山中问答
问余何意栖碧山
笑而不答心自闲
桃花流水窅然去
别有天地非人间
They ask why I dwell in the green hills apart;
I smile and answer not, at ease in my heart.
Peach blossoms on the stream vanish from view;
Another world is there, not the one humans knew.
逐句注释
问余何意栖碧山
起句设问，以他人之问引出隐居缘由。“余”即我；“何意”为何、因何；“栖”本指鸟停树上，引申为居住、隐居；“碧山”即青山，既写山色，也象征超脱尘俗之境。以问开篇，为下句“笑而不答”蓄势。
The poem opens with a question from others: why do I dwell in the green mountain? “Yu” means I; “he yi” means why or for what reason; “qi” originally means a bird perching on a tree, extended to living in seclusion; “bishan” means green mountain, both a real scene and a symbol of a life beyond the dusty world. The opening question sets up the smiling silence of the next line.
笑而不答心自闲
“笑而不答”以神态代替言语，化用禅宗不立文字与魏晋清谈风度，含蓄而有深意；“心自闲”写内心安适自在、不为外物所扰。此句表现诗人对世俗追问的超越与自得。
“Smiling but not answering” replaces speech with demeanor, echoing Chan Buddhism’s refusal to trap truth in words and the elegant conversation style of the Wei-Jin period. “The heart is naturally at leisure” describes inner calm and freedom, undisturbed by external things. This line shows the poet’s transcendence and self-contentment before worldly questioning.
桃花流水窅然去
化用陶渊明《桃花源记》的桃源意象。“桃花流水”写暮春山景，色彩明丽而带有流逝之感；“窅然”形容深远渺茫、幽深难寻；“去”既指落花随水而去，也暗喻尘世踪迹渐远。以景寓情，含不尽之意。
This line echoes the Peach Blossom Spring of Tao Yuanming. “Peach blossoms on flowing water” depicts a late-spring mountain scene, bright yet touched by transience; “yaoran” describes something deep, remote, and dim; “qu” means to go or pass away, suggesting both petals carried off by the stream and a retreat from worldly traces. The scene embodies emotion and leaves meaning beyond words.
别有天地非人间
“别有天地”谓另有一番境界；“非人间”否定世俗人间，指向超然自足的隐逸世界或理想境界。与首句问答呼应，以哲理收束全诗，表现李白对自由、自然与精神天地的向往。
“Another heaven and earth” means a different realm altogether; “not the human world” negates worldly society and points to a transcendent, self-sufficient world of seclusion or an ideal realm. It answers the opening question and closes with philosophical reflection, expressing Li Bai’s longing for freedom, nature, and a spiritual homeland.
今日赏析
《山中问答》约作于唐玄宗开元年间，李白隐居安陆白兆山（又称碧山）时期。当时李白离开蜀地漫游，后在安陆成家并读书隐居。有人问他为何栖居碧山，他不作正面回答，而以微笑和桃花流水之景，表明自己追求的是超越尘俗、自由自在的精神天地。
The poem was likely written during the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong, when Li Bai was living in seclusion on Baizhao Mountain in Anlu, also known as Bishan. After leaving Shu and traveling widely, Li Bai settled in Anlu, married, and spent time reading and living in retreat. When asked why he dwelt in the green mountain, he did not answer directly; through a smile and the image of peach blossoms on flowing water, he revealed his pursuit of a free spiritual realm beyond worldly concerns.
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