汉 Han · 诗 Poem
迢迢牵牛星
Far, Far Away the Cowherd Star
迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女。
纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼。
终日不成章，泣涕零如雨。
河汉清且浅，相去复几许。
盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语。
Bright, bright the Weaving Maid at River Han.
Slender, slender she lifts her white hand,
Click-clack, click-clack goes her loom and stand.
All day she weaves, but no web is done,
Her tears fall down like rain begun.
The River Han is clear and shallow,
How short the distance seems to follow!
Only a stream of water lies between,
She gazes with speechless love, unseen.
Meaning
The poem describes the Weaving Maid separated from the Cowherd by the Milky Way. She can only gaze at him lovingly but cannot speak, expressing the pain of longing and separation.
遥远的牵牛星，明亮的织女星。织女伸出纤细白皙的双手，札札地摆弄着织机。一整天也织不出完整的布帛，泪落如雨。银河又清又浅，相隔又能有多远呢？只在盈盈一水之间，却只能含情相视，不得言语。
Appreciation
This poem uses six sets of reduplicative words (迢迢,皎皎,纤纤,札札,盈盈,脉脉) to create a rhythmic and vivid imagery. The contrast between the clear, shallow river and the inability to cross emphasizes the sorrow of separation. The famous ending lines encapsulate the poignancy of silent longing.
【白话串讲】 隔着一条浅浅的银河，牛郎织女天天相望，却不能说一句话。“盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语”——古人把爱而不得的距离，写进了星星里。 【意象与手法】 全诗最绝在六组叠字：「迢迢」写远、「皎皎」写明、「纤纤」写手之柔、「札札」写机之声、「盈盈」写水之清、「脉脉」写情之默，叠字既增音律之美，又层层渲染情境；末二句以「一水」之近反衬「不得语」之远，咫尺天涯，以乐景（清浅银河）写哀情，余韵不尽。 【情感与主旨】 《迢迢牵牛星》列《古诗十九首》第十，当为东汉文士借七夕星象抒离别之思之作。诗借天上双星写人间「不得语」之痛，与汉代七夕乞巧、盼团圆的民俗心理相印证，寄托了乱世中男女相思相望而不得相守的普遍哀感。 【名句点睛】 考点首推六组叠字的赏析与默写（「迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女」「盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语」），以及「清且浅」反衬「不得语」、以乐景写哀情的手法。
Background
Part of the 'Nineteen Old Poems' from the Eastern Han dynasty, this poem draws on the myth of the Cowherd and Weaving Maid, which originated in early Chinese literature. During the Han dynasty, the story evolved into a tragic love tale, reflecting the longing for reunion in troubled times.
《迢迢牵牛星》是《古诗十九首》中的第十首。《古诗十九首》最早著录于南朝梁萧统所编《文选》，作者不详，一般认为产生于东汉末年，为下层文士学习乐府民歌而作的五言诗，代表了汉代文人五言诗的最高成就。牵牛、织女本是天文学上的两颗星名，《诗经·小雅·大东》已有「跂彼织女，终日七襄」的咏叹，至汉代，民间将二星演为夫妻阻隔的神话：织女为天帝之女，嫁与牵牛，因废织被罚隔河而居，每年七月七日始得一会。此诗即借这一神话写人间离别之痛：思妇（或游子）望见天上双星，想到自己与所爱之人亦如牛女之隔河相望，遂以星写人、以天上写人间。汉代七夕乞巧、盼团圆的民俗心理，正是此诗产生的文化土壤，诗中所写「不得语」之痛，实为东汉末年动乱中无数离人的共同哀感。东汉末年，战乱频仍，游学游宦之士离乡背井，夫妇离散者不可胜计；文士借七夕神话咏此离别，正是以天上之悲剧写人间之常态，故诗虽咏神话，而人情真切，历千载而下犹能动人心魄。
Art
The poem is notable for its six reduplicative words, which enhance musicality and describe appearance, sound, and emotion. The final couplet uses the proximity of the river to highlight the emotional distance, employing a joyful scene to convey sorrow—a sophisticated technique.
此诗艺术之妙，首在六组叠字的运用，其次在咫尺天涯的反衬。全诗十句，句句有叠字：「迢迢」写牵牛星之远，「皎皎」写河汉女之明，「纤纤」写素手之柔细，「札札」写机杼之声响，「盈盈」写河水之清浅，「脉脉」写情意之含而不露。六组叠字如珠玉贯串，既增音律回环之美，又层层渲染情境：由星到人、由形到声、由景到情，叠字本身即成为表情达意的载体。而「河汉清且浅，相去复几许」两句尤见匠心：银河既清且浅，两岸相距能有多远？明明只有「盈盈一水」，却只能「脉脉不得语」——以空间之近反衬阻隔之远，以清浅之水写不可逾越的鸿沟，咫尺天涯，触目惊心。以乐景（清浅银河）写哀情（不得语），哀感更进一层，是全诗最令人断肠处，也是《古诗十九首》「深衷浅貌、短语长情」风格的典型体现。全诗以织女一人之劳作、之泣涕、之凝望一线贯穿，由星而人、由人而情，十句之间完成了从神话到现实的转换；结尾四句戛然而止，不着一字余波，而余韵自在「脉脉」二字之间，含蓄蕴藉，正是汉诗「言有尽而意无穷」的上乘境界。
Allusions
The Cowherd (Altair) and Weaving Maid (Vega) are stars mentioned in the 'Book of Songs'. By the Han dynasty, they were believed to be lovers separated by the Milky Way, meeting only once a year on Qixi (the seventh day of the seventh month). '脉脉' originally meant 'to gaze affectionately in silence' and later became a fixed term for deep, wordless emotion.
牵牛、织女本为星名，《诗经·小雅·大东》「跂彼织女，终日七襄。虽则七襄，不成报章」已咏织女终日织作而无成，此诗「终日不成章」即承此而来；汉代《史记·天官书》已有牵牛、织女二星之说，东汉《风俗通义》等典籍载牛女神话渐成雏形，至魏晋而完备，谓二星为夫妻，隔河相望，岁会一度。曹丕《燕歌行》「牵牛织女遥相望，尔独何辜限河梁」亦咏此事，与《迢迢牵牛星》同属汉魏之际以牛女神话写离别的作品。「脉脉」本作「眽眽」，含情相视貌，《说文》释「眽」为「目斜视」，后固定为「脉脉」写无言深情，此诗正是这一词语定型的经典用例。织女织作之神话与女子纺织之现实相通，故「不成章」「泣涕零如雨」既是神话的悲剧，也是人间思妇的写真，典故与现实在此诗中水乳交融。尤须留意者，诗中「纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼」写织女织作之勤，实是汉代女子纺织之实录；「终日不成章」以织不成布写相思废织，亦是思妇心态的写真。神话与现实在此互为表里，天上之织女即人间之思妇，故能感人至深。
Commentary
Ming critic Xie Zhen praised it as 'direct yet not crude, gentle yet precise'. Qing scholar Wang Yaoxuan called the six reduplicatives 'a unique creation through the ages'. Modern critics consider it one of the most vivid and melodious pieces among the Nineteen Old Poems.
《古诗十九首》被刘勰《文心雕龙》誉为「五言之冠冕」，钟嵘《诗品》称其「惊心动魄，可谓几乎一字千金」，《迢迢牵牛星》正是其中意象最明丽、音节最浏亮的一首。明代谢榛《四溟诗话》赞其「直而不野，婉而能切」；清代王尧衢《古唐诗合解》谓「六字叠用，千古创格」，以六组叠字入诗而流转自然，确为千古独步。就文学史而言，此诗以星写人、以神话写现实，上承《诗经》以天体起兴的传统，下开六朝咏七夕诗与后世七夕词之先河；其「盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语」两句，把人类相望不相亲的普遍悲剧写得含蓄隽永，千百年来写相思阻隔者无能出其右，秦观「两情若是久长时，又岂在朝朝暮暮」亦是对此诗的隔代回应。一首十句的小诗，而兼具神话之美、民歌之韵、文士之思，故能千古传诵，成为中国爱情诗中的经典。近人朱自清论《古诗十九首》，谓其「深衷浅貌，短语长情」，此诗正是其例；以十句小诗写尽牛女之隔与人间之思，含蓄而深挚，其艺术魅力历两千年而不减，足见汉代无名诗人的天才。
Prosody
Line by line
迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女。
{'paraphrase': 'Far, far away the Cowherd Star; bright, bright the Weaving Maid on the River Han.', 'insight': 'The opening uses two reduplicatives to establish distance and brightness, setting a scene of vast separation.'}
遥远的牵牛星，明亮的织女星。
Far, far, the Herdsman star; bright, bright, the Maid of the River of Stars.
起句以两组叠字对起，星汉辽阔而人物已立。上句「迢迢牵牛星」写牵牛星之远，「迢迢」叠字状距离之遥远，牵牛在银河之西，与织女隔河相望，迢迢二字已暗含可望而不可即之意；下句「皎皎河汉女」写织女星之明，「皎皎」叠字状星光之明亮皎洁，河汉女即银河边的织女。两句对仗工整，一「迢迢」一「皎皎」，一写远、一写明，远者不可及，明者不可亲，距离感与光亮感交织，辽阔清冷之境立现。而「河汉女」三字以人称写星名，织女已由星而人，为下文「纤纤擢素手」的展开作了铺垫。起笔看似只是仰望星空的写实，实则景中已寓相隔之远、相思之切，为全篇定下凄清的基调。
The stars. Far, far, the Herdsman star; bright, bright, the Maid of the River of Stars. The doubled far and bright set the two lovers: far away, brilliantly shining, and separated. The River of Stars (the galaxy) names the woman already as a person. To have described two distant bright stars would be a sky; the far Herdsman and the bright River Maid are the sky.
纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼。
{'paraphrase': 'Slender, slender she lifts her white hand; click-clack, click-clack she works the loom.', 'insight': "The reduplicatives describe the maid's delicate hand and the sound of weaving, contrasting her busy work with the sorrow that follows."}
织女伸出纤细白皙的双手，札札摆弄织机。
Delicate, delicate, she raises her white hands; click-click she plies the loom.
两句以叠字写形写声，由星及人，展开织女的劳作画面。「纤纤擢素手」写手：「纤纤」状手指之纤细柔长，「素手」写其白皙洁净，叠字与形容词相叠，把织女的手写得极美极柔；「擢」字写伸出、举起的动作，仿佛可见织女抬手理机的姿态。「札札弄机杼」写声：「札札」拟织机札札作响之声，以声写勤，仿佛那单调的机杼声就在耳边。两句一写形、一写声，视听交织，把织女的形象写得具体可感。然而此处写织女之勤、之手之美，正是为下文的反转蓄势——如此勤劳的织女，却「终日不成章」，则其心不在织、泪从中来可知。以勤衬悲、以美衬哀，反差愈大，哀感愈深，是此诗层层递进、先扬后抑手法的关键一步。
The weaving. Delicate, delicate, she raises her white hands; click-click she plies the loom. The delicate hands and the clicking loom are the maid at work; the industry is the setup for the failure to come. To have described the weaver at her loom would be a scene; the delicate white hands raised and the click-click loom are the scene.
终日不成章，泣涕零如雨。
{'paraphrase': 'All day she weaves but cannot finish a web; her tears fall like rain.', 'insight': "The phrase '不成章' has a double meaning—no web completed and disordered thoughts—revealing her lovesickness."}
一整天也织不出完整的布帛，泪落如雨。
All day she cannot finish her web; tears fall like rain.
此二句是全诗由外转内的关键，写尽相思废织之痛。「终日不成章」写织女织了一整天，却织不成完整的布帛——「章」指布帛的纹彩、经纬成章，「不成章」三字陡转，承接前两句「纤纤」「札札」的勤织画面，猛然揭出织而无成的悲剧：不是手拙，而是心悲，思念牵牛、泪眼模糊，纵有纤纤素手、札札机杼，也织不成一寸完整的布。这是由外而内的转折，由劳作的表象转入内心的悲苦。「泣涕零如雨」以涕泪如雨直写其悲，「零」字写泪珠纷纷坠落之态，如雨一般，可见其悲伤之深。两句先抑后扬、欲擒故纵，把织女（亦是人间思妇）的相思之苦写得淋漓尽致，为结尾「脉脉不得语」的含蓄作了情感上的蓄势。
The failed web. All day she cannot finish her web; tears fall like rain. The hard-working weaver produces nothing: her heart is not in the weaving. The rain of tears is the poem's overt grief. To have said she wept at her loom would be a detail; the all-day uncompleted web and the rain of tears are the detail.
河汉清且浅，相去复几许。 盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语。
The River of Stars is clear and shallow—how far apart can they be? Between one clear ripple they gaze, and cannot speak.
银河又清又浅，相隔能有多远？只在盈盈一水之间，却含情相视不得言语。
The Silver River is clear and shallow—how far apart are they? Between one clear ripple, they gaze and cannot speak.
结尾四句是全诗的千古绝唱，以乐景写哀情，咫尺天涯之痛尽在其中。「河汉清且浅，相去复几许」先说银河既清又浅，两岸相距又能有多远呢——仿佛一抬脚便可渡过，设问中带着一丝天真的希望；然而紧接着「盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语」陡然揭出残酷的现实：只在盈盈一水之间，却只能含情相视，连一句话也说不得。「盈盈」写水之清浅，「脉脉」写情之含而不露，一水之近与不得语之远形成强烈反差：空间上近在咫尺，情感上却如隔万重关山。以清浅之银河（乐景）写不得语之痛（哀情），以「一水间」之近反衬「不得语」之远，不着一字议论而悲凉入骨。「脉脉」二字写尽无言深情，含蓄隽永，成千古情语，全诗至此收束而余韵悠长。
The final four lines. The Silver River is clear and shallow—how far apart are they? Between one clear ripple, they gaze and cannot speak. The river is shallow and near, yet the two cannot cross or speak. The gazing without words is the poem's famous image of love at the closest distance. To have said they were separated by a shallow river but could not speak would be a summary; the clear-shallow river's how-far question, and the one-ripple-apart gaze that cannot speak, are the summary.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both poems deal with separation, but '行行重行行' directly describes a traveler's journey, while this poem uses the myth of the Weaving Maid. They show two approaches—realistic and mythological—within the same collection.
《行行重行行》「行行重行行，与君生别离。相去万余里，各在天一涯」以游子远行为题，直写人间夫妇的生别离之苦，「相去日已远，衣带日已缓」以衣带渐缓写相思消瘦，是现实题材的实写；《迢迢牵牛星》借牛女神话写相隔之痛，织女「终日不成章，泣涕零如雨」实是人间思妇之写照，是神话题材的虚写。一实一虚，恰成对照：前者写「远」，万余里之遥，直笔写尽；后者写「近」，盈盈一水之近而不得语，反笔更痛。二诗同出《古诗十九首》，同具「深衷浅貌」的风格，而一以平直见情、一以含蓄见韵，可见十九首虚实相生、各极其妙的艺术，也可见汉代文人诗借神话写现实的巧思。
鹊桥仙·纤云弄巧 鹊桥仙·纤云弄巧 (Immortal at the Magpie Bridge) 秦观 · 同写牛郎织女，一悲一达，可对照七夕书写的演变 Same theme of Cowherd and Weaving MaidQin Guan's poem reinterprets the myth, asserting that enduring love transcends physical separation, whereas this poem dwells on the pain of being unable to speak across the river. The contrast reflects different emotional tones: one sorrowful, the other more philosophical.
秦观《鹊桥仙·纤云弄巧》「纤云弄巧，飞星传恨，银汉迢迢暗度……两情若是久长时，又岂在朝朝暮暮」写七夕牛女相会，却翻出新意：不写相聚之短暂可悲，反写爱情之恒久可贵，只要两情长久，又何必朝朝暮暮相守，以通达之语化解离别之悲；《迢迢牵牛星》「盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语」则直写相望不相亲之痛，咫尺天涯、无言相对，悲凉入骨。同为七夕题材，同以牛女神话写爱情，而一哀婉一旷达：汉诗写的是「不得语」的绝望，宋词写的是「久长时」的超脱，可见同一神话在不同时代、不同诗人笔下的不同处理，也可见中国爱情诗由哀婉向旷达、由现实向哲理的演变轨迹。