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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

问刘十九

An Invitation to Liu Shijiu

白居易

Bai Juyi

友情friendship 闲适leisure 邀饮drinking invitation

绿蚁新醅酒，红泥小火炉。
晚来天欲雪，能饮一杯无。

Green bubbles on newly brewed wine; a little red clay stove aglow.
Evening comes, snow is about to fall—could you drink a cup with me, or no?

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Meaning

The newly brewed wine has green foam on it, and a small red clay stove is glowing with warmth. It's evening and it's about to snow—my friend, could you come share a cup with me? This poem uses everyday language to express genuine friendship and a warm, leisurely mood.

新酿的米酒上还浮着绿色的蚁沫，红泥小炉上正煨着温暖的火。傍晚时分天色阴沉，眼看就要下雪了，朋友啊，能否来与我共饮这一杯酒？

Appreciation

The first two lines describe the indoor scene with green wine and a red stove, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere. The last two lines turn to the outdoor scene of impending snow, naturally leading to an invitation. The poem uses daily imagery with vivid colors (green, red), contrast of warmth and cold, and plain language to express genuine friendship and a leisurely attitude.

【白话串讲】 “绿蚁新醅酒，红泥小火炉。晚来天欲雪，能饮一杯无”——白居易在雪夜给朋友写信：我这里有新酒和火炉，你要不要来喝一杯？这是中国文学里最温暖的一封邀请。【意象与手法】全诗仅二十字而极具生活气息。色彩上绿蚁对红泥，冷暖相映；结构上由室内温馨推向室外欲雪，再以问句邀约，层层递进。语言通俗如白话却精炼传神，善用白描，于平淡琐事见真挚情谊，体现白居易「老妪能解」的诗风。【情感与主旨】刘十九乃白居易在江州时的友人，此诗以诗代柬，邀友雪夜对饮。诗人贬谪江州，身处逆境，却能于寒冬之夜备酒待友，化孤寂为温暖，见其随遇自适、珍重友情的旷达胸襟，也是中唐士人于困境中寻求人间温情的精神写照。【名句点睛】默写易错：绿蚁易误绿倚；醅易误配、焙；无勿误乎。高频考点：①色彩对比（绿蚁对红泥）与白描手法；②末句问句的亲切口吻；③「欲雪」的烘托作用。

Background

Liu Shijiu was a friend of Bai Juyi in Jiangzhou. The poem was likely written when Bai was serving as the Marshal of Jiangzhou (815–818), during his exile. On a snowy winter evening, he sent this poem as an invitation, showing his adaptability and warmth.

刘十九乃白居易在江州时的友人，名刘轲（一说为白氏堂兄白幼文，排行十九），生平不详。此诗约作于唐宪宗元和十二年前后，白居易贬任江州司马期间（815—818）。元和十年（815），白居易因上疏请捕刺杀宰相武元衡之凶手，被诬「越职言事」，贬为江州司马，政治理想遭受重创。谪居江州，白居易心境由激昂转为闲淡，与僧道、诗友往还，以诗酒自遣，《问刘十九》即作于此背景下。寒冬雪夜，诗人备好新酒，独对炉火，忽然想到老友，遂以诗代柬，遣人相邀。全诗不写贬谪之痛、不写身世之悲，只写眼前一杯酒、一炉火，于家常琐屑中见真情，正是白居易「文章合为时而著，歌诗合为事而作」诗学主张在生活题材上的实践，亦见其于人生困境中寻求人间温情的旷达胸襟。此诗虽仅二十字，却如一幅工笔小品，将唐人雪夜待友的温馨一刻永远定格，千百年来温暖着无数读者的心，是白居易「闲适诗」中最见真性情的一篇。

Art

The poem has only 20 characters but is full of life. Color contrast (green vs red), structure from indoor warmth to outdoor cold, then an inviting question. Language is colloquial but precise, using simple description to convey deep emotion, typical of Bai Juyi's accessible style.

此诗艺术之妙，全在「以小见大」与「以淡写浓」。全诗仅二十字，却勾勒出完整的时空画面：绿酒、红炉是室内之暖，欲雪之天是室外之寒，一暖一寒，冷暖相形，将雪夜围炉的温馨氛围烘托到极致。色彩上，「绿蚁」之绿与「红泥」之红相映成趣，明丽而不艳俗；结构上，由「新醅酒」「小火炉」两个静物，推向「天欲雪」的天气变化，再以「能饮一杯无」的问句收束，层层递进，如话家常。语言通俗如白话，却精炼传神：一个「无」字，将邀约的口吻写得又亲切又随意，似当面相问，情真意厚。全诗善用白描，不事雕琢，于平淡琐事中见真挚情谊，是白居易「老妪能解」诗风的典型体现，也是唐代生活小诗中最具人情味的篇章之一。尤可注意者，此诗以「问」字为题，通篇不写友之来否，而只写酒、炉、雪、问四事，以留白取胜——友人来与不来、来后的围炉夜话，尽付读者想象，正是「不写之写」的典范。这种以小见大、以少总多的写法，与王维《送元二使安西》、李白《赠汪伦》同为唐诗友情小诗的上乘，而白诗之平易亲切，别具一格。

Allusions

"Green bubbles" (绿蚁) refers to the foam on newly brewed wine, an old term from ancient texts. The phrase "a cup or no?" (一杯无) uses the colloquial interrogative particle "wu" (无) to create a casual, sincere tone, echoing Tao Yuanming's natural style.

此诗用词皆有来历而不觉其典。「绿蚁」指新酿米酒未过滤时浮于酒面的绿色泡沫，语出《释名·释饮食》「酒有沉齐、浮蚁」之说，谢朓《在郡卧病呈沈尚书》「绿蚁方独持」已用其词，白居易借以写新酒初熟之状，亲切可感。「醅」为未滤之酒，杜甫《客至》「樽酒家贫只旧醅」同写家酿待客之诚，白诗「新醅酒」正承此传统。「红泥小火炉」则取日常器物入诗，白居易《即事》「小器酌红泥」亦咏此物。「能饮一杯无」以口语问句作结，「无」为疑问语气词，承陶渊明「采菊东篱下，悠然见南山」平淡自然之趣，亦开宋人「闲适」诗风之先声。全诗用典皆化入日常语言，不着痕迹，正是白居易「用常得奇」的典范。更深一层看，此诗所用之「新醅酒」「小火炉」皆为家常物事，其用典之妙正在于「化典于无形」——读者不知其典而自得其味，知典者更见其文化底蕴之深厚。白居易论诗主张「根情、苗言、华声、实义」，此诗以口头语写眼前景、心中情，正是其诗学主张的完美实践，也为后世「以俗为雅」的诗风（如杨万里「诚斋体」）开辟了道路。

Commentary

Song dynasty critic You Mao praised it as 'simple words, deep feeling'. Modern critic Yu Biyun said the final line captures the longing for a friend, writing: 'In the self-questioning, it conveys a nostalgic feeling, most touching.'

此诗历代评价极高，被视为唐诗中「以小见大」的典范。宋人尤袤《全唐诗话》称其语浅情深，令人味之不尽。近人俞陛云《诗境浅说》评：「末句『能饮一杯无』，于自呼自答中，写临风怀想之致，最得人情。」当代论者更盛赞此诗将友情写得如此温暖而具体：一杯新酒、一炉小火、一场欲雪，全是生活最寻常的细节，却因饱含深情而成为千古传诵的名篇。与白居易《赋得古原草送别》之伤离别相比，此诗更见其性格中温暖亲切的一面。在文学史上，此诗与杜甫《客至》「花径不曾缘客扫，蓬门今始为君开」、李白《山中与幽人对酌》「两人对酌山花开」并列为唐代邀饮诗的杰作，而其语言之平易、情味之隽永，尤为人所称道，是白居易「闲适诗」中的明珠。当代各种唐诗选本几乎无不收录此诗，其入选率之高，正见其以少胜多的艺术魅力。读此诗，如闻雪夜叩门之声、如见炉火映人之暖，千年之下犹觉温馨扑面，这正是伟大诗篇超越时代的力量。

Prosody

Form Five-character quatrain (五绝)五言绝句（五绝）

Rhyme Lines 2 and 4 rhyme: 炉 (lú) and 无 (wú), in the seventh rhyme group of the level tone (上平七虞韵).炉、无（平声·上平七虞韵）

Tone pattern Deflected tone starting pattern (仄起) with the first line not entering rhyme, second line enters rhyme.仄起首句不入韵式（首句「酒」为仄声不押韵），次句入韵。

Reading note Language is plain and natural, reflecting Bai Juyi's style that even an old woman could understand.此诗为五言绝句，仄起首句不入韵式：首句「绿蚁新醅酒」以仄声「酒」字收，不押韵；二句「红泥小火炉」入韵，押平水韵上平七虞韵之「炉」字；四句「能饮一杯无」以「无」字押韵，与「炉」同韵。全诗二十字，两句一联，前联写室内之景，后联写室外之天与邀友之问，起承转合自然。五绝体最短，最忌雕琢，白居易以口语入诗，字字平实而句句有味，正是「语浅情深」的典范。押韵上，七虞韵字音宽缓舒展，与全诗温暖闲适的情调相谐。此诗语言浅近如话，却情韵悠长，体现白居易「老妪能解」的诗风，为五绝中「以俗为雅」之绝唱，对后世闲适小诗影响深远。

Line by line

绿蚁新醅酒

Newly fermented wine with green foam on its surface.

新酿的米酒上还浮着绿色的蚁沫。

Newly brewed wine, its green dregs still floating.

「绿蚁新醅酒」五字，起笔即点出「酒」与「新」二字，为全诗定下温暖亲切的基调。「绿蚁」指新酿米酒尚未过滤时浮于酒面的绿色泡沫，如蚁浮酒面，故有此称。诗人不写酒之香、酒之味，而专写酒面上浮动的绿色泡沫，正是捕捉新酒初熟时最富生趣的一瞬，使静态的酒顿时活了起来。「新醅」强调酒之新酿，暗含主人待客之诚——有好酒方邀友共饮，情意已在言外。此句设色清新，绿意盎然，与下句「红泥」相映成趣，一绿一红，冷暖相济，为全诗温馨氛围奠定基调，也见白居易善从日常生活中撷取诗意的功力。

These five characters strike at wine and new at once, setting the poem's warm, intimate keynote. Green ants means the green foam floating on newly brewed, unstrained rice wine, like ants on the surface, hence the name. The poet does not write the wine's fragrance or taste but the green foam floating - precisely catching the liveliest instant of new wine first ripe, making the static liquor instantly alive. Newly brewed stresses the wine's freshness, secretly carrying the host's sincerity - good wine to invite a friend to share, the affection beyond words. The line's coloring is fresh, green abundant, contrasting with the red clay below - one green, one red, warm and cold balanced, laying the warm atmosphere and showing Bai Juyi's power to gather poetry from daily life.

红泥小火炉

A small stove made of red clay glowing with fire.

红泥砌成的小火炉烧得正旺。

A small stove of red clay, glowing warm.

「红泥小火炉」五字与上句对举，构成一组工整的色对。「红泥」点明炉子朴素的材质，非金非玉，正见家居之真、情谊之纯；「小」字写炉之玲珑可爱，愈小愈显亲切；「火炉」承上句「酒」，酒需温而炉正旺，一酒一炉，互为依托，雪夜围炉的画面由此展开。此句与「绿蚁」相映，红绿对照，色调温暖明丽，是白居易设色的妙笔。更妙的是，炉火之「红」与下句「天欲雪」之「寒」暗中对峙：炉愈红，愈显天欲雪之寒；天愈寒，愈显炉火之暖、情谊之温。五字看似平淡，实则于色彩与冷暖的对照中，已把雪夜待友的温馨气氛渲染得淋漓尽致。

These five characters pair with the last, a refined color pair. Red clay names the stove's plain material - neither gold nor jade, showing the home's authenticity, the affection's purity; small writes the stove's quaint loveliness, the smaller the more intimate. The stove continues the wine: wine needs warming and the stove glows - wine and stove each relying on the other, the snow-night scene of gathering around the fire unfolding. The line contrasts with green ants: red against green, tone warm and bright, Bai Juyi's fine coloring. Subtler still: the stove's red secretly opposes the coming snow's cold below - the redder the stove, the colder the threatened snow; the colder the sky, the warmer the stove and the friendship. Five characters seemingly plain, yet in the contrast of color and warmth the snow-night invitation's coziness is rendered to the full.

晚来天欲雪

Evening comes, the sky is about to snow.

傍晚时分，天色阴沉将要下雪。

Evening falls; the sky threatens snow.

「晚来天欲雪」一句，由室内转向室外，是全诗情调转换的枢纽。「晚来」点明时间，暮色四合，正是倦鸟归巢、家人围坐之时；「天欲雪」写天气，阴云密布，寒气侵人，一场大雪将至。「欲」字下得极妙，写雪之将落未落，既渲染了环境的寒冷，又为邀友共饮提供了一个最充分的理由——风雪将至，正宜围炉对酌。此句以室外之寒反衬室内之暖，以天气之恶反衬人情之好，越是天寒欲雪，越见主人邀饮之诚、友情之温。全诗至此，由两个静物（酒、炉）引出天气变化，再由天气引出邀约，层层推进，水到渠成，堪称绝句章法之典范。

This line turns from indoors to outdoors, the pivot of the poem's mood. Evening fixes the time: dusk closing, the hour of weary birds returning and families gathering. The sky threatens snow: clouds heavy, cold piercing, a great snow coming. Threat is exquisite - snow about to fall yet not falling, at once rendering the cold and supplying the fullest reason to invite a friend: snow about to come, the perfect hour for wine by the stove. The line uses the outdoor cold to set off the indoor warmth, the weather's harshness to set off human kindness: the colder the threatened snow, the more the host's sincerity and the friendship's warmth show. The poem moves from two still objects (wine, stove) to the weather's turn, then from weather to invitation, layer by layer, water to channel - the model of quatrain structure.

能饮一杯无

Can you come and share a cup with me, or not?

能否来喝上一杯呢？

Can you come and drink a cup?

「能饮一杯无」以口语化问句收束全诗，是千古传诵的妙句。「无」为疑问语气词，相当于「吗」，以平常口语入诗，亲切自然，如当面相问，毫无雕琢之痕。「一杯」极言其少，不重酒而重情——请君来饮的岂止是酒，更是雪夜围炉的那份温暖与相知的默契。全诗至此，由写景转入抒情，点出「问刘十九」之题旨，邀约之意、思念之情，尽在这轻轻一问之中。此句之妙，在于不写「请你来」，而问「能不能来」，把主人的期待、友情的平等写得含蓄而真诚。二十字小诗，至此戛然而止，而余味无穷，正是白居易「语浅情深」诗风的最佳注脚。

This line closes in a colloquial question, the celebrated stroke. No is a question particle, equivalent to -ma: ordinary speech entering poetry, intimate and natural, like asking face to face, no trace of craftsmanship. One cup writes its smallness, valuing not wine but affection - what is invited is not only wine but the warmth of the snow-night fire and the默契 of understanding. The poem thus turns from scenery to feeling, naming the theme of asking Liu Shijiu: the invitation, the longing, all in this light question. The line's art lies not in saying come but in asking can you come - the host's expectation and the friendship's equality written reservedly and sincerely. A twenty-character small poem stops short, savor infinite - the best footnote to Bai Juyi's shallow words, deep feeling.

Study

Word focus

绿蚁 Green ants/foam: refers to the bubbles on newly fermented wine, giving a fresh and vivid image. 「绿蚁新醅酒」之「绿蚁」，是白居易炼字的著名例子。「绿蚁」本指新酿米酒未滤时浮于酒面的绿色泡沫，古人以「蚁」喻酒沫，取其浮游蠕动之状，谢朓「绿蚁方独持」已开其端。白居易用此二字，至少有三层妙处：其一，设色之新，「绿」字给酒以色彩，与下句「红泥」构成红绿对照，画面明丽；其二，状物之活，「蚁」字以动写静，使酒面泡沫如在目前，新酒初熟、生机勃发的状态跃然纸上；其三，造境之暖，绿蚁浮酒、红炉生火，一冷一暖之间，雪夜待友的温馨氛围油然而生。一个「绿蚁」，既写酒之新，又写情之真，堪称以细节传神的典范，故后人径以「绿蚁」代称美酒。

红泥 Red clay: indicates the humble material of the stove, warm color creating a cozy atmosphere. 「红泥小火炉」之「红泥」，炼字之妙在于「以质写情」。「红」字设色，与上句「绿蚁」之绿相对，红绿映衬，色彩鲜明而不俗艳，是全诗视觉的支点；「泥」字则大有深意——炉以红泥砌成，非金非玉、非铜非铁，正见主人家居之朴素、性情之真率。诗人不写精美的酒器、华丽的炉具，而偏写「红泥」小炉，正是以物的朴素质实衬托人际的真诚无伪：简陋的泥炉与平凡的新酒，配得上雪夜老友的围炉共饮，情谊不在器物之华而在心意之诚。且「红泥」暗含炉火之旺，火旺则室暖，室暖则人情更暖，一字之中色、质、温俱全，足见白居易炼字于平淡处见神采的功力。

无 Interrogative particle: colloquial usage in questions, showing casual and sincere invitation. 「能饮一杯无」之「无」字，是全诗的点睛之笔，也是唐诗以虚词传神的经典范例。「无」为疑问语气词，相当于现代汉语的「吗」，以口语入诗，平易自然。此字之妙有三：其一，化问为邀，「能饮一杯无」以商量的口吻发出邀约，不勉强、不客套，如对老友当面一问，亲切随和，尽显两人交情之深；其二，以虚写实，「无」字虽虚，却把主人的期待、闲适的心情、友情的默契都写了进去，含不尽之意于言外；其三，以问收篇，「无」字一问，全诗戛然而止，而邀约之后的情景——朋友欣然赴约、二人围炉对饮——尽留读者想象，余味悠长。一个虚词，使二十字的小诗灵动传神，堪称以一字见全诗的典范。