汉 Han · 乐府 Yuefu ballad
陇西行
Song of Longxi
天上何所有，历历种白榆。
桂树夹道生，青龙对道隅。
凤凰鸣啾啾，一母将九雏。
顾视世间人，为乐甚独殊。
好妇出迎客，颜色正敷愉。
伸腰再拜跪，问客平安不。
请客北堂上，坐客毡氍毹。
清白各异樽，酒上正华疏。
酌酒持与客，客言主人持。
却略再拜跪，然后持一杯。
谈笑未及竟，左顾敕中厨。
促令办粗饭，慎莫使稽留。
废礼送客出，盈盈府中趋。
送客亦不远，足不过门枢。
取妇得如此，齐姜亦不如。
健妇持门户，亦胜一丈夫。
Cassia trees line the road; the green dragon faces the corner.
The phoenix chirps; one mother leads her nine young.
She looks down on the world's folk, whose joy is quite unlike.
A good wife comes out to greet the guest, her face serene and glad.
She straightens, bows on her knees, asks if the guest is well.
She bids him to the north hall; on rugs of felt he sits.
Clear and cloudy wines in separate jars; the wine shows bright foam.
She lifts the cup and offers it; the guest says, 'The host first'.
She draws back, bows again, then takes up her cup.
Before talk and laughter end, she turns and bids the cook
Hasten the plain meal, lest it be delayed.
She sees the guest off with full ceremony, gliding through the court.
She does not see him far - her feet pass not the threshold.
To win a wife like this, even Qi Jiang could not compare.
A capable wife who keeps the house surpasses even a man.
Meaning
What is in heaven? Clearly the white elms are planted there. Cassia trees line the way; the green dragon faces the road's corner. The phoenix chirps, one mother with her nine young. Looking down on the world's people, their joy is quite other. A good woman comes out to greet the guest, her countenance cheerful. She straightens and kneels in bow, asking if the guest is well. She invites him to the north hall, where he sits on woollen rugs. Clear and cloudy wines in separate vessels, with bright foam upon them. She pours and offers to the guest, who says, 'The host first'. She draws back and bows again, then takes her cup. Before their talk and laughter end, she turns and orders the kitchen to hasten a plain meal, lest it delay. She sends the guest off with ceremony, gliding in the court. She does not see him far - her feet pass not the threshold. To take a wife like this, even Qi Jiang could not match. A strong wife who keeps the door surpasses a man.
天上有什么？分明种着白榆树。桂树夹着道路而生，青龙正对着路角。凤凰啾啾鸣叫，一只母凤带着九只雏凤。回头看世间的人，他们的快乐多么与众不同。能干的主妇出门迎接客人，容颜正和悦愉悦。直腰再拜跪，问候客人平安与否。请客人到北堂上坐，请客人坐在毡氍毹上。清酒浊酒各用不同的酒樽，酒面上浮着华美的浮沫。斟酒递给客人，客人说请主人先饮。谦退再拜跪，然后拿起一杯。谈笑还未结束，回头吩咐厨房。催促快备粗饭，千万不要让客人滞留。尽礼送客出门，轻盈地在府中快步。送客也不远送，脚步不出门槛。娶妻能得到这样的女子，齐姜也比不上。能干的妇人主持门户，也胜过一般男子。
Appreciation
The poem falls in two parts. It opens with 'What is there in heaven', spreading white elms, cassia, the green dragon, the phoenix - auspicious images that build a clear, peaceful realm; then turns with 'she looks down on the world's folk' to a warm scene of a good wife receiving a guest. From the ritual of 'straightens and bows on her knees' to the hospitality of 'clear and cloudy wines in separate jars', to the thoughtful 'hasten the plain meal', the layers are orderly. The language blends parallel and prose, the dialogue lively ('is the guest well', 'the host first'), the detail vivid. It closes by praising 'a capable wife who keeps the house surpasses even a man' - a fresh, commendatory close on the able wife.
【白话串讲】 汉乐府写天上的景象：白榆星像树一样种在天空，桂树夹道，凤凰带着九只小鸟。人间的女主人殷勤待客：“伸腰再拜跪，问客平安不”——汉代人的好客，写得这么实在。 【意象与手法】 诗分两层：先以「天上何所有」领起，铺陈白榆、桂树、青龙、凤凰等祥瑞意象，营造澄明祥和之境；后以「顾视世间人」转笔，工笔细描好妇迎客的整个过程——从伸腰再拜跪的礼节，到清白各异樽的待客，再到促令办粗饭的周到有礼，层次井然，细节传神，末以「健妇持门户，亦胜一丈夫」点题。 【情感与主旨】 《陇西行》属汉乐府相和歌辞瑟调曲，古辞多写陇西风物或边地征戍，此篇却别具一格：前半以天上仙境起兴，后半转入人间好妇迎客的温馨场景，借天上祥瑞映射人间和乐，赞美女性持家之能，立意清新，是汉乐府中难得的温馨篇章。 【名句点睛】 赏析重点：①「天上何所有，历历种白榆」的浪漫想象与起兴手法；②「好妇出迎客」至「足不过门枢」的叙事层次与细节白描；③「健妇持门户，亦胜一丈夫」点题句对女性价值的肯定。
Background
'Song of Longxi' belongs to the Han yuefu 'Xianghe' tunes; the old lyrics often wrote the scenery of Longxi (today's Gansu) or the border garrisons. This piece is of another kind: its first half rises with the heavenly paradise (white elms, cassia, green dragon, phoenix) and its second turns to a warm scene of a good wife welcoming a guest. The Han music bureau's song-collecting was meant to view customs and know the people; this poem, perhaps shaped by the musicians, maps earthly harmony through heavenly auspices, and also contains praise of the able wife who keeps the house. Its author and date are lost, a development of folk yuefu before the Eastern Han.
《陇西行》是汉乐府相和歌辞瑟调曲，《乐府诗集》卷三十七收录，一题《步出夏门行》，古辞多写陇西（今甘肃陇西一带）风物或边地征戍，而此篇却别具一格。陇西地处西北边陲，自古为羌戎杂处、征战频繁之地，汉乐府《陇西行》多有写边塞之苦者；此篇却以天上祥瑞起兴，转入人间好妇迎客的温馨场景，是古辞中罕见的明快之作。诗的具体作者已不可考，当为东汉以前民间乐府之流变，后经乐官整理入乐。汉代乐府采诗有观风俗、知厚薄之意，此诗或经采诗官采集，借天上祥瑞映射人间和乐，含美风化之意；末二句「取妇得如此，齐姜亦不如」「健妇持门户，亦胜一丈夫」对女性持家能力的礼赞，折射出汉代社会对妇女治家才能的尊重——汉代妇女在家庭经济中承担重要角色，纺织、酿酒、持家皆其职掌，此诗正是这种社会现实的文学反映，其思想在男尊女卑的古代社会中尤显可贵。
Art
The poem has two layers. It first leads with 'What is there in heaven', spreading white elms, cassia, the green dragon, the phoenix - auspicious images building a clear, peaceful realm; then turns with 'she looks down on the world's folk' to a fine portrait of the good wife receiving a guest: from the ritual of 'straightens and bows on her knees', to the hospitality of 'clear and cloudy wines in separate jars', to the thoughtful 'hasten the plain meal' - orderly layers. The language blends parallel and prose, the dialogue vivid (asking if the guest is well; the guest says the host first), the detail alive. It closes with 'a capable wife who keeps the house surpasses even a man', praising the woman's household skill - a fresh intent.
此诗结构清晰，分为天上与人间两层，以「顾视世间人，为乐甚独殊」为转接枢纽。前八句写天上：以「天上何所有」设问领起，白榆、桂树、青龙、凤凰依次铺陈，构成一幅祥瑞满天的仙境图；「凤凰鸣啾啾，一母将九雏」写母凤携雏，暗含人间的母子温情，为后文写好妇伏笔。后十八句写人间好妇迎客，全用白描叙事，层次井然：先是「好妇出迎客，颜色正敷愉」的总写——「敷愉」二字写其容色和悦；继而写迎宾之礼，「伸腰再拜跪，问客平安不」写其恭敬；「请客北堂上，坐客毡氍毹」写其周到；「清白各异樽，酒上正华疏」写其精细；「酌酒持与客，客言主人持」写主客礼让；「却略再拜跪，然后持一杯」写其知礼；「谈笑未及竟，左顾敕中厨」写其干练；「促令办粗饭，慎莫使稽留」写其热情；「废礼送客出，盈盈府中趋」「送客亦不远，足不过门枢」写其送客的分寸。末四句以议论点题，赞美健妇。全诗叙事如行云流水，细节传神，人物形象呼之欲出，是汉乐府叙事白描的典范。
Allusions
The allusion to 'Qi Jiang' draws on the Songs - 'Odes of Chen, At the Gate' - 'must I take a wife? she of Qi' - Qi Jiang being a Qi-state lady, standing for the beautiful and worthy wife; the poem uses 'even Qi Jiang could not compare' to praise the good wife exceedingly. 'White elm' speaks of the heavenly stars, as yuefu often imagine stars as planted elms. 'Felt rug' is a woollen carpet from the Western Regions, proof of Han-era exchange of goods. The allusions are natural, fusing myth (green dragon, phoenix) with ritual custom, both romantic and warm, showing yuefu's appeal across high and low.
此诗用典与意象皆有深厚渊源。「白榆」指天上星宿，古乐府常以天上种白榆喻星汉——古人想象天上的星星如榆树果实般散布，故称天榆，如《古乐府》「天上何所有，历历种白榆」，此诗开篇即用此想象，以设问领起，浪漫奇丽。「青龙」为四象之一，本指东方七宿，此处写青龙对道隅，是想象天上的星宿如神兽立于道旁。「凤凰鸣啾啾，一母将九雏」化用《庄子》与纬书中的凤凰意象，一母将九雏暗喻家庭人丁兴旺、母慈子孝。「齐姜」用《诗经·陈风·衡门》「岂其取妻，必齐之姜」之典——齐姜为春秋齐国姜姓女子，是古代美妇贤妻的代称，诗中以「齐姜亦不如」极赞好妇之贤，用典贴切而自然。「氍毹」为西域传入的毛织地毯，《风俗通义》等书记其来自西域，此诗写「坐客毡氍毹」，正见汉代中外物产交流之盛，边地陇西更当此物。全诗融神话、天文、经籍、民俗于一炉，既富浪漫色彩又不失人间温情，体现汉乐府雅俗共赏的特质。
Commentary
'Yuefu Solutions' says 'Song of Longxi' is also called 'Walking Out the Xia-men Gate', its old lyrics mostly on feasting and travel. This piece writing the able wife, the Ming critic Zhong Xing praised its 'details of a woman's rites, trivial yet as if seen', admiring its realism. The Qing critic Shen Deqian also said Han yuefu has this warm, generous kind, not only the sorrowful school. Thus this poem, by its harmony and warmth, opens a rare gentle page in yuefu.
历代对此诗评价多以真、细许之。《乐府解题》谓《陇西行》一曰《步出夏门行》，古辞多咏宴饮行旅；而此篇写健妇，独树一帜。明人钟惺《古诗归》评此诗写妇人礼数「琐琐如见」，极赏其细节之真切——从拜跪、问安、奉酒到送客，一步一礼，纤毫毕现，人物如在目前。清人沈德潜《古诗源》选录此诗，谓汉乐府「具有此种温厚之作，不独悲苦一派」——汉乐府向以饥者歌其食、劳者歌其事的悲苦之作著称，此诗却以和乐温厚别开生面，可见汉乐府题材之广、格调之多。近人余冠英《乐府诗选》亦注意此诗写女性持家的独特价值。诗中「健妇持门户，亦胜一丈夫」一句，在男主外、女主内的古代社会语境中大胆肯定女性的能力，思想超前，被后世研究者视为古代女性观的珍贵材料，亦为《孔雀东南飞》中刘兰芝「十三能织素」一类能干女性形象的先声。全诗以天上祥瑞与人间好妇对举，构思亦新——古乐府写天上多寓神仙之想，此诗却以天上之乐反衬人间之乐，落脚仍在人间，正见汉代乐府重现实、重人间的精神底色，其思想价值与艺术价值在此交汇。
Prosody
Line by line
天上何所有，历历种白榆。
What is there in heaven? Clearly the white elms are planted.
天上有什么？分明种着白榆树。
What is there in heaven? White elm trees, plain as day, are planted there.
开篇以设问领起，想象奇特，浪漫奇丽。「天上何所有」一问，将读者的目光引向夜空；「历历种白榆」作答，说天上的星星如白榆树般历历可数地种在天上——古人想象星汉为天界田园，群星如榆果散布，故有种白榆之说，这种以人间田园想象天界的手法，正是汉乐府民歌天真烂漫的思维特色。「历历」二字写星星分明可数的清晰感，如数家珍，语气亲切。此句既是全诗的起兴，也为后文「顾视世间人」的转接蓄势——天上是祥瑞满园的天界田园，人间是好妇迎客的和乐家庭，天上人间两相辉映，结构上遥相呼应。
The celestial opening. What is there in heaven? White elm trees, plain as day, are planted there. The folk cosmology imagines the stars as elms in a heavenly orchard; the clear-as-day countable stars are the elms. The heaven-orchard sets up the human household below. To have asked what the sky holds would be a question; the white elms planted plainly in heaven are the answer.
好妇出迎客，颜色正敷愉。
A good wife comes out to greet the guest, her face serene and glad.
能干的主妇出门迎接客人，容颜正和悦愉悦。
The good wife comes out to greet her guest; her face is open and pleasant.
此为全诗由天上转入人间的第一笔，写好妇出场，总摄后文。「好妇」二字先给人物定性——好，是贤能之意，一上场便见其身份与品格；「出迎客」三字写其动作，见其热情主动；「颜色正敷愉」写其容色，「敷愉」为叠韵联绵词，写和悦愉悦之貌，「正」字写其当下之态——容颜和悦，神情开朗，不见一丝倦怠勉强。这一笔以容色写性情，未见其行事而其人已立：一个热情开朗、落落大方的持家主妇形象跃然纸上。与上文「凤凰鸣啾啾，一母将九雏」暗应——天上母凤携雏，人间好妇持家，天人之和乐互相映衬，正是为乐甚独殊的具体展开。
The hostess. The good wife comes out to greet her guest; her face is open and pleasant. The word good (capable, virtuous) is her title. The open, pleasant face is the first act of hospitality. To have described a welcoming hostess would be a portrait; the good wife coming out, her face open and pleasant, is the portrait.
清白各异樽，酒上正华疏。
Clear and cloudy wines in separate jars; the wine shows bright foam.
清酒浊酒各用不同的酒樽，酒面上浮着华美的浮沫。
Clear and cloudy wines are served in separate cups; the wine's foam rises like bright growth.
此二句写好妇备酒之精细，是全诗细节描写的精妙处。「清白各异樽」写清酒浊酒分置不同酒樽——清酒为滤去糟粕的醇酒，浊酒为带糟的浊醪，古人以清浊分酒之优劣，好妇以「各异樽」分别盛之，足见其待客之讲究、礼数之周到；「酒上正华疏」写酒面上的浮沫，「华疏」指酒上浮起的泡沫如华美之物，古人以浮蚁、浮蛆形容酒沫，此诗以「华疏」状之，写酒之新鲜醇美。以酒樽、酒沫两个细节写待客之诚，以小见大，与后世杜甫「樽酒家贫只旧醅」的窘迫恰成对照——同样是酒，此处写的是丰足中的礼数，正是好妇持家有方的具体呈现。
The wine. Clear and cloudy wines are served in separate cups; the wine's foam rises like bright growth. The careful sorting of wines by quality, the attention to the fresh foam, are the small courtesies that show her management. To have said she served wine properly would be a detail; the separate clear and cloudy cups and the bright rising foam are the detail.
谈笑未及竟，左顾敕中厨。
Before the talk is even finished, she glances aside and orders the kitchen.
谈笑还未结束，好妇便回头吩咐厨房。
Before the conversation has run its course, she glances aside and gives the kitchen its orders.
此二句写好妇的干练，是全诗叙事节奏的转折点。「谈笑未及竟」写宾主相谈甚欢、意犹未尽，「未及竟」三字点出谈兴正浓，却已见好妇之机敏——她一边陪客谈笑，一边已盘算着备饭之事；「左顾敕中厨」写其向左回顾、吩咐厨房，「敕」本为上级对下级的命令之词，此处用于吩咐厨下，写出好妇主持中馈的权威与利落。「左顾」二字尤妙：一个「顾」字写出她眼观六路、心系全局，谈笑之间便已调度妥当，与下文「促令办粗饭，慎莫使稽留」的雷厉风行相呼应。以「敕」字写妇人治家，正见其「健」——健妇之「健」，于此二字中已见端倪。
The efficiency. Before the conversation has run its course, she glances aside and gives the kitchen its orders. The glance sideways is the poem's admired detail: she is still entertaining, and already managing. The command word used for the kitchen is the note of authority. To have said she efficiently ordered dinner would be a summary; the unfinished talk and the sideways order to the kitchen are the summary.
健妇持门户，亦胜一丈夫。
A capable wife who keeps the house surpasses even a man.
能干的妇人主持门户，也胜过一般男子。
A capable woman who runs a household is more than a match for a man.
末二句以议论点题，是全诗主旨所在。「健妇」回扣开篇的「好妇」——好是就其性情言，健是就其能力言，一字之转，人物形象由温婉而见刚健；「持门户」三字写其职掌，汉代持门户指主持家政、支撑门面，此诗以「持门户」写妇人，正见其当家作主之能；「亦胜一丈夫」以比较作结，直言能干的主妇胜过一般男子，在男尊女卑的古代语境中石破天惊。「亦」字用得婉转，不是否定男子，而是为女子争一席之地，语气恳切而不偏激。以此收束全篇，由叙事转议论，画龙点睛，使全诗的赞美落于实处，思想价值与艺术价值并臻，是汉乐府中罕见的正面书写女性能力的名句。
The verdict. A capable woman who runs a household is more than a match for a man. The poem's point: the capable wife outdoes an ordinary husband. The also (a qualified comparison, not a denial of men) keeps the praise from being merely contrary. To have said women could manage households better would be a claim; the capable woman holding the household against a man is the claim.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both write human feeling among the folk - one praises the able wife, one sighs the wandering man; compare yuefu's realist brush.
《艳歌行·翩翩堂前燕》写游子客居他乡，「故衣谁当补，新衣谁当绽」，赖得贤主人之妻代为缝补，遂有「石见何累累，远行不如归」之叹；《陇西行》则正面写一位好妇迎宾待客的全过程，末以「健妇持门户，亦胜一丈夫」礼赞女性。二诗同为汉乐府写民间人情的篇章，而一从游子眼中写他人之妻的贤惠、一从旁观者视角写自家主妇的能干，一为侧写、一为正面，笔法各异而皆以细节白描见长。合观二诗，可见汉乐府对女性贤能品质的普遍赞美，是研究汉代妇女生活的重要文学材料。
从军行 Song of Joining the Army 李白 · 同题异旨，乐府旧题的两种写法 Different (theme - one joy, one sorrow)The same title 'Song of Longxi' also has border-camp treatments; compare this with Tang 'Joining the Army' to see old yuefu lyric vs Tang frontier.
李白《从军行》「从军玉门道，逐虏金微山」写边塞征战之豪，是《陇西行》古题常见的边塞写法——陇西本为西北边地，古辞多写征戍之苦；而汉乐府《陇西行》此篇却以天上祥瑞、人间迎客为题材，写家庭和乐与健妇持家，全无征戍气息。同一乐府旧题，一写边塞豪情、一写家庭温情，正见乐府诗拟题不必尽用题意的传统——后世诗人可借旧题写新意，亦可沿用题面而别开生面。以李白《从军行》对照，可体会乐府旧题在不同时代的演变与汉乐府题材的多样性。
江南 Jiangnan 汉乐府 · 同为汉乐府清新明快之作，比较语言风格与意象 Same (Han yuefu - fresh)Both fresh and bright Han yuefu; compare their language style and image-making.
《江南》「江南可采莲，莲叶何田田」以回环复沓的句式写采莲之乐，是汉乐府中清新明快的典范；《陇西行》以白榆、桂树、青龙、凤凰的天上仙境起兴，转入人间好妇迎客的温馨叙事，同样是汉乐府中少见的明快和乐之作。二诗皆无悲苦之音，而以明朗的笔调写生活的美好——《江南》以复沓的民歌句式写集体采莲的热闹，《陇西行》以铺陈的叙事写一家待客的周到，一复沓一铺陈，语言风格各异而精神相通，可见汉乐府并非只有感于哀乐的悲苦传统，亦有清新和乐的一面，合观可破除对汉乐府题材的刻板印象。