Quick Answer: What Does Drinking at the Lake First Clear Then Rain Mean?
Drinking at the Lake First Clear Then Rain (飲湖上初晴後雨, Yǐn Húshàng Chū Qíng Hòu Yǔ) is a Northern Song poem by Su Shi (蘇軾, Sū Shì) about West Lake (西湖, Xīhú). The familiar four lines are the second of two poems.[1]
- Weather: Bright water in sunshine and misty hills in rain each have their charm.
- Comparison: A celebrated beauty provides a human counterpart to the lake.
- Judgment: Different appearances can suit the same underlying beauty.
The poem praises both conditions rather than treating rain as a disappointing interruption.
A change of weather need not spoil a beautiful view. In these four lines, sunshine and rain offer different pleasures, and the final comparison explains why the poet does not have to choose between them.
Chinese Text, Translation and the Two-Poem Setting
The group is dated to 1073.[2] The setting is the lake west of Hangzhou, with hills surrounding three sides.[4]
Here is the complete second poem, followed line by line by an original English sense translation. The translation preserves the comparison rather than trying to reproduce the Chinese rhyme.[1]
| Chinese original | English sense translation |
|---|---|
| 水光瀲灧晴方好， | Water sparkles in the sun, beautiful in clear weather; |
| 山色空濛雨亦奇。 | Hills soften into rainy haze, a wonder of their own. |
| 欲把西湖比西子， | Were I to liken West Lake to Xizi (西子, Xīzǐ), |
| 淡粧濃抹總相宜。 | A light touch of makeup or rich adornment would both suit her. |
The first poem supplies more of the social occasion: morning light welcomes guests, evening rain keeps them drinking, and the speaker addresses a companion. Reading the two together restores the drinking scene that the famous second poem leaves outside its four lines.[1]
Sunlit Water and Rain-Softened Hills
The opening changes both the weather and the part of the landscape receiving attention. In clear conditions, the eye follows reflected light across the water. In rain, it looks toward hills whose outlines become less distinct.
This is more than a before-and-after report. The first line’s glitter is attractive because it is vivid; the second line’s haze is attractive because it conceals and softens. Visibility is not the only measure of a good view. The word meaning “also” gives the rainy scene its own positive judgment.
Nor does the poem need to catalogue every island, bridge or building. Two kinds of surface—moving water and distant hills—provide enough contrast to establish the lake’s changing character. The lake’s cultural landscape offers a wider context for this long relationship between scenery, poetry and ways of seeing.[4]
Why the Lake Is Compared with Xi Shi
Xizi (西子, Xīzǐ) is another name for Xi Shi (西施, Xī Shī), the famous beauty associated with the ancient state of Yue.[3] She appears as a comparison, not as someone the poet actually encounters during the outing.
The leap from scenery to a person makes the closing judgment easy to grasp. A face does not become a different face each time its adornment changes. Likewise, the lake remains recognizable and beautiful through contrasting weather. The metaphor joins variety with continuity.
“Light makeup” and “rich adornment” describe two successful appearances. Readers can associate their differing intensity with clear and misty views, but the verse does not explicitly assign one cosmetic style to one weather condition. Its larger point works without that fixed pairing: both suit.
This is also why “unadorned” is an incomplete substitute for light makeup. The original contrasts lighter and stronger treatment, not necessarily no treatment at all. The imagined beauty helps express the lake’s flexibility rather than supply a literal account of cosmetics or a woman’s appearance.
How the Four-Line Form Changes the View
The poem is a seven-character quatrain (七言絕句, qīyán juéjù): four lines, with seven Chinese characters in each. Its opening couplet presents two views, while its closing couplet interprets them through comparison.[1]
The third line is the hinge. Instead of adding another scenic detail, it asks the reader to imagine a different category of beauty. The last line then brings the new image and the observed landscape into agreement. Twenty-eight characters accomplish description, a surprising turn and a judgment.
For a different treatment of how perception shapes scenery, compare Inscription on the Wall at Xilin. Here, the interest lies in accepting more than one appearance; the change of perspective is carried by weather and analogy.
Read the Comparison without Fixing Every Detail
- Observe the two views: Separate the light on the water from the hills seen through rain.
- Identify the allusion: Recognize the named beauty, then ask what makes her a useful counterpart to the lake.
- Read the final judgment across both images: Let “both suit” apply to weather and adornment without forcing every detail into a one-to-one code.
The reading depends on the relationship among the four lines. An isolated quotation about makeup loses the lake, while a scenic summary alone misses the poem’s imaginative turn. The introduction to Chinese poetry provides more examples of how compact forms join observation and interpretation.
FAQs About Drinking at the Lake First Clear Then Rain
Does drinking at the lake mean drinking lake water?
No. The title places a drinking occasion on the lake; it does not describe consuming its water. The companion poem makes the social drinking setting clearer.[1]
Are Xizi and Xi Shi the same person?
Yes. Xizi is an alternative name for Xi Shi, the beauty used in the lake comparison.[3]
Does Su Shi prefer sunshine to rain?
The poem praises both. The different visual effects give each condition its own appeal, which the closing comparison brings together.[1]
Sumber
[1] Su Shi. 飲湖上初晴後雨二首: classical text
[2] Kindai University Central Library, National Diet Library Reference Cooperative Database. 「淡粧濃抹總相宜」を含む蘇東坡の詩を調べたい
[3] Ministry of Education. 西子: Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary
[4] UNESCO World Heritage Centre. West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou