宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
张先·醉垂鞭·双蝶绣罗裙
Tipsy Whip — Double Butterflies on Embroidered Skirt
双蝶绣罗裙，东池宴，初相见。
朱粉不深匀，闲花淡淡春。
细看诸处好，人人道，柳腰身。
昨日乱山昏，来时衣上云。
At East Pond feast, first we meet.
Rouge and powder not deeply applied,
Like idle flowers in faint spring.
Looking closely, every part is fine,
Everyone says, willow waist.
Yesterday the chaotic mountains were dark,
When she came, clouds on her dress.
Meaning
At a banquet at East Pond, the poet sees a woman for the first time. She wears a skirt embroidered with double butterflies, with light makeup like flowers in spring. Everyone praises her slender waist. When she arrives, her dress seems to carry clouds from the dark mountains, creating an ethereal image.
她穿着绣着双蝶的罗裙，在东池的宴席上，我与她初次相见。脂粉淡淡不甚匀饰，恰似闲花透着淡淡的春意。细细看去处处都好，人人都说，她有杨柳般柔软的腰身。昨日乱山昏暗，她来时衣上仿佛带着云霞。
Appreciation
The upper stanza depicts her skirt and light makeup, using the metaphor 'idle flowers in faint spring' to convey natural elegance. The lower stanza focuses on her waist and ends with the imaginative 'clouds on her dress', turning reality into illusion. The poet's admiration is subtle and restrained, achieving a vivid yet understated portrait.
【白话串讲】 宴席上初见一个女子，穿着绣蝴蝶的罗裙，“闲花淡淡春”。张先写她美得像乱山黄昏里的云——一首小词，写尽了一眼心动。 【意象与手法】 全词以白描写人，由裙而妆、由貌而腰、由昨而衣，层层点染而不堆砌。起句不写人面而先写衣饰，以双蝶罗裙暗示人物身份与娇媚之态；继写淡妆，以闲花之自在喻淡妆之天然，花人合一；下片以人人道之侧写烘托柳腰身，不落一字实写而神韵自出；结句以衣上云化实为虚，收得空灵飘逸。全词不直说倾慕，而爱赏之意溢于言外，得「不着一字，尽得风流」之妙。 【情感与主旨】 此词写东池宴上初遇绣裙女子之印象，爱赏之意含蓄而真挚。全词不直说倾慕，唯以白描与侧写传神：写其衣则双蝶罗裙，写其妆则淡粉闲花，写其腰则众口交赞，写其来则衣上云霞，处处写人，又处处是情。张先历官州县，优游诗酒，与晏殊、欧阳修等交游唱和，词多酬赠歌妓、宴乐闲情之作，此词正是其宴游生活之剪影：以清雅之笔写歌妓之姿，无狎昵之态，有赏爱之情，体现了北宋前期文人以词佐欢、以词写真的风尚。词中「初相见」之缘分意识、「衣上云」之缥缈遐想，更使寻常宴席之初见升华为审美的瞬间，含蓄隽永。 【名句点睛】 赏析重点：①体会白描手法写人之妙——全词不着一个情字，而由衣、妆、腰、衣云层层点染，神韵自出；②分析「闲花淡淡春」的比喻——以闲花之自在喻淡妆之天然，花人合一，炼意新巧；③品味「来时衣上云」的虚写收束——化实为虚，以云霞写风神，空灵飘逸，余韵悠长。
Background
Zhang Xian (990–1078) was a poet-official in the early Song dynasty, known for his graceful ci poetry. He often wrote about banquets and romantic encounters. This poem is a spontaneous sketch from a feast at East Pond, capturing the charm of a woman (likely a singing girl) in plain but evocative language.
张先（990—1078），字子野，湖州乌程人，北宋前期著名词人，因词中「云破月来花弄影」「帘压卷花影」「柳径无人，堕絮飞无影」三句皆以「影」字著名，人称「张三影」。他早年以诗名世，与晏殊、欧阳修、宋祁等交游唱和，中年以后始以词名，一生历官州县，优游诗酒，其词多写宴饮酬赠、歌妓情致与闲适风光，风格含蓄婉丽，贺裳《皱水轩词筌》评其「才不大而情婉」。《醉垂鞭》为少见的冷僻词牌，张先以此调写即席美人写生，堪称以冷调写艳题。此词据词意当为某次东池宴集之上，作者初识一位身着绣裙的女子（疑为歌妓），于觥筹交错间即席写真之作。词中「东池宴」点明宴饮之地，「初相见」交代初逢之缘，全词不涉具体情事，唯以清丽笔触勾勒其人神韵，正见北宋初期文人「诗酒风流」的生活侧影与以词酬赠歌妓的时代风尚。词无系年，然风格轻婉、用笔灵动，与其小令本色相合，当属中年以后宴游之作。北宋初年，词坛多承花间、南唐余绪，小令写宴乐酬赠蔚为风气，张先此作正是此种风气下的即席写真，其不重本事、唯重风神的态度，亦开后世以小词写人物神韵之先声。
Art
The poem uses plain description (baimiao) to depict the woman: from skirt to makeup, from waist to attire. 'Idle flowers in faint spring' uses flowers as a metaphor for her natural beauty. The ending 'clouds on her dress' shifts from concrete to abstract, leaving a lingering impression. The poet's admiration is implied, not stated, embodying the ideal of 'conveying spirit without direct words'.
全词以白描写人，章法井然，由裙而妆、由貌而腰、由昨而衣，层层点染而不堆砌。起句「双蝶绣罗裙」不写人面而先写衣饰，以绣着双蝶的罗裙暗示人物身份与活泼娇媚之态，镜头由外而内；「东池宴，初相见」点明场合与初逢之缘，简净如画。「朱粉不深匀，闲花淡淡春」转写妆容，以「闲花」喻淡妆之韵，花之自在不妖恰似人之天然清雅，将素淡之美写得春意盎然。下片「细看诸处好」总束一笔，以「人人道」作侧写烘托，不直接描摹腰身而「柳腰身」之柔媚自出，众口交赞反衬倾慕之深。结句「昨日乱山昏，来时衣上云」笔势陡转，以昨日乱山之昏昏衬今日衣上之云霞，以云写衣、化实为虚，由实境入虚想，结得空灵飘逸。全词不直说倾慕，而爱赏之意溢于言外，得「不着一字，尽得风流」之妙。写人手法上，先衣后妆、先貌后腰、先实后虚，极见经营之工；尤其值得注意的是，全词上下片一实一虚：上片由衣、妆写其形，下片由腰、云写其神，形神相济而终归于虚，首尾呼应、虚实相生，是张先经营小令章法的用心所在；语言则浅近自然，无一字雕琢，而神韵天成，正张先小令「含蓄宛转」的本色所在。
Allusions
The poem contains no obscure allusions. 'Willow waist' is a traditional metaphor for a slender waist, seen in Bai Juyi's 'Yang Willow's slender waist'. 'Clouds on dress' evokes the aesthetic of Li Bai's 'clouds remind one of her clothes', but is not a direct reference. The poem relies on direct imagery and common cultural associations.
本词无深僻用典，全以白描与常语化用取胜。其意象之妙，一在「柳腰身」：以柳喻女子腰肢柔美，是自六朝以来诗词习语，白居易《杨柳枝》「樱桃樊素口，杨柳小蛮腰」最为著名，张先承袭此传统，以「人人道」的众口相传出之，既写腰身之柔，亦见众人之赏，化习语为活笔。二在「闲花淡淡春」：以闲花喻淡妆，取其自在天然、不事雕饰之态，兼以「淡淡春」点出春意之浅淡含蓄，与浓妆艳抹相对，自成一格。三在「衣上云」：暗含李白「云想衣裳花想容」之审美联想，云霞本为天边之景，移以状衣上绣纹或来者风神，虚实相生，将初见之惊艳化为缥缈之境，属诗词常语化用而非具体故实。此外「双蝶」意象亦含成双成对之美好祝愿，与「初相见」之缘相映成趣。还有「东池」「乱山」之景亦非闲笔：东池为宴饮之地，乱山为来路之景，一近一远、一明一暗，将人物置于具体的时空之中，与衣上云霞之虚想相为表里，虚实互见，皆见经营之细。整体而言，此词不依赖典实，而以意象之清新、联想之自然取胜，正是张先词「清丽」一脉的特色。
Commentary
He Shang in his 'Waterside Commentary' praised Zhang Xian's ci as 'graceful with limited talent' (cai bu da er qing wan). Modern critics see this poem as 'a small painting, naturally beautiful'. Beyond his famous line 'clouds break, moon comes, flowers make shadows', such character sketches showcase his delicate style.
贺裳《皱水轩词筌》评张先词「才不大而情婉」，此词正可见一斑：才情不在铺张扬厉，而在以极简笔墨写尽女儿风神。近人评其词「如写生小幅，淡妆天然」，以此词观之，从罗裙到淡妆、从柳腰到衣云，确如一幅淡设色的仕女小景，笔笔轻灵而神采全出。张先以小令名世，「云破月来花弄影」之外，此类写人小词亦足见风神。在宋词发展史上，张先上承晏殊之温润，下启晏几道之深婉，其小令之含蓄婉丽，正是北宋词由五代入宋、由诗余渐成独立文体过程中的重要一环。此词之价值，一在写人之妙——以白描与虚写结合，塑造出素淡空灵的女性形象，与温庭筠「画屏金鹧鸪」式的秾丽写人迥异其趣；二在词境之开拓——由宴席实景入云霞虚想，将日常酬赠升华为诗意的凝视，体现北宋文人词「诗酒风流」的审美理想。后世写歌妓、写初逢者多矣，而能以寥寥三十余字传神如此者，实不多见。张先词在后世评价中，每与柳永并举而别其雅俗，此词之清新不俚，正是其高出俚俗之处；王国维《人间词话》论词境之大小、有无我，张先此类小词虽不涉大境界，然于「有我之境」中自具一段风流，亦词史所不可废。
Prosody
Line by line
双蝶绣罗裙，东池宴，初相见。
Silk skirt embroidered with paired butterflies; at the East Pool feast we met for the first time.
她穿着绣着双蝶的罗裙，在东池的宴席上，我与她初次相见。
A silk skirt embroidered with twin butterflies; at the banquet by the East Pool, we met for the first time.
起笔点明场合与人物，简净如画。作者不先写人面，而先写衣饰——「双蝶绣罗裙」一句，以绣着双蝶的罗裙引出人物，双蝶意象既暗示衣饰之精美，亦暗含成双成对之美意，与「初相见」的缘分之喜相映成趣；「东池宴」点出宴饮之地，交代初见场景，三字便勾勒出觥筹交错、宾主尽欢的氛围；「初相见」三字看似平淡，却是全词情感的基点——正因为是初逢，才格外留心其衣、其妆、其腰、其衣上之云，也正因初逢，一切印象都带着惊鸿一瞥的新鲜与朦胧。三句由衣而地而缘，层层递进，为全词定下清丽含蓄的基调，无一字写情而情味自浓。
The opening names the occasion and person, spare as a painting. The author writes not the face first but the dress — 'silk skirt embroidered with paired butterflies' introduces the person through a skirt stitched with twin butterflies; the paired-butterfly image both suggests the finery and carries the wish for pairing, playing against the joy of 'first meeting.' 'At the East Pool feast' names the place of the banquet, three characters sketching the clinking cups and host-guest delight. 'We met for the first time' seems plain, yet is the emotional base of the ci: precisely because it is a first meeting, he notices her dress, her makeup, her waist, the clouds on her robe; and precisely because of the first meeting, every impression carries the freshness and haze of a passing glimpse. Three phrases move from dress to place to destiny, rising layer by layer, fixing the ci's clear, restrained keynote; not a word of feeling, yet feeling is dense of itself.
朱粉不深匀，闲花淡淡春。
Rouge and powder not heavily laid; like a quiet flower in a faint spring.
脂粉淡淡不甚匀饰，恰似闲花透着淡淡的春意。
Her rouge and powder are lightly laid; she is like a quiet flower breathing a faint spring.
以花喻人，写素淡风韵，炼意新巧。「朱粉不深匀」直写其妆：脂粉淡淡、不求浓饰，一「不深匀」便写出女子不事铅华、天然本色的情态，与「浓妆淡抹总相宜」的审美相通，而更见素净；「闲花淡淡春」以自然之花作比，「闲」字既状花之自在不妖、静开无主，亦喻人之从容娴静、不争不媚，「淡淡」叠用，将春意写得浅淡含蓄，恰与淡妆相应。花与人在此浑然一体：花之闲即人之闲，春之淡即妆之淡。此句之妙，在以少总多——不写眉目、不写神态，仅以「闲花淡淡春」五字，便将一位清雅娴静的女子形象立于纸上，其炼意之新巧，直追唐人「清水出芙蓉，天然去雕饰」之境。
It compares the person to a flower, writing a plain elegance with a freshly conceived image. 'Rouge and powder not heavily laid' writes her makeup directly: paint faint, no desire for heavy adornment; one phrase 'not heavily laid' writes the woman unadorned by cosmetics, true to her natural self, of a piece with the 'always lovely, rich or plain' aesthetic, yet more plainly. 'Like a quiet flower in a faint spring' compares her to a natural flower; the word 'quiet' both paints the flower's ease, blooming without owner, and likens the woman's composure, contending not, flattering not; the reduplicated 'faint' writes spring light and restrained, exactly answering the light makeup. Flower and person are one here: the flower's quiet is the person's quiet, the faint spring the faint makeup. The line's genius is the many gathered in the few — no eyebrows, no expression, yet the five words 'quiet flower in a faint spring' set an elegant, composed woman on the page; its freshly conceived image rivals the Tang 'lotus rising from clear water, unadorned by art.'
细看诸处好，人人道，柳腰身。
Seen closely, every part is lovely; all say she has a willow's slender waist.
细细看去处处都好，人人都说，她有杨柳般柔软的腰身。
Looked at closely, every feature is lovely; everyone says she has a waist as slender as a willow.
侧写烘托，不直接描摹而神韵自出。「细看诸处好」承上启下，以「细看」二字写作者之凝神端详，以「诸处好」总束其衣妆之美，言简而意足；「人人道」转从旁人眼中写来，以众口交赞烘托女子之美，妙在不直说「我」如何倾慕，而众人之啧啧称叹已尽显其风采动人，属典型的侧写手法；「柳腰身」以柳喻腰，承六朝以来以柳状女子腰肢柔美的习语，化用白居易「杨柳小蛮腰」而更见轻灵。三句由「我」之细看转「人」之赞叹，视角由近及远、由独及众，而始终不落一字实写腰身之形，只以柳之柔、人之赞托出，其含蓄处正是张先词「不着一字，尽得风流」的本色。
It writes through indirection and setting-off, the grace appearing without direct description. 'Looked at closely, every feature is lovely' both carries forward and closes, the word 'closely' writing the poet's intent gaze, 'every feature lovely' summing the beauty of her dress and makeup, words few yet meaning full. 'All say' turns to others' eyes, using the chorus of praise to set off her beauty; the genius is not to say directly how 'I' am enamored, but the crowd's exclamations show her charm fully — a typical indirect method. 'A willow's slender waist' compares the waist to a willow, continuing the Six Dynasties idiom of willows for a woman's supple waist, adapting Bai Juyi's 'willow小蛮 waist' yet more lightly. Three phrases move from 'my' close look to 'others' praise, the view from near to far, from alone to the crowd, yet never a word of direct description of the waist's shape; only the willow's softness and the crowd's praise bring it forth. Its restraint is precisely Zhang Xian's 'not a word spent, yet all the grace obtained.'
昨日乱山昏，来时衣上云。
Yesterday the disordered mountains were dim; when she came, clouds were on her robe.
昨日乱山昏暗，她来时衣上仿佛带着云霞。
Yesterday the rugged mountains were dim; when she arrived, there were clouds upon her robe.
以云写衣，化实入虚，空灵作结。结句笔势陡转，从实写宴席中人荡开一笔：「昨日乱山昏」是虚景追忆，以乱山昏沉之暗写来路之远、天色之晦，为下句蓄势；「来时衣上云」由暗转明，以衣上之云霞写来者之风神——或谓其衣上绣有云纹，或谓其人步履生云、光采照人，无论作何解，皆是化实为虚、以虚写实：云霞本是天边缥缈之物，移以状人，则其人风神缥缈、如仙如画，初见之惊艳尽在不言中。一「昏」一「云」、一暗一明，对照鲜明，将人物置于乱山云霞的远景之中，愈显其超尘绝俗。此句收束全词，由宴席之实境入云霞之虚想，余韵悠长，是张先小令空灵一面的典型笔墨。
It writes the robe through clouds, turning the actual into the virtual, closing with ethereal lightness. The close turns abruptly, swinging free from the real person at the feast: 'Yesterday the disordered mountains were dim' is virtual recollection, writing the darkness of the rugged mountains for the distance of the road and the dimness of the sky, building momentum for the next line. 'When she came, clouds were on her robe' turns from dark to light, writing the comer's grace through clouds on the robe — some read cloud patterns embroidered on her garment, some read her step raising clouds, radiant; either reading turns the actual into the virtual and paints the real through the virtual. Clouds are originally the floating things of the horizon; transferred to describe a person, her grace becomes floating, like an immortal in a painting, the first-glance astonishment all in the unspoken. One 'dim' and one 'cloud,' one dark and one bright, contrast sharply, placing the figure in the distant setting of rugged mountains and clouds and all the more showing her transcendence of the dust. This line closes the ci, moving from the real feast into the virtual thought of clouds, the aftertone long — typical brush of the ethereal side of Zhang Xian's short songs.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Same author, another short lyric. One depicts an encounter at a banquet, the other spring longing. Both are subtle, graceful, and known for their delicate charm.
同作者小令，一写宴遇一写春思，皆含蓄婉丽见长。《青门引·春思》以「那堪更被明月，隔墙送过秋千影」写春日怀人之思，以秋千影之动写心绪之摇，含蓄深婉；本词《醉垂鞭》则写东池宴上初逢之女子，以罗裙、淡妆、柳腰、衣云白描其神韵，轻灵明快。二词相较，同是张先小令，同以不直说为高，然一偏于虚（春思之影与月）、一偏于实（宴上之人与衣），一写思念之缠绵、一写初见之惊艳，可见子野写情写景的两副笔墨。合观二词，正可体会张先小令「含蓄宛转、气韵流动」的整体风格，亦可窥北宋文人词由宴饮酬赠到深致抒情的演进轨迹。
清平乐·留人不住 Pure Peace Music: Can't Retain Him 晏几道 · 异 differentSimilar theme of love and parting, but Zhang Xian's style is light and sketched, while Yan Jidao's is deep and sorrowful. This contrast highlights differing approaches within Song ci.
同写男女情事，张先淡婉写生，小山深婉诉别，可比较。晏几道《清平乐·留人不住》写送别，以「留人不住，醉解兰舟去」起，直写留别之无奈，结句「此后锦书休寄，画楼云雨无凭」更以决绝语写深情，情感浓挚而近于凄婉；张先《醉垂鞭》写初逢，通篇不着一情字，只以白描勾勒人物，淡妆、柳腰、衣云皆清丽可人，情感含蓄而近于欣悦。二词一写离、一写逢，一浓一淡，一悲一喜，正见婉约词在张先、晏几道手中的不同面貌：张先以「清」胜，如疏影横斜；晏几道以「深」胜，如暗香浮动。合观二词，可悟婉约词写情之丰富层次，亦可明北宋词风由淡入深之演变。