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先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗 Poem

卫风·木瓜

Wei Airs: Papaya

诗经

Shijing (Book of Songs)

赠答Gift Exchange 情谊Friendship 卫风Wei Airs 爱情Love 诗经Book of Songs

投我以木瓜，报之以琼琚。
匪报也，永以为好也。
投我以木桃，报之以琼瑶。
匪报也，永以为好也。
投我以木李，报之以琼玖。
匪报也，永以为好也。

You threw me a papaya; I repaid you with a jade pendant.
It is not repayment, but to be good to you forever.
You threw me a peach; I repaid you with a jasper pendant.
It is not repayment, but to be good to you forever.
You threw me a plum; I repaid you with a black jade pendant.
It is not repayment, but to be good to you forever.

Listen

Meaning

A simple gift of fruit is answered with precious jade, not because the gift must be repaid, but because the giver wishes to establish an everlasting bond of mutual affection. The repeated refrain 'It is not repayment' transforms an exchange of things into an exchange of hearts.

你将木瓜投赠我，我拿琼琚来回报。这哪里是答复报答，原是要永结同心相好。你将木桃投赠我，我拿琼瑶来回报。这哪里是答复报答，原是要永结同心相好。你将木李投赠我，我拿琼玖来回报。这哪里是答复报答，原是要永结同心相好。

Appreciation

One of the most beloved short poems in the Book of Songs. Each of the three stanzas changes only the names of the fruits and jades, while the refrain 'It is not repayment, but to be good to you forever' remains constant. This minimal variation creates a rondo-like effect that etches the logic 'give—repay—not repayment—everlasting love' into the reader's mind. The stark contrast between ordinary fruits and noble jades suggests that the heart matters more than the gift. Though often read as a love vow, it has also been interpreted politically; its universal emotional core explains its enduring popularity.

【白话串讲】 “投我以木瓜，报之以琼琚”——诗经《木瓜》：你送我木瓜，我回你美玉。“匪报也，永以为好也”——不是报答，是想永远和你好。诗经里最纯粹的以物定情。【意象与手法】三章叠唱，仅易“木瓜／木桃／木李”与“琼琚／琼瑶／琼玖”数字，以重章叠句强化“投桃报琼、情逾物贵”的意旨；以物与物对举，珍重情意本身而非礼物的贵贱。【情感与主旨】写赠答而超越礼物的贵贱，“匪报也，永以为好也”点明珍重的是情意本身，愿以此结为长久之好。旧说或附会美齐桓公、或解为君臣朋友男女之赠，今人多从爱情定情诗读之，其“礼轻情重”之意沉淀为中华民族“礼尚往来”的文化基因。【名句点睛】常考“投我以木瓜，报之以琼琚”以物对举写情谊之重；“匪报也，永以为好也”直点“礼轻情重”的主旨。

Background

The Mao school commentary claimed that the poem praises Duke Huan of Qi, who saved the state of Wei after it was defeated by the Di tribes, giving the people carriages and clothing. The Wei people, unable to repay him adequately, composed this poem to express their gratitude. Zhu Xi doubted this reading and suggested it was a song of mutual gift-giving between men and women. Modern scholars generally see it as a love pledge or a friendship vow. Regardless of historical setting, the exchange rooted in the Zhou principle of reciprocity—'to receive but not to give is against ritual; to give but not to receive is also against ritual'—finds its most poetic expression here.

《卫风·木瓜》的创作背景，汉儒与今解大异。《毛诗序》谓「美齐桓公也。卫国有狄人之败，出处于漕，齐桓公救而封之，遗之车马器服。卫人思之，欲厚报而不能，故作是诗以报之」，把一篇情意绵绵的赠答诗坐实为春秋政治——卫被狄灭、齐桓公迁而封之，卫人以此谢齐。此说影响甚广，但细味诗中「永以为好」的私密语气，终嫌牵强。朱熹《诗集传》已疑之，谓「疑亦男女相赠答之词」。现代学者多从情诗、定情诗解，认为它本为卫地民间男女互赠信物、永结盟好的歌谣，后被采入乐官。无论如何，诗中「投」与「报」的互动，确实根植于周代「礼尚往来」的社会伦理——「往而不来非礼也，来而不往亦非礼也」，《木瓜》正是这一伦理最诗意的表达。其产生时代约在春秋前期，是《国风》中篇幅极短却流传极广的抒情小品，以三章回环的单纯结构，承载了跨越君臣、朋友、恋人诸般关系的普遍人情。无论附会为美齐桓公还是解为男女定情，诗中「投」与「报」的互动都根植于周代礼尚往来的伦理，是「往而不来非礼也」最诗意的表达。

Art

The art lies in the extreme economy of the repeated stanzas. Each stanza changes only two nouns—'papaya/peach/plum' versus 'jade pendant/jasper/black jade'—while the rest remains identical. This symmetrical repetition acts like a seal stamping the message deeper with each impression. The contrast between common plant fruits and rare jades underscores the point: since the repayment cannot be equal in value, it proves the exchange is not barter. Parallel lines 'You threw me... I repaid you...' mirror the playful toss-and-catch of the gift, making the form a perfect reflection of the content.

《木瓜》的艺术魅力，在于以极简的重章叠句包孕极丰的情意。全诗三章，章四句，结构完全对称：每章仅换两组名词——「木瓜／木桃／木李」对「琼琚／琼瑶／琼玖」，其余「投我以……报之以……匪报也，永以为好也」一字不易。这种「易辞申意」的复沓，使诗歌如回旋曲般反复吟咏，把「投—报—非报—永好」的逻辑链条深深烙入读者记忆。其对比手法尤精炼：一方是「木瓜、木桃、木李」的寻常草木之果（甚至是「假果」），一方是「琼琚、琼瑶、琼玖」的稀世美玉，物之贵贱悬隔，却正凸显情之无价——若只为「报」，何须以玉偿果？故紧接着的「匪报也」一转，便把全诗从「交换」拔升到「交心」。句式上「投我以……报之以……」的平行对仗，节奏明快如投接之戏，与诗歌所写的赠答动作本身同构，是形式与内容高度统一的范例。三章仅易数字而情境如一，以极简的复沓包孕极丰的情意，使投木报琼的逻辑在反复吟咏中深烙读者记忆，是《国风》重章艺术的玲珑范本。

Allusions

The imagery of papaya, peach, and plum, all common fruits (quince, crabapple, medlar), deliberately opposed to jade, the noblest of stones, became a cultural symbol of the principle that human feeling outweighs material value. The phrase 'everlasting good' (yong yi wei hao) is a traditional expression for formal friendship or marriage. The poem gave rise to the idiom 'toss a peach, repay with a plum' and influenced later poets such as Zhang Heng, whose 'Four Sorrows' poem says, 'The lady gave me a golden knife; how could I repay her but with a bright jade?' The theme of 'ritual reciprocity with the heart, not the price tag' remains alive in the Chinese proverb 'The gift is light, but the feeling is heavy.'

《木瓜》意象渊深，早已化为文化符号。「木瓜、木桃、木李」皆蔷薇科草木的果实，在当时并非珍物，甚至「木李」即榅桲、「木桃」即楂子，皆寻常可食，诗人特意以「木」字统之，与「琼」字系列形成「草—玉」的质地对照，暗喻人情重于物质。「琼」为赤玉，古人以玉为至洁至贵之物，喻德亦喻情，琼琚、琼瑶、琼玖皆佩玉之美称，足见回报之郑重。「永以为好」之「好」训相好、和好，是周人结盟、定情的核心词（如「琴瑟在御，莫不静好」）。全诗最直接的影响，是凝成「投木报琼」「投桃报李」的成语谱系：晋陆机、唐李白（「谬接瑶华赠」）、张衡《四愁诗》「美人赠我金错刀，何以报之英琼瑶」皆承其绪。其「礼尚往来、情逾物贵」的母题，更成为中华文明人际交往的深层编码，至今活在我们说「礼轻情意重」的口头禅里。「投木报琼」遂凝为中华交际的永恒符号，张衡《四愁诗》「美人赠我金错刀，何以报之英琼瑶」即承其绪，可见此诗已沉淀为民族「礼轻情重」的文化基因。

Commentary

Three stanzas are like three prints of the same seal. The first stanza presents the scene: a papaya is thrown, a jade pendant is offered in return. The second changes only the names of the objects, yet the refrain remains unchanged. The third repeats the pattern once more. The poem shows that what changes—the names of the gifts—is trivial; what remains fixed—the vow of eternal good will—is essential. The repetition gives the short piece the solemnity of an oath, which is why it has been read as a love pledge, a friendship vow, and even a diplomatic promise.

全诗三章，章法如三度叠印，每一章都是一次完整的「赠—报—解—盟」。首章「投我以木瓜，报之以琼琚」先铺动作：对方以木瓜相投（先秦「投」为投掷、赠送，带亲昵的游戏感），我以琼琚玉佩回赠，物之贵贱已见反差。「匪报也，永以为好也」乃全篇诗眼——我并非要用玉去「偿还」你的木瓜（那便成了市井交易），而是借这回赠，表白「愿与你永结相好」的心意。次章易「木桃」为「琼瑶」、第三章易「木李」为「琼玖」，复沓同一逻辑：所投愈见其常（桃、李皆凡果），所报愈见其珍（瑶、玖皆美玉），而「匪报也，永以为好也」的誓言则不增不减、恒定如初。三章下来，读者明白：变的只是信物的名目，不变的是「永好」的承诺。这种以「不变」应「万变」的结构，恰似 vows 的三次确认，使短短十二句拥有了婚礼誓词般的分量，也解释了它为何能同时被读作爱情、友谊乃至邦交的颂歌。三章以不变应万变，唯信物名目递换而永好誓言恒定，使短诗有了盟誓般的庄严，无怪乎它能同时被读作爱情、友谊乃至邦交的颂歌。

Prosody

Reading note The English translation cannot reproduce the Chinese rhymes. The original effect depends on repetition with small variations, a hallmark of the Book of Songs.《卫风·木瓜》为三章重章体，每章四句，是《国风》中最短小精严的抒情结构之一。句式以四言为主（「投我以木瓜」「报之以琼琚」），间以「匪报也」「永以为好也」四字收束，节奏明快跳脱，与诗中投接赠答的活泼动作同构。押韵上，每章两句一转：首章「瓜」「琚」「好」鱼宵合韵（古音鱼部与宵部声近可通）；次章「桃」「瑶」「好」宵部相协；末章「李」「玖」「好」之幽合韵（李属之部、玖属幽部、好属宵部，三者旁转相谐）。三章韵脚随「木瓜—木桃—木李」「琼琚—琼瑶—琼玖」的更易而递换，形成「换景不改调」的复沓之美。尤为精妙的是，每章末句皆落脚于「好」字，使「永以为好也」成为贯穿三章的韵脚锚点与情感锚点，反复吟咏间，誓言的分量随复沓层层累积。整体声律简净而情韵悠长，是四言短章「以少总多、重章见义」的极致。

Line by line

投我以木瓜，报之以琼琚。

You threw me a papaya; I repaid you with a jade pendant. The contrast between a common fruit and precious jade initiates the central theme.

She throws me a quince; I answer with a jade pendant.

「投我以木瓜，报之以琼琚」是展开全诗的起手对句，亦是最具画面感的一投一接。「投」字生动——不是郑重呈上，而是随手抛赠，带着先秦民间交际中亲昵、游戏般的活泼；「木瓜」则是寻常草木之果，毫不起眼。对以「报之以琼琚」，琼琚为美玉佩饰，价值何啻天壤。这一「木」对「玉」的悬殊，正是全诗张力的源头：若只作等价回报，何须以玉偿果？正因物之不对等，才逼出下文的「匪报也」。句式上「投我以……报之以……」平行对仗，节奏明快如投接之戏，与诗歌所写的赠答动作同构，可说是「形式即内容」的早期典范。这一句也直接孕育了「投桃报李」「投木报琼」的成语，成为中国人表达「礼尚往来」时最先浮现在脑海的诗行。

'She throws me a quince; I answer with a jade pendant' is the opening couplet that unfolds the poem, and the most vivid throw-and-catch. The word 'throws' is lively—not solemnly presenting but casually tossing, carrying the intimacy and playful liveliness of early Qin folk exchange. The 'quince' is a common wild fruit, unremarkable. Set against 'I answer with a jade pendant,' the jade pendant a gem worth heaven apart. This disparity of 'wood' against 'jade' is the source of the poem's tension: if only equal repayment were meant, why repay fruit with jade? Precisely because the things are unequal, it forces out the later 'it is not repayment.' In phrasing, 'she throws me... I answer you...' is parallel and matched, the rhythm bright like the game of throw and catch, structurally isomorphous with the gifting it describes, an early model of 'form as content.' This line directly gave birth to the idioms 'throw a peach, return a plum' and 'return jade for wood,' the very lines that come first to mind when Chinese speak of 'reciprocity of courtesy.'

匪报也，永以为好也。

It is not repayment, but to be good to you forever. The final refrain seals the promise.

It is not repayment; forever I would be bound to you.

「匪报也，永以为好也」是全诗的诗眼与转折枢纽。「匪」通「非」，意谓「这并非为了报答」。前面刚写了以玉报果的厚重回赠，此处却断然否认它是「报」——因为一旦说是「报」，便把情意降格为市井的等价交换；诗人要强调的，是回赠之举背后的真心：「永以为好」，愿与你长久相好、永结盟契。两个字眼极重：「永」是时间的承诺，「好」是关系的定性，合起来便是一句不啻誓言的表白。它把诗歌从「赠答」的物质层面，一举提升至「交心」的精神层面，也解答了为何要以玉偿果的「不合算」——因为情的重量，原不在天平上称量。后世一切「礼轻情意重」的表达，其精神原型都蛰伏在这八个字里。

'It is not repayment; forever I would be bound to you' is the poem's eye and turning hinge. 'Not' is read as 'no,' meaning 'this is not to repay.' Just now was written the heavy return of jade for fruit, yet here it flatly denies it is 'repayment'—because once called 'repayment,' affection is lowered to the market's equal exchange; what the poet stresses is the true heart behind the gift: 'forever I would be bound,' willing to be long joined to you, to vow the bond forever. Two words are weighty: 'forever' the promise of time, 'bound' the definition of the relation, together a confession no less than a vow. It lifts the poem from the material plane of 'exchange of gifts' at once to the spiritual plane of 'hearts joined,' and answers the 'uneconomical' jade-for-fruit: because the weight of feeling is not weighed on a balance. The spiritual prototype of all later 'light gift, heavy feeling' expressions lies dormant in these eight characters.

投我以木李，报之以琼玖。

You threw me a plum; I repaid you with a black jade pendant. The third variation completes the cycle; the gift is most humble, the jade is still precious.

She throws me a wood-plum; I answer with dark jade.

「投我以木李，报之以琼玖」是末章的收束，亦是最圆满的一次确认。「木李」即榅桲，较之「木瓜」「木桃」更为凡常；「琼玖」为黑玉之美称，较之「琼琚」「琼瑶」更显深重。章法上，三章以「木瓜—木桃—木李」递降其常、「琼琚—琼瑶—琼玖」递显其珍，形成一条微妙的「物愈常、玉愈贵」的斜线，使「匪报也，永以为好也」的誓言在第三次重复时分量最足——你投来的哪怕最寻常的果子，我回赠的仍是最郑重的美玉，而初心不改。这种重章叠句的「三次确认」，近似仪式中的三复其言，赋予短诗以盟誓的庄严。末章收束亦使全诗在不增一字说理的情况下，以纯粹的形式重复完成了情感的累积与定型，是《国风》最简而最醇的抒情范例。

'She throws me a wood-plum; I answer with dark jade' is the close of the final stanza, and the fullest confirmation. The 'wood-plum' is the quince, more common still than the 'quince' and 'wood-peach'; 'dark jade' is an elegant name for black jade, deeper and heavier than the 'jade pendant' and 'jade girdle.' In structure, the three stanzas descend in commonness—quince, wood-peach, wood-plum—and rise in preciousness—jade pendant, jade girdle, dark jade—forming a subtle diagonal of 'the commoner the gift, the pricier the jade,' so that the vow 'it is not repayment, forever I would be bound' carries its fullest weight on the third repetition: however common the fruit you throw, I return the most solemn jade, the original heart unchanged. This 'threefold confirmation' of repeated stanzas is like the thrice-repeated word in a ritual, endowing the short poem with the solemnity of a vow. The close of the final stanza also completes the poem, without adding a word of argument, through pure formal repetition accumulating and fixing the emotion—the simplest yet richest lyrical model of the Airs of the States.

Study

Word focus

琼琚 A jade girdle pendant; a precious ornament symbolic of high value and pure feeling. 「报之以琼琚」之「琼琚」，琼为赤玉、美玉之通称，琚为佩玉之名，合言即华美的玉佩。「琼」在《诗经》中是高贵与纯洁的双重符号（如「尚之以琼华乎而」），古人以玉比德，故以琼玉为赠，远超物质价值，而指向「德」与「情」的郑重。诗中三章分用「琼琚」「琼瑶」「琼玖」，皆佩玉美称，仅色泽微异（琚温润、瑶洁白、玖苍黑），既避免复沓之呆，又保持「以玉为报」的统一意象。值得玩味的是，诗人偏不以「金」而以「玉」回报——玉在华夏文化中是「君子之德」的物化，用以回应「木瓜」之投，恰是把一场游戏般的赠答升格为人格相许。一个「琼」字，奠定了全诗「重情轻物」的价值基调，也使「琼瑶」一词在后世成为情谊与诗文的雅称。

永好 A key expression in this poem; read it with the Chinese note below. 「匪报也，永以为好也」之「永好」，「永」训长、久，「好」训相好、亲爱（古「好」本兼友爱、婚好二义）。二字合言，即「长久相好、永结盟契」，是全诗情感的最终落点。它的分量，在于把一次具体的「投—报」动作，拓展为对一段关系恒久性的承诺——不是一时的礼尚往来，而是一生的「以为好」。在《诗经》语境里，「好」常用于婚恋盟誓（如「琴瑟在御，莫不静好」「言笑晏晏，信誓旦旦」），故「永好」天然带有定情、结契的私密温度。诗人三章皆以「永以为好也」收束，使其如誓词般反复确认，赋予了这首短诗以婚礼般的重量。后世「永好」「百年好合」诸语，其抒情基因正可溯至此篇。

匪 A loan character for '非' meaning 'not'; it negates the idea of repayment. 「匪报也」之「匪」，通「非」，表否定，意为「不是」。在《诗经》中「匪」是极高频的虚词（如「匪来贸丝」「匪伊垂之」），常用于转折或强调，以「不是……而是……」的句式引出真意。本诗中「匪报也」紧接厚重的「报之以琼琚」之后，构成一个漂亮的语义反转：你以为我是在「报答」？不，我不是在报答。这一个「匪」字，瞬间把诗歌从「等价交换」的逻辑中解救出来，腾出空间让「永以为好」的真心登场。它虽只是个否定词，却在全诗结构中承担着「破」与「立」的枢纽功能——先破「报」之俗解，后立「好」之至情。可见《诗经》炼虚词如炼实字，一个「匪」便翻转了整首诗的立意。