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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

饮中八仙歌

Song of the Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup

杜甫

Du Fu

唐Theme 杜甫Theme 七古Theme 饮酒Drinking 群像Theme

知章骑马似乘船，眼花落井水底眠。
汝阳三斗始朝天，道逢麹车口流涎，恨不移封向酒泉。
左相日兴费万钱，饮如长鲸吸百川，衔杯乐圣称避贤。
宗之潇洒美少年，举觞白眼望青天，皎如玉树临风前。
苏晋长斋绣佛前，醉中往往爱逃禅。
李白斗酒诗百篇，长安市上酒家眠，天子呼来不上船，自称臣是酒中仙。
张旭三杯草圣传，脱帽露顶王公前，挥毫落纸如云烟。
焦遂五斗方卓然，高谈雄辩惊四筵。

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Meaning

A lively group portrait of eight Tang luminaries and their love of wine, each captured in a vivid, caricature-like stroke.

贺知章醉后骑马像乘船，眼花跌进井里竟在水底安眠。汝阳王饮三斗才去朝见天子，路上遇见酒曲车口水直流，恨不能把封地移到酒泉。左相李适之每日豪兴花费万钱，饮酒如长鲸吞吸百川，举杯称颂圣明自称避贤。崔宗之是个潇洒美少年，举杯傲然白眼望青天，皎洁如玉树临风面前。苏晋在绣佛前长期斋戒，醉中却常常逃开禅戒。李白斗酒能写诗百篇，在长安市上酒家安眠，天子呼召也不上船，自称臣是酒中仙。张旭三杯落笔便传草圣之名，在王公面前脱帽露顶，挥毫落纸如云烟。焦遂饮下五斗才显卓然，高谈雄辩惊动四座筵席。

Appreciation

Du Fu's 'Song of the Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup' is a rare feat of serial group portraiture in Chinese poetry, composed in his youth to celebrate eight contemporary luminaries--He Zhizhang, Li Bai, Zhang Xu and others--united by their love of wine. Rather than moralizing, the poem sketches each figure in one or two comic, hyperbolic strokes: He Zhizhang 'rides as if aboard a boat' and sleeps at the bottom of a well; Li Bai writes a hundred poems per gallon and, summoned by the Emperor, refuses to board, crying 'I am the immortal of wine'; Zhang Xu bares his head before princes and lets his brush fall 'like rolling cloud and mist.' These vivid details, never an argument, let each personality blaze through. The irregular seven-character line lengths themselves mimic the uninhibited, tipsy rhythm of the subjects, so form and content dance together. Lighthearted yet affectionate, the poem captures the free, self-releasing spirit of High Tang literati and stands apart from Du Fu's usual grave register as a joyful group portrait of an era's creative freedom.

【白话串讲】杜甫写《饮中八仙歌》，写八个爱喝酒的名人：“知章骑马似乘船”——贺知章。“左相日兴费万钱，饮如长鲸吸百川”——“宗之潇洒美少年，举觞白眼望青天”——“李白斗酒诗百篇，长安市上酒家眠”——“天子呼来不上船，自称臣是酒中仙”——杜甫写李白，写得最传神。【意象与手法】以速写笔法为贺知章、李白、张旭等八位嗜酒名士绘制“肖像诗”，不见议论，只以“乘船”“水底眠”“斗酒诗百篇”“脱帽露顶”等鲜活细节逐一勾勒各人醉态风神。结构似断实连，节奏跳宕如乐。【情感与主旨】以轻快笔调写八仙同嗜酒、同豪放却各具面貌，映出盛唐时代文人纵情自放的胸襟。既见其对先辈的倾慕，也为盛唐文人精神留下一幅生动群像，在杜诗中别树一格。【名句点睛】常考“李白斗酒诗百篇，长安市上酒家眠”以斗酒诗百篇写李白之狂放；“天子呼来不上船，自称臣是酒中仙”以不上船写李白蔑视权贵。

Background

Composed by Du Fu in his youth, celebrating eight contemporaries famed for their drinking — including He Zhizhang, Li Bai, Zhang Xu and others. A rare piece of serial portraiture in Chinese poetry.

《饮中八仙歌》是杜甫以速写笔法为贺知章、李白、张旭等八位嗜酒名士绘制的肖像诗，约作于唐玄宗天宝五载前后，时杜甫初到长安，尚未陷入后来的困顿，诗中尚带轻快明朗之气。八人者：贺知章、汝阳王李琎、左相李适之、崔宗之、苏晋、李白、张旭、焦遂，皆盛唐名士，或以位显，或以才高，或以艺术名世，而同以嗜酒豪放相契。杜甫以尚欠沉郁之年的轻快笔调写之，既见其对先辈名流的倾慕，也为盛唐文人纵情自放的胸襟留下一幅生动群像。唐代饮风极盛，文人以酒助兴、以醉为雅，从初唐四杰到盛唐李杜，酒几乎是诗与士的共用媒介；而杜甫此诗不着议论、纯以白描速写，于杜集中别树一格。读此诗，须把它放回盛唐气象最浓烈的那几十年，那是一个文人还能纵情自放、以醉为荣的时代，而杜甫后来沉郁顿挫的国难之音，此刻尚未到来，诗中这份轻快，恰是盛唐留给他的最后一抹亮色，也是理解杜甫人格丰富性的重要一页。

Art

Each figure is sketched in one or two brushstrokes with hyperbole and comedy; the poem's irregular seven-character line lengths mirror the uninhibited, tipsy energy of its subjects.

全诗不见议论，只以乘船、水底眠、斗酒诗百篇、脱帽露顶等鲜活细节，逐一勾勒各人醉态风神，结构似断实连，节奏跳宕如乐。首写贺知章醉骑如乘船、落井水底眠，以滑稽写其疏狂；次写汝阳王三斗朝天、涎向酒泉，以夸张写其贪杯；再写李适之长鲸吸川、乐圣避贤，以气度写其豪阔；崔宗之玉树临风、白眼青天，写少年潇洒；苏晋醉中逃禅，写其矛盾；李白斗酒诗百篇、天子呼来不上船，写其傲岸；张旭脱帽露顶、挥毫如云烟，写其狂草之狂；焦遂五斗卓然、雄辩惊筵，写其谈锋。八段各自成章，却又以酒为线串成一串明珠。其艺术之要，在于白描速写、以细节立人，在于三、五、七言错杂的歌行体带来的音乐跳宕，在于以轻快笔调写群像而各尽其态。杜甫以尚带少年气的明朗，把八个人的醉，写成了一个时代的醉，于杜诗中独标轻捷一格。八仙各尽其态而共以酒串之，盛唐风骨于焉可见。

Allusions

酒中仙 (immortal of wine) for Li Bai; 草圣 (Sage of Grass) for Zhang Xu, the calligrapher whose wild cursive script was legendary; 酒泉 (Wine Spring), a place-name played on as a literal fountain of wine.

诗中人物皆实有所指，用典与借意多在名号与故实。贺知章，自号四明狂客，晚年尤狂，杜甫写其乘船落井，正抓其狂态；汝阳王李琎，唐玄宗兄子，封汝阳郡王，麹车指酒曲车，酒泉为郡名，恨不移封向酒泉用汉代酒泉郡之典，写其贪杯之痴。左相李适之，天宝间为左相，后为李林甫所陷罢相，衔杯乐圣称避贤，乐圣避贤化用李适之《罢相作》避贤初罢相，乐圣且衔杯，杜甫以诗中人自己的诗句入诗，极见体贴。崔宗之，袭封齐国公，玉树临风本出《世说新语》以玉树喻人之风姿，写其俊爽。苏晋，长斋奉佛却醉中逃禅，逃禅一语双关，既离佛又近酒。李白斗酒诗百篇，用李白自况与世传；张旭，草书称草圣，脱帽露顶写其作书时狂态；焦遂，载其口吃而醉后善谈。这些故实，经杜甫剪裁，各成一帧，使肖像诗有史有传，亦见盛唐人物风流的实录笔法，旧典与今人浑然一体。

Commentary

Rather than moralizing, Du Fu delights in eccentricity, turning a drinking circle into a pantheon of liberated spirits — a fond, lightly mocking tribute from one poet to his peers.

此诗历来被视为盛唐气象与名士风流的缩影，在杜诗中别树一格。宋人黄庭坚、杨万里皆喜其跳宕之趣；明人胡应麟《诗薮》谓其错综八句、极尽变化，于杜集独为奇绝；近人论杜，多以《饮中八仙歌》与《丽人行》《兵车行》并观，认为它代表了杜甫早年取法汉魏歌行的轻捷一面。此诗之妙，论者多在似断实连的结构——八人八段，各不相涉，却以酒一线串起，读来如观连环画像，节奏如乐；亦在白描立人的本领，乘船、水底眠、不上船、脱帽露顶，皆一二细节而神气全出。亦有学者指出，此诗写于杜甫困顿之前，故全无后来沉郁顿挫之痛，反见盛唐文人纵情自放的胸襟，是理解杜甫人格与时代关系的重要标本。八仙同嗜酒、同豪放，却各具面貌，恰恰映出那个时代文人如何以醉自放、以狂自全，其价值不仅在于诗艺，更在于为一时代留影，使千年后的读者仍能想见盛唐士人的眉眼。

Prosody

Form English explanation is being prepared.七言歌行（七古，句式三、五、七字错杂，一韵到底，平声先韵）

Rhyme English explanation is being prepared.基本上押平水韵下平一先：船、眠、天、泉、川、贤、前、禅、篇、船、仙、传、前、烟、然、筵，一韵贯穿全篇，音声洪亮流转，恰配群像轻快跳宕的节奏。

Tone pattern English explanation is being prepared.歌行体本不苛求近体粘对，句式以七言为主，间以三言（如衔杯乐圣称避贤）、五言（如宗之潇洒美少年）错杂，平仄随语气自然起伏，贵在畅达奔放而非工整。各段以韵脚收束，似断实连。

Reading note Seven-character ancient poem (七古) with deliberately irregular line lengths and rapid shifts, breaking formal decorum to match its boisterous theme.此诗为七言歌行，属杜甫早年取法汉魏的轻捷一体，与后来沉郁顿挫的律诗截然不同。其声律之妙，首在一韵到底而句法错杂：通篇基本押平水韵下平一先，音声流转如贯珠，却又在三、五、七言之间自由换步，使八段肖像读来如乐之起承转合，跳宕而不散漫。歌行体本不讲究近体诗的粘对与对仗，杜甫正借其自由，把八个人的醉态写得各逞其态、互不雷同。节奏上，每段或三句或四句，长短随人物性情而定——写贺知章的滑稽用短促，写李白的傲岸用绵长，写张旭的狂草用奔放，声情与人物同构。读其声，先闻其乐，再见其人，正见歌行体最宜于写群像、写酣畅、写盛唐之亮色，亦见杜甫并非只有沉郁一面。

Line by line

知章骑马似乘船，眼花落井水底眠。

He Zhizhang rides his horse as if aboard a boat; dizzy, he tumbles into a well and sleeps at the bottom.

贺知章醉后骑马像乘船，眼花跌进井里竟在水底安眠。

He Zhizhang rides horseback as if aboard a boat; his eyes swim, he falls in the well, and sleeps at the bottom.

起笔写贺知章，是八仙肖像的第一帧，也是全诗轻快基调的定音。知章骑马似乘船，以乘船喻醉骑的摇摇晃晃，一个似字把醉态写得滑稽可爱，不写醉而醉态毕露；眼花落井水底眠，更推进一层——醉到眼花，竟跌进井里，不呼救不挣扎，反在水底安然眠去，这种不合常理的安然，正是贺知章四明狂客式疏狂的极致。这两句的好处，在纯用白描、不着一字评，却把一个老名士的醉与狂写得活灵活现，读者几乎能看见他晃晃悠悠栽下井去的滑稽与天真。杜甫以速写起手，先立一狂，为后面七仙各逞其态拉开序幕，亦见盛唐文人连失态都失得可爱、失得风流。

The opening writes He Zhizhang, the first portrait of the Eight Immortals, also the fixing of the poem's light, brisk keynote. He Zhizhang rides horseback as if aboard a boat uses aboard a boat to metaphorize the drunken ride's swaying; one as makes the drunkenness comical and endearing - not writing drunkenness, yet drunkenness fully exposed. His eyes swim, he falls in the well, and sleeps at the bottom goes a step further - drunk to swimming eyes, he falls into the well; no cry for help, no struggle, instead sleeping peacefully at the bottom. This unreasonable peace is precisely the extreme of He Zhizhang the madman of Siming. These two lines' excellence lies in pure plain drawing, not one word of judgment, yet an old scholar's drunkenness and madness are written vividly; the reader can almost see his comical, innocent tumble into the well. Du Fu opens with a quick sketch, first setting one madman, drawing the curtain for the later seven immortals each showing their ways; also showing that High-Tang literati even lose composure endearingly, with style.

李白斗酒诗百篇，长安市上酒家眠，天子呼来不上船，自称臣是酒中仙。

Li Bai writes a hundred poems per gallon of wine, dozing in Chang'an taverns; when the Emperor summons, he will not board the boat, crying, 'I am the immortal of wine!'

李白斗酒能写诗百篇，在长安市上酒家安眠，天子呼召也不上船，自称臣是酒中仙。

Li Bai, a peck of wine and a hundred poems; on Chang'an's markets he sleeps in the wine shop; the Son of Heaven calls, yet he will not board the boat, claiming I am the wine immortal.

写李白的一段，是全诗最耀亮的高潮，也是八仙中唯一被推到极处的一仙。斗酒诗百篇，以夸张写其才与酒互为泉源；长安市上酒家眠，写其不拘礼法、与市井同卧的平民气；天子呼来不上船，是最高潮的一笔——天子的召唤都唤不动，傲岸至此，已非贪杯，而是对皇权的一种醉里睥睨；自称臣是酒中仙，以自封的仙号收束，把傲岸升华为一种超越尘俗的身份。这四句把李白写成了酒与诗与傲的合一，也把杜甫对李白的倾慕写到了极致。在八仙之中，唯李白被赋予对抗天子的笔力，可见杜甫心中，李白的位置不只是酒友，更是不可羁勒的精神高峰，是盛唐最傲的一道光。

The passage on Li Bai is the poem's brightest climax, also the only immortals pushed to the extreme among the eight. A peck of wine and a hundred poems uses hyperbole to write his talent and wine as mutual sources. On Chang'an's markets he sleeps in the wine shop writes his unbinding by ritual, his commoner's ease of sleeping with the market folk. The Son of Heaven calls, yet he will not board the boat is the highest stroke - even the Son of Heaven's summons cannot move him; pride to this point is not fondness for wine, but a drunken disdain of imperial power. Claiming I am the wine immortal closes in a self-conferred immortal title, sublimating pride into an identity beyond the mortal world. These four lines write Li Bai as the unity of wine, poetry, and pride, and write Du Fu's admiration for Li Bai to the utmost. Among the eight immortals, only Li Bai is given the brush-power to defy the Son of Heaven; showing that in Du Fu's heart, Li Bai's place was not only a wine companion, but an untrammeled spiritual peak, the proudest light of the High Tang.

张旭三杯草圣传，脱帽露顶王公前，挥毫落纸如云烟。

Zhang Xu, after three cups, earns his name as the Sage of Grass Script; bare-headed before dukes and princes, his brush falls on paper like rolling cloud and mist.

张旭三杯落笔便传草圣之名，在王公面前脱帽露顶，挥毫落纸如云烟。

Zhang Xu, three cups, and the sage of cursive is famed; baring his head before princes and dukes, he sweeps the brush onto paper like cloud and smoke.

写张旭的一段，是八仙中最见艺术狂态的一帧。张旭三杯草圣传，以点明其草书圣手之名，酒是开启狂草的钥匙；脱帽露顶王公前，写其作书时不拘礼法、在权贵面前也坦露头顶的放浪，王公二字愈显其狂之无畏；挥毫落纸如云烟，以云烟喻其笔势的奔放不羁、瞬息万变。这三句把书法、酒、狂三者熔成一炉，张旭的草圣不是苦练出来的，是三杯酒逼出来的，是脱帽露顶的放出来的。杜甫以极简的速写，抓住了艺术创作中最神秘的一刻——当礼法卸下、酒意上来，天才便如云烟般自由喷薄。在八仙群像里，张旭代表的不只是饮者，更是以醉通艺的创造者，是盛唐艺术精神最淋漓的写照。

The passage on Zhang Xu is the frame among the eight most showing artistic madness. Zhang Xu, three cups, and the sage of cursive is famed names his title as the cursive sage; wine is the key that opens wild cursive. Baring his head before princes and dukes writes his unbinding by ritual in writing, baring his pate even before the powerful; princes and dukes all the more shows his fearless madness. He sweeps the brush onto paper like cloud and smoke uses cloud and smoke to metaphorize the brush's untrammeled momentum, its instant change. These three lines fuse calligraphy, wine, and madness into one furnace; Zhang Xu's sage of cursive is not trained, but forced out by three cups, released by the bared head. Du Fu's extreme quick sketch seizes the most mysterious moment in artistic creation - when ritual is laid down and wine rises, genius freely pours forth like cloud and smoke. In the eight-immortal group portrait, Zhang Xu represents not only a drinker, but the creator who reaches art through drunkenness, the most vivid portrait of the High-Tang artistic spirit.

Study

Word focus

似乘船 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 似乘船是写贺知章起句最传神的三字，也是全诗白描立人的第一笔。骑马本该平稳，醉后却似乘船，一个似字把醉中摇晃的身姿写得既真切又滑稽——不是真乘船，而是醉眼里的世界在晃，连马背都成了波上的舟。这个比喻的妙处，在以日常经验写非常状态：人人知道乘船的晃，人人便能想见贺知章醉骑的晃。似字含着一种温和的调侃，不贬不褒，只把老名士的醉态轻轻勾出，却已见其狂。杜甫用最浅近的比方立住一个人，正见肖像诗速写之能事；这三个字也为全篇定下以轻写狂、以俗写雅的基调，后来的水底眠、不上船，皆从此似字里摇摇晃晃地生长出来。

酒中仙 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 酒中仙是写李白一段的收束之号，也是八仙题面最精妙的落脚点。李白不称诗仙、不称醉客，而自称臣是酒中仙，把酒与仙直接画了等号——在醉里，他不是臣子，是超越了朝堂的仙。这个自称的傲，在于它当着天子呼来的语境说出来：你唤我上船我不上，因为我已是酒中仙，不归你管。酒中仙三字，把李白的傲岸从行为升华为身份，从一时的醉升华为永恒的自由。杜甫借李白自己的口封他为仙，既写出李白的狂，也写出自己对这种狂的倾倒。一题八仙，终以李白为仙，可见在杜甫心中，酒之于李白，早已不是饮品，而是成仙的药，是盛唐最不可羁勒的一种精神。

脱帽露顶 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 脱帽露顶是写张旭最惊心的一组动作，也是盛唐文人狂态的极致外化。在等级森严的唐代，冠帽是礼法与身份的标记，脱帽露顶等于当众卸下礼法的外壳；而地点是王公前，偏偏在权贵面前这样做，狂意便有了对抗的意味。张旭不是为了无礼而无礼，而是作书之时，天机骤至、礼法尽忘，头顶一露，便是最本真的创造状态。这四个字以动作立人，比任何形容都更见其狂，亦见艺术与酒相遇时人如何挣脱束缚。杜甫抓的正是这一瞬：不是写他写了什么字，而是写他怎样卸下头顶的冠、露出本来的自己。脱帽露顶因此成了中国艺术精神里一个经典的身体符号——真正的创造，始于对礼法的暂时离席。