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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

山中留客

Persuading the Guest to Stay in the Mountains

张旭

Zhang Xu

山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归。
纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣。

Mountain light and the forms of things sport in the spring radiance;
Do not think of going home because of a passing cloud.
Even if the weather is bright and clear, with no sign of rain,
Once you enter the cloud depths, your clothes will still be dampened.
Listen

Meaning

The poet urges his guest not to leave on account of a slight overcast: the spring mountains are at their most beautiful, and even under a rainless sky the cloud-wreathed depths will soak his clothes in mist. Beneath the friendly persuasion lies the wisdom that the finest scenery lies beyond the reach of ordinary caution.

山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归。纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Mountain light and every shape of things disport themselves in the spring glow — do not plan to leave just for a few clouds. Even in bright, rainless weather, once you go deep into the clouds your clothes will be dampened. [Structure] The poem is a small argument: line one praises the scene, line two pleads with the guest directly, and the last two clinch the case with a counterintuitive fact about mountain mist. [Imagery] The personified verb 'sport' animates the whole landscape, and the dampening clouds leave a cool, moist after-image, making the persuasion concrete rather than abstract.

【白话串讲】 张旭写《山中留客》：“山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归”——“纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣”——他留客山中——入云深处亦沾衣。 【意象与手法】 “山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归”写莫为轻阴便归；“纵使晴明无雨色”写纵使晴明；结以“入云深处亦沾衣”以云深沾衣写留客。清新明丽。 【情感与主旨】 张旭写山中留客之作，以“入云深处亦沾衣”劝客莫归，写山中云雾之美，是留客诗中的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归”写留客之劝；“纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣”以云深沾衣写山景。

Background

Zhang Xu (c. 675-c. 750), styled Bogao, was a native of Wu commandery, modern Suzhou, and the most celebrated cursive-script calligrapher of the Tang, one of the Four Talents of Wu alongside He Zhizhang, Zhang Ruoxu, and Bao Rong. Legend says he would dash off wild cursive after drinking, and Du Fu's poem on the Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup celebrates him. Few of his poems survive, but this quatrain shows the same untrammeled verve as his brushwork.

《山中留客》为唐代书法家、诗人张旭所作诗。张旭（约675—约750），字伯高，一字季明，吴郡（今江苏苏州）人，唐代书法家、诗人，与贺知章等并称「吴中四士」。此诗写景田园，为山中留客之作。诗中「山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归」写山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归；「纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣」写纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣。张旭此诗以写景田园、入云深处亦沾衣写其田园之情，清新明丽，是张旭诗中的名篇。此篇《山中留客》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《山中留客》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。

Art

The poem's distinction is its logic of persuasion. Instead of scenic description alone, the poet reasons: the spring mountains are playing with light, so why leave for a cloud? Even cloudless, the heights will drench you, so the threatened rain is no reason to go. The verb 'sport' personifies light and form as if they were at play. The paradox of no rain yet dampened clothes crystallizes mountain mist into a witty, memorable image, and the tone stays bright and light throughout.

此诗艺术上以「清新明丽、以景留客」见长。全诗共四句，由山光物态弄春辉而莫为轻阴便拟归而纵使晴明无雨色。起「山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归」写山光物态弄春辉：山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归；「纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣」写入云深处亦沾衣：纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣。全诗以景留客，由山光物态弄春辉而入云深处亦沾衣，清新明丽，是张旭诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。

Allusions

The image of clouds and mist dampening the mountain traveler's clothes descends from Wang Wei's line about the rainless path and the emerald haze dampening clothes; here the dampness is attributed to the cloud depths rather than the green haze. The spring radiance and mountain light belong to the established vocabulary of spring landscape verse, and entering the clouds also nods to the convention of cloud-capped peaks as the home of recluses and immortals.

诗中「山光物态弄春辉莫为轻阴便拟归」「纵使晴明无雨色入云深处亦沾衣」等语，皆含典故故实。「山光物态弄春辉莫为轻阴便拟归」写山光物态弄春辉莫为轻阴便拟归；「纵使晴明无雨色入云深处亦沾衣」写纵使晴明无雨色入云深处亦沾衣。诗人以春辉、晴明等语入诗，不着痕迹，而把写景田园之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。

Commentary

This quatrain is famous for its clever hospitality: critics have long admired the way the poet turns a light overcast into an argument for staying, and the closing couplet about clear weather and dampened clothes has become a stock illustration of wit in Tang quatrains. It appears in numerous anthologies and is often paired with Wang Wei's 'In the Mountains' for their shared dampness imagery — the one cool and Zen, the other bright and persuasive.

这首《山中留客》，是张旭写写景田园之作，写山光物态弄春辉、莫为轻阴便拟归、入云深处亦沾衣之情，清新明丽。起「山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归」——山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归。写山光物态弄春辉：山光物态弄春辉、莫为轻阴便拟归——物态弄春辉、莫便拟归；「纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣」——纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣。写入云深处亦沾衣：纵使晴明无雨色、入云深处亦沾衣——晴明无雨色、深处亦沾衣。这「纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣」，是全诗之结：以入云深处亦沾衣写其留客。全诗清新明丽，以景留客，正是张旭诗中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (qiyan jueju), four lines of seven characters each.诗（七言绝句）
Rhyme The rhyme falls on the level-tone words hui (radiance), gui (return), and yi (clothes), all in the wei rhyme group, with the first line rhyming; the single rhyme runs through all four lines.此诗为七言绝句，共四句，两句一联。押平声韵：「辉」「归」「衣」押微支部韵。诗体依绝句而定，句式整齐，音节随情起伏，正与写写景田园的清新明丽相称，也见其以绝句写田园的自然。
Tone pattern The cadence moves from description to argument: 'shan guang wu tai nong chun hui, mo wei qing yin bian ni gui' opens at an even, pictorial pace; 'zong shi qing ming wu yu se, ru yun shen chu yi zhan yi' gathers momentum through the concessive 'even if' and settles on the rhyme word yi (clothes), letting the damp image linger.句式上，「山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归」写山光物态弄春辉，音节清丽；「纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣」写入云深处亦沾衣，音节明快。全诗音节随情起伏，由清丽而明快，正合绝句「含蓄」之妙，读来如写景田园、入云深处亦沾衣之音，清新而动人。
Reading note The poem keeps the strict quatrain form — four lines, one rhyme to the end — while sounding conversational, as if the poet were actually speaking to his guest. The bright level-tone rhyme suits the poem's fresh, open manner. Read the first couplet warmly and the second with the playful emphasis of a winning argument, pausing after 'even if' so the twist about the dampened clothes lands with a smile.此诗为七言绝句，是张旭写写景田园之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「清新明丽、以景留客」：「山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归」写山光物态弄春辉、「纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣」写入云深处亦沾衣。全诗清新明丽，以景留客。尤为精妙者，是「山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归」写尽山中春景；而「纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣」写尽留客之妙，正是张旭诗「清新明丽」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《山中留客》一诗之所以读来声情并茂，正在于诗人以声韵配合情思、以节奏烘托意境，音节之长短、平仄之起伏，皆与诗意相为表里，此亦可见中国古典诗歌声律之美与匠心之工。

Line by line

山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归。

Mountain light and the forms of things sport in the spring radiance; do not think of going home because of a passing cloud.

山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归。

The mountain light and all things play in the spring radiance; do not plan to go back for a light cloud.

首二句写山光物态弄春辉，起笔即见其景。「山光物态弄春辉」写山光物态弄春辉，「山光物态」写山光物态、「弄春辉」写弄春辉；「莫为轻阴便拟归」写莫为轻阴便拟归，「莫为轻阴」写莫为轻阴、「便拟归」写便拟归。两句一写山光物态弄春辉、一写莫为轻阴便拟归，以山光物态弄春辉写物态弄春辉、以莫为轻阴便拟归写莫便拟归，写尽山光物态弄春辉、莫为轻阴便拟归之情。以景起兴，清新而明丽，是「以景起兴」的妙笔。

The first two lines write 'the mountain light and all things play in the spring radiance', the start. 'The mountain light and all things play in the spring radiance' — the light and things, playing in the radiance; 'do not plan to go back for a light cloud' — the light cloud, the planned return. Rising in scene, fresh and bright, the start of the retention verse.

纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣。

Even if the weather is bright and clear, with no sign of rain, once you enter the cloud depths your clothes will still be dampened.

纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣。

Even were it clear, no rain in sight, entering the deep of the clouds would still wet your robe.

尾二句写入云深处亦沾衣，是全诗立意的落点。「纵使晴明无雨色」写纵使晴明无雨色，「纵使晴明」写纵使晴明、「无雨色」写无雨色；「入云深处亦沾衣」写入云深处亦沾衣，「入云深处」写入云深处、「亦沾衣」写亦沾衣。两句一写纵使晴明无雨色、一写入云深处亦沾衣，以纵使晴明无雨色写晴明无雨、以入云深处亦沾衣写深处沾衣，写尽纵使晴明无雨色、入云深处亦沾衣之情。以景留客，清新而明丽，是全诗最动人处，也是「以景留客」的点睛之笔。

The last two lines write 'entering the deep of the clouds would still wet your robe', the poem's landing. 'Even were it clear, no rain in sight' — the clear sky, no rain; 'entering the deep of the clouds would still wet your robe' — the deep, the wetting. Retaining the guest through scene, fresh and bright, the poem's most moving point: the poet argues that the mountain's own haze will wet the robe — so why leave? The mountain welcomes, the clouds invite, the guest's retreat turned to a deeper stay.

Study

Word focus

山光 Mountain light: the radiance playing over the hills in spring, the first element of the scene that makes leaving unthinkable. 「山光」写山光物态弄春辉，是写山光之态的关键。「山光物态弄春辉」着一「山光」，写山光——着一「山光」，写山光物态弄春辉，见其光之山。两字写尽山光之态，是「以词写光」的妙笔。「山光」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
弄春辉 Sporting in the spring radiance: the personifying phrase in which light and forms seem to play, animating the whole landscape. 「弄春辉」写山光物态弄春辉，是写弄春辉之态的关键。「山光物态弄春辉」着一「弄春辉」，写弄春辉——着一「弄春辉」，写山光物态弄春辉，见其辉之弄。三字写尽弄春辉之态，是「以词写辉」的点睛之词。「弄春辉」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
轻阴 A passing cloud: the slight overcast that gives the guest an excuse to leave, and the poet his point to argue against. 「轻阴」写莫为轻阴便拟归，是写轻阴之态的关键。「莫为轻阴便拟归」着一「轻阴」，写轻阴——着一「轻阴」，写莫为轻阴便拟归，见其阴之轻。两字写尽轻阴之态，是「以词写阴」的点睛之词。「轻阴」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
沾衣 To dampen clothes: the proof that the mountain cloud depths wet the traveler even under a rainless sky — mist made tangible. 「沾衣」写入云深处亦沾衣，是写沾衣之态的关键。「入云深处亦沾衣」着一「沾衣」，写沾衣——着一「沾衣」，写入云深处亦沾衣，见其衣之沾。两字写尽沾衣之态，是「以词写衣」的点睛之词。「沾衣」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

Related Reading

山园小梅 Little Plum Blossoms of the Mountain Garden 林逋 · 同写写景清雅、以景寄情，一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、一写山光物态弄春辉莫为轻阴便拟归，皆于写景之中见清雅 Both write fresh scenery with feeling in it, one through plum blossoms, the other through spring mountain light.

Lin Bu's plum couplet is the song of refined solitude in Song poetry; Zhang Xu's persuasion is bright and social, urging a friend to stay. One is solitary elegance, the other warm hospitality, and both are fresh in manner.

林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」，写梅之清雅、写景，是宋诗咏物的绝唱；张旭《山中留客》则以「山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归」「纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣」写物态弄春辉、深处亦沾衣。两诗同写写景清雅、以景寄情：一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以梅写清雅，一写山光物态弄春辉莫为轻阴便拟归、以春景写留客；一为林逋之清逸、一为张旭之明丽，并读正可见诗写「写景清雅」的两种笔法，皆于写景之中见清雅。

 浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯 Huanxisha (A Song of Washing Silk) — 'A New Song, a Cup of Wine' 晏殊 · 同写田园写景、清新蕴藉，一写无可奈何花落去、一写山光物态弄春辉莫为轻阴便拟归，皆于田园之中见清新蕴藉 Both write pastoral scenery with fresh restraint, one mourning fallen flowers, the other praising spring mountain light.

Yan Shu's melancholy over falling flowers and returning swallows is the warmth of Song lyrics; Zhang Xu's bright persuasion of a lingering guest is the freshness of Tang quatrains. Each writes landscape feeling in its own dynasty's accent.

晏殊《浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯》「无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来」，写田园感怀，是宋词小令的名篇；张旭《山中留客》则以「山光物态弄春辉，莫为轻阴便拟归」「纵使晴明无雨色，入云深处亦沾衣」写物态弄春辉、深处亦沾衣。两诗同写田园写景、清新蕴藉：一写无可奈何花落去、以花落燕归写惜时，一写山光物态弄春辉莫为轻阴便拟归、以春山写田园；一为晏殊之温润、一为张旭之明丽，并读正可见诗写「田园写景」的两种笔法，皆于田园之中见清新蕴藉。