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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

摊破浣溪沙·病起萧萧两鬓华

Tan Po Huan Xi Sha · Sick Rise with Rustling Whitening Hair

李清照

Li Qingzhao

闲适Leisure 晚年Late Years 咏物Object Chanting

病起萧萧两鬓华，卧看残月上窗纱。
豆蔻连梢煮熟水，莫分茶。
枕上诗书闲处好，门前风景雨来佳。
终日向人多酝藉，木犀花。

Sick rise with rustling whitening hair on both temples,
Lying down, I watch the waning moon climb the window screen.
I boil cardamom with its branches into ripe water,
But do not engage in tea-tasting.
Reading poetry and books on the pillow is good in leisure,
The scenery before the door is better when rain comes.
All day long, the one who treats people with the most gentleness and restraint
Is the osmanthus flower.

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Meaning

After illness, the poet’s hair has turned white and sparse. She lies in bed watching the waning moon rise outside the window. Instead of engaging in the refined art of tea-tasting, she simply boils cardamom stems for a herbal drink. In leisure, reading on the pillow is delightful, and the view from the door is especially lovely in the rain. The osmanthus flower, gentle and reserved all day, seems to embody her own tranquil late-life state.

病刚好，萧萧然两鬓已斑白，卧在床上看着残月爬上窗纱。把连枝的豆蔻煮成熟水，且不要去分茶品茗。枕上读诗看书，闲时最是受用；门前的景致，下雨时格外清佳。整天对人最是温厚含蓄的，是那一树木犀花。

Appreciation

The upper stanza depicts the poet’s frailty and listlessness after illness: white hair, watching the waning moon, boiling cardamom without bothering with tea-tasting. The lower stanza shifts to leisurely contentment: reading in bed, watching the rain, and concluding with the ‘restrained’ osmanthus flower. The poem moves from an initial sense of decline to a serene enjoyment of simple pleasures, expressing a peaceful acceptance of old age and illness.

【白话串讲】大病初愈，李清照两鬓斑白，躺在床上看月亮。她说：枕上看书最好，门前听雨也佳——晚年的她，把苦日子过出了淡淡的闲情。【意象与手法】上片“病起萧萧两鬓华，卧看残月上窗纱”以景起笔，衰飒中见静美；“豆蔻连梢煮熟水，莫分茶”以生活细节写疏懒【情感与主旨】此词约作于李清照晚年寓居江南、衰病相仍之时。南渡后她饱经丧乱、金石散尽、孑然一身，暮年多在病中与书卷、草木为伴【名句点睛】考点常及：一、上片如何以细节写病后情状；二、“枕上诗书闲处好，门前风景雨来佳”的理趣与对仗特点

Background

This poem was likely written during Li Qingzhao’s later years when she lived alone in the south after the fall of the Northern Song. Having lost her husband, her collection of antiques, and her home, she often spent her days in sickness with only books and plants for company. The poem captures a small scene after recovery, reflecting her settled mind after years of turmoil.

《摊破浣溪沙·病起萧萧两鬓华》是李清照晚年的作品，写于南渡之后、寓居江南、衰病相仍的时期。靖康之变后，李清照随赵明诚南奔，建炎三年明诚病卒，其后她辗转避乱于越州、台州、温州、金华、临安之间，金石文物散佚殆尽，孑然一身，暮年多病。此词以「病起」领起，自道「两鬓华」，正合其晚年衰病之状。学界多系此词于绍兴年间，李清照或寓居临安，或避地金华，病后初愈，独对残月、豆蔻、诗书、木犀，心境渐趋淡泊。词中「分茶」为宋代点茶之戏，属士大夫与文人的日常雅趣，词人却言「莫分茶」，可见病后疏懒，亦见其晚年生活的清简。「豆蔻连梢煮熟水」是宋代以豆蔻煎汤作药饮的习惯，豆蔻性温，可理气和中，病后饮之以调养。此词是李清照晚年词中较少见的冲淡之作，与其《声声慢》的凄厉、《武陵春》的沉痛不同，呈现出历经患难后归于平静的另一面，是考察易安晚年心态的重要文献。关于此词的作年，学界亦有系于绍兴年间李清照避地金华前后之说，其时她年近半百，流寓无定，病中独处，正合词中「病起」「两鬓华」的衰迟之状。宋代士人病后常以读书、煮药、赏花自遣，此词所写正是这一生活常态的实录，故虽不著年代，而晚景的萧散自在已在字里行间，良有以也。

Art

The upper stanza opens with a vivid image of white hair and a waning moon, conveying quiet beauty amid decline. The line ‘I boil cardamom with its branches into ripe water, but do not engage in tea-tasting’ shows her casual, unhurried lifestyle. The couplet ‘Reading poetry and books on the pillow is good in leisure, The scenery before the door is better when rain comes’ uses parallelism to express fresh insights. The final line personifies the osmanthus flower, subtly comparing it to the poet herself, leaving a lasting impression.

此词的艺术特色在于以淡写浓、以闲写愁，在衰飒中见静美。上片「病起萧萧两鬓华，卧看残月上窗纱」以景起笔，「萧萧」状两鬓花白如萧疏草木，「残月」写夜色将尽、人卧未眠，一个「卧」字点出病后虚弱与慵倦之态。「豆蔻连梢煮熟水，莫分茶」以生活细节写疏懒，豆蔻煮水是病中药饮，分茶是平居雅戏，词人宁取药饮而罢茶戏，闲淡中见出病后意兴阑珊。下片「枕上诗书闲处好，门前风景雨来佳」对仗工稳而含理趣：闲中方觉诗书之好，雨后才见风景之佳，皆需静心方能领略，是晚年心境的自道。「终日向人多酝藉，木犀花」以木犀（桂花）收束，将桂花拟人，谓其终日相对而含蓄温厚，不以色媚人，正暗合词人晚年淡泊自守的品格。全词以病起、卧看、煮水、读书、赏花串起一日光景，无一激切语而情味悠长，是易安以平淡语写深长情的典范。此词的艺术手法还在于以「闲」字为骨，通篇写闲而闲中自有深致。上片的慵懒是病后的闲，下片的读书、赏花是心境的闲，由身闲而心闲，层层递进，最终落于「木犀花」的蕴藉，完成由「懒」到「淡」的精神升华。其写景之笔尤妙，「残月上窗纱」「风景雨来佳」皆以寻常物景写心境之澄明，不事雕琢而意境自远，是易安晚年「绚烂归于平淡」的具体体现。

Allusions

‘Cardamom with its branches’ (豆蔻连梢) refers to the spice cardamom, used in herbal drinks. Cardamom also alludes to youth in Du Mu’s line ‘cardamom tips in early February’, but here it is used literally and for its fragrance. ‘Tea-tasting’ (分茶) was a refined Song dynasty tea ceremony often mentioned by Lu You; saying ‘do not engage’ shows her lack of interest in formalities. ‘Gentleness and restraint’ (酝藉) comes from the Book of Han, meaning broad-minded and tolerant, describing the osmanthus and herself.

此词用典不显，而意象皆有传统可溯。「分茶」即宋代流行的点茶技艺，注汤击拂使盏面汤花成文字或禽鱼虫草之形，称分茶或茶百戏，李清照以「莫分茶」写意兴之懒，反见其本精此道的风雅。豆蔻入药入诗有渊源，杜牧《赠别》「豆蔻梢头二月初」以豆蔻喻少女，此处则取其药性，煮水以疗病体，是宋人日常的写照。「木犀花」即桂花，其名以纹理似犀而称，南宋诗词中多写其幽香清远，如朱熹、杨万里皆有咏桂之作，李清照此词以「酝藉」评之，取其香不烈而长、色不艳而雅，暗以自况。「萧萧」状鬓，可溯至《楚辞·山鬼》「风飒飒兮木萧萧」，后世多借草木摇落写人之衰迟，此词以「萧萧」写两鬓，正是这一传统的化用。全词不假典故而意象皆有来历，见出易安晚年「绚烂之极归于平淡」的艺术境界。「豆蔻」意象在古典诗词中亦有歧用，杜牧《赠别》「豆蔻梢头二月初」以之喻少女之娇嫩，李清照此处则纯取其药性，以豆蔻煮水疗疾，是宋人药饮习俗的写实，同一意象而两用其义，可见易安用典之活。此词虽无显性典故，而「枕上诗书」「门前风景」的闲适，实承陶渊明「采菊东篱下，悠然见南山」的田园真趣，又与苏轼「人间有味是清欢」的宋调相通，其平淡处自有厚重的传统根柢，皆易安淡语藏深致之证。

Commentary

Kuang Zhouyi of the Qing dynasty said that Li Qingzhao ‘in her later years had the interest of leisure’, and this poem proves it. Using ordinary activities like boiling herbs, reading, and watching rain, she creates a restrained and refined mood, different from her earlier sorrowful pieces. Modern critics praise her ‘old-age writings that are casual yet pure’, which aptly describes this poem.

此词在历代选本中多被归入李清照晚年词。清代沈辰垣等编《御选历代诗余》、朱彝尊《词综》均收录易安词，此篇虽不如《声声慢》《醉花阴》之显赫，却常被词论家举为易安晚年淡泊之证。近代俞平伯《唐宋词选释》谓此词「写晚年心境，萧闲淡远」。唐圭璋《唐宋词简释》亦析其「以平淡之语写深至之情」。此词「枕上诗书闲处好，门前风景雨来佳」二句，因含生活理趣而广为传诵，常与苏轼「一蓑烟雨任平生」、邵雍「清欢」诸语并论，见出宋人于日常中觅诗意的生活态度。就接受史而言，此词体现了李清照词风由婉约凄切向冲淡平和过渡的一面，也印证了其词在抒情之外兼具观照生活、体味日常的哲理维度，为后世读者呈现了一个更为完整的易安形象。此词在当代研究中也颇受重视，学者多以此篇论证李清照词风的阶段性嬗变——由前期闺情的婉丽、中期离乱的沉痛，到晚年归于冲淡的平和，构成一个完整的情感弧线。其「枕上诗书闲处好，门前风景雨来佳」的理趣，还被钱锺书等学者引为宋人「以理趣入词」的例证，说明词至易安，已能承载哲理而不失情韵。此篇虽篇幅短小，然其于平淡中见深厚的艺术，为后世写闲适、写晚境的词人提供了范本，辛弃疾、朱敦儒的闲适词皆可见其流响。

Prosody

Form Ci-pattern ‘Tan Po Huan Xi Sha’ (also called ‘Shan Hua Zi’), double-stanza, 42 characters, upper stanza 3 lines with 3 level tones, lower stanza 3 lines with 2 level tones.词，双调四十八字，前段四句三平韵，后段四句两平韵（《摊破浣溪沙》，又名《山花子》《添字浣溪沙》）

Rhyme Uses the tenth rhyme category (ma) of the Ci Lin Zheng Yun, with rhyming characters: hua, sha, cha (upper stanza); jia, hua (lower stanza).全词押平声韵，韵字为华、纱、茶（前段），佳、花（后段），属词林正韵第十部平声麻韵

Tone pattern The level rhyme is smooth and relaxed, suitable for leisurely scenes.此调为《浣溪沙》的添字体，上下片末各增三字而成七言。上片四句三平韵，下片四句两平韵。句式以七言为主，末三字短句「莫分茶」「木犀花」作结，音节先畅后顿，声情由流走转入舒缓。

Reading note Written during her late years in the south after illness, using daily life and osmanthus flowers to express calm detachment. The language is plain but the feeling is genuine, showing Li Qingzhao’s late-life state of mind.《摊破浣溪沙》即《浣溪沙》上下片各「摊破」三字而成，双调四十八字。前段四句三平韵，韵脚「华、纱、茶」分押于第一、二、四句；后段四句两平韵，韵脚「佳、花」分押于第二、四句，与《浣溪沙》相较，末句由七字增为「上四（豆蔻连梢／终日向人）下三（莫分茶／木犀花）」的结构，节奏上先以四字铺陈、再以三字收束，形成一种回环顿宕的韵味。此调平仄与《浣溪沙》近体七言律句相仿，读来流畅圆转，而末三字的增入又于流利中添一重顿挫，宜于抒写幽微淡远之情。李清照此词用韵皆属麻韵，开口度大、音色清朗，与词中病后独处的萧散心境形成声情的微妙呼应。宋人填《山花子》者众，如辛弃疾、陈与义皆有佳作，而李清照此篇以其冲淡之境别开生面，在声律上亦为创调之一格。末句「木犀花」三字作结，声调由「终日向人多酝藉」的绵长转入短促的顿宕，恰似一声轻叹，收束全篇。

Line by line

病起萧萧两鬓华，卧看残月上窗纱

Rising from illness, my two temples are already flecked; lying back, I watch the waning moon climb the window gauze.

病刚好，萧萧然两鬓已斑白，卧在床上看着残月爬上窗纱。

Just risen from illness, thin and white at the temples, lying back I watch the waning moon climb the window gauze.

「病起」二字领起全词，点明写作契机是一病初愈，全篇的闲淡由此生发。「萧萧」以草木摇落之声状两鬓花白，既写鬓发稀疏，又暗含年华老去的萧索之感。「卧看残月上窗纱」一句，以「卧」写病后体弱，「残月」写夜将尽而人独醒，「上窗纱」写月影悄然移动，时间在静默中流逝。二句以景写情，不着一愁字，而衰迟之态、孤寂之感已尽在其中，为全词定下平淡而略带萧索的基调。「萧萧」「残月」「窗纱」三物皆取衰飒之景，而置于「卧看」之下，遂于衰飒中透出静美。

The risen-from-illness two words lead the whole ci, pointing out the writing occasion's just-recovered-from-illness, the whole piece's plain ease hence sprouting. The xiaoxiao using the falling-leaf sound for the flecked temples, at once writing the thinning hair and carrying the years'-aging bleakness. The lying-back-I-watch-the-waning-moon-climb-the-window-gauze one line, using the lying for the post-illness weakness, the waning moon for the night's near-end and the person's lone-waking, the climbs-the-window-gauze writing the moon-shadow's quiet moving, the time's flowing in silence. Two lines using the scene for the feeling-writing, not landing one grief word, and yet the decline's pose and loneliness's feeling all within, setting the whole ci's plain-and-yet-slightly-bleak tone. The xiaoxiao, waning moon, window gauze three things all taking the bleak scene, and yet placed under the lying-back-watch, hence within the bleaknessreveals the quiet beauty.

豆蔻连梢煮熟水，莫分茶

Boil the cardamom sprigs whole for the steeped drink; do not bother with tea-tasting.

把连枝的豆蔻煮成熟水，且不要去分茶品茗。

Boil the cardamom with its sprig into a medicinal drink; do not practice the tea-dispelling game.

二句写病后的日常细节。豆蔻煮水是宋代常见的药饮，取其理气调中之效，正合病后调养；分茶则是点茶斗茶的雅戏，须心神专注、手法精熟。词人只愿煎豆蔻熟水而无意分茶，一个「莫」字写出病后意兴阑珊，也透出暮年对热闹雅事的疏离。以如此琐细的生活场景入词，不避俚俗而自有真趣，正是李清照晚年词「以常语写常境」的本色，闲淡之中见出历尽沧桑后的从容。此等琐屑语入词而能雅，全在一个「真」字。

Two lines write the post-illness daily detail. The cardamom-steeped drink the Song's common medicinal brew, taking the qi-regulating and middle-harmonizing effect, precisely fitting the post-illness recuperation; the tea-dispelling the tea-pointing-and-tea-contesting elegant game, requiring the mind's focus and the hand's mastery. The poet only wishes to brew cardamom water and has no heart for tea-dispelling, the one mo word writing the post-illness low spirits, andreveals the old-age's estrangement from the lively elegant pastime. Using such trivial life scene for the ci, not avoiding the vulgar and yet having the own true charm, precisely Li Qingzhao's later ci's common-words-write-common-scene true color, the ease's within seeing the vicissitudes'-after composure. Such trivial words' entering the ci and yet being elegant, all in the one zhen word.

枕上诗书闲处好，门前风景雨来佳

Poetry and books on the pillow are best at leisure; the view before the gate is finest when the rain comes.

枕上读诗看书，闲时最是受用；门前的景致，下雨时格外清佳。

Books and poems on the pillow are best in leisure; the scenery before the gate is at its best when rain arrives.

二句对仗工整而蕴含理趣，是此词的警句。诗书之好，须待「闲处」方见，忙迫中读书只是苦役，闲中展卷才是真味；风景之佳，须待「雨来」方显，晴日看惯的山川在雨洗之后愈见清润。词人以亲身所感道出：美与趣皆需一颗静下来的心方能体会。此理不涉玄虚，全从枕上、门前等极平常处得来，平淡中见透彻，是宋人日常审美智慧的凝练。此联为后世所传诵，正因其道出了人人皆有而未尝言明的日常之趣。

Two lines' parallel craft firm and yet carrying the reason-delight, this ci's alert line. The poetry-books' goodness must await the leisure to be seen, the busy-urgent reading's only the toil, the leisure's unrolling the book's true savor; the scenery's fineness must await the rain to show, the clear-day's accustomed mountains-and-waters' rain-washed-after the clearer moistness. The poet from the personal feeling uttering: the beauty and delight both require a quieted heart to be felt. This reason's not touching the mystery, all from the pillow and gate's extremely common place, the plainness's within seeing the thoroughness, the Song's daily-aesthetic-wisdom condensation. This couplet's later-age famed, precisely because of its uttering the everyone-has-and-yet-never-put-into-words daily delight.

终日向人多酝藉，木犀花

All day it faces one with quiet reserve — the osmanthus blossoms.

整天对人最是温厚含蓄的，是那一树木犀花。

All day it turns to one with a quiet, reserved grace — the osmanthus tree.

结拍将桂花拟人，谓其终日相对而「酝藉」——香不逼人而幽远，色不夺目而淡雅，含蓄温厚，正合词人晚年自守的品格。以「木犀花」三字独立作结，句法顿宕，如一声轻叹收住全篇。桂花不与桃李争春，偏于清秋独放，其品性与词人晚景的孤高淡泊暗相契合。词人不直抒己志，而借一树桂花写出心中所向，托物寄意，含蓄隽永，是全词以淡写浓之笔的极致。人花相映，物我两忘，是咏物而实自咏的绝佳收束，尤妙。

The closing beat personifies the osmanthus, saying its all-day-facing-one and reserved — the fragrance's not pressing and yet far, the color's not dazzling and yet plain-elegant, the reserved warmth, precisely fitting the poet's later-life self-held character. Using the osmanthus three words' independent close, the syntax's pause, like a soft sigh gathering the whole piece. The osmanthus's not contending with the peach-and-plum for spring, and yet the clear autumn's solitary blooming, its character and the poet's later years' lofty detachment's secret meeting. The poet's not direct utterance of will, and yet through one osmanthus tree writing the heart's direction, the thing-projection-and-meaning, reserved and enduring, the whole ci's plain-writes-deep brush's extreme. The person-and-flower's mirroring, the thing-and-self both-forgotten, the thing-ode-and-yet-actual-self-ode superb close, especially wondrous.

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Word focus

萧萧 [Rustling] Describes sparse white hair, conveying aging and decline with calm melancholy. 「萧萧」本为风声、草木摇落声的拟声词，此处分写两鬓，赋予白发以萧疏摇落之感。它既是视觉的形容（鬓发如秋草般稀疏），又是听觉的联想（年华老去如秋风过林），一字兼摄形、声、意。以「萧萧」状华发，比「斑白」「苍苍」更多一层时序流逝、生命凋零的悲凉，却又不失含蓄，正合全词平淡冲和的调子。李清照晚年写老境，不直言其悲而以此二字出之，举重若轻。其以声拟形，声与形、情与景交融为一，故能举重若轻，妙。

熟水 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「熟水」指煎煮而成的药饮或香饮，宋人常以豆蔻、紫苏、砂仁等煎汤称熟水。此词用「熟水」而不用「茶」，正见病后调养之需，也见其生活之清简。「豆蔻连梢煮熟水」一句，连梢带叶煎煮，写来从容琐细，极富生活气息。以「熟水」入词，不避日常语，却因「莫分茶」的反衬而平添一层风雅与疏懒，是李清照化俗为雅、于细微处见真趣的词笔。一字之别，闲淡的风雅与病后的疏懒俱在其中。「熟水」之熟，正见其病后饮食之清淡、生活之从容。

酝藉 [Gentleness and restraint] Personifies the osmanthus flower, expressing the poet’s own mild and tolerant character, closing the poem with elegance. 「酝藉」二字评桂花，兼指香气含蓄持久与品格温厚深沉。桂花之香不似茉莉栀子之浓烈，而清幽悠长，故曰「酝」；其花细小不张扬，却耐人久对，故曰「藉」。以「酝藉」写花，实是写人，是词人自况其晚年温厚内敛、含蓄自守的心境。此词以「终日向人多酝藉」作结前一顿，再以「木犀花」点破，人花互喻，物我合一，二字实为全篇精神所聚。以二字评花，实以二字自评，含蓄而有余味。