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魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem

捣衣

Pounding Clothes

谢惠连

Xie Huilian

离别/抒情Parting/Lyric 爱情/相思Love/Longing

衡纪无淹度，晷运倏如催。
白露滋园菊，秋风落庭槐。
肃肃莎鸡羽，烈烈寒螀啼。
夕阴结空幕，霄月皓中闺。
美人戒裳服，端饰相招携。
簪玉出北房，鸣金步南阶。
櫩高砧响发，楹长杵声哀。
微芳起两袖，轻汗染双题。
纨素既已成，君子行未归。
裁用笥中刀，缝为万里衣。
盈箧自余手，幽缄候君开。

The stars move without delay, time rushes as if urged.
White dew moistens garden chrysanthemums, autumn wind fells courtyard locusts.
Rustling are the wings of katydids, piercingly cry the cold cicadas.
Evening shadows weave an empty curtain, bright moon shines in the inner chamber.
The beauty readies her garment, adorned, she summons company.
With jade hairpin, she leaves the north room; with golden ornaments, she steps down the south stairs.
From high eaves come the pounding sounds; from long pillars, the saddening beat of mallets.
Faint fragrance rises from her sleeves, light sweat stains her forehead.
The plain silk is already cut, yet the gentleman has not returned.
She cuts with the scissors from the case, sews a garment for a thousand miles.
The full box is her own handiwork, tightly sealed, awaiting your opening.

Listen

Meaning

The poem describes a woman pounding clothes for her absent husband on an autumn night, expressing her longing and sorrow through vivid imagery and sounds.

星移斗转从不停留，时光匆匆如被催逼。白露润泽园中菊，秋风凋落庭前槐。莎鸡振翅肃肃作响，寒蝉啼声凄厉。夕阴暗结空帐，明月照亮深闺。美人备办寒衣，整饰仪容相邀同去。玉簪插鬓走出北房，金饰叮咚步下南阶。高檐下砧声捣响，长柱旁杵声哀哀。微香起自两袖，轻汗沾湿双额。素绢已然裁好，远行的君子却仍未归。取匣中剪刀裁料，缝成寄往万里之外的寒衣。满箱皆出我手，密密封好等待君来开启。

Appreciation

Xie Huilian, a younger cousin of Xie Lingyun, is known for 'Rhyme on Snow' and this poem. The poem uses the autumn night pounding scene to express a wife's longing for her absent husband. It begins with the passing of time and desolate autumn scenery, then describes the lady's appearance and the sounds of pounding, with delicate details like 'faint fragrance' and 'light sweat'. It ends with a turn: the silk is ready but the gentleman has not returned, then sewing and sending the garment, leaving a lingering melancholy. Artistically, the poem is carefully parallel, with elegant diction and a blend of sight and sound. The pounding sounds convey sorrow, turning longing into night labor, subtle and deep, foreshadowing Tang dynasty boudoir poetry.

【白话串讲】谢惠连写女子捣衣：白露润园菊，秋风落庭槐。“美人戒裳服，端饰相招携”——她们精心打扮，一起去捣衣。“櫩高砧响发，楹长杵声哀”——捣衣声从傍晚响到深夜。一声声，都在为征人赶制冬衣。【意象与手法】本诗工于铺陈与对仗，通篇几乎句句对偶，辞藻清丽而不浮靡【情感与主旨】谢惠连（407—433），陈郡阳夏人，谢灵运族弟，少有才名，官至彭城王法曹参军。其《捣衣》为南朝咏物闺情代表之作【名句点睛】中高考若选此诗，多考景物描写作用、对仗特色与思妇形象。要点：一、前四联秋景如何营造氛围、烘托相思

Background

Xie Huilian (407-433), from Chenjun Yangxia, was a younger cousin of Xie Lingyun. He showed talent early and served as an official. This poem is a representative work of Six Dynasties object-chanting and boudoir poetry. Since Han and Wei, 'pounding clothes' became a literary motif for wives making cold-weather clothes for their soldier husbands at night. By the Southern Dynasties, the theme became more refined. This poem was written in late autumn, using the story of a lady pounding and sewing clothes for a distant traveler to express longing for an absent husband. The line 'the gentleman has not returned' points to the military service background, reflecting the frequent corvée and separation pains of the Southern Dynasties, as well as the refined sentiment of noble women.

《捣衣》是南朝宋诗人谢惠连所作。谢惠连（397—433），陈郡阳夏人，谢灵运之族弟，十岁能文，与谢灵运并称“大小谢”，曾任彭城王刘义康法曹参军，年二十七而卒。捣衣是古代妇女秋夜捣洗寒衣的劳作，其时妇女以木杵在砧石上捶捣衣料，使其平整，并为远行的丈夫缝制寒衣。南朝时期，征戍频繁，思妇怀人成为诗歌的重要题材，捣衣诗遂成一体。此诗写秋夜捣衣的思妇：白露滋菊、秋风落槐，莎鸡鸣、寒螀啼，美人在秋夜捣衣，为远行的“君子”缝制万里寒衣。全诗以秋夜起兴，以捣衣写思，把闺中怀远之情与秋夜的寒砧之声融为一体，是南朝捣衣诗的代表作。谢惠连年寿不永而诗才甚高，此诗即其代表作，以工丽的笔触写深婉的闺情，见出南朝诗歌“绮靡”而“情深”的特点。

Art

The poem excels in descriptive detail and parallelism; almost every couplet is antithetical, with elegant but not ostentatious diction. The opening uses 'Hengji' and 'guiyun' to introduce the passage of time; 'white dew moistens garden chrysanthemums, autumn wind fells courtyard locusts' contrasts moisture and falling, engaging both sight and sound. The reduplicated 'rustling' and 'piercing' imitate sounds, while 'evening shadows' and 'bright moon' set color, creating a desolate atmosphere. The middle section 'with jade hairpin, she leaves the north room; with golden ornaments, she steps down the south stairs' describes the lady's graceful bearing, and 'faint fragrance rises from her sleeves, light sweat stains her forehead' conveys vivid details. The ending shifts from scene to emotion, from action to thought, and the 'pounding sound' and 'saddening beat' use sound to express sorrow, leaving a lingering resonance, embodying the beauty of Southern Dynasty poetry.

《捣衣》艺术上以秋夜起兴、以景写情见长，是南朝闺怨诗的代表作。全诗结构清晰：前八句写秋夜之景——“衡纪无淹度，晷运倏如催”写时光飞逝（衡纪指北斗、晷运指日影），开篇即见时序之速；“白露滋园菊，秋风落庭槐”以白露、秋风写秋之已深；“肃肃莎鸡羽，烈烈寒螀啼”以莎鸡（纺织娘）、寒螀（寒蝉）的鸣声写秋夜之寂；“夕阴结空幕，霄月皓中闺”以暮色结幕、明月照闺写闺中之夜。中四句写美人之出——“美人戒裳服，端饰相招携”写其整装相邀，“簪玉出北房，鸣金步南阶”以簪玉、鸣金写其妆饰之盛、步履之雅。后六句写捣衣与缝衣——“櫩高砧响发，楹长杵声哀”写高檐下砧声响起、长柱间杵声含哀；“微芳起两袖，轻汗染双题”写捣衣时袖中香气、额上微汗；“纨素既已成，君子行未归”写衣料已成而行人未归；“裁用笥中刀，缝为万里衣”写裁衣缝衣、为万里之外的行人；“盈箧自余手，幽缄候君开”写亲手装满箱箧、封存以待君启。全诗由景而人、由人而衣、由衣而情，层层推进，把捣衣这一日常劳作写得情致深婉，是南朝咏物抒情的佳作。

Allusions

The 'pounding clothes' motif inherits the Han yuefu 'Pounding Clothes Song' and the folk custom of autumn pestle. Wei-Jin poets like Cao Pi and Xie Huilian wrote famous pieces. 'Katydids' comes from the Book of Songs 'July' where 'In the sixth month, katydids flap their wings', here indicating the season. 'Gentleman' derives from the Book of Songs as a respectful term for husband. 'Scissors from the case' refers to dressing case scissors. 'Garment for a thousand miles' uses the folk theme of sending clothes. The allusions mostly come from the Book of Songs, Chu Ci, and yuefu traditions, naturally integrated, giving the boudoir theme a refined quality.

《捣衣》用典不多而语汇精雅。“衡纪”指北斗（古人以斗柄指向计时），“晷运”指日影运行，皆取天文之象写时光；“莎鸡”即纺织娘，出《诗经·豳风·七月》“六月莎鸡振羽”，为秋虫之典；“寒螀”指寒蝉，出《楚辞》及汉魏诗中的秋蝉意象；“君子行未归”之“君子”，出《诗经·王风·君子于役》“君子于役，不知其期”，是思妇对丈夫的称呼，正是《诗经》思妇传统的直接承袭；“万里衣”写寒衣之远，暗含征戍怀远之意。全诗以《诗经》之典写闺思，以天文虫鸟之象写秋夜，正是南朝诗人“以典入诗、以雅化俗”的手法。

Commentary

Zhong Rong's 'Shipin' ranks Xie Huilian in the middle grade, saying he is 'rich and quick in talent'. Shen Yue's 'Songshu' says his 'writings are all passed down'. This 'Pounding Clothes' has always been regarded as a masterfully crafted Southern Dynasty boudoir poem. Ming dynasty Hu Yinglin praised it as 'gorgeous yet plain'. Modern critics note its ordered description and blend of sound and emotion; although slightly ornate, it is sincere and subtle, influencing Tang poets like Wang Changling and Li Bai in their boudoir poems, serving as an example of the transition from ancient simplicity to regulated verse in Six Dynasties lyrical poetry.

《捣衣》是谢惠连的代表作，也是南朝捣衣诗的开山之作。捣衣诗自谢惠连始盛，此后温子昇、杜甫皆有《捣衣》之作，可见此体影响之远。论者多赏其以秋夜起兴、以砧声写情的深婉笔致：“櫩高砧响发，楹长杵声哀”以砧杵之声写思妇之哀，向为传诵；“缝为万里衣”写寒衣之远，更见情之深。此诗与《古诗十九首》的闺怨传统一脉相承，而语言更为工丽，意象更为鲜明，正见南朝诗歌由汉魏的质朴转向绮靡的轨迹。谢惠连年二十七而卒，此诗遂成其诗才的见证，也与谢灵运的山水诗并称“大小谢”的双璧。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem (Southern Dynasty boudoir poem, fully parallel)五言古诗

Rhyme Alternating level and oblique tones, rhyming every other line (cuī/huái/tí/guī/xié/jiē/āi/tí/guī/yī/kāi)《捣衣》为五言古诗，十八句，用韵：催、槐（灰部）、啼、闺（齐部）、携、阶（皆部）、哀、题（微部）、归、衣、开（微部），大体随段落转韵，音节流转。五言句式整齐，宜于写景抒情。

Tone pattern Five-character meter, gradually tending toward regulated verse with strict parallelism五言古诗以气韵为主，此诗前八句写景，音节舒缓，如秋夜之悠长；中四句写人之出，音节从容，如美人步履之雅；后六句写捣衣缝衣，音节渐转低回，如砧声之哀。全诗以五言写景写人写情，声情与内容相合，正是南朝五言的工丽风格。

Reading note Though an ancient-style poem, it has many regulated lines, reflecting the transition from ancient to regulated verse in the Six Dynasties.《捣衣》为五言古诗，是南朝捣衣诗的开山之作。五言诗在南朝趋于绮靡，此诗正以其工丽之笔写深婉之情：写秋夜则虫鸣月照，写美人之妆饰簪玉，写捣衣则砧哀杵哀，层层铺陈，声色并茂。其结构由时、景、人、衣、情五层递进，章法井然。捣衣诗自谢惠连始盛，此后温子昇、庾信、杜甫皆有拟作，可见此体影响之深远。此诗与谢灵运的山水诗并称“大小谢”之双璧，正见南朝诗歌由玄言转向山水、由山水转向闺情的轨迹。

Line by line

衡纪无淹度，晷运倏如催。白露滋园菊，秋风落庭槐。

The stars do not linger in their course; the sun's shadow moves as if urged. White dew nourishes garden chrysanthemums; autumn wind strips the courtyard scholar trees.

北斗的运行从不片刻停留，日影的推移倏忽如催。白露滋润着园中的菊花，秋风吹落庭前的槐叶。

The stars do not linger; the sun-dial shifts as if hurried. White dew moistens garden chrysanthemums; autumn wind strips the courtyard scholar-trees.

起四句以时序之速与秋景之深起兴，是全诗的引子。“衡纪无淹度，晷运倏如催”写时光飞逝——北斗不淹留、日影如催促，“倏如催”三字写光阴之迫促，为“捣衣”的紧迫感张本；“白露滋园菊，秋风落庭槐”写秋景已深——白露滋润园菊，是菊盛之时；秋风摇落庭槐，是叶落之候。四句一写时、一写景，以时序的紧迫与秋色的萧瑟，为后文美人之捣衣布下浓重的季节氛围。秋深而寒衣未寄，正是捣衣的由头，也是思妇怀人的背景。

These four lines open with the season's speed and depth, the poem's introduction. The stars do not linger; the sun-dial shifts as if hurried writes time's urgent passage. White dew moistens garden chrysanthemums; autumn wind strips the courtyard scholar-trees writes the deep autumn. The two lines of time and two of scenery set the season's urgency and the autumn's desolation, preparing the washing-clothes scene. Deep autumn, winter clothes not yet sent - this is the reason for washing clothes, and the background for the longing wife.

肃肃莎鸡羽，烈烈寒螀啼。夕阴结空幕，霄月皓中闺。

Sough, sough the katydid's wings; shrill, shrill the autumn cicada cries. Evening gloom forms an empty curtain; the night moon brightens the inner chamber.

莎鸡振翅发出肃肃之声，寒蝉鸣叫得多么凄厉。傍晚的阴云结成空幕，夜月照亮了闺房之中。

Sough the katydid's wings; shrill the autumn cicada's cry. Evening clouds form an empty curtain; the moon brightens the inner chamber.

此四句写秋夜之声与闺中之月，是气氛的加浓。“肃肃莎鸡羽”以《诗经》“六月莎鸡振羽”写纺织娘振翅之声，“烈烈寒螀啼”写寒蝉之鸣——“肃肃”“烈烈”皆以叠字写声之凄切，秋虫的鸣叫越发显出夜的寂静；“夕阴结空幕”写暮色如幕笼罩，“霄月皓中闺”写明月照进闺中——“皓”字写月之明洁，“中闺”写闺房之所在。四句由声而色、由外而内，把秋夜的萧瑟与闺中的孤寂写得层层加深，为美人之出作了充分的铺垫。此处的虫鸣月照，皆是闺中人彻夜不寐的背景。

These four lines write the autumn night's sounds and the chamber's moon, thickening the atmosphere. Sough the katydid's wings; shrill the autumn cicada's cry uses doubled adjectives for the insects' sad sound, making the night more quiet. Evening clouds form an empty curtain; the moon brightens the inner chamber writes the dusk and the moonlight in the wife's room. The four lines move from sound to sight, from outside to inside, deepening the autumn night's desolation and the chamber's loneliness, preparing the beauty's entrance.

美人戒裳服，端饰相招携。簪玉出北房，鸣金步南阶。

The beauty readies her robe; carefully adorned, she calls her companions. With jade hairpins she leaves the north chamber; with ringing gold she steps down the south stairs.

美人整理好衣裳，端正妆饰、相互招呼同行。簪着玉饰走出北房，佩着金饰步下南阶。

The beauty readies her dress; carefully adorned, she calls her companions. With jade pins she leaves the north room; with ringing gold she descends the south steps.

此四句写美人之出，是全诗由景入人的转折。“美人戒裳服”写其整理衣裳——“戒”有准备之意，写捣衣前的整装；“端饰相招携”写其端正妆饰、相邀同行——捣衣非一人，或与同伴相携；“簪玉出北房，鸣金步南阶”以“簪玉”“鸣金”写其妆饰之盛，以“出北房”“步南阶”写其步履之雅。四句写美人的出场，从容而有仪态：不是匆匆劳作，而是郑重其事地为远行之人捣衣。南朝诗歌写女子多工于妆饰，此诗以“簪玉”“鸣金”写思妇，正是这一传统的体现，也见出她对捣衣这件事的郑重。

These four lines write the beauty's entrance, the poem's turning from scenery to person. The beauty readies her dress; carefully adorned, she calls her companions writes the preparation and the calling of friends - washing clothes is not solitary. With jade pins she leaves the north room; with ringing gold she descends the south stairs writes the adornment and the dignified steps. The entrance is not hurried labor but solemn preparation - she washes clothes for the traveler. This is the Southern dynasty's tradition of writing women's adornment, showing the wife's seriousness.

櫩高砧响发，楹长杵声哀。微芳起两袖，轻汗染双题。

Beneath the high eave the anvil sound starts; between the long pillars the mallet's note is sad. A faint fragrance rises from her sleeves; light sweat stains her temples.

高檐下砧声响起，长柱间杵声含哀。微微的香气从两袖泛起，轻汗染湿了双额。

Under the high eave the anvil sound begins; between long pillars the mallet's note is sad. A faint fragrance rises from her sleeves; light stains her temples with sweat.

此四句写捣衣之劳与砧声之哀，是全诗的核心。“櫩高砧响发，楹长杵声哀”写捣衣之声——“砧”是垫衣的石，“杵”是捣衣的木棒，高檐下砧声响起、长柱间杵声含哀，“发”写声之起、“哀”写声之悲，砧杵之声在秋夜中回响，声声含愁；“微芳起两袖，轻汗染双题”写捣衣之劳——“微芳”写袖中暗香，“轻汗染双题”写额上微汗，捣衣的辛劳与芬芳并见。四句一写声、一写人，砧声之哀与捣衣之劳相映，把思妇的劳作写得既辛苦又深情。这一“哀”字，是全诗情感的点睛——砧声本无心，而思妇听之含哀。

These four lines write the washing labor and the anvil's sad sound, the poem's core. Under the high eave the anvil sound begins; between long pillars the mallet's note is sad writes the anvil and mallet, start and sad - the sound carries grief. A faint fragrance rises from her sleeves; light stains her temples with sweat writes the labor's small details - fragrance and sweat together. The sad character is the poem's emotional key: the anvil has no heart, yet the wife hears grief in it. This couplet links the sound and the labor, making the work both hard and loving.

纨素既已成，君子行未归。裁用笥中刀，缝为万里衣。盈箧自余手，幽缄候君开。

The white silk is now ready; my lord has not returned from his journey. I cut with scissors from the box, sew robes for ten thousand li. The case is full, all from my hands; I seal it tightly, waiting for him to open.

白色的绢布已经捣成，而远行的君子还未归来。用箱中的剪刀裁剪，缝成寄往万里的寒衣。亲手装满了箱箧，密密封存，等待夫君开启。

The white silk is ready; my lord has not returned. I cut with the box's scissors, sew robes for ten thousand li. The case is full, all from my hands; I seal it tightly, waiting for him to open.

末六句写缝衣与寄衣之思，是全诗情感的归结。“纨素既已成，君子行未归”写衣成而人未归——“纨素”是捣成的白绢，衣料已成而行人未归，是此诗最见怅惘的一笔；“裁用笥中刀，缝为万里衣”写裁缝寒衣——“笥中刀”是箱中剪刀，“万里衣”写衣将寄往万里之外，一“万里”写尽离思之远；“盈箧自余手，幽缄候君开”写亲手装箱、密密封存——“自余手”写亲手所制，“候君开”写等待夫君开启。六句由捣成而缝制而封缄，层层推进，把寒衣从制作到寄出的过程写尽，而“君子行未归”的怅惘与“候君开”的期待，正是思妇全部的情感。衣成而人未归，衣寄而人未回，捣衣的深情，尽在未言之中。

These six lines close on the sewing and sending of the robes, the poem's emotional resolution. The white silk is ready; my lord has not returned writes the ready cloth and the absent husband - the poem's most wistful line. I cut with the box's scissors, sew robes for ten thousand li writes the making of the robes for a faraway husband. The case is full, all from my hands; I seal it tightly, waiting for him to open writes the packing and sealing. The six lines move from washing to sewing to sealing, exhausting the robes' making and sending; the not-returned and the waiting-for-him-to-open hold all the wife's feeling. The robes are made and sent, yet the husband does not return; the deep love of washing clothes is in the unspoken.

Study

Word focus

倏如催 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “晷运倏如催”之“倏如催”，写时光之飞逝如被催促，是全诗时序感的起点。“倏”写迅疾，“如催”写仿佛被鞭策，光阴不是流逝，而是被催促着前进。这一词为全诗定了紧迫的基调：秋深了，寒衣未寄，时间不等人。以“催”写时，把抽象的时光写得有行动力，正是南朝诗人炼字之工。

哀 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “楹长杵声哀”之“哀”，写砧杵之声含悲，是全诗情感的关键字。砧杵本无情，捣衣之声何哀之有？着“哀”字，是以听者之心度物——思妇听砧声，声声皆是离愁。这一字把捣衣的劳作从体力之事升华为情感之事：不是捶衣，是捶心。以“哀”写声，正是“以我观物，故物皆着我之色彩”的先声。

万里衣 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “缝为万里衣”之“万里衣”，写缝制寄往万里之外的寒衣，是全诗最见深情的三个字。“万里”极言其远——夫在万里之外，衣亦将赴万里之遥；“衣”是寒衣，是思妇一针一线的深情。以“万里”写衣，把一件寒衣写得重逾千钧：这不仅是御寒之衣，更是跨越万里的思念。三字写出思妇对远方之人的全部牵挂，是“捣衣诗”中不可多得的深情之笔。

幽缄 deeply sealed, tightly closed “幽缄候君开”之“幽缄”，写密密封存之状，是写思妇情感的收束字。“幽”写其深密，“缄”写其封存——亲手缝制的寒衣，密密封存于箱箧，等待夫君开启。“幽缄”二字，既是封衣，也是封情：把千言万语都缝进衣中、封进箱里，只等那个人回来开启。这一词把思妇含蓄而深沉的爱写得恰到好处，正是南朝闺怨诗“蕴藉”的风格。

捣衣