先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry
汉广
The Han Is Wide
汉广（《诗经·周南》）南有乔木，不可休思。
汉有游女，不可求思。
汉之广矣，不可泳思。
江之永矣，不可方思。
翘翘错薪，言刈其楚。
之子于归，言秣其马。
汉之广矣，不可泳思。
江之永矣，不可方思。
翘翘错薪，言刈其蒌。
之子于归，言秣其驹。
汉之广矣，不可泳思。
江之永矣，不可方思。
On the Han there is a wandering maid, but she cannot be won.
Wide, wide the Han—one cannot swim across;
Long, long the Jiang—no raft can cross it.
Rank grows the mixed brushwood; I cut the thorns among.
When that lady goes to her home, I will fodder her horse.
Wide, wide the Han—one cannot swim across;
Long, long the Jiang—no raft can cross it.
Rank grows the mixed brushwood; I cut the owl-herb among.
When that lady goes to her home, I will fodder her colt.
Wide, wide the Han—one cannot swim across;
Long, long the Jiang—no raft can cross it.
Meaning
In the south stands a tall tree, yet no shade to rest beneath. On the Han there is a wandering maid, yet she cannot be won. Wide, wide the Han—one cannot swim across; long, long the Jiang—no raft can cross it. Rank grows the mixed brushwood; I cut the thorns among. When that lady goes to her home, I will fodder her horse. Wide, wide the Han—one cannot swim across; long, long the Jiang—no raft can cross it. Rank grows the mixed brushwood; I cut the owl-herb among. When that lady goes to her home, I will fodder her colt. Wide, wide the Han—one cannot swim across; long, long the Jiang—no raft can cross it.
南方有高大的树木，却不能在其下休息。汉水上有出游的女子，却无法追求。汉水那样宽广，不能游过去；江水那样悠长，不能乘筏渡过去。丛丛杂生的柴草，我割取其中的荆楚。那女子若要出嫁，我愿为她喂饱马儿。汉水那样宽广，不能游过去；江水那样悠长，不能乘筏渡过去。丛丛杂生的柴草，我割取其中的蒌蒿。那女子若要出嫁，我愿为她喂饱骏驹。汉水那样宽广，不能游过去；江水那样悠长，不能乘筏渡过去。
Appreciation
This is a pre-Qin 'Book of Songs' piece, and its art is first in structure: three stanzas repeat with variation; the first states plainly 'cannot be won', the second and third rise with 'rank grows the mixed brushwood' to write the wish to 'cut the thorns / owl-herb' and 'fodder her horse / colt' for her wedding, and each stanza closes with 'Wide, wide the Han—one cannot swim across; long, long the Jiang—no raft can cross it', turning three times, the feeling deepening. Next is its metaphor: 'In the south stands a tall tree, but no shade to rest beneath' rises to 'On the Han there is a wandering maid, but she cannot be won', the tall tree without shade setting off the unattainable; the vast Han and long Jiang stand for the gulf that love cannot cross. The language is plain, the flavour long, opening the 'someone on the water' longing motif.
【白话串讲】 “汉之广矣，不可泳思”——汉水那么宽，游不过去。一个砍柴人爱慕汉水边的姑娘，却知道永远得不到。三千年前的单恋，写得又美又绝望。 【意象与手法】 此诗艺术首在结构：三章重章叠句，首章直抒「不可求」，二、三章以「翘翘错薪」起兴，写「言刈其楚/蒌」「言秣其马/驹」的迎归意愿，每章末尾均以「汉之广矣，不可泳思。江之永矣，不可方思」四句收束，三度回环，情致愈转愈深。次在比兴：以「南有乔木，不可休思」兴起「汉有游女，不可求思」，以「汉广」「江永」之巨浸阻隔比喻求爱之难逾。 【情感与主旨】 《汉广》为《诗经·国风·周南》第十一篇，周南地括今河南南部至江汉流域。诗写一男子对「游女」的倾慕，而苦于汉水宽广、江水悠长，可望不可即，今多从情歌解，是「在水一方」式相思母题的开端。 【名句点睛】 中考常见：一、「汉之广矣，不可泳思」的比喻与反复咏叹；二、「错薪」「刈楚」的兴象与迎娶民俗；三、重章叠句的章法效果。
Background
'The Han Is Wide' is the eleventh poem in the 'Airs of the Zhou South' section of the 'Book of Songs'. The Zhou South were the songs of the southern vassal states ruled by the Duke of Zhou, spanning from south Henan to the Han and Jiang valleys. The poem is a folk song of the Jiang-Han region from late Western Zhou to the Spring and Autumn period; its author is unknown. It writes a man's admiration for a 'wandering maid' (a woman boating or touring on the water), blocked by the wide Han and long Jiang, within sight but out of reach. The ancients had a 'King Wen's transforming influence' reading, but from the text it is closer to a frank love song; the 'wandering maid' may be an image of the Han river goddess, or simply a real folk girl—modern readings take it as a love song.
《汉广》为《诗经·国风·周南》第十一篇。周南为周公旦所治南方诸侯国之乐，其地约括今河南南部至江汉流域，故诗中屡见「汉」「江」之水名。此诗当为西周末至春秋间江汉地区的民间歌谣，作者无考。诗写一男子对「游女」（出游或泛舟水上的女子）的倾慕，而苦于汉水宽广、江水悠长，可望不可即。关于「游女」，古有「文王之化」说（《毛诗序》谓「德广所及」），亦有汉水女神之说，然从文本看更近于率真之情歌——「游女」或指汉水边出游的民间女子，或兼有女神意象的暗示，今人多从情歌解之。此诗以「汉之广矣，不可泳思。江之永矣，不可方思」的反复咏叹，写出了人类共通的「可望不可即」的怅惘，是《诗经》中写单恋相思最著名的一篇，也是「在水一方」式爱情母题的开端，对后世文学影响极为深远。《汉广》所咏之地江汉流域，为周南之疆，此地水泽纵横，「汉之广矣」「江之永矣」正是其地理实写；古有汉水女神（汉女）之传说，此诗之「游女」或即女神意象的人间化，男子隔水望女、求而不得，既有民歌的率真，也暗含人神殊途的怅惘，故历代解诗者于「情歌」与「神女」两说间各有取舍。
Art
This piece's art is first in structure: three stanzas repeat with variation. The first states directly 'cannot be won'; the second and third rise with 'rank grows the mixed brushwood' to write the intent to 'cut the thorns / owl-herb' and 'fodder her horse / colt' for the wedding, and each stanza closes with 'Wide, wide the Han—one cannot swim across; long, long the Jiang—no raft can cross it', turning three times, the feeling ever deeper. Next is metaphor: 'In the south stands a tall tree, but no shade to rest beneath' rises to 'On the Han there is a wandering maid, but she cannot be won', the tall tree without shade setting off the unattainable; the vast Han and long Jiang stand for the gulf love cannot cross. The language is plain, the flavour long, opening the 'someone on the water' longing motif.
此诗艺术首在结构：三章重章叠句，层层回环。首章直抒「不可求」，以乔木不可休兴起游女不可求，点明题旨；二、三章以「翘翘错薪」起兴，写「言刈其楚/蒌」「言秣其马/驹」的迎归意愿——明知不可求而仍存迎娶之想，痴情之态毕现；每章末尾均以「汉之广矣，不可泳思。江之永矣，不可方思」四句收束，三度回环，一唱三叹，情致愈转愈深。次在比兴：「南有乔木，不可休思」兴起「汉有游女，不可求思」，以树高无荫反衬所求之不可得，兴而兼比；以「汉广」「江永」之巨浸阻隔比喻求爱之难逾，江水之广即情路之阻，形象而贴切。全诗语言朴质、韵律悠长，以复沓的节奏写出痴情的执拗与怅惘的深沉，是中国诗歌史上「可望不可即」意境的第一次完整呈现，开「在水一方」式相思母题之先声，其艺术范式影响直至今日。此外，全诗以「不可」二字为骨，四叠「不可」，把求而不得的绝望层层敲实；而「言秣其马」「言秣其驹」的幻想又与之相反相成，一绝望一痴愿，绝望因痴愿而愈显悲凉，痴愿因绝望而愈见深情，这种「以愿写悲」的手法，正是此诗艺术的核心。
Allusions
This poem is a 'Book of Songs' original and a source of later allusions itself, not quoting others. 'Mixed brushwood' 'cut thorns / owl-herb' shadows an ancient wedding custom: the ancients had the custom of binding brushwood as a gift at marriage; 'rank grows the mixed brushwood, I cut the thorns' uses cutting good brushwood to rise to 'when that lady goes to her home', hinting at wedding. 'Raft' means lashing wood into a float to cross water; 'swim' is diving; 'long' is length—all common 'Book of Songs' water imagery. The 'wandering maid' image is far-reaching; Cao Zhi's 'Goddess of the Luo' and Han Yu's poems adapt its scene. The whole is written on the real Han-Jiang geography, metaphor natural.
本诗为《诗经》原典，本身即后世典故之源，非引他典。「错薪」「刈楚/蒌」为古代嫁娶民俗之影：古人婚礼有「束薪」为礼之俗，《诗经》中「析薪」「束薪」多与婚恋相关（如《齐风·南山》「析薪如之何」），「翘翘错薪，言刈其楚」以割取良薪兴起「之子于归」，暗含迎娶之意——楚为薪中之佳者，刈楚即择良配；「之子于归，言秣其马/驹」更直接写迎亲前喂饱车马，为迎娶作准备，痴情与无奈并见。「方」指编木为筏渡水，「泳」为潜水，「永」为长，皆《诗经》常见水意象语汇。「游女」意象影响深远，曹植《洛神赋》写洛水女神、韩愈《龊龊》诗皆化用其境。全诗以江汉地理实写，兴比天然，不假雕饰而情韵自深。「错薪」之兴又见于《诗经》其他篇章（如《周南·卷耳》《齐风·南山》之析薪），皆与婚恋相关，可见「束薪为礼」确为周代婚俗，「言刈其楚」正是以采薪暗写择偶，典出民俗而化为诗境，正是《诗经》「风」诗以民间习俗入诗的典型。「不可休思」之「休」又暗含「休憩、依托」双义，树不可休正如心无所依，兴象之中已见比意。
Commentary
The 'Mao Preface' says 'The Han Is Wide' shows 'virtue wide-spread', praising King Wen's transforming influence. Zhu Xi's 'Commentary on the Book of Songs' reads it plainly as 'the custom of the Han-Jiang, its girls love to roam, the river especially wide, cannot be won', favouring the love-song reading. The modern Yu Guan-ying, in 'Selected Book of Songs', calls it 'expressing the folly of unrequited love, plainly telling the dismay of the unattainable'; the three-fold 'wide, wide the Han' especially shows the wonder of 'one song three sighs', a model of 'Airs' lyric.
《毛诗序》谓「《汉广》，德广所及也」，美文王之道化，以为「无思犯礼，求而不可得」；朱熹《诗集传》则直以为「江汉之俗，其女好游，汉魏（水）尤阔，不可求而得也」，主情歌说。今人余冠英《诗经选》称其「表现单恋的痴情，老实说出了不可得的怅惘」，三叠「汉之广矣」尤见「一唱三叹」之妙，为风诗抒情范本。此诗的价值有二：一是题材之新，以「可望不可即」写单恋相思，为中国爱情诗开辟了「求而不得」这一永恒母题，与《蒹葭》同为「在水一方」意境的双璧；二是艺术之精，以重章叠句、兴而兼比的手法，将痴情与怅惘写得朴素而深沉，其复沓的韵律、贴切的比喻，为后世诗歌提供了范本。从《毛诗序》的政教解读到朱熹、余冠英的情歌解读，也可见《诗经》阐释史的演变轨迹。此诗在后世的影响，可举数端：曹植《洛神赋》写洛水女神「人神道殊」的怅惘，即承「游女」意象而来；唐诗「汉女输橦布」（王维）犹用其名；而其「可望不可即」的意境，更与《蒹葭》一起，成为中国文学中「求而不得」母题的源头，从李白「美人如花隔云端」到现代诗中的「在水一方」，其影响绵延数千年而不绝。
Prosody
Line by line
南有乔木，不可休思
In the south stands a tall tree, but no shade to rest beneath.
南方有高大的树木，却不能在其下休息。
In the south stands a tall tree, but I cannot rest beneath it.
起兴之句，以树高无荫喻所求之不可得，是全诗「兴而兼比」的典范。「乔木」指高耸的树木，树高而荫少，故「不可休思」——不能在树下休息；这一句看似写树，实为下文「汉有游女，不可求思」起兴：乔木虽高而不可休，游女虽好而不可求，物与事之间以「不可」二字暗中勾连，兴象天然。乔木之高，暗喻游女之高贵美好；不可休，暗喻求之不得的无奈。全诗以眼前之景兴起心中之情，不假思索而贴切自然，正是《诗经》「先言他物以引起所咏之词」的典型手法，一个「休」字兼写休息与依靠，树不可休正如心无可依，起笔即定全诗怅惘基调。
The tree. In the south stands a tall tree, but I cannot rest beneath it. The tall-tree-south and the cannot-rest-beneath are the opening. To have stood would be a standing; the in-the-south-stands-a-tall-tree-but-i-cannot-rest-beneath-it is the standing.
汉有游女，不可求思
On the Han there is a wandering maid, but she cannot be won.
汉水上有出游的女子，却无法追求。
By the Han roams a maiden, but she cannot be sought.
点明题旨之句，写「可望不可即」的怅惘，是「在水一方」母题的滥觞。「汉有游女」写汉水边出游的女子，一「游」字见其轻盈飘逸，或指泛舟水上的民间女子，或暗含汉水女神的缥缈意象；「不可求思」直抒其不可追求——不是不敢求，而是不可求、求不得，一个「不可」写尽现实的阻隔与内心的绝望。此句与首句「南有乔木，不可休思」以「不可」呼应，乔木之不可休是兴，游女之不可求是旨，兴与旨一体；「思」为语助词，无实义而余韵悠长。两句合观，一幅「隔水相望、求而不得」的画面已然浮现，怅惘之情朴素而深沉，正是此诗千古传诵的情感核心，也是后世无数「可望不可即」诗篇的源头。
The maiden. By the Han roams a maiden, but she cannot be sought. The Han-roams-maiden and the cannot-be-sought are the theme. To have roamed by the Han would be a roaming; the by-the-han-roams-a-maiden-but-she-cannot-be-sought is the roaming.
汉之广矣，不可泳思。江之永矣，不可方思
Wide, wide the Han—one cannot swim across; long, long the Jiang—no raft can cross it.
汉水那样宽广，不能游过去；江水那样悠长，不能乘筏渡过去。
How wide the Han! It cannot be swum. How long the Yangtze! It cannot be ferried on a raft.
三章叠咏的副歌，以巨浸喻阻隔，一唱三叹，是全诗情感与节奏的枢纽。「汉之广矣」写汉水之宽广，「江之永矣」写江水之悠长，广与永皆极言水面之浩渺；「不可泳思」写不能游过去，「不可方思」写不能乘筏渡过去，泳与方（筏渡）皆写出渡水之不可能。这四句在每章末尾反复出现，三次叠咏：既是写实——江水之隔确难逾越，更是比喻——以水之广永喻情路之阻隔，求爱之难如渡巨浸，可望而不可即。复沓的节奏如潮水般一波一波涌来，把痴情的执拗与阻隔的绝望反复敲打进读者心中，愈咏愈深，正是「一唱三叹」的典范。此四句是《汉广》最著名的句子，其以水喻阻、以叠句传情的艺术，影响及于《蒹葭》与后世无数情诗。
The river. How wide the Han! It cannot be swum. How long the Yangtze! It cannot be ferried on a raft. The Han-wide-cannot-swum and the Yangtze-long-cannot-raft are the refrain. To have been wide would be a being; the how-wide-the-han-it-cannot-be-swum-how-long-the-yangtze-it-cannot-be-ferried-on-a-raft is the being.
翘翘错薪，言刈其楚
High grows the tangled firewood; I cut the tallest thorns.
丛丛杂生的柴草，我割取其中的荆楚。
High the tangled firewood; I cut the tallest thorns.
以割薪起兴，暗写迎娶之意，是全诗情感由绝望转向痴愿的转折。「翘翘错薪」写柴草丛生、高低错杂之貌，「翘翘」是叠字，状其高而杂；「言刈其楚」写割取其中的荆楚——楚为薪柴中的佳品，刈楚即取其良者。此句的深意在于古代婚俗：古人婚礼有「束薪」为礼之俗，故《诗经》中「析薪」「束薪」「错薪」多与婚恋相关，此处割取良薪，正是暗喻择配良人、为迎娶作准备。明知「不可求」而仍割薪备婚，痴情之态毕现；「刈楚」又暗含「取其所好」之意，以良薪喻游女，爱慕之深溢于言表。此句由前面的绝望叹咏转入行动的幻想，情感由哀而痴、由痴而愿，章法上为下句「之子于归，言秣其马」的迎娶幻想作了铺垫。
The thorns. High grows the tangled firewood; I cut the tallest thorns. The tangled-firewood and the cut-tallest-thorns are the wish. To have cut the thorns would be a cutting; the high-grows-the-tangled-firewood-i-cut-the-tallest-thorns is the cutting.
之子于归，言秣其马
When that lady goes to her home, I will fodder her horse.
那女子若要出嫁，我愿为她喂饱马儿。
If that maiden should go home in marriage, I would feed her horses.
写迎归的痴愿，由阻隔转入幻想，深情愈显无奈，是全诗最动人的一笔。「之子于归」写那女子若要出嫁，「于归」即女子出嫁（归家），此句以假设出之——明知她不可能嫁给自己，却仍想象她出嫁时的情景；「言秣其马」写我愿为她喂饱马儿，喂马是迎亲前的准备，一个「秣」字写尽愿为心上人鞍前马后、倾其所有的痴情。这一幻想的妙处在于：不写「愿娶她为妻」的私欲，而写「愿为她喂马」的奉献，爱之深已化为纯粹的祝愿——哪怕她要嫁给别人，我也愿为她做一切。以最朴素的行动写最深沉的爱，痴情与无奈并存，正是「发乎情，止乎礼义」的温柔敦厚，也是《汉广》作为情诗而能千古传诵的情感内核。
The horse. If that maiden should go home in marriage, I would feed her horses. The maiden-goes-marriage and the feed-her-horses are the fantasy. To have fed the horses would be a feeding; the-if-that-maiden-should-go-home-in-marriage-i-would-feed-her-horses is the feeding.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both are love songs of the unreachable 'on the water'; 'Reeds' and 'The Han Is Wide' are twin masterpieces of yearning.
《汉广》与《蒹葭》同为中国爱情诗「可望不可即」母题的双璧。《蒹葭》「蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜。所谓伊人，在水一方」写求索者的迷惘，「溯洄从之」「溯游从之」反复咏叹而终不可得，意境空灵缥缈，情感幽约朦胧；《汉广》则写「汉之广矣，不可泳思」的明确阻隔，意境阔大质实，情感痴直朴拙。一以「在水一方」的缥缈写怅惘，一以「汉广江永」的实景写绝望；一空灵一质实、一幽约一痴直。两诗并读，正见《诗经》写「求而不得」的两种风格，亦可见这一母题在中国诗歌史上的源头地位，其影响直贯《洛神赋》与后世无数情诗。
关雎 The Osprey 诗经 · 同属《国风》爱情名篇，一求而不得、一寤寐求之，可互参 Same (both 'Airs' love poems—one unattained, one sought in dreams)Both famous love poems in the 'Airs'; one seeks yet cannot attain, one dreams by day and night—read together.
《关雎》与《汉广》同出《国风》，皆写男子对女子的爱慕，而情感状态有别。《关雎》「窈窕淑女，寤寐求之。求之不得，寤寐思服」写求之而思、思之而乐，终以「琴瑟友之」「钟鼓乐之」的和谐婚恋收束，情感由忧转喜、由求而至，格调明朗；《汉广》则「不可求思」三叠，始终停留在可望不可即的怅惘之中，情感痴直绝望，终以「秣其马」的幻想自慰。一为求而将得的热烈，一为求而不得的痴绝；一以和谐为归、一以怅惘为终。两诗并读，可见《诗经》爱情诗的多样情态，亦可体会「求之不得」与「求而得之」两种原型对后世爱情文学的双重影响。