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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

菊花

Chrysanthemum

元稹

Yuan Zhen

咏物object-chant 隐逸reclusion 惜时Theme

秋丛绕舍似陶家，遍绕篱边日渐斜。
不是花中偏爱菊，此花开尽更无花。

Clusters of autumn chrysanthemums ring the cottage, like Tao's home;
I wander the fence round and round till the sun bends low.
It is not that among flowers I love the chrysanthemum best;
Only, when this bloom fades, there is no flower left to bless.

Listen

Meaning

Clusters of autumn chrysanthemums encircle the cottage, as if it were Tao Yuanming's home of old; I wander and gaze along the fence, and before I know it the sun has slanted west. It is not that among all flowers I alone prefer the chrysanthemum; only that once this flower has withered, there is no bloom left to admire.

一丛丛秋菊环绕着屋舍，竟像陶渊明的家一样；我绕着篱笆一遍遍观赏，不知不觉太阳已经西斜。并不是百花之中我偏偏偏爱菊花，只因这菊花谢尽之后，便再也没有别的花可赏了。

Appreciation

The first two lines sketch the scene in plain description: 'clusters ring the cottage' and 'I wander the fence round' repeat the word 'ring' (rao), showing the poet's lingering, reluctant steps; 'the sun bends low' marks the passing time to reveal his absorbed fondness. The last two turn to argument, using the 'not that… only that' progression to say his love of the chrysanthemum is really because it is the last flower of the late autumn—a quietly reasoned, charming close. The whole is mild and intimate, true to Yuan Zhen's plain, approachable manner.

【白话串讲】 “不是花中偏爱菊，此花开尽更无花”——元稹说：我不是偏爱菊花，是因为菊花开完，就再也没有花了。一句大白话，道尽了爱菊的道理。【意象与手法】前二句写景、后二句议论。“秋丛绕舍似陶家”以“似陶家”暗用陶渊明东篱采菊之典，定下隐逸基调；“遍绕篱边日渐斜”以“遍绕”的动作重复写痴赏的留连，以“日渐斜”借时间流逝写观赏之久；后两句“不是花中偏爱菊，此花开尽更无花”以“不是……更无”的递进否定常见理由，自出新意。【情感与主旨】元稹咏菊之作，抛开形貌纯以议论写情思，以“此花开尽更无花”写对秋菊的珍惜，开宋人“以议论为诗”的先声。【名句点睛】常考“不是花中偏爱菊，此花开尽更无花”以否定句翻出新意，“不是”“更无”四字说尽爱菊之痴。

Background

Yuan Zhen (779–831) exchanged poems with Bai Juyi and founded the 'Yuanhe manner.' This chrysanthemum poem, with its first line 'like Tao's home,' openly declares his admiration for Tao Yuanming's reclusion; it was likely written in leisure or in his early years, borrowing the flower to write a lofty, solitary delight.

元稹（779—831），字微之，河南洛阳人，中唐著名诗人，与白居易齐名，世称「元白」，二人倡导新乐府运动，共创「元和体」。元稹早年家贫，刻苦力学，贞元九年（793）明经及第，十九年登书判拔萃科，后历仕监察御史等职，因弹劾权贵屡遭贬谪，先后贬江陵士曹参军、通州司马，晚年官至宰相，旋出为武昌军节度使，卒于任所。此诗咏菊，具体作年难考，当为其闲居或仕途失意之时所作。菊花自陶渊明「采菊东篱下」之后，已成为中国士人隐逸人格的象征；元稹此诗首句「秋丛绕舍似陶家」，直揭对陶渊明式田园生活的向往，结句「此花开尽更无花」则于赏菊中见出对时光流逝的敏感。中唐文人在安史之乱后多怀「中兴」之望而屡遭挫折，菊花为秋令之花，凌霜而开，不与春花争艳，其品性与隐者孤高自守之节正相契合，故自陶渊明后，咏菊之作蔚为大观，唐人咏菊尤盛，元稹此诗即其中构思独到的一首。仕途坎坷的元稹借咏菊寄托孤高自守、珍惜眼前芳华的复杂心绪，全诗语浅意深、理趣盎然，体现其平易流畅而又思致隽永的诗风，是唐人咏物诗中以理胜、以情深的佳作。

Art

The first two lines describe the scene in plain sketch; 'ring the cottage' and 'wander the fence round' repeat the word 'ring' (rao), showing a pacing, reluctant posture; 'the sun bends low' uses the passing time to write his infatuated gazing. The last two turn to argument, and through the 'not that… no other' progression reveal that his love of the chrysanthemum is in fact because it is the last flower at autumn's end—full of reasoned charm.

此诗章法前二句写景、后二句议论，以「不知是爱菊还是惜时」的自我剖白翻出新意。前两句白描绘景：「秋丛绕舍似陶家」写一丛丛秋菊环绕屋舍，点出菊之多、菊之盛，并以「似陶家」暗用陶渊明东篱采菊的典故意象，为全诗定下隐逸的基调；「遍绕篱边日渐斜」写诗人绕着篱笆一遍又一遍地观赏，「遍绕」与「绕舍」之「绕」字叠用，以动作的重复写痴赏的留连，「日渐斜」则借太阳西斜点出时间流逝，从侧面烘托观赏之久、情意之深。后两句由叙事转入议论：「不是花中偏爱菊，此花开尽更无花」以「不是……更无」的递进否定常见「爱菊」的理由（如菊之傲霜、之清高），自出新意——爱菊并非偏爱，而是因为菊花谢尽之后便再无花可赏。这一翻案式的自我剖白，使「爱菊」从一般的品格比附升华为对秋尽无花的珍惜与怅惘，惜时之意、孤赏之情油然而生。全诗以白描起、以理趣收，语言平易如话而思致隽永，正合元稹「语浅情深」的风格，是托物言志诗中别开生面的一格。

Allusions

'Like Tao's home' uses Tao Yuanming's 'I pick chrysanthemums by the eastern fence' and Zhou Dunyi's 'the love of the chrysanthemum is rare since Tao,' taking the flower as an emblem of reclusion; 'wander the fence round' itself grows from Tao's 'eastern fence,' plainly marking the poet's admiration.

此诗最显著之典为「陶家」与「篱边」，皆指向陶渊明。陶渊明《饮酒·其五》「采菊东篱下，悠然见南山」，将采菊与隐逸、自然、玄远之境融为一体，菊花从此成为中国诗歌中隐逸人格的象征；其《归去来兮辞》又有「三径就荒，松菊犹存」之句，菊与家园、归隐之意更为紧密。元稹「秋丛绕舍似陶家」正化用此意：屋舍四周秋菊环绕，恍如陶渊明当年东篱之居，不言「慕陶」而慕陶之情自见。周敦颐《爱莲说》称「菊之爱，陶后鲜有闻」，可见菊与陶渊明的绑定在宋人心中已成定论，而元稹此诗正是这一意象传统的重要一环。此外「遍绕篱边」之「篱」亦从陶诗「东篱」化出，篱笆本是农家的寻常物事，经陶渊明点化后成为隐逸生活的标志意象。元稹于此典中用得自然含蓄，如盐入水；其「不是花中偏爱菊」的自白，又与陶渊明「采菊」之悠然暗通——皆不以菊之姿色为赏，而取其象征之意味，可见元白诗派于陶渊明隐逸传统的自觉承继。

Commentary

The Ming critic Zhong Xing, in his Return to Tang Poetry, said the four characters 'not that' and 'no other' 'exhaust the infatuation of loving the chrysanthemum.' Moderns note the poem's strength in reason, fitting Yuan Zhen's plain and easy style.

《菊花》历代评价集中于其末句「此花开尽更无花」的理趣。明代钟惺、谭元春《唐诗归》评「不是」「更无」四字「说尽爱菊之痴」，指出诗人以否定句翻出新意、自道痴情的妙处——越是说「不是偏爱」，越是见出用情之专。清代黄叔灿《唐诗笺注》亦赏其「末句宕开一层」的笔法。此诗在元稹诗集中虽非压卷之作，却以构思之巧、理趣之妙广传后世，成为唐人咏菊诗中的名篇。就咏物诗史而言，此诗的意义在「以议论为咏物」：前此咏物多描摹形态、寄托品格（如骆宾王《在狱咏蝉》），元稹则抛开形貌，纯以议论写情思，开宋人「以议论为诗」的先声；其「此花开尽更无花」的珍惜之感，又与唐人惜时诗一脉相通。其影响所及，宋人咏菊、品菊之作层出不穷，如苏轼「菊残犹有傲霜枝」、郑思肖「宁可枝头抱香死」，皆在此诗开启的「以菊写心」传统之内。近人论元稹诗「平易近人而思致隽永」，此诗正是典型。与白居易咏物唱和之作并观，可见元白诗派于咏物一体中重理趣、尚通俗的共同取向，亦见中唐诗由盛唐的浑融转向思辨的演进脉络。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain七言绝句（平起首句入韵式）

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, lower-level six ma group (home, low, flower)押平水韵下平六麻韵：家、斜、花，一韵到底，平声麻韵响亮舒展，与赏菊的闲适情调相配。

Tone pattern Level-onset, first-line-enters-rhyme form; level-close全诗为平起首句入韵式，「秋丛绕舍似陶家」平平仄仄仄平平，「遍绕篱边日渐斜」仄仄平平仄仄平，「不是花中偏爱菊」仄仄平平平仄仄，「此花开尽更无花」仄平平仄仄平平，平仄基本合律，「似」「遍」「渐」「更」等字穿插其间，节奏流畅而见顿挫。

Reading note A standard quatrain; language near the Yuan-Bai manner.此诗为七言绝句，属近体诗中最轻快的体式，四句二十八字，前二句写景、后二句议论，章法上由实入虚、由叙入议。「起承转合」清晰：首句起于菊绕屋舍，次句承以绕篱赏菊；第三句「不是花中偏爱菊」为「转」，由景入理，翻出疑问；末句「此花开尽更无花」为「合」，自问自答，理趣收束。押平水韵下平六麻韵，家、斜、花三字一韵到底，麻韵字韵腹开阔、声调明亮，宜于表现赏菊的闲适与议论的疏朗，声情与辞情相济。平仄上属平起首句入韵式，全诗平仄基本合律，「秋丛」「遍绕」「不是」「此花」四句首字平仄交替，读来抑扬有致；「似陶家」「日渐斜」「更无花」三句以平声收尾，一咏三叹，余韵悠长。值得注意的是「似」「渐」等虚字与「绕」「遍」等动词的搭配，使四句在严整的格律中仍有流走的语势，正见元稹「语浅意深、以平易出之」的诗风。诵读时宜以轻快舒缓之调，前两句叙景如话家常，后两句议论渐入沉思，方得诗中闲逸与怅惘交织的情味。

Line by line

秋丛绕舍似陶家，遍绕篱边日渐斜。

Autumn clusters ring the house like Tao Yuanming's home; I circle the fence again and again as the sun slopes west.

一丛丛秋菊环绕着屋舍，竟像陶渊明的家一样；我绕着篱笆一遍遍观赏，不知不觉太阳已经西斜。

Autumn chrysanthemums in clusters ring the cottage, as if at Tao Yuanming's own home; I walk round the fence again and again, unawares, as the sun leans west.

前两句白描绘景，写足赏菊之景与痴赏之情。「秋丛」点出时令与对象——秋天的菊丛；「绕舍」写菊之多之盛，环绕屋舍，蔚然成观；「似陶家」暗用陶渊明「采菊东篱下」典故，将眼前之景与隐逸理想接通，不言慕陶而慕陶之情自现。次句「遍绕篱边」以「绕」字的重复写诗人绕篱往复、留连不舍之态，「日渐斜」则借日影西移点出时间的流逝，从侧面烘托观赏之久、用情之深。两句纯以白描，不着议论，而隐逸之趣、痴赏之情已溢于言表；「绕舍」之绕写物、「遍绕」之绕写人，人菊相绕、物我相得，为后两句的议论蓄足了势。

The first two lines draw the scene in plain strokes, writing to the full the sight of viewing chrysanthemums and the infatuation. 'Autumn clusters' fixes the season and the object — the autumn chrysanthemum clumps; 'ring the house' their abundance, encircling the cottage, a sight in itself; 'like Tao Yuanming's home' secretly uses the allusion to Tao Yuanming's 'picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence', joining the present scene to the ideal of the recluse, the love for Tao showing itself without naming it. The next line, 'I circle the fence again and again', uses the repeated 'circle' for the poet's pacing round the fence, loath to leave; 'as the sun slopes west' marks the time's passing through the westward shadow, from the side writing the length of the viewing and the depth of the feeling. Two lines of pure drawing, not one word of argument, yet the recluse's delight and the infatuation overflow; 'ring the house's' circle of things, 'circle the fence's' circle of the man, man and flower circling each other, storing momentum for the argument below.

不是花中偏爱菊，此花开尽更无花。

Not that among all flowers I specially love the chrysanthemum; after this blooms, no flower remains.

并不是百花之中我偏偏偏爱菊花，只因这菊花谢尽之后，便再也没有别的花可赏了。

It is not that I specially favor the chrysanthemum among the flowers; once this one has faded, there will be no more flowers to enjoy.

后两句由写景转入议论，是翻案式的自我剖白。诗人先以「不是花中偏爱菊」否定爱菊的常见理由，随即以「此花开尽更无花」道出真正的原因——菊花是秋尽时节的最后一朵芳华，菊谢之后，天地间便再无花可赏。这一层翻转，使「爱菊」从品格比附（如傲霜、清高）变为对时令的珍重：惜花之将尽，即惜时之将逝；爱菊之深，正因无花可继。议论中兼含惜时之意与孤赏之情，语浅而理深，情真而意远；「不是」先抑、「更无」后扬，一否定一补充，层层推进，将寻常的爱菊之情写得波折有致，是唐人绝句中「以议论写深情」的妙品；这种以理写情的笔法，正见元稹诗思致隽永、语浅意深的独到之处。

The last two lines turn from scene to argument, a reversal-style self-explanation. The poet first negates the common reason for loving chrysanthemums with 'Not that among all flowers I specially love the chrysanthemum', then gives the true reason in 'once this blooms, no flower remains' — the chrysanthemum is the last bloom of late autumn; once it fades, there is no more flower under heaven to enjoy. This reversal turns 'loving chrysanthemums' from the moral comparison (defying frost, aloof purity) into a treasuring of the season: grieving the flower's end is grieving time's passing; loving the chrysanthemum deeply precisely because no flower follows. The argument carries both the treasuring of time and the loneliness of private enjoyment, plain in speech yet deep in reason, true in feeling and far in meaning; 'not that' pressing down first, 'no more' lifting after, one negation one supplement, advancing layer on layer, writing the common love of chrysanthemums with turns and windings, the fine work of Tang quatrains that 'writes deep feeling through argument'.

Study

Word focus

绕 The two 'ring' (rao) words echo each other, moving from scene to person and exhausting the pacing, lingering gaze. 「秋丛绕舍似陶家，遍绕篱边日渐斜」两「绕」字叠用，是组织全诗的关键字。「绕舍」之「绕」写菊丛环抱屋舍之态，见菊之繁盛；「遍绕」之「绕」写诗人绕篱往复、寻赏不厌的动作，见痴赏之深。前一「绕」写物、后一「绕」写人，物绕其舍而人绕其篱，人菊相绕、物我相得，隐逸的安闲与赏玩的留连尽在两字之间。若换作「围」「环」则板滞，唯「绕」字有盘旋往复的动态，恰与「日渐斜」的时间流动相配合，使两句于白描中自具节奏。一字两用而各得其妙，既是炼字的功力，也是章法的匠心——前一个「绕」起、后一个「绕」承，全诗的留连之意便在这往复的「绕」中徐徐展开。

更无 A progressive emphasis that highlights the chrysanthemum as the last splendor of the year's end, and the poet's cherishing of it. 「此花开尽更无花」之「更无」二字，是翻出新意的机关。「更」有「再、又」之意，「更无花」即再也无花——菊谢之后，百花俱尽，天地间再无一朵可赏。这一否定把「爱菊」的理由推到了极致：不是爱菊之姿色，不是爱菊之傲霜，而是菊谢即无花、无花即无可赏，故菊之可贵，正在于它是秋光最后的见证。「更无」的语气决绝而带怅惘，仿佛诗人已预见到菊落之后的空寂，惜时之意、孤赏之情皆由此二字生发。若作「再无花」「便无花」，语气便平；「更」字一层转折，愈转愈深，把爱菊之情推到无可退让的境地，正是炼字见意、以虚字传神之处。

偏 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「不是花中偏爱菊」之「偏」字，写偏爱之「独」，是自我剖白的眼目。「偏」本义为偏斜、偏颇，引申为偏偏、独独，含有「不循常理、情有独钟」的意味；诗人以「不是偏爱」先作否定，再以「此花开尽更无花」自解，一否定一补充，爱菊之由便从「偏」的专断转为「理」的必然——原来并非我偏心，实在是菊谢便无花。这一「偏」字的分量，正在于它先立起「偏爱」的靶子再将其拆解，使议论有波澜、有层次；同时「偏爱」二字本身已暗含深情，否定的语气愈轻，感情的分量愈重，欲盖弥彰，正是诗人狡黠而深情处。一字之设，议论的机锋与情感的温度并见。

菊花