唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
咏柳
Ode to the Willow
碧玉妆成一树高，万条垂下绿丝绦。
不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀。
A thousand branches droop like green silk ribbons.
Who cut the slender leaves?
The February spring breeze is like a pair of scissors.
Meaning
The poet describes a tall willow tree as if adorned with emerald green, with countless branches hanging down like green silk ribbons. He asks who cut the delicate leaves and answers that the February spring breeze, like a pair of scissors, did it. This poem vividly captures the beauty of early spring willows.
高高的柳树像碧玉妆扮而成，万千柳条如绿色丝带垂下。不知细嫩的柳叶是谁裁剪出来的，原是二月春风恰似一把灵巧的剪刀。
Appreciation
Language and imagery: The first line compares the willow to a beauty decorated with emerald, emphasizing its color and elegant posture. The second line uses a ribbon metaphor for the drooping branches. The last two lines form a rhetorical question and answer, turning the invisible spring breeze into a skilled tailor with scissors, turning abstraction into vividness. Emotion and theme: By praising the willow, the poet celebrates the vitality of early spring and the ingenuity of nature, without explicitly mentioning 'willow' but fully capturing its form and spirit.
【白话串讲】 贺知章写柳树：碧玉般的树干，垂下千万条绿丝绦。最妙的是最后一句——“二月春风似剪刀”，把春天写成了手艺精巧的裁缝。 【意象与手法】 首句「碧玉妆成一树高」以美人碧玉喻柳，兼写其色翠与亭亭之姿；次句「万条垂下绿丝绦」以丝带喻柳条，状其柔密下垂；三四句「不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀」设问作答，把无形春风化为持剪的巧匠，化虚为实，新奇警策。 【情感与主旨】 贺知章旷达豪放，号「四明狂客」，此诗以柳喻春，借咏物写早春生机，于寻常景物中见奇思妙想，体现盛唐咏物小诗「状难写之景如在目前」的妙趣，字里行间满是对春天造化之工的赞叹。 【名句点睛】 重点考后两句「不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀」的比喻与拟人手法：以剪刀喻春风，一问一答，将无形的春风写得如在目前，是咏物诗中化虚为实的典范。
Background
He Zhizhang wrote this poem during his early official years in Chang'an. Using the willow as a symbol, he praises the vigor of early spring. He was known for his uninhibited and broad-minded character, often producing fresh and natural poems. This poem stands out among traditional willow poems by uniquely personifying the spring breeze as a craftsman.
贺知章（约659—约744），字季真，越州永兴（今浙江杭州萧山）人，盛唐诗人，武则天证圣元年（695）进士，官至太子宾客、秘书监，与李白、张旭等交谊深厚，李白称他为「四明狂客」。他晚年告老还乡，唐玄宗赠诗送行，太子以下百官饯别于长乐坡，一时传为美谈；其《回乡偶书》即写返乡时的感慨。此诗约作于其早年仕宦长安期间，具体年代已不可确考。唐人咏柳之作甚多，或写折柳送别，或写柳絮飘零，多带离愁别绪；贺知章此诗却一空依傍，专咏早春新柳之美，将春风拟为裁衣的巧匠，于寻常景物中见奇思，是盛唐咏物小诗中的清新之作，体现了盛唐诗人乐观开朗、善于发现自然之美的精神风貌。贺知章出身世家，少以文词知名，与张说、张九龄同朝，为开元盛世文化圈中的长者；其诗今存不多，而清新自然、妙想天开，此诗咏柳而全篇不着柳字，正见其过人的艺术才情。全诗一气呵成，疑是早春郊游即兴之作，于寻常杨柳中见出诗人对天地造化的惊奇与礼赞，盛唐气象，于此小诗亦可窥其一斑。
Art
The first line uses 'emerald' (biyu) to personify the willow as a beauty, describing both its color and graceful posture. The second line compares the branches to green silk ribbons (sitao), depicting their softness and downward droop. The last two lines employ a question-and-answer structure, turning the invisible spring breeze into a tailor with scissors, transforming the abstract into a concrete and surprising image. The entire poem moves from whole to detail, with vivid metaphors that present the willow's charm without ever naming it.
此诗艺术之妙，在比喻连环、层层推进，由整体到细部，不着一个「柳」字而柳态毕现。首句「碧玉妆成一树高」以「碧玉」喻柳树，既写其色之青翠，又暗用少女碧玉的典故，赋予柳树亭亭玉立、妆扮娇美的少女之姿；次句「万条垂下绿丝绦」以丝带喻柳条，「万条」状其繁密，「垂」字写其柔长下垂的姿态，形象鲜明。前两句是静态的描摹，后两句忽然转入动态的追问：「不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀」——细叶如此精巧，是谁裁剪出来的？原来是二月的春风，正像一把灵巧的剪刀。这一问一答，把无形无影的春风化为持剪的巧匠，化虚为实，新奇警策，是全诗的神来之笔。全诗先写树、再写条、再写叶，由整体到局部层层聚焦，比喻连环相扣，章法谨严而想象飞动。更妙者，全诗通体以「妆」「裁」等拟人化的动词贯穿，柳既是妆成的美人，又是剪裁的成品，春风则是那位无所不能的巧匠，三层拟人环环相扣，把早春万物萌发的生机写得灵动鲜活，咏物至此，可谓得物之神而遗物之形矣。
Allusions
The word 'biyu' (emerald) has two interpretations: it can refer to a young girl named Biyu from a folk song, comparing the willow to a fresh and tender maiden, or it can mean a green gem, describing the willow's vibrant color. 'Sitao' means silk ribbons, used to describe the willow branches. The metaphor 'the spring breeze is like scissors' derives from the folk custom of cutting clothes for spring, turning nature into a tailor, blending the ordinary with elegance and creating a novel image.
「碧玉」一词有二解：一指碧玉少女，古乐府有《碧玉歌》「碧玉小家女，来嫁汝南王」，以少女喻柳之鲜嫩娇美；一指碧色之玉，状柳色之青翠润泽。两解皆取其青绿鲜润之意，可以并存，都赋予柳树一种玲珑剔透的美感。「丝绦」指丝织的带子，唐人腰带多以丝绦为之，以之喻千万垂下的柳条，取其柔长、轻软、下垂之态，设喻贴切。至于「二月春风似剪刀」，并非用典，而是化用民间裁衣迎春的习俗心理——初春裁制新衣以应时序，春风恰似那剪开万物的剪刀；这一新巧之喻将自然造化拟为裁缝，俗中见雅，为新创之喻，却比用典更有生命力，后世「春风剪柳」「春工」诸语皆由此而来。诗中「万条」以数目写柳条之繁密，「一树」以数目写柳树之高大，一多一少，对比成趣；「碧玉」之小家女与「丝绦」之衣饰并出，皆从女子妆扮取喻，意象系统十分统一，可见诗人构思之细密，虽云咏物小诗，实具锦心绣口之工。
Commentary
Qing critic Huang Shucan commented in 'Tangshi Jianzhu': 'Describing objects with subtlety and novel language.' He Zhizhang's poem, together with his 'Homecoming' poem, is renowned for using simple language to convey extraordinary thoughts. Unlike the ornate object-chanting of the Six Dynasties, this poem captures the soul of spring with the single metaphor of 'spring breeze like scissors,' natural and spontaneous, becoming an eternal masterpiece on willows and inspiring later phrases like 'spring work' and 'tailoring.'
此诗咏柳而不粘滞于柳，由柳及春风，以巧喻结穴，是初唐咏物小诗「体物入微、想象新奇」的代表，历来评价极高。清代黄叔灿《唐诗笺注》评曰：「赋物入妙，语意新奇。」清人袁枚《随园诗话》亦谓此诗「妙想入神」。贺知章存诗不多，仅二十首左右，而《咏柳》与《回乡偶书》两首最为家喻户晓，皆以浅语出奇思，正见其「四明狂客」的性情与天才。其咏柳不似六朝咏物之堆砌典故、刻画形貌，而能以「春风似剪刀」一喻尽摄春之灵魂，自然天成，遂成咏柳绝唱。后世咏柳诗词甚多，而此诗始终居于巅峰，其影响还渗透到绘画与民俗，每逢早春咏柳，必引此诗，可见其在文化记忆中的深远地位。就文学接受而言，此诗语言浅近而想象奇警，妇孺皆能成诵，文人亦叹其妙，雅俗共赏，正是唐诗「深入浅出」精神的代表；每逢春柳初绿，「二月春风似剪刀」之句便会自然浮上心头，足见此诗已融入民族的审美记忆，成为春天与创造力的经典符号。
Prosody
Line by line
碧玉妆成一树高，万条垂下绿丝绦。
The tall willow is adorned with emerald, countless branches hang down like green silk ribbons. This couplet uses two metaphors: 'emerald' for color and beauty, 'silk ribbons' for the soft drooping branches.
高高的柳树像碧玉妆扮而成，万千柳条如绿色丝带垂下。
Carved from jasper, the tree rises tall; ten thousand branches hang like green silk ribbons.
开篇两句写柳之整体与枝条，设喻新奇，满纸春意。首句「碧玉妆成一树高」以碧玉喻柳，一个「妆」字把柳树写得如同盛妆的少女，「一树高」则点出柳树亭亭直立、绿影婆娑的姿态，色、形、神兼到；次句「万条垂下绿丝绦」镜头下移，从树干写到柳条，以丝织的绦带喻千万条柔长的柳枝，「万条」状其繁密，「垂下」写其动态，仿佛柳条正在春风中轻轻摇曳。两句一写树之高，一写条之垂，一纵一横，构图完整；碧玉的润泽与丝绦的轻柔相映，把早春柳树那种青翠欲滴、柔媚多姿的美写得如在目前，为后文「谁裁出」的奇问作了形象的铺垫。
The opening two lines write the willow's whole form and its branches, the metaphor novel, spring filling the page. The first line, carved from jasper, the tree rises tall, uses jasper to metaphorize the willow; one dressed makes the willow like a girl in full dress; the tree tall points out the willow's upright, green-shadowed posture; color, form, spirit all complete. The next line, ten thousand branches hang like green silk ribbons, moves the camera down, from trunk to branches, using silk-woven ribbons to metaphorize the ten thousand soft long twigs; ten thousand branches describes their density; hanging writes their motion, as if the twigs were swaying in the spring breeze. The two lines one write the tree's height, one the branches' hanging, one vertical one horizontal, the composition complete; jasper's gloss and silk ribbons' softness mirroring, writing the early-spring willow's green-dripping, soft-lovely beauty as if before the eyes, preparing the image for the later who cut it wonder.
不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀。
Who cut the slender leaves? The February spring breeze is like a pair of scissors. This couplet poses a question and answers it with a metaphor, attributing the delicate leaves to the creative power of the spring breeze.
不知细嫩的柳叶是谁裁剪出来的，原是二月春风恰似一把灵巧的剪刀。
I wonder who cut these slender leaves; the February spring wind is like a pair of scissors.
后两句是全诗的神来之笔，由写形转入追问，由实景进入奇思。「不知细叶谁裁出」先设一问：那一片片细巧精致的柳叶，究竟是谁裁剪出来的？「细叶」二字呼应上文的碧玉、丝绦，把镜头由柳条推进到柳叶，聚焦于最精巧的局部；「裁」字用得极妙，柳叶边缘参差如剪裁之迹，故云「裁出」，想象已含其中。下句「二月春风似剪刀」自问自答，把无形的春风比作持剪的巧匠——春风过处，万物裁成，柳叶便是它剪出的杰作。一问一答，化虚为实，将自然造化拟人化，新奇警策，是咏物诗中化无形为有形、寓深意于浅语的典范，千百年来传诵不衰。
The latter two lines are the poem's inspired stroke, passing from writing form to questioning, from real scenery into fancy. I wonder who cut these slender leaves first sets a question: those delicate, exquisite willow leaves - who on earth cut them? Slender leaves echoes the above jasper and silk ribbons, moving the camera from twigs to leaves, focusing on the most exquisite detail. Cut is used most subtly: the willow leaves' edges are uneven like the trace of shears, hence cut out, the imagination already within. The next line, the February spring wind is like a pair of scissors, asks and answers itself, comparing the intangible spring wind to a craftsman holding shears - where the spring wind passes, all things are cut into shape; the willow leaves are its masterpiece. One question one answer, converting the void to the solid, personifying nature's creation, novel and incisive; the model among thing-praising poems of converting the intangible to the tangible and lodging deep meaning in shallow words, celebrated for a thousand years.
Study
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Related Reading
While Lin Bu's poem describes the plum's aloof elegance through 'sparse shadows slanting across clear shallow water,' He Zhizhang's poem depicts the willow's soft beauty. Both master object-chanting without being trapped by the object's physical form, making for a comparative study of technique.
林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」写梅之清逸，贺知章《咏柳》「碧玉妆成一树高，万条垂下绿丝绦」写柳之柔美，二者皆咏物入微而不粘滞于物，是咏物诗的两极：梅取清冷之韵，以「疏」「暗」写其神；柳取明丽之姿，以「妆」「裁」写其巧。就手法而言，林诗重在侧笔烘托（霜禽偷眼、粉蝶断魂），贺诗重在连环设喻（碧玉、丝绦、剪刀）；林诗托物言志，见隐者之高洁，贺诗咏物写春，见盛唐之开朗。合观二诗，可见唐宋咏物诗由「体物」到「传神」、由「咏物」到「言志」的多样路径，也可见同一题材之下诗人个性与时代精神的差异。
春晓 Spring Dawn 孟浩然 · 同写春景，同具清新自然的笔调 Both describe spring scenery with fresh, light strokesBoth poems use light touches to depict spring—one praising a willow, the other lamenting spring's passing. They showcase the natural freshness of Tang quatrains.
孟浩然《春晓》「春眠不觉晓，处处闻啼鸟」写春晨之惜春，贺知章《咏柳》「不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀」写早春之咏物，二诗皆以轻盈的笔触写春天，语浅而味永，是唐人小诗自然清新的代表。差异在：孟诗纯用白描与口语，不设一喻，以「不觉晓」「闻啼鸟」的偶然感受写惜春之情，情在景中；贺诗则全凭奇喻，以碧玉、丝绦、剪刀三个比喻层层刻画柳树，思在喻中。一为即兴的感受，一为巧思的咏物；一含蓄蕴藉，一新奇警策。两诗并读，正可见盛唐小诗「清水出芙蓉」与「妙想入神」的两种风致，共同体现了唐诗语言自然与想象飞动的统一。