All poems

汉 Han · 乐府 Yuefu ballad

相逢行

The Meeting Song

汉乐府

Han Yuefu

婚姻/祝颂marriage / blessing 宴饮/祝颂feasting / blessing

相逢狭路间，道隘不容车。
不知何年少，夹毂问君家。
君家诚易知，易知复难忘。
黄金为君门，白玉为君堂。
堂上置樽酒，作使邯郸倡。
中庭生桂树，华灯何煌煌。
兄弟两三人，中子为侍郎。
五日一来归，道上自生光。
黄金络马头，观者满路傍。
入门时左顾，但见双鸳鸯。
鸳鸯七十二，罗列自成行。
音声何噰噰，鹤鸣东西厢。
大妇织绮罗，中妇织流黄。
小妇无所为，挟瑟上高堂。
丈人且安坐，调丝方未央。

We meet on a narrow lane where the road is too thin for two carts;
I know not whose young man he is, by the wheel he asks of my house.
Your house is easy to know, easy yet unforgettable.
Gold makes your gate, white jade makes your hall.
On the hall stand cups of wine, and singing-girls from Handan.
In the court a cassia grows; how the bright lamps blaze.
Two or three brothers, the second a gentleman of the court.
Every fifth day he comes home, and the road itself shines.
Gold binds the horses' heads; onlookers fill the wayside.
Entering, he glances left and sees a pair of mandarin ducks.
Seventy-two ducks in a row, arrayed in their order.
How soft their calling, as cranes cry in the east and west wings.
The elder wife weaves fine silk, the second weaves yellow damask.
The youngest has naught to do but takes her lute up to the high hall.
'Father and mother, sit at ease; the strings are but midway in their song.'

Listen

Meaning

Two travellers meet on a narrow road too tight for their carts. A young man, by the wheel, asks whose house is whose. The poet answers that the house is easy to know yet unforgettable: its gate is gold, its hall white jade, its hall set with wine and singing-girls from Handan, a cassia in the court and lamps ablaze. Two or three brothers live there; the second is a court gentleman who returns every fifth day to a road that shines, gold on the horses' bridles and crowds along the way. Inside, a pair of mandarin ducks — seventy-two in a row — call softly like cranes in the wings. The three wives each have their work: the elder weaves silk, the second yellow damask, the youngest takes her lute to the hall and bids the elders sit at ease, for the music is only half done.

在狭窄的小路上偶然相逢，道路太窄连车子都难以并行。不知是哪家少年，夹在车毂旁探问你的家世。你的家门其实容易认出，容易认出却又令人难忘。黄金铸就你家的门楣，白玉砌成你家的厅堂。堂上摆着美酒，还使唤着邯郸来的歌伎演唱。庭院中栽着桂树，华灯照耀得何等辉煌。兄弟有二三人，次子官居侍郎。每五日休假归家，道路上自然焕发光彩。黄金络住马头，围观的人挤满了路旁。进门时向左一望，只见一双鸳鸯。七十二只鸳鸯，排列成行。鸣声何等和悦，仙鹤在东西厢啼唤。大媳妇织着绮罗，二媳妇织着流黄。小媳妇闲来无事，抱着瑟登上高堂。请公婆且安稳坐下，拨弄丝弦的乐曲正未终了。

Appreciation

This Han ballad opens with a chance meeting on a narrow lane and a young man's polite inquiry, then unfolds a wealthy, harmonious household by steady amplification — from 'gold makes your gate' to 'white jade makes your hall', then the court cassia and blazing lamps, the space opening from outside in. It moves to the brothers' office and the roadside crowds, pushing from the home to its public glory, and closes on the three wives weaving and the youngest playing the lute, a still tableau that hides a live warmth. The diction is neat yet mild, the typical yuefu art of 'born of events, telling not arguing'. On the surface it praises a noble feast; beneath lies a blessing on marriage and family peace.

【白话串讲】 “相逢狭路间，道隘不容车”——两个人在窄路上相遇。“君家诚易知，易知复难忘”——你的家真容易找：“黄金为君门，白玉为君堂”——黄金门、白玉堂。汉代人写豪门，排场拉满。【意象与手法】全诗善用铺陈递进：从“黄金为君门”到“白玉为君堂”，再到中庭桂树、华灯煌煌，空间由外入内层层展开【情感与主旨】《相逢行》又题《相逢狭路间行》，收入《乐府诗集》卷三十四“相和歌辞·清调曲”，为汉代民间歌辞，或经乐府官署与文人整理【名句点睛】中高考常从三方面命题：一是体裁辨识，须答“汉乐府、相和歌辞、五言杂言铺叙体”

Background

The Meeting Song, also titled 'On a Narrow Lane', sits in the Qing Diao mode of the Xianghe Songs in the Yuefu Anthology — a Han folk lyric, perhaps retouched by the yuefu office and literati. It uses a roadside meeting and a young man's question to spread out a rich and honored house. In the Eastern Han the great clans swelled; feasting, music, and sons in office were the envy of the age, and this song mirrors the era's image and blessing of wealth, ease, and family harmony.

《相逢行》是汉乐府古辞，属《相和歌辞·清调曲》，为汉代都市生活的风俗画。此诗写长安贵家少年在狭路相逢，夹毂问讯，遂以铺陈之笔，极写其家世的豪富与生活的奢华：黄金为门、白玉为堂，兄弟皆贵、中子为侍郎，家中华灯煌煌、倡乐不绝，三妇织锦调瑟、其乐融融。全诗以“相逢狭路间”起，以“调丝方未央”结，中间层层铺写贵家的富丽与欢乐，是汉乐府中写都市豪贵生活的名篇。汉代经济繁荣，长安豪贵之家极尽奢华，乐府诗人以纪实之笔写其生活，遂成此篇。此诗格调明快，笔触铺陈，虽写豪贵而无讥刺，正见汉代市民文化对富贵的艳羡与歌颂。

Art

The poem loves amplification and build-up. From 'gold makes your gate' to 'white jade makes your hall', then the court cassia and blazing lamps, the space opens from outside in, layer by layer; then it writes the brothers' office, the fifth-day return, the roadside crowds, pushing from the house to its social glory. It closes on the three wives weaving and the youngest at the lute, a still spread that secretly holds live breath. The diction is antithetical yet mild, the typical yuefu 'born of events, telling not arguing'.

《相逢行》艺术上以铺陈夸张见长，是汉乐府“铺采摘文”的典型。全诗三十句，以“相逢狭路间”开篇，以“夹毂问君家”引出问答，随即转入对“君家”的层层铺写。结构上由总而分：先总写“君家诚易知，易知复难忘”，再分写门（黄金为君门）、堂（白玉为君堂）、酒宴（堂上置樽酒）、庭院（中庭生桂树）、家世（兄弟两三人，中子为侍郎）、车马（黄金络马头）、堂室（双鸳鸯、鹤鸣）等，最后以三妇收束——大妇织绮罗、中妇织流黄、小妇挟瑟上高堂，一家其乐融融。全诗以铺陈写富贵，黄金、白玉、华灯、鸳鸯、鹤鸣，色彩鲜明，声光并茂；“黄金络马头，观者满路傍”写其煊赫之状，尤其生动。结尾“丈人且安坐，调丝方未央”以悠然的调瑟声收束全篇，于极盛处见从容，余味悠长。全诗笔调明快，无一句议论，纯以铺陈写豪贵之家的繁华，正是汉乐府写都市生活的代表。

Allusions

The poem uses no deep allusion, relying on plain spread. Only 'singing-girls of Handan' touches the region famed from Warring States through Han for its dancers and courtesans — a real detail, not a recondite reference; 'gentleman of the court' (shilang) was a Han palace aide, a real post. The images are all daily things and worldly splendor, no obscure classics, so the whole stays clear and singable — exactly the Han folk 'plain yet not coarse' habit.

《相逢行》以铺陈写实为主，用典不多而语汇皆有来历。“狭路”承《诗经·豳风》“塞向墐户”一系市井意象；“邯郸倡”指邯郸的倡优——邯郸在战国时为赵都，以歌舞闻名，故后世以“邯郸倡”称歌妓舞女，是汉代熟语；“侍郎”为汉官名，写中子之贵；“鸳鸯”“鹤”皆取吉祥富贵之象。全诗不用经史典故，而全以汉代都市生活的实况入诗——黄金门、白玉堂、华灯、倡乐、三妇，皆汉人富贵生活的真实写照。这种“以俗为雅、以实为文”的写法，正是乐府民歌本色，也是后世“铺陈体”的先声。

Commentary

The Yuefu Anthology's notes cite the Gujin Yuelu listing it under Qing Diao. The Ming critic Hu Yinglin calls Han yuefu 'plain yet not coarse, shallow yet able to go deep'. Modern readers hold that it spreads wealth yet stays temperate, of a piece with 'There Is a Narrow Lane in Chang'an' yet with its own turn; enough to show one vein of Han alley-songs writing family peace. Qing scholars mostly grant it the word 'temperate' — for all its gold and jade, it ends in human warmth, with no floating excess.

《相逢行》是汉乐府写都市豪贵生活的名篇，与《长安有狭斜行》《鸡鸣》等属同一题材系统。论者多赏其铺陈之工与结尾之妙：前以黄金白玉铺写豪富，末以“丈人且安坐，调丝方未央”收束，于繁华中见从容。清人评此诗“铺叙豪华，不为讥刺，而气象自见”，正指其以写实见时代。此诗的三妇意象（大妇织绮罗、中妇织流黄、小妇挟瑟），更为后世乐府广泛沿用，成为“三妇艳”的传统母题。相较《相逢行》的明快铺陈，汉乐府中同类题材多带讽喻，而此诗独以纯写实见长，正可见汉代市民文化对富贵生活的欣赏态度。

Prosody

Form Han yuefu, Xianghe song (Qing Diao mode)汉乐府（《相和歌辞·清调曲》）五言

Rhyme Free rhyme shifts, roughly level-toned and assonant, not bound to one rhyme《相逢行》以五言为主，间用杂言，属汉乐府古辞。用韵大体：家、忘、堂、煌、郎、傍、行、厢、黄、堂、央（阳部为主），一韵到底，音节流畅。五言句式整齐，宜于铺陈叙事。

Tone pattern Yuefu lyric, no near-style level-oblique constraint汉乐府五言，以叙事铺陈为主，节奏舒缓从容。此诗三十句，一韵到底，音节明快；句式以五言为主，间以“黄金为君门，白玉为君堂”的工整对偶，铺陈处声情摇曳。全诗以“相逢”起、以“未央”结，由问答引入铺陈，层层推进，声情与内容同步，是汉乐府铺陈体的正格。

Reading note Mixed and five-character lines alternated, fit to be sung; a Han street-ballad form.《相逢行》为汉乐府五言古体，是“铺陈体”的典型。五言诗自汉乐府始盛，最宜叙事写物，此诗正是以五言铺陈贵家生活的代表。全诗三十句，由“相逢”引出“问家”，由“问家”引出“铺陈”，层层展开：门、堂、酒、树、灯、兄弟、车马、鸳鸯、鹤、三妇，一一写来，繁而不乱，富而不俗。其结构“总——分——总”的章法，末以“调丝方未央”的从容收束，正是乐府铺陈的上乘。此诗的三妇意象、黄金白玉的铺陈笔法，对后世（如《长安古意》卢照邻、《帝京篇》）影响深远，是汉代都市文学的代表作。

Line by line

相逢狭路间，道隘不容车。不知何年少，夹毂问君家。

We met on a narrow road where the way was too narrow for two carts. I know not what young man it was, leaning by the wheel, who asked me where my home is.

在狭窄的道路上相逢，道路窄得不容两车并行。不知是哪家的少年，夹着车毂询问你家在哪里。

We met on a narrow lane, so narrow two carts could not pass. Some young man or other, squeezing by the wheel, asked me where you lived.

开篇以“相逢”起，是全诗的引子。“相逢狭路间”写相逢之地点——狭路相逢，本是偶然；“道隘不容车”以“不容车”写路之狭窄，为“夹毂问君家”张本——两车相逼，少年只得夹着车毂探问。“不知何年少”以“不知”写初见之生疏，也以“年少”点出贵家少年的身份；“夹毂问君家”以“问君家”引出全篇——由一问家，遂引出对“君家”的层层铺写。四句以狭路相逢、夹毂问家起，生活气息浓厚，为后文的铺陈作了自然的过渡。

The meeting. We met on a narrow lane, so narrow two carts could not pass; some young man, squeezing by the wheel, asked me where you lived. The narrow street is the excuse for the question that begins the whole tour of the mansion. To have described a chance meeting on a narrow road would be a scene; the lane too narrow for two carts and the young man asking where you live are the scene.

君家诚易知，易知复难忘。黄金为君门，白玉为君堂。

Your house is truly easy to know—easy to know and hard to forget. Gold is your gate, white jade your hall.

你家实在容易辨认，容易辨认又让人难忘。黄金做成你家的大门，白玉铺成你家的厅堂。

Your house is truly easy to recognize—easy, and unforgettable. Your gate is gold, your hall white jade.

此四句总写君家之富，是全诗铺陈的纲领。“君家诚易知，易知复难忘”以两个“易知”一个“难忘”，反复强调君家之显赫——不是难找，而是太容易辨认；不是平常，而是让人过目难忘。“黄金为君门，白玉为君堂”以“黄金”“白玉”极写门堂之豪华——门是黄金，堂是白玉，金玉交辉，富贵逼人。两句对仗工整，色彩鲜明，把贵家的豪富写到极致。这四句总领下文，下面二十余句的铺陈，皆是“易知复难忘”的具体展开。

The gate and hall. Your house is truly easy to recognize—easy, and unforgettable; your gate is gold, your hall white jade. The doubled easy (easy to know, unforgettable) and the gold-and-jade building materials are the wealth laid on. To have said the gate was gold and the hall jade would be a description; the easy-to-know-and-unforgettable against the gold gate and jade hall are the description.

堂上置樽酒，作使邯郸倡。中庭生桂树，华灯何煌煌。

In the hall they set out wine; they call in the singing girls of Handan. In the court grows a cassia tree; how bright the lamps blaze.

厅堂上摆着美酒，使唤着邯郸来的歌妓。庭院中生长着桂树，华丽的灯火多么辉煌。

Wine cups are set in the hall; singing girls from Handan are summoned. A cassia tree grows in the courtyard; the splendid lamps blaze.

此四句分写君家的酒宴与庭院。“堂上置樽酒”写宴饮之乐——堂上美酒满樽；“作使邯郸倡”写倡乐之盛——“作使”是役使，“邯郸倡”是名闻天下的歌妓，写其家中以邯郸倡歌舞作乐，极尽奢华。“中庭生桂树”写庭院之雅——桂树自《楚辞》以来为高洁富贵之象；“华灯何煌煌”写灯火之盛——“煌煌”叠字，写华灯通明如昼。四句一写酒、一写乐、一写树、一写灯，声色并茂，把贵家的富贵生活写得生动如画，正是汉乐府铺陈之工。

The hall and court. Wine cups are set in the hall; Handan singing girls are summoned; a cassia tree grows in the courtyard; the splendid lamps blaze. The four details (wine, famous dancers, cassia, blazing lamps) are the household's life. To have described the house's entertainments would be a catalog; the set-out wine, the Handan girls, the courtyard cassia, and the blazing lamps are the catalog.

兄弟两三人，中子为侍郎。五日一来归，道上自生光。黄金络马头，观者满路傍。

There are two or three brothers; the middle one is a palace gentleman. Every fifth day he comes home, and the road glows of itself. Gold nets the horses' heads; spectators line the road.

兄弟两三个人，其中老二做了侍郎。每五天回来一次，道路上自然生光。马头上络着黄金，围观的人站满了路旁。

There are two or three brothers; the middle son is a palace gentleman. Every five days he returns home, and the road shines of itself. Gold nets the horses' heads; onlookers line the road.

此六句写君家的家世煊赫，是全诗铺陈的高潮。“兄弟两三人，中子为侍郎”写兄弟皆贵，其中一人官至侍郎——侍郎为汉官，掌侍从之职，是亲近皇帝的贵官；“五日一来归”写其朝见之勤——汉代官吏五日一休沐，故“五日一来归”正是侍郎的例制；“道上自生光”以“自生光”写其归来之煊赫——不待仪仗，其人一到，路上自然生辉。“黄金络马头，观者满路傍”写其车马之华与围观之众——马络黄金，路人满街争看。六句由家世写到归来，由归来写到围观，层层渲染，把贵家子弟的煊赫气势写得如在目前。

The official brother. There are two or three brothers; the middle son is a palace gentleman. Every five days he returns home, and the road shines of itself; gold nets the horses' heads; onlookers line the road. The five-day return (the Han bathing-day rule) and the road that shines are the status. To have described the brother's triumphant return would be a procession; the middle-son palace gentleman, the road that glows, the gold horse-nets, and the crowds lining the road are the procession.

入门时左顾，但见双鸳鸯。鸳鸯七十二，罗列自成行。音声何噰噰，鹤鸣东西厢。

Entering the gate and glancing left, I see paired mandarin ducks. Seventy-two pairs of them, ranged in rows. How their voices harmonize—cranes call from the east and west wings.

进门时向左一看，只见成双的鸳鸯。鸳鸯有七十二对，罗列成行。声音多么和鸣，仙鹤在东西厢房鸣叫。

Entering the gate, glancing left, I see paired mandarin ducks; seventy-two pairs, drawn up in rows. How their voices harmonize—cranes call from the east and west wings.

此六句写君家堂室之富丽。“入门时左顾”以“左顾”写初入之环视，视角自然；“但见双鸳鸯”以“双鸳鸯”写堂中所绘所陈之双鸟——鸳鸯自《诗经》以来为伉俪和谐之象；“鸳鸯七十二，罗列自成行”以“七十二”极言其多，以“自成行”写其排列之整齐——以数写盛，正是铺陈法。“音声何噰噰，鹤鸣东西厢”以“噰噰”写鹤鸣和声，由视觉转听觉，堂室之富丽、声乐之和谐俱现。六句由绘像写到活物，由静物写到鸣声，把贵家的华贵写得有声有色。

The mandarin ducks. Entering the gate, glancing left, I see paired mandarin ducks; seventy-two pairs, drawn up in rows; cranes call from the east and west wings. The seventy-two pairs (an absurdly exact number) are the fu's catalog; the crane calls turn the visual into sound. To have described the decorative ducks and calling cranes would be a description; the left glance at the paired ducks, the seventy-two in rows, and the harmonizing crane calls are the description.

大妇织绮罗，中妇织流黄。小妇无所为，挟瑟上高堂。丈人且安坐，调丝方未央。

The eldest wife weaves damask, the second weaves yellow silk; the youngest has nothing to do but takes her se to the high hall. Sit at ease, old father; I am tuning the strings, and the music has only just begun.

大媳妇织着绮罗，二媳妇织着流黄。小媳妇无事可做，抱着瑟登上高堂。请您老人家暂且安坐，听我调好瑟弦，乐曲才刚刚开始。

The eldest daughter-in-law weaves damask, the second yellow silk; the youngest has no work but carries her se to the high hall. Sit at ease, father; I am tuning the strings, and the playing has hardly begun.

末六句写三妇，是全诗最富生活情趣的收束。“大妇织绮罗，中妇织流黄”写长媳、次媳织布——绮罗、流黄皆名贵丝织品，写其劳作之雅；“小妇无所为，挟瑟上高堂”写幼媳调瑟——无所为而挟瑟，最见娇宠；“丈人且安坐，调丝方未央”以幼媳的口吻作结——“请您安坐，待我调好瑟弦，乐声才刚开始”。全诗由狭路相逢写到调瑟未央，于极盛处转出从容，把贵家的富贵写到了骨子里，又于末句见出家常的温馨。这三妇意象，后来成为“三妇艳”的传统母题，为后世乐府广泛沿用。

The three wives. The eldest daughter-in-law weaves damask, the second yellow silk; the youngest has no work but carries her se to the high hall. Sit at ease, father; I am tuning the strings, and the playing has hardly begun. The youngest's sangfroid (no work, just music) and her invitation to the father-in-law close the catalog on a domestic, teasing note. To have described the three wives would be a portrait; the weaving elder wives, the se-carrying youngest, and the sit-at-ease-the-music-has-hardly-begun are the portrait.

Study

Word focus

易知 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “君家诚易知，易知复难忘”之“易知”，写君家之显赫，是全诗铺陈的总纲。“易知”本义容易辨认，此处暗含“太有名、太显赫，无人不知”之意——君家之富，非但自家可知，路人皆知。“诚易知”着一“诚”字，加重肯定；“易知复难忘”由“易知”进到“难忘”，一层深一层——不但容易辨认，而且令人过目难忘。两个“易知”一个“难忘”，反复回环，把君家的豪富写到了人人称羡的程度，为下文的金门玉堂、华灯鸳鸯作了总领。

煌煌 Reduplicative for the bright blaze of the lamps; sound and shape both fair, writing the hall's glorious air. “华灯何煌煌”之“煌煌”，叠字写灯火之辉煌明亮。“煌煌”二字，既是写华灯之光焰通明，也暗含富贵之气象——灯火煌煌，正是华堂盛宴的象征。叠字在汉乐府中极为常见（如《孔雀东南飞》“隐隐何甸甸”），此处以“煌煌”写灯，色彩鲜明、声光并茂，把贵家夜宴的奢华写得如在目前。与“黄金”“白玉”相配，一写门堂之质，一写灯火之光，铺陈至此，声色俱足。

生光 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “道上自生光”之“生光”，写贵家子弟归来时路上的光彩，是全诗最见夸张的一笔。“生光”非“有光”，而是“自生光”——不待灯火仪仗，其人一到，道上自然生辉。这一夸张写尽贵家子弟的煊赫气势，也暗含路人艳羡的目光。以“生”写光，把静态的光写成动态的生成，正是汉乐府铺陈写贵的妙笔。此三字与“黄金络马头，观者满路傍”相配合，把归来时的排场写到极致。

未央 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “调丝方未央”之“未央”，意为未尽、未完，是全诗的收束字。“未央”二字，既写瑟调初起、乐声方长，也写君家的欢宴富贵方兴未艾——正当盛时，永无尽头。汉代宫室名“未央宫”，正取“永寿未央”之意，此处以“未央”收束，恰与全篇铺陈的富贵相映：黄金白玉、华灯鸳鸯、三妇调瑟，皆是“未央”的光景。一个“未央”，把全诗的繁华推到“无尽”的高度，余味悠长。

相逢行