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先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry

桃夭

Peach Buds (Tao Yao)

诗经

Shi Jing

婚姻/祝颂marriage / blessing 写景/田园scenery / pastoral

桃之夭夭，灼灼其华。
之子于归，宜其室家。
桃之夭夭，有蕡其实。
之子于归，宜其家室。
桃之夭夭，其叶蓁蓁。
之子于归，宜其家人。

How lush the peach tree, its blossoms glowing bright. That maiden goes to her home, bringing harmony to the house.
How lush the peach tree, its fruit hanging heavy. That maiden goes to her home, bringing harmony to the family.
How lush the peach tree, its leaves thick and green. That maiden goes to her home, bringing peace to her kin.

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Meaning

A wedding song from the Book of Songs wishing a bride well as she marries: may her beauty, her many children, and her gentle care bring harmony to her new family. The three stanzas move from her looks to fertility to domestic peace.

桃树茂盛而柔婉，花开得鲜明灿烂。这位姑娘出嫁了，定能使她的家庭和顺。桃树茂盛而柔婉，结出了累累果实。这位姑娘出嫁了，定能使她的家门和顺。桃树茂盛而柔婉，叶子繁密葱茏。这位姑娘出嫁了，定能使她的家人安好。

Appreciation

Three stanzas use the same structure with only a few words changed (blossom—fruit—leaf; house—family—kin), repeating in a ring-like refrain with a strong folk rhythm and blessing cadence. Each stanza opens with 'how lush the peach tree' as an image that also compares; the peach's flower, fruit, and leaf stand for the bride's youth, her many children, and her fitness for the home. Image and blessing blend seamless and bright.

【白话串讲】 “桃之夭夭，灼灼其华”——桃花开得那么鲜艳，姑娘嫁过来，家庭一定会和睦。三千年前中国人嫁女儿时的祝福，就是从桃花开始的。【意象与手法】全诗三章重章叠句，仅易数字（华—实—叶，室家—家室—家人），回环往复，具浓烈民歌节奏与祝颂韵律。每章以「桃之夭夭」起兴，分写桃花之艳、桃实之繁、桃叶之密，由外美（华）到内实（果）再到庇荫（叶），层递象征新娘之容、之多子、之宜家，「兴而比」使自然物象与人文祝颂浑融无间。【情感与主旨】《桃夭》为《诗经·国风·周南》的一篇，约产生于西周初年至春秋间，是周代民间婚礼中祝贺女子出嫁的歌辞（或谓送嫁、或谓贺婚）。周人重婚姻以继嗣族、和家室，《桃夭》即此观念之诗化表达。【名句点睛】常考：①内容主旨——祝贺女子出嫁、祝家庭和顺多子；②「兴而比」的手法与重章叠句的结构；③「桃夭」意象的文化意蕴。

Background

'Peach Buds' is a poem in the 'Airs of the States · Zhounan' section of the Book of Songs, composed between the early Western Zhou and the Spring and Autumn period. It is a folk song sung at Zhou weddings to bless a bride (some say sung when seeing her off, some at the feast). The Zhou valued marriage for continuing the clan and harmonizing the family, and this poem is that idea turned into song. The Han-era Mao preface says it was 'brought about by the queen consort'—though that attaches a royal reading, it still shows its nature as wedding music.

《桃夭》为《诗经·国风·周南》的一篇，约产生于西周初年至春秋间，是周代民间婚礼中祝贺女子出嫁的歌辞（或谓送嫁之辞、或谓贺婚之辞）。周人重视婚姻，《礼记·昏义》云「昏礼者，将合二姓之好，上以事宗庙，而下以继后世也」，婚姻承担着延续宗族、和顺家室的重大功能，故周代婚礼仪式隆重，歌诗相贺。此诗即以桃树起兴，祝贺新娘出嫁：以桃花之艳喻新娘之美，以桃实之繁喻其多子，以桃叶之密喻其宜家，层层递进，寄寓「宜其室家」的祝福。汉代《毛诗序》谓「《桃夭》，后妃之所致也。不妒忌，则男女以正，婚姻以时」，虽以后妃附会，然可见此诗为婚礼乐歌之性质。朱熹《诗集传》则直解为「文王之化，自家而国……故诗人因所见以起兴，而叹其女子之贤，知其必有以宜其室家也」，皆肯定其为贺婚祝颂之歌。此诗以民歌之质朴写婚礼之欢庆，是《诗经》婚恋诗中明快欢畅的一篇。再就诗篇的用乐与仪式看，《桃夭》在周代婚礼中当有实际的功能：《仪礼·士昏礼》载婚礼有「亲迎」「同牢」「合卺」等仪节，其间歌《诗》以助兴，此诗「之子于归，宜其室家」之祝，正是婚礼祝辞的诗化；其「三章重章」之体亦便于一唱三叹、反复致祝，与婚礼的仪式节奏相合，可见《诗经》婚歌「诗、礼、乐一体」的原始形态。

Art

Three stanzas repeat the same form, changing only a few words (blossom—fruit—leaf; house—family—kin), a ring-like refrain with a strong folk rhythm and blessing cadence. Each opens with 'how lush the peach tree' as an image that also compares: the bright flower, the heavy fruit, the thick leaf move from outward beauty to inner fruitfulness to shelter, step by step symbolizing the bride's youth, her many children, and her fit for the home. The 'image-that-compares' makes natural things and human blessing one, bright and brisk.

此诗艺术上最显著的特点是重章叠句的结构与「兴而比」的手法。全诗三章，章章复沓，仅易数字：「灼灼其华」「有蕡其实」「其叶蓁蓁」写桃之花、实、叶，「宜其室家」「宜其家室」「宜其家人」写其宜家，回环往复，具浓烈民歌节奏与祝颂韵律。每章以「桃之夭夭」起兴——「夭夭」状桃树茂盛柔婉之态，兴中有比：桃花之艳喻新娘之美（外美），桃实之繁喻其多子（内实），桃叶之密喻其荫庇家人（宜家），由花而实而叶，由外美到内实再到庇荫，层层递进，象征新娘之容、之德、之福，把「宜其室家」的祝福寄托于桃树的一生。末句「宜其」二字反复咏叹——「宜」训「和顺相宜」，是全诗祝颂之核，三章三祝，一祝家庭和顺、二祝家室安康、三祝家人和睦，祝愿之诚、情意之笃，尽在复沓之间。全诗兴象明朗、情致欢畅，是国风「兴而比」的典范。再就节奏与情韵言，三章「桃之夭夭」复沓起兴，如乐之重奏，每章首尾相应；「之子于归」与「宜其×」回环呼应，把「出嫁」与「宜家」的因果扣合得严丝合缝——正因为「于归」之女美好如桃，故断言其必「宜室宜家」，兴象、叙事、祝颂三位一体，民歌的明快与礼乐的庄重兼而有之，正是《诗经》婚歌「兴而比」与「重章叠句」合璧的典范。

Allusions

This is folk music, free of literati allusion, using only the ancient marriage-and-fertility image of the peach (the Songs often use peach or plum for a woman). 'Yu gui' (to go home) is a set phrase in the Songs meaning a woman's marriage ('gui' originally means a woman's going home in marriage); 'yi' means 'harmonious and fitting.' After the Han, 'tao yao' became a set phrase for wishing a marriage well (as in 'the joy of tao yao'). The poem uses comparison-and-image without piled allusion, exactly the plainness of the fifteen 'Airs': 'the hungry sing of their food, the toilers sing of their work.'

此诗为民间乐歌，不事文人典故，唯取「桃」这一古老婚恋生育意象，正见《诗经》「饥者歌其食，劳者歌其事」的质朴。桃树春季开花、果实累累、枝叶繁茂，与婚姻、生育、家室的主题天然相契：先秦婚嫁多在春季，桃花盛开之时正是婚嫁之季（《周礼》有「仲春之月，令会男女」之说），故以桃起兴，顺理成章；桃实多子，正合周人「多子多福」的生殖崇拜；桃叶成荫，喻女子荫庇夫家。「之子于归」之「于归」为《诗经》习语，指女子出嫁——「归」本训「女子嫁曰归」，以夫家为归，故「于归」即出嫁，后世「于归之喜」即本此；「宜」训「和顺相宜」。汉代后「桃夭」遂成祝嫁专语（如「桃夭之喜」），此诗所立之「桃」意象，影响后世婚恋文学极深，如陶渊明《桃花源记》之桃花、唐人「人面桃花」之典，皆可溯源于此。此外，「宜其室家」「宜其家室」「宜其家人」三句之「宜」，在训诂上有「和顺」「安」「善」诸义，且「室家—家室—家人」的递换，暗合周礼「齐家」之序——先和顺夫妇（室家），再安顿家宅（家室），终和睦全体家人（家人），由近及远、由内及外，正是《大学》「身修而后家齐」的伦理次序在婚歌中的雏形，可见此诗虽为民间歌辞，而蕴含周代礼乐文明的深层结构。

Commentary

The Analects (Ba Yi) says of the three hundred Songs: 'In one phrase: think no evil'—and 'Peach Buds' is a model of it. The Mao preface reads it through the queen consort; Zhu Xi's commentary says 'tao yao describes youthful beauty… yi means harmony.' The modern scholar Wen Yiduo held that 'how lush the peach tree' writes a woman in her prime, and 'tao yao' became a wedding phrase with far reach.

《桃夭》在《诗经》中向为婚嫁诗之正格，历来评家推崇。《论语·八佾》载孔子曰「《诗》三百，一言以蔽之，曰：思无邪」，此诗正是「思无邪」之范——写女子出嫁、家庭和顺，纯正无邪。汉儒《毛诗序》以「后妃之所致」说之，附会政教；朱熹《诗集传》释「夭夭」为「少好之貌」、「宜」为「和顺之意」，近于本义。清人方玉润《诗经原始》谓此诗「开千古词赋咏美人之祖」，以桃花咏美人之法，后世无数咏美人者皆自此出。近人闻一多《诗经研究》从民俗学角度指出「桃之夭夭」写女子盛年之美，其「灼灼其华」之「灼灼」为咏桃花之绝唱，后世「桃夭」遂为祝婚成语。在现代，《桃夭》仍被视作中国婚姻祝福文化的源头，其「宜室宜家」的观念影响中国人对婚姻家庭的期待两千余年，足见其文化生命力之悠长。从影响史看，「桃夭」一语自汉代起即成为祝婚的固定用语（如《世说新语》「桃夭之期」），历代婚礼贺诗多用「桃夭」为典；「灼灼其华」更成为咏美人之滥觞，曹植《洛神赋》「灼若芙蕖出渌波」、白居易《长恨歌》「芙蓉如面柳如眉」等，皆承其以花喻人之法。此诗以三十八字奠定中国婚恋美学的两大范式——以花喻人与宜家之祝，其文化辐射力跨越两千年，至今犹存，是《诗经》中最具生命力的篇章之一。

Prosody

Form Book of Songs · Airs of the States · Zhounan; four-character verse, three stanzas in refrain诗经·国风·周南，四言诗，三章重章叠句

Rhyme Each stanza shifts rhyme: hua/jia (a shift within the fish rhyme), shi/shi (the zhi rhyme), zhen/ren (the zhen rhyme), led by 'yao yao'各章换韵：首章「华、家」相叶（上古鱼部），次章「实、室」相叶（质部），末章「蓁、人」相叶（真部），以「夭夭」领起，隔句押韵。

Tone pattern Four-character lines in two beats, stanzas in a ring; 'zhi' is a particle that paces the rhythm四言二拍，章节回环；「之」「其」为语助，调节节奏；三章同构，重章复沓，一唱三叹。

Reading note The model wedding song of the Book of Songs—image-that-compares, repeated stanzas, source of the later 'tao yao' wedding phrase此诗为《诗经·国风·周南》四言诗，三章重章叠句，是《诗经》婚歌之典范。《诗经》以四言为主，两字一拍、节奏齐整，此诗「桃之/夭夭」「灼灼/其华」，音节明快，宜于歌唱。三章结构完全同构：皆以「桃之夭夭」起兴、以「之子于归，宜其×」收束，唯换「华—实—叶」「室家—家室—家人」数字，重章复沓、回环咏叹，正是民歌「一唱三叹」的本色。用韵上各章换韵（华/家、实/室、蓁/人），韵位灵活而不失谐和；「之」「其」等语助穿插，调节节奏、舒缓语气。全诗兴兼比、重章复沓，以明快的节奏、欢畅的情调写贺婚之喜，开后世祝嫁「桃夭」之语，是《诗经》中格律与内容、形式与情感高度统一的篇章。诵读时宜以明快欢畅的节奏出之，三章复沓，愈唱愈喜。

Line by line

桃之夭夭，灼灼其华。之子于归，宜其室家。

So tender and graceful are the peach trees, their blossoms bursting in splendor. This maiden goes to her home; may she bring harmony to her household.

桃树茂盛而柔婉，花开得鲜明灿烂。这位姑娘出嫁了，定能使她的家庭和顺。

The peach trees stand lush and graceful, their flowers blazing bright. Now this maiden is wed; may she make her husband's house harmonious and happy.

首章是全诗之始，起兴兼比，定下全诗明快的基调。「桃之夭夭」：桃树茂盛柔婉——「夭夭」状桃树生机蓬勃、姿态柔美之貌，起兴而兼写新娘之青春；「灼灼其华」：桃花开得鲜明灿烂——「灼灼」写花色之明艳照人，以花喻新娘之容光焕发，鲜亮如画，是咏桃花之千古绝唱（闻一多语）。「之子于归，宜其室家」：这位姑娘出嫁了，定能使她的家庭和顺——「于归」指女子出嫁，「宜」训和顺，祝其能使夫家和顺。四句由物及人、由兴及祝：桃花之艳与新娘之美相映，婚嫁之喜与家庭之顺相承，把贺婚之情写得明快欢畅，为后二章立下范式。

The first stanza opens the whole poem, rising on image and comparison together, setting its bright tone. The reduplicated tender and graceful pictures the tree's vigorous grace, rising on the image while also figureing the bride's youth. The word bursting in splendor writes the dazzling flower color, comparing the blossoms to the bride's radiant face, bright as a picture; Wen Yiduo called it the age-old song of the peach blossom. Yugui means a woman's marriage; yi means harmony, praying that she will make her husband's family at peace. Four lines move from thing to person, from image to blessing: the blossom's brilliance and the bride's beauty mirror each other; the joy of marriage and the harmony of the household follow each other; the wedding congratulation is written bright and glad, setting the pattern for the next two stanzas.

桃之夭夭，有蕡其实。之子于归，宜其家室。

So tender and graceful are the peach trees, their fruit swelling thick upon them. This maiden goes to her home; may she bring blessing to her house.

桃树茂盛而柔婉，结出了累累果实。这位姑娘出嫁了，定能使她的家门和顺。

The peach trees stand lush and graceful, now heavy with clustering fruit. Now this maiden is wed; may she bring harmony to her husband's house.

次章由花及实，递进一层，祝颂之意加深。「桃之夭夭，有蕡其实」：桃树依旧茂盛柔婉，如今结出累累果实——「蕡」写果实之繁盛，由首章之「华」（花）进到「实」（果），桃树已由开花到结实，暗喻新娘将由少女而为妇人、为母亲；「之子于归，宜其家室」：这位姑娘出嫁了，定能使她的家门和顺——「家室」与首章「室家」互文，皆指夫家，唯易词而意同。此章之妙，在以桃实喻多子——周人重嗣续，多子为婚姻之大福，「有蕡其实」正是「宜其家室」的根基与象征：能多子，方能绵延家室。由花而实，祝福由「美」进于「福」，婚愿递进，复沓中见层深。

The second stanza moves from flower to fruit, advancing a layer, and deepening the blessing. The tree is still lush and graceful, but now bears clustered fruit; swelling writes the abundance of the fruit, moving from the first stanza's flower to fruit, the peach has passed from bloom to bearing, secretly figureing the bride's passage from girl to wife and mother. House and household of the first stanza share one meaning, the words varied, the sense the same. The stanza's beauty lies in using the peach's fruit to figure many children: the Zhou people prized continuation of the line, and many children was marriage's greatest blessing; fruit swelling thick is the very root and symbol of may she bring blessing: only with many children can the line be prolonged. From flower to fruit, the blessing moves from beauty to felicity; the wedding wish advances, and depth appears within the refrain.

桃之夭夭，其叶蓁蓁。之子于归，宜其家人。

So tender and graceful are the peach trees, their leaves spreading in thickest shade. This maiden goes to her home; may she bring peace to her family.

桃树茂盛而柔婉，叶子繁密葱茏。这位姑娘出嫁了，定能使她的家人安好。

The peach trees stand lush and graceful, their foliage dense and luxuriant. Now this maiden is wed; may she bring peace and well-being to all her kin.

末章由实及叶，是祝福的收束与升华。「桃之夭夭，其叶蓁蓁」：桃树依旧茂盛柔婉，叶子繁密葱茏——「蓁蓁」写桃叶之茂密，由首章之「华」、次章之「实」进到「叶」，桃树至此枝繁叶茂，生机圆满；「之子于归，宜其家人」：这位姑娘出嫁了，定能使她的家人安好——「家人」指夫家全体亲人，较前两章之「室家」「家室」范围更广，祝福由「室」及「人」。三章由花而实而叶，由美而福而德，层层递进：花之美喻其容，实之繁喻其子，叶之茂喻其荫庇家人——新娘不仅能生儿育女，更能以贤德使全家和睦，这正是「宜其家人」的深层含义。全诗三章，一祝美、二祝福、三祝德，对婚姻的祝福至此圆满。

The last stanza moves from fruit to leaves, the closing and sublimation of the blessing. The tree remains lush and graceful, but now its leaves are dense; thickest shade moves from flower and fruit to leaves, the peach is now full branch and leaf, its vitality complete. Family means all the kin of the husband's house, broader than the household and house of the first two stanzas; the blessing moves from the dwelling to the people. Across the three stanzas: flower, fruit, leaf; beauty, felicity, virtue, advancing layer by layer: the flower's beauty figures her face, the fruit's abundance her children, the leaves' shade her sheltering of the family. The bride will not only bear children; by her virtue she will make the whole household harmonious, this is the deep meaning of may she bring peace to her family. Three stanzas: first beauty, then felicity, then virtue; the blessing on marriage is now complete.

Study

Word focus

夭夭 'yao yao' describes the peach tree's tender, lush, youthful look; the reduplicative opens as an image, writing the plant's state while hinting at the bride's youth—bright and pleasing. 「桃之夭夭」之「夭夭」，状桃树茂盛柔婉、少好之貌，是全诗起兴之字，三章叠见，为全诗之眼。「夭夭」叠字写桃树初盛之态：枝叶柔嫩而生机蓬勃，姿态美好而不过于繁艳——朱熹《诗集传》释为「少好之貌」，正合少女青春之喻。此字妙在三点：一是以叠字写物态，音节回环，如见桃树之摇曳生姿；二是兴而兼比，桃之「夭夭」即新娘之青春柔美，物我合一；三是三章皆以「桃之夭夭」起句，复沓咏叹，民歌韵味十足。后世咏桃者多用「夭夭」（如「夭夭灼灼」），皆本此诗。以一字而兼写物态、人情、音节之美，「夭夭」实开《诗经》叠字咏物之妙。

宜 'yi' means 'harmonious and fitting'; repeated, it stresses the bride will bring harmony to the family—the core of the blessing, plain yet weighty. 「宜其室家」之「宜」字，是全诗祝颂之核，三章三见，反复咏叹。「宜」训「和顺相宜」——《说文》「宜，所安也」，此处谓能使家庭和顺安宁。此字妙在三点：一是以一「宜」字总括全诗祝福——新娘之美、之多子，最终都归于「宜」字，能使夫家和顺，方为婚姻之福；二是三章「宜其室家」「宜其家室」「宜其家人」递变——由「室家」（家庭）而「家室」（家宅）而「家人」（家人），范围渐广，祝福渐深，复沓中见层进；三是「宜」字质朴而庄重，正合婚祝之体——不说「富贵」「显达」等世俗之求，唯祝「和顺相宜」，可见周人婚姻观之淳正。一字而含周代家庭伦理之要义，「宜」实为全诗之纲。

灼灼 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「灼灼其华」之「灼灼」，写桃花之鲜明灿烂，是咏桃花之千古绝唱，闻一多谓其「真能把花的美写尽」。「灼灼」叠字写花色之明艳照人——「灼」本义为火烧，叠用之则写花光灼烁、鲜红耀眼，如火焰之明、如朝霞之丽，桃花盛放之态呼之欲出。此字妙在三点：一是以光写色，不写「红」而写「灼」，花色之明艳如光焰灼目，胜过一切直写色彩的词；二是兴而兼比，桃花之「灼灼」即新娘容光之焕发，物之明艳与人之青春相映；三是「灼灼」与「夭夭」对举——「夭夭」写柔美之态、「灼灼」写明艳之光，一态一光，桃树之美立体呈现。后世人面桃花、桃李春风等意象，皆由「灼灼」一脉而来。

桃夭