汉 Han · 乐府 Yuefu ballad
上山采蘼芜
Gathering Sweetwort on the Hill
上山采蘼芜，下山逢故夫。
长跪问故夫，新人复何如？
新人虽言好，未若故人姝。
颜色类相似，手爪不相如。
新人从门入，故人从阁去。
新人工织缣，故人工织素。
织缣日一匹，织素五丈余。
将缣来比素，新人不如故。
and descending meets her former husband.
Kneeling upright she asks her former husband:
how is the new wife?
The new one is said to be good,
but not as fair as the old.
Their looks are much alike,
but their skills are not the same.
The new wife entered by the gate;
the old one left by the side door.
The new wife is skilled at weaving coarse silk;
the old at fine white silk.
She weaves a bolt of coarse silk a day;
of fine silk, over five zhang.
Compare coarse silk to fine:
the new cannot match the old.
Meaning
In a plain dialogue between an abandoned wife and her former husband, the poem shows the new wife prized yet admitted inferior to the old, quietly mocking fickle men and the sorrow of discarded women.
上山采蘼芜，下山遇见了从前的丈夫。跪着问前夫：新妻子又怎么样？新人虽说好，却不如旧人美丽。容貌差不多，但手工比不上。新人从正门进，抄近路从旁门离去。新人擅长织粗绢，旧人擅长织白绢。织粗绢一天一匹，织白绢一天五丈多。拿粗绢来比白绢，新人不如旧人。
Appreciation
The poem unfolds as dialogue—gathering sweetwort, meeting the former husband, asking after the new wife—and keeps returning to the contrast between 'new' and 'old.' In plain, almost flat question and answer it hides the wife's grievance and a quiet mockery of the man. The closing comparison of coarse and fine silk turns the whole into a wry, lasting judgment. Its power is in understatement: the cooler the tone, the sharper the sting.
【白话串讲】 “上山采蘼芜，下山逢故夫”——汉乐府写：女子上山采蘼芜，下山遇见前夫。“新人虽言好，未若故人姝”——前夫说：新人虽好，不如你。“新人工织缣，故人工织素”——“将缣来比素，新人不如故”——她写一个女子的委屈与骄傲。 【意象与手法】以对话（采蘼芜、逢故夫、问新人）展开，反复对比“新人”“故人”，白描中见弃妇的不平。 【情感与主旨】通过弃妇与故夫的对话，揭示弃旧迎新之不公，于平淡问答中寄寓对薄情男子的微讽与女子的悲凉。 【名句点睛】“将缣来比素，新人不如故”——以织品对比作结，反讽有力，余味隽永。
Background
This is a Han-dynasty yuefu folk song, a dialogue between an abandoned wife and her former husband, reflecting the lot of discarded women in feudal times.
《上山采蘼芜》为汉代佚名所作，是写弃妇上山、逢故夫的乐府诗。此诗：上山采蘼芜，下山逢故夫。长跪问故夫，新人复何如？新人虽言好，未若故人姝。颜色类相似，手爪不相如。新人从门入，故人从阁去。新人工织缣，故人工织素。织缣日一匹，织素五丈余。将缣来比素，新人不如故。全诗写弃妇上山、逢故夫，是汉乐府的名篇。
Art
Dialogue-driven, with repeated contrast of new versus old, and cold, plain description.
《上山采蘼芜》艺术上以弃妇逢故夫的描摹与织缣织素的对比见长。全诗多句：首写采蘼芜逢故夫——“上山采蘼芜，下山逢故夫。长跪问故夫，新人复何如”写上山采蘼芜、下山逢故夫、长跪问故夫、新人复何如；中写新人故人——“新人虽言好，未若故人姝。颜色类相似，手爪不相如”写新人虽言好、未若故人姝、颜色类相似、手爪不相如；末写织缣织素——“新人工织缣，故人工织素。织缣日一匹，织素五丈余。将缣来比素，新人不如故”写新人工织缣、故人工织素、织缣日一匹、织素五丈余、将缣来比素、新人不如故。全诗以弃妇逢故夫写织缣织素，正是汉乐府对比的笔法。
Allusions
Allusions in 'Gathering Miwu on the Mountain' run through 'gathering miwu,' 'the former husband,' 'the new wife,' 'the old wife,' 'weaving coarse silk,' 'weaving plain silk,' 'a bolt a day,' 'over five zhang,' and 'comparing the coarse silk with the plain.' 'Gathering miwu' draws on the lore of miwu, the herb gathered in memory of a loved one; each remaining phrase simply names what it describes. Through these images the poem tells of an abandoned wife who goes up the mountain, meets her former husband, and lets the contrast between coarse and fine silk speak for itself -- a natural, understated use of allusion typical of Han yuefu folk poetry.
《上山采蘼芜》用典在“采蘼芜”“故夫”“新人”“故人”“织缣”“织素”“日一匹”“五丈余”“将缣来比素”。“采蘼芜”用蘼芜之典（采蘼芜思故人）；“故夫”写故夫；“新人”写新人；“故人”写故人；“织缣”写织缣；“织素”写织素；“日一匹”写日一匹；“五丈余”写五丈余；“将缣来比素”写将缣来比素。全诗以这些意象写弃妇上山、逢故夫，用典自然而对比自见，正是汉乐府的笔法。
Commentary
Shen Deqian praised it: 'skill and clumsiness differ, yet the line 'the new cannot match the old' is especially lasting.'
《上山采蘼芜》是汉乐府的名篇，也是汉代叙事诗写弃妇的代表作。此诗写弃妇上山、逢故夫，向为论者称道。论者多赏其弃妇逢故夫的描摹与织缣织素的对比——“上山采蘼芜，下山逢故夫”用蘼芜之典写上山采蘼芜、下山逢故夫，对比之极；“新人工织缣，故人工织素。织缣日一匹，织素五丈余。将缣来比素，新人不如故”写新人工织缣、故人工织素、织缣日一匹、织素五丈余、将缣来比素、新人不如故，更见其讽。此诗以织素之勤写弃妇之冤，正是其代表——以弃妇逢故夫写织缣织素，正是汉乐府的笔法。
Prosody
Line by line
上山采蘼芜，下山逢故夫。长跪问故夫，新人复何如？
Up the hill I gather mi-wu; coming down I meet my former husband. Kneeling straight, I ask him: how is the new wife?
上山采蘼芜，下山逢故夫。长跪问故夫，新人复何如？
Up the hill I gather mi-wu herb; on the way down I meet my former husband. Kneeling at length, I ask him: how is your new wife?
首用蘼芜之典写上山采蘼芜、下山逢故夫、长跪问故夫、新人复何如，是全诗写弃妇逢故夫的起点。“上山采蘼芜”用蘼芜之典写上山采蘼芜——“上山采蘼芜”用采蘼芜思故人之典写上山采摘蘼芜——上山采蘼芜；“下山逢故夫。长跪问故夫，新人复何如”写下山逢故夫、长跪问故夫、新人复何如——“下山逢故夫”写下山遇见故夫——“长跪问故夫，新人复何如”写长跪问故夫、新人如何。此数句写采蘼芜、逢故夫、问新人：上山采蘼芜，下山逢故夫。长跪问故夫，新人复何如？以“上山采蘼芜”用蘼芜之典写上山采蘼芜、思故人之情，以“长跪问故夫”写长跪问故夫、旧情未忘，正是汉乐府写弃妇逢故夫的起点——采蘼芜，逢故夫。
The meeting. Up the hill I gather mi-wu; coming down I meet my former husband. Kneeling straight, I ask him: how is the new wife? The kneeling courtesy and the question's control are the abandoned wife's dignity. To have said she met her ex-husband would be a meeting; the herb-gathering, the encounter, the long kneeling, and the question how-is-the-new-wife are the meeting.
新人虽言好，未若故人姝。颜色类相似，手爪不相如。
The new wife, though they say she is good, is not as fair as the old one. Their looks are much alike, but her hands are not the same.
新人虽言好，未若故人姝。颜色类相似，手爪不相如。
The new wife, though said to be fine, is not as beautiful as the old. Their looks are much the same, but her hands (skill at weaving) are not equal.
中写新人虽言好、未若故人姝、颜色类相似、手爪不相如，是全诗写新人故人之比的展开。“新人虽言好，未若故人姝”写新人虽言好、未若故人姝——“新人虽言好”写新人虽说好——“未若故人姝”写不如故人美——新人虽言好，未若故人姝；“颜色类相似，手爪不相如”写颜色类相似、手爪不相如——“颜色类相似”写容貌相类似——“手爪不相如”写手工不如——颜色类相似，手爪不相如。此数句写新人虽好、手爪不如：新人虽言好，未若故人姝。颜色类相似，手爪不相如。以“新人虽言好，未若故人姝”写新人虽好、未若故人，以“颜色类相似，手爪不相如”写容貌相类、手爪不如，正是汉乐府写新人故人之比的展开——新人虽好，手爪不如。
The comparison. The new wife, though they say she is good, is not as fair as the old one; their looks are much alike, but her hands are not the same. The husband's own admission is the poem's quiet revenge: he rates the new one lower. The looks-are-alike but-hands-are-not is the domestic, practical comparison. To have said he preferred the old wife would be a confession; the admitted though-she-is-good and the looks-alike-but-hands-unlike are the confession.
新人工织缣，故人工织素。织缣日一匹，织素五丈余。将缣来比素，新人不如故。
The new wife is skilled at weaving yellow silk; the old one at white. The yellow comes one bolt a day; the white, five-plus chang. Weighing the yellow against the white—the new wife is not as good as the old.
新人工织缣，故人工织素。织缣日一匹，织素五丈余。将缣来比素，新人不如故。
The new wife weaves yellow silk; the old wife wove white. Yellow, one bolt a day; white, more than five zhang. Setting the yellow beside the white, the new is not as good as the old.
末写新人工织缣、故人工织素、织缣日一匹、织素五丈余、将缣来比素、新人不如故，是全诗写织缣织素的归结。“新人工织缣，故人工织素”写新人工织缣、故人工织素——“新人工织缣”写新人善于织缣——“故人工织素”写故人善于织素——新人工织缣，故人工织素；“织缣日一匹，织素五丈余。将缣来比素，新人不如故”写织缣日一匹、织素五丈余、将缣来比素、新人不如故——“织缣日一匹”写织缣一日一匹——“织素五丈余”写织素一日五丈余——“将缣来比素，新人不如故”写将缣来比素、新人不如故。此数句写织缣织素、新人不如故：新人工织缣，故人工织素。织缣日一匹，织素五丈余。将缣来比素，新人不如故。以“织缣日一匹，织素五丈余”写织缣一匹、织素五丈、工拙立见，以“将缣来比素，新人不如故”写将缣比素、新人不如故人，正是汉乐府写织缣织素的归结——织素五丈，新人不如故。
The reckoning. The new wife weaves yellow silk; the old wove white. Yellow: one bolt a day; white: more than five zhang. Setting yellow against white—the new is not as good as the old. The exact figures (one bolt against five zhang) make the old wife's skill undeniable. The ex-husband's arithmetic is his own condemnation: he dismissed the better weaver. To have said the old wife was the better weaver would be a claim; the one-bolt yellow against the five-zhang white and the verdict new-is-not-as-good are the claim.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
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