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汉 Han · 古诗 Ancient poem

青青河畔草

Green, Green Riverside Grass

古诗十九首

Gushi Shijiu Shou

闺怨Boudoir Plaint 思妇Yearning Wife 爱情Love

青青河畔草，郁郁园中柳。
盈盈楼上女，皎皎当窗牖。
娥娥红粉妆，纤纤出素手。
昔为倡家女，今为荡子妇。
荡子行不归，空床难独守。

Green, green the grass by the riverside,
Lush, lush the willow in the garden.
Fair, fair the lady upstairs,
Bright, bright she faces the window.
Her red makeup, her slender white hand.
Once a singing girl, now a wanderer's wife.
The wanderer travels and does not return,
The empty bed is hard to guard alone.

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Meaning

The poem portrays a lonely wife waiting for her wandering husband, expressing her beauty, longing, and frustration.

河边长着青青的春草，园中垂着郁郁的柳条。楼上有一位仪态盈盈的女子，皎洁地倚在窗前。她梳着美丽的红粉妆容，纤纤素手探出窗外。从前她是歌舞之家的女子，如今做了游子的妻子。游子远行不归，空寂的床榻教人难以独守。

Appreciation

The poem is notable for its six pairs of reduplicatives (green green, lush lush, etc.) that create a vivid sensory picture and a rhythmic flow. The contrast between the vibrant spring scene and the woman's solitude deepens the pathos. The direct confession of 'empty bed is hard to guard' is remarkably frank for its time.

【白话串讲】一个曾经是歌女的女子，嫁给了一个外出不归的男人。她盛装打扮，倚在窗边，“荡子行不归，空床难独守”——古诗十九首里的这个女子，直白得让人心疼。【意象与手法】全诗前六句纯用叠字白描，六组「青青」「郁郁」「盈盈」「皎皎」「娥娥」「纤纤」音韵谐美，由外景写到人物形貌，如工笔设色；后四句以叙事收束，由盛妆丽人陡转入空床难独守的凄凉，先扬后抑，对比强烈。【情感与主旨】本篇为《文选》所录《古诗十九首》第二首，作者佚名，约作于东汉末年。其时战乱频仍、游宦之风盛行，男子远游仕宦或经商，女子独守空闺。诗借倡家女出身的思妇之口，写盼归不得、独守空床的怨情，反映当时普遍的社会离愁与女性境遇。【名句点睛】常考六组叠字连用的音韵之美与由景及人的章法、以乐景写哀情的反衬手法、「空床难独守」直抒怨情的力度，以及「荡子」「倡家女」等汉魏习语的理解。

Background

This poem is the second of the 'Nineteen Old Poems' in the Wen Xuan (Selections of Refined Literature), written by an unknown author in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. During that turbulent time, men often traveled far for official careers or trade, leaving women alone at home. The term 'wanderer' (荡子) refers to a husband who is long absent. The poem speaks through the voice of a former singing girl turned wife, reflecting the universal theme of separation and female experience.

本篇为《文选》所录《古诗十九首》第二首，作者佚名，约作于东汉末年。《古诗十九首》最早见于南朝梁萧统《文选》卷二十九「杂诗」类，是汉末下层文人五言诗的结晶，历来被称为「五言之冠冕」（刘勰语）、「惊心动魄，可谓几乎一字千金」（钟嵘语）。东汉末年，社会动荡、战乱频仍，士人为了功名利禄离乡背井，远游仕宦或经商，造成大量夫妻离别的社会现象。此诗所写，正是一位倡家女出身的思妇，在春光明媚之际独守空楼、盼望荡子（远游不归的丈夫）归来而不得的怨情。「荡子」为汉魏习语，指远游不归、流荡在外的男子，非浪荡子之意。诗中直写女性「空床难独守」的心理，坦率大胆，不加掩饰，正是汉乐府与《古诗十九首》中女性书写大胆真实的一面，也反映了乱世中普通女性的生存困境与情感诉求。此诗写倡家女出身的思妇，尤具社会史意义——汉代倡优地位低下，倡女嫁人而遭冷落，正是乱世中女性命运的一个缩影，诗中直写其『难独守』的怨情，实为下层女性心声的代言，比士大夫代拟的闺怨更见真实，其大胆直白的程度，正是汉诗『感于哀乐，缘事而发』的本色。

Art

The first six lines use six pairs of reduplicatives (qingqing, yuyu, yingying, jiaojiao, e'e, xianxian) to depict the scene and the woman's appearance in a meticulous, 'gongbi' style. The last four lines shift to narrative, revealing the woman's past and present, creating a sharp contrast between her adorned beauty and her lonely bed. The structure progresses from scene to person to emotion, achieving a natural unity.

全诗艺术上最突出的特点是叠字连用与先扬后抑的章法。前六句连用六组叠字：青青、郁郁、盈盈、皎皎、娥娥、纤纤，由外景写到人物，如工笔设色，层层推进——「青青河畔草」写岸边春草之青翠，「郁郁园中柳」写园中柳色之浓密，是春光烂漫的起兴；「盈盈楼上女」写女子仪态之美好，「皎皎当窗牖」写其容光之明艳，是人物风姿的亮相；「娥娥红粉妆」写其妆容之艳丽，「纤纤出素手」写其素手之纤细，是细节的工笔描绘。六组叠字，音韵谐美，如珠玉相击，把春景之盛与女子之美写得淋漓尽致。然而后四句笔锋陡转：「昔为倡家女，今为荡子妇。荡子行不归，空床难独守」——由盛妆丽人的极写陡入空床独守的凄凉，先扬后抑，对比强烈，春光愈美、丽人愈艳，独守之怨愈深，正是以乐景写哀情的典范。尤可注意者，六组叠字皆置于句首，形成『青青……郁郁……盈盈……』的排沓节奏，如镜头缓缓推进，由远景而近景而特写，正是汉诗『以声传神、以形写心』的典范，后世李白、李清照的叠字艺术皆承此脉。

Allusions

'Wanderer' (荡子) in Han-Wei usage means a man who roams far from home, not necessarily a libertine. 'Singing girl' (倡家女) refers to a female entertainer of low social status. The image of 'empty bed' was later adopted by Li Bai and other poets of boudoir longing. The six reduplicatives continue a tradition from the Book of Songs (e.g., 'green green your collar').

此诗少用经史典故，而以汉魏习语与民间意象入诗。「荡子」为汉魏习语，指远游不归、流荡在外的男子，与后世「浪荡子」含义不同，《文选》李善注引《列子》「有人去乡土流于国外，不归者谓之荡子」，此诗用之，点明丈夫久客不归的事实。「倡家女」指从事歌舞的女伎，汉代倡优地位低下，虽以色艺事人，亦有正当婚姻，此诗写倡家女嫁与荡子而遭冷落，反映了倡女婚姻的不幸。六组叠字连用之法，上承《诗经》「青青子衿」「杨柳依依」等叠字传统，下启后世叠字诗的先声，李白《秋浦歌》「白发三千丈」之夸张、李清照《声声慢》「寻寻觅觅」之叠字，皆此传统之流变。「空床」意象尤为后世闺怨诗所承，李白《长干行》「感此伤妾心，坐愁红颜老」即承此脉。又『河畔草』之起兴直承汉乐府『青青河畔草，绵绵思远道』，『园中柳』暗含折柳送别之俗，草柳并起，思远之意自明；以乐府意象入文人诗，正是《古诗十九首》『文温以丽』而根于民歌的所在。

Commentary

Zhong Rong's 'Shi Pin' said the Nineteen Old Poems are 'gentle yet beautiful, sorrowful yet far-reaching, soul-stirring, almost every word is worth a thousand gold.' Wang Fuzhi commented on the reduplicatives: 'Using joyful scenes to write sorrow, or sorrowful scenes to write joy, doubles the sorrow and joy.'

此诗历来评价极高，被视为《古诗十九首》中写闺怨的代表作。钟嵘《诗品》评《古诗十九首》「文温以丽，意悲而远，惊心动魄，可谓几乎一字千金」，此诗正是注脚——文辞温丽、情意悲远，六组叠字不嫌其繁，空床独守不讳其怨，字字千钧。刘勰《文心雕龙》称其「直而不野，婉转附物，怊怅切情」，正合此诗以直白之语写深婉之情的特点。王夫之《姜斋诗话》评此诗叠字：「以乐景写哀，以哀景写乐，一倍增其哀乐。」——春光之乐景反衬独守之哀情，哀更倍增。清人沈德潜《古诗源》选录此诗，评其「写闺情之极，千古无出其右」。后世闺怨诗如王昌龄《闺怨》「闺中少妇不知愁」、李白《春思》等，皆承此诗衣钵，可见其在闺怨题材上开创性的地位，也是理解《古诗十九首》「深情而不诡」艺术特质的重要文本。在闺怨诗史上，此诗以六叠字写丽人、以直白语写怨情，开创『先扬后抑』的抒情模式，后世曹植《美女篇》、王昌龄《闺怨》皆承其衣钵，其影响之深远，正见《古诗十九首》作为『五言之冠冕』的典范意义，是理解中国闺怨文学源流的必读之作。

Prosody

Form Ancient poem (five-character old style)古诗十九首（文人五言古诗）

Rhyme Alternating oblique and level tones, rhyming every other line全诗十句，押上声与去声韵（柳、牖、手、妇、守，属古韵幽侯部），隔句押韵，不拘平仄。

Tone pattern Late Han five-character poem, not bound by regulated verse tonal patterns, emphasizes natural rhythm and reduplicatives汉末文人五言，不受近体平仄约束，重自然气韵；前六句每句皆以叠字起，音节回环，如歌如咏。

Reading note The six pairs of reduplicatives (青青、郁郁、盈盈、皎皎、娥娥、纤纤) are a distinctive feature.此诗为《古诗十九首》中的文人五言古诗，全诗十句，五言句式，隔句押韵，尚处于古体诗阶段，不受近体诗平仄对仗的严格约束，而以自然流转的气韵见长。其声律上的最大特色是叠字连用：前六句「青青」「郁郁」「盈盈」「皎皎」「娥娥」「纤纤」六组叠字，皆置于句首，形成「叠字起句」的固定节奏，音节回环往复，如珠玉相击、如歌声袅袅，是《诗经》叠字传统在五言诗中的高度发展，也是此诗音韵之美冠绝《古诗十九首》的原因所在。五言句式较四言多出一字，节奏更富变化，正宜抒写这种曲折细腻的思妇情怀。全诗两句一层，由景而人、由人而事、由事而情，层层推进，章法浑成。作为汉末文人五言诗的代表，此诗体现了五言诗由乐府民歌向文人诗的过渡，其叠字艺术与先扬后抑的章法，为后世五言抒情诗确立了典范。

Line by line

青青河畔草，郁郁园中柳。

The green grass by the river and lush willow in the garden set a spring scene, contrasting with the woman's solitude.

河边长着青青的春草，园中垂着郁郁的柳条。

Green, green, the riverside grass; thick, thick, the willows in the garden.

起句以春光起兴，写景明丽而暗含怨意。「青青」写河畔春草之色，青翠欲滴；「郁郁」写园中柳色之浓密，郁郁葱葱——两句以叠字写出春光大盛、生机蓬勃之景。此景的妙处在于反衬：春光越是明媚，独守空楼的思妇越觉孤寂；草木无知而欣欣向荣，有情人却独守空闺，以乐景写哀情，一倍增其哀乐。同时，河畔草、园中柳又暗含古典意象：草之萋萋、柳之依依，皆有怀人、惜别之意，汉乐府《饮马长城窟行》「青青河畔草，绵绵思远道」即以河畔草起兴写思远，此诗正承其脉。两句以最明丽的春景开篇，为下文写楼上丽人的盛妆与空床的凄凉，作了最有力的反衬铺垫。

The spring. Green, green, the riverside grass; thick, thick, the garden willows. The doubling of the spring's green is the setup: the fuller the season, the lonelier the woman watching from the tower. To have described spring growth would be scenery; the doubled green of the river grass and garden willows is the scenery.

盈盈楼上女，皎皎当窗牖。

A graceful lady stands upstairs, bright and fair at the window, highlighting her beauty and isolation.

楼上有一位仪态盈盈的女子，皎洁地倚在窗前。

Graceful, graceful, the woman upstairs, bright, bright, at the window.

此句由景及人，写女子风姿，是工笔写人的亮相之笔。「盈盈」写女子仪态之美好轻盈，如春水之盈盈、姿态之绰约；「皎皎」写其容光之明洁，如月之皎皎、光华照人——两组叠字一写体态、一写容光，女子之美宛然在目。「当窗牖」写其倚窗而立——楼上窗前，正是望远的绝佳位置，一个「当」字写尽她凭窗远望、盼归待人的情态。此句的妙处有三：一是以叠字写人，音韵谐美，姿态毕现；二是以「当窗牖」暗点盼归，写人而不言其心事，而凭窗远望之意自见；三是承上启下，春景之盛引出丽人之美，丽人之美又将反衬下文独守之悲，先扬后抑的章法于此成形。

The woman. Graceful is the woman upstairs, bright at the window. The doubled grace and brightness (two pairs of echo words) make her luminous against the spring. The window is her watching post. To have described a beautiful woman at a window would be a portrait; the graceful woman, bright at the window, is the portrait.

娥娥红粉妆，纤纤出素手。

Her red makeup and slender white hands show she has dressed up, perhaps in hope of her husband's return.

她梳着美丽的红粉妆容，纤纤素手探出窗外。

Lovely in her rouge and powder, delicate, delicate, she thrusts out her white hand.

此句细写女子妆饰，是全诗工笔的极致。「娥娥」写妆容之美艳，红粉妆饰，明艳照人；「纤纤」写素手之纤细，白净柔美——「红粉妆」与「素手」一红一白，色彩相映，美艳与素净并举，女子之美于细节处毕现。「出素手」三字尤为传神：素手探出窗外，一个「出」字，既是凭窗远望时不经意间露出的纤手，又暗含盼归望远的动作与心事。此句的深意在于「盛妆」二字：独守空楼，却仍盛妆以待，正见其心未死、情未冷——她还在等，还在盼，还在为悦己者容。越是盛妆，越是殷切，下文「空床难独守」的凄凉越显沉重，先扬后抑的手法于此达到顶点。

The costume and hand. Lovely in rouge and powder, delicate, she thrusts out her white hand. The dressing-up is itself the longing: she adorns herself for a man who does not come. The white hand at the window is the small gesture of waiting. To have described her makeup and hand would be detail; the lovely rouge and the delicate white hand at the window are the detail.

昔为倡家女，今为荡子妇。

Once a singing girl, now a wanderer's wife: revealing her background and the irony of her fate.

从前她是歌舞之家的女子，如今做了游子的妻子。

Once she was a singer's daughter; now she is a wanderer's wife.

此句由写人转入叙事，交代女子身世，是全诗的转折枢纽。「昔为倡家女」写其出身——曾是歌舞之家的女伎，色艺双全而地位卑微；「今为荡子妇」写其现状——嫁作荡子（远游不归者）之妻。「昔」与「今」对举，一生两段，命运判然：由倡女而为人妇，本是脱离贱籍、得觅良缘的转折，谁知夫婿竟是久客不归的荡子，独守空闺的处境，较倡女时期更为凄凉。此句的妙处有二：一是交代身世，为「空床难独守」的直抒提供依据——倡家女出身，见惯了聚散，更耐不住长夜的孤寂；二是以「荡子」点明怨之根源，丈夫远游不归，是女子一切幽怨的起点，由景、由人至此揭出题旨，叙事转折自然有力。

The history. Once she was a singer's daughter; now she is a wanderer's wife. The once-and-now contrasts her old visibility (on stage) with her present invisibility (left alone). To have said her past and present would be a biography; the once-singer's-daughter and the now-wanderer's-wife are the biography.

荡子行不归，空床难独守。

The wanderer does not return, making the empty bed hard to endure alone: direct expression of frustration and loneliness.

游子远行不归，空寂的床榻教人难以独守。

The wanderer has gone and does not return; the empty bed is hard to keep alone.

结句直抒怨情，是全诗情感的爆发点，也是千古名句。「荡子行不归」点明丈夫久客不归的事实——一个「行」字写其远去，一个「不归」写其无信，久别无音，怨情之所由生；「空床难独守」直写独守之难——「空床」以物写情，床之空写人之孤，一字写尽长夜独眠的凄凉；「难独守」三字坦率大胆，毫不掩饰思妇的心理挣扎，直指闺怨的核心。此句的震撼力在于直白：前六句极写春光之美、丽人之艳，至此陡然跌落为「空床难独守」的赤裸告白，先扬后抑，对比强烈，怨情喷薄而出。此种大胆直率的女性自白，正是汉诗「直而不野」的本色，也是《古诗十九首》「惊心动魄，一字千金」的所在。

The confession. The wanderer has gone and does not return; the empty bed is hard to keep alone. The plain statement is the poem's shock: after all the beauty, the naked difficulty of the empty bed. To have said the empty bed was lonely would be a confession; the wanderer not returning and the empty bed hard to keep alone are the confession.

Study

Word focus

青青/郁郁 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「青青河畔草，郁郁园中柳」两组叠字，是起兴之笔，写春光之盛而寓怨情之深。「青青」写河畔春草之色，青翠欲滴，生机盎然；「郁郁」写园中柳色之浓密，郁勃葱茏，绿意无边——两组叠字皆以声传色，读来如见满眼春色。此二字的妙处有三：一是音韵谐美，叠字连用，音节圆转，如珠玉相击，开全诗六组叠字的先声；二是以乐景写哀情，春光愈盛，独守愈悲，草柳的无知荣枯正反衬思妇的有情煎熬，一倍增其哀乐；三是暗含古典意象，草之萋萋怀人、柳之依依惜别，汉乐府「青青河畔草，绵绵思远道」即以此起兴，叠字之中暗藏思远怀人之意，是起兴与比兴的巧妙结合。

盈盈/皎皎/娥娥/纤纤 Four pairs of reduplicatives depicting the woman's grace, brightness, beauty, and slenderness, creating a musical rhythm and vivid imagery. 「盈盈」「皎皎」「娥娥」「纤纤」四组叠字连用写人，是全诗工笔写人的精粹，也是中国诗史上叠字写人的典范。盈盈写体态之美好，如春水盈波、姿态绰约；皎皎写容光之明洁，如月色皎然、光华照人；娥娥写妆容之艳美，红粉明妆、娥眉秀目；纤纤写素手之纤细，白净柔美、十指纤纤。四组叠字由体态而容光、由容光而妆容、由妆容而手足，层层聚焦，如电影镜头由远及近，把楼上丽人之美写得淋漓尽致。其妙处有三：一是音韵谐美，四组叠字声调各异而圆转流畅，读来如歌；二是纯用白描，不事雕琢而人物宛然，正是「天然去雕饰」的汉诗本色；三是为下文的悲怨蓄势——美得越充分，独守越可悲，先扬后抑的张力由此而生。

空床 Empty bed' concisely conveys loneliness and the pain of separation, laden with unspoken longing. 「空床难独守」之「空床」二字，是全诗由物写情的凝练之笔，也是中国闺怨诗的重要意象。床之「空」，写尽长夜独眠的孤寂——床本是夫妻共寝之所，如今只剩一人，一个「空」字，床之空、人之孤、夜之冷，尽在其中。此二字之妙有三：一是以物写情，不说「我孤独」而说「床空」，物象之中自含情味，含蓄而有力；二是时空并置，「空床」是夜间的处境，暗写一个个难熬的独眠之夜，独守之苦于这一意象中具象化；三是直白大胆，「空床难独守」以「空床」引出「难独守」的告白，坦率到近乎惊世骇俗，正是汉诗直写人性的本色。后世闺怨诗皆承「空床」意象：李白《长干行》「坐愁红颜老」、温庭筠《更漏子》「空床卧听南窗雨」，皆自此化出。