人間詞話（選）
Poetic Remarks in the Human World (selection)
Wang Guowei 王國維 (1877–1927)
Qing · 1908–09

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-003041 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/003041
Rights: Published 1908–09; the author died in 1927. Public domain by age. The selection and punctuation by Claude are CC0. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Source: Wikisource, https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/人間詞話_(1926) (retrieved 2026-10-11)
English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/wang-guowei-poetic-remarks-in-the-human-world

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一

詞以境界爲最上。有境界，則自成高格，自有名句。五代、北宋之詞所以獨絕者在此。


三

有有我之境，有無我之境。「淚眼問花花不語，亂紅飛過秋千去。」「可堪孤館閉春寒，杜鵑聲裏斜陽暮。」有我之境也。「采菊東籬下，悠然見南山。」「寒波澹澹起，白鳥悠悠下。」無我之境也。有我之境，以我觀物，故物皆著我之色彩；無我之境，以物觀物，故不知何者爲我，何者爲物。古人爲詞，寫有我之境者爲多，然未始不能寫無我之境，此在豪傑之士能自樹立耳。


六

境非獨謂景物也，喜怒哀樂，亦人心中之一境界。故能寫眞景物、眞感情者，謂之有境界；否則謂之無境界。


七

「紅杏枝頭春意閙」，著一「閙」字而境界全出。「雲破月來花弄影」，著一「弄」字而境界全出矣。


十六

詞人者，不失其赤子之心者也。故生于深宮之中，長于婦人之手，是後主爲人君所短處，亦即爲詞人所長處。


十七

客觀之詩人，不可不多閱世，閱世愈深，則材料愈豐富，愈變化，《水滸傳》、《紅樓夢》之作者是也。主觀之詩人，不必多閱世，閱世愈淺，則性情愈眞，李後主是也。


二十六

古今之成大事業、大學問者，必經過三種之境界。「昨夜西風凋碧樹，獨上高樓，望盡天涯路。」此弟一境也。「衣帶漸寬終不悔，爲伊消得人憔悴。」此弟二境也。「衆裏尋他千百度，回頭驀見，那人正在燈火闌珊處。」此弟三境也。此等語皆非大詞人不能道。然遽以此意解釋諸詞，恐晏、歐諸公所不許也。


四十七

稼軒中秋飲酒達旦，用《天問》體作《木蘭花慢》以送月，曰：「可憐今夜月，向何處，去悠悠？是別有人閒，那邊才見，光景東頭。」詞人想像，直悟月輪遶地之理，與科學家密合，可謂神悟。


五十四

四言敝而有《楚辭》，《楚辭》敝而有五言，五言敝而有七言，古詩敝而有律絕，律絕敝而有詞。蓋文體通行既久，染指遂多，自成習套，豪傑之士亦難于其中自出新意，故遁而作他體，以自解脫。一切文體所以始盛中衰者，皆由于此。故謂文學後不如前，余未敢信；但就一體論，則此說固無以易也。


五十五

詩之《三百篇》、《十九首》，詞之五代、北宋，皆無題也。非無題也，詩詞中之意不能以題盡之也。自《花庵》、《草堂》每調立題，幷古人無題之詞亦爲作題。如觀一幅佳山水，而即曰此某山某水，可乎？詩有題而詩亡，詞有題而詞亡。然中材之士，鮮能知此而自振拔者矣。


五十六

大家之作，其言情也必沁人心脾，其寫景也必豁人耳目，其辭脫口而出，無矯揉妝束之態。以其所見者眞，所知者深也。詩詞皆然。持此以衡古今之作者，可無大誤矣。


六十

詩人對宇宙人生，須入乎其內，又須出乎其外。入乎其內，故能寫之；出乎其外，故能觀之。入乎其內，故有生氣；出乎其外，故有高致。美成能入而不能出，白石以降，于此二事皆未夢見。


六十一

詩人必有輕視外物之意，故能以奴僕命風月；又必有重視外物之意，故能與花鳥共憂樂。

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一

词以境界为最上。有境界，则自成高格，自有名句。五代、北宋之词所以独绝者在此。


三

有有我之境，有无我之境。「泪眼问花花不语，乱红飞过秋千去。」「可堪孤馆闭春寒，杜鹃声里斜阳暮。」有我之境也。「采菊东篱下，悠然见南山。」「寒波澹澹起，白鸟悠悠下。」无我之境也。有我之境，以我观物，故物皆著我之色彩；无我之境，以物观物，故不知何者为我，何者为物。古人为词，写有我之境者为多，然未始不能写无我之境，此在豪杰之士能自树立耳。


六

境非独谓景物也，喜怒哀乐，亦人心中之一境界。故能写真景物、真感情者，谓之有境界；否则谓之无境界。


七

「红杏枝头春意闹」，著一「闹」字而境界全出。「云破月来花弄影」，著一「弄」字而境界全出矣。


十六

词人者，不失其赤子之心者也。故生于深宫之中，长于妇人之手，是后主为人君所短处，亦即为词人所长处。


十七

客观之诗人，不可不多阅世，阅世愈深，则材料愈丰富，愈变化，《水浒传》、《红楼梦》之作者是也。主观之诗人，不必多阅世，阅世愈浅，则性情愈真，李后主是也。


二十六

古今之成大事业、大学问者，必经过三种之境界。「昨夜西风凋碧树，独上高楼，望尽天涯路。」此弟一境也。「衣带渐宽终不悔，为伊消得人憔悴。」此弟二境也。「众里寻他千百度，回头蓦见，那人正在灯火阑珊处。」此弟三境也。此等语皆非大词人不能道。然遽以此意解释诸词，恐晏、欧诸公所不许也。


四十七

稼轩中秋饮酒达旦，用《天问》体作《木兰花慢》以送月，曰：「可怜今夜月，向何处，去悠悠？是别有人间，那边才见，光景东头。」词人想像，直悟月轮绕地之理，与科学家密合，可谓神悟。


五十四

四言敝而有《楚辞》，《楚辞》敝而有五言，五言敝而有七言，古诗敝而有律绝，律绝敝而有词。盖文体通行既久，染指遂多，自成习套，豪杰之士亦难于其中自出新意，故遁而作他体，以自解脱。一切文体所以始盛中衰者，皆由于此。故谓文学后不如前，余未敢信；但就一体论，则此说固无以易也。


五十五

诗之《三百篇》、《十九首》，词之五代、北宋，皆无题也。非无题也，诗词中之意不能以题尽之也。自《花庵》、《草堂》每调立题，并古人无题之词亦为作题。如观一幅佳山水，而即曰此某山某水，可乎？诗有题而诗亡，词有题而词亡。然中材之士，鲜能知此而自振拔者矣。


五十六

大家之作，其言情也必沁人心脾，其写景也必豁人耳目，其辞脱口而出，无矫揉妆束之态。以其所见者真，所知者深也。诗词皆然。持此以衡古今之作者，可无大误矣。


六十

诗人对宇宙人生，须入乎其内，又须出乎其外。入乎其内，故能写之；出乎其外，故能观之。入乎其内，故有生气；出乎其外，故有高致。美成能入而不能出，白石以降，于此二事皆未梦见。


六十一

诗人必有轻视外物之意，故能以奴仆命风月；又必有重视外物之意，故能与花鸟共忧乐。

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

1

In ci poetry, *jingjie*, the world a poem opens, is the highest thing. A poem that has it rises of itself to a high style and has lines that are remembered. This is why the ci of the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song stand alone.


3

There is a world with a self in it, and a world without a self. "Eyes full of tears, I ask the flowers; the flowers do not answer; the scattered red flies past the swing." "How can I bear it, shut in a lonely inn against the cold of spring, the cuckoo calling as the sun sinks?" These are worlds with a self. "Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge, I see the southern hills, far and calm." "Cold ripples rise, slow and wide; white birds come down, unhurried." These are worlds without a self. In a world with a self, one looks at things through the self, so that things all take on the colours of the self. In a world without a self, one looks at things through things, so that one no longer knows which is the self and which is the thing. The poets of old mostly wrote worlds with a self, yet they were not unable to write worlds without one; it depends on whether a person of real strength can stand on his own.


6

A world is not made of scenery alone. Joy, anger, grief and delight are also a world within the human heart. So a poem that can render true scenery and true feeling is said to have a world; otherwise it is said to have none.


7

"On the branch of red apricot, spring is in uproar": with the one word "uproar," the whole world appears. "The clouds part, the moon comes out, and the flowers play with their shadows": with the one word "play," the whole world appears.


16

A poet is one who has not lost the heart of a child. So the Last Ruler of the Southern Tang, born deep in the palace and raised in the hands of women, was the poorer for it as a ruler, and the richer for it as a poet.


17

The objective poet must see much of the world; the deeper his experience, the richer and more varied his material, as with the authors of *The Water Margin* and *The Dream of the Red Chamber*. The subjective poet need not see much of the world; the shallower his experience, the truer his nature, as with the Last Ruler of the Southern Tang.


26

Everyone, past or present, who has achieved a great work or great learning must have passed through three stages. "Last night the west wind stripped the green trees; alone I climbed the high tower, and gazed down the road to the end of the sky." This is the first stage. "My robe and sash grow loose, yet I never regret it; for her I am worn and wasted." This is the second stage. "A thousand times I searched for her in the crowd; turning my head by chance, I see that person there, where the lamplight is dim." This is the third stage. Words like these could only have been spoken by great poets. But to read these poems in this way would hardly have been allowed by Yan Shu, Ouyang Xiu and the others.


47

Xin Qiji, drinking until dawn on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, wrote a poem to the tune *Mulanhua Man* in the questioning manner of the *Heavenly Questions* to see off the moon: "Lovely moon of tonight, where are you going, so far, so slow? Is there another world of men, where they are only now seeing your light rise in the east?" A poet's imagination went straight to the truth that the moon circles the earth, in close agreement with the men of science. This may be called a divine insight.


54

When the four-character poem wore out, there came the *Songs of Chu*; when the *Songs of Chu* wore out, there came the five-character poem; when the five-character poem wore out, there came the seven-character; when the old-style poem wore out, there came regulated verse and the quatrain; when regulated verse and the quatrain wore out, there came the ci. For when a form has been in use for a long time, many hands have dipped into it, and it hardens into habits and set patterns. Even a person of real strength finds it hard to bring out anything new within it, and so escapes into another form to set himself free. This is why every literary form flourishes at first and declines midway. So I cannot believe those who say that later literature is worse than earlier. But taken one form at a time, the claim cannot be disputed.


55

The *Three Hundred Poems* and the *Nineteen Old Poems*, and the ci of the Five Dynasties and Northern Song, all lack titles. It is not that they lack titles: the meaning of a poem cannot be contained in a title. Since the anthologies *Hua'an* and *Caotang* gave a title to every tune, and even made up titles for the old untitled ci, it is as if, on looking at a fine landscape painting, one at once declared, "This is such-and-such a mountain, such-and-such a river." Would that do? When poems took titles, poetry died; when ci took titles, ci died. Yet few people of middling talent understand this and can free themselves from it.


56

In the work of the great masters, feeling always goes to the heart, scenery always opens the eyes and ears, and the words come out naturally, without any affected or ornamental air. This is because what they see is true and what they know is deep. It is so in shi and ci alike. Measure the writers of past and present by this, and you will not go far wrong.


60

A poet must enter into the universe and human life, and must also come out of them. Because he enters into them, he can write them; because he comes out of them, he can see them. Because he enters into them, his work has life; because he comes out of them, it has a lofty air. Zhou Bangyan could enter but could not come out. From Jiang Kui on, poets have never dreamed of either.


61

A poet must hold outward things lightly, so that he can order the wind and the moon about like servants; and he must also hold outward things dearly, so that he can share joy and sorrow with the flowers and birds.