汉 Han · 古诗 Ancient poem
冉冉孤生竹
The Slender Solitary Bamboo
冉冉孤生竹，结根泰山阿。
与君为新婚，菟丝附女萝。
菟丝生有时，夫妇会有宜。
千里远结婚，悠悠隔山陂。
思君令人老，轩车来何迟！
伤彼蕙兰花，含英扬光辉。
过时而不采，将随秋草萎。
君亮执高节，贱妾亦何为？
With you I am new-wed, as dodder clings to the bean-creeper vine.
Dodder has its season to spring; man and wife should meet in fitting time.
A thousand li away I came to wed; long and far the hills and slopes divide us.
Thinking of you makes one old - why comes your carriage so late!
I grieve for the orchid bloom, its bud still bright with glowing light.
Past its season if unplucked, it will wilt with the autumn grass.
You surely keep your lofty vow; what can this humble wife but wait?
Meaning
A gentle, lonely bamboo takes root in the crook of Mount Tai. Newly wed to you, I am like dodder twining the bean-creeper. Dodder grows in its own season; husband and wife too should meet in due course. I came a thousand li to marry, yet hills and streams keep us far apart. Longing for you wears me old - why does your carriage linger so! I mourn the orchid, still in bud and radiant; past its time, unpicked, it will fade with the autumn grass. Surely you hold fast your high vow; what is left for this lowly wife to do?
柔弱孤单生长的竹子，把根扎在泰山的山坳。与你新结为夫妇，如菟丝缠绕着女萝。菟丝生长自有其时，夫妇相会也当得其宜。千里迢迢远来结亲，悠悠山水阻隔两岸。思念你令人憔悴衰老，你的轩车为何来得这样迟！伤叹那蕙兰之花，正含苞绽放光辉。过了时令若不来采，便将随秋草一同枯萎。想来君定坚守高节，我这微贱之妾又能如何？
Appreciation
This poem, one of the Nineteen Old Poems, is spoken in the voice of a newly wed bride far from home, waiting in vain for her husband to fetch her. It opens with the image of the lone bamboo and dodder clinging to the bean-creeper, figures of a wife's dependence; it turns to the distance of 'a thousand li' and the dread that her bloom will pass 'with the autumn grass'. The finest strokes are the plain cries 'Thinking of you makes one old' and the self-comfort 'You surely keep your lofty vow' - complaint held within trust, sorrow without bitterness. The whole moves from scene-imaging to direct feeling, its grief quiet yet piercing, a model of the collection's 'deep heart, plain face'.
【白话串讲】 “冉冉孤生竹，结根泰山阿”——一个女子把自己比作孤竹，嫁人后像菟丝子绕着女萝。“思君令人老，轩车来何迟”——等丈夫的车，等了太久。“过时而不采，将随秋草萎”——再不来，我就老了。 【意象与手法】 此诗以比兴贯穿：首以「孤生竹」「菟丝附女萝」喻新婚相依，次以「千里远结婚，悠悠隔山陂」写阻隔，再以「蕙兰花」自比青春，以「秋草萎」喻迟暮。植物意象与女性命运交融，自然物候即心境节候。「思君令人老」「过时而不采」将青春易逝之惧写得惊心动魄，而结以「君亮执高节」的体谅，怨而不怒，含蓄浑成 【情感与主旨】 《冉冉孤生竹》为《古诗十九首》之一，一般定为东汉末年无名氏所作。其时战乱频仍、徭役繁重，夫妇往往远别暌隔。诗以新婚女子的口吻，写其远嫁他乡、久盼夫婿迎归而不得的相思与迟暮之惧，折射出汉末社会离乱中无数家庭的悲剧，是《十九首》「逐臣弃妻」主题的代表 【名句点睛】 中高考赏析常考：一、比兴手法（孤竹、菟丝、蕙兰、秋草的寄托）；二、「思君令人老」写相思之深（「老」字惊心）；三、「过时而不采，将随秋草萎」以花喻人、叹青春迟暮
Background
The 'Slender Solitary Bamboo' is one of the Nineteen Old Poems, generally dated to an anonymous hand of the late Eastern Han. In that age of constant war and heavy corvee, husbands and wives were routinely torn apart by exile and service. Spoken in a bride's voice, the poem tells of a far marriage and the long, unfulfilled wait for the husband's carriage - reflecting the tragedy of countless households amid the late-Han upheaval, and standing as a representative of the collection's theme of 'banished courtier and abandoned wife'.
《冉冉孤生竹》为《古诗十九首》之一，一般定为东汉末年无名氏所作。其时战乱频仍、徭役繁重，男子或从军远戍、或游学求仕，夫妇往往远别暌隔，女子独守空闺，青春虚度，遂有迟暮之忧。《古诗十九首》多写游子思妇、逐臣弃妻，「逐臣弃妻」为汉人乐府与古诗的经典主题，此诗即其代表。诗以新婚女子的口吻，写其远嫁他乡、久盼夫婿迎归而不得的相思与迟暮之惧：先以「孤生竹」「菟丝附女萝」喻新婚相依之愿，次写「千里远结婚，悠悠隔山陂」之阻隔，再以「蕙兰花」自比青春、以「秋草萎」喻迟暮之恐，终以「君亮执高节」的自我宽解收束。全诗折射出汉末社会离乱中无数家庭的悲剧，是《古诗十九首》「逐臣弃妻」主题的代表，也是理解汉末女性命运与士人心理的重要作品。此诗为后世闺怨诗提供了完整的比兴范式，其以植物写女性命运的手法，影响及于曹植《美女篇》、李白《长干行》等作。
Art
The poem is carried throughout by comparison and evocation. It begins with the 'lonely bamboo' and 'dodder on the bean-creeper' to figure the reliance of new marriage; it then writes the separation in 'a thousand li away I wed, long and far the slopes divide'; and it compares itself to the orchid in bud and to withering autumn grass. Plant images and a woman's fate are fused, so that natural season is also the season of her heart. 'Thinking of you makes one old' and 'past its season unplucked' render the fear of passing youth with chilling force, while the close - 'You surely keep your lofty vow' - is forbearing, not resentful, veiled and whole.
此诗以比兴贯穿，植物意象与女性命运交融，自然物候即心境节候。首以「冉冉孤生竹，结根泰山阿」起兴：孤竹柔韧，托根泰山之阿，喻新妇柔婉而有所依托之愿；「与君为新婚，菟丝附女萝」以菟丝缠绕女萝喻夫妇相依，缠绵之态毕现。中段「菟丝生有时，夫妇会有宜。千里远结婚，悠悠隔山陂」由植物生时引出夫妇会时，写远嫁之阻隔，情景相生。「思君令人老，轩车来何迟」直抒盼归之切，「老」字惊心；「伤彼蕙兰花，含英扬光辉。过时而不采，将随秋草萎」以蕙兰自比，叹青春迟暮，意象凄美。结以「君亮执高节，贱妾亦何为」的揣度与自宽，怨而不怒、含蓄浑成。全诗比兴之妙，在于以植物之荣枯写人生之盛衰，由竹、菟丝、女萝到蕙兰、秋草，物象流转而情思一贯，是《古诗十九首》比兴艺术的高峰。全诗八句一层、层层递进，由新婚之愿而阻隔之叹而迟暮之惧而宽解之语，情感起伏有致，章法浑成，是《十九首》章法艺术的典范。
Allusions
The poem draws on the compared-evocation tradition since the Classic of Poetry: 'dodder clings to the bean-creeper' follows the Songs' imagery of trailing vines entwining, figuring mutual dependence; 'orchid' and 'autumn grass' inherit the Chu-ci trope of the fragrant herb easily withered and the beauty past her prime (as in 'Encountering Sorrow', 'the sun and moon will not linger'); 'carriage' names the coach of a great officer, the proper term for the husband's homecoming in Han times. All are traditional images, not obscure allusions.
此诗多用《诗经》以来的比兴传统，意象皆有渊源。「冉冉孤生竹」以柔竹起兴，承《诗经》「淇奥」咏竹及汉乐府「冉冉孤生竹」之语，竹之中空有节、柔韧常青，喻女子之柔婉坚贞；「结根泰山阿」之「泰山」为五岳之尊，「阿」为山坳，写竹托根于高山之坳，喻女子依托夫家之愿。「菟丝附女萝」承《诗经·鄘风·桑中》「爰采唐矣」及蔓草相附之喻——菟丝为寄生蔓草，女萝为松萝，皆缠绕攀附之物，写夫妇如蔓草相附、相依为命；此喻亦见于汉乐府《白头吟》等。「蕙兰」「秋草」为《楚辞》以来香草美人、美人迟暮之典，如《离骚》「日月忽其不淹兮，春与秋其代序」「惟草木之零落兮，恐美人之迟暮」，以香草之萎喻美人之老、志士之衰；「轩车」指大夫所乘之车，为汉代夫婿迎归之实称。全诗用传统意象而浑化无痕，正是《古诗十九首》「深衷浅貌」的本色。其「轩车」迎归之细节，亦见汉代婚俗之实，是研究汉代社会生活的重要材料。
Commentary
Zhong Rong's 'Gradations of Poets' praised the Nineteen Old Poems as 'gentle yet beautiful, grieving yet far, soul-shaking - almost a thousand coins a word'. The Ming critic Hu Yinglin said they 'store the marvellous within warmth'. Modern readers hold this poem 'writes longing in a woman's voice, complaining yet not resentful', joining plant-evocation with dread of life's passing - among the collection's finest for feeling and tone.
南朝钟嵘《诗品》称《古诗十九首》「文温以丽，意悲而远，惊心动魄，可谓几乎一字千金」，此诗正合此评：文辞温润华美，情意悲切悠远，以平淡语写惊心动魄之情。明代胡应麟《诗薮》谓《古诗十九首》「蓄神奇于温厚，寓感怆于和平」，此诗「思君令人老」「过时而不采」之句，正是于温厚中见神奇、于和平中寓感怆。今人论此诗，多以为《十九首》中情韵兼胜之作：以女子口吻写相思，怨而不怒；将植物比兴与生命忧惧结合，物我一体。此诗在文学史上的意义，在于以植物意象系统写女性命运：孤竹、菟丝、女萝、蕙兰、秋草，一脉相承，构成完整的比兴谱系，为后世闺怨诗提供了「以物写人」的范式；其「思君令人老」之直抒与「君亮执高节」之宽解，更写出中国女性在离乱中的坚韧与温婉，是《古诗十九首》中最动人的篇章之一。今日读之，其「思君令人老」之句犹能动人心魄，可见真挚情感超越时代的力量。
Prosody
Line by line
冉冉孤生竹，结根泰山阿
Softly, softly, the bamboo grows alone; it roots itself in the folds of Mount Tai.
柔弱孤单生长的竹子，把根扎在泰山的山坳
Softly grows the lonely bamboo, rooting itself in the bend of Mount Tai.
起笔以竹起兴，是全诗比兴的定调。「冉冉孤生竹」写竹之柔与孤：冉冉为柔弱下垂之貌，孤生为独自生长——一枝柔竹，孤生于山间，弱不禁风而无所依傍，正是远嫁新妇的自况：柔婉而孤独，身在他乡，举目无亲；「结根泰山阿」写竹之托根：柔竹将根扎在泰山之坳——泰山为五岳之尊，高山之坳可托根生息，写女子依托夫家之愿：如孤竹托根泰山，愿有所依。此二句以孤竹起兴，一写柔、一写孤、一写依，柔竹之态与新娘之状合而为一：柔弱而不失韧性，孤独而渴望依托。起笔以物写人、以景写情，为后文「菟丝附女萝」的夫妇相依之喻定下比兴的基调。
The bamboo. Softly grows the lonely bamboo, rooting itself in the bend of Mount Tai. The soft bamboo on the great mountain is the bride: fragile, alone, but anchored where it has put down roots. To have used a bamboo as an image would be an image; the soft lonely bamboo rooting in the Mount Tai fold is the image.
与君为新婚，菟丝附女萝
With you I am newly wed—like the dodder vine twined on the cassia vine.
与你新结为夫妇，如菟丝缠绕着女萝
With you I am newly married, like the dodder clinging to the cassia vine.
此二句写新婚之喜与相依之愿，以植物比兴，是全诗情感的基础。「与君为新婚」点明身份与事由：新婚未久，正是燕尔之时，情意方浓；「菟丝附女萝」以比兴写夫妻关系——菟丝为寄生蔓草，须缠绕他物而生，女萝为松萝，亦攀附之属，二者互相缠绕、共生共长，喻夫妇之相依为命、如胶似漆。「附」字写缠绕依附之态，缠绵之至。此二句承上句「冉冉孤生竹，结根泰山阿」而来：孤竹托根泰山，是女子依托夫家之愿；菟丝附女萝，是夫妇相依之实——以植物写婚姻，物我合一。新婚之喜写得如此缠绵，正为后文「千里远结婚」「轩车来何迟」的别离之悲蓄势：相依愈切，别离愈苦；新婚愈喜，独守愈悲，先扬后抑，章法之妙尽在起笔。
The marriage. With you I am newly married, like the dodder clinging to the cassia vine. The two intertwined vines (both climbers, neither standing alone) are the mutual dependence of the marriage. To have described the wedding would be an occasion; the new marriage and the dodder on the cassia vine are the occasion.
思君令人老，轩车来何迟
Longing for you makes me age; why is your carved carriage so late in coming?
思念你令人憔悴衰老，你的轩车为何来得这样迟
Thinking of you makes me grow old; why is your fine carriage so late?
此二句直抒盼归之切，是全诗情感的爆发点，也是千古名句。「思君令人老」以「老」字写相思之深——思念令人憔悴衰老，不是缓慢地变老，而是相思催人速老，「老」字惊心动魄，将无形的相思化为有形的衰老，力重千钧；此句为后世闺怨诗之祖，温庭筠「思君令人老」、李商隐「春心莫共花争发」皆承此脉。「轩车来何迟」写盼归之切——轩车为大夫所乘之车，是夫婿来迎之车，日日盼、夜夜盼，而轩车迟迟不来，「何迟」一声长问，将积压的期盼与失望一泻而出，怨中含盼、盼中含怨。此二句一写思之深、一写盼之切，直抒胸臆而不加掩饰，是《古诗十九首》「深衷浅貌」的典型——情之深、语之浅，读之令人动容。
The waiting. Thinking of you makes me grow old; why is your fine carriage so late? The old of the line is not age but the fast-forward of longing. The carved carriage (the husband's proper conveyance) is the expected arrival that has not come. To have said I longed and grew old waiting would be a lament; the longing-that-makes-one-old and the why-is-the-carriage-so-late are the lament.
过时而不采，将随秋草萎
If not plucked in season, it will wither with the autumn grass.
过了时令若不来采，便将随秋草一同枯萎
If not gathered in season, it will wither away with the autumn grass.
此二句以蕙兰自比，叹青春迟暮，是全诗最凄美的意象。「过时而不采」写蕙兰之叹：花开有时，采花须及时，过时而不采，花便空自凋零——「过时」暗指青春易逝、佳期难待，女子如花，正盼采者（夫婿）及时而来；「将随秋草萎」写凋零之恐：秋来草萎，花亦随之而萎，青春一过，如花之落，再无重开之日。此二句以花喻人，以采花喻迎娶，将女子对迟暮的恐惧写得含蓄而凄美：不直说「我怕老去」，而说「过时而不采，将随秋草萎」，以物之荣枯写人之盛衰，物我一体，凄楚动人。上句「伤彼蕙兰花，含英扬光辉」写蕙兰之盛——含苞待放、光辉照人，正喻女子青春之美；此二句转写其衰——过时不采，随秋草萎，盛衰对照，愈见迟暮之悲，是《楚辞》香草美人传统在汉末诗中的延续与深化。
The flower. If not gathered in season, it will wither with the autumn grass. The orchid flower (the preceding line's image) is the woman's youth: pluck it now, or it will be gone. The fear of aging is spoken through the flower. To have said youth fades if not cherished would be a warning; the not-gathered-in-season and the withering with the autumn grass are the warning.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
A Strange Tree in the Court breaks a flower to send far off as longing; The Slender Solitary Bamboo laments the passing prime through the orchid and autumn grass - both are plant-evocation lyrics of the Nineteen Old Poems, read together.
《庭中有奇树》以「庭中有奇树，绿叶发华滋」「攀条折其荣，将以遗所思」写折花寄远以诉相思，「此物何足贵，但感别经时」点明相思之久；此诗以「冉冉孤生竹」「菟丝附女萝」「蕙兰花」「秋草」等植物意象写新婚远别、青春迟暮之怨。两诗同出《古诗十九首》，皆以植物起兴写女子相思，而《庭中有奇树》写寄物之思、此诗写迟暮之惧，一以折花为媒介、一以荣枯为喻象，可见《十九首》植物比兴的多样运用。比较二诗，更能体会汉末文人以植物写人情的高妙与《古诗十九首》题材的丰富。
西北有高楼 In the Northwest Stands a Tower 古诗十九首（无名氏） · 同出《古诗十九首》，写人间阻隔之悲 Same (both from the Nineteen Old Poems; on the grief of separation)In the Northwest Stands a Tower sighs over a zither song for the rare friend; The Slender Solitary Bamboo complains of husband and wife kept apart - both are Nineteen Old Poems on the sorrow of human separation.
《西北有高楼》以「上有弦歌声，音响一何悲」写高楼弦歌，「愿为双鸿鹄，奋翅起高飞」写知音难遇之悲；此诗以「千里远结婚，悠悠隔山陂」写夫妇暌隔，「过时而不采，将随秋草萎」写青春迟暮之恐。两诗同出《古诗十九首》，皆写人间阻隔之悲——一为知音之隔、一为夫妇之隔，一以弦歌写其怨、一以植物写其恐，题材各异而情调相通，都是汉末士人（及其代言女性）对人间阻隔、人生无定的普遍悲慨。比较二诗，可见《古诗十九首》抒写「阻隔」主题的两种形态，也可体会汉末文人抒情方式的多样。