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先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry

将仲子

Oh Zhong Zi

诗经

Book of Songs

爱情Love 相思Longing

将仲子兮,无逾我里,无折我树杞。
岂敢爱之?
畏我父母。
仲可怀也,父母之言,亦可畏也。
将仲子兮,无逾我墙,无折我树桑。
岂敢爱之?
畏我诸兄。
仲可怀也,诸兄之言,亦可畏也。
将仲子兮,无逾我园,无折我树檀。
岂敢爱之?
畏人之多言。
仲可怀也,人之多言,亦可畏也。

Oh Zhong Zi, I pray you—cross not my hamlet's gate,
Nor break my planting of wolfberry.
How dare I love it? I fear my father and mother.
Zhong Zi is worth the thought—
But my father and mother's words, too, are to be feared.

Oh Zhong Zi, I pray you—cross not my wall,
Nor break my planting of mulberry.
How dare I love it? I fear my elder brothers.
Zhong Zi is worth the thought—
But my elder brothers' words, too, are to be feared.

Oh Zhong Zi, I pray you—cross not my garden,
Nor break my planting of sandalwood.
How dare I love it? I fear the many tongues of men.
Zhong Zi is worth the thought—
But the many tongues of men, too, are to be feared.
Listen

Meaning

Oh Zhong Zi, I beg you—do not climb over my hamlet's gate, do not break the wolfberry I planted. How could I grudge the tree? I fear my father and mother. Zhong Zi is worthy of thought, yet my father and mother's words are also to be feared. Oh Zhong Zi, I beg you—do not climb over my wall, do not break the mulberry I planted. How could I grudge the tree? I fear my elder brothers. Zhong Zi is worthy of thought, yet my elder brothers' words are also to be feared. Oh Zhong Zi, I beg you—do not climb over my garden, do not break the sandalwood I planted. How could I grudge the tree? I fear the many tongues of men. Zhong Zi is worthy of thought, yet the many tongues of men are also to be feared.

求求你仲子啊,别翻越我家的里门,别折断我种的杞树。哪里是舍不得树?是害怕我的父母。仲子你固然值得思念,可父母的话,也实在让人畏惧。求求你仲子啊,别翻越我家的围墙,别折断我种的桑树。哪里是舍不得树?是害怕我的兄长。仲子你固然值得思念,可兄长的话,也实在让人畏惧。求求你仲子啊,别翻越我家的园子,别折断我种的檀树。哪里是舍不得树?是害怕旁人的闲言。仲子你固然值得思念,可旁人的闲话,也实在让人畏惧。

Appreciation

This poem speaks straight in a woman's voice, throughout in the imperative 'Oh Zhong Zi, I pray you—cross not… break not…', coquettish and earnest, as if hearing her voice. Structurally three chapters repeat, from 'hamlet' to 'wall' to 'garden', from 'wolfberry' to 'mulberry' to 'sandalwood', space and objects advancing layer by layer; 'how dare I love it' with a turning brush lays bare the true cause—'I fear my father and mother / elder brothers / the many tongues of men'. The psychological writing is most fine; 'Zhong Zi is worth the thought' set against 'also to be feared' writes the tearing between love and the rites, true and moving.

【白话串讲】 姑娘对情郎说:仲子啊,别翻我家的墙,别折我家的树。不是舍不得树,是怕父母哥哥知道,怕邻居说闲话——“仲可怀也,父母之言,亦可畏也”。三千年前的恋爱,也这么难。 【意象与手法】 本诗以女子的口吻直抒,通篇用祈使句「将仲子兮,无逾……无折……」,娇嗔恳切,如闻其声。结构上三章重章叠句,由「里」到「墙」到「园」,由「杞」到「桑」到「檀」,空间与物象层层推进;「岂敢爱之」以反跌之笔,亮出「畏我父母/诸兄/人之多言」的真因。心理描写极细腻,「仲可怀也」与「亦可畏也」的并列,写出爱情与礼法的撕扯,真实动人 【情感与主旨】 《将仲子》为《诗经·郑风》中的民间情歌。郑国地处中原,商旅繁盛,民风相对开放。诗中女子与「仲子」相恋,却因翻墙逾里触犯礼法、招致父母兄长及乡邻议论而忧惧,正产生于青年男女自由相恋与宗法礼教、宗族舆论相互牵制的现实语境中,是《国风》爱情诗中极具戏剧张力的一篇 【名句点睛】 中高考考点:①主旨——理解热恋女子在爱情与礼法、人言间的矛盾心理;②「岂敢爱之」的反跌与「仲可怀也,亦可畏也」的怀畏并陈;③重章叠句、层层递进的结构

Background

Jiang Zhong Zi is a folk love-song in the 'Airs of the States · Zheng' of the Book of Songs. Zheng lay in the central plains, busy with trade, its customs relatively open; the Han Geography Treatise says Zheng 'dwell in hills, draw water from valleys, men and women meet often, so its customs are licentious'. The poem's woman loves 'Zhong Zi', yet fears that his climbing the wall and crossing the hamlet offends the rites and draws her parents', brothers', and neighbours' talk. The poem arose exactly in the real context where free love between young men and women was checked by clan rites and public opinion—a piece of the Airs' love poems with strong dramatic tension.

《将仲子》为《诗经·郑风》中的民间情歌,产生于春秋时期郑国。郑国地处中原,商旅繁盛,交通四达,民风相对开放,《汉书·地理志》称郑「山居谷汲,男女亟聚会,故其俗淫」——男女交往较他国自由,然亦非毫无礼法约束:宗法制度下的父母之命、媒妁之言,同姓不婚、男女之别等礼教规范,仍对青年男女的自由恋爱形成压力。诗中女子与「仲子」(排行第二的男子)相恋,仲子私下翻墙逾里前来幽会,女子爱而惧之,遂作此诗劝阻:不是不爱,而是畏惧父母、兄长、人言。此诗正产生于青年男女自由相恋与宗法礼教、宗族舆论相互牵制的现实语境中,真实记录了礼法社会初期自由恋爱所面临的困境,是《国风》爱情诗中极具戏剧张力与心理深度的一篇,也是研究先秦婚姻礼俗与女性心理的重要文献。此诗历来为《诗经》选本必收之作,也是研究先秦婚恋观念与礼法制度的重要文献。

Art

This poem speaks straight in a woman's voice, throughout in the imperative 'Oh Zhong Zi, I pray you—cross not… break not…', coquettish and earnest, as if hearing her voice. Structurally three chapters repeat, from 'hamlet' to 'wall' to 'garden', from 'wolfberry' to 'mulberry' to 'sandalwood', space and objects advancing layer by layer; 'how dare I love it' with a turning brush lays bare the true cause—'I fear my father and mother / elder brothers / the many tongues of men'. The psychological writing is most fine; 'Zhong Zi is worth the thought' set against 'also to be feared' writes the tearing between love and the rites, true and moving.

此诗以女子的口吻直抒,通篇用祈使句,娇嗔恳切,如闻其声。全诗三章,重章叠句:首章「无逾我里,无折我树杞」,次章「无逾我墙,无折我树桑」,三章「无逾我园,无折我树檀」——由「里」到「墙」到「园」,空间层层推进;由「杞」到「桑」到「檀」,物象依次更换,重章之中见递进,如层层设防。每章皆以「将仲子兮」的恳求起,以「岂敢爱之」的反跌承,以「畏我父母/诸兄/人之多言」的真因转,以「仲可怀也……亦可畏也」的矛盾心理结,四层结构,层层深入。尤其「岂敢爱之」以反跌之笔,先否后扬,亮出「畏」之真因;「仲可怀也」与「亦可畏也」并列,爱情与礼法的撕扯如在目前。全诗口语入诗,心理刻画细腻,娇嗔、忧惧、矛盾交织,是《诗经》中写女性心理最成功的篇章之一。尤妙者,三章层层设防、步步退让,由里而墙而园,空间愈收愈紧,恰与爱情愈陷愈深的心理同构,重章叠句的形式与内容浑然一体,正见《诗经》「一唱三叹」的抒情艺术。

Allusions

This poem is a folk lyric with no clear story-allusion. 'Hamlet' means an ancient dwelling unit (five families a neighbour, five neighbours a hamlet); 'garden' is a kitchen-garden; 'wolfberry', 'mulberry', 'sandalwood' are all everyday trees, used to mark the woman's dwelling boundary, not allusive images. Only 'Zhong' in 'Zhong Zi' is the second-place birth-order name, reflecting the Zhou custom of ranking by bo-zhong-shu-ji; 'fear the many tongues of men' faintly fits the Analects' 'men's words are to be feared', opening the later 'men's words are to be feared' idiom—yet the poem cites no classic.

此诗为民间抒情,无明确史事典故,然名物制度皆有深意。「里」指古代民居聚落单位,《周礼》谓五家为邻、五邻为里,里门为出入之所,逾里即私入人家聚居区,逾礼越制;「墙」为院墙,「园」为园圃,由里而墙而园,一层层逼近女子居所,正是仲子幽会步步深入之迹。「杞」「桑」「檀」皆日常树木:杞为杞柳,桑为桑树,檀为檀木,皆女子所植之树,仲子逾墙而来,折树攀枝,惊动邻里,故女子婉言相劝——以惜树为由头,实为畏人言。「仲子」之「仲」为排行第二之称,反映周代以伯仲叔季排行的民俗,亲切而日常。「畏人之多言」暗合《论语》「人言可畏」之意,开后世「人言可畏」成语之先声,然诗中并未引经据典,纯以口语写出,正见《国风》「饥者歌其食,劳者歌其事」的本色。此诗名物之实,亦为后世考证周代里制、田制与树木种植提供了材料,其史料价值与文学价值并重,足见《诗经》「多识于鸟兽草木之名」的传统。

Commentary

The Mao Preface says: 'Jiang Zhong Zi satirizes Lord Zhuang.'—a forced political reading; Zhu Xi's Poetry Commentary plainly says 'this is a licentious elopement's words', bound by neo-Confucian rigour. Moderns take it as a folk love-song. Fang Yurun, in Origin of the Book of Songs, says: 'the woman speaks these turning words to refuse her lover.' The modern Wen Yiduo said this poem 'writes the female mind, subtle to the fine'. Its plain speaking of love, not shunning the rites' conflict, has always been praised by critics.

《毛诗序》谓「《将仲子》,刺庄公也」,乃附会郑庄公克段之政教之说;朱熹《诗集传》则直言「此淫奔之辞」,拘于理学偏见;今人多以为民间情歌,方玉润《诗经原始》称「女子为此婉转之辞以谢其欢」,最为通达。近人闻一多谓此诗「写女性心理,细腻入微」,正点其艺术价值:女子对情人既爱且惧、欲拒还迎的心理,写得真实动人。此诗在文学史上的意义有三:其一,以女子第一人称口吻写恋爱心理,是中国诗歌中最早的心理独白之一,开后世闺怨诗、代言体之先声;其二,「岂敢爱之」「仲可怀也,亦可畏也」的欲说还休,为后世爱情诗提供了「以反言写深情」的范式;其三,真实记录了先秦礼法与人情的冲突,是研究古代婚姻制度、宗法伦理与女性地位的珍贵文献,也是《诗经》「国风」现实主义精神的典型体现。今日读之,女子之「畏」犹能引发共鸣,正是诗歌反映真实人性、超越时代的明证。

Prosody

Form Book of Songs · Airs of the States · Zheng (mostly four-character, mixed three-five)诗经·国风·郑风(四言为主,杂三五言)
Rhyme Chapter one zhi rhyme (hamlet, wolfberry, it, mother, fear); chapter two yang rhyme (wall, mulberry, brothers, fear); chapter three han rhyme (garden, sandalwood, talk, fear); rhyme shifts by chapter随章换韵:首章里、杞、之、母、畏叶韵(之部),次章墙、桑、兄、畏叶韵(阳部),三章园、檀、言、畏叶韵(寒部)
Tone pattern Mixed meter, irregular; the Book of Songs form does not mark level-oblique杂言错落,《诗经》体不究平仄,重章叠句
Reading note Repeated chapters advancing, spoken speech into poem, fine psychological carving.此诗为《诗经·国风·郑风》之一,属西周至春秋间的民歌,以四言为主,间杂三言、五言,如「将仲子兮」(四言)、「岂敢爱之」(四言)、「仲可怀也,父母之言,亦可畏也」(杂言),句式参差错落,正是《诗经》「杂言体」的本色。用韵上,三章随章换韵:首章「里、杞、之、母、畏」叶之部韵,次章「墙、桑、兄、畏」叶阳部韵,三章「园、檀、言、畏」叶寒部韵,皆依先秦古韵,随章转换;重章叠句是此诗最大的形式特点:三章句式基本相同,仅更换「里、墙、园」「杞、桑、檀」「父母、诸兄、人之多言」等关键词,一唱三叹,层层递进,如层层设防,将爱情与礼法的矛盾反复咏叹,加深了情感的浓度。《诗经》体不究平仄对仗,纯以口语入诗,此诗尤见其口语化之生动,是《国风》「赋比兴」中「赋」体(直陈其事)的典型,也是重章叠句艺术发挥到极致的作品。

Line by line

将仲子兮,无逾我里

Oh Zhong Zi, I pray you—cross not my hamlet's gate.

求求你仲子啊,别翻越我家的里门

I beg you, Zhongzi, do not climb over the gate of my village.

起句以祈使口吻直诉,是全诗情感的基调。「将」为请、愿之意,表祈使恳求,「将仲子兮」一声软语相求,娇嗔恳切、如闻其声——不是命令,不是拒绝,而是带着爱意的请求,一个「将」字写尽女子对情郎的爱怜与无奈;「无逾我里」是请求的内容:不要翻越我家的里门——「逾」字点出仲子私下幽会之举,翻墙越里,本是热恋中的大胆行为,而女子却怕人看见、怕人说闲话。「里」为古代民居聚落单位,里门为出入之所,逾里即私入,逾礼越制。此句的妙处在于欲拒还迎:说「无逾」,是怕;而不说「毋来」,是爱——怕人言而请其止步,又舍不得断然拒绝,爱惧交织,一开口便见矛盾心理,为全诗「可怀亦可畏」的主题定下基调。

The plea. I beg you, Zhongzi, do not climb over the gate of my village. The beg-Zhongzi and the do-not-climb-gate are the opening. To have begged him would be a begging; the i-beg-you-zhongzi-do-not-climb-over-the-gate-of-my-village is the begging.

岂敢爱之?畏我父母

How dare I love it? I fear my father and mother.

哪里是舍不得树?是害怕我的父母

How dare I care for it? I fear my parents.

此二句以反跌之笔亮出真因,是全诗心理转折的关键。「岂敢爱之」以反问先否:哪里是舍不得那棵树?——惜树是借口,不是本意;「畏我父母」以直陈亮出真因:是害怕我的父母——「畏」字是全诗的字眼,写尽礼法对爱情的压力。此二句的妙处在于「反跌」:先以「岂敢」否定了表面理由(爱树),再以「畏」道出真实原因(畏亲),层层剥笋,将女子心思和盘托出。惜树是真——那是她亲手所植;畏亲更是真——那是她无法逾越的礼法。以惜树为由,以畏亲为本,托辞之中见真情,畏怯之中见清醒:她不是不爱仲子,而是深知私相幽会必遭父母责难,故婉言相劝。一问一答,心理转折巧妙,是《诗经》中写女性心理最传神的笔墨之一。

The parents. How dare I care for it? I fear my parents. The how-dare-I-care and the I-fear-my-parents are the excuse. To have feared the parents would be a fearing; the how-dare-i-care-for-it-i-fear-my-parents is the fearing.

仲可怀也,父母之言,亦可畏也

Zhong Zi is worth the thought— Yet my father and mother's words, too, are to be feared.

仲子你固然值得思念,可父母的话,也实在让人畏惧

Zhong, you are indeed dear to me, but my parents' words—they too are to be feared.

此三句以「可怀」「可畏」对举,写尽礼法与爱情的矛盾,是全诗主旨所在。「仲可怀也」直陈爱意——仲子你固然值得思念、值得爱恋,「可怀」二字毫不掩饰其深情;「父母之言,亦可畏也」转陈忧惧——可父母的话,也实在让人畏惧,「可畏」二字写尽礼法的压力。一「怀」一「畏」,爱情与礼法在女子心中撕扯:怀是心之所向,畏是身之所困;心爱仲子而身畏人言,两难之境,如见其人。此三句的妙处在于并列而不偏废:既不说「不爱」,也不说「不畏」,而是怀畏并陈,承认两者都是真实——爱是真的,畏也是真的,唯其皆真,矛盾才如此深刻动人。此句亦是全诗三章反复咏叹的核心:由「父母」而「诸兄」而「人之多言」,畏的对象层层外扩,从家庭到宗族到社会,礼法之网越织越密,爱情之困越陷越深,写尽先秦女子在礼教初立时代的普遍困境。

The fear. Zhong, you are indeed dear to me, but my parents' words—they too are to be feared. The Zhong-dear-to-me and the parents-words-too-feared are the dilemma. To have been dear would be a being; the zhong-you-are-indeed-dear-to-me-but-my-parents-words-they-too-are-to-be-feared is the being.

岂敢爱之?畏我诸兄

How dare I care for the tree? I fear my elder brothers.

哪里是舍不得树?是害怕我的兄长

How dare I care for it? I fear my elder brothers.

此二句为次章的反跌之笔,与首章「畏我父母」对举,写畏之对象的层层外扩。「岂敢爱之」以反问先否:哪里是舍不得那棵树?——惜树仍只是借口;「畏我诸兄」以直陈亮出真因:是害怕我的兄长——由「父母」到「诸兄」,畏的对象从父母扩展到兄长,礼法的压力从家庭的核心层向外推展。此二句的妙处在于重章递进:三章皆用「岂敢爱之」的反问句式,而以「父母」「诸兄」「人之多言」依次替换,表面是重复,实则是层层进逼——每一章都在原来的忧惧之上再加一重,礼法之网越织越密,爱情之困越陷越深。由畏父母而畏诸兄,可见宗族礼法对女子的多重束缚:父母是生养之恩,诸兄是宗族之亲,皆不可违;「畏」字之下,是一个弱女子在宗法社会中的步步维艰,正见《诗经》重章叠句「一唱三叹」的抒情力量。

The brothers. How dare I care for the tree? I fear my elder brothers. The how-dare-I-care and the I-fear-my-brothers are the deepening. To have feared the brothers would be a fearing; the how-dare-i-care-for-the-tree-i-fear-my-elder-brothers is the fearing.

Study

Word focus

将 Please, would that—an imperative, showing the woman's soft, pleading tone. 「将仲子兮」之「将」,为请、愿之意,表祈使恳求,是全诗口吻的关键。「将」字的妙处在于软语相求的语感:不是「仲子!别来!」的命令呵斥,而是「求求你仲子啊」的低声央告——一个「将」字,写尽女子对情郎的爱怜、无奈与娇嗔。「将」字置于每章之首,三章叠用,声声恳求,如见女子倚门而立、欲说还休之态:既盼他来,又怕他来;既爱他大胆,又惧他鲁莽。此字亦定下全诗「欲拒还迎」的基调:求其「无逾」,是不敢;而不说「毋来」,是不舍——爱之深、畏之切,尽在一个「将」字的恳求语气之中。一字而情态毕现,是《诗经》炼字「以一字写千情」的典范。
逾 To climb over, pointing Zhong Zi's private meeting, stirring the fear of the rites. 「无逾我里」之「逾」,为翻越之意,是全诗叙事的关键词,点出仲子幽会之举。「逾」字写动作之越界:翻越里门、翻越院墙、翻越园垣——「逾」者,越也,越过界限、突破防范,一层层逼近女子居所。此字有三重意味:其一,写仲子之大胆——热恋中的男子,不顾礼法,翻墙越里前来幽会,其情之切、其胆之大可见;其二,写女子之忧惧——仲子逾墙越里,必惊动邻里、招致物议,女子畏人言而劝其止步,「逾」字正是「畏」的由头;其三,写礼法之界限——「逾」是越界,界限即礼法,逾里逾墙皆逾礼,此字暗含礼教对自由恋爱的约束。以一字写尽动作、心理与礼法三重意蕴,是《诗经》以少总多的典型。
畏 To fear. Used in three chapters, from parents to men's talk expanding outward, exhausting the pressure of public opinion. 「畏我父母」「亦可畏也」之「畏」,为畏惧之意,三章叠用,是全诗的主旨字眼。「畏」字三章皆见:首章畏父母,次章畏诸兄,三章畏人之多言——由家庭而宗族而社会,畏的对象层层外扩,礼法之网越织越密。此字写尽先秦女子在礼教压力下的困境:不是不爱,而是不敢爱;不是不愿从,而是不敢违——「畏」字之下,是父母的权威、宗族的舆论、社会的规范,重重压在一个弱女子心上。叠用「畏」字,如一记记重锤,敲出爱情在礼法面前的无奈:仲可怀也,而父母之言亦可畏也——怀与畏的撕扯,正是「畏」字的分量所在。此字亦是全诗批判性所在:以女子之畏,写礼教对爱情的压抑,是《国风》现实主义精神的体现。

Related Reading

静女 The Quiet Maiden 诗经 · 同出郑风,同写热恋中女子情态 Same (Zheng love topic)

Both write a loving woman's manner; 'The Quiet Maiden' writes the tryst's charm, 'Jiang Zhong Zi' writes the refused-meeting's worry—compare the feeling.

《静女》以「静女其姝,俟我于城隅。爱而不见,搔首踟蹰」「静女其娈,贻我彤管」写男女约会之趣:女子城隅藏身、赠物传情,男子搔首徘徊、欣然赴约,情致活泼俏皮;此诗以「将仲子兮,无逾我里」「仲可怀也,亦可畏也」写女子劝阻幽会,娇嗔忧惧。两诗同出《郑风》,同写热恋中女子,而《静女》写赴约之俏、此诗写阻约之忧,一欢快一忧惧,情调迥异。比较二诗,可见《诗经》写恋爱心理的多样:有大胆欢会者,亦有礼法约束下欲拒还迎者,正是先秦爱情生活的真实两面。

子衿 Your Collar 诗经 · 同出郑风,同写相思 Same (Zheng love-longing)

Both from Zheng writing longing; one writes the worry of a blocked meeting, one the longing of a long wait—different tones.

《子衿》以「青青子衿,悠悠我心。纵我不往,子宁不嗣音」「一日不见,如三月兮」写女子盼情人之久候,直抒渴念、坦率热烈;此诗以「将仲子兮,无逾我里」「仲可怀也,亦可畏也」写女子拒情人之幽会,含蓄忧惧、欲拒还迎。两诗同出《郑风》,同写女子相思,而《子衿》以久候写渴念、此诗以阻约写矛盾,一坦率一曲折,情调各异。比较二诗,可见郑风爱情诗的大胆开放与忧惧束缚并存,也可体会《诗经》写相思的两种笔法:直抒与婉转,各极其妙。

桃夭 Peach Tree Young 诗经 · 同涉婚恋,一写婚嫁之喜一写恋爱之惧 Same (marriage-love theme)

One writes love's fear, one writes marriage's joy; both touch marriage-love yet grief and joy differ.

《桃夭》以「桃之夭夭,灼灼其华。之子于归,宜其室家」写女子出嫁之盛,「灼灼其华」以桃花喻新娘之艳,贺婚嫁之喜,气氛欢快热烈;此诗以「岂敢爱之?畏我父母」「人之多言,亦可畏也」写女子恋爱之惧,忧礼法之压,情调忧惧矛盾。两诗同出《诗经》,同涉婚恋,而《桃夭》写婚嫁之喜、此诗写恋爱之惧,一喜一忧、一颂一叹,恰成对照。比较二诗,可见先秦婚恋的两种面向:礼法认可之婚是喜庆的,礼法之外的恋爱却是忧惧的,正是《诗经》时代婚恋观念的真实写照。