先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry
绿衣
The Green Coat
绿兮衣兮，绿衣黄里。
心之忧矣，曷维其已！
绿兮衣兮，绿衣黄裳。
心之忧矣，曷维其亡！
绿兮丝兮，女所治兮。
我思古人，俾无訧兮！
絺兮绤兮，凄其以风。
我思古人，实获我心！
Green outside, yellow lining.
My heart's sorrow,
When will it end?
Green robe, ah green robe,
Green coat, yellow skirt.
My heart's sorrow,
When will it vanish?
Green silk, ah green silk,
You made it yourself.
I think of my departed love,
Who kept me from fault.
Fine linen, coarse linen,
Chilling in the wind.
I think of my departed love,
She truly won my heart.
Meaning
The poem expresses the poet's grief over the loss of his wife, using the green coat as a reminder of her, and his longing for her.
绿色的外衣啊绿色的外衣，绿面配着黄色的里子。心里的忧伤啊，何时才能停止！绿色的外衣啊绿色的外衣，绿面配着黄色的下裳。心里的忧伤啊，何时才能消亡！绿色的丝线啊，是你亲手所缝。我思念已故的贤妻，使我不至于有过。细葛布啊粗葛布，寒风里透着凉意。我思念已故的贤妻，实在契合我的心意！
Appreciation
This poem from the Book of Songs is a classic lament for a deceased spouse. Through the repeated image of the green garment, the poet's sorrow deepens, moving from the coat to the silk and cloth, culminating in the realization that his departed love truly understood his heart. The use of repetition and rhetorical questions enhances the emotional impact.
【白话串讲】 丈夫看到亡妻缝的绿衣，忍不住心伤。“我思古人，实获我心”——我想念那个人，她最懂我的心。这是中国最早的悼亡诗。 【意象与手法】 全诗四章，前三章重章叠句，由「衣」而「裳」而「丝」而「絺绤」，由外观而及针线，由物及人，思念渐深；「心之忧矣」反复咏叹，一唱三叹，「曷维其已」以反诘写无尽之悲，末章「实获我心」以平静语收深哀，哀乐相生，含蓄蕴藉，极具抒情张力。 【情感与主旨】 《绿衣》属《诗经·邶风》。旧题多依《诗序》谓「卫庄姜伤己」，朱熹则认为是「妾上僭、夫人失位」之叹；今人多据「我思古人」「俾无訧兮」等语，视作男子悼亡妻之作，为《诗经》中最早的悼亡题材篇章之一。 【名句点睛】 赏析要点：一、重章叠句手法及其情感递进作用；二、「绿衣黄里／黄裳」的色彩设色与象征意义；三、「古人」「訧」等关键词的训释。
Background
It is from the 'Bei Winds' section of the Book of Songs. Traditionally attributed to Zhuang Jiang, wife of Duke Zhuang of Wei, lamenting her mistreatment, but modern scholars often see it as a man mourning his wife. It is one of the earliest elegiac poems in Chinese literature.
《绿衣》属《诗经·邶风》，是《诗经》中最早以悼亡为主题的篇章之一。关于其本事，旧说多依《毛诗序》，谓「卫庄姜伤己也，妾上僭而夫人失位」，即卫庄公惑于嬖妾、疏远正室庄姜，庄姜见绿衣黄里之服而自伤；朱熹《诗集传》亦沿此说，以为「绿衣黄里，以比贱妾尊显而正嫡幽微」。然而细味诗中「我思古人，俾无訧兮」「我思古人，实获我心」等语，「古人」古义为「故人」，即亡故之人，所抒者分明是对逝去配偶的深切思念，故今人多视之为男子悼亡妻之作。其本事虽不可确考，然所抒伉俪之思、逝者之怀则一脉相通：诗人抚弄亡妻遗物——绿衣、黄裳、亲手所治的丝线、寒风中取出的絺绤——睹物思人，哀思如缕。此诗奠定了中国悼亡诗「睹物思人」的基本模式，对后世潘岳《悼亡诗》、元稹《遣悲怀》、苏轼《江城子》等影响深远，故陈子展谓其「开后世悼亡诗之先河」。就诗旨而言，无论庄姜说还是悼亡说，诗中所写「睹衣思人」之情皆真切可感，这也正是此诗超越旧说、历久弥新的根本原因，历代读者皆能于衣上见其哀思。
Art
The poem uses four stanzas with overlapping structure, progressing from the coat to the silk to the cloth, from the external to the internal. The repetition of 'Green robe, ah green robe' and 'My heart's sorrow' creates a haunting refrain. The rhetorical question 'When will it end?' emphasizes endless grief. The final line 'She truly won my heart' is a quiet but profound conclusion.
全诗四章，前三章重章叠句，章法上极有层次。就物象言，由第一章之「衣」（上衣）而第二章之「裳」（下裳）而第三章之「丝」（线缕）而第四章之「絺绤」（细葛粗葛），由衣之外观而及针线之工，由物及人，思念步步深入；就情感言，首章「心之忧矣，曷维其已」以反诘写忧之无已，二章「曷维其亡」以「亡」（忘）字相承，忧思愈转愈深，三章「我思古人，俾无訧兮」由忧转念，点出亡妻之贤——正是她使我不陷于过咎，四章「凄其以风」「实获我心」以寒风起兴、以「获我心」收结，由悲转慰，哀乐相生。叠句「绿兮衣兮」「心之忧矣」回环往复，一唱三叹，正合《诗经》重章叠句以增情感的抒情传统。全诗以日常衣物寄托生死之悲，不事雕琢而哀婉深至，含蓄蕴藉，极具抒情张力，是《国风》中哀而不伤的典范。尤可注意的是，全诗不写亡妻容貌、不写临殁之状，只从衣物与德行着笔，哀而不伤、怨而不怒，深得《国风》温柔敦厚之旨，含蓄处正是深情处。
Allusions
'古人' here means 'the departed one,' not 'ancient people.' The phrase '俾无訧兮' means 'made me faultless,' implying that the wife's care prevented the speaker from making mistakes. The '絺兮绤兮' (fine and coarse hemp cloth) symbolize the wife's virtue and the coldness of loss.
诗中「古人」一词，旧注多解为「故人」，即亡故之妻，非泛指古昔之人，这是理解全诗的关键；「俾无訧兮」之「訧」训「过」，「俾无訧」即使我不至于有过失，言亡妻在世时治家有方、劝善规过，使己免于过失，今日思之，其贤如在目前。又「絺兮绤兮」，《毛传》谓「精曰絺，粗曰绤」，絺绤皆葛布，夏日之服；诗写秋来风寒，翻出亡妻手制的絺绤，衣上犹存其手泽，而人已不可见，「凄其以风」以葛布之凉写心之寒，物我相生。本诗用典不显，全以日常衣物寄情，然「绿衣」意象后世遂成悼亡、伤逝之固定符号——如后世悼亡诗常以衣裳、手泽起兴，皆源于此；「绿衣黄里」之设色，绿为间色、黄为正色，旧说以此喻妾尊嫡卑，虽系旧解，亦可见《诗经》以色喻位的象征传统。全诗朴语深情，字字从肺腑流出。「女所治兮」之「治」训缝制，女红之事而见于《诗经》，可见古人对家内之德的珍视；以针线寄哀思，后世悼亡诗如「针线犹存未忍开」等句皆承此脉而来。
Commentary
Zhu Xi noted the poem as a lament for a neglected wife, but later scholars like Fang Yurun praised its sincere emotion. Chen Zizhan called it the precursor of later mourning poems.
朱熹《诗集传》谓「言绿衣黄里，以比贱妾尊显而正嫡幽微，其言之有序而不乱也」，方玉润《诗经原始》称其「情真语挚，一字一泪」；近人陈子展谓此诗「开后世悼亡诗之先河」。从诗史看，《绿衣》的典范意义有三：其一，它是中国悼亡诗的源头，潘岳《悼亡诗》「帏屏无仿佛，翰墨有余迹」、元稹《遣悲怀》「衣裳已施行看尽」等皆承「睹物思人」一脉而来；其二，它确立了重章叠句以层递情感的抒情方式，「绿兮衣兮」「心之忧矣」的回环咏叹成为《诗经》抒情诗的标准手法，直接影响《蒹葭》《黍离》等篇章；其三，它以平凡衣物流转出深沉哀思，证明最朴素的事物可负载最沉重的情感，为后世「以物写情」开了法门。就解诗史而言，此诗从「庄姜伤己」的旧解到「男子悼亡」的新解，正反映历代说《诗》由政治教化走向人情体认的历程，而无论作何解，诗中那份对逝者的追怀与自省，千载之下犹能动人。近人论《诗经》悼亡诗，多以《绿衣》《葛生》并举，谓其一温一烈、各极其致，此诗之典范地位于此可见，其在诗经学与悼亡诗史上的意义亦不言自明。
Prosody
Line by line
绿兮衣兮，绿衣黄里。心之忧矣，曷维其已！
Green, O that green robe; green the robe, yellow the lining. My heart's sorrow—when will it ever end!
绿色的外衣啊绿色的外衣，绿面配着黄色的里子。心里的忧伤啊，何时才能停止！
Green, green the robe; green the outer, yellow the lining. O my heart's sorrow, when will it cease!
首章以衣物起兴，睹物思人。「绿兮衣兮」的叠呼，如叹息般抚过那件绿衣，语含无限温存——不说「绿衣」而叠呼「绿兮衣兮」，音节拖长，仿佛抚衣追思的手势；「绿衣黄里」点出衣之形制，绿面黄里，设色鲜明，一件家常旧衣如在目前，而衣在人亡，哀思自生。「心之忧矣」直抒其忧，「曷维其已」以反诘写忧之无已——何时才能停止？答案是没有尽期。由衣及心、由物及情，起兴自然，忧思深沉，为全诗定下悼亡的基调，也开启了中国悼亡诗以衣物寄哀的传统。
The robe. Green, O that green robe; green the robe, yellow the lining. My heart's sorrow—when will it ever end! The green-robe-yellow-lining and the heart-sorrow-when-end are the opening. To have been green would be a being; the green-o-that-green-robe-green-the-robe-yellow-the-lining-my-heart's-sorrow-when-will-it-ever-end is the being.
绿兮衣兮，绿衣黄裳。心之忧矣，曷维其亡！
Green, O that green robe; green the robe, yellow the lower garment. My heart's sorrow—when will it ever depart!
绿色的外衣啊绿色的外衣，绿面配着黄色的下裳。心里的忧伤啊，何时才能消亡！
Green, green the robe; green the upper, yellow the lower garment. O my heart's sorrow, when will it fade!
二章重章叠句，仅易「里」为「裳」、「已」为「亡」，而情感愈转愈深：由衣之内外（里）写到衣之上下（裳），衣物愈是齐全，愈见亡妻遗物之夥、思念之无处可避；「已」言停止、「亡」言消亡，忧思之问一进而再，忧之深可见。重章之法以少变写不变，正是《诗经》抒情的独特节奏——反复咏叹之间，忧伤如潮水般层层涌来，而「绿兮衣兮」的温柔叠呼始终不变，恰似思念之恒久；两句之间仅一字之异，而情感已由「何时停止」进为「何时消亡」，哀思愈转愈深，正是重章叠句最见功力的地方。
The skirt. Green, O that green robe; green the robe, yellow the lower garment. My heart's sorrow—when will it ever depart! The green-robe-yellow-skirt and the heart-sorrow-when-depart are the deepening. To have been green would be a being; the green-o-that-green-robe-green-the-robe-yellow-the-lower-garment-my-heart's-sorrow-when-will-it-ever-depart is the being.
绿兮丝兮，女所治兮。我思古人，俾无訧兮！
Green, O that green silk; you were the one who worked it. I think of her who is gone, who kept me from all fault!
绿色的丝线啊，是你亲手所缝。我思念已故的贤妻，使我不至于有过。
Green the silk, the green silk—you were the one who worked it. I think of my old love, who kept me from all blame!
三章由衣之形制转写衣之来源：「绿兮丝兮，女所治兮」——这绿色的丝线，是你亲手所治（缝制），点明衣物乃亡妻手泽，睹物如见其人，思念遂由物及人；「我思古人」第一次明点「古人」（故人），悼亡之主旨至此揭出；「俾无訧兮」写亡妻之贤——正是她使我不陷于过咎，今日思之，其规劝之德如在目前。此章由悲转念，由物之思转为德之念，悼亡之情由哀伤升华为自省与感恩，情感层次最为丰富；不写容貌、不写姿色，而写其德其贤，正是此诗高出一般悼亡艳语之处。
The silk. Green, O that green silk; you were the one who worked it. I think of her who is gone, who kept me from all fault! The green-silk-you-worked and the think-of-her-kept-me-faultless are the gratitude. To have worked the silk would be a working; the green-o-that-green-silk-you-were-the-one-who-worked-it-i-think-of-her-who-is-gone-who-kept-me-from-all-fault is the working.
絺兮绤兮，凄其以风。我思古人，实获我心！
Fine and coarse gauze—chill in the wind. I think of her who is gone; she truly knew my heart!
细葛布啊粗葛布，寒风里透着凉意。我思念已故的贤妻，实在契合我的心意！
Fine gauze and coarse gauze—chill it is in the wind. I think of my old love; she truly suited my heart!
末章以絺绤起兴，是全诗情感的总收束。「絺兮绤兮」指细葛粗葛之衣，本是夏日之服，如今秋风已起，穿在身上「凄其以风」，凉意透骨——衣是亡妻手制，风是当令寒风，寒暖交替之间，物是人非之感油然而生；「我思古人」再申思念，「实获我心」以平静语收结——唯有她真正契合我的心意，如今知己已逝，复有何人？四章由衣而裳、由丝而絺绤，由外观而手泽，思念步步深入，终于「获我心」三字的深哀与慰藉中收束，哀而不伤，含蓄无尽，正是《诗经》抒情含蓄蕴藉的极致。
The gauze. Fine and coarse gauze—chill in the wind. I think of her who is gone; she truly knew my heart! The fine-coarse-gauze-chill-wind and the think-of-her-knew-my-heart are the close. To have been chill would be a being; the fine-and-coarse-gauze-chill-in-the-wind-i-think-of-her-who-is-gone-she-truly-knew-my-heart is the being.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both are famous mourning poems in the Book of Songs. 'The Green Coat' mourns a wife, while 'Ge Sheng' mourns a husband. They share a similar pathos.
《葛生》与《绿衣》同为《诗经》悼亡名篇：《绿衣》是男子悼亡妻，抚衣思人，哀其贤德，「我思古人，实获我心」以温柔内敛的笔致写生死之思；《葛生》是女子悼亡夫，「葛生蒙楚，蔹蔓于野」以葛蔹之蔓写坟茔荒凉，「百岁之后，归於其居」以同穴之愿写生死相随，沉痛直露。一以衣物为媒、一以坟野为景，一温存一悲烈，然皆以日常景物写生死之思，哀婉相通。两诗合观，可见《诗经》时代悼亡诗已具备睹物思人与死生相随两种基本模式，为后世悼亡诗开其先声。
蒹葭 The Reeds 诗经 · 同用重章叠句手法 Different (technique: one mourning, one pursuit, both use repetition)Both use repeated stanzas to express emotion, but 'The Reeds' depicts the elusiveness of pursuit, while 'The Green Coat' conveys the deep pain of loss.
《蒹葭》「蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜。所谓伊人，在水一方」与《绿衣》同用重章叠句抒情，而旨趣迥异：《蒹葭》写追寻伊人之渺茫，三章叠唱中白露由霜而晞而己，时间流逝而伊人始终「在水一方」，是求而不得的怅惘，意境空灵；《绿衣》写逝者之沉痛，重章中衣物由衣而裳而丝而絺绤，思念层层深入，是得而复失的哀恸，情致沉挚。一求之而不可得，一失之而不可返，同用一唱三叹之法而一空灵一沉痛，恰见《诗经》重章手法的两种极致，也是风诗抒情含蓄与直挚两种风格的对照，可并读体味。