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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

清平乐·柳边飞鞚

Qing Ping Yue — Flying Reins by the Willows

辛弃疾

Xin Qiji

行旅Travel 夏景Summer scene

柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重。
宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦。
一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷。
笑背行人归去，门前稚子啼声。

By the willows, flying reins;
Dew wets the traveler's coat, grown heavy.
A roosting egret peers at the sand, a lone shadow moves —
Surely fish and shrimp enter its dream.
One river of bright moon and sparse stars;
The washing-girl's figure, graceful.
She laughs, turns her back on the passer-by, and goes home;
At the gate, a young child's crying voice.

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Meaning

The poet rides at night through a village: dew weighs his coat, a egret stands dreaming of fish, and under a clear moon a graceful washer-girl turns away laughing while a child cries at the gate. The scene is fresh, tranquil, and quietly warm — Xin Qiji's pastoral mode.

柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重。宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦。一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷。笑背行人归去，门前稚子啼声。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Xin Qiji's 'Qing Ping Yue — Flying Reins by the Willows': 'By the willows, flying reins; dew wets the traveler's coat, grown heavy' — 'a roosting egret peers at the sand, a lone shadow moves; surely fish and shrimp enter its dream' — 'one river of bright moon and sparse stars; the washing-girl's figure, graceful' — 'she laughs, turns her back on the passer-by, and goes home; at the gate, a young child's crying voice.' He writes the village at dawn. [Imagery] The lyric writes the pastoral through freshness. The upper part writes night-riding: by the willows flying reins, dew wets the coat, the roosting egret peers at the sand — exhausting the night-riding's wild charm. The lower writes the homeward way: one river of bright moon and sparse stars, the graceful washer-girl, laughs and turns back — exhausting the homeward way's freshness. The whole writes the pastoral through freshness, exhausting the night-riding's wild charm and the homeward way's freshness. [Feeling] Xin Qiji, retired in Shangrao, Jiangxi, often walked the village lanes; this writes a night-riding sight — willows, flying reins, roosting egret, bright moon and sparse stars, the washer-girl — a fresh, natural village night-scape.

【白话串讲】辛弃疾写《清平乐·柳边飞鞚》：“柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重”——“宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦”——“一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷”——“笑背行人归去，门前稚子啼声”——他写乡村的清晨。【意象与手法】此词写田园，以清新写田园，是辛弃疾的名篇。上片写夜行：「柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重。宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦」写柳边飞鞚、露湿征衣重、宿鹭窥沙孤影动——写尽夜行的野趣；下片写归途：「一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷。笑背行人归去，门前稚子啼声」写一川明月疏星、浣纱人影娉婷、笑背行人归去——写尽归途的清新。全词以清新写田园，写尽夜行的野趣与归途的清新，是辛弃疾的代表作。【情感与主旨】此词写田园，以清新写田园，是辛弃疾的名篇。此词写辛弃疾夜行村野的所见所感。辛弃疾罢官闲居江西上饶一带，常行于村野之间，此词即写夜行所见——柳边飞鞚、宿鹭窥沙、明月疏星、浣纱人影，是一幅清新自然的乡村夜景图。此词写夜行：柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重——写柳边飞鞚、露湿征衣重，写尽夜行的风露；宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦——写宿鹭窥沙孤影动、应有鱼虾入梦，写尽夜行的野趣；一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷——写一川明月疏星、浣纱人影娉婷，写尽归途的清新；笑背行人归去，门前稚子啼声——写笑背行人归去、门前稚子啼声，写尽归途的温馨。全词以清新写田园——那「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」写尽夜行的野趣，「门前稚子啼声」写尽归途的清新，写尽夜行的野趣与归途的清新，是理解辛弃疾田园词的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重」写夜行的风露；「一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷」写归途的清新；以及全词以清新写田园、以白描写夜景的手法。

Background

This lyric writes the pastoral through freshness, a famous piece by Xin Qiji. Xin Qiji (1140–1207), styled You-an, hao Jia-xuan, from Licheng (modern Jinan, Shandong), was a Southern Song lyricist, paired with Su Shi as 'Su-Xin,' representative of the bold lyric. The lyric writes what Xin saw and felt riding at night through the village. Retired in Shangrao, Jiangxi, he often walked the village lanes; this writes the night-riding sight — willows, flying reins, roosting egret, bright moon and sparse stars, the washer-girl — a fresh, natural village night-scape. The upper part writes the night-riding's wild charm; the lower the homeward way's freshness, from riding to returning — exactly the pastoral lyric's 'writing charm through scene.'

此词写田园，以清新写田园，是辛弃疾的名篇。辛弃疾（1140—1207），字幼安，号稼轩，历城（今山东济南）人，南宋词人，与苏轼并称「苏辛」，为豪放词派代表。此词写辛弃疾夜行村野的所见所感。辛弃疾罢官闲居江西上饶一带，常行于村野之间，此词即写夜行所见——柳边飞鞚、宿鹭窥沙、明月疏星、浣纱人影，是一幅清新自然的乡村夜景图。此词写夜行：「柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重」写柳边飞鞚、露湿征衣重——写尽夜行的风露（柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重）；「宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦」写宿鹭窥沙孤影动、应有鱼虾入梦——写尽夜行的野趣（宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦）；「一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷」写一川明月疏星、浣纱人影娉婷——写尽归途的清新（一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷）；「笑背行人归去，门前稚子啼声」写笑背行人归去、门前稚子啼声——写尽归途的温馨（笑背行人归去，门前稚子啼声）。全词以清新写田园，写尽夜行的野趣与归途的清新，是理解辛弃疾田园词的重要篇章。

Art

The lyric's art can be read in four aspects. First, plain description of night-riding: 'by the willows, flying reins; dew wets the traveler's coat, grown heavy' writes the night-riding with plain description. Second, imagination for wild charm: 'surely fish and shrimp enter its dream' writes the egret's dream with imagination. Third, scene-language for freshness: 'one river of bright moon and sparse stars' writes the moonlight with scene-language. Fourth, detail for warmth: 'at the gate, a young child's crying voice' writes the warmth with detail. Moreover the upper part writes the night-riding's wild charm, the lower the homeward way's freshness, from riding to returning — the pastoral lyric's 'writing charm through scene.' Especially notable is the detail 'dew wets the traveler's coat, grown heavy' writing the night-riding feeling — the coat grown heavy with dew writes the chill of wind and dew through touch, the character 'heavy' exhausting the cool of wind and dew. And 'she laughs, turns her back on the passer-by, and goes home' writes the village girl's charm — 'laughs and turns her back' shows the washer-girl meeting a stranger and turning away laughing, the portrait of a country maiden, full of life.

此词的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以白描写夜行。「柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重」以白描写夜行——那「飞鞚」「露湿」写尽柳边的骑行与露湿的征衣，以白描写尽夜行的风露。其二，以想象写野趣。「应有鱼虾入梦」以想象写野趣——那「鱼虾入梦」写尽宿鹭的梦境，以想象写尽夜行的野趣。其三，以景语写清新。「一川明月疏星」以景语写清新——那「明月疏星」写尽一川的月色，以景语写尽归途的清新。其四，以细节写温馨。「门前稚子啼声」以细节写温馨——那「稚子啼声」写尽门前的啼哭，以细节写尽归途的温馨。此外，此词上片写夜行的野趣，下片写归途的清新，由行及归，正是田园词「以景写趣」的写法。四重手法，使此词以清新写田园，写尽夜行的野趣与归途的清新，是辛弃疾的代表作。此词还善于以「露湿征衣重」的细节写夜行之感——那「征衣重」写露水沾湿征衣的沉重，正是以触觉写夜行之深，一个「重」字写尽风露的寒凉。又善以「笑背行人归去」的细节写村女的娇憨——「笑背行人」写浣纱女见生人而背身含笑归去，正是乡村少女的写照，见生活气息。

Allusions

The lyric's language is deep in the pastoral and fresh tradition. 'Flying reins' recalls the 'flying reins' image of galloping — also 'wielding the whip'; 'traveler's coat' the traveler's-coat image; 'roosting egret' the roosting-egret image — also Du Fu's 'a line of white egrets rising to the blue sky'; 'peers at the sand' the egret-peers-at-sand image; 'washing' the washing image — also the 'washing stream'; 'graceful' the graceful image — also 'gently, gracefully'; 'young child' the little-child image — also Du Fu's 'the young child bends a needle for a fish-hook.' The whole transforms flying-reins, traveler's-coat, roosting-egret, peers-at-sand, washing, graceful, young-child imagery — Xin's 'bold yet also fresh' skill with the pastoral tradition. 'Flying reins' derives from the Han shu 'galloping flying reins,' writing the speed of the horse; 'graceful' derives from Han Xin Yan-nian's 'Yu Lin Lang' — 'little did I expect the gold-emblem gentleman, graceful he crossed my gate' — originally writing a woman's beautiful bearing. Xin uses 'the washing-girl's figure, graceful' for the night-washing village girl, exactly using the old word with new village meaning, and recalling Xi Shi washing at the Ruoye Stream.

此词的用语深植于田园与清新传统。「飞鞚」令人想到「飞鞚」写纵马疾驰的意象——也令人想到「挥鞭」的意象；「征衣」令人想到「征衣」写征衣的意象——也令人想到「铁马金戈」的意象；「宿鹭」令人想到「宿鹭」写宿鹭的意象——也令人想到「一行白鹭上青天」（杜甫）的意象；「窥沙」令人想到「窥沙」写鹭窥沙的意象——也令人想到「沙头宿鹭」的意象；「浣纱」令人想到「浣纱」写浣纱的意象——也令人想到「浣纱溪」的意象；「娉婷」令人想到「娉婷」写娉婷的意象——也令人想到「袅袅婷婷」的意象；「稚子」令人想到「稚子」写小儿的意象——也令人想到「稚子敲针作钓钩」（杜甫）的意象。全词化用飞鞚、征衣、宿鹭、窥沙、浣纱、娉婷、稚子的意象，以清新写田园，正是辛弃疾「豪放」之外亦见清新、承田园传统写野趣之本领。「飞鞚」典出《汉书》「驰骋飞鞚」之语，写纵马奔驰之快；「娉婷」典出汉辛延年《羽林郎》「不意金吾子，娉婷过我庐」，本写女子姿态美好。辛弃疾以「浣纱人影娉婷」写夜浣的村女，正用古语而赋乡村新意，又令人想到西施浣纱于若耶溪的典故。

Commentary

This lyric has long been praised as a famous pastoral piece by Xin Qiji and a representative Song lyric on the village night-scape. Critics rate it highly: a Qing reader called it 'pastoral through freshness, natural and meaningful'; a modern notes 'a roosting egret peers at the sand, a lone shadow moves; surely fish and shrimp enter its dream' as a famous line for night-riding's wild charm. Its special value: in the double-tune Qing Ping Yue it exhausts the night-riding's wild charm and the homeward way's freshness — the willows, the flying reins, the dew-wet, the traveler's coat, the roosting egret, the peers-at-sand, the lone shadow, the fish and shrimp, the bright moon, the sparse stars, the washing, the graceful, the young child — all Xin's village. 'Surely fish and shrimp enter its dream' ends the night-riding's wild charm with imagination. It pairs with Xin's 'Qing Ping Yue (Village Dwelling)' ('the thatched eaves low and small') as pastoral masterpieces — one writes 'most loved the little child's roguery' (Village Dwelling), one writes 'one river of bright moon and sparse stars' (Flying Reins by the Willows); one daytime, one moonlit. It continues Tao Yuanming's 'dim, dim, the far village' pastoral tradition — showing the Chinese lyric's pastoral tradition. For today's reader it is a window onto Xin's pastoral lyrics and a classic of Chinese village night verse — that flying-reins by the willows still speaks, across millennia, the pastoral's freshness.

此词历来被推为辛弃疾田园词的名篇，也是宋词写乡村夜景的代表。历代论者对此词评价极高：清人评此词「以清新写田园，自然隽永」；近人更指出「宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦」写夜行的野趣，是此词的名句。在词史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以双调的清平乐写尽夜行的野趣与归途的清新——那柳边，那飞鞚，那露湿，那征衣，那宿鹭，那窥沙，那孤影，那鱼虾，那明月，那疏星，那浣纱，那娉婷，那稚子，都写尽了辛弃疾笔下的乡村；那「应有鱼虾入梦」更以想象写尽夜行的野趣。此词与辛弃疾《清平乐·村居》（「茅檐低小」）同为田园名篇，一写「最喜小儿无赖」的村居（村居），一写「一川明月疏星」的夜行（柳边飞鞚）；又与陶渊明「暧暧远人村」的田园传统一脉相承，可见中国词写田园的传统。对于今日读者，此词是理解辛弃疾田园词的窗口，也是中国词写乡村夜景的经典——那飞鞚的柳边，穿越千年，仍在诉说着田园的清新。

Prosody

Form Lyric (ci) — Qing Ping Yue (Pure Serene Music)词·清平乐

Rhyme The upper stanza rhymes on zhong, dong, meng; the lower on ting, sheng — level-oblique tone-switch, a fresh music.上片押「重」「动」「梦」，下片押「婷」「声」，平仄换韵，音节清新

Tone pattern This is the Qing Ping Yue tune; the upper stanza rhymes oblique, the lower level — level-oblique tone-switch, a fresh music fitting the pastoral's freshness.此词为清平乐词牌，上片押仄韵、下片押平韵，平仄换韵，音节清新，正合田园的清新。

Reading note Qing Ping Yue is a double-tune. Upper: 'By the willows, flying reins; dew wets the traveler's coat, grown heavy. A roosting egret peers at the sand, a lone shadow moves; surely fish and shrimp enter its dream.' Lower: 'One river of bright moon and sparse stars; the washing-girl's figure, graceful. She laughs, turns her back on the passer-by, and goes home; at the gate, a young child's crying voice.' The upper rhymes oblique (zhong, dong, meng), the lower level (ting, sheng) — level-oblique tone-switch, a fresh music. The whole writes the pastoral through freshness: upper the night-riding's wild charm (by the willows flying reins, surely fish and shrimp enter its dream), lower the homeward way's freshness (one river of bright moon and sparse stars, at the gate a young child's crying voice). The double short lyric first writes night-riding, then homeward way, ending with 'surely fish and shrimp enter its dream' to exhaust the night-riding's wild charm — exactly Xin's 'bold yet also fresh' nature. Read it with a fresh tone on 'by the willows flying reins,' a light, brisk tone on 'she laughs, turns her back on the passer-by, and goes home,' the closing line fresh with lingering resonance, to convey Xin's natural meaningfulness. Xin's lyrics are famed for 'bold'; this is a model of his pastoral lyrics.此词为《清平乐》双调，上片四句、下片四句——「柳边飞鞚，露湿征衣重。宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦。一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷。笑背行人归去，门前稚子啼声」，上片押仄韵（重、动、梦），下片押平韵（婷、声），平仄换韵，音节清新。全词以清新写田园：上片写夜行的野趣（柳边飞鞚、应有鱼虾入梦），下片写归途的清新（一川明月疏星、门前稚子啼声）。双调短章，上写夜行，下写归途，以「应有鱼虾入梦」写尽夜行的野趣，正见辛弃疾「豪放」之外亦见清新的本色。诵读此词，宜以清新的语调读「柳边飞鞚」的夜行，以轻快的语调读「笑背行人归去」的归途，结句要读得清新而有余韵，方能传达出辛弃疾的自然隽永。辛弃疾词以「豪放」著称，此词正是其田园词的典范。

Line by line

宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦

A roosting egret peers at the sand, a lone shadow moves — / Surely fish and shrimp enter its dream.

宿鹭窥沙孤影动，应有鱼虾入梦。

The roosting egret spies the shallows, its lone shadow stirring; there must be fish and shrimp in its dreams.

此二句是全词写野趣的核心，以宿鹭窥沙孤影动写宿鹭，以应有鱼虾入梦写鱼虾，写尽夜行的野趣，是千古名句。「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」写宿鹭窥沙孤影动——那「宿鹭」写宿鹭，「窥沙孤影动」写窥沙孤影动，写尽宿鹭的窥沙；「应有鱼虾入梦」写应有鱼虾入梦——那「应有」写应有，「鱼虾入梦」写鱼虾入梦，写尽鱼虾的入梦。这句的深意在于：它以「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」的宿鹭与「应有鱼虾入梦」的鱼虾，写尽夜行的野趣——宿鹭窥沙孤影动，那「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」写尽宿鹭的窥沙——宿鹭窥沙，正是鹭眠待鱼的写照，那「窥沙」写尽夜行的野趣；应有鱼虾入梦，那「应有鱼虾入梦」写尽鱼虾的入梦——鱼虾入梦，正是鹭梦鱼虾的写照，那「应有」写尽夜行的野趣；那「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」写尽宿鹭的窥沙，那「应有鱼虾入梦」写尽鱼虾的入梦，一写鹭，一写鱼，写尽夜行的野趣——鹭窥沙而鱼入梦，正是乡村野趣的写照；此二句以宿鹭、鱼虾写尽夜行的野趣，也为下文的月夜作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写野趣的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「白鹭在水边找鱼吃」，则失其妙趣；唯以「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」写宿鹭、「应有鱼虾入梦」写鱼虾，写尽夜行的野趣，也让此二句成为全词写野趣的核心。

The two lines are the core of the ci's rustic charm, writing the roosting egret through the roosting egret spies the shallows, its lone shadow stirring, and the fish and shrimp through there must be fish and shrimp in its dreams, exhausting the rustic charm of the night journey, an immortal line. The roosting egret spies the shallows, its lone shadow stirring writes the roosting egret and the lone shadow spying the shallows. There must be fish and shrimp in its dreams writes the fish and shrimp entering the dream. The deep meaning: through the egret and the shrimp-fish, the rustic charm of the night journey is exhausted — the egret spying the shallows is precisely the picture of the egret sleeping and waiting for fish, and there must be fishes in dreams precisely the picture of the egret dreaming of shrimp; one writing the egret, one the fish, exhausting the rustic charm of the night journey — the egret spies the shallows and the fish enter the dream, precisely the picture of the country rustic charm. The two lines write the rustic charm of the night journey through the egret and the shrimp, and prepare the moonlit night below, making the lines the core of the rustic charm and an immortal line. Were it said plainly the white egret seeks fish by the water, the charm would be lost; only by writing the egret through the roosting egret spies the shallows, its lone shadow stirring and the fish through there must be fish and shrimp in its dreams, is the rustic charm of the night journey exhausted, making the lines the core of the rustic charm.

一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷

One river of bright moon and sparse stars; / The washing-girl's figure, graceful.

一川明月疏星，浣纱人影娉婷。

A whole river of bright moon and sparse stars; the figure of the silk-washing girl is graceful.

此二句是全词写清新的核心，以一川明月疏星写明月，以浣纱人影娉婷写浣纱，写尽归途的清新，是千古名句。「一川明月疏星」写一川明月疏星——那「一川」写一川，「明月疏星」写明月疏星，写尽一川的月色；「浣纱人影娉婷」写浣纱人影娉婷——那「浣纱人影」写浣纱人影，「娉婷」写娉婷，写尽浣纱的娉婷。这句的深意在于：它以「一川明月疏星」的明月与「浣纱人影娉婷」的浣纱，写尽归途的清新——一川明月疏星，那「一川明月疏星」写尽一川的月色——明月疏星，正是夜色清朗的写照，那「明月疏星」写尽归途的清新；浣纱人影娉婷，那「浣纱人影娉婷」写尽浣纱的娉婷——浣纱人影，正是村女夜浣的写照，那「娉婷」写尽归途的清新；那「一川明月疏星」写尽一川的月色，那「浣纱人影娉婷」写尽浣纱的娉婷，一写天，一写人，写尽归途的清新——明月疏星而浣纱娉婷，正是乡村夜景的写照；此二句以明月、浣纱写尽归途的清新，也为下文的稚子作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写清新的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「晚上月亮很好，有人在洗衣服」，则失其诗意；唯以「一川明月疏星」写明月、「浣纱人影娉婷」写浣纱，写尽归途的清新，也让此二句成为全词写清新的核心。

The two lines are the core of the ci's freshness, writing the moon through a whole river of bright moon and sparse stars and the silk-washing girl through the figure of the silk-washing girl is graceful, exhausting the freshness of the homeward road, an immortal line. A whole river of bright moon and sparse stars writes the river of moonlight and the sparse stars. The figure of the silk-washing girl is graceful writes the graceful figure of the washer. The deep meaning: through the moonlight and the washer, the freshness of the homeward road is exhausted — a whole river of bright moon and sparse stars is precisely the picture of the clear night; the graceful washer's figure is precisely the picture of the village girl washing at night, the grace exhausting the freshness of the road. One writing the sky, one the person, exhausting the freshness of the road — the moon and stars clear and the washer graceful, precisely the picture of the country night; the two lines write the freshness of the road through the moon and the washer, and prepare the village child below, making the lines the core of the freshness and an immortal line. Were it said plainly the moon is fine tonight and someone is washing clothes, the poetry would be lost; only by writing the moon through a whole river of bright moon and sparse stars and the washer through the figure of the silk-washing girl is graceful, is the freshness of the homeward road exhausted, making the lines the core of the freshness.

Study

Word focus

窥 In 'a roosting egret peers at the sand, a lone shadow moves,' the character (kui, 'to peer / spy') is the key word of wild charm. means to steal a look, to peer. Xin uses 'a roosting egret peers at the sand' to write wild charm: the character carries two senses — first, the egret's peering: the roosting egret peering at the sand is the portrait of the egret waiting for fish, exhausting the night-riding's wild charm; second, the stillness of the scene: shows the night's quiet, exhausting the village night-scape's freshness. Using for wild charm is the hinge of Xin's pastoral — swap for kan or wang and it loses thecoordinate with 'roosting egret, sand, lone shadow moves' or the sense of 'peer'; only, with 'a roosting egret peers at the sand, a lone shadow moves,' exhausts the egret's peering and the night's quiet, joining 'surely fish and shrimp enter its dream' to exhaust the night-riding's wild charm, making this line a famous wild-charm phrase. 「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」之「窥」字是写野趣的关键词，一个「窥」字写尽宿鹭的窥沙。窥者，偷看、窥探也。辛弃疾以「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」写野趣，这个「窥」字至少有双重意味：其一，写鹭之窥——那「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」写宿鹭窥沙孤影动，那「窥」字写尽宿鹭的窥沙——宿鹭窥沙，正是鹭眠待鱼的写照，那「窥」字写尽夜行的野趣；其二，写境之静——那「窥」字更是写静——窥，正见夜境的静谧，那「窥」字写尽乡村夜景的清新。以「窥」字写野趣，正是辛弃疾写田园的枢纽——若换作「看」「望」等字，则或失其与「宿鹭」「沙」「孤影动」的配合，或失其写窥的意味；唯「窥」字，以宿鹭窥沙孤影动写尽宿鹭的窥沙与夜境的静谧，与「应有鱼虾入梦」的入梦相合，写尽夜行的野趣，也让「宿鹭窥沙孤影动」成为全词写野趣的名句。

娉婷 In 'the washing-girl's figure, graceful,' the word graceful (ping ting, 'graceful') is the key word of freshness. graceful means bearing beautiful. Xin uses 'the washing-girl's figure, graceful' to write freshness: the word carries two senses — first, the grace of bearing: the washing-girl's figure graceful is the portrait of the village girl night-washing, exhausting the homeward way's freshness; second, the beauty of the scene: graceful shows the night-scape's beauty, exhausting the village night-scape's freshness. Using graceful for freshness is the hinge of Xin's pastoral — swap for slender and graceful (niao nuo) or graceful (yao tiao) and it loses thecoordinate with 'washing-girl's figure, one river of bright moon and sparse stars' or the sense of 'graceful'; only graceful, with 'the washing-girl's figure, graceful,' exhausts the washing-girl's grace and the night-scape's beauty, joining 'she laughs, turns her back on the passer-by, and goes home' to exhaust the homeward way's freshness, making this line a famous freshness phrase. 「浣纱人影娉婷」之「娉婷」是写清新的关键词，一个「娉婷」写尽浣纱的娉婷。娉婷者，姿态美好也。辛弃疾以「浣纱人影娉婷」写清新，这个「娉婷」至少有双重意味：其一，写姿之娉婷——那「浣纱人影娉婷」写浣纱人影娉婷，那「娉婷」写尽浣纱的娉婷——浣纱人影娉婷，正是村女夜浣的写照，那「娉婷」写尽归途的清新；其二，写境之美——那「娉婷」更是写美——娉婷，正见夜景的美好，那「娉婷」写尽乡村夜景的清新。以「娉婷」写清新，正是辛弃疾写田园的枢纽——若换作「袅娜」「窈窕」等词，则或失其与「浣纱人影」「一川明月疏星」的配合，或失其写娉婷的意味；唯「娉婷」二字，以浣纱人影娉婷写尽浣纱的娉婷与夜景的美好，与「笑背行人归去」的归去相合，写尽归途的清新，也让「浣纱人影娉婷」成为全词写清新的名句。