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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

蜀道难

The Hard Road to Shu

李白

Li Bai

山水landscape 豪放bold and unconstrained 行旅travel

噫吁嚱，危乎高哉！
蜀道之难，难于上青天！
蚕丛及鱼凫，开国何茫然！
尔来四万八千岁，不与秦塞通人烟。
西当太白有鸟道，可以横绝峨眉巅。
地崩山摧壮士死，然后天梯石栈相钩连。
上有六龙回日之高标，下有冲波逆折之回川。
黄鹤之飞尚不得过，猿猱欲度愁攀援。
青泥何盘盘，百步九折萦岩峦。
扪参历井仰胁息，以手抚膺坐长叹。
问君西游何时还？
畏途巉岩不可攀。
但见悲鸟号古木，雄飞雌从绕林间。
又闻子规啼夜月，愁空山。
蜀道之难，难于上青天，使人听此凋朱颜！
连峰去天不盈尺，枯松倒挂倚绝壁。
飞湍瀑流争喧豗，砯崖转石万壑雷。
其险也如此，嗟尔远道之人胡为乎来哉！
剑阁峥嵘而崔嵬，一夫当关，万夫莫开。
所守或匪亲，化为狼与豺。
朝避猛虎，夕避长蛇，磨牙吮血，杀人如麻。
锦城虽云乐，不如早还家。
蜀道之难，难于上青天，侧身西望长咨嗟！

Alas! How steep, how high!
The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the blue sky!
Can Cong and Yu Fu founded the state in misty antiquity,
And for forty-eight thousand years no smoke from Qin had passed.
Westward, from Mount Taihai there's a bird-path
That can cross the summit of Mount Emei.
The mountains crumbled, the heroes died,
Then ladders and plank roads were linked.
Above, there is a peak so high that six dragons' sun-chariot turns back;
Below, there are turbulent rivers that swirl and recoil.
Even the yellow crane cannot fly over,
And the monkey worries about climbing.
Qingni Ridge twists and turns,
Hundred steps, nine bends, winding around cliffs.
Grasping the stars, breathing heavily,
One sits with a hand on the chest, sighing deeply.
"May I ask, sir, when will you return from the west?"
The perilous road and rugged rocks are not to be climbed.
Only mournful birds cry in ancient trees,
Male and female fly around the woods.
And hear the cuckoo's call in the moonlit night,
Grieving in the empty mountains.
The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the blue sky,
Hearing this, even one's rosy complexion fades!
Peaks rise less than a foot from the sky,
Withered pines hang upside down from steep cliffs.
Flying waterfalls and torrents compete in roar,
Pounding cliffs and rolling stones, ten thousand valleys thunder.
Such is its danger!
Alas, why do you, a traveler from afar, come here?
Sword Pass juts out, towering and craggy,
One man can hold the pass against ten thousand men.
If the guard is not loyal, he becomes a wolf or jackal.
In the morning, avoid fierce tigers,
In the evening, avoid long serpents,
They gnash teeth and suck blood,
Killing people like hemp.
Though Brocade City offers joy,
It's better to return home early.
The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the blue sky,
Turning sideways, I look west and sigh long!

Listen

Meaning

The poem vividly portrays the extreme danger and difficulty of traveling the road to Shu (present-day Sichuan), using mythical allusions and exaggerated descriptions. It also hints at political concerns and advises an early return, reflecting Li Bai's romantic and bold style.

唉呀呀，多么高峻伟岸！蜀道之艰难，比登天还难！蚕丛和鱼凫开国何等渺茫，四万八千年来不与秦地相通。太白山有鸟道可横越峨眉，地崩山塌壮士牺牲后才凿出栈道相连。上有六龙回日的高峰，下有冲波逆折的险川，黄鹤飞不过，猿猴愁攀援。青泥岭盘旋百步九折，手扪星辰仰天叹息。问西游何时归，畏途巉岩不可攀，悲鸟号古木，子规啼夜月。山峦离天不足一尺，枯松倒挂，飞瀑轰鸣如万壑雷鸣。剑阁险要，一夫当关万夫莫开，守者不忠便化豺狼。朝避虎蛇，锦城虽乐不如早还。蜀道之难，侧身西望长咨嗟。

Appreciation

Li Bai opens with a startling cry, then describes the road's origin through myth and legend, the towering peaks, the treacherous rivers, and the mournful atmosphere. Three refrains of 'The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the blue sky' create a circular structure that intensifies the theme. The poem moves from natural danger to political warning, ultimately expressing a sense of wistfulness and concern. Its use of hyperbole, myth, and varied line lengths exemplifies Li Bai's unconstrained romanticism.

【白话串讲】 “蜀道之难，难于上青天”——李白把蜀道写成了一条通往天堑的路，高到连太阳的车都要绕行。据说贺知章读完惊为天人，称他为“谪仙人”——这首诗，是李白成名的起点。【意象与手法】善用夸张与神话，如「上有六龙回日之高标，下有冲波逆折之回川」以太阳御者六龙受阻写山之高，以逆流回旋写水之险【情感与主旨】约作于唐玄宗天宝初年（742年）李白入长安前后【名句点睛】常考名句「蜀道之难，难于上青天」「地崩山摧壮士死」「剑阁峥嵘而崔嵬」。高频考点：夸张、神话、反复等浪漫主义手法

Background

Written around 742 CE when Li Bai first entered the capital Chang'an. He was praised by He Zhizhang as an 'immortal banished from heaven,' but his official career was unfulfilled. Hearing of the strategic danger of Sword Pass in Shu, he fused landscape peril with moral allegory, perhaps expressing anxiety about regional separatism. The poem may have been composed to see off a friend traveling west.

《蜀道难》为乐府古题，属《相和歌辞·瑟调曲》。郭茂倩《乐府诗集》引《乐府解题》云此曲「备言铜梁玉垒之阻」，即专写蜀道之险，梁陈以来阴铿诸家已有拟作，李白此篇则为同题之最。关于此诗作年，历来众说纷纭，是唐诗研究中的一桩公案。一说天宝初年（约742）李白初入长安时作，孟棨《本事诗》载其谒贺知章，贺读此篇未竟，称叹者数四，号为「谪仙人」，又解金龟换酒，倾其豪举，此说流传最广。一说为开元年间送友人王炎入蜀而作，诗末「问君西游何时还」即指王炎。另有一说谓其讽剑南节度使章仇兼琼，或讽唐玄宗幸蜀，然玄宗幸蜀在天宝十五载安史乱中，与李白天宝初年作诗相抵牾，学者多不取。詹锳《李白诗文系年》系此诗于天宝初，郁贤皓亦主此说。今人王运熙、詹福瑞等考订，李白入蜀不止一次，蜀道之亲身经历为诗作提供了真切底气。此诗版本的传抄亦颇为复杂，宋蜀刻本《李太白文集》所收文字与今通行本略有出入，如「畏途巉岩不可攀」一作「畏途巉岩不可攀」之「巉岩」异文，但整体面貌稳定，无伤大雅。此外，关于「蜀道」的具体所指，学界亦有歧说：或指由秦入蜀的褒斜道、金牛道，或泛指整个蜀地的险阻山路。无论何指，诗中的蜀道都已超越具体地理，成为险阻与行路之难的象征。李白以「蜀道之难」喻仕途之难、人生之难，遂使一首山水诗兼具了象征的深度，这也是其高于同题诸作的关键所在。

Art

Li Bai employs hyperbole and mythic references, such as 'six dragons' sun-chariot turning back' to describe mountain height, and 'yellow crane cannot fly over' to exaggerate danger. The threefold refrain of 'The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the blue sky' structures the poem like a musical theme. The language mixes prose-like freedom with poetic rhythm, displaying bold imagination and majestic power.

此诗最突出的艺术成就是杂言体的运用与神话想象的铺张。全篇以七言为主，杂以三言、四言、五言、九言乃至十一言，长短错落，随情感的跌宕而伸缩，开篇「噫吁嚱」三叹字连用，继以「危乎高哉」四言长叹，再接「蜀道之难，难于上青天」的九言警句，一开头便声情并茂，如天外落笔。「蜀道之难，难于上青天」一句在篇首、篇中、篇末三次出现，一唱三叹，既收束各段，又将全篇笼括于同一咏叹调之下，形成回环往复的旋律。夸张与神话交织是全诗的血肉：蚕丛鱼凫开国、五丁力士开山、六龙回日、扪参历井、子规啼月，皆从古代神话与星象典籍中提炼，将蜀道的险峻推向非人间的奇境。诗人写景善用视听对举，如「飞湍瀑流争喧豗，砯崖转石万壑雷」，以声响写险势；写人则以「以手抚膺坐长叹」「使人听此凋朱颜」的生理反应，侧笔烘托其高其险。沈德潜《唐诗别裁》评此诗「笔阵纵横，如虬飞蠖动，起雷霆于指顾之间」，殷璠《河岳英灵集》更叹其「奇之又奇」。全篇以「难」字为枢纽，由自然之险转入人事之险，末尾「一夫当关，万夫莫开」翻出对割据隐患的隐忧，使山水之作兼具讽世之旨。此外，全诗的想象极具层次：由开国的渺茫写到开道的惨烈，由飞鸟猿猱的难越写到行人扪参历井的仰叹，由自然之险写到人事之危，层层递进，愈转愈深。而「以声写险」尤为独绝——悲鸟号鸣、子规啼夜、飞湍喧豗、万壑雷鸣，种种声响交织，构成一曲蜀道之声的交响，使读者如临其境、如闻其声。

Allusions

Can Cong and Yu Fu were legendary kings of ancient Shu (see Yang Xiong's 'Record of the Kings of Shu'). 'Five oxen dragging tails' is a myth from Huayang Guozhi about how five strong men pulled a snake, causing a mountain collapse that opened the road. 'Six dragons' comes from Huainanzi, describing the sun chariot driven by six dragons; Li Bai inverts it to show the peak blocking the sun.

此诗用典密集而皆有所本。蚕丛、鱼凫为蜀之先王，扬雄《蜀王本纪》与常璩《华阳国志》载其开国事迹，事在茫昧，故诗云「开国何茫然」；「四万八千岁」为极言年岁之久，非实数，取神话中蜀与中原隔绝之古远。「地崩山摧壮士死」用五丁开山神话：《华阳国志》记秦惠王以美女诱蜀王，蜀遣五丁力士迎之，途见大蛇入穴，五丁拽蛇，山崩，力士与美女俱压死，山分为五岭，蜀道遂通，此句以神话写开道之惨烈。「六龙回日之高标」用羲和御日神话，日乘车驾以六龙，蜀山高峻，日车至此亦须回车。「扪参历井」用星宿分野之说，参宿为益州（蜀）分野，井宿为雍州（秦）分野，行人仰首可扪参星、历井星，极言山高近天。「子规」即杜鹃，传为蜀王杜宇魂魄所化，啼声哀切，其「不如归去」之鸣与「愁空山」相映，暗逗思归之意。「剑阁峥嵘而崔嵬」承张载《剑阁铭》「一人荷戟，万夫趑趄」而来，李白翻作「一夫当关，万夫莫开」八字，气势更雄。末段「朝避猛虎，夕避长蛇」取《楚辞·招魂》「南方不可以止」之意象，以虎蛇喻割据之祸，学者于此或有歧说，然其讽乱之旨大体可辨。「黄鹤之飞尚不得过」中的黄鹤，则暗用仙人子安乘黄鹤过武昌的传说与崔颢「黄鹤一去不复返」的诗意，以仙禽之飞反衬蜀道之险，一笔而兼仙气与实感。诸典层见错出，而皆化于李白的奇思壮采之中，不显堆砌，反增浑成，这正是其用典的高明处。

Commentary

Yin Fan in 'Heyue Yingling Ji' called it 'strange beyond strange, but since Qu Yuan, few have such style.' He Zhizhang exclaimed 'banished immortal' upon reading it. Shen Deqian in 'Tangshi Biecai' praised its 'freewheeling brushwork, like a dragon soaring and a worm wriggling,' extolling its magnificent momentum and unique structure.

此诗在李白生前已负盛名。孟棨《本事诗》记贺知章读之叹为「谪仙人」，解金龟换酒，此事虽近小说家言，却真实反映出此诗在当时文坛引起的震动。殷璠《河岳英灵集》选李诗而特赏《蜀道难》，谓「奇之又奇，自骚人以还，鲜有此体调」，这是现存最早的权威评语。宋代以降，论者多以此诗为李白浪漫主义风格的极致。胡仔《苕溪渔隐丛话》引《该闻录》辨「蚕丛鱼凫」诸事之出处，可见宋人对其用典的考索。朱熹《楚辞后语》虽不选此篇，然宋人论乐府者多推李白天才横溢，古题至其手而大放异彩。明代高棅《唐诗品汇》列此诗于七言古诗卷首，李攀龙《唐诗选》亦收录。清沈德潜《唐诗别裁》盛赞其「笔阵纵横」，方东树《昭昧詹言》则从章法上析其「起落断续」之妙。近人闻一多、詹锳皆作过专门考订。此诗还成为李白文学形象的重要支柱，与「谪仙人」的称号互为表里，在文学史、绘画、评弹乃至影视中反复被演绎，其「难于上青天」一语更凝固为汉语成语，融入日常语汇。历代选本，自殷璠《河岳英灵集》以降，《乐府诗集》《唐诗品汇》《唐诗别裁》无不收录；其「蜀道之难，难于上青天」一句，更被后世小说戏曲反复引用，成为「行路艰难」的通用语。可以说，此诗既是乐府古题焕发新生的标志，也是李白浪漫主义诗风的最强音符，在汉语诗歌史上的地位不可移易。

Prosody

Form Ancient poem (yuefu old title 'Shu Dao Nan', from the Xianghe Ge·Sediao Tune), mixed-length long poem, not constrained by regulated verse.乐府古题杂言诗（相和歌辞·瑟调曲）

Rhyme Free rhyme changes with emotion (zai/tian, mang/yan, dian/lian, chuan/yuan, luan/tan, huan/pan/jian, jian/shan, yan/lei, zai, kai/chai, jia/jie, etc.), varying line lengths.全篇转韵十余次，不拘一格。开篇「天」属先韵；「然」「烟」先韵；「巅」「连」「川」「援」先元通押；「盘」「峦」「叹」寒韵；「还」「攀」「间」「山」「颜」删韵；「尺」「壁」入声陌韵；「雷」「哉」灰韵；末段「蛇」「麻」「家」「嗟」麻韵。平声韵与入声、上声韵交替转换，声情随之跌宕。

Tone pattern Mixed three, four, five, seven, and nine-character lines, with a free and surging rhythm typical of Li Bai's seven-character songs.全诗以七言为主，杂以三、四、五、九、十一言，句式长短不齐，不依近体平仄，纯任古体之自然。每段韵脚随内容转换，写险山则用先、寒、删等平声韵以延宕，写激流则换入声陌韵以促急，末尾归麻韵以收束，平仄韵交用，节奏起伏与情感起伏相为表里。

Reading note The threefold cry 'The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the blue sky' creates a circular structure, while content progresses from scenery to history to danger to politics, reaching a climax of romantic grandeur.此诗是李白古体乐府的巅峰之作，其声韵的最大特点在「转韵」与「杂言」的配合。全篇不用近体格律，而依古乐府的转韵之法，凡换十余韵，且平仄韵交替，声情随之起落：写蜀道之高、开国之久，用平声先、寒、删诸韵，音调舒缓悠长，宜于铺叙与咏叹；写飞湍瀑流、砯崖转石，陡换入声陌韵，入声短促激切，如见水石相激、声震万壑；末尾「蛇」「麻」「家」「嗟」归于平声麻韵，音色开朗，与「不如早还家」「侧身西望长咨嗟」的劝归之情相合，全篇在悠长的咨嗟声中收束。句式上，三言的「噫吁嚱」、四言的「危乎高哉」、九言的「蜀道之难，难于上青天」、十一言的「然后天梯石栈相钩连」，长短错落，无一句平板。清人赵翼《瓯北诗话》论李白古风，谓其「才气豪迈，全以神运，不斤斤于格律」，此诗正为明证。这种以声驭情、以韵写景的本领，使《蜀道难》读之如闻惊涛裂岸，成为乐府歌行声律的典范。

Line by line

蜀道之难，难于上青天

The road to Shu is hard, harder than climbing to the blue sky.

蜀道之艰难，比登天还难。

The Shu road is hard, harder than climbing to heaven.

此句是全篇的主旋律，在篇首、篇中、篇末三次出现，将一部洋洋洒洒的杂言长歌统摄于同一咏叹之下。以「上青天」喻行路之难，取象极高，青天本不可攀，蜀道之难竟过于登天，双重否定式的比较，把抽象的行路艰险推到无以复加的境地。首出之时，前有「噫吁嚱，危乎高哉」的惊愕，此句如长啸破空，奠定全篇基调；中出之时，置于悲鸟、子规的凄切之后，为「凋朱颜」的震撼蓄势；末出之时，收束全篇，与「侧身西望长咨嗟」的叹息相合，一唱三叹，余音不绝。三复此句，情感一次比一次深重，正是民歌复沓手法的创造性运用。

This line is the whole's main theme, appearing three times, at the start, the middle, and the end, gathering a long rambling verse of mixed lines under one chant. Figuring the hardship of the road through 'climbing to the blue sky', the image taken the highest — the blue sky is originally unclimbable, and the Shu road's hard surpasses even climbing to heaven; the double-negative comparison pushes the abstract hardship of the road to the point beyond all. At the first appearance, before it is the astonishment of 'oh, how high and steep'; this line comes like a long whistle splitting the air, tuning the whole's keynote; at the middle, placed after the grieving birds and the cuckoo's cry, storing force for the shock of 'the colors fade'; at the last, closing the whole, joined with the sigh of 'turning side and gazing west, long groaning', one chant and three echoes, the sound unending. The line thrice repeated, the feeling deeper each time, precisely the creative use of the folk-song repetition.

上有六龙回日之高标，下有冲波逆折之回川

Above, the high peak where the six dragons turn the sun; below, the swirling waves that strike and bend back the river.

上有六龙回日的高峰，下有冲波逆折的险川。

Above rise the high peaks where the six dragons turn the sun; below rush the swirling, bent-back torrents.

这一联以「上有」「下有」的排偶，写出蜀道垂直空间的极端险恶。上句用羲和御六龙之神话，说蜀山之高标竟能阻遏日车，是虚写其高；下句写冲波逆折的险川，是实写其险，一虚一实，一天一地，中间以「高标」「回川」对举，撑起一幅上下俯仰的立体图景。其后的「黄鹤之飞尚不得过，猿猱欲度愁攀援」又以黄鹤、猿猱这些善飞善攀之物尚且无能为力，进一步侧笔烘托，人与行的艰难便不言自明。这种以神话、以动物层层衬托的手法，正是李白浪漫主义的典型笔法。

This couplet, through the parallel of 'above' and 'below', writes the extreme peril of the Shu road's vertical space. The upper line uses the myth of Xihe driving the six dragons, saying the Shu mountains' high peak can actually halt the sun's chariot, writing its height in the unreal; the lower line writes the swirling, bent-back torrents, the real writing of its peril, one unreal one real, one heaven one earth, and between them 'high peak' and 'swirling river' paired, holding up a three-dimensional picture of looking up and down. The later 'even the yellow crane cannot fly across, and the gibbon grieves to climb' further uses the yellow crane and the gibbon, creatures of flight and climbing, still powerless, the side-foiling deepened, and the hardship of man and road showing itself without words. This method of layering the foil through myth and beast is precisely Li Bai's typical romantic brush.

扪参历井仰胁息，以手抚膺坐长叹

Touching the stars, passing the stars, I look up and hold my breath; hand on my breast, I sit and long sigh.

手扪星辰仰天叹息。

Touching the stars, I look up and gasp; hand on my breast, I sit and sigh.

「扪参历井」四字浓缩了古代星野观念：参宿为益州分野，井宿为雍州分野，行人仰面便觉可触及参井二星，极写青泥岭之高峻。但「仰胁息」三字又写出仰视时的屏息恐惧，高到令人窒息。「以手抚膺坐长叹」则以一个具体的动作——抚胸长叹，把行旅之人惊惧疲惫、进退两难的神态和盘托出。前句极写空间之高，后句极写情绪之畏，景与情在一仰一坐之间完成转换。此处不用抽象词藻，纯以「胁息」「抚膺」的身体语言传神，比直接说「高」「险」更有说服力，是李白以动作写心理的高明手段。

The four words 'touching the stars, passing the stars' condense the ancient astrology of provinces: the Shen constellation the portion of Yizhou, the Jing constellation the portion of Yongzhou, and the traveler, looking up, feels he can touch the two stars, writing to the full the height of the Green Clay Ridge. Yet the three words 'hold my breath' write the fear of the looking-up, so high it stops the breath. 'Hand on my breast, I sit and long sigh' through one concrete action — hand on the breast, the long sigh — writing the traveler's terror and weariness, his being between advance and retreat, to the full. The upper line the space's height, the lower the emotion's fear, scene and feeling completing the turn between one looking up and one sitting. Here, no abstract ornament, only the body-language of 'holding the breath' and 'hand on breast', the more persuasive than a plain 'high' or 'perilous', the fine means of Li Bai's writing psychology through action.

剑阁峥嵘而崔嵬，一夫当关，万夫莫开

The Sword Gate is steep and sheer; one man holding the pass, and ten thousand cannot open it.

剑阁险要，一夫当关万夫莫开。

The Sword Gate is sheer and towering; one man at the gate, and ten thousand cannot enter.

此句是全诗的转捩点，由自然之险转入人事之险。「峥嵘」「崔嵬」叠用，写尽剑阁的高耸险固；「一夫当关，万夫莫开」八字化自张载《剑阁铭》「一人荷戟，万夫趑趄」，却更为凝练雄健，成为千古名句。但李白的用意不在夸关塞之固，而在翻出下文「所守或匪亲，化为狼与豺」的隐忧——险要之地，若守将不忠，便成割据之祸源。这一层转笔，使全诗由单纯的山水咏叹上升为对时局的深忧，暗扣天宝年间藩镇渐强的现实。末尾「锦城虽云乐，不如早还家」的劝归，正是这一忧思的落点，全诗至此由「难」而「危」，意脉贯通。

This line is the turning point of the poem, from the peril of nature to the peril of human affairs. 'Steep' and 'sheer' layered, writing to the full the Sword Gate's height and strength; the eight words 'one man holding the pass, and ten thousand cannot open' adapted from Zhang Zai's Inscription on the Sword Gate, 'one man with his halberd, ten thousand hesitate', yet the more concise and strong, becoming a famous line through the ages. But Li Bai's purpose is not to boast the pass's strength, but to turn up the later hidden grief of 'if the guard is not true, he becomes wolf and jackal' — a place of peril, if the commander is disloyal, becomes the source of separatist disaster. This turn raises the whole from the mere chant of hills and rivers to the deep grief for the age, secretly answering the reality of the growing warlords in the Tianbao era. The closing exhortation of 'though the Brocade City is glad, better return early home' is precisely the landing of this grief, and the poem here turns from 'hard' to 'perilous', the thread of meaning running through.

Study

Word focus

噫吁嚱 Interjection in Shu dialect, startling and exclamatory, setting a tone of wonder. 「噫吁嚱」三字为蜀地方言中的惊叹之词，李白将其置于篇首，开天辟地般的一声长叹。三个叹词连用，在唐诗中极为罕见，它打破了诗歌惯常的起句方式，直接以情绪的爆发起笔，未写蜀道而惊叹之气已溢于言外。从声韵看，三字皆属平声细音，开口呼出，有伸长脖颈仰天而叹的意味，恰与紧随其后的「危乎高哉」相衔接，形成由叹到赞、由声到景的过渡。这一起笔之奇，被沈德潜赞为「起雷霆于指顾之间」，后世论乐府发端者，莫不以此三字为险语破空之典范。

扪 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「扪」字写行人以手摸天之态，是「扪参历井」的点睛之笔。它比「触」「摸」更见用力，比「摘」「揽」更见真实，写出人在极高处的那种近天幻觉——仿佛一伸手便能摸到星辰。一个「扪」字，将抽象的「高」化为具体的触觉动作，蜀道之高由此可感可触。而「扪」与下句「以手抚膺」的「抚」字前后呼应，一上一下，先伸手探天、再回手抚胸，两个手势之间，行旅者由惊叹而自危的心理轨迹跃然纸上。这种以极平常的动词写极奇险之境的手法，正是李白「想落天外，语又平实」的看家本领。

喧豗 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「喧豗」叠韵联绵词，写飞湍瀑流争相奔涌、声浪相激的喧嚣之状。「喧」言其声之宏大，「豗」言其流之相撞，二字合璧，既有听觉的轰鸣，又有视觉的翻腾，将水石的激荡写得有声有色。它上承「连峰去天不盈尺，枯松倒挂倚绝壁」的静景，下启「砯崖转石万壑雷」的巨响，一静一动之间，蜀道的声威被推至顶点。「争喧豗」着一「争」字，更赋予湍流以竞逐的意志，与「砯崖转石」的「砯」字（水击石声）配合，全句如闻万壑雷鸣。李白炼字之妙，正在这种以声写险、以动写静的交错笔法。

蜀道难