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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

青溪

The Green Stream

王维

Wang Wei

山水landscape 隐逸reclusion

言入黄花川，每逐青溪水。
随山将万转，趣途无百里。
声喧乱石中，色静深松里。
漾漾泛菱荇，澄澄映葭苇。
我心素已闲，清川澹如此。
请留盘石上，垂钓将已矣。

I enter the Yellow Flower River, ever following the green stream's water.
With the hills it turns ten thousand times; the pleasant way is under a hundred li.
Its voice sounds aloud in the scattered stones; its colour still within the deep pines.
Rippling, it floats the water-chestnut and duckweed; clear, it mirrors reed and rush.
My heart has long been at ease; the clear stream is calm, just so.
I ask to stay upon the flat rock, and fish till my life's close.

Listen

Meaning

I enter the Yellow Flower River, ever following the green stream's water. With the hills it turns ten thousand times; the pleasant way is less than a hundred li. Its voice sounds aloud among the scattered rocks; its colour is still within the deep pines. Rippling, it floats the water-chestnut and duckweed; clear, it mirrors the reeds. My heart has long been at leisure; the clear stream is tranquil just so. I ask to stay upon the flat rock, and fish till my life's end.

进入黄花川，每每追随青溪的水流。随着山势千回万转，走过的路途不满百里。水声在乱石间喧响，水色在幽松里显得沉静。水波荡漾浮泛着菱荇，清澄澄映照着芦苇。我的心素来已经闲适，正如这清溪一样澹泊。请让我留在盘石之上，垂钓终老于此吧。

Appreciation

Wang Wei's 'The Green Stream' was written during his retirement at Wangchuan, Lantian. The stream (in Mian county, Shaanxi, perhaps the Wangchuan water) shows the poet, then half-official half-recluse, tasting meditative joy amid the hills. The poem follows the stream's sights to move from motion to stillness, from scene to heart; the last two lines 'I ask to stay' and 'to fish' state his will to retire. Free of argument, tranquil and far, it is a pure and distant sketch of Mojie's 'painting in poem, poem in painting', and shows his later limpid nature.

【白话串讲】 “言入黄花川，每逐青溪水”——王维顺着青溪走。“声喧乱石中，色静深松里”——水声喧哗在乱石中，山色静卧在深松里。“请留盘石上，垂钓将已矣”——他真想留在这块石头上钓鱼。王维的山水，是最好的隐居广告。【意象与手法】诗以移步换形之法写溪：'随山万转'状其曲折，'声喧乱石'与'色静深松'以听觉、视觉对举，一动一静，最见匠心【情感与主旨】《青溪》为王维隐居蓝田辋川期间所作。青溪在陕西沔县，或谓即辋川之水。时王维亦官亦隐，于山水间体悟禅悦【名句点睛】此诗为唐王维之作，精要赏析详见下方深度赏析。

Background

Wang Wei (c. 701-761), courtesy Mojie, High-Tang poet and painter. 'The Green Stream' was written during his retirement at Wangchuan, Lantian. The green stream lies in Mian county, Shaanxi, perhaps the Wangchuan water. Then half-official half-recluse, he tasted meditative joy in the hills. The poem follows the stream's sights to move from motion to stillness, from scene to heart; the last two lines state his will to retire. Free of ornament yet tranquil and far, it is Mojie's 'painting in poem' in a pure and distant sketch, and shows his later limpid nature.

《青溪》为盛唐诗人王维所作。王维（701—761），字摩诘，太原祁人，盛唐山水田园诗派的代表，官至尚书右丞，兼擅音乐、书画，有“诗佛”之称。此诗写诗人行经青溪时的所见所感：进入黄花川，每每追随青溪之水，随山万转，行不足百里；水声喧于乱石，水色静于深松；水波漾漾浮泛菱荇，清澄映照芦苇。诗人见此清景，顿生归隐之想——心本闲适，清川澹泊，愿留盘石之上，垂钓终老。全诗以清溪之景写淡泊之志，山水清音与隐逸之思相融，是王维山水诗的名篇，也是其“诗中有画”的典范之作。

Art

The poem writes the stream by the method of 'changing scene with each step': 'with the hills it turns ten thousand times' figures its winding; 'its voice sounds in the scattered rocks' and 'its colour still within the deep pines' set hearing against sight, motion against stillness — most ingenious; 'rippling' and 'clear' are reduplicative words figuring the stream's leisure, with chestnut, duckweed, reeds dotting it, a fresh and lovely picture. It ends 'my heart has long been at ease; the clear stream is calm, just so', internalizing the outer scene into a state of mind, scene and feeling both calm. The language is spare, with sound yet without colour, so pale the poem-trace disappears — yet it is the height of High-Tang landscape.

《青溪》艺术上以声色的对照与由景入情的过渡见长。全诗结构分明：前四句写青溪之形——“言入黄花川，每逐青溪水”写其行踪，“随山将万转，趣途无百里”写其曲折——山转水转，百转千回；“声喧乱石中，色静深松里”写其声色——水声喧于乱石，水色静于深松，一动一静、一声一色；“漾漾泛菱荇，澄澄映葭苇”写其清澄——波漾菱荇、澄映芦苇，一幅清溪明净图。后四句由景入情——“我心素已闲，清川澹如此”写心与川相契——心闲川淡，人景交融；“请留盘石上，垂钓将已矣”写归隐之愿——垂钓盘石，终老于此。全诗以清溪之景写淡泊之志，声色对照而由景入情，正是王维“诗中有画”的典范。

Allusions

The poem uses no obscure allusion, winning by plain description and fancy. 'Yellow Flower River' is a real place-name, recorded in Li Daoyuan's Commentary on the Water Classic. 'Flat rock' comes from the ancient poem 'the flat rock never moves', here meaning a great stone. 'To fish till the end' quietly uses the allusion of Yan Ziling fishing the Fuchun River and Tao Yuanming's retirement, stating the will to withdraw, very pale in intention. The whole is mainly plain description, and even when it uses an allusion it melts without trace — exactly Wang Wei's 'lotus from clear water' manner, with meditative meaning in the unstudied.

《青溪》用典少而意韵深远。“垂钓”承《庄子·秋水》与姜太公渭水垂钓之典，兼含汉乐府《钓竿》的隐逸之趣，以垂钓写归隐；“黄花川”为蜀地实景，“青溪”为溪名，皆写实。全诗以写实之景写隐逸之志，不用深典而情致自远。王维晚年“晚年惟好静，万事不关心”，此诗“请留盘石上，垂钓将已矣”正见其归隐之志。以垂钓收束，含蓄淡远，正是王维“以淡写深”的笔法。

Commentary

Su Shi said of Wang Wei 'there is painting in his poem, and poem in his painting'; this piece especially suits it. The Qing scholar Wang Shizhen ranked it 'the crown of Tang landscape poetry'. Shen Deqian in his Tang Poetry Selected said 'the Right Minister studied Buddhism, hence his words have no worldly smoke'. Modern Yu Bingsui praised its 'content with itself, without ornament'. This poem, with 'Passing the Xiangji Temple' and 'My Retreat at Zhongnan', belongs to his later limpid works — seemingly an ordinary stream, yet it writes a stretch of cloud-and-water leisure in his breast.

《青溪》是王维山水诗的名篇，也是其“诗中有画”的典范之作。苏轼尝评王维“诗中有画，画中有诗”，此诗正见其妙——“声喧乱石中，色静深松里”以声色写景，动静相映；“漾漾泛菱荇，澄澄映葭苇”以叠字写水，清澄可掬。论者多赏其由景入情的自然——由青溪之澹写到心之闲，由心之闲写到垂钓之愿，水到渠成。此诗与《终南别业》《辋川闲居赠裴秀才迪》等同为王维晚年归隐之作，可见其由仕而隐的心路。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem五言古诗

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, the zhi group (water, li, reeds, ease, this) with a shift to the zhen group《青溪》为五言古诗，十句，押仄声韵。此诗用韵：水、里（纸部）、苇（尾部）、矣（纸部），大体随段落转韵，音节疏朗。五言古诗句式自然，宜于写山水行踪。

Tone pattern Ancient form, level and oblique answering五言古诗以气韵疏朗见长。此诗前四句写行踪，音节从容，如随溪而行；中四句写声色，音节清亮，如溪声入耳；后四句写归隐，音节淡远，如垂钓之闲。全诗以五言写山水行踪，声情与内容相合，正是王维山水诗“清而淡”的风格。

Reading note Five-character ancient, shifting rhyme before and after, following the stream to write scene and will, meditative meaning in scene, limpid nature.《青溪》为五言古诗，是王维山水诗的名篇。此诗以青溪之行为纲，前写行踪之曲折，中写声色之清澄，后写归隐之淡远，由景入情，层层展开。诗中“声喧乱石中，色静深松里”以声色对照写景，“漾漾泛菱荇，澄澄映葭苇”以叠字写水，皆是“诗中有画”的典范。王维晚年归隐辋川，其山水诗多写自然之趣与淡泊之志，此诗“请留盘石上，垂钓将已矣”正见其归隐之志。此诗与《终南别业》《山居秋暝》等同为盛唐山水诗的代表作。

Line by line

言入黄花川，每逐青溪水。随山将万转，趣途无百里。

I enter the Yellow Flower Vale, ever following the Green Stream's waters. Following the hills, ten thousand turnings; the road I take is less than a hundred li.

进入黄花川，每每追随青溪之水。随着山势千回万转，走过的路途不满百里。

Entering the Yellow Flower Vale, I have ever followed the Green Stream. Following the hills, it turns and turns; the road is less than a hundred li.

前四句写青溪之曲折与行踪。“言入黄花川”写其入川——“言”为语助词，“黄花川”点出地点；“每逐青溪水”写其逐水而行——“每逐”写其多次追随，见其爱此溪水；“随山将万转”写溪之曲折——水随山转，千回万转；“趣途无百里”写路之短促——“趣途”即短途，行不足百里而万转千回。四句写青溪之“曲”，以“万转”写其百转千回，以“无百里”写其近在咫尺——路虽短而景致无穷。这一段的铺垫，为后文声色之描写展开空间，也见诗人探幽寻胜的兴致。

The first four lines write the Green Stream's windings and the traveler's track. 'I enter the Yellow Flower Vale' — 'I' a particle, 'the Yellow Flower Vale' the place; 'ever following the Green Stream's waters' — 'ever following' the many times he followed, showing his love for this stream; 'following the hills, ten thousand turnings' the stream's windings — the water turning with the hills, a thousand windings; 'the road I take is less than a hundred li' the road's shortness — 'the road' the short way, walking less than a hundred li and yet ten thousand turnings. Four lines write the Green Stream's 'windings', through 'ten thousand turnings' its thousand bends, through 'less than a hundred li' its nearness — the road short and the scenery boundless. This passage's groundwork opens the space for the later writing of sound and color, and shows the poet's delight in seeking the hidden and the rare.

声喧乱石中，色静深松里。漾漾泛菱荇，澄澄映葭苇。

The sound rushes among the tumbled stones; the color is still within the deep pines. On the rippling water float the water-chestnut and duckweed; in the clear depths, the reeds are mirrored.

水声在乱石间喧响，水色在幽深的松林里显得沉静。水波荡漾，浮泛着菱荇；水色清澄，映照着芦苇。

The water's sound rushes among the tumbled stones; its color is still within the deep pines. Ripples drift the water-chestnut and duckweed; the clear depths mirror the reeds.

此四句写青溪之声色，是全诗写景的核心。“声喧乱石中，色静深松里”写声色之对照——水声喧于乱石，是动；水色静于深松，是静。一动一静、一声一色，把青溪的生机与幽静写得层次分明；“漾漾泛菱荇，澄澄映葭苇”写水之清澄——“漾漾”写波之荡漾，“泛菱荇”写菱荇浮泛其间；“澄澄”写水之清澄，“映葭苇”写芦苇倒映水中。四句以“喧”与“静”、“漾漾”与“澄澄”的对照叠字，把青溪的声色写足：水声悦耳，水色悦目，菱荇浮泛，芦苇倒映，一幅有声有色的清溪图。以“声喧”与“色静”对举，正是王维“诗中有画”的绝妙笔法。

These four lines write the Green Stream's sound and color, the core of the poem's scenic writing. 'The sound rushes among the tumbled stones; the color is still within the deep pines' — the contrast of sound and stillness: the water's sound rushing among the tumbled stones, motion; the water's color still within the deep pines, stillness. One motion one stillness, one sound one color, writing the stream's life and quiet with layer on layer; 'on the rippling water float the water-chestnut and duckweed; in the clear depths, the reeds are mirrored' — the water's clarity: 'rippling' the waves' heave, 'float the water-chestnut and duckweed' the plants drifting between; 'clear depths' the water's clarity, 'mirror the reeds' the reeds reflected below. Four lines, through the doubled-word contrast of 'rush' and 'still', 'rippling' and 'clear depths', writing the stream's sound and color to the full: the water's sound pleasant to the ear, the water's color pleasant to the eye, the plants drifting, the reeds mirrored, a picture of the green stream with sound and color. Setting 'the sound rushes' against 'the color is still', precisely Wang Wei's wonderful brush of 'poetry within painting'.

我心素已闲，清川澹如此。请留盘石上，垂钓将已矣。

My heart has long been at leisure; the clear stream is as calm as this. Let me stay on the great rock, fishing, and end my days.

我的心素来已经闲适，正如这清溪一样澹泊。请让我留在盘石之上，垂钓终老于此吧。

My heart has long been at leisure, and the clear stream is as calm as this. Let me stay on the great rock, fishing out my days.

后四句由景入情，写归隐之志。“我心素已闲，清川澹如此”写心与川相契——“素已闲”写心本闲适，“澹如此”写川之澹泊，心之闲与川之澹相映，人景交融；“请留盘石上，垂钓将已矣”写归隐之愿——“盘石”写溪边之石，“垂钓”写隐逸之乐，“将已矣”写终老于此。四句由青溪之澹泊写到心之闲适，再写到垂钓终老之愿，水到渠成。以“垂钓”收束，含蓄淡远：不写归隐之因，而请留之意已明。正是王维“以淡写深”的笔法，把山水之景与隐逸之志融为一体。

The last four lines turn from scene to feeling, writing the will to retire. 'My heart has long been at leisure; the clear stream is as calm as this' — the heart's accord with the stream: 'at leisure' the heart's native ease, 'as calm as this' the stream's calm, the heart's ease and the stream's calm set off, man and scene fused; 'let me stay on the great rock, fishing out my days' — the will to retire: 'the great rock' the stone by the stream, 'fishing' the recluse's joy, 'end my days' the closing of life here. Four lines, from the Green Stream's calm to the heart's ease, then to the wish to fish out the days, the channel finding its course. Closing in 'fishing', restrained and far-reaching: not writing the cause of retirement, and the will to stay is already clear. Precisely Wang Wei's brush of 'writing the deep through the plain', fusing the landscape and the will to retire.

Study

Word focus

逐 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “每逐青溪水”之“逐”，写诗人追随青溪而行，是写行踪与情致的关键字。“逐”即追随，着一字，青溪便有了灵性——不是诗人行于溪边，而是追随溪水而行；水是向导，人是追随者。这一字把诗人对青溪的喜爱写得含蓄：不是路过，而是“每逐”——多次追随，乐此不疲。以“逐”写行，正是王维山水诗中人与景相融的笔法。

喧 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “声喧乱石中”之“喧”，写水声之喧响，与“色静”对举，是全诗写声的关键字。“喧”写水声之响亮杂乱——水激乱石，声如喧闹。着一“喧”字，青溪便有了生机与活力：不是无声的静流，而是喧腾的活水。与下句“色静”对举，一动一静、一声一色，写尽青溪的两面——喧者其声，静者其色。以“喧”写声，正是王维善以声响写山水之“气”的笔法。

漾漾 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “漾漾泛菱荇”之“漾漾”，写水波荡漾之态，是全诗写水最见形象的叠字。“漾漾”即荡漾，写水波轻漾之状——波光粼粼，菱荇浮泛其间。着一叠字，水的动态便如在目前：不是静止的死水，而是漾漾生波的活水。与下句“澄澄”对举，一写波之动，一写水之清，把青溪写得既生动又清澄。以“漾漾”写水，正是王维“诗中有画”的妙笔——画面感极强。

澹 Compares the clear stream's calm to the leisurely heart, one word joining scene and mind, meditative meaning serene. “清川澹如此”之“澹”，写清川之澹泊，是全诗由景入情的关键字。“澹”即澹泊、安静，本写水色之澹，此处兼写心境之淡——“我心素已闲，清川澹如此”，心之闲与川之澹相映。着一“澹”字，把青溪的清澄静美与诗人的淡泊心境融为一体：不是见景生情，而是景即心境。以“澹”写川，正是王维以景写心、人景交融的绝妙笔法。

青溪