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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

新制布裘

A Newly Made Cloth Gown

白居易

Bai Juyi

言志Theme 兼济Theme 古体诗poetry 民生People's life

桂布白似雪，吴绵软于云。
布重绵且厚，为裘有馀温。
朝拥坐至暮，夜覆眠达晨。
谁知严冬月，支体暖如春。
中夕忽有念，抚裘起逡巡。
丈夫贵兼济，岂独善一身。
安得万里裘，盖裹周四垠。
稳暖皆如我，天下无寒人。

The cinnamon cloth is white as snow; the Wu silk is softer than cloud.
The cloth is heavy, the silk thick - the gown I make keeps a surplus of warmth.
In the morning I wrap myself till dusk; at night it covers me till dawn.
Who knew that in the harsh winter moon my limbs would feel warm as spring?
At midnight a thought suddenly strikes; I stroke the gown and rise, hesitant.
A true man values helping all - how could he perfect himself alone?
Oh for a ten-thousand-li gown that would wrap and cover the four borders;
that all might be as snug and warm as I, and no one under heaven know cold.

Listen

Meaning

Warm in his new gown, the poet wishes for a robe vast enough to shelter every poor person from cold.

桂地的布白得像雪，吴地的绵软过云朵。布厚重绵又厚实，做成袍子还有余温。早晨拥着坐到日暮，夜里盖着睡到清晨。谁料在这严冬腊月，肢体温暖如同春天。夜半忽然有所念想，抚摸着袍子起身徘徊。大丈夫贵在兼济天下，岂能独善自身。怎得一件万里长裘，覆盖包裹四方边境。使安稳温暖都如我一般，天下再无受寒之人。

Appreciation

Comfort at the hearth triggers conscience: the gown that warms one body becomes a wish to warm a world. Bai Juyi makes private ease the seed of public care.

【白话串讲】 “桂布白似雪，吴绵软于云”——白居易做了一件新棉袍：桂布白如雪。“谁知严冬月，支体暖如春”——“中夕忽有念，抚裘起逡巡”——“丈夫贵兼济，岂独善一身”——“安得万里裘，盖裹周四垠”——他忽然想：如果能有一件万里长的大衣，盖住天下所有穷人。白乐天的仁心。【意象与手法】前半写新制布裘之温暖舒适，“桂布白似雪，吴绵软于云”以雪喻布之白、以云喻绵之软，层层铺叙昼坐夜眠皆得其暖；后半由己及人，笔锋陡转，“中夕忽有念，抚裘起逡巡”由温暖中生出不安，“安得万里裘，盖裹周四垠”驰想将个人温饱升华为对天下寒士的关怀。由小及大、由实入虚，层层推进。【情感与主旨】言志五古，阐发儒家兼济天下之襟怀，与杜甫《茅屋为秋风所破歌》“大庇天下寒士俱欢颜”精神一脉相承，体现新乐府“为事而作、惟歌生民病”的写实精神与兼济之志。【名句点睛】常考“安得万里裘，盖裹周四垠。稳暖皆如我，天下无寒人”以万里裘写兼济天下；“丈夫贵兼济，岂独善一身”以兼济独善写襟怀。

Background

Written by Bai Juyi (772-846), a poet of the New Yuefu reform who prized social conscience. The poem extends the Confucian ideal of 'relief for all' into a personal vow.

《新制布裘》作于白居易任左拾遗、翰林学士的元和初年，是一首言志五古，与其晚年《新制绫袄成感而有咏》同一机杼。要读懂它，得先认识写下它的这个人，以及他当时站在什么样的位置上。白居易，字乐天，中唐伟大诗人，新乐府运动的倡导者，主张「文章合为时而著，歌诗合为事而作」。他早年意气风发，入朝便抱定「兼济天下」之志，左拾遗虽官阶不高，却是谏官，正值言路、敢言事。这首诗写的，是一件刚做好的布袍。桂布、吴绵，是当时上好的衣料；布裘即布絮之袍，厚实保暖。诗人拥袍坐卧，度过一个温暖如春的严冬，本可就此写一首「闲适」小诗。可白居易不是陶渊明式的隐逸闲适，他是儒家的「兼济」信徒——温暖之中，他忽然不安了：我一人暖了，天下还有多少受寒的人？这一念，便把一首物用之诗，翻成一首仁政之诗。这种「由己及人、由小及大」的转折，根植于白居易一生的精神底色。他服膺孟子「穷则独善其身，达则兼善天下」，却更重「达」时的责任；他也深染杜甫「大庇天下寒士俱欢颜」的民胞物与之怀。所以此诗不是矫情，而是一个儒家士大夫在暖袍里的真心惭愧。读懂这点，才能明白它为何被视作白居易早期积极用世抱负的真切写照，也才能明白「新制」二字的重量——每制一件衣，他都想起天下未衣之人。

Art

Begins in domestic comfort, turns on a midnight 'sudden thought,' and soars to the utopian 'ten-thousand-li gown' - a scale-shift from hearth to horizon.

此诗的艺术，在「由实入虚、以小见大」的层递结构。全诗十六句，前八句写「实」——布裘之暖；后八句写「虚」——由暖生念、由念及天下。实是铺叙，虚是升华，中间以「中夕忽有念」为转关，笔锋陡转，如平湖忽起波澜。前半的铺叙极见白诗本色：桂布白似雪，吴绵软于云，以雪喻布之白、以云喻绵之软，比喻家常却贴切；布重绵且厚，为裘有馀温，点出厚实；朝拥坐至暮，夜覆眠达晨，谁知严冬月，支体暖如春，写昼坐夜眠皆得其暖，虽值严冬而肢体如春，层层堆叙，亲切可信，像在跟你絮叨一件得意的新衣。这种「不避琐碎、以俗为亲」的写法，正是白诗平易晓畅的来处。后半的升华却毫不生硬：中夕忽有念，抚裘起逡巡，由温暖中生出不安与联想，一个「忽」字写念头的突兀，一个「逡巡」写起身徘徊的犹疑与激动；丈夫贵兼济，岂独善一身，是儒家襟怀的正面阐发；进而驰想安得万里裘，盖裹周四垠。稳暖皆如我，天下无寒人，把个人温饱升华为对天下寒士的普遍关怀。由实到虚，由私到公，过渡自然如呼吸，是白诗「意到笔随」的典范，也证明平易之语未必浅薄，亦可承载最厚的仁心。

Allusions

'Relief for all' versus 'perfecting oneself alone' is the classic Confucian pair from Mencius's 'gentleman.'

此诗用典不多，却句句踩在儒家仁政传统的肩上。桂布、吴绵是实物，桂指桂林一带所产木棉布，吴指吴地丝绵，皆唐时名产，点出衣料之珍，也暗含诗人虽居清要、用度尚俭的自况。丈夫贵兼济，岂独善一身，直接化用《孟子·尽心上》「穷则独善其身，达则兼善天下」，又近《礼记·大学》修齐治平之绪。白居易把「兼济」置于「独善」之上，表明自己身处可为之位，便不肯只暖一身——这是对孟子命题的主动选择，也是士大夫责任感的宣言。安得万里裘，盖裹周四垠，则明显遥接杜甫《茅屋为秋风所破歌》「安得广厦千万间，大庇天下寒士俱欢颜」的句式与精神。「安得」是杜白共用的呼唤词，万里裘对应广厦，周四垠对应天下寒士，稳暖皆如我对应俱欢颜。可以说，白居易是把杜甫的「厦」换成了「裘」，把诗人的冻馁之痛，换成士大夫的温饱之惭，精神一脉相承。这种「代圣人立言、与古人同心」的写法，让一首个人闲诗，接上了孔孟到杜甫的仁政血脉，也正因如此，它才被反复拿来与《茅屋》并提。

Commentary

A direct ancestor of Bai's famous 'opening the granaries' poems; its warmth becomes political hope. The closing line is often quoted as his humanitarian creed.

《新制布裘》在白居易诗里，是与《新制绫袄成感而有咏》并列的「兼济双璧」，也是理解白氏早期精神的关键文本。宋代以来，论者多把它与杜甫《茅屋为秋风所破歌》同奉为「民胞物与」的典范。苏轼说白居易「平生所得，惟在杭州、苏州」，未免窄看了他早年谏官时期的怀抱；其实《新制布裘》里的「天下无寒人」，与《卖炭翁》《观刈麦》里的恤民之诚，原是一以贯之。值得分辨的是，此诗的「兼济」不是口号，而是从「暖袍里的一丝不安」长出来的——它诚实，因为起点是私人的舒适，终点是公共的关怀，中间那一下「忽有念」的良心震动，比任何慷慨陈词都真。清人评白诗，或嫌其「浅」，殊不知这种浅是「老妪能解」的浅，是儒家仁心最朴素的表达；它不靠典故堆叠取胜，而靠情真与理直。近人论新乐府，常以此诗印证白居易「惟歌生民病」的写实精神：它写的是一件袍，疼的却是天下寒人。把《新制布裘》与晚年《新制绫袄成》并读尤有意思——早年写布裘，是「兼济」的志；晚年写绫袄，仍是「心中为念农桑苦，耳里如闻饥冻声」的惭，志未改而境已迁。一首小诗，照见白居易一生未冷的热心，也照见中国士大夫「不忍」二字的真传统。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient-style (wugu) narrative五言古诗（言志五古，十六句，非严格近体，属新乐府古调）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'cloud' (yun), 'warmth' (wen), 'dawn' (chen), 'spring' (chun), 'hesitant' (xun), 'alone' (shen), 'borders' (yin), 'cold' (ren) - level-tone groups.前段云、温、晨、春押平声真文韵，后段身、垠、人押平声真韵，换韵自然，随由实入虚的层次转换，声情由亲切而开阔。

Tone pattern Ancient style, not strictly regulated.五古不拘严整平仄，此诗多用平声舒缓收束，前半写暖用温润之韵，后半写志用开阔之韵，声调随情转，不取近体之铿锵。

Reading note Plain, warm, and morally urgent; a signature Bai Juyi civic poem.《新制布裘》是五古而非律诗，所以它不被粘对束缚，得以从容铺叙一件袍的来龙去脉，再悠然升起万里之想——这种「由实入虚」的从容，正是古体长于叙事说理的好处。它的声韵随层次走：前半写布裘之暖，用真文一脉平声韵，温润如拥袍；到「中夕忽有念」后转入兼济之思，韵随情开，周四垠、天下无寒人的元音更阔，像胸怀一下子撑到四方。更妙在节奏。五古句式自由，白居易却用得极匀：桂布白似雪，吴绵软于云，两两对举；朝拥坐至暮，夜覆眠达晨，日夜对写。这种匀净的节奏，把「温暖」写得像呼吸一样自然，也把后文的「忽有念」衬得更突兀。读它不必求律，而求该其「平易中有筋骨」——声不喧哗，仁心却透纸。这正是白诗「言浅意深」在声律上的体现：不靠险韵奇字，而靠平实之语承载最厚的同情。

Line by line

桂布白似雪，吴绵软于云。

The cinnamon cloth is white as snow; the Wu silk is softer than cloud.

桂地的布白得像雪，吴地的绵软过云朵。

Cassia-cloth is white as snow; Wu down is softer than cloud.

开篇两句，是白诗「以俗为亲」的典型笔法。桂布指桂林一带所产木棉布，吴绵指吴地丝绵，都是唐时上好的衣料；诗人不写产地如何名贵，而用「白似雪」「软于云」两个家常比喻，把布之白、绵之软写得人人可感。雪与云都是日常可见的物，却恰好击中「洁」与「柔」两种质感——布白如雪，是视觉的净；绵软过云，是触觉的轻。这两个比喻不奇不险，却极贴切，正合白居易「老妪能解」的主张。更深的用意在于：先极写衣料之美，是为后文「温暖」与「不安」铺垫——这样一件好袍穿在身上，暖是应当的，可正因暖得如此妥帖，后文那一下「忽有念」才显得理所当然。起笔越平实，转折越有力。

The opening two lines are Bai's typical method of making the homely dear. Cassia-cloth means the kapok cloth from the Guilin region; Wu down the silk floss of Wu, both fine fabrics of Tang times. The poet does not write how noble the producing regions, but uses two household similes - white as snow, softer than cloud - making the cloth's whiteness and the floss's softness sensible to all. Snow and cloud are everyday sights, yet exactly hit the two textures of cleanness and softness: cloth white as snow is visual purity; down softer than cloud is tactile lightness. The two similes are neither strange nor dangerous, yet extremely apt, fitting Bai's old-woman-can-understand principle. The deeper purpose: first writing the fabric's beauty to prepare the warmth and the unease below - such a fine robe on the body, warmth is to be expected; precisely because the warmth fits so well, the sudden thought below becomes natural. The plainer the opening, the more forceful the turn.

丈夫贵兼济，岂独善一身。

A true man values helping all - how could he perfect himself alone?

大丈夫贵在兼济天下，岂能独善自身。

The true man values relieving the whole world; how could he care only for his own welfare?

这是全诗由实入虚的脊梁，也是白居易正面亮出的儒家襟怀。它直接化用《孟子》「穷则独善其身，达则兼善天下」，却做了一个主动的价值排序：丈夫（大丈夫，也是诗人自许）最可贵的，是兼济天下，岂能只独善一身？一个「贵」字立了标准，一个「岂」字反诘得坚决，把「兼济」置于「独善」之上。值得注意的是时机的选择：诗人此时正任左拾遗，是「达」的位置，所以他不肯只暖自己，而要念天下——这不是空洞的口号，而是对「在其位谋其政」的自觉。这两句把前面八句的私人温暖，一下接上了孔孟的仁政血脉，也让后文的「万里裘」之想有了理据。读它，要读出白居易的「敢」：一个写闲适诗的诗人，偏在暖袍里说出兼济的硬话。

This is the poem's spine turning from the solid to the void, and the Confucian bosom Bai Juyi shows frontally. It directly adapts Mencius: in poverty, cultivate yourself alone; in eminence, benefit the whole world - yet makes an active value ordering: the true man (the true man, also the poet's self-praise) is most precious in benefiting the world; how could he care only for himself? One precious sets the standard; one how could asks decisively, placing benefiting the world above cultivating self. Note the timing: the poet then held the Left Remonstrance, the eminence position; so he refuses to warm only himself, but thinks of the world - no hollow slogan, but the consciousness of holding office means serving. These two lines connect the previous eight's private warmth to the仁-political bloodline of Confucius and Mencius at once, and give the later ten-thousand-li cloak thought its ground. Reading it, one must feel Bai's daring: a poet writing leisurely verse, yet speaking the hard words of benefiting the world within a warm robe.

安得万里裘，盖裹周四垠。

Oh for a ten-thousand-li gown that would wrap and cover the four borders;

怎得一件万里长裘，覆盖包裹四方边境。

How could I get a ten-thousand-li cloak to cover the four borders?

这一联是全诗想象的腾飞，也是遥接杜甫《茅屋为秋风所破歌》「安得广厦千万间」的直接回声。安得是杜白共用的呼唤词，带着「恨不能」的焦灼；万里裘则把前面那件私人的布袍，无限放大成一件能盖裹四方边境的巨裘。周四垠即四方边界，意指天下尽被覆盖。妙在它不写「给每人一件袍」，而写「一件万里裘盖裹所有人」——这是一种诗的夸张，也是一种仁的极境：不是施舍，而是同覆。杜甫用「广厦」包住寒士，白居易用「万里裘」裹住天下，意象不同，精神全同。这一联把「兼济」从道理变成了画面，让抽象的仁政理想，有了可感的温度与边界。它证明：平易如白诗，想象力照样能飞到万里之外。

This couplet is the poem's imagined flight, the direct echo of Du Fu's how could I get ten thousand grand halls in the Song Thatched Cottage Unroofed by the Autumn Wind. How could I get is the shared cry-word of Du and Bai, carrying the how I wish I could not; the ten-thousand-li cloak infinitely enlarges the previous private cloth robe into a great cloak covering the four borders. Covering the four borders means the four boundaries, the whole world covered. The art lies in not writing give each man a robe, but one ten-thousand-li cloak covering everyone - a poetic hyperbole, and the extreme of仁: not alms, but common covering. Du Fu uses grand halls to shelter the cold scholars; Bai uses the ten-thousand-li cloak to wrap the world; imagery differs, spirit identical. This couplet turns benefiting the world from principle into picture, giving the abstract仁-political ideal sensible warmth and borders. It proves: however plain Bai's verse, imagination can fly ten thousand li.

稳暖皆如我，天下无寒人。

that all might be as snug and warm as I, and no one under heaven know cold.

使安稳温暖都如我一般，天下再无受寒之人。

That all might be secure and warm as I am, and no one under heaven suffer cold.

尾联收束，是全诗仁心的最终落点，也是千古传诵的誓愿。稳暖皆如我，是愿望的内核——愿天下人的安稳温暖，都像我此刻拥袍一般；天下无寒人，是愿望的终点——再没有一个受寒的人。这十个字，把一件袍的温暖，扩成一种普世的福利，格局之大，与杜甫「大庇天下寒士俱欢颜」同一重量。最动人的是「如我」二字：白居易不居高临下地「施恩」，而以「和我一样暖」为标尺，隐含一种平等与同理——我享的，你也该享；我暖了，便不忍你寒。这种「不忍」之心，正是儒家仁学的活水。全诗到此，从布裘的闲适，走到了天下无寒人的宏愿，由小及大、由实入虚，一气呵成，是白居易早期积极用世抱负的真切写照，也照见中国士大夫「民胞物与」的真传统。

The closing couplet resolves, the仁-heart's final landing, the age-famous vow. That all might be secure and warm as I am is the wish's core - may the world's security and warmth be like my present robe; no one under heaven suffer cold is the wish's end - not one cold person left. These ten characters expand one robe's warmth into a universal welfare, its scale equal to Du Fu's shelter all the cold scholars of the world in joy. The most moving are as I am: Bai does not condescend to bestow grace, but takes as warm as I am as the measure, secretly holding equality and fellow-feeling - what I enjoy, you should enjoy; now I am warm, I cannot bear your cold. This cannot bear heart is the living water of Confucian仁. The poem here moves from the cloth robe's leisure to the grand vow of no cold man under heaven, from small to large, from solid to void, one breath - the true portrait of Bai's early active ambition, and the true tradition of the Chinese scholar's all men are my brothers.

Study

Word focus

白似雪 / 软于云 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 这两组比喻，是白诗平易美学的标本。雪写布之白净，云写绵之轻柔，都是不须注解的寻常物，却精准命中视觉与触觉。白居易宁用「似雪」「于云」也不用丽词骈语，正为「老妪能解」。但平易不等于浅薄：雪带洁、云带柔，暗含诗人对衣料之品（洁而不奢）的取舍，也为后文「暖」与「惭」埋了伏笔。俗中见雅，是白诗最难学处。

有馀温 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 有馀温三字，是全诗前半的眼。布重绵厚，做成袍子「有馀温」——不只是暖，而是暖而有余，是绰绰有余的安稳。这一个「馀」字极要紧：它写的是富足感，也暗含一种「我有多出来的暖」的潜台词，正好引出后文「天下还有无暖之人」的不安。白诗炼字常在不经意处，馀温便是一例：暖得刚刚好，惭也来得刚刚好。遍检白诗，馀字屡见而其意各别，此处有馀温的馀却最见巧思：它不是多余的余，而是丰盈的余、可分享的余。正因袍中有馀，诗人才会生出天下尚有不足之人的联想，这馀便成了由私暖通向公怀的一座暗桥。若无此一字，温暖只是温暖；有了此一字，温暖便有了重量与方向，兼济之念由此悄然生发。

忽有念 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 忽有念是全诗转关的发动机。忽字写念头的突兀——不是筹划好的，而是在暖袍里猛然一震；有念是良心的不安。这两个字把一个儒家士大夫的「不忍」写活了：温暖本该让人沉醉，他却偏偏在温暖中惊醒。这一下「忽」，把一首闲适诗翻成仁政诗，是全诗最关键的转折。没有它，后面皆是空谈；有了它，兼济之志才显得真心而非作态。

逡巡 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 逡巡本指有所顾虑而徘徊不前，这里写诗人「抚裘起逡巡」——摸着袍子起身，来回踱步。这一个动作，把内心的激动与犹疑写成了身体语言：他不是淡然一想，而是被念头攫住、起身徘徊。逡巡让「兼济」之念有了重量与体温，也见出白居易下笔的诚实——理想来时，人是会不安地走动的。以态写心，工在毫厘。逡巡与忽有念恰好构成一内一外的呼应：念生于内，是念头的突兀；逡巡形于外，是身体的不安，内外相发，把一个儒者良知被触动时的真实状态写得纤毫毕现。白居易不写于是立志式的直白转折，而写抚裘起逡巡的动作犹豫，正是因为他懂得：真正的善念来时，人不是斩钉截铁，而是徘徊复徘徊。这一笔的诚实，使后文万里裘的宏愿格外可信。

安得 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 安得是杜白共有的呼唤词，意为「怎得、恨不能」。它自带一种焦灼与渴望，把静态的愿望变成动态的呼喊。杜甫「安得广厦千万间」，白居易「安得万里裘」，同一词根，同一种「恨不得立刻办到」的仁者之急。安得二字，让全诗从叙述跳入抒情，也让「兼济」不再是道理，而成了心头的一声响亮的「恨不能」。从修辞看，安得属反诘式愿望，它本身包含一种知其难而故问的张力：万里裘岂是人力可成？明知不可，仍要问、仍要愿，这不可能反而把仁心的厚度衬得更真。它上接孟子如欲平治天下的担当，下启后世安得体的呼愿传统，几乎成了中国仁人志士表达位卑未敢忘忧国时的通用起句。白诗平易，而此二字却自有千钧。