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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

佳人

The Fair Lady

杜甫

Du Fu

咏怀Expressing Feelings 弃妇Deserted Wife

绝代有佳人，幽居在空谷。
自云良家子，零落依草木。
关中昔丧乱，兄弟遭杀戮。
官高何足论，不得收骨肉。
世情恶衰歇，万事随转烛。
夫婿轻薄儿，新人已如玉。
合昏尚知时，鸳鸯不独宿。
但见新人笑，那闻旧人哭。
在山泉水清，出山泉水浊。
侍婢卖珠回，牵萝补茅屋。
摘花不插发，采柏动盈掬。
天寒翠袖薄，日暮倚修竹。

There is a fair lady of peerless grace,
She dwells alone in an empty valley.
She says she was from a good family,
Now fallen, she lives among the weeds.
In Guanzhong once there was chaos,
Her brothers were killed in the strife.
What use was their high official rank?
Their very bones could not be gathered.
The world despises a failing house,
All things turn like a flickering candle.
Her husband was a fickle man,
His new love is as jade, so fair.
The silk tree knows when to close,
The mandarin duck never sleeps alone.
He only sees the new bride smile,
And hears not the old wife weep.
In the mountain, spring water is clear,
Out of mountain, it turns muddy.
Her maid sells pearls and returns,
She gathers vines to mend her thatched hut.
She picks flowers but does not wear them,
Gathers cypress seeds, handful after handful.
In the cold weather, her green sleeves thin,
At sunset, she leans against a tall bamboo.

Listen

Meaning

The poem tells the story of a beautiful woman from a good family who, after the An Lushan Rebellion, loses her brothers and is abandoned by her husband for a new wife. She lives in seclusion in a mountain valley, enduring poverty but maintaining her integrity and purity. The poem is often read as Du Fu's self-allegory, expressing his own feelings of being cast aside by the court and his determination to remain virtuous despite hardship.

有一位容貌绝世的佳人，幽静地居住在空旷的山谷里。她说自己本是清白人家的女子，如今零落飘摇，只能依傍草木为生。当年关中遭逢战乱，兄弟惨遭杀戮；官位再高又有什么用，连他们的尸骨都无法收葬。世态人情厌恶衰败没落之家，人间万事就像风中烛火一样转瞬即变。那丈夫是个轻薄无情的儿郎，新娶的佳人已经美如白玉，受尽宠爱。合欢花尚且知道按时开合，鸳鸯尚且不肯独自栖息；他只见新人欢笑，哪里听得见旧人哭泣。泉水在山间流淌时是清澈的，流出山外便浑浊了。侍婢变卖珠饰回来，牵来藤萝修补茅屋。摘来野花却不插在发上，采摘柏子每每满捧。天气寒冷，她单薄的翠袖难以御寒；日色已暮，她依旧倚着高高的修竹，静静伫立。

Appreciation

This poem was written around 759 AD when Du Fu abandoned his official post and lived in Qinzhou. After the An Lushan Rebellion, the world turned upside down, and Du Fu uses the abandoned wife's story to convey his own feelings of displacement and his resolve to keep his integrity. The first half narrates the wife's misfortune, the second half depicts her lonely but unyielding life. The lines 'In the mountain the spring water is clear' use water as a metaphor for purity of purpose. The ending image of her leaning on a bamboo in the cold twilight captures her noble solitude without any overt commentary, exemplifying Du Fu's subtle and profound style.

【白话串讲】一个绝代佳人，出身良家，战乱中兄弟被杀，丈夫也抛弃了她。她幽居空谷，“天寒翠袖薄，日暮倚修竹”——杜甫写的是佳人，也是自己的身世。【意象与手法】通篇以弃妇托寓，比兴双关。前半叙事自述家破夫弃，后半写幽居清苦而节操不渝。合昏、鸳鸯反衬夫婿负心，泉水清浊暗喻出处洁污，柏与竹象征坚贞劲节。结句「天寒翠袖薄，日暮倚修竹」以景写人，不著议论而孤高自见，淡远沉郁，最见杜诗五古风神。【情感与主旨】此诗约作于乾元二年（759）杜甫弃官客居秦州时。安史之乱后世态翻覆、亲友零落，诗人借幽谷弃妇的不幸遭际自况，既写乱离中妇女的悲剧，更寄寓自身出处失据而宁守清节、不改其志的深沉感慨。【名句点睛】常考「在山泉水清，出山泉水浊」的比喻意蕴；「合昏尚知时，鸳鸯不独宿」的反衬手法；「但见新人笑，那闻旧人哭」的对照之笔；结句「倚修竹」的以景写人。

Background

This poem was written around 759 AD when Du Fu abandoned his official post and sojourned in Qinzhou. After the An Lushan Rebellion, social order collapsed and friends and family scattered. Du Fu, through the abandoned wife in the deep valley, both depicts the tragedy of women in wartime and conveys his own sense of being out of place, yet determined to remain unsullied.

此诗约作于唐肃宗乾元二年（759）秋，杜甫弃官携家客居秦州（今甘肃天水）时，与《秦州杂诗二十首》同期。杜甫（712—770），字子美，自号少陵野老，河南巩县（今河南巩义）人，出身于「奉儒守官」的京兆杜氏，祖父杜审言是初唐著名诗人。天宝十四载（755）安史之乱爆发，杜甫历尽艰危：先陷于长安贼中，后逃奔凤翔投肃宗，授左拾遗，因上疏救房琯而触怒肃宗，贬华州司功参军；乾元二年关中大旱，饥馑相仍，杜甫于七月弃官西行，辗转至秦州，依靠亲友接济，生活极为困窘。此诗写一位在战乱中家破夫弃、幽居空谷的佳人，其本事历来有争议：宋代郭知达《九家集注》引旧注谓实有其人，是避乱居秦州山谷的贵家女；而明清以来学者多认为佳人乃诗人自喻，借弃妇写自身「致君尧舜」之志不遂、遭朝廷疏远而幽居守节的处境。无论本事为何，诗中既有乱离时代妇女的普遍悲剧，更有杜甫「宁守清节、不改其志」的自我写照，是咏怀诗与弃妇诗合流的代表作。

Art

The whole poem uses the abandoned wife as a persona, with metaphors and double meanings. The first half narrates the family ruin and abandonment, the second half depicts her lonely poverty and unwavering integrity. The silk tree and mandarin ducks contrast with the husband's fickleness; the clear and muddy spring water alludes to the choice between staying pure or compromising. The final lines 'In cold weather her green sleeves thin, at sunset she leans against a tall bamboo' paint a picture without overt comment, yet the noble solitude is vivid—a masterpiece of Du Fu's restrained and profound five-character ancient verse.

此诗在艺术上最突出的特点是「比兴双关、以弃妇写志」，全诗二十句，结构可分三层。前八句（「绝代有佳人」至「不得收骨肉」）以赋体直陈佳人遭际：起笔点出「绝代」「幽居」的矛盾，继写其良家出身、关中丧乱、兄弟被杀，层层铺叙家国之痛，是叙事之层。中六句（「世情恶衰歇」至「那闻旧人哭」）转入世态炎凉与夫妻反目：以「转烛」喻人情翻覆，以合昏、鸳鸯之物尚有情反衬夫婿之无情，以「新人笑」与「旧人哭」对举，是议论抒情之层。后六句（「在山泉水清」至「日暮倚修竹」）写佳人幽居守节：泉水清浊之喻明志，卖珠牵萝写清贫，不插花而采柏写其不慕荣华，最后以「天寒翠袖薄，日暮倚修竹」的剪影收束，以景结情，是写照之层。三层由叙事而议论而写景，由外而内、由实而虚，人物形象层层丰满。通篇比兴迭出：合昏鸳鸯反衬负心，泉水清浊暗喻出处，柏与竹象征坚贞，物象皆为人格之投影，深得《诗经》《楚辞》比兴之遗意，而叙事之真切又非一般咏怀诗可比。

Allusions

The silk tree (合昏) opens and closes with the sun, symbolizing marital harmony; mandarin ducks never sleep alone, symbolizing faithful couple—both contrast with the husband's betrayal. The clear/muddy spring water draws on the yuefu tradition of 'clear as jade in an ice vase' and the Book of Songs, to symbolize purity or corruption in one's path. Leaning on a tall bamboo echoes the noble character of bamboo in the stories of Ji Kang and Wang Huizhi, underscoring the lady's aloof integrity.

诗中用典与取象多出经典而翻出新意。其一，「绝代有佳人」化用汉李延年歌「北方有佳人，绝世而独立」，以「绝世」写其容貌之绝伦，也暗含「绝世」即与世隔绝之意，为「幽居空谷」张本。其二，「合昏尚知时」之合昏即合欢花，其叶朝开暮合，故又名合昏，《本草纲目》谓其叶至暮即合，古人以合欢象征夫妻恩爱；「鸳鸯不独宿」用《诗经·小雅·鸳鸯》「鸳鸯于飞，毕之罗之」之典，鸳鸯向来是伉俪相守的象征。二者皆以物之有情反衬夫婿之无情，比兴手法老辣。其三，「在山泉水清，出山泉水浊」化用《楚辞·渔父》「沧浪之水清兮，可以濯吾缨；沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯吾足」的出处之辨，又暗合《诗经·邶风·谷风》「泾以渭浊」的意象，以泉水在山则清、出山则浊，喻守节则清、失节则浊，既写佳人自守清高，也暗含诗人对仕隐出处的思考。其四，「采柏动盈掬」之柏树岁寒后凋，《论语》有「岁寒，然后知松柏之后凋也」；「倚修竹」之竹象征劲节，东晋王徽之有「何可一日无此君」之语，竹林名士亦以竹自况。柏与竹并置，坚贞高洁的人格象征不言自明。全诗用典不着痕迹，皆融化于白描之中。

Commentary

Wang Sizong said, 'The fair lady is a virtuous lady, and also Du Fu's self-portrait.' Pu Qilong commented, 'In cold weather her green sleeves thin, at sunset she leans against a tall bamboo—depicting a chaste and calm demeanor without external ornament.' Su Shi and Zhu Xi both valued this poem, considering it 'starts from emotion but ends in propriety,' capturing the spirit of the classic poets.

此诗历代评家纷纭，而皆折服于其比兴之妙与品格之高。明人王嗣奭《杜臆》谓「佳人乃自况也，幽居空谷，正弃官秦州之写照」，点出以弃妇自喻的作意。清人浦起龙《读杜心解》评结句「天寒翠袖薄，日暮倚修竹」，谓其「写贞静之致，不著色相」，以为以景写人，不着议论而孤高自见。黄生《杜诗说》亦赏「在山泉水清」二句，以为「一语双关，既写节操，又写出处」。杨伦《杜诗镜铨》引苏轼语，谓此诗以佳人之贞节自况，而朱熹更称其「发乎情，止乎礼义」，合于风人之旨。从文学史看，此诗承屈原「香草美人」、曹植《美女篇》以美人托寓的传统，而将弃妇题材与乱离时代、个人出处三者合一，比兴更深、叙事更真，开后世弃妇诗与咏怀诗合流之先声；其「在山泉水清，出山泉水浊」之句更成为中国文化中「出处清浊」的经典表达，被后世反复引用。杜甫五古以沉郁顿挫见长，此诗则是其中淡远一格，历来被视为杜诗「以淡写深」的典范。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient verse (gushi, expressing feelings)五言古诗（五言古体，咏怀叙事）

Rhyme Rime category: Ru tones from various groups (谷, 木, 戮, 肉, 烛, 玉, 宿, 哭, 浊, 屋, 掬, 竹) – all entering tone rhymes, characteristic of ancient-style poetry.全诗二十句一韵到底，押入声韵，韵脚为「谷」「木」「戮」「肉」「烛」「玉」「宿」「哭」「浊」「屋」「掬」「竹」，分属平水韵屋、沃、觉、陌、锡、质、缉等入声韵部，古体入声韵通押。

Tone pattern Five-character ancient style, not following recent-style tonal patterns.五言古体，不依近体平仄，句式以「二二一」「二一二」节奏为主，如「绝代／有／佳人」「幽居／在／空谷」，每四句一层，层意换而韵不换，读来沉郁顿挫。

Reading note The poem blends narrative and lyric, representing Du Fu's restrained and profound five-character ancient verse.此诗为五言古诗，是杜甫五古中淡远一格的代表作，其格律特色在于「以入声韵写沉痛、以古体行叙事」。五言古诗源于汉魏，至杜甫手中已臻极致：全诗二十句，通篇押入声韵，入声字短促急收，读来如哽如咽，恰与弃妇的悲苦身世、诗人的沉郁情怀相配——若换平声韵，则声情轻扬，便失此诗顿挫之致。句式上，全诗为整齐的五言，而节奏多变：叙事处「关中昔丧乱，兄弟遭杀戮」以急促之句写家破之惨，议论处「世情恶衰歇，万事随转烛」以拗折之句写世态之恶，写景处「天寒翠袖薄，日暮倚修竹」以平缓之句写贞静之姿，声情随内容起伏，正是「沉郁顿挫」的具体体现。结构上每四句一层、层层递进，由身世之痛而世态之恶、由夫弃之悲而守节之志，韵脚虽一韵到底，而情思层层翻新，古体之自由正宜于这种长篇叙事与抒情的流转。与近体律绝相比，此诗不求对仗工整，唯「世情恶衰歇，万事随转烛」「合昏尚知时，鸳鸯不独宿」等联近于对偶而浑朴自然，全无雕琢痕迹。杜甫五古继承汉魏乐府与《古诗十九首》的传统，而注入时代乱离与个人遭际，此诗便是其中「以淡语写深悲」的典范，其声律之妙不在合律，而在以古体之自由抒沉郁之怀抱。

Line by line

绝代有佳人，幽居在空谷。

A beauty beyond compare dwells hidden in an empty valley.

有一位容貌绝世的美人，幽静地居住在空旷的山谷里。

A woman of unrivaled beauty lives quietly in a desolate valley.

起笔两句破空而来，十字写尽人物的出场。「绝代」二字极言其美，用李延年「北方有佳人，绝世而独立」之意，令人想见其风姿；「幽居在空谷」却把这位绝世佳人安置在空寂的山谷之中，美与荒凉形成强烈反差——绝代佳人本当居于金屋华堂，为何独处空谷？一个「幽」字既写其居处之深僻，又暗含其品性之幽贞、处境之幽独，为全诗定下孤高的基调。两句一写其美、一写其隐，一扬一抑，悬念顿生：这位佳人是谁？为何沦落至此？读者带着疑问读下去，叙事便在悬念中层层展开。这种「以奇句起、以悬念引」的开篇，正是杜甫叙事诗的高明之处。

The opening two lines come down like a cleaving sword, ten words for the woman's entrance. 'Beyond compare' extols her beauty, using the idea of Li Yannian's song of the beauty of the north, making the reader imagine her bearing; 'dwells hidden in an empty valley' places this matchless beauty in a desolate valley — beauty and desolation in sharp contrast: a peerless beauty should dwell in a golden hall, why alone in the empty valley? The word 'hidden' writes both the seclusion of her dwelling and the chastity and loneliness of her character, setting the lofty, solitary tone. One line her beauty, one line her hiding, one lift one press, the suspense born: who is she? why fallen so low?

世情恶衰歇，万事随转烛。

The world hates the fallen; all things change like a candle in the wind.

世态人情最厌恶衰败没落之家，人世间万事就像风中摇曳的烛火一样转瞬即变。

The world's ways spurn the declining; all things shift like a candle flickering in the wind.

这两句是诗眼所在，把个人的遭际提升到对世道人心的概括。「世情恶衰歇」直指世态炎凉的普遍法则——人情势利，锦上添花者众，雪中送炭者稀，一家衰败，旧日亲故便纷纷疏远；「万事随转烛」以风中烛火为喻，烛火摇曳不定，忽明忽灭，喻世事无常、人情翻覆如烛影摇红，转瞬即变。两句对仗工整而含意沉痛，既是佳人兄弟被杀、夫婿背弃的社会根源，也是杜甫对乱世人情冷暖的切身感受——诗人弃官后饱尝世态，故能一语道破。此联议论而不空洞，因为前有家破之痛、后有夫弃之悲作印证，哲理与叙事水乳交融，是杜甫「以议论入诗」而能入情入理的典范。

These two lines are the poem's eye, raising personal fate to a summary of the world's ways. 'The world hates the fallen' points straight at the universal law of the world's coldness — people favor the prosperous, few aid the fallen; when a house declines, old friends drift away. 'All things change like a candle flickering in the wind' uses the candle in the wind: flame wavering, bright then dark, a metaphor for the world's mutability and the turning of human hearts, changed in a breath. The two lines are well paired and deeply bitter: both the social root of her brothers' slaughter and her husband's betrayal, and Du Fu's own taste of the world's warmth after he left office — he knew it, so he names it in one stroke. Argument without emptiness, because the pain of a broken family and the grief of abandonment give it evidence; philosophy and narrative are one flesh.

合昏尚知时，鸳鸯不独宿。

Even the silk tree knows its hour; the mandarin ducks do not roost alone.

合欢花尚且知道按时开合，鸳鸯尚且不肯独自栖息，它们都懂得情义。

The silk tree closes its leaves on time; the mandarin ducks never roost alone.

此联以物之有情人反衬人之无情，是比兴手法的集中体现。合昏即合欢，其叶朝开暮合，古人遂以之象征夫妻情好、知时而动；鸳鸯雌雄不离，双宿双飞，向为伉俪恩爱的化身。诗人先说草木禽鸟「尚知时」「不独宿」，再说夫婿之轻薄无情——连无知的花鸟都知道守时、守情，他竟弃旧怜新、一去不返，物之有情与人之无情形成尖锐对照。这种「以有情衬无情」的手法，比直斥负心更见沉痛：不是人不如物，而是人连物都不如。且「尚」字下得极准，含有「连……都」的惊诧与叹惋，把失望与悲愤都收进这一个字里。两句看似写物，实则句句骂人，深得《诗经》比兴「言在此而意在彼」之妙。

This couplet uses the feeling of things to set off the heartlessness of man, the concentrated art of analogy. The silk tree closes its leaves at dusk, anciently a sign of wifely devotion; mandarin ducks never part, the image of conjugal love. The poet first says plants and birds 'know their hour' and 'do not roost alone', then says the husband's fickle heart — even ignorant flowers and birds keep time and keep faith, yet he cast off the old for the new and never returned. 'Feeling' in things set against 'heartlessness' in men: not that men are worse than things, but that men are worse than beasts. The word 'even' is exact, holding the shock and lament of 'even ... does'; the two lines seem to write things, yet every word condemns the faithless husband, the deep art of the Book of Songs' analogy, 'speaking here while meaning there'.

但见新人笑，那闻旧人哭。

Men see only the new bride's smiles; who hears the old wife's tears?

只见新人欢笑，谁又能听得见旧人的哭泣呢。

Men see only the new bride's laughter; who hears the old wife's weeping?

此联是全诗情感的爆发点，以「笑」「哭」二字对举，写尽弃妇的屈辱与悲凉。「但见」与「那闻」形成鲜明对照：夫婿眼中只有新人的娇笑，哪里听得见旧人的哭声？新人之笑何等热闹，旧人之哭何等凄清，一喜一悲、一近一远、一闻一不闻，十个字把世态炎凉与人情冷暖写到极致。妙在「那闻」二字——不是「不闻」，而是「何曾听见」的质问，其中包含着旧人多少无告的哀痛：哭也无用，无人来听，无人怜悯，唯有自咽。这两句与《诗经·卫风·氓》「淇水汤汤，渐车帷裳」的弃妇之叹一脉相承，而语言更为凝练，已成为后世写弃妇悲苦的经典名句，白居易《琵琶行》「门前冷落鞍马稀」的凄凉意境亦从此化出。

This couplet is the emotional explosion, the words 'smiles' and 'tears' set against each other, writing the abandoned wife's humiliation and desolation. 'Men see only' versus 'who hears': in the husband's eyes only the new bride's smiles; how could he hear the old wife's weeping? The new bride's laughter so lively, the old wife's tears so forlorn — one joy one grief, one near one far, one heard one not, ten words pushing the world's coldness to the limit. The beauty is in 'who hears' — not 'does not hear', but the protest of 'has he ever heard?', holding all the wordless grief of the abandoned: tears are useless, no one comes, no one pities, only swallowed. It shares a vein with the abandoned wife's lament in the Ballad of Meng, yet more compressed, become the classic line for the forsaken woman's sorrow, from which Bai Juyi's 'the door before my house is deserted, few horses and carriages' draws its desolation.

在山泉水清，出山泉水浊。

Spring water is clear in the hills; once out, it turns muddy.

泉水在山间流淌时是清澈的，一旦流出山外就变得浑浊了。

In the hills, the spring water runs clear; once out of the hills, it grows turbid.

此联是全诗的纲领，以泉水喻节操，一语双关，历来为人激赏。从字面看，它写泉水在山则清、出山则浊的自然现象，是写实；从寓意看，它喻人守节则清、失节则浊：佳人甘居空谷，宁可清贫自守，也不愿出山随波逐流、同流合污，正如在山之泉，始终清澈；而一旦投身浊世，便难免沾染尘垢，如出山之泉。更深一层，这还暗含杜甫对出处的思考——诗人弃官归隐，正是「在山」之选择，宁守清节而不失其志。「清」与「浊」二字是全诗价值判断的枢纽，前文写兄弟之死、夫婿之弃皆由此而生，后文写卖珠牵萝、采柏倚竹皆由此而发。以自然现象写道德人格，比兴之妙可谓入神，此句遂成为中国诗歌中「出处清浊」的经典母题，影响深远。

This couplet is the poem's framework, using spring water as a metaphor for integrity, a double meaning, admired through the ages. Literally, it writes the natural fact: water in the hills runs clear, once out it grows turbid; allegorically, it means a person keeping integrity is clear, losing it turbid: the beauty chooses to dwell in the empty valley, preferring poverty and self-restraint to flowing out into the turbid world, like the spring within the hills, forever clear; once she plunged into the dusty world, she would be stained, like the water out of the hills. Deeper, it holds Du Fu's own thought on office and retirement: leaving office to retire is the choice of 'in the hills', keeping the clear integrity. The words 'clear' and 'turbid' are the pivot of the whole value judgment: the brothers' death and the husband's abandonment above, the selling of pearls and gathering of vines below, all issue from this. Writing moral character through natural phenomena, the analogy at its finest; the line became the classic motif of 'purity or turbidness of retreat', deeply influential.

天寒翠袖薄，日暮倚修竹。

The weather is cold and her green sleeves thin; at dusk she leans against the tall bamboo.

天气寒冷，她单薄的翠袖难以御寒；日色已暮，她依旧倚着高高的修竹，静静伫立。

The day is cold, her green sleeves thin; as dusk falls, she leans on the tall bamboo.

结句以景写人、以形写神，是千古传诵的收束之笔。「天寒」写节候之严酷，「翠袖薄」写衣衫之单薄，寒冷与单薄对举，写出佳人处境的清苦；「日暮」写时光之流逝，「倚修竹」写姿态之静定，日暮与倚竹对举，写出佳人品格之坚贞——天寒袖薄而不改其立，日暮途穷而不易其节，这正是「岁寒然后知松柏之后凋」的人格写照。全诗至此未着一字议论，而一个在寒天暮色中倚竹而立的剪影，已把孤高、坚贞、清苦、不悔尽数画出，如一幅水墨人物画，笔简意浓。翠袖与修竹皆绿，色调清冷而统一，竹之劲节即人之劲节，人竹合一，物我交融。「倚」字尤妙，既有依靠的姿势，更有坚守的姿态。杜甫以景结情的笔法至此臻于化境，后之写美人高士者，多从此句取法。

The closing line writes the person through scenery, spirit through form, a famous ending through the ages. 'The weather is cold' writes the harsh season, 'her green sleeves thin' the thin dress; cold and thin set against each other, the woman's destitution. 'At dusk' writes time's passing, 'she leans on the tall bamboo' the still posture; dusk and leaning set against each other, the woman's steadfast character — cold weather and thin sleeves do not change her standing, dusk and dead ends do not alter her integrity, the living likeness of 'only when winter comes do we know the pines wither last'. Not one word of argument, yet a silhouette in cold twilight leaning on the bamboo has drawn all of loftiness, chastity, destitution, and unrepentance, like an ink portrait, few strokes, dense meaning. Green sleeves and tall bamboo both green, the palette cold and unified; the bamboo's unyielding joints are the person's, man and bamboo one. The word 'leans' is exquisite: the posture of relying, and more, the posture of holding firm. Du Fu's art of closing feeling in scenery reaches its consummation here; later writers of beauties and recluses have taken their method from this line.

Study

Word focus

幽居 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 首联「幽居在空谷」之「幽居」二字，是全诗人物定位的关键词。「幽」有深、暗、静、隐多层含义：居处之深僻（空谷无人）、境遇之幽独（孑然一身）、品性之幽贞（守节自持）、心境之幽静（安贫乐道），四义并蓄，一字而写尽佳人的处境与品格。「居」字则表明这是一种长久的安顿而非暂时的栖身，她不是被迫流落，而是自觉地在这空谷中安身立命。与「绝代」对照，「绝代」写其出众之美，「幽居」写其遁世之隐，美而不炫、丽而自敛，人物的高华与孤介跃然纸上。杜甫以「幽居」二字立定全诗基调，后文所有的叙事、比兴、写景皆由此生发，末句「日暮倚修竹」正是「幽居」形象的最终定格。

转烛 Flickering candle: metaphor for the fickleness of fortune and human feeling, succinctly conveying the coldness of the world. 「万事随转烛」之「转烛」是凝练至极的比喻，以风中烛火写世事无常。烛火本已微弱易灭，再加「转」字写其随风摇转，忽明忽暗、摇摇欲坠，喻人情世态之翻覆无定——昨日还门庭若市，今日便门可罗雀；昨日还恩爱情深，今日便弃如敝屣。两个字的容量极大：既写衰败之速（转瞬即变），又写变故之骤（无从预料），还暗含微光之危（衰世如残烛将尽）。前人写世事无常多用「浮云」「朝露」，而杜甫以「转烛」出之，取其摇曳不定之动态，比「浮云」更显动荡，比「朝露」更具光影，与「世情恶衰歇」一句相配，把炎凉世态写得如在目前。

清/浊 Clear/muddy: contrast of water quality, metaphor for moral purity or corruption, expressing the poet's determination to remain unsullied. 「在山泉水清，出山泉水浊」的「清」「浊」二字是全诗的价值枢纽，构成一组鲜明的道德对举。「清」是清澄、洁净、坚贞，代表在山守节的高尚人格；「浊」是混浊、污染、堕落，代表出山失节的污浊处境。二字以泉水之清浊写人格之清浊，化抽象的道德判断为可感的自然物象，使「守节」这一理念获得了具象的呈现。这组对举还暗含古典的出处之辨：入世则难免染浊，出世则得以保清，佳人选择空谷幽居，正是「宁清勿浊」的自觉抉择。此联之后，全诗不再说理，而卖珠牵萝、不插花而采柏、倚修竹等清苦坚贞的行为，皆为「清」字之注脚；「清」「浊」二字遂成统摄全诗意象的精神纲领。

倚 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 结句「日暮倚修竹」的「倚」字是全诗的收束之眼，写尽人物的姿态与精神。「倚」本是依靠、凭靠之意，此处写佳人斜靠在修竹之上，姿态娴静从容；但「倚」又不止于身体的依靠——天寒日暮、孤身无依，她所倚靠的唯有修竹，竹之劲节挺拔正是她人格的支撑，人倚竹而立，实是以竹自坚。与「立」「站」等字相比，「倚」更见其静定之美：不是急切地站着，而是从容地倚着，仿佛已与竹、与暮色融为一体，长久的等待中自有一种不动声色的尊严。且「倚」字暗含倚仗之意——她所倚仗者非权势富贵，而是自己的节操，正如《楚辞》「伏清白以死直兮」的坚守。一字而兼姿态、人格、哲理三层意蕴，杜甫炼字之精，于此可见。

佳人