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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

浣溪沙·髻子伤春慵更梳

Tune: 'Silk-Washing Stream' — Languid, She Will Not Comb Her Hair

李清照

Li Qingzhao

伤春spring lament 闺怨boudoir grief 婉约graceful style

髻子伤春慵更梳。
晚风庭院落梅初。
淡云来往月疏疏。
玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑，朱樱斗帐掩流苏。
通犀还解辟寒无。

Her coiled hair—spring-sick, she is too languid to comb it. Evening wind in the court; the mume blossoms just begin to fall. Pale clouds drift to and fro; the moon, sparse and sparse.
In the jade-duck incense burner, the rare brain incense lies idle; the vermilion-cherry canopy hides its tassels. Can the thorough-horn still ward off the cold?

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Meaning

Spring-sick, she is too languid even to comb her coiled hair. Evening wind moves through the court and the mume blossoms begin to fall; pale clouds drift and the moon shines sparse and clear. In the jade-duck incense burner the rare brain incense lies idle, and the vermilion-cherry bed-curtain hides its tassels. She asks whether the thorough-horn can still ward off the cold. The lyric moves from the languid beauty, through cool outer scenery, to the ornate inner furnishings, and closes on a question—all voicing a boudoir woman's lonely spring sorrow and love-longing,含蓄 deep and gentle, typical of Li Qingzhao's early graceful style.

髻子因伤春而慵懒，更懒得梳理。晚风吹过庭院，梅花初落。淡云来往，月色疏疏朗朗。玉鸭熏炉里闲放着瑞脑香，朱樱色的斗帐掩着流苏。那通犀角，还能解除寒冷吗？

Appreciation

Plain recount: Her coiled hair—spring-sick, she is too languid to comb it… (as above). Imagery and technique: This is Li Qingzhao's early graceful lyric on boudoir spring-sorrow, writing languor and rich furnishings for the spring melancholy. The upper stanza's 'too languid to comb' is an immortal line on spring-sick languor; 'evening wind, mume blossoms fall' and 'pale clouds, sparse moon' paint the cool dusk. The lower stanza's idle incense burner and hidden tassels write loneliness through opulence; the closing question 'can the thorough-horn still ward off the cold?' asks of her inner chill. Whole lyric: upper scenery, lower objects, coolness voicing lonely spring sorrow. Feeling and theme: Written in her early Northern Song period (c. 1100); Zhao Mingcheng often away, she felt parting love-longing. 'Too languid to comb' shows 'a woman adorns for him who pleases her'—none is there, so no care for dress. The lyric writes spring-sick loneliness and longing through languor, cool scene, and opulent furnishings—typically her early boudoir-grief style.

【白话串讲】李清照写《浣溪沙·髻子伤春慵更梳》：“髻子伤春慵更梳。晚风庭院落梅初”——“淡云来往月疏疏”——“玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑，朱樱斗帐掩流苏”——“通犀还解辟寒无”——她写伤春慵懒的闺中生活。【意象与手法】此词是李清照写闺中伤春的词，以慵懒的意态与华美的陈设写春愁，是李清照早期婉约词的代表。上片「髻子伤春慵更梳」写伤春慵懒——因伤春而懒得梳妆，「慵」字写尽春愁的意态，是千古名句；「晚风庭院落梅初」写庭院晚景——晚风吹过，梅花初落；「淡云来往月疏疏」写淡云疏月——淡云来往，月色疏疏；下片「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑，朱樱斗帐掩流苏」写闺中陈设——玉鸭熏炉闲放瑞脑，朱樱斗帐掩着流苏，以华美的陈设写闺中的孤寂，那「闲」字写尽香炉闲置、人无聊赖；「通犀还解辟寒无」以问作结——那通犀角还能解除寒冷吗？那「辟寒」既是御寒，也是驱散内心的孤寒，以问写愁。全词上片写景（晚风、落梅、淡云疏月），下片写物（熏炉、斗帐、通犀），以景与物的清冷写闺中伤春的孤寂，含蓄深婉，是李清照婉约词的本领。【情感与主旨】此词约作于李清照早期（北宋时期，约1100年前后），具体作年不详。李清照出身书香门第，早年生活优裕，与赵明诚成婚后琴瑟和鸣；然赵明诚常外出游学、宦游，李清照每有离别相思之苦。此词写闺中伤春——那「髻子伤春慵更梳」写因伤春而懒得梳妆（「女为悦己者容」，无心梳妆正因所思之人不在），那「晚风庭院落梅初」写庭院落梅的春暮之景，那「淡云来往月疏疏」写疏月的清冷，那「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑」写香炉闲置的无聊赖，那「通犀还解辟寒无」以问写愁——那通犀角能否解除寒冷（内心之寒）？全词以慵懒的意态、清冷的景物、华美的陈设写闺中伤春的孤寂与相思，含蓄深婉，是李清照早期闺怨词的典型风格，那「慵」的意态、「闲」的无聊赖，正是「女为悦己者容」的相思之苦的体现。【名句点睛】常考“髻子伤春慵更梳”以“慵”字写尽春愁的意态；“淡云来往月疏疏”写淡云疏月，意境清幽。

Background

This lyric on boudoir spring-sorrow was likely written in Li Qingzhao's early period (Northern Song, c. 1100); the exact year is unknown. Li Qingzhao (1084–c. 1155), styled Yi'an Jushi, of Zhangqiu (Shandong), was born to a literary family; her father Li Gefei was a disciple of Su Shi. At eighteen (1101) she wed Zhao Mingcheng, and they shared a happy scholarly life, yet he often traveled for study or office, leaving her with parting longing. The lyric writes boudoir spring-sorrow: the upper stanza's 'too languid to comb' hints at 'adorning for the pleasing one'; 'evening wind, mume blossoms fall' the late-spring court; 'pale clouds, sparse moon' a cool night. The lower stanza's idle jade-duck burner hints at boredom; the vermilion-cherry canopy shows opulent furnishings; the closing question asks whether the thorough-horn (legendary cold-warding horn) can dispel the cold—outer and inner chill alike. The whole writes lonely spring-sorrow through languor, cool scene, and rich furnishings.

此词是李清照写闺中伤春的词，约作于其早期（北宋时期，约1100年前后），具体作年不详。李清照（1084—约1155），号易安居士，齐州章丘（今山东济南）人。她出身书香门第，父亲李格非是苏轼门生、官至礼部员外郎，母亲王氏亦知书能文；李清照自幼聪慧，诗词书画皆擅。十八岁（1101）与太学生赵明诚成婚，婚后夫妻琴瑟和鸣，共同校勘金石书画。然赵明诚常外出游学、宦游，李清照每有离别相思之苦。此词写闺中伤春：上片「髻子伤春慵更梳」写因伤春而懒得梳妆——那「慵」写春愁的意态，也暗含「女为悦己者容」之意（所思之人不在，故无心梳妆）；「晚风庭院落梅初」写庭院晚景——晚风吹过，梅花初落，写春暮之景；「淡云来往月疏疏」写淡云疏月——月色疏朗，意境清冷。下片「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑」写玉鸭形的熏炉中闲放着瑞脑（龙脑香）——那「闲」字写香炉闲置，暗写闺中无聊赖；「朱樱斗帐掩流苏」写朱樱色的斗帐掩着流苏——写闺中陈设的华美；「通犀还解辟寒无」以问作结——通犀（通犀角，传说能辟寒）还能解除寒冷吗？那「辟寒」既写御寒，也暗写驱散内心的孤寒。全词以慵懒的意态、清冷的景物、华美的陈设写闺中伤春的孤寂。

Art

The art may be read on four levels. First, writing sorrow through languor: 'too languid to comb' shows spring-sick lassitude, body and mood both slack—an immortal line. Second, the cool scenery's aura: 'evening wind, mume blossoms fall' and 'pale clouds, sparse moon' render a cool late-spring mood that mirrors her lonely heart. Third, the opulent furnishings as foil: the rich burner and canopy, with their 'idle' word, contrast splendor against loneliness—no one beside her. Fourth, the implicit close by question: 'can the thorough-horn still ward off the cold?' asks of the inner chill, endless and含蓄. These four make it a model of her early graceful style.

此词的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以慵写愁的意态。「髻子伤春慵更梳」以「慵」写伤春的意态——因伤春而懒得梳妆，那「慵」字既是动作的慵懒，也是心绪的慵倦，写尽春愁中人的无精打采，是千古名句。其二，清冷景物的渲染。「晚风庭院落梅初」「淡云来往月疏疏」写庭院落梅、淡云疏月，以清冷的景物渲染伤春的氛围——那落梅初落写春暮，那淡云疏月写夜寒，景物的清冷正映照心境的孤寂。其三，华美陈设的反衬。「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑，朱樱斗帐掩流苏」写闺中华美的陈设，以陈设之华美反衬闺中人之孤寂——那「闲」字写香炉闲置，暗写无人相伴、百无聊赖，华美与孤寂形成反差。其四，以问作结的含蓄。「通犀还解辟寒无」以问作结——那通犀角还能解除寒冷吗？那「辟寒」既写御寒，也暗写驱散内心的孤寒，以问写愁，含蓄不尽。四重手法，使此词以慵懒的意态、清冷的景物、华美的陈设写闺中伤春的孤寂，正是李清照早期婉约词的本领。

Allusions

The diction rests in boudoir-grief, spring-lament, and object traditions. 'Too languid to comb' recalls Wen Tingyun's 'lazy to rise, paint the moth-brows'—adornment for the pleasing one. 'Mume blossoms fall' recalls the yuefu 'plum blossoms fall' and Lin Bu's 'sparse shadow, clear water.' 'Pale clouds, sparse moon' recalls Wang Wei's 'moon startles the mountain birds' and her own 'moon fills the west tower.' The jade-duck burner and 'rare brain' recall her 'rare brain melts in the golden beast'; the vermilion-cherry canopy recalls Bai Juyi's 'hibiscus curtain, warm, the spring night.' The thorough-horn recalls the legend of the cold-warding rhino. Drawing on Wen Tingyun, Lin Bu, Wang Wei, and Bai Juyi, she writes sorrow through languor, scene through silence, feeling through things—her graceful art.

此词的用语深植于闺怨、伤春与器物传统。「髻子伤春慵更梳」写慵懒梳妆——那「慵更梳」令人想到「懒起画蛾眉，弄妆梳洗迟」（温庭筠《菩萨蛮》）的闺怨意象——因所思之人不在，故无心梳妆，那「慵」字写尽「女为悦己者容」的相思；「晚风庭院落梅初」写落梅——那「落梅」令人想到「梅花落」的乐府曲名，也令人想到「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」（林逋《山园小梅》）的梅意象，落梅写春暮；「淡云来往月疏疏」写疏月——那「月疏疏」令人想到「月出惊山鸟」（王维《鸟鸣涧》）的清冷月色，也令人想到「雁字回时，月满西楼」（李清照《一剪梅》）的月下相思；「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑」写熏炉——那「玉鸭熏炉」写鸭形的玉制熏炉，「瑞脑」即龙脑香，令人想到「瑞脑消金兽」（李清照《醉花阴》）的熏炉意象，那「闲瑞脑」写香炉闲置，暗写闺中无聊赖；「朱樱斗帐掩流苏」写斗帐——那「斗帐」写小帐，「流苏」写帐上垂饰，令人想到「芙蓉帐暖度春宵」（白居易《长恨歌》）的帐幔意象；「通犀还解辟寒无」写通犀——那「通犀」是传说中的异兽犀角（能辟寒），令人想到「辟寒犀」的传说与「犀角通天」的意象。全词化用温庭筠、林逋、王维、白居易等闺怨、伤春、器物意象与传统，以慵写愁、以景写寂、以物写情，正是李清照婉约词的本领。

Commentary

Long ranked a model of Li Qingzhao's early boudoir-grief lyrics and a masterpiece of her graceful style. Qing critics praised it for 'writing sorrow through languor, feeling through things, graceful to the bone.' Its special worth lies in voicing deep longing through everyday spring-sorrow—the languid hair, the cool evening, the idle burner, the lonely chill all write a boudoir woman's spring loneliness and love-longing; the words 'languid' and 'idle'含蓄 express 'adorning for the pleasing one.' With her 'Ru Meng Ling' (green fat, red thin) and 'Zui Hua Yin' (thinner than the yellow mume) it stands among her love-longing masterpieces. For today's reader it opens a window onto her graceful style and the classic Chinese boudoir spring-lament.

此词历来被推为李清照早期闺怨词的代表，也是其婉约词风的名篇。历代论者对此词评价极高：清人评此词「以慵写愁，以物写情，婉约入骨」；近人更指出「髻子伤春慵更梳」以「慵」写伤春的意态，「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑」以「闲」写闺中的无聊赖，含蓄深婉，是李清照婉约词的本领。在文学史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以闺中伤春的日常写出深婉的相思——那「髻子伤春慵更梳」的慵懒，那「晚风庭院落梅初」「淡云来往月疏疏」的清冷，那「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑，朱樱斗帐掩流苏」的华美，那「通犀还解辟寒无」的孤寒，都写尽了闺中人伤春的孤寂与相思；那「慵」字「闲」字，正是「女为悦己者容」的相思之苦的含蓄表达。此词与李清照的《如梦令·昨夜雨疏风骤》（「知否，知否？应是绿肥红瘦」）同为写伤春的名篇，一写「慵更梳」的意态，一写「绿肥红瘦」的惜花；又与《醉花阴》（「人比黄花瘦」）同写相思，一写「慵更梳」，一写「人比黄花瘦」。对于今日读者，此词是理解李清照婉约词风的窗口，也是中国闺怨词写伤春的经典——那慵懒的髻子、闲放的熏炉、疏疏的月色，穿越千年，仍在诉说着闺中伤春的孤寂。

Prosody

Form Ci lyric (to the tune 'Huan Xi Sha,' double mode, 42 characters).词（浣溪沙，双调四十二字）

Rhyme The whole lyric rhymes in the level 'yu' category (comb, first, sparse, tassel, none); the level rhymes flow, fitting the graceful boudoir lament.全词押平声鱼韵（梳、初、疏、苏、无），平韵流丽，正合闺怨的婉约。

Tone pattern The tune 'Huan Xi Sha,' double mode of 42 characters: upper three lines three level rhymes, lower three lines two level rhymes. Upper writes languor and evening scene; lower writes furnishings and chill. The level rhymes, flowing, suit the graceful mood.此词为「浣溪沙」词牌，双调四十二字，上片三句三平韵，下片三句两平韵。全词按内容可分为两片：上片写伤春慵懒与庭院晚景（髻子伤春慵更梳、晚风庭院落梅初、淡云来往月疏疏）；下片写闺中陈设与孤寒（玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑、朱樱斗帐掩流苏、通犀还解辟寒无）。声调上，全词以平声韵押韵，节奏流丽，正合闺怨的婉约；上片以「梳」「初」「疏」写慵懒与晚景，下片以「苏」「无」写陈设与孤寒，韵脚绵长，正是李清照婉约词的本领。

Reading note A 'Huan Xi Sha' masterpiece of boudoir spring-sorrow—writing sorrow through languor, scene through silence, feeling through things,含蓄 deep. Two stanzas: upper languor and evening, lower furnishings and chill. Level rhymes flow; read the upper in a languid tone, the lower in a low, returning one—especially 'can the thorough-horn still ward off the cold?' should turn gentle and wistful. Famous for her graceful style, this is a classic of her early boudoir lyrics.此词是「浣溪沙」词牌写闺怨伤春的名篇，以慵写愁、以景写寂、以物写情，含蓄深婉，正是李清照婉约词的本领。全词两片：上片写伤春慵懒与庭院晚景（髻子伤春慵更梳、晚风庭院落梅初、淡云来往月疏疏），下片写闺中陈设与孤寒（玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑、朱樱斗帐掩流苏、通犀还解辟寒无）。声调上，全词以平声韵押韵，节奏流丽，那「髻子伤春慵更梳」的慵懒、「通犀还解辟寒无」的孤寒，正是李清照写闺怨的深意。诵读此词，宜以慵懒的语调读上片的意态，以低回的语调读下片的陈设与孤寒，尤其「通犀还解辟寒无」一句，要读得婉转而怅惘，方能传达出李清照闺中伤春的深愁。李清照词以婉约著称，此词正是其早期闺怨词的经典。

Line by line

髻子伤春慵更梳。

This line is famous for writing spring-sick languor—'her coiled hair, spring-sick, she is too languid to comb.' The coiled hair, the spring-sick heart, the languid refusal to comb: she is too sunk in spring sorrow even to dress her hair. Its depth: 'a woman adorns for him who pleases her'—were he beside her she would adorn; precisely because he is not, she is 'too languid to comb.' The word 'languid' is both slack body and slack heart, the very image of love-longing boudoir grief. 'Spring-sick' names the theme—spring late, heart grieved. Writing mood through 'languid' and theme through 'spring-sick' is Li Qingzhao's art of 'writing sorrow through languor,' making this an immortal line.

髻子因伤春而慵懒，更懒得梳理。

Her hair unbound in spring sorrow; too languid even to comb it.

这句是写伤春意态的名句，也是千古名句，以「慵」写伤春的意态，含蓄深婉。「髻子伤春慵更梳」写因伤春而懒得梳妆——那「髻子」写发髻，那「伤春」写因春而伤感，那「慵更梳」写慵懒得更加不愿梳理——因伤春而无心梳妆，连髻子也懒得梳理了，「慵」字写尽春愁中人的无精打采。这句的深意在于：它以「慵更梳」写伤春的意态，含蓄地写出了相思之苦——「女为悦己者容」，若所思之人在身旁，必精心梳妆；正因所思之人不在，才「慵更梳」；那「慵」字既是动作的慵懒，也是心绪的慵倦，写尽了因思念而无心妆饰的闺怨。而那「伤春」二字，更点出全词的主旨——春将暮，人将愁，因伤春而慵，因慵而更见愁。以「慵」写意态、以「伤春」点主旨，正是李清照「以慵写愁」的本领，也让这句成为写闺怨伤春的千古名句。

This is a famous line of spring-sorrow bearing, the languid writing the sorrow. Her hair unbound in spring sorrow; too languid even to comb it writes the neglect of dressing through the grief of spring — the hair the coiffure, the spring sorrow the grief at spring, the languid-and-yet-to-comb the refusal to groom. The deep meaning: the too languid to comb writes the bearing of spring sorrow, hinting the pain of longing — the woman adorns herself for the one she pleases; if the loved one were near, she would dress carefully; precisely because he is far, she will not comb. The languid is at once the laziness of action and the weariness of mind, writing the neglect through longing; the spring sorrow names the ci's theme — spring declining, the person grieving, languid through spring, and the languor showing the grief. Writing bearing through the languid, theme through the spring sorrow, Li Qingzhao's way of writing grief through listlessness, and the famous line of the inner chamber's spring grief.

通犀还解辟寒无。

The closing line, an immortal one, ends on a question that voices the boudoir's deep lonely chill: 'can the thorough-horn still ward off the cold?' The thorough-horn is the legendary cold-warding rhino horn; 'ward off the cold' puns on outer cold and inner loneliness. She sits alone before burner, curtain, and horn—rich furnishings yet unable to bar the inner chill; the question 'can it still?' writes her helplessness. The pun on 'cold' is the feeling's crest: the cool scene and things earlier all lead to this 'cold.' Writing the furnishing through 'thorough-horn,' the pun through 'ward off cold,' the wistfulness through 'still,' is her art of 'writing sorrow through question,' making this a famous line on boudoir loneliness.

那通犀角，还能解除寒冷吗？

That magic horn — can it still drive away the cold?

这句是全词的收束，也是千古名句，以问作结，写尽闺中孤寒的深愁。「通犀还解辟寒无」写那通犀角还能解除寒冷吗——「通犀」是传说中的异兽犀角，能辟寒，那「辟寒」写解除寒冷，那「还解辟寒无」以问写那通犀角还能解除寒冷吗？这句的深意在于：它以问写愁，以「辟寒」的双关写尽闺中孤寒——那「辟寒」既是御寒（夜寒），也是驱散内心的孤寒（心寒）；闺中人独对熏炉、斗帐、通犀，虽有华美的陈设，却难敌内心的孤寂与春寒，那「还解辟寒无」的问，写尽御寒无物、驱寒无方的怅惘——连传说中的通犀角，恐怕也解不了这春夜的孤寒。而那「辟寒」的双关，正是全词情感的高潮——前文写景写物（落梅、疏月、熏炉、斗帐）的清冷，至此以一问点出「寒」的深意——那寒既是春夜之寒，更是闺中相思的孤寒。以「通犀」写陈设、以「辟寒」写双关、以「无」写怅惘，正是李清照「以问写愁」的本领，也让这句成为写闺怨孤寒的千古名句。

The close of the ci, ending in the question, writing the loneliness of the chamber. That magic horn — can it still drive away the cold? the magic horn the legendary rhino horn said to ward off chill, the drive-away-the-cold the banishing of cold, the can-it-still question. The deep meaning: writing sorrow through the question, the double meaning of drive away the cold exhausting the chamber's chill — the drive-away is at once the warding of the night chill and the dispelling of the inner loneliness; the woman alone before the censer and the curtained bed and the magic horn, despite the splendid furnishings, cannot withstand the inner loneliness and the spring chill; the can-it-still question writes the helplessness of no warmth to ward, no cold to drive — even the legendary horn, perhaps, cannot dissolve this spring night's loneliness. The double meaning of drive away the cold is the emotional peak: the cold is at once the spring night's chill and the inner longing's chill. Writing the furnishings through the horn, the double meaning through the cold, the helplessness through the can-it, Li Qingzhao's way of writing sorrow through the question, and the famous line of the chamber's loneliness.

Study

Word focus

慵 The character 'yong' (languid) is the key to spring-sick languor, the very eye of 'her coiled hair, spring-sick, she is too languid to comb.' 'Yong' means slack, lazy. Li Qingzhao writes spring-sick languor with at least two senses: first, the slack body—'too languid to comb,' no care for dress; second, the slack heart—languor of mood, no spirit for adornment, the very picture of love-longing. Writing languor through 'yong' hints at 'adorning for the pleasing one' (he is absent, so no combing). No 'lazy' or 'weary' would do; only 'yong' writes both slack body and slack heart with the spring-sick mood, making the line immortal. 「慵」字是写伤春意态的关键字，一个「慵」字写尽春愁中人的慵懒，是「髻子伤春慵更梳」的词眼。慵者，慵懒、懒散也。李清照以「髻子伤春慵更梳」写伤春，一个「慵」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写动作之慵懒——那「慵更梳」写慵懒得更加不愿梳理，因伤春而无心梳妆，「慵」字写尽动作的迟缓与意态的懒散；其二，写心绪之慵倦——那「慵」字既是动作的慵懒，也是心绪的慵倦——因伤春而提不起精神，因思念而无心妆饰，「慵」字写尽春愁中人的无精打采。以「慵」字写伤春，正是李清照「以慵写愁」的关键——那「慵」字暗含「女为悦己者容」之意（所思之人不在，故无心梳妆），以「慵」写尽闺怨；若换作「懒」「倦」等字，则或失其口语的婉转，或失其意态的传神；唯「慵」字，以一字写尽动作的慵懒与心绪的慵倦，与「伤春」相合，写尽闺中相思的愁绪，也让「髻子伤春慵更梳」成为写闺怨伤春的千古名句。

闲 The character 'xian' (idle) is the key to the boudoir's boredom, the eye of 'in the jade-duck burner, the rare brain lies idle.' 'Xian' means unused, empty. Li Qingzhao writes the furnishings with two senses: first, the burner unused—no one adds incense, no one keeps company, the burner lies idle, cool and empty; second, the person's boredom—precisely because she is at loose ends, the burner lies idle, writing her lonely emptiness. Writing the furnishing through 'idle' is her art of 'writing feeling through things'; against the opulent canopy it shows loneliness beneath splendor, making 'jade-duck burner, rare brain idle' a famous boudoir line. 「闲」字是写闺中无聊赖的关键字，一个「闲」字写尽香炉闲置的无聊赖，是「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑」的词眼。闲者，闲置、空置也。李清照以「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑」写闺中陈设，一个「闲」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写香炉之闲置——那「闲瑞脑」写熏炉中闲放着瑞脑（龙脑香），那「闲」字写香炉闲置——无人添香、无人相伴，香炉闲放着，「闲」字写尽闺中的冷清；其二，写人之无聊赖——那「闲」字既是香炉的闲置，也是闺中人的无聊赖——正因闺中人百无聊赖，才任香炉闲置，那「闲」字写尽因相思而无心打理闺房的寂寥。以「闲」字写陈设，正是李清照「以物写情」的关键——若换作「置」「存」等字，则或失其闲置的意味，或失其无聊赖的情态；唯「闲」字，以一字写尽香炉的闲置与闺中人的无聊赖，与「朱樱斗帐掩流苏」的华美相对，写尽华美陈设下的孤寂，也让「玉鸭熏炉闲瑞脑，朱樱斗帐掩流苏」成为写闺怨的名句。