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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

九月九日忆山东兄弟

Thinking of My Brothers on Mountain-Climbing Day

王维

Wang Wei

思乡Homesickness 节令Festival

独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲。
遥知兄弟登高处，遍插茱萸少一人。

Alone, a lonely stranger in a foreign land,
I doubly pine for my kinsfolk on holiday.
I know my brothers would, with dogwood spray in hand,
Climb up the mountain and miss me so far away.

Listen

Meaning

The poet, far from home during the Double Ninth Festival, expresses his intensified longing for his family, imagining his brothers missing him as they observe the tradition.

独自漂泊在异乡，成了他乡的陌生客，每到佳节来临，便加倍地思念远方的亲人。遥想此刻兄弟们正登高插茱萸，只可惜欢聚的人群中少了我这一个人。

Appreciation

The poem uses the repetition of 'alone' and 'stranger' to deepen the sense of isolation. The line 'doubly pine' captures the universal emotion of missing family during festivals. The last two lines shift perspective to the brothers, highlighting the poet's absence, which makes the longing more poignant.

【白话串讲】十七岁的王维，独自在长安过重阳，写下“每逢佳节倍思亲”——从此这句话成了所有异乡人过节的默认开场白。【意象与手法】语极平易而情极深至。首句叠用“异”字强化漂泊感；“每逢佳节倍思亲”以常语写至情，“倍”字点睛【情感与主旨】王维蒲州（今山西永济）人，古以华山以东称“山东”，故称忆山东兄弟。此诗作于他十七岁客居长安、洛阳一带时【名句点睛】常考“独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲”的名句地位与思乡主题；“遍插茱萸少一人”的呼应衬托

Background

Wang Wei, a native of Puzhou (present-day Yongji, Shanxi), wrote this at age 17 while living as a sojourner in Chang'an or Luoyang. 'Shandong' here refers to the east of Mount Hua, his hometown. The poem became a classic expression of homesickness.

王维，字摩诘，蒲州河东人（今山西永济），盛唐山水田园诗派巨擘，亦工书画音乐。此诗题九月九日忆山东兄弟，山东指华山以东，王维蒲州故里正在华山之东，故云。诗作于唐玄宗先天、开元之际，时王维约十七岁，离开家乡蒲州，客居于长安、洛阳一带，求取功名或游学。唐代重重阳节，自魏晋以降有登高、佩茱萸、饮菊花酒以避灾延寿之俗，节日本是家人团聚之日，而少年王维独在异乡，触节生感，遂成此作。今传文本大体一致，惟题中山东一称，古今注家多以华山以东解之，与今日山东省地域不同，读此须辨。在文学传统上，重阳登高怀远为六朝以来常见题材，王维此篇以童子之笔、常人之语写至情，一扫齐梁绮靡，开盛唐抒写亲情乡愁之清新一途，遂成千古绝唱。重阳登高怀远为六朝以来常见题材，王维此篇以童子之笔、常人之语写至情，一扫齐梁绮靡，开盛唐抒写亲情乡愁之清新一途。诗中山东指华山以东，与今日山东省地域不同，读此须辨。诗人年未弱冠已客游京洛，去家千里，值重阳佳节，触景生感，遂成此作，其情之真、语之浅，已预兆摩诘中年山水诗之天然风味，足为七绝写亲情之范式。

Art

Simple language yet profound emotion. The first line uses repeated characters to stress loneliness. 'Doubly' is a masterstroke. The last two lines employ a reversal—imagining the brothers missing him—which enriches the sentiment.

全诗四句，章法以由己及人、由实入虚两层翻转取胜。首联独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲，直抒羁旅之孤与节序之思，叠用两异字强化飘零陌生之感，倍字于常语中见深情，遂成人人能道而未能道之名句。后联却不作自怜语，而遥想兄弟登高插萸、独少己身，以对面着笔之法，写兄弟之念我反衬我之念兄弟，情致愈深。修辞上，前二句平易如话，后二句奇想婉转；意象上异乡、佳节、登高、茱萸、一人层层点染，不言悲而悲自见。其妙在全以白描出之，不假雕饰而真挚动人，于盛唐七绝中别开清浅温厚一路，与李白之豪放、王昌龄之沉雄鼎足而三，最见王维早年情韵之天然。其妙在全以白描出之，不假雕饰而真挚动人，于盛唐七绝中别开清浅温厚一路。前二句平易如话，后二句奇想婉转；意象上异乡、佳节、登高、茱萸、一人层层点染，不言悲而悲自见。由己及人、由实入虚两层翻转，对面着笔之法尤见巧思。此与李白之豪放、王昌龄之沉雄鼎足而三，最见王维早年情韵之天然，亦为后世写亲情乡愁立一清空婉挚之范式，千载传诵。

Allusions

Climbing heights and wearing dogwood (Cornus officinalis) during the Double Ninth Festival (9th day of 9th lunar month) is a tradition to ward off disasters, as recorded in 'Sequel to the Tales of Qi'. The poet uses this custom to convey a sense of loss.

诗中意象与风俗多有所本。九月九日即重阳，起于东汉，梁吴均《续齐谐记》载桓景随费长房学道，谓九月九日家有灾，宜登高饮菊酒、佩茱萸以避之，此即登高插萸典故所出。茱萸一名越椒，气味芳烈，古人以为可辟恶气、御初寒，唐人重阳恒折以插头。山东之称，王维自指蒲州（华山以东），非今山东省，注家如清赵殿成《王右丞集笺注》已明辨之。字词训诂方面，异客之异兼异地、异类二义，极写客居之疏离；倍字清人多有称赏，谓常情平写而独得深至。独字为一篇之眼，与尾联一人呼应，首尾咬合。全诗用事皆依民俗常典，不深奥而贴切，正见盛唐诗人融化风俗入诗之高明，童蒙亦能解而终老吟之不厌。要之，诗中用事皆依民俗常典，不深奥而贴切。茱萸一名越椒，气味芳烈，古人以为可辟恶气、御初寒，唐人重阳恒折以插头；山东之称，赵殿成《王右丞集笺注》已明辨为华山以东。独字为一篇之眼，与尾联一人呼应，首尾咬合。倍字清人多有称赏，谓常情平写而独得深至。全诗融化风俗入诗，不滞于学问，正见盛唐诗人以常语写至情、以白描见深致之高明，童蒙能解而终老吟之不厌。

Commentary

Written at 17, this poem is hailed as the quintessential Double Ninth Festival homesickness piece. It reveals Wang Wei's early talent and captures a deep universal feeling.

此诗为王维早年成名之作，相传其年未弱冠已以此诗动京师。历代评家极重其家常真挚，明人顾璘谓其情真景真，唐人绝句如此者不多得。清蘅塘退士《唐诗三百首》列为五绝（实为七绝）必读，足见流传之广。每逢佳节倍思亲一句，自宋以来即被奉为写乡愁亲情之千古格言，百代口耳相传，几成汉语表达思乡情感的成语式名句。其经典地位在于以童子之笔写人人共有之情，语浅而味永，不事雕琢而自然入妙；在现代语文教育与节俗文化中，此诗更与重阳、茱萸、登高意象牢牢绑定，每逢重阳必被吟诵引用。它证明真正的诗可以极平易而又极深厚，是衡量盛唐七绝情韵的一把标尺。其经典地位在于以童子之笔写人人共有之情，语浅而味永，不事雕琢而自然入妙；在现代语文教育与节俗文化中，此诗更与重阳、茱萸、登高意象牢牢绑定，每逢重阳必被吟诵引用。它证明真正的诗可以极平易而又极深厚，是衡量盛唐七绝情韵的一把标尺。每逢佳节倍思亲一句自宋以来即奉为写乡愁亲情之千古格言，百代口耳相传，几成汉语表达思乡情感的成语式名句，流传之广罕有其匹。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (仄起首句不入韵)七言绝句（抒写重阳思乡亲情，属行旅怀人题材）

Rhyme Rimes in 'zhen' group: 亲, 人 (the first line ends with a checked tone 客, not in rime)押平声真韵，亲、人二句末字属平水韵上平十一真，首句不入韵（客为入声陌韵），后两句一韵到底，声情温厚而余韵悠长。

Tone pattern First line: 独在异乡为异客 (仄仄仄平平仄仄); from narration to imagination naturally.平仄合七绝仄起首句不入韵格：仄仄仄平平仄仄，仄平平仄仄平平。平平仄仄平平仄，仄平平仄仄平平。首句独在异乡为仄仄仄平，客入声收，格律工整自然。

Reading note The second line is the most famous. The last two lines use a reverse perspective to deepen emotion.此诗四句，首句以入声客字收，不入韵而顿挫有力，先立孤孑之调；后二句亲、人押真韵，平声舒展温厚，恰配遥想亲情之婉转。平仄安排上，独在异乡为异客仄仄仄平，三仄起势见凝重，与佳节倍思亲之舒徐形成张弛。盛唐七绝重天然音节，此篇不刻意求工而自然合度，语似白话而平仄暗谐，读来朗朗上口而终觉情长。其韵脚之选与首句之顿，使短章兼具歌唱之畅与吟咏之深，宜乎千载传诵、每逢重阳必举此篇而不衰。要之，此诗声情与辞情互为表里，亲人真韵温厚而余韵悠长，首句以入声客字顿挫先立孤孑之调，恰与后二句之舒相应。盛唐七绝重天然音节，此篇不刻意求工而自然合度，语似白话而平仄暗谐，读来朗朗上口而终觉情长。其韵脚之选与首句之顿，使短章兼具歌唱之畅与吟咏之深，宜乎千载传诵、每逢重阳必举此篇而不衰，论者谓七绝至王维而境益清。

Line by line

独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲。

Alone, a stranger in a strange land; every festive season doubles the longing for kin.

独自漂泊在异乡，成了他乡的陌生客，每到佳节来临，便加倍地思念远方的亲人。

Drifting alone in a strange land, a stranger among strangers; whenever a festival comes, I miss my family far away twice as much.

首句独在异乡为异客，叠用两异字，异地与异类兼写，将少年客居之疏离飘零推到极处；独字一篇之眼，先立孤身之境。次句每逢佳节倍思亲以常语写至情，倍字最见功力，点出平日犹可强自宽解，唯遇家家团聚之佳节，孤寂与思念便成倍袭来。两句由空间之异乡转入时间之佳节，由身之独转入心之思，层层递进而不着力。此联所以成为千古名句，正在其道出人人心中所有而口中所无者，平易真切，老幼能解；盛唐七绝以情韵胜，此联即情韵之极致，看似白话而含不尽之味。

The opening line, 'alone, a stranger in a strange land', doubles the word 'strange', writing the exile's estrangement to the utmost, the 'alone' being the eye of the poem, first setting the solitary state. The second line, 'every festive season doubles the longing for kin', writes the deepest feeling in common speech, the word 'doubles' most skillful — on ordinary days he can steel himself, but at the festival when all families gather, loneliness and longing strike double. Two lines move from the spatial 'strange land' to the temporal 'festive season', from the body's 'alone' to the heart's 'longing', advancing layer on layer without effort. This couplet became a famous line precisely because it speaks what all feel yet cannot say, plain and true, understood by old and child; the High Tang quatrain triumphing in feeling and rhythm, plain speech holding endless savor.

遥知兄弟登高处，遍插茱萸少一人。

Far off, I know my brothers have climbed the heights; all wearing dogwood, they are one man short.

遥想此刻兄弟们正登高插茱萸，只可惜欢聚的人群中少了我这一个人。

Far away, I picture my brothers climbing the heights and wearing dogwood this moment; in the festive company, I know they are one man short.

后联不作自怜语，而遥想故乡兄弟登高插萸、独缺己身，是对面着笔（从对方落墨）的巧妙翻法：我不写我如何思兄弟，而写兄弟如何念我少一人，反衬之深意倍于直述。遥知二字虚拟神驰，由实入虚；遍插茱萸写佳节之热闹齐全，少一人以乐景衬哀情，于团圆中见缺憾，愈显孤身异地之凄。此联与首联呼应，一人对独字，结构圆紧。其妙在曲折婉转，不呼号而情自深，将前联之直抒化为后联之遥想，章法由开而合、由我而彼，遂成七绝中写亲情乡愁之范式，千载以下读之犹能动心。

The closing couplet does not write self-pity, but pictures the brothers at home climbing and wearing dogwood, missing him — the clever reversal of writing from the other side: he does not write how he misses his brothers, but how his brothers miss him, one man short, the contrast deeper than direct statement. 'Far off, I know' the imagined reach of thought, from the real to the virtual; 'all wearing dogwood' the festival's bustle and completeness, 'one man short' writing grief through joyous scene, the flaw within the reunion setting off the more the desolation of the solitary exile. This couplet echoes the opening, 'one man' answering 'alone', the structure round and tight. Its art is the winding turn, no cry yet feeling deep, turning the direct utterance above into the distant imagining below, the movement from open to closed, from self to other, becoming the model in quatrains for writing family longing and homesickness, moving readers even a thousand years on.

Study

Word focus

倍 doubly, more intensely 倍字为全诗诗眼，于极寻常处见极深挚。每逢佳节倍思亲，言平日客居已自思亲，唯值家家团圆的佳节，孤寂与思念便成倍涌来。倍非数量之加倍，乃情感浓度之陡增，写出节序对离人心灵的催化。前人谓此字常情平写而独得深至，正因其以浅近之词括尽天下羁旅共有的节感。若无倍字，则思亲平平；有倍字，则孤寂之深、团圆之念一时迸发。盛唐诗人炼意不炼词，此字正是不炼之炼，看似信手实经推敲，足证王维早年已具以少总多、于平淡见奇绝之才。

独 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 独字为一篇之纲，与尾联一人遥相呼应，首尾咬合而成孤身之旨。独在异乡为异客，以独领起，先立飘零无侣之境；后联遍插茱萸少一人，以一人收束，写明热闹中唯缺我身。一字而前后照应，结构极紧。独兼孤独、独自二义，既写身之无伴，亦写心之无依，与异字叠用更增疏离。此字以最朴之形涵最厚之情，不假修饰而孤孑之态毕现，正是盛唐七绝白描胜境之表征；童蒙能诵而终老吟之不厌，良由独字道尽离人千古一慨。