早梅

Meaning

A poem of the early plum blossom and the hidden beauty, written by Qi Ji. The ten thousand trees, frozen, almost breaking — the lone root, warm, alone, returning — the frozen trees and the warm lone root. In the front village, in the deep snow — last night, one branch, opening — the deep snow and the one branch opening. The wind, carrying the hidden fragrance, away — the birds, peeping at the plain beauty, come — the hidden fragrance and the peeping birds. Next year, if following the rhythm — first opening, shining the spring terrace — the close's first opening of the next year. The poem is the early plum and the hidden beauty: the deep snow, the one branch, and the close's shining of the spring terrace.

万木冻欲折，孤根暖独回。前村深雪里，昨夜一枝开。风遰幽香去，禽窥素艳来。明年如应律，先发映春台。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The ten thousand trees, frozen, almost breaking, the lone root, warm, alone, returning. In the front village, in the deep snow, last night, one branch, opening. The wind, carrying the hidden fragrance, away, the birds, peeping at the plain beauty, come. Next year, if following the rhythm, first opening, shining the spring terrace. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the frozen trees and the warm lone root, through the deep snow and the one branch opening, and the hidden fragrance with the peeping birds, to the close's first opening of the next year shining the spring terrace. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the early of the plum: the one branch opening in the deep snow, and the close's first opening following the rhythm — the early plum gathered in the one branch and the close's shining. [Emotional Tone] Clear, high, and anticipating: the poem is the early plum, the deep snow and the close's spring terrace.

【白话串讲】 齐己写《早梅》：“万木冻欲折，孤根暖独回”——“前村深雪里，昨夜一枝开”——“风遰幽香去，禽窥素艳来”——“明年如应律，先发映春台”——他写早梅——前村深雪里，昨夜一枝开。 【意象与手法】 “万木冻欲折、孤根暖独回”写万木冻欲折；“前村深雪里、昨夜一枝开”写前村深雪里；“风遰幽香去、禽窥素艳来”写风遰幽香去；结以“明年如应律，先发映春台”写明年来应律。清雅高洁。 【情感与主旨】 齐己写早梅之作，写万木冻欲折而前村深雪里一枝开的早梅，是咏梅诗中的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“万木冻欲折，孤根暖独回”写万木冻欲折；“前村深雪里，昨夜一枝开”写早梅一枝开。

Allusions

'The ten thousand trees' (wan mu) are the ten thousand trees — the trees of the winter, frozen; 'the lone root' (gu gen) is the lone root — the root of the plum, warm alone; 'the front village' (qian cun) is the front village — the village of the deep snow; 'the hidden fragrance' (you xiang) is the hidden fragrance — the fragrance of the plum, carried by the wind; 'the plain beauty' (su yan) is the plain beauty — the white beauty of the plum, peeped by the birds; 'the spring terrace' (chun tai) is the spring terrace — the terrace of the spring, shining of the close.

诗中「万木冻欲折孤根暖独回」「前村深雪里昨夜一枝开」「风遰幽香去禽窥素艳来」「明年如应律先发映春台」等语，皆含典故故实。「万木冻欲折孤根暖独回」写万木冻欲折孤根暖独回；「前村深雪里昨夜一枝开」写前村深雪里昨夜一枝开；「风遰幽香去禽窥素艳来」写风遰幽香去禽窥素艳来；「明年如应律先发映春台」用应律之语，写明年来应律先发映春台。诗人以深雪、春台等语入诗，不着痕迹，而把咏物写景之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous poems of the plum of Qi Ji, quoted for the word 'one branch' of its opening. The one branch opening in the deep snow, and the shining of the spring terrace, are among the admired images of the poet's poems of the plum. Critics praise the poem's early: the plum gathered in the deep snow, to the close's shining of the spring terrace.

这首《早梅》，是齐己写咏物写景之作，写万木冻欲折、前村深雪里、风遰幽香去、先发映春台之情，清雅高洁。首联「万木冻欲折，孤根暖独回」——万木冻欲折，孤根暖独回。写万木冻欲折：万木冻欲折、孤根暖独回——万木冻欲折、孤根暖独回；颔联「前村深雪里，昨夜一枝开」——前村深雪里，昨夜一枝开。写前村深雪里：前村深雪里、昨夜一枝开——深雪里、一枝开；颈联「风遰幽香去，禽窥素艳来」——风遰幽香去，禽窥素艳来。写风遰幽香去：风遰幽香去、禽窥素艳来——幽香去、素艳来；尾联「明年如应律，先发映春台」——明年如应律（用应律之语），先发映春台。写先发映春台：明年如应律、先发映春台——应律、映春台。这「明年如应律，先发映春台」，是全诗之结：以先发映春台写其咏物。全诗清雅高洁，以梅写春，正是齐己诗中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。

Prosody

Line by line

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