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先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry

硕人

The Stately Lady

诗经

Book of Songs

爱情Love 咏物Object poem

硕人其颀,衣锦褧衣。
齐侯之子,卫侯之妻。
东宫之妹,邢侯之姨,谭公维私。
手如柔荑,肤如凝脂。
领如蝤蛴,齿如瓠犀。
螓首蛾眉,巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮。
硕人敖敖,说于农郊。
四牡有骄,朱幩镳镳。
翟茀以朝,大夫夙退,无使君劳。
河水洋洋,北流活活。
施罛濊濊,鳣鲔发发,葭菼揭揭。
庶姜孽孽,庶士有朅。

Tall is the lady, stately and fair, in brocade with a linen veil.
Daughter of the Prince of Qi, wife of the Prince of Wei;
Sister of the Crown Prince, aunt to the Prince of Xing, sister's husband the Duke of Tan.
Her hand is like a soft rush-bud, her skin like curded cream;
Her neck like a caterpillar's, her teeth like gourd-seeds;
Broad brow, moth-eyebrows; her smiling dimples—ah! her bright eyes glance.
Stately the lady, resting in the country suburb;
Four stallions proud, red reins aflutter; in the pheasant-figured curtain she goes to court—let the lords retire early, spare the lord toil.
The river spreads wide, flowing north with a rush;
The nets sweep the water, the sturgeon leap, the reeds stand tall;
The bride's kin in splendour, the attendants bold.
Listen

Meaning

Tall is the lady, stately and fair, in brocade with a linen veil. She is daughter of the Prince of Qi, wife of the Prince of Wei; sister of the Crown Prince, aunt to the Prince of Xing, and her sister's husband is the Duke of Tan. Her hand is like a soft rush-bud, her skin like curded cream; her neck like a caterpillar's, her teeth like gourd-seeds; broad brow and moth-eyebrows, her smiling dimples—ah! her bright eyes glance. Stately the lady, resting in the country suburb; four stallions proud, red reins aflutter. In the pheasant-figured curtain she goes to court—let the lords retire early, spare the lord toil. The river spreads wide, flowing north with a rush; the nets sweep the water, the sturgeon leap, the reeds stand tall. The bride's kin in splendour, the attendants bold.

高大的人儿身材修长,穿着锦衣外罩麻衫。她是齐侯的女儿,卫侯的妻房。东宫太子的妹妹,邢侯的小姨,谭公是她的妹夫。她的手像柔嫩的茅芽,肌肤像凝结的脂膏。脖颈像蝤蛴般白润,牙齿像瓠瓜子般整齐。方正的额头弯弯的眉,巧笑两靥生姿,美目流转顾盼。美人高高个子,停车在农郊。四匹公马雄健昂扬,红绸马饰华美飘扬。乘翟车竹帘来朝见,大夫们早些退朝,莫让君王太劳忙。河水浩荡,向北流得哗哗响。撒网入水哗哗有声,鳣鱼鲔鱼泼剌跳跃,芦苇荻花高高挺立。陪嫁的姜姓女盛装华美,随从的壮士威武雄健。

Appreciation

The poem has four stanzas: first it tells her noble birth, then paints her beauty in fine brush, then writes the grand procession and the happy river scene. The second stanza strings six similes—'hand like soft rush-bud' 'skin like curded cream' 'neck like a caterpillar's' 'teeth like gourd-seeds' 'broad brow' 'moth-eyebrows'—laid in parallel, each true to its shape; it ends with 'her smiling dimples—ah! her bright eyes glance', a dynamic stroke that turns the still into the living. The whole is mostly plain narration, rich in diction, composed in bearing, opening the line of later beauty pieces.

【白话串讲】 “手如柔荑,肤如凝脂。领如蝤蛴,齿如瓠犀。螓首蛾眉,巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮”——这是中国文学史上第一次全方位描写美人,写的是卫庄公的夫人庄姜。“巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮”,从此成为形容美人的最高模板。 【意象与手法】 诗四章,先叙门第之尊,再工笔描摹容貌,继而写仪仗之盛与河景之欢。第二章连用「手如柔荑」「肤如凝脂」「领如蝤蛴」「齿如瓠犀」「螓首蛾眉」五喻,排比铺陈而各肖其形;末以「巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮」动态点睛,化静为动。通篇以赋为主,辞藻富丽、气度端凝,开后世美人赋之先河。 【情感与主旨】 《硕人》出自《诗经·卫风》,为卫人赞美卫庄公夫人庄姜之作。庄姜乃齐侯之女、齐太子得臣(东宫)之妹,嫁卫庄公。诗中铺陈其高贵出身、绝世容华与盛大婚仪。据《左传·隐公三年》载庄姜「美而无子」,诗中极写其美,旧说有「闵」(怜)其遇之意;今多视为《国风》中著名的婚颂与美人赋,反映先秦贵族婚嫁礼制。 【名句点睛】 中高考赏析常考:「手如柔荑」等五句博喻的铺排技巧,与「巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮」的以动写静、化静为动——前者是静态的工笔描摹,后者是动态的神韵点睛,二者结合,遂成中国文学史上最著名的美人描写。

Background

'The Stately Lady' comes from the 'Airs of Wei' in the 'Book of Songs', a Wei praise of Zhuang Jiang, wife of Lord Zhuang of Wei. Zhuang Jiang was daughter of the Prince of Qi and sister of the Qi crown prince Dechen, married to Lord Zhuang of Wei. The poem spreads her high birth, peerless beauty and grand wedding rite. By the 'Zuo Commentary' (year 3 of Yin), Zhuang Jiang was 'beautiful but childless'; the poem's extreme praise of her beauty, by the old reading, holds pity for her lot; moderns take it as a famous marriage-praise and beauty piece of the 'Airs', reflecting the rites of aristocratic marriage in the pre-Qin.

《硕人》出自《诗经·卫风》,为卫人赞美卫庄公夫人庄姜之作。庄姜乃齐侯之女、齐太子得臣(即东宫)之妹,嫁于卫庄公,故诗称「齐侯之子,卫侯之妻。东宫之妹,邢侯之姨,谭公维私」,历数其出身之高贵。据《左传·隐公三年》载,庄姜「美而无子」,卫人因其贤美而不见宠幸,遂赋诗以美之;旧说以为诗中有「闵」(怜惜)其遭遇之意,故朱熹《诗集传》谓「此诗虽美庄姜,实闵其无子也」。今人多视之为《国风》中著名的婚颂与美人赋:诗分四章,先叙门第之尊,次写容貌之美,又写婚仪之盛,终以河景之欢收束,辞藻富丽、气度端凝,全面展现了一位贵族新娘的尊贵与美丽,也反映了先秦贵族婚嫁的礼制与仪仗——乘翟车、备四牡、百官夙退,正是诸侯婚礼的实录。此诗产生于周代贵族的婚礼背景之下:诸侯嫁女,车马仪仗、陪嫁媵妾皆有定制,诗中『翟茀以朝,大夫夙退』正是婚礼朝见的实录。庄姜之嫁,是齐国与卫国的政治联姻,诗中历数其父族、夫族、姻亲的显赫,正是这种联姻关系的写照。值得注意的是,诗中写庄姜之美,不涉任何妖艳之态,而是以端凝高贵为宗,正见周代贵族审美的庄重典雅;而据《左传》所载,庄姜虽美而贤,却不育无宠,诗中的盛美与史中的薄命恰成对照,更添一层悲剧的意味,故旧说谓此诗有悯其遭遇之意,虽无确证,亦非无因。

Art

The poem has four stanzas: first it tells her noble birth, then paints her beauty in fine brush, then writes the grand procession and the happy river scene. The second stanza strings six similes—'hand like soft rush-bud' etc.—in parallel, each true to its shape; it ends with 'her smiling dimples—ah! her bright eyes glance', a dynamic stroke turning still into living. The whole is mostly plain narration, rich in diction, composed in bearing, opening the line of later beauty pieces.

此诗的艺术核心在第二章的美人描写,是后世一切美人赋、美人诗的源头。全诗四章,章法井然:首章以「硕人其颀」总写身材之修长,历数门第之高;第二章转入工笔描摹,连用「手如柔荑,肤如凝脂。领如蝤蛴,齿如瓠犀。螓首蛾眉」五个比喻,以柔荑(茅芽)、凝脂(脂膏)、蝤蛴(天牛幼虫,喻颈白而长)、瓠犀(瓠瓜子,喻齿白而齐)、螓首蛾眉(蝉额蚕蛾之眉)五种物象,从手、肤、颈、齿、眉五个部位逐一写来,排比铺陈而各肖其形,是为静态的「博喻」;末以「巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮」两句动态点睛,化静为动——巧笑时两腮生涡,美目流转顾盼,把静止的美人写活了。第三章写婚仪之盛,第四章以河水洋洋、鳣鲔发发的欢腾景象烘托婚嫁之喜,以景衬人。全诗以赋为主、赋中带比,由静入动、由人及景,层次分明,开后世「美人赋」之先河。此诗在修辞上还有一个特点,即博喻与动喻的结合:前五喻(柔荑、凝脂、蝤蛴、瓠犀、螓首蛾眉)是博喻,以一连串物象写形貌的各个部位,工笔细描;而『巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮』是动喻,以一笑一盼的动态写神采,点睛传神。一静一动、一形一神,正如画龙之后的一点睛,使全诗的美人形象由工笔画像升华为活生生的美人。这种以静写形、以动写神的两段式写法,被后世一切美人诗赋奉为圭臬,从宋玉《神女赋》到曹植《洛神赋》,无不受其影响。

Allusions

The line 'aunt to the Prince of Xing, sister's husband the Duke of Tan' touches kin terms: 'aunt' means a wife's sister, 'sister's husband' the husband of one's sister (the Duke of Tan was husband to Zhuang Jiang's sister). 'Pheasant-figured curtain' means a curtain decked with pheasant feathers, the carriage of a titled lady at court, using a ritual allusion to show her rank. 'Broad brow and moth-eyebrows' uses insects to figure a person, a metaphor device not a story allusion. The whole stresses plain narration, no clear history citation.

诗中「邢侯之姨,谭公维私」涉先秦亲属称谓:「姨」谓妻之姐妹,「私」指姊妹之夫(《尔雅》「姊妹之夫为私」),谭公为庄姜姊妹之夫,两句写尽庄姜与各诸侯国的姻亲关系,是研究先秦礼制的史料。「翟茀」指以雉羽为饰的车帘,乃诸侯命妇朝见所乘之车的规制(《周礼》有「翟车」之制),以此写庄姜婚仪之盛。「螓首蛾眉」以虫喻人:「螓」为方头阔额的蝉,「蛾」为触须弯弯的蚕蛾,以螓喻额之方正、以蛾喻眉之弯秀,是比兴手法而非事典,后演为「蛾眉」指代美人的经典语汇。全诗重在赋写,无明显史事征引,其价值正在以比兴之笔、礼制之实,描绘出一位贵族新娘的完整形象。『衣锦褧衣』暗含礼制传统:《礼记》载女子出嫁时衣锦褧衣,锦为华服,褧为罩衫,以罩衫蔽其华美,正见周礼尚谦的伦理;此句写庄姜华服外罩素衣,已暗含其品性之端庄。『说于农郊』的说通税,指停车休止,是婚礼途中的礼仪;『四牡有骄』写驾车的四匹公马雄健,『朱幩镳镳』写马饰红绸飞扬,皆是周代车马礼制的具体描写。全诗以礼制写仪态,礼与美交融,正是先秦贵族文学以礼为美的特点。

Commentary

Zhu Xi's 'Commentary on the Book of Songs' says 'the stately lady means Zhuang Jiang', and explains each simile in detail. The Qing Yao Jicheng, in 'Book of Songs: A General View', calls it 'for a thousand years none praising beauty surpasses it'. Modern scholars hold the two lines 'her smiling dimples—ah! her bright eyes glance' especially wonderful; Zhu Xi of the Song also sighed at their 'liveliness'. The poem is seen as the model of beauty description in classical Chinese literature.

朱熹《诗集传》谓「硕人,谓庄姜也」,并逐喻作注,释「螓首」「蛾眉」甚详,使此诗成为《诗经》名篇。姚际恒《诗经通论》称「千古颂美人者,无出其右,是为绝唱」,极推其美人描写的地位。方玉润《诗经原始》亦赞「千古颂美人者,无出其右」,以为后世赋美人者皆不能过此。近人尤其激赏「巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮」二句:宋代朱熹已叹其「生动」,今人更谓此二句以动态写神韵,使前文的静态描摹全部活了起来——「手如柔荑」诸句写「形」,「巧笑」「美目」写「神」,形神兼备,故能冠绝千古。此诗被视为中国古典文学美人描写的典范,其「以博喻写形、以动态写神」的手法,直接启发了宋玉《登徒子好色赋》、曹植《洛神赋》等后世美人赋,影响贯穿两千余年。此诗在美学史上的地位,还在于它确立了中国文学写美人的两大范式:一是以物喻形的博喻范式,二是以动写神的点睛范式,后世一切美人描写,皆不出此二途。从宋玉《登徒子好色赋》的『增之一分则太长』,到曹植《洛神赋》的『翩若惊鸿,婉若游龙』,再到白居易《长恨歌》的『回眸一笑百媚生』,皆可于此诗寻其源流。今人论中国审美,多谓形神兼备四字,此诗正是这一审美理想的最早完美呈现,其影响贯穿中国文学与艺术两千年,是当之无愧的美人文学之祖。

Prosody

Form Book of Songs · Airs of Wei (mostly four-character, with mixed long-short lines)诗经·卫风(四言为主,间杂五言、六言)
Rhyme Stanza one 'fair, veil, wife, aunt, Dan' rhymes; stanza two 'bud, cream, caterpillar, seeds, brows, ah, glance' rhymes; later stanzas change rhyme一章「颀、衣、妻、姨、私」押脂微部;二章「荑、脂、蛴、犀、眉、兮、盼」押脂微支部;三章「敖、郊、骄、镳、朝、劳」及四章「活、濊、发、揭、孽、朅」皆依古韵转协,四章各自成韵。
Tone pattern Mostly four-character; level-oblique not traceable以四言为主,音节整饬而朴拙,间以五言(「齐侯之子,卫侯之妻」等六言句),不严究平仄,依古乐歌谣本色。
Reading note Plain narration spread; order from rank to beauty to procession to scene, well laid.《诗经》以四言为基本句式,此诗亦然,然间杂「手如柔荑,肤如凝脂」「东宫之妹,邢侯之姨」等五言、六言句,句式于整饬中见参差,正是《国风》歌谣自然本色的体现。《诗经》本配乐歌唱,四言句式音节整饬、一板一眼,正适合婚仪庆典的歌唱场合;叠字、拟声词的运用尤为突出——「洋洋」写水之浩、「活活」写水之声、「濊濊」写网之入水、「发发」写鱼之跳跃、「揭揭」写芦之高挺、「孽孽」写陪嫁女之盛装、「朅朅」写从士之威武,七组叠字(或双声叠韵词)连用,声情并茂,把婚仪的热闹、河景的欢腾写得如闻如见。《诗经》不讲究近体诗的平仄格律,而以声调的自然抑扬、叠字的回环复沓构成音乐美,此诗正是其代表:读来铿锵悦耳、喜气洋洋,恰合婚颂的场合,也见出《诗经》「可以兴、可以观、可以群、可以怨」的乐教功能。

Line by line

手如柔荑,肤如凝脂

Her hands are like soft, newly sprouted grass shoots; her skin like curdled, congealed grease.

她的手像柔嫩的茅芽,肌肤像凝结的脂膏。

Her hands are as tender as sprouting grass shoots; her skin is as smooth as congealed cream.

此二句是博喻的开端,以自然物象写人体之美。「柔荑」指初生的白茅嫩芽,柔嫩洁白,以之喻手,既写手之白嫩,又写其柔软;「凝脂」指凝结的脂膏,细腻滑润,以之喻肤,既写肌肤之白腻,又写其润泽。两个比喻皆取极常见之物,却贴切无比:柔荑之柔嫩、凝脂之细腻,正是女子手足肌肤的理想形态。此二句以「如」字起喻,平实亲切,毫不费力;而「柔」「凝」二字又暗含质感,使读者仿佛能触摸到那柔嫩细滑的肌肤。以最简单的物象、最贴切的比喻写人体之美,正是《诗经》比兴的本色,也是后世一切美人描写的起点。

The two lines begin a sustained string of similes, using natural objects to write the beauty of the body. Soft grass shoots are the pale, tender sprouts of the white cogongrass; used for her hands, they capture at once their whiteness and softness. Congealed grease is set, smooth fat; used for her skin, it captures its fine, lustrous whiteness. Both similes take the most common objects yet fit perfectly: the tenderness of the sprout, the fineness of the curd, are exactly the ideal form of a woman's hands and skin. The lines begin with 'like', plain and unforced; yet the words soft and congealed carry a tactile quality, as if the reader could almost touch that tender, smooth skin. Writing beauty with the simplest objects and the aptest comparisons is the native virtue of Shijing bi and xing, and the starting point of all later descriptions of beautiful women.

领如蝤蛴,齿如瓠犀

Her neck is like the pale, long larva; her teeth like the neat seeds of the gourd.

脖颈像蝤蛴般白润,牙齿像瓠瓜子般整齐。

Her neck is as white and slender as the long beetle grub; her teeth are as even as the rows of gourd seeds.

此二句继续博喻,写颈与齿之美。「蝤蛴」即天牛的幼虫,色白而体长,以之喻颈,写脖颈之白润修长;「瓠犀」即瓠瓜中的籽,色白而排列整齐,以之喻齿,写牙齿之洁白齐整。两个比喻皆取形色双肖之物:蝤蛴之白长、瓠犀之白整,正是美颈美齿的标准形态。值得注意的是,以虫喻人颈、以瓜籽喻人齿,在今天看来有些奇特,而在先秦却是常见的比喻方式,正见《诗经》时代「近取诸身、远取诸物」的朴素思维。此二句与上二句连成四喻,从手、肤到颈、齿,由上而下、由外及内,层层写来,如工笔画卷逐笔描摹,把庄姜之美写得具体而可感,是博喻手法的集中展现。

The two lines continue the string of similes, now writing neck and teeth. The beetle grub is the pale, long larva of the longhorn beetle; used for her neck, it gives whiteness and length. The gourd seeds are the pale, neatly arranged seeds inside a bottle gourd; used for her teeth, they give whiteness and regularity. Both similes match in shape and color: the long whiteness of the grub, the neat whiteness of the seeds, are precisely the ideal neck and teeth. It is worth noting that comparing a neck to a grub and teeth to gourd seeds seems odd today, yet in the pre-Qin age it was a common way of thinking, taking nearby from the body and afar from objects. Joined to the previous two lines, the four similes move from hands and skin to neck and teeth, top to bottom, outer to inner, like a meticulous gongbi painting, making Zhuang Jiang's beauty concrete and palpable, a concentrated display of the extended simile.

螓首蛾眉,巧笑倩兮,美目盼兮

A broad, cicada-like forehead, moth-antenna eyebrows; a clever smile that dimples the cheeks; lovely eyes that flash and glance.

方正的额头弯弯的眉,巧笑时两腮生涡,美目流转顾盼。

Her forehead is broad and square, her eyebrows arched like moth antennae; when she smiles, dimples play on her cheeks, and her bright eyes dart and sparkle.

此三句是美人描写的千古绝唱,也是全诗由「写形」到「写神」的关键转折。「螓首蛾眉」继续博喻:螓(蝉)额方正、蛾眉弯秀,写额与眉的轮廓之美,至此「手、肤、颈、齿、额、眉」六喻齐备,静态的形貌描摹达到极致;「巧笑倩兮」写一笑之间两腮生涡的甜美,「美目盼兮」写美目流转、黑白分明的顾盼之态,两句以「巧」「盼」的动态点睛,化静为动——前面的比喻写的是「死」的美人,这两句却让她活了过来。尤其是「盼」字,写眼珠流转时黑白分明的样子,使静止的画像获得了生命。形神兼备、动静相生,故千古以来,论美人者无出其右,此三句遂成为中国文学写美人的最高典范。

The three lines are the age-old masterpiece of beautiful-woman description, and the turning point from writing form to writing spirit. A broad, cicada-like forehead, moth-antenna eyebrows continues the similes: the cicada's broad forehead, the moth's arched brows, give the outline of brow and eyebrow; now six similes in all, hands, skin, neck, teeth, forehead, brows, and the static portrait reaches its limit. A clever smile that dimples the cheeks writes the sweetness of the smile's dimples; lovely eyes that flash and glance writes the roving, black-and-white clarity of her gaze. The words clever and flash bring it to life with motion: the earlier similes painted a dead beauty, but these lines wake her up. Above all, the word flash, the sparkle of the moving eye, black on white, gives the static image life. Form and spirit together, motion and stillness in play; hence no writer of beauties through the ages has surpassed these lines, which remain the highest model of the Chinese literature of female beauty.

河水洋洋,北流活活

The Yellow River waters roll vast and broad, flowing north with a rushing, gurgling sound.

河水浩荡,向北奔流哗哗作响。

The river waters spread wide and mighty, pouring northward in rushing, gurgling currents.

此句写婚嫁途中的河景,是第四章的开端,也是全诗由写人转向写景、以景衬人的转折。「河水洋洋」写黄河水势浩大,一片开阔气象;「北流活活」写河水向北奔流,哗哗有声,「活活」是拟声词,以水声写水势,如闻其声。卫国在黄河之南,庄姜自齐国嫁来,渡河而北,故写北流之河,正是迎亲途中的实景。此句的妙处,在以浩荡的河水烘托婚嫁场面的盛大欢腾:河水洋洋,正如仪仗之盛、喜气之浓;活活的水声,正如鼓乐喧阗、人马欢腾。以景衬人、以声写喜,把婚嫁的欢庆气氛渲染得淋漓尽致,也为下文「施罛濊濊,鳣鲔发发」的欢腾景象作了铺垫,是全诗由静入动的又一次转折。

The line writes the river scene on the bridal journey, opening the fourth stanza and turning the poem from person to landscape, using the scene to set off the person. The Yellow River waters roll vast and broad, giving the great expanse of the river; flowing north with a rushing, gurgling sound uses the onomatopoeic gurgling to write the sound of the current, as if heard. The state of Wei lay south of the Yellow River; Zhuang Jiang, coming from Qi, crossed the river northward, so the north-flowing water is the actual scene of the bridal road. The beauty lies in using the vast river to set off the splendor and joy of the wedding: the rolling water matches the grandeur of the procession and the depth of festivity; the gurgling sound matches the music and the cheering of men and horses. Setting off the person through scene, writing joy through sound, it renders the bridal jubilation to the full and paves the way for the nets and leaping fish that follow, another turn from stillness to motion.

施罛濊濊,鳣鲔发发,葭菼揭揭

Nets are cast with a splash; sturgeon and shad leap and splash in the nets; reeds and rushes stand tall and straight.

撒网入水哗哗有声,鳣鱼鲔鱼泼剌跳跃,芦苇荻花高高挺立。

Casting the nets into the water with a swish; sturgeon and shad leap and flip; the reeds and cattails stand high and thick.

此三句以一连串的拟声与动态写婚嫁途中的欢腾景象,是全诗最富声色的画面。「施罛濊濊」写撒网入水、哗哗有声,「鳣鲔发发」写鳣鱼鲔鱼在网中泼剌跳跃,「葭菼揭揭」写芦苇荻花高高挺立——一写撒网之动、一写鱼跃之欢、一写芦荻之静,动静相生,把黄河岸边的秋日景象写得生机勃勃。古人以捕鱼为吉庆之事(鱼多子,喻多子多福),此处写渔获之丰,正暗含对庄姜「宜其子孙」的祝福;而鱼跃水响的欢腾,又与迎亲队伍的喜庆气氛相映成趣。三句以「濊濊」「发发」「揭揭」三组叠字写声写形,音节铿锵,如闻其声,是《诗经》中状声写景最精彩的段落之一,也以丰收欢腾的景象为这场贵族婚礼画上了圆满的句号。

The three lines use a chain of onomatopoeia and motion to write the jubilation of the bridal journey, the most vivid and sonorous picture in the poem. Nets are cast with a splash writes the nets hitting the water; sturgeon and shad leap and splash writes the fish flipping in the nets; reeds and rushes stand tall writes the tall upright river vegetation: one motion of casting, one joy of fish, one stillness of reeds; motion and stillness play against each other, filling the Yellow River bank with autumn life. The ancients took fishing as an auspicious act, since fish bear many roe and symbolize many children and blessings; the rich catch secretly blesses Zhuang Jiang with many descendants, and the splashing fish echoes the festive procession. The three reduplicatives write sound and shape with ringing cadence, as if heard; they are among the finest Shijing passages of sound and scene, closing the aristocratic wedding in a harvest of joy.

Study

Word focus

颀 Tall and slender; describes the stately lady's tall, upright figure, first setting her composed bearing. 「硕人其颀」的「颀」字,是全诗开篇的定调之字,写身材之修长。「硕」在《诗经》中兼有「高大」「美好」二义,「硕人」即高大美好之人,是先秦审美中对健康匀称之美的赞词;「颀」指身材修长挺拔,一「颀」字写出庄姜亭亭玉立、风度端凝的仪态。二字连用,先立其整体形象——不是小巧玲珑的娇美,而是高大修长的端庄之美,与下文「螓首蛾眉」的方正秀美、婚仪的大气端严正相吻合。此字奠定了全诗「气度端凝」的基调:庄姜之美,美在高贵端庄,而非媚态轻佻,故全诗的描写也以铺陈赋写为主,不涉狎昵,正见先秦贵族审美的庄重,是理解全诗风格的关键字眼。
盼 Means the eyes clear black-and-white, glancing with spirit; paired with 'dimples', precisely writing the bright moving glance. 「美目盼兮」的「盼」字,是全诗最传神的一字,也是中国文学中写美目最经典的炼字。《说文》释「盼」为「目黑白分也」,即眼珠黑白分明、转动有神之貌;以「盼」写美目,既写其形(黑白分明),更写其神(流转顾盼、灵光四射),一字而兼形神。此字之妙,在于使前面的静态描摹(柔荑、凝脂、蝤蛴、瓠犀、螓首蛾眉)全部活了起来:无论手如何柔、肤如何白、颈如何长,若没有这一「盼」,美人便只是一尊塑像;「盼」字一动,眼波流转,整个形象便有了生命与魅力。与「倩」字配合,「倩」写笑靥之甜、「盼」写目波之灵,一笑一盼,正是美人的灵魂所在,故千古论美人者,皆以此二字为不刊之论。

Related Reading

桃夭 Peach Bud 诗经 · 同属婚姻祝颂,皆贺婚之美 Same (both marriage blessings)

Both are wedding blessings in the 'Airs'; 'Peach Bud' wishes the bride a happy home, 'The Stately Lady' extols Zhuang Jiang's beauty and rite—read for Zhou marriage custom.

《桃夭》与《硕人》同出《诗经》,同属婚姻祝颂之作,同贺新娘之美,而写法迥异:桃夭以「桃之夭夭,灼灼其华」起兴,以桃花喻新妇,重在祝福「之子于归,宜其室家」,写的是新娘之「宜」(宜室宜家),含蓄而热烈;硕人以赋法铺陈,历数门第、容貌、婚仪,重在写新娘之「贵」与「美」,工丽而端凝。一以比兴写祝愿、一以赋写铺陈;一虚一实、一简一繁。二诗并读,正可见《诗经》婚恋诗的两大类型:桃夭是民间婚俗的祝福,硕人是贵族婚礼的颂歌;合观正可看出周代婚恋文化中「宜家」与「尊贵」两种价值取向,以及《诗经》比兴与赋写两大手法在婚颂中的运用。

燕燕 Swallows 诗经 · 同出卫风,同涉庄姜本事 Same (both concern Zhuang Jiang of Wei)

Both touch Zhuang Jiang of Wei; 'Swallows' is her farewell to a concubine, 'The Stately Lady' her marriage praise—read for her life.

《燕燕》相传为卫庄姜送归妾(戴妫)之作:「燕燕于飞,差池其羽」以燕子双飞起兴,「瞻望弗及,伫立以泣」写送别之悲,被誉为「万古送别之祖」(王士禛语)。《硕人》写庄姜之美与婚仪之盛,是她的「出场」;《燕燕》写庄姜送归妾之悲,是她的「退场」。二诗同出卫风,同涉庄姜本事,而一写其婚嫁的盛典、一写其人生的悲凉——据《左传》,庄姜美而无子,贤而不幸,《硕人》之盛与《燕燕》之悲,恰是这位贵族女性一生两个侧面的写照。并读二诗,不仅可以了解庄姜其人,更可体会《诗经》写贵族女性命运的完整视角:盛极而悲,正是人生常态。