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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

和贾舍人早朝大明宫之作

Harmonizing with Attendant Jia's Poem on the Morning Audience at Daming Palace

王维

Wang Wei

宫廷Court 唱和Responsory 七言律诗Seven-character Regulated Verse 盛唐High Tang

绛帻鸡人报晓筹，尚衣方进翠云裘。
九天阊阖开宫殿，万国衣冠拜冕旒。
日色才临仙掌动，香烟欲傍衮龙浮。
朝罢须裁五色诏，佩声归到凤池头。

The crimson-capped cock-crier announces the dawn's watch,
The wardrobe officer brings in the azure-cloud fur cloak.
The nine-tiered gates of Heaven open the palace halls,
All nations in court dress bow to the imperial crown.
As sunlight first touches the immortal palm, it stirs;
Incense smoke, drawing near, floats about the dragon robe.
When court ends, the five-colored edicts must be drafted,
With jade pendant sounds, he returns to the Phoenix Pool.

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Meaning

The poem depicts the solemn and splendid scene of the early morning audience at Daming Palace, from the crowing of the timekeeper to the emperor's appearance, the homage of all nations, and the return of the court official to draft edicts.

头戴红巾的鸡人报晓传来更筹，尚衣局刚献上翠云纹的皮裘。九重天门次第敞开宫殿，万国使臣穿着礼服拜见帝王。晨光才照临，承露仙掌随之转动，御炉香烟缭绕，傍着龙袍浮动。朝会结束要起草五色诏书，玉佩叮咚归向中书省凤池之头。

Appreciation

Wang Wei's regulated verse is a masterpiece of court poetry. It begins with the details of dawn, then expands to the immense grandiosity of the palace and the world, and finally returns to the official's duty. The balanced structure, exquisite parallelism, and rich colors convey the majesty of the Tang court, embodying the 'High Tang' spirit.

【白话串讲】 “绛帻鸡人报晓筹，尚衣方进翠云裘”——王维写早朝：鸡人报晓，尚衣进裘。“九天阊阖开宫殿，万国衣冠拜冕旒”——“朝罢须裁五色诏，佩声归到凤池头”——他写大唐早朝的威仪。“万国衣冠拜冕旒”——大唐的气象。【意象与手法】首联写拂晓前鸡人报时、尚衣进裘点出早朝时分；颔联“九天阊阖开宫殿、万国衣冠拜冕旒”气象宏阔，写万国来朝之盛况；颈联以日色、仙掌、香烟、衮龙描绘皇帝临朝的华美仪仗；尾联收束于朝罢草诏、佩声归省。结构严谨、对仗精工、色彩富丽。【情感与主旨】与贾至、岑参、杜甫等同题唱和，铺陈宫廷朝会的庄严华贵，尽显大唐气象。是盛唐唱和诗的代表，为宫廷诗的审美范型，胡应麟称其“气象阔大、语亦雄丽”。【名句点睛】常考“九天阊阖开宫殿，万国衣冠拜冕旒”以万国衣冠写大唐气象；“绛帻鸡人报晓筹，尚衣方进翠云裘”以鸡人尚衣写早朝时分。

Background

This poem was written during the Tianbao era of Emperor Xuanzong, when Wang Wei served as a drafting official in the Secretariat. It is a harmonizing response to Jia Zhi's original poem on the morning audience, along with similar works by Cen Shen and Du Fu. The Daming Palace was both the political center and a symbol of the empire's glory. Wang Wei, known for his painterly eye, turned this early-morning court session into a golden-blue landscape, reflecting the elegance and richness of mid-career court life.

王维《和贾舍人早朝大明宫之作》写于唐玄宗天宝年间，时王维任中书舍人，与贾至、岑参、杜甫等同题唱和，皆咏早朝大明宫之盛。贾至原唱题为《早朝大明宫呈两省僚友》，王维、岑参、杜甫各作和诗，一时朝堂文采彬彬，成为盛唐唱和诗的佳话。要读懂这首诗，先要明白「和」字的分量：它既是应酬，也是竞技。同题同体，谁把朝仪的庄严写得最足、把盛唐的气象写得最阔，谁便占上风。王维此诗以工稳的七言律诗，铺陈宫廷朝会的华贵庄严，而机心全在「不写君而写仪，不写威而写美」。其时大唐正值开元天宝的全盛，万国来朝、典章粲然，这座大明宫既是政治中枢，也是盛世的符号。王维以画家之眼写诗人之笔，把一场拂晓的朝会写成一幅金碧山水，既合身份，又见才情。他晚年虽趋向禅寂，但中年居官时的应制之作，恰恰展示了盛唐士大夫另一面的从容与富丽。

Art

Wang Wei's 'painting in poetry' is evident in his spatial arrangement and color. The first couplet uses red and green to set the dawn scene; the second couplet expands to the height of the nine heavens and the breadth of ten thousand nations; the third couplet zooms into the imperial regalia with sunlight, bronze palm, incense smoke, and dragon robe; the final couplet ends with the sound of jade pendants, leaving a graceful aftertaste. The parallel couplets are meticulous, the colors rich yet not cloying, exemplifying the grand style of court poetry.

此诗艺术上最见王维「诗中有画」的功底，全以空间铺排与色彩点染营造皇家威仪。首联「绛帻鸡人报晓筹，尚衣方进翠云裘」从拂晓前写起：鸡人报时、尚衣进裘，一红一翠，色已先声；以宫中琐细之役勾出早朝之时序，是为铺垫。颔联「九天阊阖开宫殿，万国衣冠拜冕旒」陡然拉开空间，由近及远、由下而上，九天言其高，万国言其广，阊阖洞开、衣冠罗拜，气象宏阔至此极矣，是盛唐最有代表性的壮句之一。颈联「日色才临仙掌动，香烟欲傍衮龙浮」收回细处，以日、掌、烟、龙写皇帝临朝的华美仪仗，仙掌承露、衮龙在身，动静之间见出神圣。尾联「朝罢须裁五色诏，佩声归到凤池头」收束于朝罢草诏、佩声归省，回应「和贾舍人」之题，也以余韵作结。全诗结构严谨，对仗精工，设色富丽而不堆垛，是宫庭诗的典范。王维此诗之妙，又在其「画意」与「诗心」的浑融：他本以画家名世，写朝会如布丹青，先以绛帻翠裘点色，再以九天万国铺势，后以仙掌衮龙勾细节，末以佩声收余韵，章法俨然一幅青绿长卷。盛唐应制诗易流于颂谀堆砌，此诗却以气象胜而不以辞藻胜，读来但有庄严，全无脂粉，足见王维举重若轻的宗师手段。

Allusions

The poem draws on ritual and palace conventions: 'cock-crier' from the Zhouli, 'Shangyi' (wardrobe office), 'Changhe' (celestial gate), 'Mianliu' (imperial crown), 'immortal palm' from Han Wudi's dew-collecting figure, and 'five-colored edicts' and 'Phoenix Pool' from Tang administrative usage. These allusions are not ostentatious but weave together authentic Tang court ritual with ancient cultural memory, grounding the splendor in historical depth.

诗中用典多本于礼制与宫禁旧称，贵在贴切而非僻奥。「鸡人」用《周礼》「鸡人掌共鸡牲，辨其物」之制，古以鸡人警夜，唐宫沿设，头裹绛帻似鸡冠，报晓传筹，点出宫中报时之制。「尚衣」为尚衣局，掌天子冕服，进翠云裘写献裘之礼。「阊阖」本指天阙，《楚辞》「倚阊阖而望予」，王维移以写宫门九重，既庄严又带仙气。「冕旒」为天子冠冕，代指帝王。「仙掌」用汉武帝建章宫承露铜仙人之典，以仙掌承露写御座前的陈设；「衮龙」指绣龙之袍，即帝王之服。「五色诏」指以五色纸所写诏书，唐中书省颁诏用之；「凤池」即中书省沼池，代指王维所居之中书舍人衙署。这些典故都不是掉书袋，而是把真实的唐代朝仪与悠远的文化记忆叠在一起，使眼前的盛唐与历史的礼制相互印证。此外，诗中「尚衣」与「鸡人」皆见《周礼》遗制，王维以当代宫禁实职入诗，使礼经之古与盛唐之今叠合于一幅朝仪图内。「五色诏」尤堪玩味：唐制以五色麻纸分写诏命，中书舍人掌之，王维以本职入诗，既切身份又暗含对王言之重的自许。凡此种种，皆非炫博，而是把一部礼制史轻轻压在早朝的瞬间之下，使富丽中自见渊源。

Commentary

This poem stands alongside Jia Zhi's original and the responses by Cen Shen and Du Fu as a canonical example of court poetry. The Ming critic Hu Yinglin praised Wang Wei's and Cen Shen's audience poems for their 'broad atmosphere and majestic language.' Wang Wei's couplet 'Nine-tiered gates of Heaven open the palace halls; ten thousand nations bow to the crown' captures the 'greatness' of the High Tang. It not only records a real court session but also embodies the confidence of an era. Compared with Du Fu's later seven-character lüshi, which reflect a declining age, Wang Wei's poem represents the splendor of the flourishing Tang.

此诗与贾至原唱及岑参、杜甫诸作并列，历来被视为描写宫廷朝会题材的典范。明人胡应麟《诗薮》评王维、岑参早朝诸作，称其「气象阔大、语亦雄丽」，足见此诗在明人眼中的典范地位。相较而言，贾至原唱偏于典重，岑参和作以「花迎剑佩星初落，柳拂旌旗露未干」见其清丽，杜甫和作以「旌旗日暖龙蛇动，宫殿风微燕雀高」见其沉雄，而王维此诗则以「九天阊阖」「万国衣冠」的宏阔最得盛唐之「大」。它不只是记录了一场朝会，更记录了一个时代的自信——万国来朝不是夸饰，而是开元天宝真实的国际格局。近人论盛唐七律，多以王维此诗与杜甫《登高》《秋兴》对看，一写盛世之宏，一写衰世之沉，恰成唐运的两极。其以丽景写盛世、以工笔状朝仪的手法，亦为历代宫廷应制诗所取法，对宋代大晟乐府及明清台阁体均有深远影响。王维此诗亦可见盛唐士大夫的精神气象：他们身在庙堂而心有林泉，写朝会既能庄严合度，又于尾联透出归省凤池的从容优雅，仕与隐在此并不扞格。后世台阁体虽貌袭其丽，却往往失其从容之脉，徒余粉饰，反证王维此作难得在于「富丽而能自在」。

Prosody

Form Seven-character Regulated Verse (level-tone opening, first line rhymes)七言律诗（平起首句入韵，盛唐七律成熟之作）

Rhyme Rhyme in the lower level-tone 'You' group: 裘, 旒, 浮, 头; the first line's character '筹' also belongs to this group, creating a single rhyme throughout.押下平十一尤韵：裘、旒、浮、头。首句「筹」亦属尤韵，四句一韵到底，韵脚圆融，宜写雍容华贵之音。

Tone pattern Tonal pattern: 仄仄平平仄仄平，平平仄仄仄平平；仄平平仄平平仄，平平仄仄仄平平；仄仄平平平仄仄，平平仄仄仄平平；平平仄仄仄平仄，仄平平仄仄平平. The middle couplets are strictly antithetical, conforming to the standard High Tang lüshi pattern.仄仄平平仄仄平，平平仄仄仄平平；仄平平仄平平仄，平平仄仄仄平平；仄仄平平平仄仄，平平仄仄仄平平；平平仄仄仄平仄，仄平平仄仄平平。中二联对仗精严，平仄合律，是盛唐七律的典型声格。

Reading note This poem exemplifies the mature seven-character lüshi of the High Tang. Its even and grand rhythm suits the solemnity of a court audience, while the expansive middle couplets and the fine details of the third couplet create a balanced architecture. Unlike Du Fu's later melancholic pentameter, Wang Wei's verse is 'upright' and 'bright,' reflecting the stability and confidence of the age.七律至盛唐而体制大定，王维此诗正可作范型读。其声律之妙在平稳：四韵皆尤韵，口腔略收而气息悠长，正合朝会雍容之气；中二联对仗，一写空间之宏（阊阖、衣冠），一写仪仗之细（仙掌、衮龙），大开大合而节奏不乱。与杜甫晚年七律之顿挫沉郁不同，王维此诗以「正」胜，字字在格内，声声明朗，是盛唐「正声」的代表。读此类应制七律，当从其合度处见出时代之安定与诗人之从容。此诗四韵皆尤韵，韵腹悠长而收声圆融，恰合朝会雍容徐缓的节奏，与尾联佩声归省的从容互为表里。中二联对仗尤见功力：颔联以空间之宏对时间之静，颈联以日色仙掌对香烟衮龙，皆工稳而不板滞。王维此律不以拗峭见长，而以「正大」立格，读来如听雅乐，声容俱盛。盛唐七律至此已脱初唐的纤巧，自成盛世之音，此诗正可作声律与气象合一的范本。

Line by line

绛帻鸡人报晓筹，尚衣方进翠云裘。

The crimson-capped timekeeper announces the dawn watch; the wardrobe officer presents the azure-cloud fur robe. These details set the early-morning scene, with red and green establishing the palette. The line moves from sound (the announcement) to sight (the offering of the robe), from darkness to light.

头戴红巾的鸡人报晓传来更筹，尚衣局刚献上翠云纹的皮裘。

The red-turbaned cock-herald announces the dawn watches; the robe office presents the cloud-patterned sable.

首联从拂晓前的宫中细节落笔，先定早朝之时。「绛帻鸡人」四字极工：绛帻是红巾，鸡人是古制，红巾似鸡冠，把报时者写成一幅图；报晓筹则点出更筹将尽、天色将明。「尚衣方进翠云裘」接以尚衣局献裘，翠云裘以云纹写皮裘之华，一红一翠先立色调。两句一写听觉（报晓），一写视觉（进裘），由声入色，由暗入明，正是拂晓宫禁由静转动的瞬间。王维以画家的调度，把琐细的宫役写成庄严序曲，为后文宏阔之景先垫一层人间烟火。

The opening couplet begins with pre-dawn palace detail, fixing the hour of audience. 'The red-turbaned cock-herald' is finely drawn — the red turban like a cock's comb, the herald announcing the dawn watches; 'the robe office presents the cloud-patterned sable' follows, the dark-clouded sable robe's splendor. One sound (announcing dawn), one sight (presenting the robe), from dark to light, the solemn overture of the waking palace.

九天阊阖开宫殿，万国衣冠拜冕旒。

The nine-tiered celestial gate opens the palace; myriad nations in formal attire bow before the imperial crown. This couplet expands to cosmic proportions, contrasting the height of the nine heavens with the breadth of ten thousand states, making the Daming Palace the center of the world. It is a quintessential expression of Tang grandeur.

九重天门次第敞开宫殿，万国使臣穿着礼服拜见帝王。

The nine heavens' gates open upon the palaces; ten thousand lands of officers bow to the imperial crown.

颔联是全篇的脊梁，也是盛唐诗中最能撑起「大」字的一联。「九天阊阖」写宫殿之高峻深邃，天阙洞开，气象森严；「万国衣冠」写来朝之广，四裔使臣各服其服，拜于冕旒之下。九天对万国，空间之高与范围之广相互放大，把一座大明宫写成天下的中心。最要紧的是「拜冕旒」三字：不写皇帝其人，只写冠冕，既合诗家含蓄之体，又暗含「垂衣裳而天下治」的古训。这一联之所以雄冠同题诸作，正在它不费力地写出了盛唐特有的自信——万国来朝于唐人不是想象，而是晨朝的实景。

This couplet is the backbone of the whole, the line that most supports the grandeur of High Tang. 'The nine heavens' gates' writes the lofty depth of the palace; 'ten thousand lands of officers bow' the wide attendance, envoys from all quarters in their dress of state bowing to the crown. Nine heavens against ten thousand lands, height and breadth magnify each other, the Daming Palace become the center of the world. 'Bow to the crown' alone, not the emperor's person — the reserve fitting poetry, and the ancient ideal of rule by vestment.

日色才临仙掌动，香烟欲傍衮龙浮。

As sunlight first reaches the immortal palm (the bronze dew-collecting figure), it seems to move; incense smoke drifts toward the dragon-robed emperor, floating about him. The couplet focuses on the emperor's ceremonial apparatus, turning static objects into dynamic illusions and creating a near-divine atmosphere.

晨光才照临，承露仙掌随之转动，御炉香烟缭绕，傍着龙袍浮动。

As daylight touches the immortal palm, it moves; incense smoke drifts, hovering about the dragon robe.

颈联由宏观收回微观，写皇帝临朝的仪仗。「日色才临」四字写晨光初照，时间恰好落在朝会开始的刹那；「仙掌动」用承露铜人之典，日光照临而仙掌似动，以静写动，见出陈设之精。「香烟欲傍衮龙浮」更妙：御炉香烟袅袅，傍着龙袍浮动，烟与龙皆轻灵之物，一「傍」一「浮」写出香烟依人、天子如龙的神圣感。这一联以色以动衬静，把庄严写得近乎仙界，正是王维「诗中画」的看家本领——他不是在叙事，而是在布景。

This couplet narrows from the grand to the ceremonial of the emperor. 'As daylight touches the immortal palm, it moves' — the morning light strikes the bronze dew-catcher and it seems to stir, stillness written as motion; 'incense smoke drifts, hovering about the dragon robe' — the censer's smoke eddies near the dragon robe, one 'hovering' one 'drifting' rendering the sacred ease. Color and motion set off stillness, the scene staged like paradise, Wang Wei's picture-poem craft.

朝罢须裁五色诏，佩声归到凤池头。

After the audience, he must draft the five-colored edicts; with the tinkling of jade pendants, he returns to the Phoenix Pool (the Secretariat). The ending returns to the poet's own role, echoing the purpose of harmonizing with Attendant Jia. It closes with elegance and poise, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

朝会结束要起草五色诏书，玉佩叮咚归向中书省凤池之头。

When court is done, the five-colored edict must be drafted; the jade pendants chime as they return to the Phoenix Pool.

尾联收束于朝罢，回扣「和贾舍人」之题。「须裁五色诏」写退朝后中书舍人草诏之职，点出王维自身的身份；「佩声归到凤池头」以玉佩叮咚之声收束全篇，有声有余韵，凤池即中书省，归衙之意淡写而不亢。这一联的好处在从容：宏大的朝会之后，不是戛然而止，而是佩声珊珊地归去，留一份文官的优雅。它把前面的庄严盛大稳稳接住，使全诗有起有落，不流于一味铺张。

The closing couplet returns from audience, answering the theme of matching Jia She. 'The five-colored edict must be drafted' names the secretariat's duty after court, Wang Wei's own office; 'the jade pendants chime as they return to the Phoenix Pool' closes on the sound of jade, the Phoenix Pool being the Central Secretariat. The grace lies in composure: after the grand audience, not an abrupt stop but the chiming pendants drifting home, the elegance of the civil servant. It receives the solemn splendor above, giving the poem rise and fall.

Study

Word focus

九天阊阖 The nine-tiered gate of Heaven. 'Nine heavens' signifies the utmost height; 'Changhe' is the celestial gate. Together they elevate the palace to a celestial dimension, a typical 'writing the mundane as immortal' technique. 「九天阊阖」四字是此诗最撑气象的组合。九天极言其高，阊阖本为天阙，合在一起写宫门之高峻如通天阙。它不只是形容建筑，更是形容大唐的体面与威仪——天门洞开，万国仰瞻。这两个词都源自《楚辞》以来的仙界语汇，王维移用于人间宫殿，使写实带上神圣的色彩，是「以仙写凡」的典型手法。这一组合亦见王维以画家空间感入诗的习惯：他先立天门之高，再铺万国之下，如在同一幅画中拉出远近纵深。阊阖既为天阙，天门洞开便不只是建筑描写，而是把人间朝会升格为天地仪典，气魄之大正赖此四字撑起。

万国衣冠 The court dress of ten thousand nations. It evokes the real international order of the Tang, where envoys from many lands, each in their own attire, bow before the throne. It symbolizes the cosmopolitan grandeur of the empire. 「万国衣冠」是盛唐最自豪的意象之一。万国言来朝之众，衣冠言各从其俗、各服其服，拜于阙下，写出一个真实的多民族、多邦交的国际秩序。这四个字以集体名词代替具体描写，反而比逐一罗列更有气势，因为它唤起的是「天下尽来」的整体感。后世写朝会者多拟此语，足见其概括力。更值得注意的是，王维写万国而不写四夷，措辞间自有大唐的平等与从容，诸国衣冠各从其俗而同拜冕旒，是一幅真正的天下图。这一意象后被历代奉为盛唐符号，乃至成为后人想象唐代国际格局的第一幅画面。

仙掌 The immortal palm, referring to the bronze dew-collecting figure with outstretched palm, installed in the Han palace. Here it represents the ornate ceremonial objects before the throne, blending historical allusion with imperial splendor. 「仙掌」用汉武帝承露铜仙之典，本在写求仙，王维这里只取其形——御座前承露的铜人，日光照临时似微微转动。以古之仙器写今之朝仪，既典雅又灵动。更妙在它与下句「衮龙」一仙一帝、一静一动相对，使仪仗既有神话的遥远，又有皇权的切近。仙掌本是汉武帝求仙之物，王维移用于朝仪，非取其求仙之意，而取其承露之形与仙界之韵，使帝王临朝带上一层非人间的光晕。与下句衮龙相对，一为古之仙器、一为今之龙袍，古今神圣在此交汇，可见王维用典专取形神相生之处，而不泥于本事。

凤池 The Phoenix Pool, a poetic name for the Secretariat (Zhongshu Sheng), where Wang Wei served as a drafting official. It signifies the author's own office, adding a personal note to the imperial scene. 「凤池」即中书省沼池，唐人习以凤池代指中书省，王维时任中书舍人，以此自况。这个结尾词极见身份与分寸：不张扬居官的显要，只以「归到凤池头」淡写退朝，佩声之中见从容。凤池一语把个人的官职织进盛唐的朝仪画卷，是应制唱和中恰到好处的自重。凤池一称源自中书省沼池遍植莲荷的典故，至唐已成中书省的雅称，王维以之结篇，既点出唱和之由，又于华丽朝会之后留下一缕文官的清雅。相较颈联的仙气缭绕，尾联以佩声收束，由天上回落人间，章法上自有敛放之妙。