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先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry

卷耳

Gathering the Cocklebur

诗经

Shijing

思乡/羁旅Homesickness/Border Journey 爱情/相思Love/Longing

采采卷耳，不盈顷筐。
嗟我怀人，寘彼周行。
陟彼崔嵬，我马虺隤。
我姑酌彼金罍，维以不永怀。
陟彼高冈，我马玄黄。
我姑酌彼兕觥，维以不永伤。
陟彼砠矣，我马瘏矣，我仆痡矣，云何吁矣。

I pluck and pluck the cocklebur, yet my basket is not full;
I sigh for my beloved, and leave the basket on the road.
I climb that rugged height, my horse is weary and spent;
I pour from the bronze vessel, to keep from endless longing.
I climb that high ridge, my horse is sick and dazed;
I pour from the rhino-horn cup, to keep from endless grief.
I climb that rocky hill, my horse is worn out, my servant exhausted;
Oh, how I sigh with pain!

Listen

Meaning

A wife picks cocklebur but cannot fill her basket because her mind is on her absent husband. She imagines his hardships—climbing mountains, his horse sick and tired, drinking to ease his longing, until both horse and servant collapse, ending with a deep sigh.

采了又采那卷耳菜，却总装不满斜口的小筐。可叹我思念远方的人，把筐丢在大路旁。登上那高高的崔嵬山，我的马儿疲惫跌倒。我且斟起那金罍中的酒，借此不让长相思。登上那高高的山冈，我的马儿病得眼花。我且斟起那兕角酒杯，借此不让长悲伤。登上那乱石堆积的砠山，我的马儿累病了，我的仆人也疲累了，这可教我怎不长叹！

Appreciation

This poem uses a unique 'reverse perspective' (duixie), where the wife's longing is expressed through imagining her husband's suffering. The structure is inventive: the first stanza is realistic, while the next three are imagined, making the longing mutual and deeper. The repetition of 'I climb' with escalating terrain, horse illness, and service exhaustion heightens the emotional impact.

【白话串讲】一个女子采卷耳，采了半天装不满筐——因为她一直在想远征的丈夫。接下来画面一转，写丈夫在山上，马累倒了，一个人喝酒解愁。三千年前，一场相思被写成了两个视角。【意象与手法】结构极为别致：第一章实写女子采菜怀人、弃筐于路；第二至四章全为女子对丈夫行役劳苦的悬想（「对写法」），山愈险、马愈病、人愈疲，层层递进至「云何吁矣」的绝叹。虚实相生，两面写思，重章复沓中景物、马态、杯器、情感同步升级。【情感与主旨】《卷耳》列《诗经·周南》第三篇，时代约当西周初年。现代学界多视其为行役背景下妻子思念远行丈夫的民间歌谣，反映周代人民因劳役征戍而夫妻离散的普遍痛苦。【名句点睛】赏析重点：①理解「对写法」（悬想对方）的独创结构；②分析重章叠句、复沓递进的表达效果。

Background

The poem is the third piece in the 'Zhou Nan' section of the Book of Songs, dating to early Western Zhou. Traditional Confucian interpretation (e.g., Mao's Preface) politicized it as a queen's concern for talent, but modern scholars view it as a folk song about a wife missing her husband conscripted for labor or military service, reflecting the social suffering of separation due to corvée.

《卷耳》是《诗经·国风·周南》的第三篇，时代约当西周初年，是《诗经》中最古老的作品之一。关于主旨，历来众说纷纭：汉代《毛诗序》谓「后妃之志也，又当辅佐君子求贤审官」，将采卷耳附会为后妃求贤，系政治化的曲解；宋代朱熹《诗集传》则归为「思君子」之作，已接近情诗；现代学界多从民俗学、社会史的角度，视其为周代行役频繁背景下，妻子思念远行丈夫的民间歌谣——西周实行井田制，征戍、徭役繁重，男子常被征调远征，夫妻离散是当时社会的普遍现象，《卷耳》正是这一现实的文学投影。全诗以女子口吻起笔，采卷耳而思远人，又悬想丈夫行役登山、马病人疲的情景，将两地的思念熔于一炉，是《诗经》中写离别相思最早也最动人的篇章之一，也是研究周代社会生活与婚姻家庭的珍贵文献。诗中采菜、登高、饮酒等细节皆取材于周代生活，历三千余年而情态宛然，足见民歌反映生活的真实力量。

Art

The structure is innovative: the first stanza realistically depicts the wife picking herbs, while the three subsequent stanzas use 'reverse writing' to imagine the husband's plight. The repetition of 'I climb' with increasingly difficult terrain, the horse worsening from 'weary' to 'sick' to 'worn out,' and the servant also collapsing, creates a layered progression leading to the final desperate sigh. The language is plain yet powerful, typical of the 'Airs of the States.'

此诗艺术上最大的独创，是「对写法」（又称「对面落笔」）的运用，结构虚实相生、两面写思。第一章实写：女子采卷耳，采了又采却装不满一筐——心不在焉，因为思念远方的人，索性把筐丢在大路边，这是眼前实景，写的是「我思人」。第二至四章转入悬想：女子想象丈夫此刻正登高行役——登上崔嵬的高山，马儿疲惫，只好以酒浇愁；山越登越高（崔嵬、高冈、砠），马越病越重（虺隤、玄黄、瘏），仆人也累倒了（痡），愁叹越来越深（不永怀、不永伤、云何吁矣），这是心中虚景，写的是「人思我」。一实一虚、一表一里，将两地相思写得淋漓尽致，比单向的抒怀更见深挚。重章叠句、复沓递进的结构，使山势、马态、杯器、情感同步升级，质朴之中自有汹涌的情感张力，开后世「对写法」之先河。全诗以悬想写实情，以虚写实，在中国诗歌结构史上具有开创意义，此后诗家从对面写来一法，皆可溯源于此。如此写法，遂使思妇之痴、征夫之苦，皆在读者眼前层层展开，感人至深。

Allusions

The poem uses no literary allusions but refers to daily life: 'cocklebur' (Xanthium) was edible and medicinal; 'bronze vessel' and 'rhino-horn cup' were ritual drinking vessels of the Zhou dynasty; 'Zhou road' means a main highway. Terms like 'huitui' (horse lame), 'xuanhuang' (horse sick), 'tu' (horse exhausted), 'pu' (servant worn out) are archaic words for hardship. These concrete images ground the emotion in reality, embodying the folk principle 'the hungry sing their food, the laboring sing their work.'

此诗为西周民歌，本无文人用典，然而意象皆取自先民日常生活，正见《国风》「饥者歌其食，劳者歌其事」的本色。「卷耳」即苍耳，一年生草本植物，嫩苗可食，古时常为妇女采集的野菜，采卷耳是周代劳动妇女的日常劳作，以此起兴，天然质朴。「顷筐」是斜口的小筐，为采集之器；「周行」指大路，弃筐于周行，写思妇心神恍惚之态。「金罍」「兕觥」皆为青铜酒器：罍为大型盛酒器，觥为兕角（犀牛角）制成的酒杯，皆见周代礼器之名，写征人借酒浇愁。「虺隤」「玄黄」「瘏」「痡」皆为古语：虺隤写马疲病不能行，玄黄写马病而毛色变暗（一说眼花），瘏写马病，痡写人疲，四个古词层层写出行役之苦。这些意象皆出自先民真实的行役与劳作生活，以赋法直陈，不假事典而情真意切。金罍、兕觥等器物名称，也为后人研究周代礼制与物质文化提供了珍贵资料，使此诗兼具文学价值与历史价值。凡此种种，皆可见此诗作为民歌取材于生活、服务于真情的特点。

Commentary

Confucius said the 300 poems 'have no depravity,' which this poem confirms. Modern scholar Gu Jiegang noted that writing the husband's hardship from the wife's perspective originated the 'writing from the other side' technique, influencing later poems like Du Fu's 'Moonlit Night' and Wang Wei's 'Remembering My Brothers on Mountain Climbing Day.'

《卷耳》在《诗经》研究史与中国文学史上地位重要。《论语》记孔子言「诗三百，一言以蔽之，曰思无邪」，此诗思念之情真切朴素，正可印证「思无邪」之评。其「对写法」的结构更是文学史上的一大发明：近人顾颉刚等指出，此诗以「妻之怀人」写「夫之劳苦」，是「对面的落笔」之祖，启后世无数名篇——杜甫《月夜》「今夜鄜州月，闺中只独看」，想象妻子在长安望月思己，正是此法的直接继承；王维《九月九日忆山东兄弟》「遥知兄弟登高处，遍插茱萸少一人」，亦以悬想对方写己之思念。从内容看，此诗反映的征戍离乱之苦，与《采薇》《君子于役》等同为《诗经》行役题材的重要篇章，是周代社会生活最真实的文学记录。历三千余年而读之，采筐、弃筐、登高、饮酒、马病人疲，情态宛然如在目前，其艺术生命力令人惊叹。《卷耳》之妙，在于以最朴素的民歌形式，写出了人类最普遍的情感经验，这是它历经三千年而依然动人的根本原因。

Prosody

Form Shijing Airs of the States, four-character meter, repeated stanzas with variation《诗经·国风·周南》，四言诗，重章叠句

Rhyme Each stanza changes rhyme (e.g., kuang/hang, wei/hui/gang/huang/gong/shang, ju/tu/pu/xu), creating a natural, folk-like rhythm随章换韵，四章分属上古阳、微、阳、鱼部：一章「筐、行」阳部，二章「嵬、隤、罍、怀」微部，三章「冈、黄、觥、伤」阳部，四章「砠、瘏、痡、吁」鱼部。

Tone pattern Four-character pattern with 2-2 pause, slow and melodic recitation四言为主，二二节拍，节奏齐整而舒缓，吟咏之间一唱三叹；重章复沓、句法回环，声情随山势马态而步步紧逼，末章「矣」字连用（砠矣、瘏矣、痡矣、吁矣），音节急促，如叹如泣。

Reading note This is the first example of 'reverse perspective' in Chinese literature, pioneering the theme of military service and longing《卷耳》为《诗经》四言体，是西周民歌的典型形态。四言以二二节拍为基本节奏，如「采采/卷耳」「嗟我/怀人」，音节齐整、节奏舒缓，吟咏之间自有古朴自然之致，正合先民劳动歌唱的原始韵律。全诗四章，前三章皆八句，末章六句，采用《诗经》最典型的「重章叠句」结构：各章句式相同而更换关键字词——山由「崔嵬」而「高冈」而「砠」，马由「虺隤」而「玄黄」而「瘏」，酒器由「金罍」而「兕觥」，愁叹由「不永怀」而「不永伤」而「云何吁矣」，重章复沓、层层递进，如浪叠涌，一唱三叹，音乐的复沓与情感的开腾同步进行，这正是《诗经》民歌回环往复、以重章见深情的音乐性所在。用韵随章换韵，四章分属上古阳、微、阳、鱼部，韵脚疏朗自然，不事雕琢。全诗四言齐整而气脉流动，复沓而不板滞，是《诗经》重章叠句艺术的典范之作，开后世民歌与文人诗中「对写」「复沓」传统之先声。

Line by line

采采卷耳，不盈顷筐。嗟我怀人，寘彼周行。

Gathering, gathering the annual fleabane, yet not filling the slant basket. Alas for him I love—I set it down by the great highway.

采了又采那卷耳菜，却总装不满斜口的小筐；可叹我思念远方的人，把筐丢在大路旁。

Gathering and gathering the mouse-ear, yet never filling the slanting basket. Alas for him I long for—I set the basket down by the high road.

首章以采菜起兴，写思妇的心不在焉，是全诗「实写」的部分。「采采卷耳」写一遍又一遍地采卷耳菜，「采采」叠字见其动作之重复、采撷之频繁；然而「不盈顷筐」——采了又采，斜口的小筐却总也装不满，这就奇怪了：采得如此频繁，何以筐总不满？答案在下句：「嗟我怀人」——因为心里思念着远方的人，采菜只是机械的动作，心早已飞向远方，哪里还顾得上筐满不满？于是「寘彼周行」，索性把筐丢在大路上。由采而思、由思而弃，三个动作写尽思妇的神思恍惚，不着一「愁」字而愁态毕现，以日常劳动写深沉思念，质朴而动人，为全诗定下怀人的基调。

The basket. Gathering, gathering the annual fleabane, yet not filling the slant basket. Alas for him I love—I set it down by the great highway. The gathering-gathering-fleabane and the never-filling-slant-basket and the alas-love-set-down-highway are the opening. To have gathered the fleabane would be a gathering; the gathering-gathering-the-annual-fleabane-yet-not-filling-the-slant-basket-alas-for-him-i-love-i-set-it-down-by-the-great-highway is the gathering.

陟彼崔嵬，我马虺隤。我姑酌彼金罍，维以不永怀。

I climb that rugged height; my horse is spent. I pour from the golden vat, that I may not long for home.

登上那高高的崔嵬山，我的马儿疲惫跌倒；我且斟起那金罍中的酒，借此不让长相思。

I climb that rugged crag; my horse is jaded. I pour wine from the golden vase, only that I may not long forever.

次章转入「对写法」，是女子悬想丈夫行役的情景。「陟彼崔嵬」写丈夫登上高峻的山岭——崔嵬状山之高大险峻，行役之艰险可知；「我马虺隤」写马儿疲惫无力、难以行走，马尚且如此，人更可知。面对马病人困的处境，丈夫「姑酌彼金罍」——姑且斟起金罍中的美酒，「维以不永怀」——只求借此不让思念太长太久。这里的「怀」字与首章「嗟我怀人」之「怀」遥相呼应：首章是妻子怀人，此章是丈夫被怀（亦怀家），两地同怀、人我双写。「姑」「维以」二语见出无可奈何的自我宽解——明知酒不能消愁，姑且饮之，悬想之笔细腻入微，行役之苦、思家之情，宛然如见。

The crag. I climb that rugged height; my horse is spent. I pour from the golden vat, that I may not long for home. The climb-rugged-height and the horse-spent and the pour-golden-vat-not-long-home are the imagined journey. To have climbed the height would be a climbing; the i-climb-that-rugged-height-my-horse-is-spent-i-pour-from-the-golden-vat-that-i-may-not-long-for-home is the climbing.

陟彼高冈，我马玄黄。我姑酌彼兕觥，维以不永伤。

I climb that high ridge; my horse's coat turns dark. I pour from the rhinoceros cup, that I may not grieve forever.

登上那高高的山冈，我的马儿病得眼花；我且斟起那兕角酒杯，借此不让长悲伤。

I climb that high ridge; my horse's coat grows dark. I pour from the rhinoceros horn cup, only that I may not grieve forever.

三章复沓推进，写行役之苦更进一层。「高冈」较「崔嵬」虽同是山，而「陟彼高冈」的意象更显荒凉开阔——山冈之上，四望无人，唯征夫一人一马；「我马玄黄」写马病得更重，毛色暗变（一说病得眼花），由「虺隤」的疲惫到「玄黄」的疾病，马的状况每况愈下，行役之残酷可见。酒器也由「金罍」换成「兕觥」，杯中之物愈饮愈烈，而「维以不永伤」的愁叹由「不永怀」变为「不永伤」——由「怀」（思念）到「伤」（悲伤），情感加重，可见酒并不能消愁，愁反而愈饮愈深。重章换字而意进一层，正是《诗经》复沓之妙：同样的句式、同样的动作，而山更高、马更病、愁更深，层层递进，如浪涌潮生。

The ridge. I climb that high ridge; my horse's coat turns dark. I pour from the rhinoceros cup, that I may not grieve forever. The climb-high-ridge and the horse-coat-dark and the pour-rhinoceros-cup-not-grieve-forever are the deepening. To have climbed the ridge would be a climbing; the i-climb-that-high-ridge-my-horse's-coat-turns-dark-i-pour-from-the-rhinoceros-cup-that-i-may-not-grieve-forever is the climbing.

陟彼砠矣，我马瘏矣，我仆痡矣，云何吁矣。

I climb that stony hill; my horse is done, my servant is spent—O what a sigh.

登上那乱石堆积的砠山，我的马儿累病了，我的仆人也疲累了，这可教我怎不长叹！

I climb that stony mound; my horse gives out, my servant is spent. What a long sigh!

末章是悬想的高潮与绝叹。「陟彼砠矣」写登上乱石堆积的砠山——砠为有石之山，较崔嵬、高冈更为险恶，行役至此，已临绝境；「我马瘏矣」写马累病了，「我仆痡矣」写仆人也疲惫不堪——至此，马病、仆疲、人困，所有能倚靠的都倒下了，行役之苦写到极致。于是「云何吁矣」——这可教我如何不叹息！「云何」是无奈的反问，「吁」是长长的叹息，四字作结，把前面累积的山高、马病、人疲、愁深一并收束于一声长叹之中。三章悬想至此达到顶点：山由崔嵬而高冈而砠，马由虺隤而玄黄而瘏，人由独行而仆疲而绝叹，复沓层层加码，如重锤击鼓，一锤重于一锤，最终以「吁矣」的长叹戛然而止，余痛悠长，令人不忍卒读。

The sigh. I climb that stony hill; my horse is done, my servant is spent—O what a sigh. The climb-stony-hill and the horse-done-servant-spent and the O-what-a-sigh are the close. To have climbed the stony hill would be a climbing; the i-climb-that-stony-hill-my-horse-is-done-my-servant-is-spent-o-what-a-sigh is the climbing.

Study

Word focus

采采 Reduplication meaning 'pluck repeatedly,' but contrasts with 'not full,' implying her mind is elsewhere. 「采采卷耳」之「采采」，是全诗最见神韵的叠字。旧解有二：一说为「采了又采」，是动词的重复，写采撷动作的一遍遍进行；一说为「众多貌」，写卷耳菜长得繁茂。两解皆通，而以前解更能见出思妇的神态——采了又采，重复不已，却「不盈顷筐」，筐总是装不满，可见其采撷只是机械的惯性动作，心思全然不在采菜上，而在远方的人身上。叠字「采采」写动作的持续与重复，正是为了反衬「不盈」之因不在力而在心：不是采不到，而是心不在焉。这一字，以最日常的劳作写出最深沉的思念，动作愈重复，愈见心神之恍惚，质朴之中见功力，是《诗经》以叠字写情态的典范。

寘 To place or abandon; writing 'she leaves the basket on the road' vividly shows her distracted devotion. 「寘彼周行」之「寘」字（通「置」），写弃筐于路，是首章画龙点睛的一笔。「寘」者，放置、搁置也；思妇采卷耳，采而不足，忽然想到远人，心绪纷乱，竟把筐随手丢在大路上。这一个动作看似寻常，却极见情态：筐是她采菜的工具，是她劳作的身份标记，如今弃于路旁，说明她已完全无心劳作——什么采菜、什么满筐，都比不上对远人的思念；也说明她的思念已到了不能自持的地步，以至做出这「失礼」的举动。以「寘」写弃，以弃写思，动作越小，思念越深。若写她继续采菜，则情态平淡；一「寘」字，痴情之态毕现，千载之下，犹见那位弃筐路旁、怅望远方的主妇身影。

维以 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「维以不永怀」「维以不永伤」之「维以」，是悬想中征夫自我宽解的关键语。「维」是发语词，「以」是介词，「维以」即「只求借此」之意——面对马病人疲的困境，征夫只能「姑酌彼金罍」，姑且饮一杯酒，只求借此不让思念太久、悲伤太深。这两个虚词见出三重意味：其一，酒是无奈之饮，「姑」字已露勉强，明知酒不解愁而强饮之，苦况可知；其二，「维以不永怀」是自我安慰之辞，越是说「不永」，越是说明「怀」之绵绵难断；其三，由「不永怀」到「不永伤」，宽解的话越来越无力，愁却越来越深。以虚词写心理，以宽解写无奈，含蓄蕴藉，是《诗经》写人微至的妙笔，悬想中的征夫形象因此丰满可感。

吁 A sigh; the word 'xu' in the final line compresses all the pain of the imagined journey into one exclamation. 「云何吁矣」之「吁」，是全诗情感的总爆发，一字收束三章的劳苦与相思。「吁」者，长叹也，叹而有声，是无可奈何的深深叹息。这个字妙在三个方面：其一，它是全诗唯一直接写「声」的字——此前采菜、登高、酌酒皆是动作，至此郁积的情感终于化作一声长叹，如堤决水涌，一发而不可收；其二，「云何吁矣」是反问——云何，怎么能够呢？不是不想叹，是叹也无用，无奈之情更进一层；其三，「吁矣」以语气词「矣」收束，叹声拖长，余音袅袅，如空谷回响，使全诗结束于一声悠长的叹息之中。由「不永怀」的强自宽解，到「云何吁矣」的终于失守，一字之叹凝聚全诗劳苦相思之痛，是复沓高潮处最有力的收束。

卷耳