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汉 Han · 诗 Poem

迢迢牵牛星

The Far-off Cowherd Star

《古诗十九首》

Anonymous (Nineteen Old Poems)

爱情Love 七夕Theme

迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女。
纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼。
终日不成章，泣涕零如雨。
河汉清且浅，相去复几许。
盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语。

The distant Cowherd Star, the brilliant Weaving Maid of the Milky Way.
She puts forth her slender, pale hand, click-clack working the shuttle.
All day she weaves no pattern; her tears fall like rain.
The River of Heaven is clear and shallow—how far apart can they be?
Between them flows that brimming water; they gaze, yet cannot speak a word.

Listen

Meaning

A Han-dynasty yuefu on the Weaver Maid and Cowherd, two lovers forever parted by the thin river of heaven.

遥远的牵牛星啊，明亮的织女星。织女伸出纤纤的白皙素手，札札地拨弄着机杼。一整天也织不成一段布帛，眼泪簌簌落下如同雨下。银河清清而又浅浅，彼此相隔又能有多远？就在这盈盈一水之间，却只能含情相视，说不出一句话。

Appreciation

"The Far-off Cowherd Star," the tenth of the anonymous "Nineteen Old Poems" (Gu Shi Shi Jiu Shou) of the late Han, is the earliest sustained treatment of the Cowherd-and-Weaver-Maid legend in Chinese verse and a touchstone of classical love poetry. Artistically it is built on paired reduplicative adjectives—"far-off" and "bright," "slender" and "pale," "brimming" and "silent"—each doubling the sense of distance and yearning and lending the pentameter its music. The poem moves from busy motion (the weaver "click-clack working the shuttle") to frozen stillness ("they gaze, yet cannot speak a word"), condensing a whole love-story into five lines. Its paradox—a clear, shallow stream so near yet utterly uncrossable—captures the human ache of "a world apart though a foot away." Free of ornament and direct comment, it embodies the sequence's prized "naturalness without adornment"; later critics in the Wenxin Diaolong and Shi Pin held it up as Han wuyan at its purest. It also inaugurated the Qixi poetic tradition, echoing through a millennium of Chinese verse.

【白话串讲】 “迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女”——古诗十九首写牛郎织女。“纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼”——“终日不成章，泣涕零如雨”——她哭得织不成布。“河汉清且浅，相去复几许。盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语”——一水之隔，却不能说话。【意象与手法】六组叠字（迢迢、皎皎、纤纤、札札、盈盈、脉脉）居其六，音节谐婉、意象鲜明。起二句写仰望双星，先立天上之隔；中四句由星及人，以动作的细腻与泪落的真实将织女化为思妇；末二句“河汉清且浅，相去复几许”以反问写阻隔之近，“盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语”以不能语收束。不著议论、纯以景与态写情。【情感与主旨】借牛郎织女的神话抒写人间咫尺天涯的相思之苦。上承《诗经·大东》织女之象，下开七夕诗词传统，是千古写牛女最具情韵的一篇。【名句点睛】常考“盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语”以一水之隔写咫尺天涯之悲；“终日不成章，泣涕零如雨”以织布不成写相思之深。

Background

This is the tenth of the 'Nineteen Old Poems' (Gu Shi Shi Jiu Shou), a landmark anonymous sequence of the late Han, and the earliest sustained treatment of the Cowherd-and-Weaver-Maid legend in Chinese verse. Set against the Qixi (Double Seventh) sky, it voices the loneliness of separated lovers—a theme that would echo through a millennium of Chinese poetry.

《迢迢牵牛星》为《古诗十九首》之一，约产东汉末年，作者无名氏，由南朝梁昭明太子萧统编《文选》时汇辑。牛郎织女本为星辰，《诗经·小雅·大东》已有跂彼织女，终日七襄之句，彼时织女尚未与牵牛结为夫妇；至汉，牵牛织女恋爱、七夕相会之民间传说渐成，此诗即明确写二星之相思，是牛女故事文人化之早期重要文本。东汉末年，社会动荡、游子离妇众多，文人借天上双星写人间阻隔，寄托对团圆而不可得的普遍哀伤。诗中织女不成章、泣如雨，实是汉末思妇的投射；盈盈一水、脉脉不得语，则是无数被时代拆散的夫妻之写照。此诗因此不惟是七夕题材的源头之一，更是乱离时代离愁的凝练。它与同组《行行重行行》《青青河畔草》等同写离别相思，而专取天上之一幕，以神话写人事，想象更奇、情韵更永，宜与《古诗十九首》合观以见一代诗心。《迢迢牵牛星》为《古诗十九首》第十首，约产东汉末年。牛郎织女本为星辰，《诗经·大东》已有织女之象而未成夫妇；至汉，牛女恋爱传说渐成，此诗明确写二星相思，是牛女故事文人化之早期文本。东汉末年游子离妇众多，文人借天上双星写人间阻隔，寄托团圆而不可得之哀。此诗既为七夕题材源头之一，更是乱离时代离愁之凝练，与同组诸诗合观可见一代诗心。

Art

The poem is built on paired adjectives: 'far-off' and 'bright,' 'slender' and 'pale,' 'brimming' and 'silent,' each doubling the sense of distance and yearning. The shift from busy movement ('working the shuttle') to frozen stillness ('gaze, yet cannot speak') condenses a whole love-story into five lines, ending on the paradox of nearness (a clear, shallow stream) and utter separation.

此诗艺术最著者，在以叠字领起全篇、以动作写情。十句中迢迢、皎皎、纤纤、札札、盈盈、脉脉六组叠字居其六，既写状（迢迢言远、皎皎言明、纤纤言细、盈盈言清浅）又写声（札札机杼声、脉脉无声之情），音节复沓而和谐，读来朗朗如歌，且每一叠字皆贴一星或一人：迢迢属牵牛、皎皎属河汉女、纤纤属素手、札札属机杼、盈盈属水、脉脉属目，物我各得其所。结构上，前二句仰望设境，中四句由星入人（擢手、弄杼、不成章、泣如雨），以细节见痴情——织女之悲不在劳而在思，故手在而心不在，终日不成章。末二句河汉清且浅，相去复几许以浅反衬隔，盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语以不能语收，咫尺天涯之痛至此极矣。通篇无一句直说相思，而句句写相思，情景相生、虚实相成，是古诗不假雕饰而情韵无穷的极致，亦开后世叠字写情之法（如李清照寻寻觅觅）。十句中迢迢、皎皎、纤纤、札札、盈盈、脉脉六组叠字居其六，既写状又写声，音节复沓而和谐。结构上前二句仰望设境，中四句由星入人写织女弄机、泣如雨，末二句河汉清且浅、盈盈一水间以不能语收，咫尺天涯之痛至矣。通篇无一句直说相思而句句写相思，情景相生、虚实相成，是古诗不假雕饰而情韵无穷的极致，亦开后世叠字写情之法。

Allusions

The Cowherd (Qianniu) and Weaver Maid (Zhinyu) are stars on either side of the Milky Way (the 'River of Heaven'), permitted to meet only once a year on the seventh night of the seventh month. 'Click-clack' (zha zha) imitates the loom; 'brimming water' (ying ying) and 'gazing silent' (mo mo) became stock love-poem epithets thereafter.

诗全本牛女神话而化入《诗经》织女之象。牵牛、河汉女皆星名，河汉即银河；迢迢、皎皎状其远明，本汉人仰观天象之语（顾炎武谓三代以上人人知天文）。纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼写织女之织，其源在《诗经·大东》跂彼织女，终日七襄；虽则七襄，不成报章——彼言织女徒有名而不成纹章，此诗终日不成章正用其意而化为因思成泣，是典故的反用与深化。泣涕零如雨用《诗经》泣涕如雨（邶风·燕燕）之成语，写泪之纷下。河汉清且浅、盈盈一水间化《古诗》他篇与汉乐府涉水之象，以清浅之水反衬阻隔之深，最见反衬之妙。脉脉本指眼神深注、情意绵绵（一作眽眽），用写织女临水相望之无声之情，遂成中国爱情诗最经典的目语意象。诸象或出《诗》、或出神话、或出汉人天象知识，经诗人熔铸，遂使一则古老星象成为永恒相思之符，下启七夕诗词（秦观鹊桥仙）之传统。牵牛、河汉女皆星名，迢迢、皎皎状其远明，本汉人仰观天象之语。纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼写织女之织，源在《诗经·大东》跂彼织女，终日七襄；此诗终日不成章正用其意而化为因思成泣，是典故的反用与深化。泣涕零如雨用《诗经》燕燕之成语。脉脉本指眼神深注，用写临水相望之无声之情，遂成爱情诗最经典目语意象。诸象经熔铸使星象成永恒相思之符，下启秦观鹊桥仙。

Commentary

The 'Nineteen Old Poems' were prized by later critics (e.g., in the Wenxin Diaolong and Shi Pin) for 'naturalness without ornament.' This piece is often held up as the type of Han pentameter at its purest: plain words, deep feeling, and an ending that says everything by saying almost nothing—two lovers divided by a thread of water they cannot cross.

首二句迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女，仰望起笔：迢迢写牵牛之远，皎皎写织女之明，一远一明先立天上两星之隔，亦暗喻人与人相隔。三、四句纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼，由星及人，写织女洁白纤手拨弄机杼，札札拟声，乍看是勤织之景。五、六句终日不成章，泣涕零如雨，陡转：虽终日弄杼而织不成章，泪落如雨，方知前之弄机非为织而为由思生乱，不成章正因心在河汉之彼岸。七、八句河汉清且浅，相去复几许，以反问写阻隔之近：银河清浅，相隔能多远？似可逾越而实不可，反衬益痛。末二句盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语，收束全篇：就在这盈盈一水之间，二人只能含情相视、说不出一句话。一水之近与不得语之绝，构成全诗最尖锐的张力——可望不可即，至此写尽。十句由远及近、由景及人、由形及情，层层逼入，结以无声之语，余悲不尽，是古诗写离情最浑成之作。首二句迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女仰望起笔，先立天上两星之隔。三、四句纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼由星及人，写织女之秀美。五、六句终日不成章，泣涕零如雨陡转，方知弄机非为织而由思生乱。七、八句河汉清且浅，相去复几许以浅反衬隔。末二句盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语以不能语收，咫尺天涯之痛至此极矣。十句由远及近、由景及情，结以无声之语，余悲不尽。

Prosody

Reading note Five-character (wuyan) pentameter, the formative meter of medieval Chinese poetry, with paired lines linked by sense and sound rather than by a fixed rhyme scheme. The symmetry of the opening couples gives way to a closing couplet whose parallel 'brimming / gazing' structure locks the poem's grief in place.此诗为五言古诗，十句，属《古诗十九首》之平调，不入近体而天然成韵。其最著之节奏特征在六组叠字：迢迢、皎皎（首句）、纤纤、札札（三、四句）、盈盈、脉脉（末二句），十句中叠字居六，且皆置于句首（迢迢牵牛星、皎皎河汉女、纤纤擢素手、札札弄机杼、盈盈一水间、脉脉不得语），形成回环复沓、音节谐婉的歌谣之美，读来朗朗上口。押韵方面，汉魏五言随口吻协韵，此诗女、杼、雨、许、语（女语鱼韵，杼雨语麌御通协，许语同部）大致相协，一韵到底，声情绵长，与相思之不绝相发。平仄上虽非律诗，而迢迢牵牛星（平平平平平）、皎皎河汉女（仄仄平仄仄）已暗含后世平仄之调；五言二、三顿（迢迢—牵牛星）本为古诗常规。全诗以散句为主，唯一处反问（相去复几许）破平直而生波澜。其节奏如怨如慕，叠字与问句相济，正合由景入情、以声写哀的结构，是五言古诗重言见长、不律而韵的典范。

Line by line

纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼。

She puts forth her slender, pale hand, click-clack working the shuttle.

Delicately she raises her white hands, click-clicking at the loom.

此二句由星及人，将神话织女化为具体的思妇形象，是全诗由景入情的关键。纤纤擢素手写其手：纤纤状手指之细柔，素写肤色之白，擢写举起拨弄之态，仅六字已见织女之秀美与娇弱；札札弄机杼写其劳作，札札为机杼声，弄字轻巧，似一悠闲织妇。然此平平之景下伏大悲：手虽在机而心在牵牛，故后文终日不成章。二句之妙，在以极美的细节写极苦的相思——美在其表，苦在其里，愈美愈痛。且纤纤、札札二叠字一状形一声，音节谐婉，与迢迢、皎皎遥相呼应，使全诗如歌。此联不言思而思自见，是古诗以动作写心理、以美丽写哀愁的范型，亦开后世思妇诗（如李白、王建织妇词）之先。

The hands and loom. Delicately she raises her white hands, click-clicking at the loom. The beautiful hands at the clicking loom are the weaver's ordinary labor; the beauty of the detail is the cover for the grief below. To have described her hands at the loom would be a detail; the delicate white hands and the click-click loom are the detail.

盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语。

Between them flows that brimming water; they gaze, yet cannot speak a word.

Between the clear ripple of the water they gaze, and cannot speak.

此二句为全篇结穴，以咫尺天涯写尽相思之绝，是千古传诵的名句。盈盈一水间写阻隔之近：银河清浅，不过盈盈一水，似可涉过；脉脉不得语写阻隔之绝：二人只能含情相视，竟说不出一句话。一水之近与不得语之远，形成最尖锐的反差——物理上近在咫尺，情感上却永隔天涯，可望不可即之痛被推到极致。脉脉本指眼神深注、情意缠绵，用写临水相望之无声，遂成中国爱情诗最经典的目语意象（无声胜有声之祖）。二句不用叹词、不著议论，而余悲如银河之长，宜与李白弃我去者、苏轼千里共婵娟并读，皆以景语收情，含蓄不尽。其所以能动人千载，正因写出了人类共通的那种近在眼前却遥不可及的怅惘。

The gaze. Between the clear ripple of the water they gaze, and cannot speak. The near water against the speechless gazing is the poem's core: closest possible, and uncrossable. The word for the silent tender gaze is the gift to later love poetry. To have said they looked at each other across the river without speaking would be a scene; the one clear ripple between them and the speechless gaze are the scene.

河汉清且浅，相去复几许。

The River of Heaven is clear and shallow—how far apart can they be?

The River of Stars is clear and shallow; how far apart are they after all?

此二句为全诗由景入情后的关键一转，以反问写阻隔之近，反衬相思之深。河汉清且浅写银河水清且浅，似可涉足而过；相去复几许以反问语气说彼此相隔能有多远，字面是疑而实是叹——近在盈盈一水，却终不得渡。此联之妙，在以前文织女之远、之明转为水之清浅，空间上极力拉近，情感上却陡然拉开：物理距离愈近，心理距离愈远，可望不可即之痛被推到极致。与末句盈盈一水间、脉脉不得语紧相呼应，一设问一写实，将咫尺天涯的悖论写到圆满。清且浅三字以淡语写重悲，最见古诗反衬之工，亦为后世写阻隔之先声。

The shallow river. The River of Stars is clear and shallow; how far apart are they after all? The question insists on the absurd smallness of the gap: physically a step, emotionally a lifetime. To have asked how far apart they were would be a question; the clear shallow river and the how-far question are the question.

Study

Word focus

脉脉 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 脉脉（或作眽眽）形容眼神深注、情意绵绵而无可言说之貌。诗中盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语以之写织女临水相望牵牛时的神情：千言万语皆在眼中，却终不得一语。其妙在将无形之情化为可见之目光，以目代口，无声而情愈浓，恰成不得语之反衬——正因不能语，故脉脉之视愈显沉痛。此词本出《古诗》与汉乐府（如古诗盈盈楼上女，皎皎当窗牖；眽眽不得语），经此诗点化，遂成中国诗词写暗恋、写阻隔相思的的经典意象，下启李白脉脉广川流、辛弃疾脉脉此情谁诉。一字而兼神态、情感、结构三用：既状织女之痴，又反衬不得语之绝，更定全诗含蓄不尽之调。

迢迢 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 迢迢形容遥远、长远。诗开篇迢迢牵牛星以之写牵牛星距地之遥，亦暗喻牛女相隔之远与相思之长。此词与下句皎皎对举，一远一明，先立天上两星之隔，为全篇咫尺天涯之悲张本。迢迢本出《诗经》与汉人常语（如迢迢牵牛星亦见他篇），入五言则见古质；其叠用更添悠远不尽之音节，与皎皎、纤纤、札札、盈盈、脉脉六组叠字相生，使全诗如谣如歌。以迢迢领起，不惟写星之远，更写心之路——路远则相见难，故后文虽河汉清浅而脉脉不得语，远与近、望与隔的张力自此一字生出，是古诗以叠字写空间亦写心理的佳例。

皎皎 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 皎皎形容明亮洁白之貌。诗开篇迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女以之写织女星之明亮，与迢迢（远）对举，一远一明先立天上两星之隔。皎皎本《诗经》皎皎白驹、月出皎兮之常语，汉人移以状星，雅驯而鲜明。此词既写星之光，亦暗喻织女之洁与美——下文纤纤擢素手、泣涕零如雨之织女，正由此皎皎之明而生辉。六组叠字中，迢迢属牵牛、皎皎属河汉女，各得其所，且皎皎与盈盈、脉脉遥相映，使全诗星、人、水、情皆在光亮与深情中流转。以叠字领起，不惟写星之明，更写仰望者之心之澄，是古诗以重言写空间亦写心理的佳例。