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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

南歌子·香墨弯弯画

Southern Song (Nan Ge Zi) · Drawn with Fragrant Ink in a Curving Line

秦观

Qin Guan

闺情Boudoir Longing 离别Parting

香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀。
揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇。
人去空流水，花飞半掩门。
乱山何处觅行云？
又是一钩新月照黄昏。

With fragrant ink she draws a curving line; with swallow-rouge she blends a light, even tint.
In a gown of crushed-blue, a skirt of apricot-yellow, she leans alone on the jade rail, silent, touching vermilion to her lips.
The one she loves has gone, and only the stream flows on; petals drift, and the gate stands half-closed.
Amid the tangled hills, where can she seek his wandering cloud? Once again a curved new moon lights the dusk.

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Meaning

The lyric portrays a woman adorning herself after her lover's departure. The upper stanza lingers on the meticulous detail of her toilette; the lower reveals the loneliness behind it—the empty stream, the falling petals, the half-shut gate, and a new moon above the hills. Through the contrast between exquisite beauty and unshared desolation, it expresses quiet, lingering longing.

香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀。揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇。人去空流水，花飞半掩门。乱山何处觅行云？又是一钩新月照黄昏。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The song first watches the lady make up: fragrant ink draws a curving brow, swallow-rouge a light even tint; in her crushed-blue gown and apricot-yellow skirt she leans alone on the jade rail, silently touching vermilion to her lips. Then it turns to absence: he has gone and only the stream flows; petals fall and the gate is half-closed. Last comes the sigh—amid tangled hills where can she seek his wandering cloud, and once again a curved new moon lights the dusk. [Structure] The upper stanza is all careful adornment; the lower is all quiet sorrow. The lavish description of her toilette makes the emptiness that follows more poignant. [Imagery] Qin Guan's art is in color and contrast: the 'curving' brow and 'light' tint, the 'crushed-blue' gown against the 'apricot-yellow' skirt, then the single word 'silent' that breaks the surface, and the repeated 'again' (you) of the new moon that marks day after day of waiting. The whole lyric is a model of the subtle, restrained Southern Song manner.

【白话串讲】秦观写《南歌子·香墨弯弯画》：“香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀”——“揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇”——“人去空流水，花飞半掩门”——“乱山何处觅行云？又是一钩新月照黄昏”——他写女子相思——又是一钩新月照黄昏。【意象与手法】此词写闺怨，以相思写闺怨，是秦观的名篇。上阕写妆成：「香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀」写香墨弯弯画、燕脂淡淡匀——写尽画眉的细致；「揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇」写揉蓝衫子杏黄裙、独倚玉阑无语点檀唇——写尽倚阑的无语；下阕写相思：「人去空流水，花飞半掩门」写人去空流水、花飞半掩门——写尽人去后的寂寥；「乱山何处觅行云？又是一钩新月照黄昏」写乱山何处觅行云、又是一钩新月照黄昏——写尽相思的怅惘。全词以相思写闺怨，写尽妆成的细致与相思的怅惘，是秦观的代表作。【情感与主旨】此词写闺怨，以相思写闺怨，是秦观的名篇。此词写思妇别后的闺怨。上阕写妆成：香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀——写香墨弯弯画、燕脂淡淡匀，写尽画眉的细致；揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇——写揉蓝衫子杏黄裙、独倚玉阑无语点檀唇，写尽倚阑的无语；下阕写相思：人去空流水，花飞半掩门——写人去空流水、花飞半掩门，写尽人去后的寂寥；乱山何处觅行云？又是一钩新月照黄昏——写乱山何处觅行云、又是一钩新月照黄昏，写尽相思的怅惘。全词以相思写闺怨——那「独倚玉阑无语」写尽倚阑的无语，「又是一钩新月照黄昏」写尽相思的怅惘，写尽妆成的细致与相思的怅惘，是理解秦观词的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀」写画眉的细致；「独倚玉阑无语点檀唇」写倚阑的无语；「人去空流水，花飞半掩门」写人去后的寂寥；「又是一钩新月照黄昏」写相思的怅惘；以及全词以相思写闺怨、以景写情的手法。

Background

Qin Guan (1049–1100), courtesy names Shao-you and Tai-xu, art name Recluse of Huaihai, was a native of Gaoyou, Jiangsu, and one of the Four Scholars of Su Shi's circle. This lyric depicts a married woman's longing after parting. Beyond its surface romance, the poem carries Qin Guan's characteristic 'blending of personal fate into love-songs': after his early promise he suffered repeated demotions in the Shao-sheng era, exiled to Chen-zhou, Heng-zhou and Lei-zhou, and his later ci often voice dislocation and loneliness. 'Where can she seek his wandering cloud' shadows the bewildered mood of his famous 'towers lost in mist, ferries lost in moonlight'—a lyric of exile read through the mask of boudoir grief.

此词写闺怨，以相思写闺怨，是秦观的名篇。秦观（1049—1100），字少游、太虚，号淮海居士，扬州高邮（今属江苏）人，北宋词人，苏门四学士之一。此词写思妇别后的闺怨。上阕写妆成：「香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀」写香墨弯弯画、燕脂淡淡匀——写尽画眉的细致（香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀）；「揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇」写揉蓝衫子杏黄裙、独倚玉阑无语点檀唇——写尽倚阑的无语（揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇）。下阕写相思：「人去空流水，花飞半掩门」写人去空流水、花飞半掩门——写尽人去后的寂寥（人去空流水，花飞半掩门）；「乱山何处觅行云？又是一钩新月照黄昏」写乱山何处觅行云、又是一钩新月照黄昏——写尽相思的怅惘（乱山何处觅行云，又是一钩新月照黄昏）。全词以相思写闺怨，写尽妆成的细致与相思的怅惘，是理解秦观词的重要篇章。还应从秦观生平看此词的托寓：秦观早年豪隽，晚年连遭贬谪，绍圣后远贬郴州、横州、雷州，其词多写离愁别恨、身世之感。此词写思妇独倚玉阑、望断行云之愁，「乱山何处觅行云」正是其「雾失楼台，月迷津渡」一类迷惘心境的影子——以闺怨写身世飘零，正是淮海词「将身世之感打并入艳情」的特色，不可仅作艳词读。

Art

The artistry unfolds on four fronts. First, detail builds the toilette: 'a curving line' and 'a light even tint' render the painting of brow and cheek with precise restraint. Second, color clothes the figure: 'crushed-blue gown, apricot-yellow skirt' gives the lady's attire visible hue. Third, contrast exposes the loneliness: 'he has gone, and only the stream flows; petals drift, the gate half-closed' sets departure against falling blossoms. Fourth, a question voices the ache: 'amid tangled hills, where can she seek his wandering cloud?' turns searching into helplessness. The upper stanza's meticulous adornment and the lower's quiet grief move from dressing to longing, the classic Qin Guan method of 'writing feeling through detail.' Especially fine is the double line: the lavish toilette (fragrant ink, light rouge, blue gown, yellow skirt, vermilion lips) makes the unshared beauty crueler, while the closing 'once again a curved new moon lights the dusk' uses 'again' to mark the daily repetition of waiting, ending with feeling that outlasts the form.

此词的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以细节写妆成。「香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀」以细节写妆成——那「弯弯」「淡淡」写尽画眉匀脂，以细节写尽妆成的细致。其二，以色彩写衣饰。「揉蓝衫子杏黄裙」以色彩写衣饰——那「揉蓝」「杏黄」写尽衫裙的颜色，以色彩写尽思妇的装束。其三，以对照写寂寥。「人去空流水，花飞半掩门」以对照写寂寥——那「人去」「花飞」写尽人去花落，以对照写尽人去后的寂寥。其四，以问句写怅惘。「乱山何处觅行云」以问句写怅惘——那「何处觅」写尽觅处的无着，以问句写尽相思的怅惘。此外，此词上阕写妆成的细致，下阕写相思的怅惘，由妆及思，正是秦观词「以细节写情」的写法。四重手法，使此词以相思写闺怨，写尽妆成的细致与相思的怅惘，是秦观的代表作。此词尤可注意其「以妆写情、以景写愁」的双线：上阕极写妆成之细——香墨弯弯、燕脂淡淡、揉蓝衫子、杏黄裙、点檀唇，色色精致，而「独倚玉阑无语」七字陡转——妆成愈美，愈见无人共赏之凄；下阕「人去空流水，花飞半掩门」，以流水、落花写人去之空，正是「以景结情」；末以「又是一钩新月照黄昏」收束，「又是」二字写日复一日之盼，新月照昏，正是「词尽而意不尽」的婉约笔法。

Allusions

The diction draws on a deep well of boudoir and longing tradition. 'Fragrant ink' for brow-paint and 'swallow-rouge' for cheek recall the old cosmetic imagery, and 'swallow-rouge' echoes Li Yu's 'rouge tears, lingering intoxication.' 'Crushed blue' (rou lan) is the blue of indigo-dyed silk, a color word with its own literary lineage. 'Touching vermilion to the lips' (dian tan chun) echoes 'a touch of vermilion, a peach-blossom red.' 'Wandering cloud' (xing yun) is the classical figure for the roaming man, from Song Yu's 'Gao Tang' goddess who 'in the morning is rising cloud, at dusk descending rain.' 'A curved new moon' continues the tradition of 'moon like a hook' (Li Yu). Qin Guan thus fuses cosmetic, cloud, and moon imagery into a restrained, fresh lyric of longing.

此词的用语深植于闺怨与相思的传统。「香墨」令人想到「香墨」写画眉之墨的意象——「香墨弯弯画」正是秦观的名句，也令人想到「眉黛夺将萱草色」的意象；「燕脂」令人想到「燕脂」写胭脂的意象——「燕脂淡淡匀」正是秦观的名句，也令人想到「胭脂泪，相留醉」（李煜）的意象；「揉蓝」令人想到「揉蓝」写蓝色的意象——揉蓝为蓝草所染之青，也令人想到「揉蓝衫子」的意象；「点檀唇」令人想到「点檀唇」写点唇的意象——檀唇即檀色之唇，也令人想到「朱唇一点桃花殷」的意象；「行云」令人想到「行云」写游子的典故——宋玉《高唐赋》巫山神女「旦为朝云，暮为行雨」，也令人想到「行云流水」的意象；「一钩新月」令人想到「新月」写新月的意象——也令人想到「月如钩」（李煜）的意象。全词化用香墨、燕脂、行云、新月的意象典故，以相思写闺怨，正是秦观「清新婉丽」而承闺怨传统写相思的本领。又「一钩新月」可联系中国文学写月如钩的传统：李煜《相见欢》「无言独上西楼，月如钩」，温庭筠《更漏子》「眉翠薄，鬓云残，夜长衾枕寒」亦写新月，而秦观以「一钩新月照黄昏」写盼归之夜的月色——新月如钩，正是残缺之象，正与盼人不归之缺憾相应，以物写情，正见其婉约。

Commentary

This lyric is ranked among Qin Guan's finest and a representative Southern Song boudoir song. Critics have long praised it for writing longing 'with delicate, restrained grace.' Its special worth is using the middle-length Nan Ge Zi to hold both the detail of adornment and the ache of absence—the fragrant ink, the rouge, the blue gown, the yellow skirt, the jade rail, the vermilion lips, the flowing stream, the drifting petals, the half-closed gate, the tangled hills, the wandering cloud, the curved moon, the dusk—all belonging to one woman's portrait. It pairs with his 'Immortal at the Magpie Bridge' ('if love between two hearts is long, what need of day and night'): one asserts love's endurance, the other voices love's ache. With Wen Ting-yun's 'brows in overlapping hills' it shares the boudoir lineage. For readers it remains a key to Qin Guan's art and a classic of Chinese ci longing.

此词历来被推为秦观词的名篇，也是北宋词写闺怨的代表。历代论者对此词评价极高：清人评此词「以相思写闺怨，细腻婉约」；近人更指出「乱山何处觅行云？又是一钩新月照黄昏」写相思的怅惘，是此词的名句。在词史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以八句的中调写尽妆成的细致与相思的怅惘——那香墨，那燕脂，那揉蓝衫，那杏黄裙，那玉阑，那檀唇，那流水，那花飞，那半掩门，那乱山，那行云，那一钩新月，那黄昏，都写尽了秦观笔下的思妇；那「又是一钩新月照黄昏」更以新月写尽相思的怅惘。此词与秦观《鹊桥仙·纤云弄巧》（「金风玉露一相逢」）同为名篇，一写「两情若是久长时」的相期（鹊桥仙），一写「又是一钩新月照黄昏」的怅惘（南歌子）；又与温庭筠「小山重叠金明灭」的闺怨传统一脉相承，可见北宋词写闺怨的传统。对于今日读者，此词是理解秦观词的窗口，也是中国词写闺怨的经典——那一钩新月照着的黄昏，穿越千年，仍在诉说着相思的怅惘。

Prosody

Form Ci · Nan Ge Zi (double tune, 52 characters)词·南歌子

Rhyme The tune uses level-tone rhymes throughout—'tint' yun, 'lips' chun, 'gate' men, 'dusk' hun—one rhyme to the end, giving a gentle, turning music.《南歌子》双调五十二字，押「匀」「唇」「门」「昏」韵（平声），一韵到底，音节婉转

Tone pattern As a Nan Ge Zi, the level rhymes run unbroken to the close, the soft music suiting the lyric's restrained, turning sadness.此词为《南歌子》调，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节婉转，正合闺怨的婉转。

Reading note This Nan Ge Zi has fifty-two characters in two stanzas, rhyming level-tone 'tint, lips, gate, dusk' without change. The upper stanza adorns the lady; the lower voices her ache. The two stanzas move from dressing to longing, a typical Qin Guan structure of 'writing feeling through detail.' Read the opening toilette with a gentle tone, and the closing new-moon line with a low, lingering one to convey his fresh, graceful manner.此词为《南歌子》双调五十二字，上阕——「香墨弯弯画，燕脂淡淡匀。揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇」，下阕——「人去空流水，花飞半掩门。乱山何处觅行云？又是一钩新月照黄昏」，押平声韵（匀、唇、门、昏），一韵到底，音节婉转。全词以相思写闺怨：上阕写妆成的细致（香墨弯弯画、独倚玉阑无语点檀唇），下阕写相思的怅惘（人去空流水、又是一钩新月照黄昏）。两阕由妆及思，层层写尽妆成的细致与相思的怅惘，正是秦观词以细节写情的典型结构。诵读此词，宜以婉转的语调读「香墨弯弯画」的妆成，以低回的语调读「又是一钩新月照黄昏」的怅惘，结句要读得婉转而有余韵，方能传达出秦观的清新婉丽。秦观词以「清新婉丽」著称，此词正是其闺怨词的典范。

Line by line

乱山何处觅行云？又是一钩新月照黄昏

Amid the tangled hills, where can she seek his wandering cloud? Once again a curved new moon lights the dusk.

乱山何处觅行云？又是一钩新月照黄昏。

Among the tumbled hills, where can I seek the drifting cloud? Once more a crescent moon shines on the dusk.

此二句是全词写怅惘的核心，以乱山何处觅行云写觅云，以又是一钩新月照黄昏写新月，写尽相思的怅惘，是千古名句。「乱山何处觅行云」写乱山何处觅行云——那「乱山」写乱山，「何处觅行云」写何处觅行云，写尽觅云的怅惘；「又是一钩新月照黄昏」写又是一钩新月照黄昏——那「一钩新月」写一钩新月，「照黄昏」写照黄昏，写尽新月的黄昏。这句的深意在于：它以「乱山何处觅行云」的觅云与「又是一钩新月照黄昏」的新月，写尽相思的怅惘——乱山何处觅行云，那「乱山何处觅行云」写尽觅云的怅惘——乱山之中，何处觅行云，正是游子无处的写照，那「何处觅」写尽觅云的怅惘；又是一钩新月照黄昏，那「又是一钩新月照黄昏」写尽新月的黄昏——又是一钩新月，照黄昏，正是日复一日的写照，那「又是」写尽黄昏的重复；那「乱山何处觅行云」写尽觅云的怅惘，那「又是一钩新月照黄昏」写尽新月的黄昏，一写觅云，一写新月，写尽相思的怅惘——行云无处而新月照昏，正是相思的怅惘；此二句以觅云、新月写尽相思的怅惘，也让此二句成为全词写怅惘的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我不知道他在哪里」，则失其婉约；唯以「乱山何处觅行云」写觅云、「又是一钩新月照黄昏」写新月，写尽相思的怅惘，也让此二句成为全词写怅惘的核心。

The two lines are the core of the ci's wistfulness, writing the seeking of the cloud through among the tumbled hills, where can I seek the drifting cloud? and the new moon through once more a crescent moon shines on the dusk, exhausting the longing of lovesickness. The tumbled hills, where can I seek the drifting cloud? writes the tumbled hills and the seeking of the drifting cloud. Once more a crescent moon shines on the dusk writes the crescent moon shining on the dusk. The deep meaning: through the seeking cloud and the new moon, the longing of lovesickness is exhausted — among the tumbled hills, where to seek the drifting cloud, precisely the picture of the wanderer's nowhere; the once more writes the repetition of the dusk. One line seeks the cloud, one the new moon, exhausting the wistfulness of lovesickness — the drifting cloud nowhere and the new moon on dusk, precisely the longing. Were it said plainly I do not know where he is, the grace would be lost; only by writing the seeking through the tumbled hills, where can I seek the drifting cloud? and the new moon through once more a crescent moon shines on the dusk, is the wistfulness exhausted, making the lines the core of the ci's longing.

揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇

In a gown of crushed-blue, a skirt of apricot-yellow, she leans alone on the jade rail, silent, touching vermilion to her lips.

揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，独倚玉阑无语点檀唇。

Smalt-blue jacket, apricot-yellow skirt; leaning alone on the jade rail, speechless, she tints her sandalwood lips.

此二句是全词写倚阑的核心，以揉蓝衫子杏黄裙写衣饰，以独倚玉阑无语点檀唇写无语，写尽倚阑的无语，是千古名句。「揉蓝衫子杏黄裙」写揉蓝衫子杏黄裙——那「揉蓝衫子」写揉蓝衫子，「杏黄裙」写杏黄裙，写尽思妇的衣饰；「独倚玉阑无语点檀唇」写独倚玉阑无语点檀唇——那「独倚玉阑」写独倚玉阑，「无语点檀唇」写无语点檀唇，写尽倚阑的无语。这句的深意在于：它以「揉蓝衫子杏黄裙」的衣饰与「独倚玉阑无语点檀唇」的无语，写尽倚阑的无语——揉蓝衫子杏黄裙，那「揉蓝衫子杏黄裙」写尽思妇的衣饰——揉蓝之衫，杏黄之裙，正是精心妆扮的写照，那「揉蓝杏黄」写尽思妇的衣饰；独倚玉阑无语点檀唇，那「独倚玉阑无语点檀唇」写尽倚阑的无语——独倚玉阑，无语点唇，正是无人可语的写照，那「无语」写尽倚阑的无语；那「揉蓝衫子杏黄裙」写尽思妇的衣饰，那「独倚玉阑无语点檀唇」写尽倚阑的无语，一写衣饰，一写无语，写尽倚阑的无语——妆成而无人赏，正是独倚无语的写照；此二句以衣饰、无语写尽倚阑的无语，也让此二句成为全词写倚阑的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「她打扮好却没人看」，则失其细节；唯以「揉蓝衫子杏黄裙」写衣饰、「独倚玉阑无语点檀唇」写无语，写尽倚阑的无语，也让此二句成为全词写倚阑的核心。

The two lines are the core of the ci's leaning on the rail, writing the dress through smalt-blue jacket, apricot-yellow skirt and the silence through leaning alone on the jade rail, speechless, she tints her sandalwood lips, exhausting the silence of the leaning. The smalt-blue jacket, apricot-yellow skirt writes the dress of the waiting woman. Leaning alone on the jade rail, speechless, she tints her sandalwood lips writes the silence at the rail. The deep meaning: through the dress and the speechless leaning, the silence is exhausted — the smalt-blue jacket and apricot-yellow skirt are precisely the picture of the careful dressing; leaning alone on the jade rail, speechless, tinting the lips, precisely the picture of no one to speak to. One writes the dress, one the silence, exhausting the leaning speechless — dressed and no one to admire, precisely the picture of the lone leaning. Were it said plainly she dressed up and no one looked, the detail would be lost; only by writing the dress through the smalt-blue jacket, apricot-yellow skirt and the silence through leaning alone on the jade rail, speechless, she tints her sandalwood lips, is the leaning speechless exhausted.

Study

Word focus

淡淡 In 'with swallow-rouge she blends a light, even tint,' the word 'light' (dan dan) is the key to her makeup. It means 'faint, even.' It shows the rouge is applied with restraint—a pale, tasteful touch rather than heavy paint—and signals the lady's refined elegance. Paired with the 'curving' brow above, 'light' completes a portrait of quiet, skillful beauty. 「燕脂淡淡匀」之「淡淡」是写妆成的关键词，一个「淡淡」写尽匀脂的淡雅。淡淡者，浅浅、均匀也。秦观以「燕脂淡淡匀」写匀脂，这个「淡淡」至少有双重意味：其一，写匀脂之淡——那「燕脂淡淡匀」写燕脂淡淡匀，那「淡淡」写尽匀脂的淡雅——燕脂淡淡，正是淡妆的写照，那「淡淡」写尽匀脂的轻淡；其二，写妆成之雅——那「淡淡」更是写雅——淡淡匀，正见妆成的雅致，那「淡淡」写尽妆成的淡雅。以「淡淡」写匀脂，正是秦观写妆成的枢纽——若换作「浅浅」「轻轻」等词，则或失其与「燕脂」「匀」的配合，或失其写淡淡的意味；唯「淡淡」二字，以燕脂淡淡匀写尽匀脂的淡雅与妆成的雅致，与「香墨弯弯画」的弯弯相合，写尽妆成的细致，也让「燕脂淡淡匀」成为全词写妆成的名句。

又 In 'once again a curved new moon lights the dusk,' the word 'again' (you) is the key to the ache. It means 'once more.' It marks the recurrence of evening after evening—the same moon, the same dusk, the same waiting—and so conveys the long endurance of her longing. Set against the hopeless 'where can she seek,' 'again' turns a single moment into a cycle of patient sorrow. 「又是一钩新月照黄昏」之「又」字是写怅惘的关键词，一个「又」字写尽黄昏的重复。又者，再次也。秦观以「又是一钩新月照黄昏」写怅惘，这个「又」字至少有双重意味：其一，写黄昏之复——那「又是一钩新月照黄昏」写又是一钩新月照黄昏，那「又」字写尽黄昏的重复——又是一钩新月，正是日复一日的写照，那「又」字写尽黄昏的循环；其二，写相思之久——那「又」字更是写久——又，正见相思之日久，那「又」字写尽相思的绵长。以「又」字写怅惘，正是秦观写相思的枢纽——若换作「正」「更」等字，则或失其与「一钩新月」「照黄昏」的配合，或失其写又的意味；唯「又」字，以又是一钩新月照黄昏写尽黄昏的重复与相思的绵长，与「乱山何处觅行云」的何处觅相合，写尽相思的怅惘，也让「又是一钩新月照黄昏」成为全词写怅惘的名句。