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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

庐山瀑布

The Waterfall of Mount Lu

徐凝

Xu Ning

写景Scene-painting 山水Landscape 庐山Mount Lu 瀑布Waterfall

虚空落泉千仞直，雷奔入江不暂息。
今古长如白练飞，一条界破青山色。

From the void a spring falls, sheer a thousand spans,
Thundering into the river without a moment's rest.
From past to present, ever flies a white silk stream,
One band slashing across the green mountain's hue.

Listen

Meaning

A waterfall drops straight from the sky, thunders into the river without ever pausing, and for all time flies like a white silk ribbon, cutting one bright line through the green mountain.

瀑布从高空飞落，如同千仞直下的泉水，雷鸣般奔入江中一刻也不停息。从古到今长久地像一条白练飞泻，将青翠的山色划出一道鲜明的界限。

Appreciation

This is Xu Ning's most famous poem and his widest-circulated work. The first couplet captures the waterfall in motion: a thousand-ren sheer drop from the void, then a thunderous rush into the river that never rests. The second couplet shifts from motion to stillness, turning the flying water into a white silk ribbon and then, with the astonishing word '界破' (split open), into a blade that cuts the green mountain apart. The poem is simple in language but startling in metaphor, a classic example of mid-Tang skill in devising striking images.

【白话串讲】 “虚空落泉千仞直，雷奔入江不暂息”——徐凝写庐山瀑布：落泉千仞，雷奔入江。“今古长如白练飞，一条界破青山色”——它像一条白练，划破青山。李白写了瀑布的仙气，徐凝写了瀑布的力气。【意象与手法】前两句写瀑布之动态，“虚空落泉千仞直”以千仞极言瀑布高峻，“雷奔入江不暂息”状其声势如雷；后两句“今古长如白练飞，一条界破青山色”以白练喻瀑、以界破二字将瀑比作划开山色的利刃，炼字奇崛。通俗明朗、巧于设喻。【情感与主旨】徐凝最负盛名的代表作，写庐山瀑布的雄奇壮丽。然遭苏轼讥为“恶诗”（认为不及李白《望庐山瀑布》），平心而论徐诗虽少李白之仙气雄浑，却以通俗明朗、炼字精警见长，“界破青山色”常为诗话论者引作锤炼字眼的例证。【名句点睛】常考“一条界破青山色”以界破炼字写瀑布划破青山；“虚空落泉千仞直，雷奔入江不暂息”以千仞雷奔写瀑布气势。

Background

Xu Ning, a mid-Tang poet of uncertain birth and death dates, failed the jinshi examination in the Yuanhe era and never held office, living out his life as a commoner. His style is plain and accessible. He wrote at the same time as Yuan Zhen and Bai Juyi, but without their fame. Mount Lu's waterfall was one of the most beloved subjects of Tang poetry; Li Bai's two poems on it had already set an almost unapproachable standard. Xu Ning, a mere commoner, dared to write on the same subject, and in doing so showed the courage of challenging a classic.

徐凝，中唐诗人，生卒年不详，元和年间曾应进士试不第，终身未仕，以布衣老于乡里，诗风平易浅切，与元稹、白居易同时而名位不显。《庐山瀑布》是他最负盛名的代表作，也是其流传最广的一首诗。要理解此诗，先要明白它生长的语境：庐山瀑布是唐人最爱的题材之一，李白两首《望庐山瀑布》早已把这一题材写到仙气淋漓、难以为继的高度。徐凝作为一介布衣，却敢就同一题材下笔，本就带几分挑战经典的勇气。此诗前两句写瀑布之动态，后两句写瀑布之静态，笔锋由动转静，以「白练」喻飞泻之瀑，又以「界破」二字将瀑布比作划开山色的利刃，炼字奇崛，想象新颖，把庐山瀑布的雄奇壮丽写得气象开阔。徐凝虽少李白之仙气与雄浑，却以通俗明朗、巧于设喻见长，在中唐写景诗中仍占一席之地，亦可见唐人对庐山瀑布这一题材的持久偏爱。徐凝的尴尬在于，他写的是李白写过的题材，而李白把这座瀑布写成了仙。后人一提庐山瀑布，必先想到「疑是银河落九天」，徐凝因此长期活在李白的阴影里。然而题材的被写过，不等于不可再写；徐凝的选择恰恰是布衣诗人不甘陪衬的表态。他以「白练」「界破」另辟蹊径，证明同一景物可有仙、巧两种读法。这种在经典压力下的自我定位，本身就有诗史意义。

Art

The poem's art lies in its movement from motion to stillness and in the word '界破'. The first two lines are pure motion: '虚空落泉' establishes the vertical drop, '千仞直' stresses its sheer height, and '雷奔入江' gives it thunderous sound and speed. '不暂息' adds permanence. The last two lines turn from motion to stillness: the waterfall is first a white silk ribbon flying across time, then '一条界破青山色' transforms it into a knife-edge that cuts the seamless green of the mountain. The word '界破' is boldly original, giving an inanimate waterfall the power of active cutting. The whole twenty-eight-character poem balances motion and stillness, and its metaphors are exact and surprising.

此诗艺术上最可说者，在由动入静的章法与「界破」二字的炼字。前两句「虚空落泉千仞直，雷奔入江不暂息」纯写动态：虚空落泉写其从天而降的高峻，千仞直下极言落差；雷奔入江写其声势如雷、奔涌不息，「不暂息」三字见出瀑布之恒。这两句以视觉之「直」与听觉之「雷」双重冲击，把瀑布写活。后两句「今古长如白练飞，一条界破青山色」笔锋陡转，由动入静：白练喻瀑，取其洁白修长；「界破」二字尤奇，把瀑布比作一把划开青山的利刃，山色本浑然一体，却被这道白光劈出界限。这一「界」字，把无生命的瀑布写成有主动切割之力的存在，想象新颖，炼字精警。全诗短短二十八字，动静相生、比喻贴切，是中唐写景诗「巧于设喻」的标本。此诗的章法之妙，还在于收束处由实景转入恒理：前写飞瀑之形，后写白练之常，景与理互为表里，使短章有余不尽。后人不废此诗，正因它把一处人人能见的瀑布写出了人人未及的「界破」之奇；其以巧思补雄浑之不足，在中唐写景诗中自成一格，亦为后世以炼字为诗眼者开一法门。

Allusions

The poem draws on older conventions but renews them. '千仞' comes from ancient usage (e.g., Zhuangzi) to express extreme height. '白练' (white silk) continues the tradition of comparing water to silk, best known from Xie Tiao's '澄江静如练' (the clear river is still as white silk). But '界破' is Xu Ning's own invention: instead of merely comparing the waterfall to silk, he makes it a force that divides the mountain. The poem also engages Li Bai's famous comparison of the waterfall to the Milky Way; Xu Ning quietly borrows the sense of a bright, vertical white band but recasts it as a sharper, more physical image. The allusion is therefore not citation but competitive transformation.

诗中用典与比拟，多本于前人对瀑布与山水的成法，而能推陈出新。「千仞」用《庄子》「千仞」形容极高，写瀑布落差之巨，是古以仞量高的常语。「白练」以白色丝绢喻瀑，本于六朝以来以练喻水之传统（如谢朓「澄江静如练」），徐凝移以写飞瀑，取其色白而形长。「界破」则别出心裁，界本指边界、划分，破有劈开之意，二字组合把瀑布的「白」与「直」化为一种空间的切割力，是前人无此写法的新奇之笔。更有意思的是，此诗整体与李白《望庐山瀑布》构成互文——「飞流直下三千尺」的「直下」与徐诗「千仞直」意近，「疑是银河落九天」的银河白练与徐诗「白练飞」亦近，徐凝显然在暗用李意而另铸「界破」一语。典故在此不是征信，而是与前贤的暗中较量。徐凝此诗虽篇幅短小，用典却暗藏机锋：千仞、白练皆承古诗成法，而「界破」一语则为己出，是化用而非照搬，足见中唐诗人尚巧的用心。后世以用典多寡论诗，常轻此诗，实则其妙正在似用非用之间——与前贤暗通消息，又不被典故所缚，这种若即若离的用典态度，反更见布衣诗人的伶俐。

Commentary

The poem later drew sharp criticism. When Su Shi visited Mount Lu, he wrote that 'from ancient times only Li Bai's words could match the Milky Way waterfall' and sarcastically said that 'the flying spray cannot wash Xu Ning's evil poem.' Su Shi's judgment reflects a strong bias toward Li Bai. Fairly judged, Xu Ning's poem lacks Li Bai's celestial grandeur but excels in plain clarity and clever metaphor. The phrase '界破青山色' in particular became a famous example of refined diction, cited by many later critics. Xu Ning's poem does not compete with Li Bai on the same level; it represents the 'clever' way of writing landscape in the mid-Tang, and deserves its place in Tang poetry.

然而此诗亦遭后人尖锐讥评。北宋苏轼游庐山时，针对徐凝此诗与李白《望庐山瀑布》作对比，写下「帝遣银河一派垂，古来惟有谪仙词。飞流溅沫知多少，不与徐凝洗恶诗」，认为徐诗远不及李白，甚至讥为恶诗。平心而论，苏之讥评带有强烈的崇李偏见，徐诗虽少李白之仙气与雄浑，却以通俗明朗、巧于设喻见长，在中唐写景诗中仍占一席之地。其「界破青山色」一语，尤因炼字精警，常为后世诗话论者引作锤炼字眼的例证。明人胡应麟、清人贺裳论唐诗，亦多以徐诗为「俗而工」的代表——俗在其明白如话，工在其炼字奇绝。要之，徐诗之价值不在与李白争高下，而在证明中唐布衣诗人亦能以巧思入景，开宋人「以议论、以巧对写山水」之先声。其遭讥与获誉，恰恰说明了唐诗审美中「仙」与「巧」两路的张力。回到诗本身，徐凝的局限也真实存在：他善炼一字、拙于通篇，全诗气象不如李白开阔，缺少那种贯通天地的磅礴。但中唐诗风本就由盛唐雄浑转向中唐精切，徐凝恰是这转向中的一员。他的「界破青山色」不只属于一首瀑布诗，更预示了后世以炼字为诗眼的取向。公允地说，徐凝不必与李白争高下，他只需作为「巧」之一路的代表，便已在唐诗史上据有一席。读者的趣味原该容得下银河，也容得下白练。读诗如看山，横看成岭侧成峰，徐凝看到的是巧，李白看到的是仙，本无高下，只有不同。能同时容纳两种眼光，才是读唐诗的厚道。

Prosody

Form Seven-Character Quatrain (jueju), here preserved as two lines; mid-Tang landscape quatrain七言绝句（四句体，此据原文以两行存录；中唐七绝写景一体）

Rhyme Entering-tone rhyme, category 十三職: 息, 色. The short, checked tones suit the abrupt waterfall and the sharp cut of the mountain.押入声十三职韵：息、色。唐人近体以平声押韵为正，此诗以入声职韵收束，读来短促有力，与瀑布之急、山色之断的质感相称。

Tone pattern Approximate tonal pattern: 平平仄平平仄仄, 平平仄平仄仄仄; 平仄平平仄仄平, 仄平仄仄平平仄. It does not strictly follow regulated tonal parallelism, but the forthright rhythm matches the subject.平平仄平平仄仄，平平仄平仄仄仄；平仄平平仄仄平，仄平仄仄平平仄。平仄略活，不甚拘粘对，然句式挺拔，与雄奇之景相称。

Reading note The prosody is less concerned with strict tonal regulation than with capturing the scene. The entering-tone rhymes give a crisp, abrupt sound, like the crash of water and the split of the mountain. Mid-Tang quatrains often favor cleverness over high grandeur, and this poem unites sound and diction in that aesthetic.此诗声律不尚严整，而贵在「切景」：入声职韵（息、色）发音促急，恰似瀑布坠入江中的顿挫与山色被界破的利落；前联写动、后联写静，节奏也由奔放转凝定。中唐七绝不追求盛唐的雍容，而多以巧思、巧对取胜，此诗「界破」一联正是这种「以巧为美」在声音与字法上的统一。读此诗，当从入声的促节中听出瀑布的急与山的裂。就声律而论，此诗虽为七绝格式，却并不严格依循近体的粘对之规，句式略显挺拔而少回护，恰与瀑布一往无前的气势相称。入声职韵（息、色）发音短促收束，读来如瀑声坠地、山色裂开的一记脆响，与「界破」的凌厉想像互为表里。中唐七绝往往不追求盛唐的雍容浑成，而多以巧思、巧对、巧韵取胜，此诗在声音的促节与字法的奇警之间达成了统一，故虽被讥为俗，其声情之切景仍不可一笔抹杀。

Line by line

虚空落泉千仞直，雷奔入江不暂息。

The spring falls from the empty sky, straight down a thousand ren; it thunders into the river without a moment's pause. The first couplet is pure motion: the height is exaggerated by 'thousand ren,' the straightness by '直,' and the sound and speed by '雷奔' (thunder-run). '不暂息' adds permanence, making the waterfall not a momentary spectacle but an eternal force.

瀑布从高空飞落，如同千仞直下的泉水，雷鸣般奔入江中一刻也不停息。

From the void the spring falls, a thousand ren straight; it rushes like thunder into the river, never resting.

起联纯写瀑布之动，是全景式的整体把握。「虚空落泉」四字先立空间：泉从虚空落下，无形之高空与有形之飞泉对照，见出落差之巨；「千仞直」以数字写高度、以「直」写形态，千仞极言其高，直字写出不受阻挡的一往无前。「雷奔入江」转写下游：瀑声如雷，奔涌入江，「不暂息」三字最见瀑布之恒——它不是一时之壮，而是古往今来刻刻如此。这一联的妙处在视听双写：上是看（直下），下是听（雷奔），把瀑布写成了有声音、有速度、有恒性的活物。作为全诗的开篇，它以极省的笔墨铺足了气势，为后联的「静写」留出反差的空间。

The opening couplet writes the waterfall's motion pure, a panoramic grasp. 'From the void the spring falls' first sets the space: the spring falls from the void, the formless height set against the visible flying water, the drop's enormity; 'a thousand ren straight' writes the height in number, the form through 'straight', a thousand ren the extreme of height, 'straight' the unimpeded onward rush. 'It rushes like thunder into the river' turns to the lower course: the fall's sound like thunder, pouring into the river, 'never resting' the constancy of the fall — not a moment's grandeur, but the same, every instant, through all time. The beauty of the couplet is the double writing of sight and sound: above sight (the straight fall), below sound (the thunderous rush), the waterfall written as a living thing with voice, speed, and constancy. As the opening, it uses the most economical brush to spread the full momentum, leaving the contrast's room for the 'static writing' below.

今古长如白练飞，一条界破青山色。

From ancient times to now it has flown like a white silk ribbon, one band splitting the green mountain's color. The second couplet turns from motion to stillness. '白练' compares the waterfall to white silk, a traditional image, but '界破' makes it a blade that cuts the continuous green of the mountain. The word '破' gives the waterfall an active, almost violent power, and the line became the most famous in the poem.

从古到今长久地像一条白练飞泻，将青翠的山色划出一道鲜明的界限。

Through all time it flies like a white ribbon; one line cleaves the green of the hills.

后联由动入静，是全诗的炼字高潮。「今古长如」把时间拉到永恒，写瀑布之姿千秋不易，与首联「不暂息」呼应而更见恒久。「白练飞」以白色丝绢喻瀑，取其洁白修长，是传统的「以练喻水」；真正的新奇在「一条界破青山色」：界是划分，破是劈开，瀑布这道白光，竟把浑然青翠的山色「界破」出一道界限。这一个「破」字，把无生命的瀑布写成有主动切割之力的存在，想象之奇，中唐罕见。历来论者激赏此句，正因「界破」二字把静态的画面写出了动态的力量——山是静的，瀑是动的，一动便把静的山「破」开。苏轼讥其为恶诗，未免过苛；这句的炼字，实开宋人巧对写山水之先。

The next couplet turns from motion to stillness, the climax of the poem's word-craft. 'Through all time it flies' pulls time to eternity, writing the fall's aspect unchanged through the ages, echoing 'never resting' above and the more for its constancy. 'Like a white ribbon' compares the fall to white silk, taking its whiteness and length, the traditional 'ribbon for water'; the real novelty is 'one line cleaves the green of the hills': 'cleave' is to divide, 'cleave' to split, the white line of the fall, as it were, 'cleaving' a boundary through the seamless green of the hills. This one word 'cleave' writes the lifeless waterfall as an existence with an active, cutting force, the imagination's strangeness rare in mid-Tang. Later critics admire this line precisely because 'cleaves' writes a dynamic force into the static picture — the mountain still, the fall moving, and the movement 'splitting' the still mountain. Su Shi mocked it as a bad poem, too harsh; this line's word-craft really opened the way for the Song poets' clever couplets on landscape.

Study

Word focus

千仞直 A sheer drop of a thousand ren; ren (仞) was an ancient measure of height, so 'thousand ren' exaggerates the cliff's height and '直' stresses its unbroken verticality. 「千仞直」三字写瀑布之形与势。仞是古长度单位，千仞极言高；直写瀑流笔直下坠、一无回曲。二字组合，把庐山瀑布「从天而降」的物理特征与「不可阻挡」的心理感受一并写出。它比「三千尺」更朴质，却同样有力，是中唐人「以实写壮」的用笔。此三字置于篇首，先以高度压住全篇气场，再引「雷奔」一句写其声势，上下相承而气象自出。中唐写景已渐离盛唐的汪洋恣肆，转而追求这种以少胜多、以实写壮的笔致，徐凝此处正得其法。

白练 White silk ribbon; a traditional image for water, derived from Xie Tiao's line about the clear river being still as white silk. Xu Ning uses it to capture the waterfall's whiteness and long shape. 「白练」以白色丝绢喻飞瀑，是六朝以来「以练喻水」传统的移用（谢朓「澄江静如练」）。徐凝取练之洁白、修长、柔滑写瀑，既切其色，又切其形。与李白「银河」之仙喻相比，白练更近人间、更可触摸，正见徐诗「通俗」的一面；而「飞」字一点，静物遂活。与李白以「银河」喻瀑相比，徐凝取「白练」更近人间物理，既写出瀑色的莹白，也写出瀑形的修长。一个寻常的织物之喻，因「飞」字一点而满纸生动，可见中唐诗人炼寻常语为奇句的本领。

界破 To cut open a boundary; the poem's eye. It turns the waterfall into a blade that splits the mountain's color, making the waterfall an active force rather than a passive sight. 「界破」是全诗的诗眼，也是千年来论者聚讼之所在。界是划分界限，破是劈开，二字组合把瀑布写成一道主动「切割」山色的白光。这一喻的新奇在「破」：山色本浑然，因瀑而裂出一界，动静之间生出力量。中唐诗人尚巧，此二字正其代表；苏轼讥之，是站在「雄浑天然」的审美立场，而「界破」之工，实不可没。后世写瀑者虽众，能以二字状其割山之势者实寡；徐凝此句虽遭苏讥，却恰见中唐诗人炼字求奇、以人工夺天工的一脉风气。宜与李白「飞流直下三千尺」之天然并观，方知唐宋咏瀑两路美学之分野。

不暂息 Never pausing for an instant; the word extends the waterfall's motion into eternal time and echoes the later '今古长如.' 「不暂息」写瀑布之恒，是时间维度的收束词。暂是片刻，息是停歇；不暂息即一刻不停。它把前句的「雷奔入江」从一时之壮，拉成千秋之常，与后联「今古长如」遥相呼应。三个字极平易，却担起全诗「古今如一」的时间感，是徐凝「浅切」风格的体现。此词收束首联，把一时之景拉成恒久之势，与后联「今古长如」遥相呼应，使全诗在动静之外更有一层时间上的绵长感。三个字看似平淡，却是支撑全篇气脉的一根暗桩，浅切中自有章法。