唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
暮江吟
Song of the Evening River
一道残阳铺水中，半江瑟瑟半江红。
可怜九月初三夜，露似真珠月似弓。
How lovely is the night of the third day of the ninth month — dew like pearls, the moon like a bow.
Meaning
A streak of the setting sun spreads upon the river; half the water is green, half is glowing red. Lovely is the night of the third day of the ninth month, when the dew is like pearls and the new moon is like a bow. The poet catches the fleeting beauty of the river from sunset to the rising of the new moon, full of delight.
一道夕阳的余晖平铺在江面上，半边江水碧绿，半边江水通红。可爱的是九月初三的夜晚，露水像珍珠般晶莹，新月如弯弓般纤巧。诗人捕捉暮江从落日将至新月初升的瞬息之美，饶有情趣。
Appreciation
This poem wins in fine observation and picture-like colour. The first line 'A streak of fading sun spreads upon the water' — the word 'spreads' is finely chosen: the low sun's light lies flat on the water, hence 'spreads' not 'shines' or 'shoots', writing the river's softness and breadth. The second 'Half the river is azure, half is red' sets green against red, the strange sight of lit and shadowed water, colours bright. The last two move from dusk to night, 'dew like pearls, the moon like a bow' sets two similes side by side, round and new-wrought together. In time it moves naturally from dusk to early night; in space from river to sky; the structure is tight yet the words very plain.
【白话串讲】 “一道残阳铺水中，半江瑟瑟半江红”——白居易在江边看夕阳：一半江水碧绿，一半被染红。“露似真珠月似弓”——九月初三的夜，露水像珍珠，月亮像弯弓。两幅画面，美到想收藏。 【意象与手法】 此诗胜在体物精微、设色如画。铺字极炼——残阳近地平，光平射水面，故曰铺而非照射，写出江面的柔和与广阔；半江瑟瑟半江红以碧红对举，状受光与背光合璧之奇景，色彩鲜明；后二句由暮入夜，露似真珠月似弓以两喻并列，圆润与新巧并见。时间上从黄昏到初夜自然推移，空间上由江面及天宇，章法细密而语极浅易。 【情感与主旨】 《暮江吟》约作于唐穆宗长庆二年（822）白居易自长安赴杭州刺史任途中，时值九月初三。此前白居易因上书言事遭权贵忌恨，自请外任，远离朝堂党争，心境转为闲适旷达。舟行江上，于暮色初临、新月初升之际细致观察江景，遂成此绝，可见其即景写实、不假雕饰之作法。 【名句点睛】 中小学高频篇目。命题要点：一、铺字的妙处（写出残阳贴水之柔、江面之广）；二、半江瑟瑟半江红的色彩对举；三、露似真珠月似弓的双喻与可怜一词的古义（可爱）。
Background
Song of the Evening River was likely written in the second year of Changqing (822), when Bai Juyi left Chang'an for the post of governor of Hangzhou, on the way, on the third day of the ninth month. Before this Bai had offended the powerful by memorials and asked for outer postings to leave the court's faction fights, his mind turning easeful and broad. Boating the river at first dusk, as the new moon rose, he watched the scene closely and made this quatrain. 'The third day of the ninth month' fixes the date, deep autumn by the lunar calendar, fitting the fading sun, white dew and new moon, and showing his realist, unadorned craft.
《暮江吟》约作于唐穆宗长庆二年（822），白居易自长安赴杭州刺史任途中，时值九月初三。此前白居易因上书言事、论河北用兵，遭权贵忌恨，自请外任，远离朝堂党争，心境由忧愤转为闲适旷达。元和十年（815）贬江州司马，是其人生的转折点，此后其政治热情渐敛，而寄情山水、以诗自娱之风渐成；长庆二年赴杭，正是其中隐思想形成的关键时期。舟行江上，于暮色初临、新月初升之际，细致观察江景，遂成此绝。诗中九月初三点明时日，正农历深秋，白露渐重、新月如钩，与残阳、碧江之景相合，见其即景写实、不假雕饰之作法。此诗一题写暮江，从落日写到新月，跨黄昏与初夜两个时辰，在七绝短章中极尽体物之工；与《钱塘湖春行》同为白居易出任杭州刺史前后的写景名篇，可见其晚年诗风由讽喻转向闲适的轨迹。白居易早年以新乐府讽喻诗名世，中年以后诗风转趋闲适，此诗正作于这一转折期，故其笔致从容，无复早年激切之态。赴杭途中，舟行千里，江山之胜日日入眼，诗人以平常心赏平常景，遂于九月初三之夜写下此绝，可见其心境之平和与观察之细密。此诗与后来寄杭州诸作一脉相承，皆以白描见长，是研究白居易晚年诗风的重要文本。
Art
The poem wins in fine observation and picture-like colour. The first line 'A streak of fading sun spreads upon the water' — 'spreads' is finely chosen, the low sun's flat light on the water, writing softness and breadth. The second sets azure against red, the lit and shadowed wonder, bright in colour. The last two move from dusk to night; 'dew like pearls, the moon like a bow' two similes side by side, round and new. In time from dusk to early night; in space from river to sky; tight in plan yet very plain in word.
此诗胜在体物精微、设色如画，章法以时间为序、以空间为纬。首句一道残阳铺水中，铺字极炼——残阳贴近地平线，光平射水面，如锦缎平铺，故言铺而非照射，写出江面的柔和与广阔，一字见工。次句半江瑟瑟半江红，以碧红对举，状夕阳受光与背光半江分割之奇景：受光处红，背光处碧，色彩鲜明，如油画之对色。后二句由暮入夜，可怜九月初三夜以可怜（可爱）直抒喜爱，露似真珠月似弓以两喻并列，露珠圆润晶莹、新月纤巧如弓，一低一高、一近一远，体物之细令人叹绝。全诗时间上从黄昏到初夜自然推移，空间上由江面及天宇，章法细密而语极浅易——红碧之江、珠露之圆、弓月之巧，皆寻常物色，一经点染，便成奇景。白诗尚俗尚真，此绝却于浅中见丽、于常中见巧，是乐天体写景小诗中的神品。全诗四句，前两句工笔重彩，后两句淡笔写意，一浓一淡，恰成对照；而两个半字、两个似字之句式，复以重复字眼勾连全篇，读来如珠走玉盘，流转自如。诗人不写江之阔、月之明，而写红碧之分、珠弓之形，以小景写大江，以细节传精神，正是乐天体体物精微的独得之秘。
Allusions
'Sere' (azure) was originally the name of a green gem (also 'pishe', a green bead from the Western Regions); Bai Juyi borrows it for green water — not an allusion but borrowing a thing to colour, opening the later use of 'sere' for green water. 'Pearls' are pearls; 'the moon like a bow' writes the third-day new moon like a curved bow (early-month moon is hook- or bow-like). All take common things as likeness, no obscure allusion — just Bai's plain, true, 'understood by an old woman' creed. Thus the poem has no deep allusion, winning by plain description and apt simile.
诗中瑟瑟一词，是理解此诗的一把钥匙。瑟瑟本为碧色宝石之名（亦作毘瑟，西域于阗所产碧色琉珠），杨慎《升庵诗话》考其本义，白居易借以指碧绿之水色，属借物状色而非用典，却开后世以瑟瑟写碧水之先河，宋人诗词中瑟瑟碧江、瑟瑟秋波屡见不鲜。真珠即珍珠，月似弓写初三新月形如弯弓——农历月初，月牙如钩如弓，故唐人屡以弓、钩喻新月，皆取寻常物为比，不事僻典，正合白诗老妪能解的宗旨。可怜一词此处为可爱之义，是古义（《长恨歌》可怜光彩生门户同此），后世可怜多作怜悯解，读此诗须注意其古今义之变。全诗无明显深典，纯以白描与切比取胜，然正因其不乞灵于故实，反能以平常语写出江天之美，以俗为雅，正是白居易超越流俗之处。白居易作诗主张为事而作、老妪能解，故其用典力求自然，不使人觉。此诗瑟瑟之借色、真珠弓月之取喻，皆从眼前物色中来，无一字乞灵于故实而古意自在。论者谓白诗以俗为雅，正指此等：俗字俗物，一经点化便成诗料，其功力不在雕琢而在取舍。
Commentary
Song Yang Wanli greatly admired 'Half the river is azure, half is red', saying 'none surpasses the work of describing things'. Qing Wang Shizhen's Dai Jing Tang Shi Hua lists this as a model of 'one title paints the evening river scene'. Modern Yu Bixian's Shi Jing Qian Shuo says 'the great river lonely, a streak of fading sun, pitifully lovely — it writes an empty, spirit scene'. Bai wins by plainness, yet this quatrain shows beauty in the plain and wonder in the common; always chosen by anthologies, enough to show its life.
历代评家于此诗赏会甚多。宋人杨万里《诚斋诗话》极赏半江瑟瑟半江红一句，谓写物之工，无以复加——以两句写尽夕阳江面的色彩分割，观察之细、设色之准，令后来者无从措手。清人王士禛《带经堂诗话》列此诗为一题画出暮江晚景之范。近人俞陛云《诗境浅说》评：大江寂寥，残阳一抹，楚楚可怜，写出空灵之景；刘永济《唐人绝句精华》亦谓此诗以画法入诗。白诗以浅易胜，然浅易不等于浅薄——此绝于浅中见丽、于常中见巧，体物之工不在王维之下，而语言更为平易近人，历来选本必录，中小学教材亦选入，千载之下传诵不衰，足见其生命力。论者谓白居易写景小诗开晚唐温李与宋人写景之先声，此诗正是其闲适诗一路的代表作，可见乐天笔下的江南暮色，与刘禹锡、张继诸家绝句各擅胜场。此诗于宋代即入《万首唐人绝句》，明清选本多所采录，近代以来更因中小学教材之选而家喻户晓，是白居易流传最广的写景小诗之一。其魅力正在于人人能解而又百读不厌——铺、瑟瑟、可怜诸字，看似寻常，细味则工；半江红碧、露珠弓月，写尽秋江暮夜之美而无一语道破其妙，令读者自会于心，正是含蓄与平易的统一。
Prosody
Line by line
一道残阳铺水中
A streak of fading sun spreads upon the water.
一道夕阳的余晖平铺在江面上。
A streak of the setting sun lies spread upon the river water.
铺字是全句的诗眼，也常是命题赏析的焦点。残阳贴近地平线，光线斜射水面，如锦缎平铺，故言铺而不言照、射——照则光线垂直而急促，射则有方向有力度，唯铺字写出残阳贴水之柔、江面展开之广，仿佛晚霞是被人缓缓摊开的绸缎。一道二字写残阳如带，横亘江面，为下句半江的分割张本。此句写静景而内含动感：铺是动作，虽已完成，却让人想象夕阳缓缓沉落、霞光渐渐铺展的过程。诗人不写残阳之红、不写江水之波，只以一个铺字写光与水相接的方式，体物之精微，由此可见。
The word 'lies spread' is the eye of the line, often the focus of appreciation. The setting sun hugs the horizon, the light slants onto the water like brocade unrolled; hence 'spread' and not 'shine' or 'strike' — 'shine' would be vertical and sudden, 'strike' would carry direction and force, only 'spread' writes the softness of the afterglow touching the water, the breadth of the river, as if the sunset were a silk drape slowly spread by a hand. 'A streak' writes the afterglow like a band drawn across the river, preparing the 'half' division below. The line writes stillness with movement within: the spreading is an action, complete, yet the reader imagines the sun slowly sinking, the glow gradually unfolding. The poet writes not the redness of the sunset nor the river's ripples, only the way light meets water through the one word 'spread' — the fineness of his observation of things is here.
半江瑟瑟半江红
Half the river is azure, half is red.
半边江水碧绿，半边江水通红。
Half the river is bluish green, half is red.
此句以色彩对举状江景之奇，是观察入微的典范。残阳斜照，受光之半江水映霞而红，背光之半江水沉碧而绿，一江之上，两色分明，如画师调色，各占其半。瑟瑟为碧色宝石之名，此处借指碧绿之水色，色泽沉静幽深；红为霞光之色，鲜明热烈。碧与红、冷与暖、静与动，对举而不相犯，恰成江面最壮丽的瞬间。两个半字最见工力——不是全江皆红，也不是全江皆碧，而是半江对半江，写出夕阳西沉时江水明暗分割的精确瞬间，非亲历其境、凝神观察者不能道，故杨万里叹为写物之工无以复加。
This line sets colors against each other for the wonder of the river, the model of minute observation. The slanting sunset: the sunlit half glows red with the sunset, the shaded half sinks into bluish green, one river, two colors clear as a painter's palette, each holding half. 'Bluish green' the name of a blue-green gem, here lending its name to the clear water, the hue calm and deep; 'red' the color of the sunset glow, bright and warm. Blue and red, cold and warm, stillness and motion, set against each other without clashing, forming the river's most splendid instant. The two words 'half' show the craft: not the whole river red, nor the whole river green, but half against half, writing the exact instant when the sinking sun divides the water into light and shade; none but one who has stood there and watched intently could write it — Yang Wanli sighed that the craft of writing things could go no further.
可怜九月初三夜，露似真珠月似弓
How lovely is the night of the third day of the ninth month — dew like pearls, the moon like a bow.
可爱的是九月初三的夜晚，露水像珍珠般晶莹，新月如弯弓般纤巧。
Lovely is the night of the third day of the ninth month; the dew is like pearls, the moon like a bow.
此联由暮入夜，是全诗由江景转入夜景的转折。可怜此处为可爱之义，诗人以口语直抒对秋夜江景的由衷喜爱，情感明朗轻快，与夕阳之景的静美相映成趣。九月初三点明时日：深秋之夕，白露渐重，新月如钩，正是露似真珠月似弓的物候依据，可见诗人即景写实之功。真珠喻露之圆润晶莹，弓喻月之纤巧弯曲，两喻并列，一低一高、一近一远，句法整饬而意象清新。诗人捕捉的是落日已尽、新月方升的瞬息之美，由半江红碧的壮丽转入露珠新月的清丽，一热一冷，章法流转，情趣盎然，正是白居易善于在寻常景致中发现诗意的明证。
This couplet turns from dusk to night, the poem's turn from river scenery to night scenery. 'Lovely' here means dear and charming; the poet, in colloquial speech, voices his genuine delight in the autumn river night, the feeling bright and light, setting off the quiet beauty of the sunset scene. 'The third day of the ninth month' fixes the date: the deep-autumn evening, the dew growing heavy, the new moon like a hook — the seasonal basis for 'dew like pearls, moon like a bow', showing the poet's writing the scene as it is. 'Pearls' for the dew's roundness and clearness, 'bow' for the moon's slender curve, the two metaphors placed together, one low one high, one near one far, the form regular, the imagery fresh. The poet catches the instant when the sun has just set and the new moon has just risen, turning from the grandeur of the red-blue river to the clarity of dew and moon, one warm one cold, the structure flowing, the delight abundant — the proof of Bai Juyi's gift for finding poetry in ordinary scenery.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both from Bai Juyi's hand — one the instant scene of the evening river, one the leisure of a riverside village; both clear and easy, compare his power of observing scene.
两诗同出白居易笔下，皆写江畔风物与闲适心境，可比较其即景体物之长。《暮江吟》写落日新月、露珠江水的瞬息之美，以二十八字节制一江暮色，设色如画；《江村》写清江抱村、长夏幽居的日常生活，以五律铺写燕巢、鸥戏、妻织、童钓诸景，闲适自得。一为绝句之凝练，一为律诗之舒展；一写刹那之景，一写日常之境。然两诗共同的，是乐天对寻常景物的深情与体物之工——红碧之江与戏水之鸥，皆以平常语写出，可见白居易写景小诗一贯的浅易而工丽。
池上 At the Pool 白居易 · 同以浅易笔写小景 Same (Bai Juyi / small-scene plain description)Both write small scenes in plain language (a boy punting a boat / dew and new moon), proving the charm of 'understood even by an old woman'.
两诗皆以浅易之笔写小景，可证白诗老妪能解之趣。《暮江吟》写露似真珠月似弓，以双喻状秋夜江景之清丽；《池上》写小娃撑小艇、偷采白莲回、不解藏踪迹、浮萍一道开，以白描写小儿采莲的天真动态，二十字如一幅童趣速写。一写暮色中的自然之美，一写池畔的儿童之趣；一以体物之工见长，一以叙事之活取胜。然两诗共同的，是语言之浅易与观察之精微——真珠弓月与小娃浮萍，皆寻常物事，一经点染便成妙趣，可见白居易以小见大、于平易中见诗意的大家手段。
花非花 Flower Not Flower 白居易 · 同属白居易于常景中见奇的情致 Same (Bai Juyi / misty little poem)Both show Bai Juyi finding wonder in common scenes; compare their different faces (one clear-lovely, one misty).
两诗皆可见白居易在寻常物色中发现诗意的本领，而风貌迥异。《暮江吟》写江天暮色，红碧分明、珠月相映，设色鲜明，情趣明朗；《花非花》写花非花、雾非雾，来如春梦几多时、去似朝云无觅处，以迷离之笔写某种不可名状的情事，朦胧缥缈，一清丽一朦胧，恰成对照。一以体物精微见长，一以意象空灵取胜；一写实景，一写虚境。然两诗共同的，是白诗善于以通俗语言写出新颖的情致——真珠弓月与春梦朝云，皆取眼前物为喻，不事僻典而自出机杼，可见乐天诗风的多面，亦可知中唐诗人对语言与意象的开拓。