先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry
绸缪
Bound Together
绸缪束薪，三星在天。
今夕何夕，见此良人？
子兮子兮，如此良人何！
绸缪束刍，三星在隅。
今夕何夕，见此邂逅？
子兮子兮，如此邂逅何！
绸缪束楚，三星在户。
今夕何夕，见此粲者？
子兮子兮，如此粲者何！
What eve is this, that I see this good man?
You, ah you, what can you do with this good man!
Bound tightly the hay, the Three Stars are in the corner.
What eve is this, that I meet this encounter?
You, ah you, what can you do with this encounter!
Bound tightly the thorns, the Three Stars are at the door.
What eve is this, that I see this beauty?
You, ah you, what can you do with this beauty!
Meaning
A wedding song celebrating a newlywed couple, expressing the joy and wonder of meeting one's beloved on the wedding night. The rising stars mark the passage of time from dusk to deep night.
捆束柴薪，三星在天。今夕是何夕？竟见此良人！你呀你呀，把这良人怎么办！ 捆束牧草，三星在隅。今夕是何夕？竟遇此邂逅！你呀你呀，把这邂逅怎么办！ 捆束荆楚，三星在户。今夕是何夕？竟见此美人！你呀你呀，把这美人怎么办！
Appreciation
The repeated exclamation 'What eve is this!' conveys the overwhelming surprise and bliss of the bridegroom (or wedding guests) upon seeing the bride. The line 'You, ah you, what can you do with this good man!' captures a charming helplessness of being so deeply in love. The three stanzas use changing images (faggots, hay, thorns) and star positions to subtly indicate the deepening night, making the celebration feel timeless.
【白话串讲】 “今夕何夕，见此良人”——这是什么日子，让我见到你？“子兮子兮，如此良人何”——你啊你啊，这样的好人可怎么办！新婚夜，三千年前的人也在问：今天是什么好日子。 【意象与手法】 诗以“绸缪束薪”起兴，三章换“薪/刍/楚”、换“天/隅/户”，以星位移动暗写夜渐深 【情感与主旨】 《绸缪》为《诗经·唐风》中的贺婚诗，旧说或以为“刺晋乱”、或以为“友人戏谑新婚”，今人多定为民间贺婚闹房的喜歌 【名句点睛】 本诗为高考常见篇目，考点：一、起兴与象征——“束薪”喻婚姻，“三星”计时序
Background
This poem from the 'Tang Airs' section of the Shijing is a folk wedding song, likely sung during the lively 'making merry in the bridal chamber' tradition. The 'bound faggots' (束薪) symbolize marriage, and the 'Three Stars' (Orion) mark the night hours—'in the sky' (early night), 'in the corner' (midnight), and 'at the door' (late night), tracing the wedding night's passage.
《绸缪》为《诗经·唐风》中的一篇，是写新婚之乐的诗。全诗三章：绸缪束薪，三星在天；今夕何夕，见此良人？子兮子兮，如此良人何！绸缪束刍，三星在隅；今夕何夕，见此邂逅？子兮子兮，如此邂逅何！绸缪束楚，三星在户；今夕何夕，见此粲者？子兮子兮，如此粲者何！全诗以“今夕何夕”写新婚之夜的欣喜，是《诗经》中写新婚的名篇。
Art
The poem uses the 'rising' technique (兴) of binding firewood to evoke marital union. The three stanzas repeat with slight variations: changing 'faggots/hay/thorns' and 'sky/corner/door' to create a temporal progression. The double exclamation '子兮子兮' (you, ah you) combined with the rhetorical question '如此良人何' (what can you do with this good man) is hailed as the most endearingly foolish line in Chinese wedding poetry, moving from general happiness to specific admiration.
《绸缪》艺术上以起兴的缠绵与欣喜的口气见长。全诗三章，层层写来：首章写见良人——“绸缪束薪，三星在天”写束薪三星，“今夕何夕，见此良人”写见良人，“子兮子兮，如此良人何”写如何待良人；次章写见邂逅——“绸缪束刍，三星在隅”写束刍三星，“今夕何夕，见此邂逅”写见邂逅，“如此邂逅何”写如何待邂逅；末章写见粲者——“绸缪束楚，三星在户”写束楚三星，“今夕何夕，见此粲者”写见粲者，“如此粲者何”写如何待粲者。全诗以束薪束刍起兴，以“今夕何夕”写欣喜，三章复沓而欣喜层层加深，正是《诗经》重章叠句、以兴写喜的手法。
Allusions
'绸缪' originally means 'tightly bound' and here metaphorically refers to the marital bond; '束薪' (bound firewood) was a traditional marriage symbol (firewood used for torches or as a betrothal gift). The 'Three Stars' are the constellation Orion, used in ancient China to tell time. '邂逅' here means an unexpectedly encountered good match, with no negative connotation as in modern usage.
《绸缪》用典在“绸缪”“三星”“束薪”“束刍”“束楚”。“绸缪”写缠绵紧密；“三星”指参宿三星，天将晓时三星在户，写良辰；“束薪、束刍、束楚”写捆束柴草，古时以束薪喻婚配；“良人、邂逅、粲者”皆写新婚之人。全诗以这些意象写新婚之夜的欣喜，不用深典而喜情自深，正是《诗经》以兴写喜的笔法。
Commentary
The Mao Preface politically interpreted it as 'satirizing the chaos of Jin', but Zhu Xi refuted this, calling it 'words of mutual joy in marriage'. Modern scholar Chen Zizhan straightforwardly calls it 'a song for the bridal chamber'. Niu Yunzhen praised the line as 'intimate, foolish, and charming.', capturing the essence of wedding bliss.
《绸缪》是《诗经·唐风》中的名篇，也是中国诗歌中写新婚之喜、良辰之乐的源头。此诗写新婚之夜“今夕何夕”的欣喜，向为论者称道。论者多赏其“今夕何夕，见此良人”的欣喜——以“今夕何夕”写良辰之惊喜，新婚之乐尽在其中；“子兮子兮，如此良人何”写如何待良人，更见其喜。此诗以兴写喜、以喜写爱，正是《诗经》风诗写新婚的代表作。
Prosody
Line by line
绸缪束薪，三星在天。今夕何夕，见此良人？
Tightly bound the firewood; the Three Stars in the sky. What night is this? I see my good man.
缠绵地捆束柴薪，三星在天上。今晚是什么夜晚，见到这样的良人？
Tightly we bind the firewood; the Three Stars hang in the sky. What night is this, that I see this good man?
首章前四句写起兴与欣喜，是全诗新婚之喜的起点。“绸缪束薪，三星在天”写起兴——“绸缪”写缠绵紧密，“束薪”写捆束柴薪（古以束薪喻婚配），“三星在天”写参宿三星在天——束薪以喻婚配，三星在天为良辰；“今夕何夕，见此良人”写欣喜——“今夕何夕”写今晚是什么夜晚，“见此良人”写见到这样的良人——今晚何夕，竟见良人。四句写起兴与欣喜：绸缪束薪、三星在天；今夕何夕，见此良人。以“束薪”喻婚配、以“三星在天”写良辰，以“今夕何夕”写欣喜之极，正是《诗经》写新婚之喜的笔法——良辰美景，忽见良人。
The wedding. Tightly bound the firewood; the Three Stars in the sky. What night is this? I see my good man. The bound-firewood-three-stars-sky and the what-night-see-good-man are the opening. To have bound the firewood would be a binding; the tightly-bound-the-firewood-the-three-stars-in-the-sky-what-night-is-this-i-see-my-good-man is the binding.
子兮子兮，如此良人何！
You, ah you, what can you do with this good man! An address plus rhetorical question, conveying love-struck foolishness—the most famous 'foolish line' in wedding poetry.
你啊你啊，拿这样的良人怎么办呢！
O you, you—what is to be done with such a good man!
此句写如何待良人，是全诗欣喜的归结。“子兮子兮”写你啊你啊——“子兮”写你啊，叠用写其呼唤；“如此良人何”写拿良人怎么办——“如此良人何”写如此良人，无可奈何——你啊你啊，拿这样的良人怎么办！两句写新婚之喜极：子兮子兮，如此良人何。以“子兮子兮”的叠用写其呼唤，以“如此良人何”写喜极而无以名状，正是《诗经》写欣喜之极的笔法——良人太好，不知如何是好。
The cry. O you, you—what can be done with such a good man! The o-you-you and the what-done-good-man are the rapture. To have cried out would be a crying; the o-you-you-what-can-be-done-with-such-a-good-man is the crying.
绸缪束楚，三星在户。今夕何夕，见此粲者？子兮子兮，如此粲者何！
Tightly bound the thorns; the Three Stars at the door. What night is this? I see the radiant bride! O you, you—what can be done with such a radiant bride?
缠绵地捆束荆楚，三星照在门户。今晚是什么夜晚，见到这样光彩照人的新娘？你啊你啊，拿这样光彩照人的新娘怎么办呢！
Tightly we bind the thorns; the Three Stars shine at the door. What night is this, that I see this radiant bride? O you, you—what is to be done with such a radiant bride!
末章写见粲者，是全诗新婚之喜的归结。“绸缪束楚，三星在户”写起兴——“束楚”写捆束荆楚，“三星在户”写三星照在门户——三星在户，正是良辰；“今夕何夕，见此粲者”写欣喜——“粲者”写光彩照人之新娘——今晚何夕，竟见粲者；“子兮子兮，如此粲者何”写如何待粲者——“子兮子兮”写你啊你啊，“如此粲者何”写拿粲者怎么办。六句写见粲者：绸缪束楚、三星在户，今夕何夕、见此粲者，子兮子兮、如此粲者何。以“三星在户”写天将晓之良辰，以“粲者”写新娘之光彩，以“如此粲者何”写喜极之状，正是《诗经》写新婚之喜归结的笔法——三星在户，粲者当前，喜极不知所以。
The bride. Tightly bound the thorns; the Three Stars at the door. What night is this? I see the radiant bride! O you, you—what can be done with such a radiant bride? The bound-thorns-three-stars-door and the what-night-see-radiant-bride and the o-you-you-what-done are the close. To have bound the thorns would be a binding; the tightly-bound-the-thorns-the-three-stars-at-the-door-what-night-is-this-i-see-the-radiant-bride-o-you-you-what-can-be-done-with-such-a-radiant-bride is the binding.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
《诗经·周南·关雎》“关关雎鸠，在河之洲”写君子求淑女，与本首同为《诗经》写婚恋之作。差异在阶段：绸缪写新婚之夜“今夕何夕”之喜；关雎写求偶相思“寤寐求之”之思。一写“成”之喜，一写“求”之思。两诗并读，可见《诗经》写婚恋的两种阶段。
桃夭 The Peach Tree Slender 《诗经·周南》 · 同为《诗经》写婚嫁之喜，一写婚夜之惊喜一写嫁女之宜家，皆喜庆 Both are wedding celebration poems from Shijing; 'Peach' celebrates a bride, 'Bound Together' celebrates a bridegroom.Compare the different 'rising' images (peach blossom vs. bound firewood) and their connotations.
《诗经·周南·桃夭》“桃之夭夭，灼灼其华”写女子出嫁宜家，与本首同为《诗经》写婚嫁之喜。差异在角度：绸缪从新郎角度写婚夜见良人之惊喜；桃夭从嫁女角度写“宜其室家”之祝愿。一写“见”之喜，一写“宜”之愿。两诗并读，可见《诗经》写婚嫁的两种角度。
静女 The Quiet Maiden 《诗经·邶风》 · 同为《诗经》写婚恋之喜，一写婚夜惊喜一写城隅相会，皆真率 Both describe mutual love; 'Quiet Maiden' is about a private tryst, 'Bound Together' is a wedding night celebration.Contrast the emotional intensity between a clandestine meeting and a formal wedding night.
《诗经·邶风·静女》“静女其姝，俟我于城隅”写恋人相会，与本首同为《诗经》写婚恋之喜。差异在阶段：绸缪写新婚之夜“今夕何夕”之惊喜；静女写城隅相会、彤管相赠之欢。一写“成”之喜，一写“会”之欢。两诗并读，可见《诗经》写婚恋之喜的两种场面。