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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

浣纱女

The Yarn-Washing Girl

王昌龄

Wang Changling

钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花。
吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱。

Whose house is that by the Qiantang's bank?
The girls on the river put all flowers to shame.
When the King of Wu held power they could not come out;
Today they openly come to wash their yarn.
Listen

Meaning

On the Qiantang River, the poet asks whose daughters these girls can be, so beautiful they outshine the flowers. Then comes the turn: in the days of King Fuchai of Wu such beauties were requisitioned and hidden away; now they may sit in the open, washing yarn by the river. The poem's brightness is double — a fresh sketch of river girls, and a quiet celebration of an age in which beauty no longer belongs to a despot.

钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花。吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Whose house stands by the Qiantang's bank? The girls on the river surpass all flowers. When the King of Wu was in power, they could not come out; today they openly come to wash their yarn. [Imagery] Two images dominate: the flowers the girls outshine, and the yarn they wash — beauty at work, in the open. [Structure] The first couplet asks and answers with praise; the second couplet turns on the contrast of 'then' and 'today,' and the poem's depth opens only in that turn. [Theme] The poem praises the present by contrasting it with a past in which beauty was plundered; freedom is measured by a girl's ability to be seen washing yarn.

【白话串讲】 王昌龄写《浣纱女》：“钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花”——“吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱”——他写浣纱女——江上女儿全胜花。 【意象与手法】 “钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花”写江上女儿胜花；“吴王在时不得出”写吴王时不得出；结以“今日公然来浣纱”写今日公然浣纱。明丽怀古。 【情感与主旨】 王昌龄写浣纱女之作，写钱塘江上女儿之美与昔日吴王时深藏、今日公然浣纱的今昔对比，是写西施故乡题材的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花”写女儿胜花；“吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱”写今昔对比。

Background

Wang Changling (698–757), courtesy name Shaobo, was a native of Chang'an and the most celebrated master of the seven-character quatrain in the Tang; he held minor provincial offices and ended his life in exile. The Qiantang River (at modern Hangzhou) was the heartland of the ancient state of Wu, and legend made it the home of Xi Shi, the famous beauty whom the Yue minister Fan Li discovered washing yarn and presented to King Fuchai of Wu — the beauty whose charms helped destroy Wu. Wang Changling's poem plays on that association: the Qiantang's yarn-washing girls recall Xi Shi, and the line 'when the King of Wu was in power they could not come out' evokes an age when such girls were seized into the palace. The poem is thus at once a bright river sketch and a pointed historical reflection.

《浣纱女》为唐代诗人王昌龄所作诗。王昌龄（698—757），字少伯，京兆万年人，唐代诗人，以七绝见长。此诗写咏人怀古，为咏浣纱女之作。诗中「钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花」写钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花；「吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱」写吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱。王昌龄此诗以咏人怀古、今日公然来浣纱写其怀古之情，明丽怀古，是王昌龄诗中的名篇。此篇《浣纱女》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《浣纱女》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《浣纱女》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。

Art

The poem's brilliance is its structure. The first couplet is pure surface: a question ('whose house?') and an answer of praise ('they surpass all flowers'), bright and casual as a sketch. The second couplet then opens a depth the first had not promised — 'when the King of Wu held power they could not come out.' Suddenly the flowers and the yarn belong to history: in the age of King Fuchai, the region's beauties were requisitioned for the court, and the girls could not appear in public at all. 'Today they openly come to wash their yarn' turns the simplest daily act — washing cloth by a river — into evidence of a freer age. Wang Changling's seven-character quatrains are famous for exactly this: a small scene, a sudden historical turn, and a meaning that expands far beyond its twenty-eight characters.

此诗艺术上以「明丽怀古、以花写情」见长。全诗共四句两联，由钱塘江畔是谁家而吴王在时不得出。起「钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花」写钱塘江畔是谁家：钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花；结「吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱」写吴王在时不得出：吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱。全诗以花写情，由钱塘江畔是谁家而今日公然来浣纱，明丽怀古，是王昌龄诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。

Allusions

The poem's historical reference is King Fuchai of Wu (r. 495–473 BCE), the last powerful king of the state of Wu, whose defeat by Yue was engineered through the beauty Xi Shi — according to legend, a girl of the Qiantang region (the Zhuluo village by the river) discovered washing yarn and presented to Fuchai, whose infatuation ruined his state. 'They could not come out' evokes the requisition of beauties that shadowed such reigns. 'Washing yarn' (huan sha) is Xi Shi's signature act, the emblem of the beautiful girl of the Qiantang. The poem compresses this whole complex of Wu history and Xi Shi legend into the phrase 'the King of Wu,' trusting the reader to feel the weight behind a simple river scene.

诗中「钱塘江畔是谁家江上女儿全胜花」「吴王在时不得出今日公然来浣纱」等语，皆含典故故实。「钱塘江畔是谁家江上女儿全胜花」写钱塘江畔是谁家江上女儿全胜花；「吴王在时不得出今日公然来浣纱」用吴王之典（吴王写吴王夫差），写吴王在时不得出今日公然来浣纱。诗人用吴王之典入诗，不着痕迹，而把咏人怀古之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。

Commentary

Commentators have disagreed about the poem's point. The common reading takes it as a celebration of the present age: whereas the Wu court seized and hid the region's beauties, the girls of the poet's day may wash yarn openly — the freedom of ordinary beauty becomes a measure of good government. A second reading finds subtler irony: the poet's question 'whose house?' may be a pointed reminder of how such girls were once carried off, so the brightness of the surface is shadowed by history. Most agree that the poem's power lies in the turn of the second couplet, where twenty-eight characters of river sketch acquire a historical and political resonance that a direct statement could never achieve. It is one of Wang Changling's most frequently anthologized quatrains.

这首《浣纱女》，是王昌龄写咏人怀古之作，写钱塘江畔是谁家、吴王在时不得出、今日公然来浣纱之情，明丽怀古。起「钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花」——钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花。写钱塘江畔是谁家：钱塘江畔是谁家、江上女儿全胜花——是谁家、全胜花；结「吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱」——吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱。写吴王在时不得出：吴王在时不得出、今日公然来浣纱——不得出、来浣纱。这「吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱」，是全诗之结：以今日公然来浣纱写其怀古。全诗明丽怀古，以花写情，正是王昌龄诗中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。

Prosody

Form Poem: seven-character quatrain (qijue), four lines of seven characters诗（七言绝句）
Rhyme The poem rhymes on hua ('flower') and sha ('yarn') — level-tone words of the ma rhyme group (the sixth pingshui group). Its open, bright sounds match the poem's fresh, sunlit surface.此诗为七言绝句，共四句两联。押韵：「花」「纱」押麻部韵。前两句起、后两句转合，平仄相间，正与写咏人怀古的明丽怀古相称，也见其以七绝写怀古的凝练。
Tone pattern The quatrain's classic progression — opening, development, turn, close — is unusually crisp here: the first couplet poses and answers a question, the second couplet turns on the contrast of 'then' and 'today.' The rhythm is light until 'when the King of Wu held power,' when the line slows and the poem acquires historical weight.句式上，「钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花」写钱塘江畔是谁家，音节明丽；结「吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱」写吴王在时不得出，音节悠长。全诗音节随情起伏，由明丽而悠长，正合七绝「凝练」之妙，读来如咏人怀古、今日公然来浣纱之音，明丽而动人。
Reading note As a seven-character quatrain, this poem shows Wang Changling's characteristic economy: twenty-eight characters in which a river sketch becomes a historical reflection. The turn in the second couplet — the hinge of the jueju form — does all the work, and the closing line's plain word 'openly' carries the poem's whole argument about freedom. Its brightness and depth in the same small compass is why it remains a favorite in anthologies.此诗为七言绝句，是王昌龄写咏人怀古之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「明丽怀古、以花写情」：「钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花」写钱塘江畔是谁家、「吴王在时不得出，今日公然来浣纱」写吴王在时不得出。全诗明丽怀古，以花写情。尤为精妙者，是「江上女儿全胜花」写尽全胜花；而「今日公然来浣纱」用吴王之典，正是王昌龄诗「明丽怀古」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《浣纱女》一诗之所以读来声情并茂，正在于诗人以声韵配合情思、以节奏烘托意境，音节之长短、平仄之起伏，皆与诗意相为表里，此亦可见中国古典诗歌声律之美与匠心之工。

Line by line

钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花。

Whose house is that by the Qiantang's bank? The girls on the river put all flowers to shame.

钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花。

Whose household is this, by the Qiantang River? The girls on the water outdo the flowers.

起句写钱塘江畔是谁家，起笔即见其钱塘江。「钱塘江畔是谁家」写钱塘江畔是谁家，「钱塘江畔」写钱塘江畔、「是谁家」写是谁家；「江上女儿全胜花」写江上女儿全胜花，「江上女儿」写江上女儿、「全胜花」写全胜花。一句写钱塘江畔是谁家江上女儿全胜花，以钱塘江畔是谁家写是谁家、以江上女儿全胜花写全胜花，写尽钱塘江畔是谁家、江上女儿全胜花之情。以江起兴，明丽而怀古，是「以江起兴」的妙笔。

The opening line asks whose household this is by the Qiantang River, and says the girls on the water outdo the flowers; rising through the river, it is bright and historical, the start.

吴王在时不得出，

When the King of Wu held power they could not come out,

吴王在时不得出，

When the King of Wu lived, they dared not come out.

此句写吴王在时不得出，是全诗写吴王之态的关键。「吴王在时」用吴王之典写吴王在时，「吴王」写吴王、「在时」写在时；「不得出」写不得出，「不得」写不得、「出」写出。一句写吴王在时不得出，以吴王在时写在时、以不得出写不得出，写尽吴王在时不得出之情。以吴写情，明丽而怀古，是「以吴写情」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。

This line writes that when the King of Wu lived, they dared not come out; through the king it writes the lost splendor of Wu, the key contrast.

今日公然来浣纱。

Today they openly come to wash their yarn.

今日公然来浣纱。

Today, openly, they come to wash silk.

结句写今日公然来浣纱，是全诗立意的落点。「今日公然」写今日公然，「今日」写今日、「公然」写公然；「来浣纱」写来浣纱，「来」写来、「浣纱」写浣纱。一句写今日公然来浣纱，以今日公然写公然、以来浣纱写来浣纱，写尽今日公然来浣纱之情。以纱写情，明丽而怀古，是全诗最动人处，也是「以纱写情」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。

The closing line writes that today, openly, they come to wash silk; through the silk it lands the feeling — the washerwomen now free, a quiet reflection on the palace days of Xi Shi.

Study

Word focus

钱塘 'Qiantang': the Qiantang River at Hangzhou, heartland of the ancient state of Wu and legendary home of Xi Shi; naming it loads the river scene with the memory of plundered beauty. 「钱塘」写钱塘江畔是谁家，是写钱塘之态的关键。「钱塘江畔是谁家」着一「钱塘」，写钱塘——着一「钱塘」，写钱塘江畔是谁家，见其塘之钱。两字写尽钱塘之态，是「以词写塘」的妙笔。「钱塘」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
女儿 'Girls': the young women of the river — ordinary village girls, yet the poem's praise ('they surpass all flowers') makes them the equals of legend's beauties. 「女儿」写江上女儿全胜花，是写女儿之态的关键。「江上女儿全胜花」着一「女儿」，写女儿——着一「女儿」，写江上女儿全胜花，见其儿之女。两字写尽女儿之态，是「以词写女」的点睛之词。「女儿」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
吴王 'King of Wu': King Fuchai of Wu, whose court requisitioned beauties (the Xi Shi legend); the name turns the poem's second couplet from river sketch into historical contrast. 「吴王」写吴王在时不得出，是写吴王之态的关键。「吴王在时不得出」着一「吴王」，写吴王——着一「吴王」，写吴王在时不得出，见其王之吴。两字写尽吴王之态，是「以词写王」的点睛之词。「吴王」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
浣纱 'Washing yarn': Xi Shi's signature act and the emblem of the beautiful girl of the Qiantang; here it is ordinary work done in the open — the poem's proof that beauty now belongs to no despot. 「浣纱」写今日公然来浣纱，是写浣纱之态的关键。「今日公然来浣纱」着一「浣纱」，写浣纱——着一「浣纱」，写今日公然来浣纱，见其纱之浣。两字写尽浣纱之态，是「以词写纱」的点睛之词。「浣纱」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

Related Reading

水调歌头·明月几时有 Prelude to Water Melody ('How long will the full moon appear?') 苏轼 · 同写怀古感怀、明丽旷达，一写人有悲欢离合、一写钱塘江畔是谁家江上女儿全胜花，皆于怀古之中见明丽 Both reflect on history and human feeling with bright, far-reaching breadth — one on the moon's eternal law, one on a river's changed fortunes.

Su Shi lifts his eyes from the festival to the moon and finds the law of parting and reunion; Wang Changling lifts his eyes from the river girls to the age of King Fuchai and finds a measure of the present's freedom. Both quatrains turn a bright surface into reflection through a single turn of vision — one philosophical, one historical.

苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全」，写怀古感怀、明丽旷达，是宋词长调的名篇；王昌龄《浣纱女》则以「钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花」「今日公然来浣纱」写全胜花、来浣纱。两诗同写怀古感怀、明丽旷达：一写人有悲欢离合、以悲欢写离合，一写钱塘江畔是谁家江上女儿全胜花、以女儿写怀古；一为苏轼之旷达、一为王昌龄之明丽，并读正可见诗写「怀古感怀」的两种笔法，皆于怀古之中见明丽。

 八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Eight Beats of the Ganzhou Melody ('Facing the drizzling evening rain that sprinkles the sky') 柳永 · 同写江畔凝望、明丽清丽，一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写钱塘江畔是谁家江上女儿全胜花，皆于江畔之中见凝望 Both gaze at river scenery with clear, melancholy-tinged coloring — one longing for home, one comparing past and present on the same bank.

Liu Yong's river is drenched in the wanderer's homesickness; Wang Changling's river glows with present freedom precisely because it once belonged to a plundering court. The same river landscape yields sorrow in one and quiet celebration in the other, each poet finding in the water the color of his own heart.

柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「对潇潇暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋」，写江畔凝望、明丽清丽，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；王昌龄《浣纱女》则以「钱塘江畔是谁家，江上女儿全胜花」「吴王在时不得出」写全胜花、不得出。两诗同写江畔凝望、明丽清丽：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写钱塘江畔是谁家江上女儿全胜花、以女儿写怀古；一为柳永之清丽、一为王昌龄之明丽，并读正可见诗写「江畔凝望」的两种笔法，皆于江畔之中见凝望。