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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

如梦令·昨夜雨疏风骤

Like a Dream: Last Night the Rain Was Sparse, the Wind Fierce

李清照

Li Qingzhao

婉约Graceful and restrained 惜花Cherishing flowers

昨夜雨疏风骤，浓睡不消残酒。
试问卷帘人，却道海棠依旧。
知否，知否？
应是绿肥红瘦。

Last night the rain was sparse, the wind fierce,
Deep sleep did not dispel the lingering wine.
I ask the maid who rolls up the screen,
But she says the begonias are still the same.
Don’t you know? Don’t you know?
Now green should be plump and red should be thin.

Listen

Meaning

After a night of sparse rain and fierce wind, the poet, still drowsy from wine, asks her maid about the begonias. The maid says they are still the same, but the poet insists they must have changed: the leaves are now lush and the flowers are fading.

昨夜雨点稀疏、风势急骤，一夜浓睡仍未能消去残存的酒意。清晨试探着问那卷帘的侍女，她却回答说海棠花依旧盛开。你可知道，可知道？枝头的叶子应当更繁茂、花儿却已稀疏凋零了。

Appreciation

The poem uses the morning-after dialogue to express the poet's sensitivity to the passage of spring. The contrast between the maid's casual response and the poet's acute observation creates a dramatic effect. The famous line 'Green should be plump and red should be thin' uses personification and vivid color contrast to capture the transition from spring to summer, conveying a deep sense of pity for the fleeting blossoms.

【白话串讲】 “知否，知否？应是绿肥红瘦”——李清照宿醉醒来，问侍女海棠花怎样了。这一问一答，把春天写瘦了，也把惜春写绝了。【意象与手法】全词仅三十三字，却结构完整、波澜起伏。起二句点风雨与酒醒，造境清婉；“试问卷帘人”一句转换视角，以对话推进情节【情感与主旨】此词为李清照早年之作，约写于汴京待字或新婚初期，反映其贵族少女、少妇的生活情趣与敏感心性【名句点睛】此诗为宋李清照之作，精要赏析详见下方深度赏析。

Background

This lyric was written in Li Qingzhao's early years, likely when she was a young maiden or newly married, reflecting her refined life and keen sensitivity. The late spring wind and rain are ordinary, but through a woman's delicate observation, the falling begonias become a metaphor for the transience of youth and beauty. It is a masterpiece of the 'graceful and restrained' style and opened a new realm for spring-lamenting lyrics in Song ci.

《如梦令》为词牌名，原名《忆仙姿》，相传为后唐庄宗李存勖所创，其词有「如梦，如梦，残月落花烟重」之句，苏轼嫌其名不雅，遂据庄宗词末叠句改名为《如梦令》。此调单调三十三字，七句五仄韵一叠韵，篇幅短小而音节顿挫。李清照此词作于其早年，约汴京待字或新婚初期，反映的是贵族少女、少妇的生活情趣与敏感心性——不涉国破家亡之痛，只有惜花伤春的淡淡惆怅，与南渡后「凄凄惨惨戚戚」的沉痛迥然不同。词中所写，是暮春时节、夜来风雨、晨起惜花的一段生活片段：昨夜雨疏风骤，词人浓睡醒来，残酒未消，挂念院中海棠，遂问卷帘侍女，侍女漫应「海棠依旧」，词人不信，遂以「知否，知否？应是绿肥红瘦」自作判断。这一问一答，写得摇曳生姿，尽显词人惜花之切、心性之细。版本方面，此词见《漱玉词》，文字诸本基本一致，无重大异文。学界一般认为此词受晚唐韩偓《懒起》诗的影响，然李清照化用前人而青出于蓝，「绿肥红瘦」一语的工妙，远胜韩诗，遂成千古绝唱。

Art

The poem has only 33 characters yet a complete structure. The first two lines set the scene with wind and rain. The turning point is the question to the maid, and the contrast between the maid's answer and the poet's correction reveals the depth of her feeling. The final line, 'green plump, red thin', is a stunning example of poetic diction, using personification and color contrast to convey the transition of seasons.

此词仅三十三字，却结构完整、波澜起伏，是李清照「以少总多」的典范。起二句「昨夜雨疏风骤，浓睡不消残酒」点出时间与状态：雨点稀疏而风势急骤，一夜浓睡醒来，酒意尚未消尽。「疏」与「骤」对举，写出风雨之急缓相间，也暗示词人昨夜曾饮酒，故有此「浓睡」。此二句笔调舒缓，为下文蓄势。「试问卷帘人」一句转换视角，引入对话，以「试问」二字写出词人的小心翼翼——她担心风雨摧花，又怕听到坏消息，故「试」字极见心理。「却道海棠依旧」写侍女的回答，一个「却」字见出词人的意外与不信，也见出侍女的粗疏与无心。末三句「知否，知否？应是绿肥红瘦」是全词的高潮：「知否，知否」连用叠句，是对侍女的嗔怪，也是词人情感的爆发；「绿肥红瘦」四字以色代物、以肥瘦拟人，把风雨之后「叶茂花稀」的景象写得新颖工巧，成为千古炼字典范。全词以问答推进，以对话写情，于最家常的场景中写出最细腻的惜花之情，婉约而不纤弱，是李清照早年词艺已臻成熟的明证。

Allusions

The phrase 'green plump, red thin' is Li Qingzhao's own invention, but its inspiration can be traced back to Han Wo's poem 'Lazy Rising' from the late Tang dynasty, which also asks about begonias after rain. The motif of the 'screen-rolling maid' is also common in classical poetry. Li Qingzhao innovates on tradition, creating a lasting image.

此词的直接渊源，学界多认为出自晚唐韩偓《懒起》诗：「昨夜三更雨，临明一阵寒。海棠花在否？侧卧卷帘看。」韩诗写夜雨之后、晨起关心海棠，与李清照此词的情境、意象如出一辙——同是夜雨、同是卷帘、同是问海棠，李清照显然化用了韩诗的意境。然李词青出于蓝处在于：韩诗平铺直叙，止于「海棠花在否」的一问；李词则引入「卷帘人」与「我」的问答，以侍女的「依旧」反衬词人的「应是」，戏剧性与层次感大增。至于「绿肥红瘦」的炼字，可上溯至唐诗中以色代物的传统——如白居易「日出江花红胜火，春来江水绿如蓝」即以「红」「绿」代花与水；然以「肥」「瘦」状叶与花之盛衰，则是李清照的独创，前人未有。「肥」「瘦」本是状人的字眼，移用于草木，把叶之繁茂写成了「肥」，把花之凋零写成了「瘦」，新颖而不僻，工巧而自然。海棠在唐宋诗词中常与惜春、惜花之情相连，苏轼《海棠》「只恐夜深花睡去，故烧高烛照红妆」即其例，李清照此词亦承这一意象传统。

Commentary

Huang Sheng remarked that 'green plump, red thin' was 'praised by all under heaven'. Hu Zi recorded that the phrase was 'very novel'. Wang Shizhen called it 'artificial yet natural, exquisite'. Modern critics praise its refined diction and masterful emotion.

此词历来评价极高，焦点集中于「绿肥红瘦」一语。宋人即已叹赏，此后历代词评家无不推为炼字典范。明人王世贞、清人王士禛等论词，多举「绿肥红瘦」为李清照词「语新意隽」的代表。清陈廷焯《白雨斋词话》极赏李清照词之「深妙」，此词即在所论之列。此词与李清照另一首《如梦令》（常记溪亭日暮）同牌双璧，皆为后世传诵不衰的名篇，历代词选如《花草粹编》《词综》《唐宋名家词选》等多所收录。从接受史看，「绿肥红瘦」四字早已脱离原词，成为汉语中形容「叶茂花稀」的经典成语，其影响之广，在历代词句中也属罕见。现代学者对此词的解读，多聚焦于其「以对话写情」的结构艺术，以及李清照早年词风的婉约细腻——同样是惜花，李清照写来既见贵族女子的生活情趣，又见其超乎常人的艺术敏感，为日后「易安体」的形成奠定了基础。此词亦常被列为中小学诗词教学的经典篇目，其「炼字」与「对话」的写作技巧，成为词学启蒙的范本。

Prosody

Form Ci·Like a Dream, monostrophic 33 characters, five oblique rhymes with one reduplication词·如梦令（小令）

Rhyme zhou, jiu, jiu, fou, fou, shou (oblique tones, rising and departing tones mixed)押仄韵，韵脚「骤」「酒」「旧」「瘦」属去声宥韵与上声有韵，上去通押，末二句「否」叠韵

Tone pattern Short and crisp lines; the reduplicated 'zhifou' creates a sense of urgency and affection.全调仄韵，上去通押，音节顿挫，末二叠句「知否，知否」以叠字叠韵收束，声情摇曳。

Reading note Simple dialogue vividly portrayed; praised as 'countless twists in a short piece', a masterpiece of Li Qingzhao's short lyrics.《如梦令》为单调小令，三十三字，正体七句五仄韵一叠韵。此词用韵上，韵脚「骤」「酒」「旧」「瘦」中，「骤」「旧」「瘦」属去声宥韵，「酒」属上声有韵，上去通押，是词韵（《词林正韵》第十二部）的常格；末二句「知否，知否」之「否」亦押此部，与全词同韵，形成「五仄韵一叠韵」的规范体式。仄韵短促顿挫，与全词「风雨骤至—残酒未消—问卷帘人—嗔怪纠正」的起伏节奏相合，读来一宕一收、摇曳生姿。特别是「知否，知否」的叠句，叠字叠韵，以急切的追问收束上片，再以「应是绿肥红瘦」的舒缓判断作结，声调上由急而缓，恰与词人由嗔怪转为怜惜的情感变化声情相谐。李清照极擅以声律传情，此词虽短，然平仄的调配、叠韵的运用，无不服务于「惜花伤春」的细腻情思，是「声情并茂」的小令典范。

Line by line

昨夜雨疏风骤

Last night the rain was sparse, the wind fierce.

昨夜雨点稀疏、风势急骤

Last night the rain was sparse and the wind fierce.

起句点出时间（昨夜）与天气（雨疏风骤）。「疏」写雨点之稀，「骤」写风势之急，一疏一骤，对举成文，写出了暮春风雨的典型特征——不是绵绵细雨，也不是狂风暴雨，而是风急雨疏、来去匆匆的一场夜雨。这六个字看似平淡，实则暗藏匠心：正是这「风骤」才会摧落花瓣，也正是这「雨疏」才使词人醒来后仍有暇关心海棠。起句写景，而惜花之情已伏于其中。同时，「昨夜」二字把时间推向过去，与下文「浓睡」「卷帘」的清晨场景形成时间上的衔接，为全词铺开了一段从夜到晨的完整情节。

The opening naming the time (last night) and the weather (rain-sparse and wind-fierce). The sparse writing the rain drops' scantness, the fierce writing the wind's urgency, one sparse one fierce, the set-against writing the late-spring storm's typical feature — not the continuous fine rain, nor the wild gale, but the wind-urgent and rain-sparse, the night rain's hasty coming and going. These six characters though plain, in truth secretly carrying craft: precisely this wind's fierceness that blows the petals down, and precisely this rain's sparceness that gives the poet, after waking, the leisure to care for the begonias. The opening on scene, and the flower-pity feeling already stored within. At once, the last night two words pushing the time to the past, forming the time's link with the below's deep sleep and curtain-rolling morning scene, spreading the whole ci's night-to-morning complete plot.

试问卷帘人

I try asking the maid rolling up the curtain,

清晨试探着问那卷帘的侍女

In the morning I cautiously ask the maid rolling up the curtain.

此句是全词情节的转折，引入对话。「卷帘人」是清晨为词人卷起帘栊的侍女，也是词人探问海棠的对象。「试问」二字极见心理——词人一夜挂念海棠，醒来最想知道的是花是否还在，却又怕听到「花已落」的坏消息，故不敢直问，只「试」着问、婉转地问。一个「试」字，把词人惜花之切、内心之忐忑写得细腻入微。这一问，问的是海棠，问的其实是对春光、对美好事物的眷恋。以对话推进情节，是李清照词的拿手好戏，此「试问」二字，正见其善于从最细微的心理处落笔。

This line is the ci's plot turn, introducing the dialogue. The curtain-rolling maid is the morning maid rolling up the drapery for the poet, and the begonia-asking's object. The try-asking two words the most psychological — the poet all night's worrying over the begonias, on waking most wanting to know whether the flowers remain, and yet fearing to hear the fallen-flower bad news, hence the un-daring-to-ask-directly, only the try-asking, the graceful asking. The one word try, writing the flower-pity's intensity and the heart's unease, delicate to the finest. This asking, asked of the begonias, in truth asked of the spring light's and the fair thing's longing. Pushing the plot through dialogue, Li Qingzhao's ci's forte, this try-asking two words, precisely showing her craft of writing from the finest psychological place.

却道海棠依旧

And she says the begonias are as before.

她却回答说海棠花依旧盛开

She answers carelessly that the begonias are as before.

此句写侍女的回答，是全词戏剧性的关键。侍女对词人的心事浑然不觉，漫不经心地答一句「海棠依旧」，似乎花并未被风雨摧残。一个「却」字，写出了词人的意外——她满心以为花已零落，侍女却说依旧，这回答既让词人略感宽慰，又让她心生怀疑：侍女未必细看，也未必懂惜花，她的「依旧」可信吗？「依旧」二字，从侍女口中说出是敷衍，从词人听来是疑点，一答之间，写尽了主仆二人心境的天差地别——一个漫不经心，一个挂念入微。这一「答」，为下文「知否，知否」的纠正与嗔怪作了最自然的铺垫。

This line writes the maid's answer, the whole ci's dramatic key. The maid's unknowing of the poet's heart, the carelessly answered as-before begonias, as if the flowers unharmed by the storm. The one word but, writing the poet's surprise — she's full-believing the flowers fallen, and the maid says as-before, this answer at once giving the poet the slight relief, and yet raising the doubt: the maid's not necessarily the close looker, nor the flower-pitying, her as-before credible? The as-before two words, from the maid's mouth the perfunctory, from the poet's ear the doubtful, within one answer, exhausting the master-servant two hearts' heaven-and-earth difference — one careless, one minute-anxious. This answer, storing the most natural ground for the below's know-you-not, know-you-not's correction and reproach.

应是绿肥红瘦

The green must be fattened now, and the red thinned.

枝头的叶子应当更繁茂、花儿却已稀疏凋零了

The branches' leaves must be lusher now, and the flowers sparse and fallen.

此句是全词的结穴，也是千古炼字典范。「绿」代叶、「红」代花，以色代物，避开了「叶」「花」的直说，增添了词的色泽与含蓄；「肥」状叶之繁茂，「瘦」状花之凋零，以本用于人的字眼移用于草木，把风雨之后「叶盛花稀」的景象写得新颖、工巧、传神。「应是」二字尤见词人的判断与坚持——她不信侍女的「依旧」，凭自己对自然的敏感与惜花的心性，断定风雨之后必是「绿肥红瘦」。这四字不仅是写景，更是一种审美判断，一种对春光易逝的清醒认识。全词的情感到此收束，惜花之切、伤春之细，尽在这四字之中，言有尽而意无穷。

This line is the ci's knot, and the word-craft-through-the-ages model. The green stands for the leaves, the red for the flowers, using color for the thing, avoiding the direct leaves and flowers, adding the ci's color and restraint; the fat shaping the leaves' lushness, the thin shaping the flowers' falling, using the words by nature for the person and transferring to the plants, writing the storm's leaves-lush-flowers-sparse scene novel, crafted, and vivid. The must-be two words the poet's judgment and insistence — she disbelieves the maid's as-before, relying on her own nature-sensitivity and the flower-pitying heart, judging the storm's aftermath must be green-fat-and-red-thin. These four characters not only scene-writing, and yet an aesthetic judgment, an awareness of the spring light's easy passing. The whole ci's feeling here gathered, the flower-pity's intensity and the spring-grief's fineness, all within these four characters, the words ended and the meaning endless.

Study

Word focus

疏 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「疏」字用在「雨疏风骤」，写雨点之稀疏，与「骤」字的急骤相对，形成工整的对举。「疏」不只是写雨量之小，更写出了一种若有若无、断断续续的雨态——不是瓢泼大雨，而是疏疏落落的雨点。唯其「疏」，才不似狂风暴雨那样摧折万物，也唯其「疏」，词人才会心存侥幸，觉得海棠或许无恙，才会有下文的「试问」。一个「疏」字，既实写了夜雨之态，又为全词的情感逻辑（担心—试探—判断）埋下了伏笔。它与「骤」字一缓一急、一轻一重，把暮春夜雨的特征写得准确而生动，是李清照善于捕捉自然细微变化的体现。

肥 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「肥」字是「绿肥红瘦」中最为大胆的一字。它本形容人的丰腴，移用于草木，写风雨之后叶子的繁茂饱满。「肥」字一出，叶子便不再是静态的「绿」，而成了一个被雨水滋润得饱满丰盈的生命，仿佛一夜之间膨胀、舒展。这个字的新奇，在于以人状物，打破了「叶」与「人」的界限，赋予草木以人的体态与生命感。它与下文的「瘦」字相对，一「肥」一「瘦」，把「叶盛花稀」的景致写成了一对形体的对照，极富画面感与戏剧性。历来评家无不服其「语新」，「肥」字正是这新奇的关键。

瘦 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「瘦」字与「肥」字相对，写花之凋零，是「绿肥红瘦」的点睛之笔。「瘦」本形容人的清减，移用于花，写风雨之后花瓣的零落、稀疏，仿佛花也如人一般消瘦下去。这个字妙处有三：其一，以人状物，赋予花以人的体态与情态，使人顿生怜惜；其二，「瘦」与「肥」的对比，把「叶盛花稀」写成了一场形体的消长，动态而传神；其三，「瘦」字暗含伤春惜花的情绪——花之瘦，是春光消逝的征兆，一个「瘦」字，便带出了词人淡淡的惆怅。李清照以「肥」「瘦」二字写尽风雨后的春色，炼字之工，千古独步。