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五代 Five Dynasties · 词 Ci lyric

菩萨蛮·人人尽说江南好

Buddhist Dancers · Everyone Says Jiangnan Is Fine

韦庄

Wei Zhuang

江南风光Jiangnan scenery 羁旅思乡homesickness of a traveller

人人尽说江南好，游人只合江南老。
春水碧于天，画船听雨眠。
垆边人似月，皓腕凝霜雪。
未老莫还乡，还乡须断肠。

Everyone says Jiangnan is fine,
And a wanderer should stay in Jiangnan till old age.
Spring water is greener than the sky,
In painted boats, listen to rain and sleep
By the tavern, a woman fair as the moon,
Her white wrists like congealed frost and snow.
Before you age, do not return home,
Returning home will break your heart.

Listen

Meaning

The poem describes the beauty of Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River) and expresses the complex feeling of a traveler who is advised to stay in Jiangnan, but the underlying sorrow is that he cannot return to his war-torn homeland.

人人都说江南美好，远游之人只该在江南终老。春天的江水比天空还要碧绿，在画船中听雨入眠。酒垆边的女子美如明月，洁白的手腕似凝着霜雪。趁未老莫要还乡，还乡定会令人愁断肠。

Appreciation

The poem uses vibrant colors and contrasts: green water, painted boats, bright moon, and white wrists. The last two lines twist the joyful depiction into a bitter yearning for home, highlighting the poet's exile during the chaotic late Tang period.

【白话串讲】 “春水碧于天，画船听雨眠”——韦庄把江南写得美到让人不想回家。可最后一句“未老莫还乡，还乡须断肠”，藏着他回不去的故乡和乱世。【意象与手法】全词以旁人劝语「人人尽说」领起，先纵写江南景美（「春水碧于天，画船听雨眠」）、人美（「垆边人似月，皓腕凝霜雪」），色彩清丽如画；末二句「未老莫还乡，还乡须断肠」陡然收束，以乐景反衬哀情，似劝慰而实沉痛，形成强烈反跌，白描设色而情韵内蕴。【情感与主旨】韦庄（约836—910）历经黄巢之乱、唐室播迁，晚年仕蜀。此词作于避乱江南时期，借「江南好」之咏抒客居难归之悲，表面劝留，实含故园残破、有家难回的沉痛，是乱世文人羁旅心态的写照。【名句点睛】常考「以乐景写哀情」的手法与「未老莫还乡，还乡须断肠」的表层与深层意；亦考色彩意象（「碧于天」「凝霜雪」）的赏析。

Background

Wei Zhuang (c. 836–910) lived through the Huang Chao rebellion and the fall of the Tang dynasty. He later served the Shu kingdom. This poem, part of a series on the tune 'Pusa Man', was likely written during his sojourn in Jiangnan, when his homeland was in turmoil, making return impossible.

韦庄（约836—910），字端己，京兆杜陵（今陕西西安）人，晚唐五代著名词人、诗人，与温庭筠并称「温韦」，同为花间词派代表。他早年屡试不第，身经黄巢之乱，目睹唐室播迁，长期流寓江南；晚年入蜀，仕前蜀王建，官至宰相，终老蜀中。此词为《菩萨蛮》组词五首之一，约作于其避乱江南时期。当时中原板荡、故乡沦陷，韦庄身在江南，目睹其地山水明丽、市井繁华，而故乡长安正处战火之中，归路已断。词借「江南好」之咏，抒客居难归之悲：表面劝人安于江南、乐不思蜀，实含故园残破、有家难回的沉痛。王国维《人间词话》评韦庄词「情深语秀」，此词正是其晚年漂泊心态的写照，也是乱世文人羁旅乡愁的典型文本，与白居易《忆江南》之纯咏江南形成鲜明对照。词中「春水碧于天」「画船听雨眠」等句，写江南之美如在目前，而其下暗藏的身世之悲、家国之痛，正是乱世文人在温柔乡里也挥之不去的隐忧，故全词语愈美而情愈哀，读之愈久愈见其沉郁。

Art

The poem begins with what 'everyone says', then paints idyllic scenes. The final couplet reverses the mood, using joy to accentuate sorrow. Vivid imagery and simple language create a poignant effect typical of Wei Zhuang's style.

全词以旁人劝语「人人尽说江南好」领起，先纵写江南之景美与人美，后陡然收束以哀语，章法上先扬后抑，极见张力。上片写景：「春水碧于天」以比较写江水之绿胜天色，色彩鲜润；「画船听雨眠」以闲适之态写江南生活之安逸，视听兼写，如在画中。下片写人：「垆边人似月，皓腕凝霜雪」以月喻面、以霜雪喻腕，白描设色，清丽如画，写江南女子之美，亦写江南风物之动人。末二句「未老莫还乡，还乡须断肠」陡然翻转：表面劝人趁未老莫要还乡，实则以反说写还乡之不可——故乡战乱未平，归去只能见断垣残壁、亲友零落，徒增断肠之痛。以乐景反衬哀情，似劝慰而实沉痛，形成强烈反跌。白描设色而情韵内蕴，开后来「以艳笔写哀」之风，是花间词中别具深致之作。全词上下两片，一写景美、一写人美，层层铺垫之后陡然翻转，以「莫还乡」收束，前文之美皆成哀情之衬，章法之妙，正在这先扬后抑的蓄势与反跌之中。

Allusions

'Tavern woman' alludes to Zhuo Wenjun, who sold wine with her husband Sima Xiangru. 'White wrists like frost' echoes Cao Zhi's 'Luoshen Fu'. The ending line recalls Li Bai's 'Pusa Man' and the 'Book of Songs' theme of longing for home.

「垆边人」用卓文君当垆卖酒之典。《史记·司马相如列传》载，卓文君与司马相如私奔后，于临邛当垆卖酒，后世遂以「当垆」指酒家女，韦庄借以写江南酒肆中女子之美，暗含对其身世飘零的淡淡怜惜；「皓腕凝霜雪」状女子臂腕之白，与曹植《洛神赋》「攘皓腕于神浒」意象相承，皆以白写美，是六朝以来形容美人常见的修辞。「江南好」三字直用白居易《忆江南》首句，韦庄以同题起句而翻出新意——白词纯咏江南之好，韦词则以江南之好反衬乡愁之深，同题异趣，正见其用旧题而能翻新。结句「还乡须断肠」化用李白《菩萨蛮》「何处是归程，长亭更短亭」之羁旅愁思，亦暗含《诗经·陟岵》行役望乡之悲。全词用典皆化用无痕，熔《史记》之典、六朝之赋、前人之词于一炉，皆归于乱世乡愁这一古典母题的延续。韦庄熔铸诸典而不见用典之迹，正见其功力之深，亦见五代词人于旧典翻新的普遍追求。

Commentary

Zhou Ji praised Wei Zhuang's poetry as 'pure and charming', while Wang Guowei said his words are 'deep in emotion and elegant in language'. This poem's surface ease conceals deep melancholy, showing Wei's mastery of subtle expression.

周济《介存斋论词杂著》评韦庄词「清艳绝伦」，王国维《人间词话》谓其「情深语秀」，并举「弦上黄莺语」等句，此词正是其说的绝佳例证。词以「人人尽说」起，以「莫还乡」结，表面写江南之美，实写乱离之悲；乐景愈美，哀情愈深，似直而纡，似达而郁，正见韦庄词「于清丽中见沉郁」的独特风格。此词在花间词中别具一格：花间词多写闺情艳思，韦庄却以羁旅乡愁入词，以景美写情哀，开后来「以艳笔写哀」之风，对南唐冯延巳、北宋晏殊等词人皆有影响。就文学史而言，此词与《菩萨蛮·红楼别夜堪惆怅》等组词共同构成韦庄避乱江南时期的心灵实录，是五代词从花间艳科走向个人抒情的关键一环，也是乱世文人乡愁书写的典范之作，故王国维推韦庄为花间词中「情深语秀」第一人。此词之妙，正在于以极清丽之笔写极沉痛之情，愈是浅白处愈见深致，正是王国维所谓「深」与「秀」兼而有之的典范。

Prosody

Form Pusa Man, double 44 characters, alternating tones词牌《菩萨蛮》，双调四十四字，前后片各四句两仄韵两平韵，平仄转韵。

Rhyme First stanza: fine, old (hao rhyme); sky, sleep (xian rhyme). Second stanza: moon, snow (ru sheng xie rhyme, borrowed); home, heart (yang rhyme).前片仄韵「好、老」（上声皓韵）转平韵「天、眠」（下平先韵）；后片仄韵「月、雪」（入声屑韵，唐人借押）转平韵「乡、肠」（下平阳韵）。

Tone pattern Alternating oblique and level rhymes, creating a rhythm that shifts from bright to somber.仄平交替换韵，声情由紧而舒；以清亮之景起，以沉哀之语结，换韵处即情感转折处。

Reading note This is one of five Pusa Man poems by Wei Zhuang on his wanderings, using joyful scenes to contrast with homesickness.此词为词牌《菩萨蛮》，双调四十四字，上下片各四句，皆两仄韵、两平韵，平仄转韵，是《菩萨蛮》的定格。上片仄韵「好、老」（皓韵）转平韵「天、眠」（先韵），下片仄韵「月、雪」（屑韵，入声）转平韵「乡、肠」（阳韵），四换其韵，声情随之起伏：仄韵处短促而收，正合「好、老」的评议语气与「月、雪」的冷洁意象；平韵处舒长而扬，正合「天、眠」的悠远安闲与「乡、肠」的低回绵长。换韵不仅是声律的转换，更是情感的转折：上片由议江南之好，转入写江南之景；下片由写江南之人，转入叹还乡之痛，每换一韵即换一层境界，声情与辞情高度统一。词中「人人尽说」「未老莫还乡」等口语虚词入句，使词句流丽自然，如话家常，正是韦庄词以浅语写深情、以平韵写哀思的本色。此词之格律价值，不在工巧，而在以转韵之体恰当地承载了乐与哀的强烈反差，是花间词中以律传情的典范。

Line by line

人人尽说江南好，游人只合江南老。

Everyone says Jiangnan is fine, and a traveler should grow old there. '只合' suggests resignation, hiding the sorrow of forced exile.

人人都说江南美好，远游之人只该在江南终老。

All men say the south country is fair; the traveler should but grow old in the south.

起拍以旁人劝语领起，是全词的立骨之句。「人人尽说」四字写江南之美已成众口一词的公论，诗人不直接写景，先写人言，以舆论铺垫江南的魅力；「游人只合江南老」写远游之人只该在江南终老，「只合」二字看似决然的劝慰，实含身不由己的漂泊之悲——不是愿留江南，而是归路已断、不得不留，乐语之中藏着沉痛。韦庄身在江南而心系中原，「只合」二字正是其有家难归的隐痛的自然流露。此句以众口之赞起，以个人之叹承，一虚一实，一扬一抑，为全词「以乐写哀」的基调定了第一重底色，也预示了结句「莫还乡」的反转。

The opening beat leads in the words of others' persuasion, the spine of the lyric. 'All men say' writes the beauty of the south as the common verdict of all—the poet writes no scenery directly, but first writes what people say, using common opinion to lay the ground for the south's charm. 'The traveler should but grow old in the south' writes that the roving man should end his days in the south, and the words 'should but' seem a decisive comfort, yet in truth carry the grief of drifting beyond his control—not that he wishes to stay in the south, but that the road home is cut and he must stay, a bitter sorrow hidden within joyful words. Wei Zhuang, in the south while his heart held to the central plain, the words 'should but' are the natural overflow of the hidden pain of having a home he cannot return to. The line opens on the praise of all, continues on the personal sigh, one virtual, one real, one raised, one restrained, laying the first layer of the keynote of the whole, 'writing grief through joy,' and foreshadowing the reversal of the closing 'do not go home.'

春水碧于天，画船听雨眠。

Spring water is greener than the sky; in a painted boat, listen to rain and sleep. The beautiful scene contrasts with the heartbreak at the end.

春水比天空还要碧绿，在画船中听雨入眠。

The spring water is greener than the sky; in the painted boat I sleep listening to the rain.

此二句写江南之景，是全词最富画意的句子。「春水碧于天」以比较写江水之绿：不说水如何碧，而说碧过天色，以天的澄澈衬水的明净，色彩鲜润欲滴；「画船听雨眠」写乘画船于雨中安眠的闲适，「听雨」写耳之所闻，「眠」写身之所安，视听兼写，把江南生活的安逸写得如在眼前。两句一写目之所见，一写身之所历，碧水与画船、春雨与眠榻，构成一幅极美的江南行乐图。然而诗人愈把江南写得美，愈见其乐不思蜀的表象下深藏的乡愁；以极美之景反衬末句「断肠」之哀，正是「以乐景写哀情」的典范笔法，为后文的陡然翻转埋下伏笔。

These two lines write the scenery of the south, the most pictorial passage of the lyric. 'The spring water is greener than the sky' writes the green of the river through comparison—not saying how green the water, but that it outdoes the sky, setting the clearness of the water against the clarity of the heavens, the color fresh and dripping. 'In the painted boat I sleep listening to the rain' writes the ease of sleeping in a painted boat through the rain—the 'listening to the rain' what the ear hears, 'sleep' the body at rest, sight and hearing together, writing the ease of southern life as before the eyes. Two lines, one the sight, one the experience, the green water and painted boat, the spring rain and the sleeping couch, forming a most beautiful picture of southern pleasure. Yet the more beautiful the poet makes the south, the more the homesickness hidden beneath the表象 of 'happier here than home' shows; using the extreme beauty of the scene to set off the closing 'heartbreak,' the classic method of 'writing grief through joyful scenery,' planting the seed for the sudden reversal that follows.

垆边人似月，皓腕凝霜雪。

By the tavern, a woman fair as the moon, white wrists like frost and snow. A clear and cold beauty, typical of Wei Zhuang's style.

酒垆边的女子美如明月，洁白的手腕似凝着霜雪。

Beside the wine stand the woman is like the moon; her white wrists are congealed frost and snow.

此二句由景转入写人，写江南女子之美，是全词白描设色的精工之处。「垆边人」用卓文君当垆卖酒之典，指酒家女，暗含对美人身世的淡淡怜惜；「似月」以明月喻女子面容之皎洁，「皓腕凝霜雪」以霜雪喻手腕之洁白，两喻连用，色彩清冷皎洁，人物形象如在目前。韦庄不写女子的服饰妆容，只取「月」「霜雪」两个最洁净的意象，白描中见清词丽句之功，正合王国维评其词「情深语秀」的「秀」字。写女子之美，实为写江南之美的人化——江南的吸引力，正在这景美人美的一派温柔乡里。然而愈美愈见客居之乐的表象，愈为结句乡愁之痛蓄势，乐与哀的张力在字里行间悄悄滋长。

These two lines move from scenery to person, writing the beauty of the southern woman, the refined passage of the lyric's plain depiction and coloring. 'The woman beside the wine stand' uses the allusion to Zhuo Wenjun selling wine at the stand, meaning the tavern girl, carrying a faint pity for the beauty's lot. 'Like the moon' compares her face to the brightness of the moon, and 'her white wrists are congealed frost and snow' compares the wrists to frost and snow; the two metaphors together give a cold, luminous color, the figure visible at once. Wei Zhuang writes no dress or makeup of the woman, but takes only the two clearest images of 'moon' and 'frost and snow,' and within plain depiction shows the work of the refined lyricist, fitting the 'exquisite' in Wang Guowei's judgment of his verse as 'deep feeling, exquisite speech.' Writing the beauty of the woman is in truth writing the beauty of the south through a person—the attraction of the south lies precisely in this warm land of fair scenery and fair women. Yet the more beautiful, the more the表象 of the joy of sojourn, the more it stores momentum for the homesickness of the close; the tension of joy and grief grows quietly between the lines.

未老莫还乡，还乡须断肠。

Before you age, don't return home; returning would break your heart. A twist: seemingly advising to stay, but actually revealing the pain of being unable to go back because of war.

趁未老莫要还乡，还乡定会令人愁断肠。

While not yet old, do not go home; to go home would break the heart.

结拍陡然翻转，是全词的点睛之笔，也是历来解说纷纭的名句。表面看是劝人趁未老莫要还乡，享受江南的安乐；细味则知是反说：「还乡须断肠」五字写尽还乡之不可——故乡正处战乱，归去只见城郭残破、亲友零落，徒增断肠之痛。「未老」二字尤堪玩味：若老而还乡，或许还能承受；趁未老莫还，正是因为还乡之痛连未老之人都承受不起，以退为进，把乡愁写得深不可测。词人不直说思乡，而以「莫还乡」的劝语出之，欲抑先扬，把漂泊之痛藏在劝慰的口吻里，乐景与哀情在此形成巨大的反差，道尽乱离之士有家难回的悲痛，余韵悠长，令人低回不已。

The closing beat turns suddenly, the luminous point of the lyric and the famous line explained in so many ways. On the surface it advises one not to go home while still young, to enjoy the ease of the south; read closely, it is spoken in reverse: the five characters 'to go home would break the heart' write to the full the impossibility of returning—the homeland is in war, and to return would see only ruined walls and scattered kin, adding only the pain of a broken heart. The words 'while not yet old' are especially worth savoring: if old and returning, perhaps one could bear it; not to return while young is precisely because the pain of returning is more than even the young can bear, advancing by retreat and writing homesickness unfathomably deep. The poet does not speak his longing directly but through the admonition 'do not go home,' restraining before raising, hiding the pain of drifting within the tone of comfort; joyful scenery and grief form a vast contrast, telling to the full the sorrow of the displaced scholar who has a home he cannot return to, the afterecho long, leaving the reader lingering.

Study

Word focus

只合 only ought to; suggests helplessness 「游人只合江南老」之「只合」二字，是全词立骨处最见分量的字眼。「只合」犹言只该、只应，以决然的语气写远游之人只该在江南终老，貌似劝人安于江南之乐，实则暗藏玄机：若不是归路已断、有家难回，何须「只合」江南？一个「只」字，写尽别无选择的无奈；一个「合」字，写尽身在异乡的认命。若用「宜」字则平，用「当」字则泛，唯「只合」二字把乐语与哀情熔于一炉——表面是赞叹江南，骨子里是漂泊之悲。此二字与结句「莫还乡」遥相呼应，一写不得不留，一写归不得去，前后照应，把乱世文人有家难回的沉痛写得含蓄而深挚，正是韦庄炼字「似直而纡」的典范。

碧于天 greener than the sky; vivid color 「春水碧于天」之「碧于天」三字，是全词写景最见功力的比较修辞。诗人不直说春水碧，而说春水碧「于」天——以天的澄澈蔚蓝为参照，写出江水之绿胜过天色，一个「于」字把比较的关系点破，色彩的鲜润明丽便跃然纸上。此三字之妙，在以虚衬实：天为高、水为下，天色本已澄碧，而春水竟胜于天，则江水之清、之绿、之明净，不待多言而自见。若换「碧如天」则只是相似，失其高下之分；「碧于天」则写出江水青出于蓝的胜势，正是前人所谓「炼字不如炼意」的体现。此三字与下句「画船听雨眠」一写色、一写声，视听兼写，共同画出江南春水最动人的一面，是韦庄白描设色的传神之笔。

凝霜雪 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「皓腕凝霜雪」之「凝霜雪」三字，以霜雪之白写女子手腕之洁白，是全词最见清词丽句之功的意象。「凝」字写霜雪之凝结，喻手腕之白到了凝定不散的地步，比「如」「似」更见质感；「霜雪」以极冷极洁之物喻肌肤，色彩清冷皎洁，与上句「似月」相配，月与霜雪皆是明洁之物，两喻连用，把江南女子的美写得超尘脱俗。此三字上承曹植《洛神赋》「攘皓腕于神浒」的六朝传统，下开花间词以冷色写美的风气，是韦庄「清艳」词风的典型用例。写女子之白而不涉脂粉，取象于天地间最洁净之物，正是韦庄词「情深语秀」之「秀」字的最佳注脚，也为江南之美添上最动人的人间烟火气。

断肠 heartbreak; extreme sorrow 「还乡须断肠」之「断肠」二字，是全词情感的收束点，也是中国文学中写极悲的经典语汇。「断肠」以肠断写伤心至极，语出《世说新语》一类伤逝之叹，后世遂以断肠为极悲之词。韦庄此处用之，写还乡之痛足以令人肠断——故乡战乱未平，归去只见残破，乡愁之深、之痛，尽在这一词之中。此二字与上片江南之乐形成巨大反差：江南愈美，还乡愈痛；乐景愈明丽，断肠愈沉痛。词人不直写战乱之惨，而以「断肠」二字轻轻带出，含蓄而力重千钧，正是以乐写哀的至高笔法。全词由「人人尽说江南好」的众口之赞，到「还乡须断肠」的独语之哀，情感的落差尽在两字之中收束，余味绵长。