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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

早发白帝城

Departing from White Emperor City at Dawn

李白

Li Bai

写景Scenery 畅快Joyful

朝辞白帝彩云间，千里江陵一日还。
两岸猿声啼不住，轻舟已过万重山。

At dawn I left White Emperor City in the clouds,
Thousands of miles to Jiangling I return in a day.
On both shores monkeys cry endlessly,
My light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains.

Listen

Meaning

At dawn, I bid farewell to White Emperor City surrounded by colorful clouds. Traveling downstream, I reach Jiangling, a thousand miles away, in just one day. The cries of monkeys on both banks haven't ceased, yet my light boat has already passed countless mountains.

清晨告别了彩云缭绕的白帝城，顺流而下，千里之外的江陵一日便可抵达。两岸猿声还在耳边啼叫不停，轻快的小舟却早已驶过了万重山峦。

Appreciation

This poem captures the poet's ecstatic joy upon receiving a pardon. With rapid pacing and vivid imagery, it conveys a sense of liberation and speed. The contrast of time and space, the sound of monkeys, and the lightness of the boat all combine to express the poet's relief and elation.

【白话串讲】李白被流放夜郎，半路遇赦，第二天一早从白帝城乘船而下，一天走完千里。轻舟已过万重山——那不只是船快，是一个人重获自由的心跳。【意象与手法】全诗一气直下，节奏轻疾如舟行水流。“朝辞”“一日还”极言其速【情感与主旨】唐肃宗乾元二年，李白因入永王李璘幕府获罪，长流夜郎，行至夔州白帝城忽逢大赦【名句点睛】常考借景抒情，“朝辞白帝彩云间”的轻快基调；“千里江陵一日还”夸张舟速；“轻舟已过万重山”以猿声衬畅快

Background

In the second year of Emperor Suzong's Qianyuan reign (759 AD), Li Bai was exiled to Yelang for joining Prince Li Lin's staff. When he reached the White Emperor City in Kuizhou, he unexpectedly received a pardon. Overjoyed, he immediately took a boat eastward to Jiangling, composing this swift poem.

李白，字太白，号青莲居士，盛唐浪漫主义诗歌之巅峰，其生平出入长安、漫游南北，诗风豪放飘逸。此诗题一作下江陵，写于唐肃宗乾元二年春。天宝十五载安史乱起，永王李璘镇江陵起兵，李白入其幕府；及李璘败，白受牵连，长流夜郎（今贵州桐梓一带）。次年行至夔州白帝城，忽逢朝廷大赦，罪责既免，惊喜交迸，遂买舟东下，一日之间顺流抵江陵，乃作此诗以记其畅快。白帝城在瞿塘峡口，地势高峻，朝云暮雨，故称彩云间；江陵今湖北荆州，距白帝约千里而江流湍急，下水顺风一日可至。在文学传统上，此诗承江淹别赋、水经注长江之急湍意象，又开宋人快诗一脉，以舟行如飞写心境之舒，遂成写流放遇赦、畅快淋漓之绝唱，千载传诵。白帝城在瞿塘峡口，地势高峻，朝云暮雨，故称彩云间；江陵今湖北荆州，距白帝约千里而江流湍急，下水顺风一日可至。此诗承江淹别赋、水经注长江之急湍意象，又开宋人快诗一脉，以舟行如飞写心境之舒。李白遇赦而还，摆脱流放桎梏，心境如江流奔放，遂有此作，其畅快不仅在一时之喜，更在精神之解放，故能成唐人写遇赦之绝唱，千载传诵而不衰。

Art

The poem flows in one breath, with a rhythm as swift as a boat riding the current. 'Morning departure' and 'return in one day' emphasize speed. The monkeys' cries create an auditory effect, while the 'light boat' symbolizes both physical lightness and emotional relief. The scene embodies the emotion without overt expression, a hallmark of Li Bai's style.

全诗四句，章法以时空之急骤流转写心境之畅适，一气直下如舟行水流。首句朝辞白帝彩云间，点明清晨辞别与城之高峻绚烂，彩云间三字设色明丽，先立轻快之调；次句千里江陵一日还，以千里对一日，空间之遥与时间之促强烈反差，夸张舟速之疾，还字尤见归返之喜。三四句两岸猿声啼不住，轻舟已过万重山，以猿声不绝衬轻舟之速，以万重山之重衬轻舟之轻，动静、轻重相生，愈写其畅。修辞上纯用白描与夸张，不著议论而欢愉自见；意象上彩云、江流、猿声、轻舟、万山层叠，构成明快流动的长江画卷。其妙在全诗无一字写喜而喜溢言表，节奏轻疾即是心情，诚七绝中以景写情、以速写畅之极则。其妙在全诗无一字写喜而喜溢言表，节奏轻疾即是心情，诚七绝中以景写情、以速写畅之极则。彩云、江流、猿声、轻舟、万山层叠，构成明快流动的长江画卷。由地及程、由晨及暮，时空急转中已见畅适之心。后联以猿声之哀反衬舟行之疾，以万重山之重衬轻舟之轻，动静、轻重相生，畅快愈显。盛唐七绝以气韵胜，此篇正是不雕而工、以景写畅之范式，读来如顺流而下、一气奔放。

Allusions

White Emperor City is in Kuizhou (modern Fengjie, Chongqing), famous as the place where Liu Bei entrusted his son to Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms. The monkeys' cries are a traditional symbol of sorrow in the Three Gorges, but Li Bai subverts this by using the sound to emphasize speed, transforming grief into joy.

诗中意象多有所本。白帝城据《水经注·江水》载，公孙述据此自称白帝，城在瞿塘峡口，常有云气缭绕，故曰彩云间；郦道元又写三峡猿鸣凄异、空谷传响，李白反用其哀为畅快之陪衬。江陵即荆州，战国楚郢都，唐为江陵府，距白帝约千二百里，下水顺风一日可达，所谓一日还本有其实。字词训诂方面，还字兼归返与欢聚二义，既指舟抵江陵，亦暗喻政治厄运之脱；轻舟之轻兼舟身之轻与心境之轻，宋人评李白轻字最见潇洒。猿声啼不住，古多以为哀景，太白却以之反衬舟行之疾与胸次之阔，化悲为畅，正见浪漫诗人翻转成法之能。全诗用事本于地理与郦注，不深奥而贴切，足见其融化典籍入诗之高明。要之，诗中意象本于地理与郦注，不深奥而贴切。猿声啼不住，古多以为哀景，太白却以之反衬舟行之疾与胸次之阔，化悲为畅，正见浪漫诗人翻转成法之能。轻舟之轻兼舟身之轻与心境之轻，还字兼归返与欢聚，皆一字而兼两义。白帝彩云间据水经注写云气缭绕，江陵一日还本有其实。全诗用事融化典籍入诗，不滞于学问，正见盛唐诗人以景喻心、以物写畅之高明，举重若轻而意蕴自厚。

Commentary

This poem was written when Li Bai was exiled to Yelang but pardoned midway, so it feels as light as a bird freed from a cage. Ming scholar Yang Shen praised it as 'startling the wind and rain, moving the gods.' It is considered the supreme example of a seven-character quatrain expressing speed.

此诗向被誉为唐诗七绝中写畅快之绝唱，明人杨慎《升庵诗话》称其惊风雨而泣鬼神，以为太白得意之笔。清沈德潜《唐诗别裁集》谓两岸猿声一联，写出舟行如飞、痛快之极。历代选本如《唐诗三百首》必录，童蒙诵读、水墨题画多引此篇。其经典地位在于以遇赦东归的实历，凝为轻疾流动的绝妙短章：表面写江行，内里写挣脱政治桎梏后的狂喜与自由。今人论李白，每举朝辞白帝、轻舟过山之句喻其豪放飘逸之不可羁；在语文教育与旅游文化中，白帝城、江陵、三峡皆因此诗而成文化地标。它证明景语即情语，节奏即心境，短章亦能奔涌如大江，足为盛唐浪漫精神之标本。其经典地位在于以遇赦东归的实历，凝为轻疾流动的绝妙短章：表面写江行，内里写挣脱政治桎梏后的狂喜与自由。今人论李白，每举朝辞白帝、轻舟过山之句喻其豪放飘逸之不可羁；在语文教育与旅游文化中，白帝城、江陵、三峡皆因此诗而成文化地标。它证明景语即情语，节奏即心境，短章亦能奔涌如大江，足为盛唐浪漫精神之标本，千载传诵而不衰，信非偶然。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (level tone, first line rhymed)七言绝句（记长江舟行遇赦之事，属行旅写景抒情题材）

Rhyme Rhyme in the upper-level fifteen shan rhyme: jian, huan, shan押平声删韵，间、还、山三句末字属平水韵上平十五删，首句入韵，一韵到底，声情开阔流畅，最宜发轻疾畅快之慨。

Tone pattern First line: ping ping ze ze ze ping ping (in modern Mandarin tones). The rhythm flows smoothly like the downstream journey.平仄合七绝平起首句入韵格：平平仄仄仄平平，平仄平平仄仄平。仄仄平平平仄仄，平平仄仄仄平平。首句朝辞白帝为平平仄仄，间平收，格律严整自然。

Reading note The entire poem revolves around speed, contrasting space and time to depict the boat's swiftness, representing Li Bai's joyful mood after his pardon.此诗四句，声律暗合七绝平起首句入韵之格，间、还、山三平声在删韵中开口宏阔、余音邈远，与舟行江面之开阔相得益彰。首句以平平仄仄起势，明丽舒徐；次句千里江陵以平仄相错写急流；后联猿声轻舟仄仄平平对举，声情由静转动。盛唐七绝重天然音节，此篇不刻意雕琢而自然合度，读来如顺流而下、一气奔放。其韵脚之选与平仄之畅，使短章兼具歌唱之疾与吟咏之快，宜乎千载传诵、被视为写畅快之绝唱而不移。要之，此诗声情与辞情互为表里，间还山三平声在删韵中开口宏阔、余音邈远，与舟行江面之开阔相得益彰。盛唐七绝重天然音节，此篇不刻意雕琢而自然合度，读来如顺流而下、一气奔放。其韵脚之选与平仄之畅，使短章兼具歌唱之疾与吟咏之快，宜乎千载传诵、被视为写畅快之绝唱而不移。论者谓太白七绝如天马行空，此诗正其蹄不沾尘之证，声情与辞情互为表里。

Line by line

朝辞白帝彩云间，千里江陵一日还。

At dawn I leave Baidi amid rainbow clouds; a thousand li to Jiangling, and I return in a day.

清晨告别了彩云缭绕的白帝城，顺流而下，千里之外的江陵一日便可抵达。

At dawn I take leave of Baidi Town among rainbow clouds; downstream, Jiangling, a thousand li away, is reached in a single day.

首句朝辞白帝彩云间，点明清晨辞别与城之高峻明丽，彩云间三字设色绚烂、境界开阔，先立轻快之调，亦暗含脱却桎梏、身入云霄的欣喜。次句千里江陵一日还，以千里之遥对一日之促，空间与时间强烈反差，夸张舟行之疾；还字尤重，既指舟抵江陵，更暗喻政治厄运之解除、如归故乡之欢。两句一静（城之高）一动（舟之速），由地及程，由晨及暮，时空急转中已见畅适之心。此联不着喜字而喜气逼人，以夸张与设色写遇赦之狂喜，正是盛唐七绝以景写情、以速写畅之典范起手。

The first line, at dawn I leave Baidi amid rainbow clouds, fixes the morning departure and the city's lofty brightness; amid rainbow clouds three characters set gorgeous color and a broad realm, first establishing the light tone, also secretly holding the joy of escaping bonds, entering the clouds. The next, a thousand li to Jiangling, and I return in a day, sets a thousand li's distance against a day's brevity, the space-time contrast strong, hyperbolizing the boat's speed. Return is most vital: at once the boat reaching Jiangling, and the metaphor of the political doom lifted, the joy as if returning home. The two lines one still (the city's height) one motion (the boat's speed), from place to journey, from dawn to dusk; within the space-time's swift turn the at-ease heart already shows. This couplet not one word of joy yet joy presses the face; using hyperbole and color to write the wild joy of pardon - precisely the High-Tang seven-character quatrain's model opening of writing feeling through scenery and writing ease through speed.

两岸猿声啼不住，轻舟已过万重山。

The apes on both banks cry on and on; the light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains.

两岸猿声还在耳边啼叫不停，轻快的小舟却早已驶过了万重山峦。

The gibbons on both banks cry without cease; the light skiff has already passed through ten thousand ranges of hills.

后联以猿声不绝反衬轻舟之速，以万重山之重反衬轻舟之轻，动静、轻重相生，畅快愈显。猿声本三峡哀景，郦道元《水经注》写其空谷传响、哀转久绝，太白却翻转成法，以啼不住写舟行如飞、瞬息已过，哀景化为畅境之陪衬。轻舟已过万重山，过字劲健，万重山极言路程之艰，而轻舟一二字举重若轻，正是诗人脱却流放之累、胸次豁然的写照。此联将前联之喜推至高潮，无一字欢愉而欢愉溢于言表，节奏轻疾即是心情。其妙在全以景语结情，留白无穷，遂成写畅快不可逾之境。

The latter couplet uses the unceasing ape cry to set off the light boat's speed, and ten thousand mountains' weight to set off the light boat's light; motion and stillness, weight and light generate each other, the ease all the more shown. The ape cry is originally the Three Gorges' sad scene; Li Daoyuan's Commentary on the Water Classic writes its echo in the empty valley, sad and long-unending; Taibai yet turns the method over, using cry on and on to write the boat flying, instantly past, the sad scene converted into the foil of the joyous realm. The light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains: passed is vigorous; ten thousand mountains exaggerate the road's hardship, yet light boat in two characters handles the heavy lightly - precisely the portrait of the poet shedding the exile's burden, his breast suddenly open. This couplet pushes the previous couplet's joy to its peak; not one word of delight yet delight overflows the words; the light, swift rhythm is the mood itself. Its subtlety lies in closing feeling entirely in scenery words, leaving infinite blankness, hence becoming the unsurpassed realm of writing joy.

Study

Word focus

轻 Light: describes both the swift boat and the poet's lightened heart after release. 轻字为一篇诗眼，兼舟身之轻与心境之轻。轻舟已过万重山，以轻对万重山之重，举重若轻，舟愈轻而山愈重，畅快之意愈显。此轻更指诗人脱却流放桎梏后心体之潇散，宋人评太白轻字最见潇洒不羁。若无轻字，则舟行虽疾仅为叙事；有轻字，则自由欢悦之精神跃然。盛唐诗人炼意于寻常处，此字正是不炼之炼，以一字涵心境与物理之双重轻快，足证李白以景写情、以物喻心之浪漫高手笔，千载以下读者犹觉舟轻风快、襟抱顿开。

还 Return: implies the joy of returning east after pardon, as eager as an arrow. 还字为全诗喜情之枢，既指舟抵江陵之实程，亦暗喻遇赦东归、如还故林之欢。千里江陵一日还，还兼归返与欢聚二义，与前文长流夜郎之厄对照，一字写尽从罪谪到赦免、从羁绊到自由的转折。此字以平易之形涵深重之喜，不着议论而狂喜自见。唐人写流放遇赦者多有，而太白以还字收束千里一日之速，举重若轻，正是浪漫诗人于常语见至情者；后联轻舟已过万重山之过，与此还字呼应，一还一过，完成空间与心境的双重归返，结构极紧。