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先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry

芣苢

Plantain Gathering

诗经

Book of Songs

劳动Theme 田园Pastoral life 民生People's life

芣苢采采芣苢，薄言采之。
采采芣苢，薄言有之。
采采芣苢，薄言掇之。
采采芣苢，薄言捋之。
采采芣苢，薄言袺之。
采采芣苢，薄言襭之。

Lush the plantain, lush—we gather it, we gather;
Lush the plantain, lush—we take it to hand;
Lush the plantain, lush—we stoop and pick;
Lush the plantain, lush—we strip it by the handful;
Lush the plantain, lush—we lift our skirts to hold;
Lush the plantain, lush—we tuck our skirts and bear it home.

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Meaning

The lush plantain—we gather and gather. The lush plantain—we take it to hand. The lush plantain—we stoop and pick it up. The lush plantain—we strip it by the handful. The lush plantain—we lift our skirts to hold it. The lush plantain—we tuck our skirts and bear it home, full-loaded.

繁茂的芣苢呀，我们采呀采。繁茂的芣苢呀，我们采得拿到了手。繁茂的芣苢呀，我们俯身拾取。繁茂的芣苢呀，我们成把捋下。繁茂的芣苢呀，我们提起衣襟兜着。繁茂的芣苢呀，我们掖起衣襟满载而归。

Appreciation

This poem's art lies in 'ruling the complex with the simple, breeding rhyme through repetition'. All forty-eight characters, its three chapters share one structure, changing only six verbs: gather (gather broadly), have (obtain and hold), pick (stoop to take), strip (strip by the handful), hold (lift the skirt to contain), tuck (tuck the skirt to bear). The six words move from broad to fine, from few to many, like a film pressing in, vividly drawing the gathering deepening into its ease and the harvest growing full, with a happy rhythm. The repeated chapters make a returning, cycling ballad melody, fit for collective singing, one chant and three sighs. It writes no face, no word, yet the joy of labour and the harmony of working together show themselves—the very acme of the Book of Songs' 'not a word written, yet all grace won'.

【白话串讲】采芣苢（车前草）！采了又采！一群妇女在田野里唱着歌，采了一筐又一筐。全诗只换了六个动词，却让三千年前的劳动快乐扑面而来。【意象与手法】此诗艺术之妙在以简驭繁、以复沓生韵。全篇四十八字，三章结构全同，仅易六动词：采（泛采）、有（获而有之）、掇（拾取）、捋（成把捋下）、袺（提襟兜盛）、襭（掖襟满载）。六字由泛到细、由少到多，如电影推近，活画出采摘渐入佳境、收获渐丰的过程与欢快节奏。重章叠句造成回环往复的歌谣旋律，宜于集体咏唱。【情感与主旨】《芣苢》为《诗经·国风·周南》第十一篇，历来认为是周代妇女采摘车前草（芣苢）时合唱的歌谣。全诗不涉政治教化，纯写劳动场景，正是「饥者歌其食，劳者歌其事」的里巷之音。【名句点睛】中高考考点：识别《诗经》「风、雅、颂」中国风及重章叠句的特点；「采、有、掇、捋、袺、襭」六动词的递进层次与劳动场面；《诗经》民歌朴素自然的风格。

Background

Fu Yi is the eleventh poem of the 'Airs of the States · Zhou South' in the Book of Songs, long held to be a Zhou-era women's work-song sung in chorus while gathering plantain (che qi, the plantain or vehicle-grass). Plantain grows by roads and fields; the ancients thought its seed could cure women's barrenness or aid many births (Mao Commentary: 'it befits bearing a child'), so gathering it may relate to praying for children or simply eating; it may also be mere wild-vegetable gathering. The poem touches no politics or teaching, purely writing a labour scene—exactly the 'the hungry sing their food, the labourer sings their toil' voice of the lanes. The Han Mao Commentary attached to it 'the beauty of the queen' and 'in peace the women rejoice to have children'; Zhu Xi's 'Poetry Commentary' followed; only Qing Fang Yurun's 'Origin of the Book of Songs' restored its true face as a labour folk-song. This piece is a precious specimen for knowing pre-Qin farming women's labour and ballad form.

《芣苢》为《诗经·国风·周南》第十一篇，历来认为是周代妇女采摘车前草（芣苢）时合唱的歌谣。车前草多生道旁田间，古人以为其籽可疗妇人不孕或多子（见《毛传》「宜怀任焉」），故采之或与祈子、食补相关，亦可能仅为寻常野菜的采集。全诗不涉政治教化，纯写劳动场景，正是「饥者歌其食，劳者歌其事」的里巷之音。汉代《毛诗序》附会为「后妃之美」「和平则妇人乐有子」，宋朱熹《诗集传》亦沿其说，皆以政治教化解此劳动之歌；至清方玉润《诗经原始》始还其劳动民歌本相，谓读此诗如「听田家妇女，三三五五，于平原绣野、风和日丽中，群歌互答」。此篇是了解先秦农耕社会妇女劳作与歌谣形态的珍贵标本，亦是《诗经》国风中体现「劳者歌其事」传统的代表作品，其朴素的形式中蕴含的原始生命力，正是上古歌谣最本真的面貌。又周南之地，即今陕西、河南一带，为西周王畿所在，其地民歌多写农耕蚕桑之乐，如《周南·葛覃》写采葛归宁、《周南·卷耳》写采卷耳，皆以采摘起兴；《芣苢》专写采集车前之乐，正是周南民歌「劳者歌其事」的典型。车前草古称芣苢、马舄，今名车前，多生于路旁田埂，春采嫩叶可食，夏采籽实入药，其采集多为妇女之事，故歌者当为田家妇女。此诗之用，或为祈子，或为食补，或纯为劳作之余的歌唱，无论何解，皆见先民劳动生活中的诗意与欢乐。

Art

This poem's art lies in 'ruling the complex with the simple, breeding rhyme through repetition'. All forty-eight characters, its three chapters share one structure, changing only six verbs: gather, have, pick, strip, hold, tuck. The six words move from broad to fine, from few to many, like a lens pressing near, vividly drawing the gathering process deepening into its ease and the harvest growing full, with a happy rhythm. The repeated chapters make a returning, cycling ballad melody, fit for collective singing, one chant and three sighs. It writes no face, no speech, yet the joy of labour and the harmony of working together show themselves—the very acme of the Book of Songs' 'not a word written, yet all grace won'.

此诗艺术之妙在以简驭繁、以复沓生韵。全篇四十八字，三章结构全同，仅易六动词：采（泛采）、有（获而有之）、掇（拾取）、捋（成把捋下）、袺（提襟兜盛）、襭（掖襟满载）。六字由泛到细、由少到多，如电影镜头层层推近，活画出采摘渐入佳境、收获渐丰的过程与欢快节奏：先是泛泛地采，继而采得拿到手，再俯身拾取、成把捋下，最后提襟兜盛、掖襟满载，动作由粗到精，收获由少到多，劳动的进程与喜悦层层递进。重章叠句造成回环往复的歌谣旋律，三章只换六字，反复咏唱，宜于集体合唱、一唱三叹，如田歌此起彼伏。全诗不写面容、不写言语，而劳动之乐、协作之谐自见，是《诗经》「不着一字，尽得风流」的极则，亦是复沓体歌谣的最高典范。又此诗复沓之美，尤在「三章六句、只换六字」的极简形式：全篇四十八字中，除「采采芣苢」「薄言」「之」外，仅六字为变，而六字之变，正构成采摘过程的完整叙事——由采而得、得而拾、拾而捋、捋而兜、兜而载，如一组连续的电影镜头，将劳动的细节与收获的喜悦层层展开。重章叠句的反复咏唱，又使这一过程具有音乐的旋律，如田歌之此起彼伏，一唱三叹，正见《诗经》民歌以复沓见情韵的艺术，为后世赋比兴手法之先声。

Allusions

This poem uses no clear story-allusion; only the one thing 'plantain' touches old custom: the Mao Commentary explains 'plantain, maxie; maxie, the vehicle-grass', and says 'it befits bearing a child (pregnancy)'—the ancients thought eating its seed aided childbearing, so the old reading attached 'rejoice to have children'. 'Bo yan' is a common Book of Songs lead-particle ('bo' a particle, 'yan' also a particle, no real sense), as in 'bo yan return home', used to adjust the metre and lead the action. 'Hold' (jie, lifting the skirt to receive) and 'tuck' (xie, tucking the skirt to contain) are both ancient special words for holding things in the skirt. The whole uses archaic, plain language, relying solely on repetition and the verbs' progression to make the piece, embodying the plain beauty of upper-antiquity ballads of 'the hungry sing their food'.

本诗无明显事典，惟「芣苢」一物关涉古俗。《毛传》释「芣苢，马舄；马舄，车前也」，并云「宜怀任（妊）焉」，谓车前草籽利于生育，故旧说多附会「乐有子」之义；今人多从方玉润之说，视为寻常劳动之歌，车前草或采以为菜，或用以入药，采之者即田野妇女。「薄言」为《诗经》常见发语词（「薄」为助词，「言」亦语助，无实义），如《周南·葛覃》「薄污我私，薄浣我衣」，起调节音节、提领动作之用，是上古歌谣特有的语助形式。「袺」（执衽以承，即提起衣襟兜取）、「襭」（扱衽以盛，即将衣襟掖在腰间盛物）皆古代兜物动作之专字，一字一动作，精确传神。全诗用语古朴，纯赖叠唱与动词递换成篇，体现上古歌谣「饥者歌食」的素朴美学，为训诂学与民俗学提供了珍贵材料。又「薄言」之「薄」，王引之《经传释词》释为发语词，谓「薄言」为语助，无实义；闻一多则谓「薄」为「迫」之假借，有急迫、连忙之意，谓「薄言采之」犹「连忙采之」，二说虽异，而其调节音节、提领动作之用则同。又「袺」「襭」二字，皆《说文》所载以衣衽承物之专字，「袺」谓执衽（提起衣襟），「襭」谓扱衽（把衣襟掖在腰间），一字一态，正是上古汉语词汇之细密处，亦为研究先秦服饰与劳动方式的珍贵材料。

Commentary

Qing critic Fang Yurun, in Origin of the Book of Songs, says: 'Let the reader calm the heart and breathe the poem; you seem to hear the village women, three and five, in the open plain and fair field, wind mild and sun bright, answering each other in song, the after-sound faint, now far now near, now broken now continued.' The modern Wen Yiduo, in Wind-Poems Classified, with an anthropological eye reads 'plantain' and the child-praying old custom, saying 'gather, gather' means gather and gather again. The contemporary Yu Guanying, in Book of Songs Selected, renders it 'naturally breeding rhyme, a stretch of song in the field'. Though readings differ, all value its plain rhythmic beauty as a labour song and its fresh living breath.

清人方玉润《诗经原始》评此诗：「读者试平心静气，涵泳此诗，恍听田家妇女，三三五五，于平原绣野、风和日丽中，群歌互答，余音袅袅，若远若近，忽断忽续。」此评以读者之想象复活上古之歌，为千古妙评。近人闻一多《风诗类钞》以人类学视角考「芣苢」与祈子古俗，谓「采采」为采而又采，并引民俗学材料证车前草与生育信仰之关联，为旧说翻出新解。今人余冠英《诗经选》译此诗，谓其「自然生韵，是田野间一阵歌声」，正还其劳动歌谣之本相。历代解此诗者，自《毛序》之教化说到方玉润之民歌说，再至闻一多之民俗说，正可见《诗经》阐释史的一个缩影：由附会而还原，由政治而民俗，最终回归诗歌本身。诸家虽解说有异，皆重其作为劳动歌谣的朴素节奏美与鲜活生活气息，此诗遂为《诗经》中最能体现「劳者歌其事」传统的名篇。又此诗在《诗经》研究史上地位特殊：《毛诗序》以为「后妃之美」，「和平则妇人乐有子」，以政教说解之；朱熹《诗集传》承其说；至清方玉润《诗经原始》始还其民歌本相；今人闻一多以民俗学考其祈子之俗，余冠英译其「自然生韵」。一部《芣苢》阐释史，正是《诗经》学由经学而文学而民俗学演进的缩影。又此诗与《采薇》《卷耳》并观，可见《诗经》采集题材的三重面目——劳动之乐、征夫之悲、怀人之思，而《芣苢》独以纯劳动之乐见长，其朴素欢快，为《诗经》中所仅有，弥足珍贵。

Prosody

Form Book of Songs · Airs of the States · Zhou South诗经·国风·周南（四言重章体）

Rhyme Old-Chinese rhyme, zhi group (gather, have, pick, strip, hold, tuck, in zhi / ji groups shifting)采、有、掇、捋、袺、襭，上古韵之部、祭部递换，重章叠唱，一韵到底。

Tone pattern Not traceable (mostly four-character, repeated chapters and stacked lines)不可考（上古歌谣，四言为主，重章叠句，依劳动节奏而歌）。

Reading note Three chapters repeated, changing only six verbs, returning and cycling—the typical form of the Airs' ballads.此诗为《诗经·国风·周南》中的四言歌谣，三章十二句，每章四句，属典型的「重章叠句」体式：三章句式完全相同，仅更换句末动词（采、有；掇、捋；袺、襭），回环往复，一唱三叹。上古韵读上，「采」「有」属之部，「掇」「捋」属祭部，「袺」「襭」亦近祭部，三章递换，韵脚随动词而转，音律天然。四言句式是《诗经》的基本句式，二字一顿，节奏匀称，正合劳动之节拍：采者随歌而作，歌随采而唱，声与动相应，是「劳者歌其事」的原始形态。重章叠句的体式最宜集体咏唱：三章如三段合唱，领唱与和声相间，歌谣之乐、劳动之乐融为一体。此诗体制之简、复沓之纯，为《诗经》中「以复沓生韵」的极致，亦是考察上古歌谣形态与劳动音乐关系的重要标本。

Line by line

采采芣苢，薄言采之

Lush the plantain, lush—we gather it, we gather;

繁茂的芣苢呀，我们采呀采。

Lush the plantain, lush—come, let us gather it.

首章首句，是全诗的总起。「采采」叠字，历来有两解：一释为采了又采，写采摘动作之连续；一释为繁盛貌，状芣苢之茂盛（闻一多主此说）。二解可并存：芣苢既繁盛，故采之又采，动作与物态相生。「薄言」为语助词，无实义，起调节音节、提领动作之用，是上古歌谣特有的发语形式。「采之」写采摘之始，一个「采」字，是全组六个动词的起点，动作最泛、最初步。此句以叠字起兴，音节明快，如劳动号子之起，为全诗定下欢快的基调；「采采」叠用，又见物之繁盛与采之频繁，一幅田妇采药图由此展开，正是「饥者歌其食，劳者歌其事」的里巷之音。

The gathering. Lush the plantain, gather it. The lush-plantain and the come-gather-it are the opening. To have gathered it would be a gathering; the lush-the-plantain-gather-it is the gathering.

采采芣苢，薄言有之

Lush the plantain, gather it—now we have it.

繁茂的芣苢呀，我们采得拿到了手。

Lush the plantain, lush—come, we have it now.

此句写采摘的第一个收获阶段。「有」字，郑笺释为「藏之」，谓采而藏之；一说释为「获而有之」，谓采得拿到手。无论何解，「有」较「采」已进一层：由采摘的动作，进到收获的成果，采而有所得，欢欣已见。此句与上句「采之」连读，一采一有，动作与收获相承，正合歌谣递进之节奏。「采采芣苢」的重复，如合唱中的领唱与和声，回环往复，韵律天成。此句之妙在于以一字之易写劳动进程之一进：全诗六章，仅换六字，而每换一字，收获便进一层，由「采」而「有」，收获初成，为下文「掇」「捋」的细作与「袺」「襭」的满载蓄势，重章叠句的妙用于此可见。

The having. Lush the plantain, gather it—now we have it. The lush-plantain and the now-we-have-it are the first gain. To have had it would be a having; the lush-the-plantain-gather-it-now-we-have-it is the having.

采采芣苢，薄言掇之

Lush the plantain, gather it—pick it up, one by one.

繁茂的芣苢呀，我们俯身拾取。

Lush the plantain, lush—come, we pick it up one by one.

此句写采摘的精细动作，「掇」训拾取，谓俯身将地上的芣苢一一拾起。较之「采」「有」，「掇」的动作更具体、更精细：不是泛采，而是俯身细拾，采者之姿宛然在目，仿佛看见田妇弯腰拾取、手不停辍之态。此句之妙有三：一是动词之精，「掇」字专写拾取之动作，一字而采者之姿态、劳动之专注毕现；二是层次之进，由「采」之泛、而「有」之获、而「掇」之拾，动作由粗入细，收获由少入多，劳动之进程层层推进；三是节奏之谐，三章复沓至此，韵律依旧，而情境已由初采之泛进而为细拾之专，于不变中见变化，正是重章叠句「同中有异」的典范。

The picking. Lush the plantain, gather it—pick it up, one by one. The lush-plantain and the pick-up-one-by-one are the fine work. To have picked it up would be a picking; the lush-the-plantain-gather-it-pick-it-up-one-by-one is the picking.

采采芣苢，薄言捋之

Lush the plantain, gather it—strip the seeds by the handful.

繁茂的芣苢呀，我们成把捋下。

Lush the plantain, lush—come, we strip it by the handful.

此句写采摘的成把动作，「捋」训以手顺着茎叶把籽实成把捋下，是采集车前草籽的关键动作。较之「掇」之俯身拾取，「捋」更见效率与力度：由一粒粒拾，到一把把捋，采摘由细入快，收获由少入多，劳动的节奏亦由舒缓转紧凑。此句之妙有三：一是动词传神，「捋」字写顺茎捋籽之动作，如见采者双手并用、一把把捋下之快利；二是节奏之进，与「掇」之拾相比，「捋」之动作更快、量更大，六字递进至此，劳动的欢快已达高潮，仿佛听见采者渐趋急促的歌声；三是为「袺」「襭」的满载铺垫——捋而得把，把多始需兜盛，前后相承，脉络分明，正是复沓体中动词递换的匠心。

The stripping. Lush the plantain, gather it—strip the seeds by the handful. The lush-plantain and the strip-seeds-handful are the speed. To have stripped the seeds would be a stripping; the lush-the-plantain-gather-it-strip-the-seeds-by-the-handful is the stripping.

采采芣苢，薄言襭之

Lush the plantain, gather it—tuck the skirt and carry it home.

繁茂的芣苢呀，我们掖起衣襟满载而归。

Lush the plantain, lush—come, we tuck up the skirt and carry it.

末章末句，写采摘的最终完成。「襭」训扱衽以盛，即将衣襟掖在腰带间兜物，是全组六个动词的终点：采而得、得而掇、掇而捋、捋而袺（提襟兜盛）、袺而襭（掖襟满载），收获至此圆满。此句之妙有三：一是动词之终，「襭」字写掖襟满载之态，双手已满，复以衣襟兜之，收获之丰、劳动之欢达于顶点，如见采者满载而归、笑语盈盈之态；二是结构之圆，全诗三章六句，由「采」始、以「襭」终，动词的递进构成完整的劳动过程，首尾圆合，回环完整；三是情感之满，由初采之欣到满载之悦，欢快情绪层层累积，至此尽兴而收，歌声余音袅袅，正是「群歌互答，余音袅袅」的田歌尾声。

The carrying. Lush the plantain, gather it—tuck the skirt and carry it home. The lush-plantain and the tuck-skirt-carry-home are the full baskets. To have tucked the skirt would be a tucking; the lush-the-plantain-gather-it-tuck-the-skirt-and-carry-it-home is the tucking.

Study

Word focus

采采 Lush and thriving. The reduplicative writes the plantain abundant, and also the gathering frequent, opening a happy tone. 「采采芣苢」之「采采」，是全诗叠字之始，历来有两解：一释为采了又采，写采摘动作之连续；一释为繁盛貌，状芣苢之茂盛。闻一多《风诗类钞》主后说，谓「采采」犹「萋萋」，形容植物之盛。二解实可并存：芣苢繁盛故采之又采，动作与物态相生相成。此词之妙有三：一是叠字之韵，双「采」连用，音节明快，如劳动号子之起，正合歌谣一唱三叹的韵律；二是写景之盛，芣苢繁盛之态如在目前，一片碧绿的田野风光由此展开；三是定调之欢，以叠字起兴，欢快之情溢于言表，为全诗劳动之乐的基调定音。一字之叠，物态、动作、情韵兼备，是《诗经》叠字艺术的上乘。

薄言 A Book of Songs lead-particle, no real sense, used to lead the action and adjust the ballad's metre. 「薄言采之」之「薄言」，是《诗经》中习见的语助词，「薄」为发语助词，「言」亦语助，二者连用，无实义，起调节音节、提领动作之用，如《周南·葛覃》「薄污我私，薄浣我衣」、《邶风·柏舟》「薄言往愬，逢彼之怒」。此词之妙有三：一是音节之功，「薄言」二字轻短，置于动词之前，使五字句读来轻快流畅，如劳动之节奏；二是提领之效，「薄言」领起「采」「有」「掇」「捋」「袺」「襭」诸动词，如歌谣中领唱者的引导，使动作依次展开；三是古语之味，「薄言」为上古歌谣特有之语助，今人读之，古韵盎然，正见《诗经》语言的古朴，亦为训诂学考证上古语法的珍贵材料。

襭 Tucking the skirt at the waist to hold things. The last of the six verbs, writing the full-loaded homecoming, the joy of labour fully shown. 「薄言襭之」之「襭」字，是全诗六个动词的终点，也是《诗经》中罕见的生僻字，训扱衽以盛，即将衣襟掖在腰带间兜物。此字之妙有三：一是动作之准，「襭」专写以衣襟盛物之态，与「袺」（提襟兜盛）有别：袺是提襟承物，襭是掖襟盛物，一字一动作，精确传神，可见上古汉语词汇之细密；二是结构之功，全诗以「采」「有」「掇」「捋」「袺」「襭」六字递进，由泛采而细拾、而把捋、而兜盛、而满载，「襭」字收束全篇，完成由少到多、由始到成的完整过程，首尾圆合；三是情韵之丰，「襭」字写满载而归之态，收获之丰、劳动之欢尽在其中，一字而全诗之欢达于顶点，是《诗经》动词递换艺术的巅峰。

芣苢