明 Ming · 曲 Qu song
醉扶归
Drunk, Leaning Homeward
〔旦〕你道翠生生出落的裙衫儿茜，艳晶晶花簪八宝填，可知我常一生儿爱好是天然。
恰三春好处无人见。
不堤防沉鱼落雁鸟惊喧，则怕的羞花闭月花愁颤。
How dazzling-bright my hairpin, inlaid with eight treasures.
But know: all my life my love is for what is natural.
Just as the beauty of spring's prime is seen by no one.
Unawares, a face that sinks fish and falls geese startles the birds to cry;
I only fear a beauty that shames flowers and hides the moon, where the blossoms tremble in grief.
Meaning
(Du Liniang sings) You say how emerald-bright the gown she wears, how red; how dazzling the flower-hairpin inlaid with eight treasures - but know that what I have always loved is this natural, untutored self. It is like the beauty of spring's prime that no one sees. Unawares she has a face that sinks fish and falls geese, startling birds to clamour; she only fears a beauty that shames the flowers and hides the moon, where the blossoms tremble with sorrow.
（杜丽娘唱）你说这翠绿鲜明显出的衫裙多么红艳，璀璨晶亮嵌八宝的花簪多么华美，可知我平素最爱的便是这天然本色。正似三春美景的好处无人得见。不经意间便有沉鱼落雁之容惊起鸟喧，只怕那羞花闭月之貌令花也愁而颤。
Appreciation
The aria belongs to the southern 'zui-fu-gui' tune in the immortal-class palace, its lines chiefly seven-character with added padding words, fit for winding lyricism. The first three lines open with the reduplicated 'emerald-fresh' and 'dazzling-bright', setting a rich colour and writing, through attire, to temperament. 'But know: all my life my love is for what is natural' breaks the even lines with a prose-like long sentence, naturally revealing the heart - the eye of the whole aria. Then 'Just as the beauty of spring's prime is seen by no one' uses scene to figure the person, implicit and reserved. The last two lines string four allusive idioms in one breath, joined by the empty words 'unawares' and 'I only fear', showing pride and apprehension within hyperbole; the lines are gorgeous, the feeling tender and lingering.
【白话串讲】 杜丽娘说：“可知我常一生儿爱好是天然”——我一辈子爱美，是天生如此。“恰三春好处无人见”——可惜我正当最好年华，却没人看见。“不堤防沉鱼落雁鸟惊喧，则怕的羞花闭月花愁颤”——她美得让花鸟都惊颤。 【意象与手法】 曲牌〔醉扶归〕属南曲仙吕宫，句式以七言为主间以衬字，宜于婉转抒情。全曲以「翠生生」「艳晶晶」叠字设色，由衣饰之美及于性情之美，复以「三春好处」喻青春，以「沉鱼落雁」「羞花闭月」夸其貌，层层铺写，转折处见深婉，秾丽中寓幽怨，是典型的以艳笔写哀情的曲家手法。 【情感与主旨】 汤显祖《牡丹亭》成于万历二十六年（1598），为明代传奇之巅峰。此曲写杜丽娘对镜自怜，由「一生儿爱好是天然」的自白，到「恰三春好处无人见」的幽叹，曲折传达出青春被锁、美无人赏的悲哀，是「情至」思想的先声，亦晚明个性觉醒思潮的戏曲投影。 【名句点睛】 此曲为《牡丹亭》选读常见片段。考点：一、理解「一生儿爱好是天然」的内涵——对自然本真与青春之美的肯定，及对礼教压抑的反拨；二、「恰三春好处无人见」以春喻人的含蓄手法；三、「沉鱼落雁」「羞花闭月」典故的运用及其背后的幽忧。
Background
Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion was completed in 1598, the peak of Ming chuanqi drama. This aria appears in the 'Startled Dream' scene, writing Du Liniang sitting idle in her chamber on a spring day, dressing before the mirror, and from the beauty of her attire feeling a sigh for her natural nature and her wasted youth. Liniang is a daughter of a Song-dynasty Neo-Confucian family, strictly trained since childhood; once faced with spring and the bright mirror, her sleeping self-awareness suddenly awakens. The five words 'my love is for what is natural' are in truth the prelude to the play's doctrine of 'utmost feeling', and a projection of the late-Ming individual-liberation current in drama, which is why it has moved readers for centuries.
汤显祖《牡丹亭》成于万历二十六年（1598），为明代传奇之巅峰。此曲见于第十出「惊梦」，写杜丽娘春日游园之前，于闺中闷坐，对镜理妆，与春香闲话，由衣饰之美生发出对天然本性与青春虚度的深沉感喟。杜丽娘为南安太守杜宝之女，出身宋代理学世家，自幼受「他日到人家，知书知礼，父母光辉」的严训，礼教如铁幕笼罩其青春；然春光烂漫、明镜照人，沉睡的自我意识骤然苏醒，她以「一生儿爱好是天然」自白，宣告爱美爱真乃人之天性，非礼法所能扼杀。「爱好是天然」五字，实为此剧「情至」说的先声，亦是晚明个性解放思潮在戏曲舞台上的投影。万历年间，李贽「童心说」风行天下，肯定人欲、张扬个性，汤显祖与之声气相通，故能借丽娘之口说出时代的心声。此曲篇幅虽短，却是理解《牡丹亭》「因情成梦、因梦成戏」的关键锁钥，数百年来感动无数读者与观众，其魅力正在于一个深锁闺中的少女，以最朴素的宣言，叩响了礼教森严时代的人性之门。
Art
The aria belongs to the southern 'zui-fu-gui' tune in the immortal-class palace, its lines chiefly seven-character with added padding words, fit for winding lyricism. The first three lines open with the reduplicated 'emerald-fresh' and 'dazzling-bright', setting a rich colour and writing, through attire, to temperament. 'But know: all my life my love is for what is natural' breaks the even lines with a prose-like long sentence, naturally revealing the heart - the eye of the whole aria. Then 'Just as the beauty of spring's prime is seen by no one' uses scene to figure the person, implicit and reserved. The last two lines string four allusive idioms in one breath, joined by the empty words 'unawares' and 'I only fear', showing pride and apprehension within hyperbole; gorgeous in line, the feeling tender and lingering.
曲牌〔醉扶归〕属南曲仙吕宫，句式以七言为主、间以衬字，宜于婉转抒情，汤显祖用之写丽娘心曲，最称本色当行。全曲六句，起三句以「翠生生」「艳晶晶」两组叠字领起，设色秾丽，先写裙衫之茜、花簪之华，由衣饰之美自然过渡到性情之美，「可知我常一生儿爱好是天然」以散文化长句打破齐言节奏，一气流走，如对镜自语，天然吐露心曲，为全曲之眼目。第四句「恰三春好处无人见」陡转，以三春美景喻少女青春，以「无人见」点出深锁闺中的处境，由浓丽转入幽怨，含蓄蕴藉，为后文蓄势。末二句「不堤防沉鱼落雁鸟惊喧，则怕的羞花闭月花愁颤」连用四个典故成语一气排比，以「不堤防」「则怕的」两个虚字勾连，于夸饰其貌中暗藏矜惧——「不堤防」是猝然惊觉，「则怕的」是转念忧惧，一扬一抑，将少女对自身美貌既自信又不安的复杂心理刻画入微。全曲设色之秾丽、措辞之婉转、转折之灵妙，皆臻佳境，丽句秀夺而情致缠绵，正是汤显祖「以情写曲」主张的生动体现。
Allusions
'Sinks fish and falls geese' and 'shames flowers and hides the moon' together name the beauty of the four ancient beauties, the phrasing from Zhuangzi's sigh over Mao Qiang and Li Ji and later descriptions. 'Eight treasures' means inlay of gold, silver, pearl and jade, describing the hairpin's splendour. 'The beauty of spring's prime' uses spring to figure youthful beauty, inheriting the Tang-Song tradition of writing the person through spring. The word 'natural' quietly answers back against ornament, resonating distantly with Zhuangzi's 'honour heaven, prize the true' and Li Zhi's 'child-heart doctrine'. The whole aria uses allusion without a trace, refining the commonplace into elegance, showing spirit within richness.
「沉鱼落雁」「羞花闭月」合指古代四大美人之貌，其源可溯至《庄子·齐物论》「毛嫱丽姬，人之所美也，鱼见之深入，鸟见之高飞」之叹，后世辗转敷衍为「沉鱼落雁」之典，复与「羞花闭月」连用，形容女子之美足以使鱼沉、雁落、花羞、月闭。曲中用此二典，极写丽娘自矜其貌，却以「鸟惊喧」「花愁颤」的动景出之，热闹中透出寂寞。「八宝」指金、银、琉璃、珊瑚、砗磲、珍珠、玛瑙、玫瑰等物，借佛家七宝之说而增其数，状花簪镶嵌之华贵。「三春好处」以春喻青春美貌，承唐宋诗词以春写人之传统，白居易「天生丽质难自弃」、杜牧「豆蔻梢头二月初」皆是此意。至于「天然」一语，暗含对雕饰的反拨，与《庄子》「法天贵真」之旨及李贽「童心说」遥相契合——丽娘所谓天然，正是未经礼教雕琢的本真人性。全曲用典不着痕迹，化俗为雅，将少女心事写得既秾丽又清空，秾丽中见性灵，正是晚明曲家熔铸典雅的典范。
Commentary
Tang Xianzu held feeling against reason, and this aria is the sprout of that 'feeling'. Wang Jide's Qu Lü calls it 'gentle, graceful, seductive', a precise judgement. Some say Liniang's words are near the sensual, not knowing the seductive is the surface and the grieving the substance - beauty seen by no one is exactly the ground of the play's 'startled dream' and 'seeking dream'. From this scene Chinese literature first had a maiden's natural beauty challenge the Confucian name-teaching; its merit is no small thing.
汤显祖一生主张「以情抗理」，此曲即其「情」之萌芽。他于《牡丹亭题词》中高呼「情不知所起，一往而深，生者可以死，死可以生」，而丽娘「一生儿爱好是天然」的自白，正是这一宣言最素朴的注脚。王骥德《曲律》评其曲「婉丽妖冶」，堪称的评——婉丽者，词采之秾秀；妖冶者，风情之动人。或谓丽娘此语近艳，不知艳者其表，悲者其里：美则美矣，而「恰三春好处无人见」，青春美貌无人赏识，正是全剧「惊梦」「寻梦」乃至「写真」「离魂」诸出的张本。自此一出，中国文学史上方有以少女本真之美挑战名教之先声，其意义不在小处。丽娘后来者，有《红楼梦》中黛玉葬花之叹，有近世诸多以女性觉醒为主题的创作，皆可视为这一传统的遥远回响。此曲的价值，正在于以最短的篇幅、最艳的辞采，写出了礼教时代女性最深的觉醒与最痛的悲哀，其功自不可没。后世曲论家如吕天成《曲品》列《牡丹亭》于上上品，沈际飞亦推重之，以为字字皆情；此曲之动人，正在于以丽娘一人之心声，写尽天下深闺少女共同之命运，故能历四百年而不衰，至今仍活跃于昆曲舞台之上。
Prosody
Line by line
可知我常一生儿爱好是天然
But know: all my life my love is for what is natural.
可知我平素最爱的便是这天然本色
You know I have always loved what is fair—it is my very nature.
此句为全曲眼目，也是理解杜丽娘这个人物的钥匙。「一生儿爱好是天然」七字，表面是说爱穿鲜亮衣衫、爱戴华美花簪，实则是少女对自身本真天性的坦然宣告——爱美、爱春、爱生命，皆出于天然，非由外铄。丽娘生于理学世家，礼教要求她谨守闺范，她却在此处直陈「爱好是天然」，等于公开承认自己的欲望与情感，这是对礼教压抑的一次温柔而坚定的反拨。句中「常」「一生儿」二词尤见分量：前者写此种爱好非一时兴起，而是平素一贯；后者写其贯穿终生、与生俱来。汤显祖以最口语化的句式写最深邃的命题，使少女的自白既真切又动人，为下文「惊梦」中情欲的爆发预埋了最合理的情感逻辑——正因为爱美爱真是天性，游园惊梦、因梦生情才势所必然。
The nature. You know I have always loved what is fair—it is my very nature. The loved-fair-is-nature declaration is Du Liniang's self-assertion. To have declared beauty-loving as nature would be a declaration; the you-know-I-have-always-loved-what-is-fair-it-is-my-very-nature is the declaration.
恰三春好处无人见
Just as the beauty of spring's prime is seen by no one.
正似三春美景的好处无人得见
Just when the third spring is at its best, no one sees it.
此句由衣饰之美转入青春之叹，是全曲情感由喜转悲的枢纽。「三春好处」以春景喻人，明写春光烂漫、繁花似锦，暗写丽娘正值豆蔻年华、青春貌美；「无人见」三字却陡然一沉——如此美好的春光与青春，竟无人赏识、无人知晓。一个「恰」字，将丽娘自觉其美与自伤其遇的复杂心境一并托出：她明白自己如三春之景般美好，也清楚这美好被深锁闺中、无人得见。这既是少女对青春易逝的隐隐忧惧，也是对礼教禁锢的委婉控诉。联系前文「可知我常一生儿爱好是天然」，可见丽娘心境的递进：爱美是天性，美而无人见则是命运的残酷。此句含蓄蕴藉，以景喻人而不着一字议论，为后文「惊梦」中丽娘对春色的惊叹与对生命的觉醒作了最充分的情绪铺垫，也是全剧「情」之觉醒的先声。
The unseen. Just when the third spring is at its best, no one sees it. The third-spring-best-that-no-one-sees is the grief. To have been unseen at one's best would be an unseen; the just-when-the-third-spring-is-at-its-best-no-one-sees-it is the unseen.
不堤防沉鱼落雁鸟惊喧
Unawares, a face that sinks fish and falls geese startles the birds to cry;
不经意间便有沉鱼落雁之容惊起鸟喧
Unawares, my beauty makes fish sink and geese land, startling the birds into clamor.
此句以夸饰之笔写丽娘之美，却于热闹中暗藏幽忧。「不堤防」三字用衬字点出语气转折，写丽娘在梳妆之际「不经意」地惊觉自身之美——沉鱼落雁之容，竟使林间之鸟为之惊喧。「沉鱼落雁」本用《庄子》毛嫱丽姬之美使鱼鸟失其常性的典故，此处翻出新境：鱼沉雁落原是静景，汤显祖却以「鸟惊喧」的动态出之，使夸美之辞带上声与色，画面生动如在目前。然而细味之，「惊喧」二字暗含喧嚣与惊扰之意，美丽的容颜惊动了鸟雀，却惊不动深锁的闺门，更无人来赏识——美貌越是惊人，无人见赏的悲哀便越是深沉。故此句表面是自矜，骨子里是自怜；夸饰之中见矜惧，热闹背后是寂寞，与下句「则怕的羞花闭月花愁颤」的忧惧相呼应，将少女对自身美与命运的复杂感受写得缠绵入骨。
The birds. Unawares, my beauty makes fish sink and geese land, startling the birds into clamor. The fish-sinking geese-landing and the startled birds' clamor are the exaggerated beauty. To have startled the birds would be an exaggeration; the unawares-my-beauty-makes-fish-sink-and-geese-land-startling-the-birds-into-clamor is the exaggeration.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
One awakens a chamber girl's feeling, one mourns the past and present; both clear and deep, tender and winding.
朱彝尊《卖花声·雨花台》为怀古伤今之作，凭吊雨花台旧迹而抒发兴亡之感；《醉扶归》则写深闺少女对青春美貌无人赏识的感怀。二者同属「感怀」题材，而一为闺情之觉醒，一为怀古之伤今，所感不同，其清丽深婉则一。朱词以「衰柳白门湾」的萧瑟意象起笔，于凭吊中见历史的苍茫；汤曲以「翠生生」「艳晶晶」的秾丽色彩铺陈，于自矜中见青春的幽怨。一冷一热、一古一今，却都以含蓄之笔写深挚之情，皆能于短章中见悠远之致。合观二作，可见明清曲词在同写感怀时的不同风貌：汤显祖以情驭采，辞艳而情真；朱彝尊以史入词，语淡而意深。
秋日 Autumn Day 明人 · 同感怀 Same (reflection)Both are Ming writings of the breast's feeling.
《秋日》为明人抒写胸中情思之作，与《醉扶归》同属明人感怀传统，然一以秋景起兴，一以春色设喻，季节不同，心境各别。秋日之作多写时序之悲、身世之慨，语近萧疏；《醉扶归》则以三春好处喻青春，辞采秾丽，虽同有「无人见」之叹，其底色却是春的明艳与生命的觉醒，较秋日之作更多一分少女的矜持与倔强。二作并读，可见明代感怀之作的多样面貌：既有秋日式的沉郁顿挫，也有丽娘式的清丽婉转；前者近诗人之感，后者近曲家之思。汤显祖以曲写情，句句从心底流出；《秋日》作者以诗言志，笔笔见胸中丘壑，一虚一实，各极其妙。
月歌 Moon Song 明人 · 同涉儿女情 Same (touches love between man and woman)Both carry a winding tenderness; one an aria, one a poem.
《月歌》为明人所作七言歌行，同涉儿女情思，与《醉扶归》有可比之处：二者皆以婉转之笔写儿女之情，皆注重以景衬情、以物写心，一以「月」为贯穿意象，一以「春」「花」「簪」为设色材料，意象有别而情致相通。然《月歌》以第三人称咏叹，笔致疏朗，多写月下相思的普遍情境；《醉扶归》则以第一人称自白，口吻真切，专写一个少女的心事，人物个性更为鲜明，且因有《牡丹亭》全剧作背景，其情思之深度远非单篇咏歌可及。二作一诗一曲，恰可对照明代诗曲二体写儿女情时的不同腔调：诗重含蓄典雅，曲重生动传神，汤显祖以曲写情，正得曲体之长处。