Mount Tianmen seems split down the middle to let the Yangtze pass through; the emerald river, flowing east, swirls as it reaches this point. Green mountains on both banks rise facing the traveler, and a lone sail comes from the sunlit distance.

Tianmen Mountain: the facing East Liang and West Liang mountains on opposite banks of the Yangtze, in the area of present-day Wuhu and Ma'anshan, Anhui. 楚江: here, the Yangtze as it flows through the ancient land of Chu. 开: the river passes between the two mountains as though cleaving them apart.

回: to swirl or turn back, describing the river constrained by the mountains. 出: to appear or rise into view, also conveying the sensation of mountains unfolding ahead as the boat moves. 日边: the distance toward the sunlight, not a boat emerging from inside the sun.

Reading guide: This landscape quatrain combines the river's surging flow, the mountains' grandeur, and the changing views from a moving boat. The scenery is revealed gradually through actions such as “开” (open), “回” (turn), “出” (emerge), and “来” (come).

The first two lines open up space through the interaction of mountain and water: the mountains seem severed by the river, while the river turns because of the mountains. Vigorous verbs give the natural scene force.

The final two lines move from sweeping grandeur into the act of looking. “相对出” (“emerge facing one another”) gives the two mountains a movement toward the traveler. The distant sail and sunlight bring the scene to a close, preserving a clear, light focal point within its vastness.