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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

题都城南庄

Written at the Southern Village of the Capital

崔护

Cui Hu

爱情Love 物是人非Things change and people disappear 怅惘Melancholy

去年今日此门中，人面桃花相映红。
人面不知何处去，桃花依旧笑春风。

Last year on this day within this very door,
A face and peach blossoms reflected each other's red.
That face has gone I know not where,
Only the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.

Listen

Meaning

The poet recalls meeting a beautiful woman by a peach tree a year ago; now she is gone, but the peach blossoms bloom as before, evoking a poignant sense of loss and the passage of time.

去年今日的这个时候，就在这扇门里，那张美丽的脸庞与桃花相互映衬得格外红润；如今那张脸已不知去向何处，只有门前的桃花依旧在春风中绽放欢笑。

Appreciation

The poem uses the contrast between the past and present, and the juxtaposition of the transient human figure with the enduring peach blossoms, to convey a subtle melancholy. The final line personifies the blossoms, using a joyful image to highlight the poet's sorrow, a classic technique of expressing sadness through happy scenes.

【白话串讲】去年桃花下，少女的脸和桃花一样红；今年再来，人不见了，桃花还在春风里笑。崔护这首《题都城南庄》，让“人面桃花”成了中国人永恒的遗憾。【意象与手法】全诗以「去年」与「今日」对举开篇，埋下今昔对照之伏笔；「人面桃花相映红」以色彩互衬写初遇之美；后两句陡转，「不知何处去」写人逝，「依旧笑春风」写花在，以景之恒常反衬人之飘忽，对比鲜明，不事雕琢而风流自显，尺水兴波而情韵悠长。【情感与主旨】据孟棨《本事诗》载，崔护清明独游长安南庄，渴饮叩门，遇一女子倚桃相顾；次年再访，门墙如故而人已去，乃题诗于扉。全诗写邂逅与错过的怅惘，以桃花之依旧写人事之无常，寄寓对美好事物消逝的普遍叹惋，是爱情绝唱，也是「物是人非」母题的经典呈现。【名句点睛】常考：①「人面桃花相映红」的映衬手法；②后两句「人面不知何处去，桃花依旧笑春风」对比（人去花在）的表达效果；③「笑春风」的拟人及以乐景写哀情；④「人面桃花」典故的源流与运用。

Background

According to Meng Qi's 'Anecdotes of Poetry', Cui Hu once traveled alone to a southern village of Chang'an during the Qingming Festival. Thirsty, he knocked on a door and was greeted by a beautiful woman leaning against a peach tree. The next year, he returned but the woman was gone, so he wrote this poem on the door. The story, though legendary, captures the wistfulness of a missed encounter.

崔护（约772—846），字殷功，博陵（今河北定州）人，唐德宗贞元十二年（796）进士，官至岭南节度使。其诗存世不多，却以此一首《题都城南庄》名垂千古。据孟棨《本事诗》记载：崔护清明日独游长安城南，因口渴叩门求饮，遇一女子倚立桃花树下，两人默默相顾，颇留情意；次年清明再访，门墙如故而人已杳然，乃题此诗于门扉之上。本事虽带传奇色彩，然诗中「去年今日」「人面桃花」的今昔对照，真切写出人生邂逅与错过的普遍怅惘，遂成千古绝唱。唐代清明踏青郊游之风盛行，长安城南园林繁盛，桃杏夹道，此诗所写的城南桃庄正为此风气的缩影。诗中「都城南庄」指长安城南部某庄园，具体地望虽不可确考，而因诗传名，后人遂以「人面桃花」指代美好而短暂的邂逅，可见诗与事相得益彰。崔护出身博陵崔氏，为唐代望族，然其生平仕履记载甚简，唯以诗名世。此事本末见于《本事诗》所载，虽间有后人增益，然「去年今日」之怅惘、人面桃花之痴情，实为人类共有的生命体验，故诗之本事真假不必深究，而诗心千古如新。

Art

The poem opens with a temporal contrast ('last year' vs 'today'). The second line uses color imagery to depict the beauty of the encounter. The third line abruptly shifts, and the last line contrasts the permanence of nature with human transience. The language is simple yet evocative, creating a lasting emotional resonance.

此诗艺术之妙，在于以极简的四句二十八字，写尽一段美丽而怅惘的邂逅。全诗结构为今昔对照：前两句写「去年今日」的初遇，「此门中」三字点明地点，将镜头锁定于那扇门前；「人面桃花相映红」以人面与桃花交相辉映写少女之美，以暖色与明丽的光影营造出春意盎然的画面，是全诗最秾丽的一笔。后两句陡转写「今日」的重访：「人面不知何处去」直写伊人已杳，「桃花依旧笑春风」以桃花依旧盛开反衬人事全非。四句两两对照——门同、花同、而人不同，以景之恒常衬人之飘忽，以今日之怅惘衬去年之欢悦，对比鲜明而含而不露。全诗不着一字直接抒情，情却深蕴于今昔、人花的对照之中；「依旧」二字尤其沉痛，写出春风桃花的无情与痴情人的有情，以乐景写哀情、以无情衬有情，尺水兴波而余韵悠长，是绝句「以少胜多」的典范。若细究章法，则四句分作两层：前两句写「有」（门中有人、花人相映），后两句写「无」（门中无人、唯花笑风），由有入无、由喜入哀，二十八字之间完成一场完整的悲欢；且「此门中」之「此」与「何处去」之「何」相对，空间由确定变为茫然，更是细针密线、无一字虚设。

Allusions

The phrase 'person's face and peach blossoms' (人面桃花) has become a classical allusion for a memorable encounter that ends in separation and nostalgia. 'Southern Village of the Capital' refers to a specific location in Chang'an, adding authenticity. The peach blossom imagery also echoes the 'Book of Songs' tradition, symbolizing beauty and the fleeting nature of youth.

「人面桃花」自此诗之后成为汉语中形容邂逅佳人、物是人非的著名熟典，历代诗文词曲屡见化用，如晏几道「人面不知何处，绿波依旧东流」、欧阳修「去年元夜时，花市灯如昼。月上柳梢头，人约黄昏后」之今昔结构皆承此而来，直至现代戏曲《人面桃花》犹搬演其事。桃花意象则有更古老的文学传统：《诗经·周南·桃夭》「桃之夭夭，灼灼其华」以桃花写少女新婚之美，开「以桃喻人」之先；崔护「人面桃花相映红」正承此传统，而将桃花由「喻体」提升为与「人面」并列的「映衬」意象，人面因桃花而更艳，桃花因人面而含情。「都城南庄」以具体地望增强真实感，「清明」时节则暗合踏青游春的风俗与春色易逝的节候，为「人面不知何处去」的怅惘埋下时间的伏笔——春去春又来，而人不复见，正是「物是人非」母题的绝佳注脚。又「人面」一词本指人的容颜，汉乐府「人面如桃花」已启其端，崔护更以「相映」二字将人面与桃花熔为一体，遂使「人面桃花」成为兼指丽人与怅惘的双关熟典；此后的桃花意象，遂从《诗经》的婚嫁之美，转为唐诗宋词中常见的「物是人非」之媒，崔护实为转关之人。

Commentary

The 'Anecdotes of Poetry' records that after writing this poem, Cui Hu was deeply haunted by the memory. The 'Selected Poems of the Tang Dynasty' comments: 'Excellent lines are full of emotion and spirit, naturally graceful without ornamentation.' This single poem established Cui Hu's fame, demonstrating the power of concise and genuine expression.

《本事诗》记其本事谓崔护题诗于扉，「自是魂牵梦绕」，后又有女子见诗绝食、崔护哭之、女复苏而终成眷属的续说，虽属小说家言，而足见此诗传诵之广、感人之深。《唐诗别裁》评此诗「好句有情还性灵，不须雕饰自风流」，正点出其以情动人的本色。崔护以这一首诗立名，史称其「孤篇名世」，可见精警之作不在多而在妙。后世论者多赏其今昔对照的构思与「依旧」二字的沉痛，王国维论词境所谓「以乐景写哀，以哀景写乐，一倍增其哀乐」，此诗正是「以乐景写哀」的典范。此诗之所以千载传诵，在于它将一次具体的邂逅升华为人类普遍的经验——美好易逝、佳期难再，读之令人想起自己的「去年今日」，故能超越本事而成为永恒的诗境。就诗艺而言，此诗以情真为本、以对比为骨、以含蓄为韵，三者兼备而无所偏废，故历代选本、教材皆录不辍，与《题李凝幽居》《江雪》等同为唐人绝句中的「以少胜多」之作。可见好诗不在篇幅长短，而在能否一语道破人之常情。

Prosody

Form Qiyan jueju (seven-character quatrain, level tone first line rhyming)七言绝句（平起首句入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes with the upper level first rhyme group (上平一东): zhong, hong, feng.押平水韵上平一东韵：中、红、风

Tone pattern The two couplets contrast past and present, moving from narrative to scene, from joy to sorrow, with a cyclical structure and intimate language.首句「去年今日此门中」平平平仄仄平平，平起首句入韵；前后两联今昔对照，由叙到景、由喜到哀，章法回环，语近情遥。

Reading note This poem originates from the 'person and peach blossom' anecdote, expressing regret over changed circumstances, a masterpiece of Tang quatrain lyricism.此诗为七言绝句，平起首句入韵，首句「去年今日此门中」七字中「年、今、门」三平，读来舒缓，正合回忆往事的口吻；押上平一东韵「中、红、风」，韵字响亮开张，与春日明丽的景象相称。绝句体制短小，最忌平铺直叙，此诗章法极见匠心：前两句写去年，后两句写今日，形成「过去—现在」的双层对照；又于其中埋伏「门—门」「花—花」「人—人」的隐性呼应——门依旧、花依旧，而人不依旧，结构回环而不板滞。声情上，前两句以「红」字作韵，色彩明快，声调也明亮；后两句「去」「笑春风」转仄收，情感由喜入哀，声情与辞情相凑。全诗二十八字一气呵成，无一处费力，而情韵绵邈，纪昀所谓「题诗本于本事，却写得含情无限」，正见唐人绝句以少胜多、语近情遥的典范。

Line by line

去年今日此门中，

Last year on this day, at this very door — setting the time and place, establishing a framework of contrast between past and present.

去年今日的这个时候，就在这扇门里，

This very day last year, within this very doorway,

起句以「去年今日」双点时间、「此门中」点出地点，五个字便锁定了回忆的时空坐标。「去年」与「今日」对举，看似平平道来，实则埋下今昔对照的伏笔，为后文的怅惘蓄势。「此门中」的「此」字尤见匠心：诗人重访故地，一眼认出正是当年那扇门，记忆与眼前重合，「此」字便带出物在人亡的预感。全句不用一个形容词，纯以时间、地点的指认起笔，平淡至极，然正是这份平淡，使后两句的「人面不知何处去」具有石破天惊的效果——越是把「去年今日」记得真切，越见今日重访的执着与失落。开篇之平，正为全诗之奇蓄势，是绝句「平中见奇」的写法。

The opening line locks the coordinates of memory with this very day last year fixing time and within this very doorway fixing place, in five characters. Last year and today are set against each other: plain statement on the surface, yet the伏笔 of present-past contrast is laid, storing up the wistfulness to come. The word this in within this very doorway shows craft: revisiting the old place, he recognizes at once this very door; memory coincides with sight, and this already carries the premonition of the person gone while the place remains. The line uses not a single adjective, opening purely through the naming of time and place - utterly plain; yet precisely this plainness gives the next lines's that face is gone the effect of a thunderclap: the more vividly this very day last year is remembered, the more the persistence and loss of today's revisit appear. Plainness at the opening stores force for the poem's wonder - the quatrain's plainness within which wonder rises.

人面桃花相映红。

The human face and peach blossoms reflected each other's red — the beauty of the first meeting is vividly captured through complementary colors.

那张美丽的脸庞与桃花相互映衬得格外红润。

that lovely face and the peach blossoms glowed red together.

此句是全诗最秾丽的一笔，写初遇时少女之美。「人面」与「桃花」并置，「相映」二字写二者交相辉映：桃花之艳衬托人面之娇，人面之红点亮桃花之色，人与花互相成就，共同构成春光明媚中少女倚桃的经典画面。「红」字是色彩的点睛，将暖色调推至极致，读来如见桃红人面、春意扑面。此句妙在「以花写人」而不直接写五官神态，留白极多，而少女的美丽、娇羞、情意尽在花人相映的朦胧美感中；「相映」又暗示人与花、他与她的两两相望，为邂逅添上一层脉脉含情的意味。八个字，画面、色彩、情韵俱全，是唐诗中写美人的名句，也是「人面桃花」这一熟典的源头。

This line is the poem's richest stroke, writing the girl's beauty at their first meeting. That lovely face and the peach blossoms are set side by side; together they glow writes their mutual luster: the blossom's brightness sets off the face's delicacy, the face's red enlivens the blossom's hue; person and flower perfect each other, composing the classic picture of a girl leaning among peach blossoms in spring. Red is the color's eye, pushing the warm tone to its utmost - reading it, one sees peach-red face, spring breeze on the cheek. The line's art is writing the person through the flower without describing features or expression, leaving vast blank, yet the girl's beauty, shyness, and feeling all lie in the hazy loveliness of face and blossom together. Together they glow also hints at the mutual gaze of person and flower, of him and her, adding a layer of quiet affection to the chance encounter. Eight characters: picture, color, and feeling all complete - a famous Tang line on beauty, and the source of the familiar allusion face like peach blossoms.

人面不知何处去，

Now that face is gone, I know not where — a sudden turn to melancholy, expressing the loss of someone dear.

如今那张脸已不知去向何处，

Now that face is gone, and I know not where;

此句是全诗的转折点，由回忆的欢悦陡落现实的怅惘。「不知何处去」五字平平，而分量极重：不说「人已死」「人已嫁」，只说「不知何处去」，留下无限想象的空间——伊人或许远嫁、或许病逝、或许只是搬离，种种可能皆在「不知」二字之中，怅惘与牵挂交织。「去」与首句「此门中」遥相对照：门还是这扇门，人却已不在，「此门中」的确定与「何处去」的茫然，构成今昔的强烈落差。此句直抒其事而不涉抒情，然正是这种克制的叙述，使怅惘之情显得深沉内敛，不作哀嚎而哀情自见，为结句「桃花依旧笑春风」的以乐衬哀预留了最有力的支点。

This line is the poem's turning point, dropping from the joy of memory to the wistfulness of the present. Gone, and I know not where: five plain characters of immense weight. He does not say she is dead, she is married; he says only I know not where, leaving infinite room - perhaps married far away, perhaps fallen ill and passed, perhaps merely moved; every possibility lies in know not, wistfulness and concern intertwined. Gone answers within this very doorway in the opening: the door is the same door, the person is gone; the certainty of this doorway and the bewilderment of where compose the sharp present-past drop. The line states the event without lyrical comment; yet precisely this restrained narrative makes the wistfulness deep and inward - no wailing, yet sorrow appears of itself, preparing the strongest fulcrum for the closing peach blossoms still smile in the spring wind, setting grief against joy.

桃花依旧笑春风。

Only the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze — the permanence of nature contrasts with human transience; the smile of the blossoms highlights the poet's sorrow.

只有门前的桃花依旧在春风中绽放欢笑。

the peach blossoms still smile in the spring wind.

结句以景收束，是全诗情感的爆发点与余韵所在。「依旧」二字是全诗诗眼：桃花依旧，春风依旧，而人事已非，以景之恒常反衬人之飘忽，物是人非之痛尽在其中。「笑」字以拟人写桃花在春风中灿然绽放，花之无忧欢笑与人之怅惘失落形成鲜明对照——桃花不知人间离合，兀自年年盛开，越是笑得灿烂，越衬出诗人的落寞，是以乐景写哀情、以无情衬有情的典范。全诗至此戛然而止，不写诗人如何离去、如何叹息，而「笑春风」三字中，春光的明媚与心境的苍凉并置，余味悠长。后人论此诗谓「不着一字，尽得风流」，正指此以景结情、不言愁而愁自深的写法，千载之下犹令人神驰。

The closing line gathers in scenery, the poem's emotional explosion and lingering savor. Still is the line's eye: peach blossoms still, spring wind still, yet human affairs are not - the permanence of scene sets off the fleetingness of person, the pain of place remaining, person gone, all within. Smile personifies the blossoms' radiant blooming in the spring wind: the flower's carefree laughter contrasts with the poet's wistful loss - the blossoms know nothing of human parting, blooming year after year; the brighter they smile, the more his loneliness stands out. A model of writing grief through joyful scenery, setting feeling off against the heartless. The poem stops abruptly here: no word of how he left, how he sighed; yet in smile in the spring wind, the brightness of spring and the desolation of heart stand side by side, savor long. Later critics said not one word stated, yet the whole feeling caught - pointing exactly at this closing in scenery, where sorrow is never spoken yet deepens of itself; a thousand years later it still carries the reader away.

Study

Word focus

相映红 mutually reflecting red — the interplay of face and flower creates a warm, vivid image, the most colorful stroke in the poem. 「人面桃花相映红」之「相映红」，是全诗炼色的点睛之笔。「相映」写人面与桃花互相映衬、彼此生辉，不是单方面以花喻人，而是双向往还——桃花因人面而含情，人面因桃花而增艳，一个「相」字写出人与花（亦是人与人）的两两相望，脉脉情意尽在不言中；「红」字以最鲜明的暖色统摄全句，将少女的娇颜、桃花的明艳与春光的和暖熔为一炉，画面秾丽而不艳俗。此三字之妙，在于以色彩写情态：红是青春的颜色，也是初遇时心跳的颜色，读者不必见其人，而自能想象那倚桃而立的少女如何明艳照人。全诗唯此一句着色最浓，正为后两句的「人去花在」蓄足反差——愈是写足当年的红艳，愈见今日的黯然。

不知何处去 I know not where gone — the shift from 'being here' to 'gone' encapsulates the sense of loss and irrevocable change. 「人面不知何处去」之「不知」，是全诗由喜转哀的情感枢纽。「不知」二字写出诗人重访时的一无所获、茫然四顾：门墙如故，而伊人杳无踪迹，既无消息可寻，亦无踪迹可觅，种种猜测与牵挂尽在这两个字中。「何处去」则把怅惘推向深远：「去」是离开，「何处」是无定向的追问，三字连读，仿佛诗人伫立门前，反复自问而无人能答。此句妙在「以叙代情」：不直说「我很失落」「我很思念」，只以一句平实的陈述写眼前事实，而怅惘之情溢于言外，深得含蓄之旨。与首句「此门中」对看，「此门中」的确定与「何处去」的茫然恰成反衬，今昔之变、得失之痛，尽在两句的对照中自然流出。

依旧 still/as before — emphasizes the unchanged scenery against changed circumstances, deepening the sense of nostalgia. 「桃花依旧笑春风」之「依旧」，是全诗的诗眼，也是物是人非母题最凝练的表达。「依旧」即「还是那样」，写桃花盛开之态与去年毫无二致，春风亦如昨，唯有门中之人已不复见。此词之妙，在以「不变」写「变」：桃花之不变（依旧）反衬人事之变（人去），景物的恒常反衬生命的飘忽，两相对照，倍增伤感。若直写「桃花仍在」，则平板无味；「依旧」二字带出诗人的主观对照——他清楚地记得去年此日花人相映的盛景，故一眼便知桃花「依旧」，而正是这份记得，使「依旧」二字格外沉痛。春来春去、花开花落本是自然，而多情之人偏以「依旧」较之，遂觉天地无情而人生易老，此句遂成中国文学「物是人非」母题中不可移易的名句。

笑春风 smile in the spring breeze — personifies the blossoms, using their joy to contrast the poet's sorrow, a classic example of expressing sadness through happy imagery. 「桃花依旧笑春风」之「笑」，是炼字的绝妙处，以拟人写桃花在春风中的情态。「笑」本是人的情态，此处移用于花，赋予桃花以人的欢愉与生命，仿佛桃花有知、春风有情，兀自烂漫开放。然而妙处正在「以乐写哀」：桃花笑得愈欢，愈衬出诗人笑不出来；花之无情（不知人散）与人之多情（追怀旧人）形成强烈的反差，乐景哀情，一倍增其哀。「春风」点明时令，与首句「去年今日」暗合——又一个春天来了，而人面已杳，春色依旧而人事全非。若换作「桃花依旧开」「桃花依旧艳」，则只是写景；着一「笑」字，花便有了表情，画面便活了，情感便深了。此二字与「人面不知何处去」的「不知」相对照，一无情一有情，全诗的张力正在这对照中生成。