江雪
Snow on the river
Read, find evidence, and explain in your own words.
Read
千山鸟飞绝，万径人踪灭。
Across countless mountains no birds fly; on countless paths no human tracks remain.
孤舟蓑笠翁，独钓寒江雪。
In a solitary boat, an old man in a straw cape and hat fishes alone on the cold, snowy river.
Explore the text
唐代柳宗元写这首诗。绝和灭写踪迹不见，孤和独写一个人；蓑是草编的雨衣，笠是遮雨的帽子。千和万扩大了画面，不是山和路的统计表。
This poem is by the Tang poet Liu Zongyuan. Jue and mie suggest absence; gu and du suggest solitude. Suo is a straw rain cape and li a rain hat. Thousand and ten thousand widen the scene rather than count its mountains and paths.
前两句先让天地显得空阔，后两句才出现小舟和人。你可以读出安静、孤独或坚定，只要用诗里的词说明。和咏鹅比较：哪一首声音更多，哪一首更静？
The opening creates a vast, empty scene; only then do the boat and person appear. You may hear quiet, loneliness or resolve if you support your reading with words from the poem. Compare it with Song of the Goose: which has more sound, and which feels quieter?
Words to practise
千万孤舟独