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魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem

饮酒（其五）

Drinking Wine (No. 5)

陶渊明

Tao Yuanming

田园Pastoral 隐逸Retirement/Seclusion 哲理Philosophical

结庐在人境，而无车马喧。
问君何能尔，心远地自偏。
采菊东篱下，悠然见南山。
山气日夕佳，飞鸟相与还。
此中有真意，欲辨已忘言。

I build my hut among the dwellings of men,
Yet hear no clamor of horse and carriage.
You ask how this can be?
When the heart is distant, the place grows still.
Plucking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge,
Leisurely I gaze at the southern mountains.
The mountain air is lovely at dusk,
Birds in flight return together with one another.
In these things there is a true meaning,
I would distinguish it, but have forgotten the words.

Listen

Meaning

The poet, living in the human world yet free from its clamor, explains that a detached heart naturally creates a quiet place. He enjoys the daily pleasures of picking chrysanthemums and watching birds return home, and finally realizes that the true meaning of life cannot be put into words.

把房舍建在众人聚居的地方，却听不到车马的喧闹。若问怎能如此，心志高远自然就觉得居处僻静了。在东篱之下采摘菊花，闲适间抬头望见南山。山间的气象在傍晚时分格外美好，飞鸟结伴一同归巢。这当中自有人生的真意，想要辨析却已经忘了该怎样言说。

Appreciation

This is the most celebrated piece among Tao Yuanming's 'Drinking Wine' series. The first four lines break the paradox of a quiet life in a noisy world, introducing the principle that 'when the heart is distant, the place grows still.' The middle four lines capture the idyllic scenes of picking chrysanthemums and watching birds return, with the word 'leisurely' (youran) epitomizing the poet's self-forgetful ease. The closing couplet leaves the reader with an ineffable philosophical insight. The language is plain and natural, yet profound—a perfect fusion of pastoral and metaphysical poetry, and an enduring symbol of Chinese eremitic culture.

【白话串讲】 “结庐在人境，而无车马喧”——陶渊明写饮酒：住在人世间，却没有车马喧闹。“问君何能尔，心远地自偏”——因为心远，地自然偏远。“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”——这句是千古名句。“此中有真意，欲辨已忘言”——其中的真意，说不出来。【意象与手法】前四句以“结庐人境而无车马喧”破题，提出“心远地自偏”的哲理；中四句写“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”、飞鸟归巢的田园即目，“悠然”二字凝练了物我两忘的闲适；末二句以“真意忘言”收束。语言平淡自然、如话家常，却于浅近中见深醇。【情感与主旨】陶渊明《饮酒》组诗中最负盛名的一篇，写隐居生活中的悠然自得与对人生真意的体悟，是陶渊明田园诗与玄言诗融合的巅峰，也是中国隐逸文化的精神图腾。【名句点睛】常考“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”以悠然见南山写物我两忘；“此中有真意，欲辨已忘言”以忘言写不可言说的体道之境。

Background

Tao Yuanming (also known as Tao Qian), courtesy name Yuanliang, was born in Chaisang, Xunyang. He is honored as the foremost poet of reclusion. This poem, the fifth in the 'Drinking Wine' series, was written around the thirteenth year of the Yixi era (417 CE), more than ten years after he resigned from the magistracy of Pengze and returned to farming. According to the poet's preface, he drank alone at night to while away his idle hours and wrote verses to amuse himself after becoming drunk. On the eve of the Jin-Song dynastic transition, the political world was dark; Tao chose to preserve his integrity and find spiritual peace in rural life. This poem reflects his actual experience of living in the world while remaining detached, and his capture of the most ordinary yet limpid moment in his recluse life. Behind its plainness lies a profound sorrow of the age and an unyielding personal integrity.

陶渊明，一名潜，字元亮，浔阳柴桑人，东晋末至南朝宋初诗人，被誉为隐逸诗人之宗。此诗为《饮酒》二十首之五，约作于义熙十三年前后，时诗人已辞彭泽令归隐田园逾十年。组诗自序云余闲居寡欢，兼比夜已长，偶有名酒，无夕不饮，顾影独尽，忽焉复醉，既醉之后，辄题数句自娱，本篇即酒后乘兴所题。彼时晋宋易代前夕，政局昏浊，诗人既不愿同流合污，又无力回天，遂于田园中求得精神安顿。结庐人境数句，正写其虽处尘世而心游方外的生活实况；采菊见南山则是对归隐岁月中最日常也最澄明一刻的捕捉。此诗因此既是个人隐居的写照，也是乱世士人保全性命与真性的哲学选择，其平淡之下藏着巨大的时代悲慨与人格定力。渊明归隐，非慕隐逸之名，实因不肯为五斗米折腰、不肯与乱世同流。此诗写于弃官多年之后，心境已由早岁猛志逸四海的慷慨，沉淀为悠然见南山的澄明。故语虽平淡，底里却有晋宋易代的惊涛，只是诗人以冲淡涵泳之，读之不觉其苦，乃真解脱。此诗与《归园田居》同为其归隐心声的双璧，而此篇更凝练、更哲理，是渊明晚年心境的圆熟写照，亦为后世隐逸诗立极。

Art

The artistic brilliance lies in the plain surface carrying the deepest flavor, and the immediate scene embodying the highest truth. The opening couplet introduces a paradox: living among men yet hearing no noise. The self-questioning and answering reveal the central idea. The character 'jian' (see) in 'liyou ran jian nan shan' is the poem's eye: it implies an unintentional encounter rather than deliberate looking, capturing the perfect fusion of self and nature. The flying birds returning together allegorize the return to one's true self. The closing lines borrow the Zhuangzi's concept of 'forgetting words after grasping meaning,' leaving a lingering resonance. The whole poem flows like clouds and water, with no labored word yet every line is finely crafted—the pinnacle of Tao's plain beauty.

此诗艺术之妙在平淡中见至味、即目中寓至理。起句结庐在人境，而无车马喧，以矛盾句式立异：人居闹市却无喧嚣，破空设疑。问君何能尔，心远地自偏，以自问自答揭出全诗主旨，尔代如此，偏指心境之静，理致天然。采菊东篱下，悠然见南山的见字最堪玩味：非有意望山，而是采菊之际南山悠然入目，物我两忘、不期而会，恰是闲适之极的自然流露，一作望字便失其浑成。山气日夕佳，飞鸟相与还，由人及景、由静转动，飞鸟归巢暗喻返归本真。末二句此中有真意，欲辨已忘言，用《庄子》得意忘言之意收束，把可感不可说的体道之境写得余韵邈然。通篇如行云流水，无一费力字而句句精金，是陶诗平淡之美的极致。陶诗之难，在平淡中藏至味，看似不施斤斧，实则字字妥帖。结庐人境以矛盾起，心远地自偏以理应，采菊见山以景会，真意忘言以道终，起承转合浑然天成。见字之妙，千古独绝，使物我于无意中相值，这种不隔之境，正是后世诗人毕生追摹而难得其一二者的化境。全诗句句寻常语，却句句不可移易；破题之矛盾、应答之天然、即目之浑成、收束之默会，环环相扣，是平淡中见至味的至高范本。

Allusions

The poem's imagery and philosophy draw from Daoist thought and pastoral tradition. 'Building a hut among men' echoes Han-era verses, while 'no clamor of horse and carriage' points to freedom from official socializing. 'When the heart is distant, the place grows still' aligns with Zhuangzi's 'mind fast' and the Buddhist idea that the environment follows the mind. Picking chrysanthemums evokes the flower's symbolism of purity and reclusion, from Qu Yuan's 'drinking the dew of autumn chrysanthemums' to Tao's own beloved chrysanthemums. The southern mountains may refer to Mount Lu, also symbolizing longevity and transcendence. The returning birds recall the 'caged bird longing for the old forest' from Tao's own poetry, and the closing line directly uses Zhuangzi's 'words exist for meaning; once meaning is grasped, forget the words.' These allusions are seamlessly integrated, creating an archetypal poem of reclusion that influenced countless later poets such as Wang Wei and Su Shi.

诗中意象与理趣多承庄老与田园传统。结庐人境化用《汉书》与古诗中筑室人居之意，而无车马喧则点出远离官场应酬。心远地自偏暗合庄子心斋坐忘与境由心造之旨，谓境之喧寂系乎一心。采菊东篱用菊之隐逸象征，自屈原餐秋菊之落英、陶渊明爱菊成癖，菊遂为高洁与隐逸之符号；南山或实指庐山，亦喻寿考与超然。飞鸟相与还暗承《诗经》与古诗翩翩飞鸟及陶诗羁鸟恋旧林之意，以鸟归喻人归真。欲辨已忘言用《庄子·外物》言者所以在意，得意而忘言之意，把不可言说之真意归于沉默，是玄言诗以淡语写哲理的典型。其融庄老之理、田园之景、饮酒之趣于一炉，遂开后世千古隐逸诗之正宗。心远地自偏暗通庄子心斋与维摩诘随其心净则佛土净之旨，谓境由心造；采菊用屈原餐英之洁与渊明爱菊之癖；飞鸟归巢则承古诗羁鸟恋旧林与诗经翩翩飞鸟，以鸟归喻人归真。欲辨忘言直接用庄子得意忘言。诸理诸典，融化无迹，遂成玄言与田园合一的至高范本。庄老之理、田园之景、饮酒之趣，三流合一，遂开陶渊明式隐逸诗的源头；后之王维、苏轼皆自此中讨生活，影响直贯千载。

Commentary

The first couplet describes the reality of reclusion: though living among people, he hears no worldly noise. The second couplet asks and answers: because his heart is far away, the place naturally seems remote. The middle couplets move from principle to scene: picking chrysanthemums, he looks up at the southern mountains, and at dusk the mountain air is lovely as birds return together. The final couplet concludes that in this simple life lies a true meaning inexpressible in words. The poem develops from a paradox, to a philosophical explanation, to immediate sensory experience, and finally to silent enlightenment. The eight lines contain three turns: from setting up the strange situation, to resolving it rationally, to embodying the Dao in ordinary sights. Without a single word of complaint, it radiates the poet's hard-won serenity, and stands as an unassailable summit in Chinese reclusion poetry.

首二句结庐在人境，而无车马喧，写隐居实况：虽在人间结庐，却无车马之喧，看似矛盾，实则点出诗人虽居尘世而心离尘嚣。问君何能尔，心远地自偏，自问自答：何以能如此？只因心志高远，所处自然显得偏僻幽静，尔指如此，偏指心境之静，这一问答是全诗的哲理内核，说明外境之喧寂系乎一心。采菊东篱下，悠然见南山，由理入景：东篱采菊的闲适间，南山悠然映入眼帘，见字妙在无意相逢、物我俱化，写出闲适之极的自然。山气日夕佳，飞鸟相与还，再由人及景，写傍晚山岚美好、飞鸟结伴归巢，暗喻万物各返其本。末二句此中有真意，欲辨已忘言，总收：这田园生活里本有生命真谛，想要辨析却已不知如何言说，以忘言归于体道之境。全诗由破题、明理、写景到体道，层层深入而语语天然，是陶渊明田园与玄言融合的巅峰。八句凡三转：首四句破境立理，以心远解人境无喧；次四句即景体道，采菊见山、飞鸟知还，皆日常而皆含至理；末二句总归于真意忘言，由可说入于不可说。全诗由疑而答、由景而悟、由悟而默，不着一愁字而闲适之极即是深愁之反证，是中国隐逸诗不可逾越的巅峰，影响了王维、苏轼以降整个文人传统。由疑而答、由景而悟、由悟而默，八句写尽一生归隐的理路与情趣。其不著力处正是最著力处，故能成为中国文化中闲适人格的最高象征。

Prosody

Reading note This is a typical ancient-style poem by Tao Yuanming, twenty lines (actually ten lines) in five-character lines. The style is free and natural, without strict tonal contrast or verbal parallelism, yet reveals an archaic charm. The famous couplet 'Cai ju dong li xia, you ran jian nan shan' uses a subtle tonal balance, especially the word 'jian' as a resounding departing tone that enhances the rhythm. The overall effect is unadorned and smooth, embodying the plain and untutored beauty of ancient verse.此诗为陶渊明典型的五言古诗（非严格近体），共十句五十字，属《饮酒》组诗之五。陶诗多以建安、正始古调为则，不拘平仄对偶，而重气韵自然。句式以平平仄仄仄、仄仄平平平为主，如结庐在人境（仄平仄平仄）、而无车马喧（平平平仄平），虽不合唐人律法，却古淡可喜。采菊东篱下，悠然见南山为千古名句，东篱下（平仄平仄）与见南山（仄平平）平仄相谐，见字去声顿挫而意脉流转。山气日夕佳，飞鸟相与还略具对偶之意而自然不琢。此中有真意，欲辨已忘言以散句收，音节舒缓如话。整体不尚雕饰、不务对仗，以浑成之气行乎五言，正见陶诗古诗本色与平淡中之高古。

Line by line

问君何能尔，心远地自偏。

I build my hut among the dwellings of men—live in the human world.

You ask how it can be so—when the heart is far away, the place of itself becomes secluded.

这两句以自问自答揭出全诗主旨，也是陶渊明人生哲学最凝练的表达。尔代如此，指前文人居闹市却无喧嚣的异象；偏本指地理位置的偏僻，此处转指心境的幽静。诗人答曰：并非居处真偏，而是心志高远，尘嚣自然退场。这层意思暗合庄子心斋与境由心造之理——外境的喧寂不系于地而系于心。这两句看似平易，实则以极简的语言解决了一个根本的人生困境：如何在浊世中自守清明。它因此成为后世士大夫处变不惊、随遇而安的精神箴言，也是全诗由景入理的关键转捩。

These two lines, in the form of a self-asked question, state the poem's theme and give the most condensed expression of Tao Yuanming's philosophy. 'So' refers to the earlier paradox of dwelling among men yet knowing no noise of carriages; 'secluded' originally meant physically remote but here means an inner quiet. The poet answers: it is not that the home is truly far, but that the mind stands apart, and the world's clamor recedes of itself. This is the principle, reached through Zhuangzi's fasting of the heart, that the environment is made by the mind—outer noise or quiet depends not on place but on temper. The two lines solve, in the plainest language, a fundamental human problem: how to keep clarity in a turbid age, and they became the spiritual maxim of later scholars who remain unshaken amid change.

采菊东篱下，悠然见南山。

Yet I hear no clamor of horse and carriage—no noise from official or mundane traffic.

I pluck chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge, and, quietly lost in thought, I catch sight of the southern hill.

这两句是中国田园诗最璀璨的双璧。东篱采菊是隐逸生活的日常剪影，菊之高洁暗喻诗人之品；悠然写闲适之态，见南山则说明山之入目并非有意凝望，而是采菊之际不经意间南山自来相映。这个见字（一作望，苏轼辨之，以为望字神气索然）正是诗眼：它写出了物我两忘、不期而会的浑成，心与山、与菊、与宇宙在刹那间自然交融，毫无勉强。正因无意，才见真闲；正因不期，才显悠然。这两句因而超越了写景，成为中国文化中闲适人格与审美超越的图腾，千年来被人反复吟味。

These two lines are the brightest twin jewel of Chinese pastoral poetry. Plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge is the ordinary silhouette of a reclusive life, the flower's purity a covert image of the poet's character. 'Quietly lost' renders an unhurried mood, and 'catch sight of' shows the mountain entering view not by deliberate gazing but by unplanned encounter while the hands are busy with flowers. The single word 'catch sight of' (rather than 'look at,' which Su Shi argued leaves the spirit flat) is the poem's eye: it renders the forgetfulness of self and thing, the unforced meeting, where heart and mountain, flower, and cosmos fuse in an instant. Precisely because unintended, the leisure is true; precisely because unplanned, the ease is deep. The lines transcend scenery to become a totem of the detached personality in Chinese culture.

此中有真意，欲辨已忘言。

You ask how can this be—the poet answers a hypothetical questioner.

Herein lies a true meaning, and when I would explain it, I have already forgotten the words.

这两句以收束全篇，把前面的人境、心远、采菊、飞鸟统统收归一个真字。此中指田园即目、自在闲居的全部生活实感；真意指生命本然之趣与大道之所在，是陶渊明诗眼级的概念。欲辨已忘言则用《庄子》得意忘言之典，说想要辨析这真意，却已不知如何用语言道出。这并非故作高深，而是体道者的真实经验：最深的领会往往溢乎言表，语言反而会束缚它。这两句以沉默收束全诗，余韵邈然，也使一篇闲适小品获得了哲理的深度，是玄言与田园在陶诗中水乳交融的明证。

These closing lines gather everything—the dwelling among men, the distant heart, the plucked flowers, the returning birds—into the single word 'true.' 'Herein' means all the lived reality of rural ease; 'true meaning' means the native delight of life and the presence of the Way, a concept at the level of Tao's poetic eye. 'I would explain it, I have already forgotten the words' uses Zhuangzi's allusion to grasping the idea and forgetting the words: wanting to articulate the true meaning, he finds language has already failed him. This is not deliberate profundity but the genuine experience of one who has embodied the Way—the deepest insight overflows speech, and language would only bind it. The poem closes in silence, its afterecho long, and the short lyric gains philosophical depth, proof of how metaphysics and pastoral melt together in Tao.

Study

Word focus

悠然 Leisurely; carefree; self-composed. 悠然是这首诗乃至陶诗整体风格的灵魂之词。它写采菊时闲适自在、不慌不忙的心境，既状神态，也状节奏。正因为悠然，诗人才会在东篱之下与南山不期而遇；若心有营求、目有专逐，便不会有见南山的浑成。悠然因此与见字互为因果，共同构成物我两忘的审美瞬间。这一词也代表了陶渊明所开创的诗歌美学：不事张力、不尚奇险，而以舒缓、从容、自然为极境。后世评陶诗平淡中见醇美，平淡之髓正在悠然二字——它不是冷漠，而是历经沧桑后归于澄明的内静。

真意 True meaning; the essence of life and the Dao. 真意是陶渊明价值体系的核心词，亦为全诗收束的落点。真相对于伪、相对于世俗的矫饰与名利的羁绊，指生命本然的面目与大道之所在。在陶诗中，真多见于真风、真想、怀古田舍，是归隐生活的精神内核。此中有真意一句，把前面所有景物与心境——人境无喧、心远、采菊、飞鸟——统摄为一个真字，意谓这一切日常即目之中本就藏着生命的真谛。紧接着欲辨已忘言，又表明这真意可感而不可尽言。真意二字因此既是全诗的题眼，也是理解陶渊明隐逸哲学的一把钥匙：归田之价值，正在于复其真。