柳宗元
五言绝句
Character Explanations
Click on a character in the poem to display its explanation here.
千
“thousand”; here used hyperbolically, meaning “countless.” 千山 = “thousand mountains,” an immense landscape.
山
“mountain.” Combined with 千, it forms 千山, the boundless expanse of snowy peaks.
鸟
“bird.” The subject of the first line; its disappearance underscores the emptiness and silence.
飞
“to fly.” 鸟飞 “the flight of birds,” a movement that has ceased.
绝
“to cease, vanish entirely.” No birds fly anymore: total absence.
万
“ten thousand”; hyperbolic for “all, in infinite numbers.” 万径 = “ten thousand paths.”
径
“path, narrow trail.” The countless paths, now deserted.
人
“human, person.” Here, humanity is absent from the landscape.
踪
“trace, footprint.” 人踪 “human traces.”
灭
“to vanish, disappear.” All human traces have faded under the snow.
孤
“lonely, solitary, single.” 孤舟 “a solitary boat”; introduces the central figure.
舟
“boat, skiff.” The only inhabited element in the frozen vastness.
蓑
“straw raincoat” (for rain and snow). Traditional fisherman’s attire.
笠
“bamboo conical hat.” Paired with 蓑, it forms 蓑笠, the old fisherman’s outfit.
翁
“old man, elder.” 蓑笠翁 “the old fisherman in his straw cape and hat.”
独
“alone, solitary.” Reinforces 孤: the absolute isolation of the man.
钓
“to fish (with a line).” The old man’s sole, persistent action.
寒
“cold, icy.” 寒江 “the icy river”; the harshness of winter.
江
“river, great river.” The frozen waterway where the old man fishes.
雪
“snow.” Key word and title of the poem; it blankets the entire landscape.
Literal Translation
On a thousand mountains, not a bird takes flight,
On ten thousand paths, no human trace remains.
A lone boat, an old man in straw cape and bamboo hat,
Alone, he fishes the snow of the icy river.
Historical and Biographical Context
This poem, 江雪 (), “Snow on the River,” is a 五言绝句 (wǔyán juéjù), a quatrain of five characters, written in the solitude of his relegation. Behind the wintry landscape lies the poet’s state of mind: total isolation, yet unshaken dignity.
Literary Analysis
Structure and Form
江雪 is a 五言绝句 (), a quatrain of five characters. Its construction is perfectly symmetrical: the first two lines, parallel (千山 / 万径, 鸟飞绝 / 人踪灭), empty the world of all life; the last two reintroduce a single human presence. A famous detail: the first character of each line, read together — 千万孤独 () — forms the expression “immense solitude.”
Imagery and Symbolism
The poem paints a landscape entirely white and frozen. The absence of birds and traces creates an almost abstract void against which the tiny figure of the fisherman stands out. The snow (雪) and cold (寒) evoke adversity, while the old man fishing undisturbed symbolizes resilience and moral integrity.
Movement and Gesture
All movement has ceased — birds no longer fly, humans have vanished. Only the patient, solitary gesture of the fisherman (钓) remains. This general stillness focuses all attention on this single focal point of life.
Language and Tone
The language is spare and pictorial, akin to an ink painting. The negations (绝, 灭) establish a frozen silence; the tone, initially desolate, becomes one of stoic serenity. In just twenty characters, the poet composes a complete tableau.
Main Themes
Solitude and Exile
Composed in exile, the poem conveys the isolation of the disgraced scholar. The lone fisherman in the frozen vastness is a figure of the poet himself, cut off from the world.
Resilience and Integrity
Despite the cold and emptiness, the old man continues to fish. This silent perseverance symbolizes moral steadfastness and the refusal to yield to adversity, an ideal of the Confucian scholar.
Harmony with Nature
Reduced to essentials, man merges into a grand landscape. The poem illustrates the ideal of serene retreat within a sovereign nature.
