一浮一动，把静态的城邑与远空都写活了，是王维写水势的炼字典范，也是「以错觉写真」笔法的绝佳例证。

动 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「动」字写波澜摇动远空，笔力雄奇。波澜在江，远空在天，本不相干，诗人却写波澜「动远空」——江面的波涛起伏，仿佛把遥远的天穹也撼动了。这是极目远望、水天一色时的错觉，天光云影倒映江中，波起则天摇。一个「动」字，把江水的力量由水面推向天空，把平面的波澜写成了立体的震撼。它与上句「浮」字对举，浮是水的承载，动是水的摇撼，两字合写，汉江浩瀚无涯的水势遂跃然纸上，是全诗写水最见功力的一联。