Drunken Make-Up Lyric · This Way I Go (醉妆词·者边走) by Wang Yan

Meaning

This way I walk, that way I walk, but seeking out singers and pleasure. That way I walk, this way I walk, only do not grow weary of the fine wine in the golden cup.

这边走，那边走，不过是在寻花问柳。那边走，这边走，可别厌弃了这金杯里的美酒。

Appreciation

The form is very short (double-tune twenty-four characters), with a unique flavor, belonging to the 'clever form' line of lyrics. The opening two lines 'this way I go, that way I go' use a circling, reversed, chant-like phrasing to make a light, bouncing rhythm, like a folk jingle; 'only seeking flowers and willows' and 'do not tire of the golden-cup wine' plainly write the joy of sound and color. The whole piece is uncarved, prizing the plain and native, set as a contrast against the gorgeous manner of the Hua Jian Collection.

【白话串讲】前蜀后主王衍写《醉妆词》：“者边走，那边走，只是寻花柳。那边走，者边走，莫厌金杯酒”——到处走，找花找柳，喝酒作乐。一个亡国之君最后的荒唐。他很快亡国，被后唐所杀。【意象与手法】体制极短小（双调二十四字），风味独特，属词中“巧体”一路【情感与主旨】王衍（899—926），字化源，前蜀高祖王建幼子，继位为后主，在位荒嬉，好微服出游、饮宴倡伎【名句点睛】中高考若考此词，重点在：一、句式，“者边走／那边走”回环复沓的节奏效果；二、风格，俚俗本色与花间藻丽之异

Background

Wang Yan, courtesy Huayuan, was the youngest son of Wang Jian, the founding emperor of the Former Shu, and succeeded as the last ruler; in his reign he gave himself to pleasure, favoring disguised outings and feasts with singers. According to Song notes, he once wrapped a pointed cap and held song-and-dance, composed the 'Drunken Make-Up Lyric' himself, and roamed in feast with palace women and singers, singing it in his cups. This lyric is his game-piece, a vivid miniature of the Five Dynasties court's luxurious air and the ruler's neglect of rule, and also shows that when the lyric form was new it could admit the plain and native, not always the refined.

《醉妆词·者边走》为五代前蜀后主王衍所作，是写寻欢作乐之态的词。王衍（899—926），字化源，前蜀后主，蜀亡后被杀。此词：者边走，那边走，只是寻花柳。那边走，者边走，莫厌金杯酒。全词写其寻欢作乐、沉醉金杯之态，是王衍词的代表作。

Art

The form is very short (double-tune twenty-four characters), with a unique flavor, belonging to the 'clever form' line of lyrics. The opening two lines 'this way I go, that way I go' use a circling, reversed, chant-like phrasing to make a light, bouncing rhythm, like a folk jingle; 'only seeking flowers and willows' and 'do not tire of the golden-cup wine' plainly write the joy of sound and color. The whole piece is uncarved, prizing the plain and native, set as a contrast against the gorgeous manner of the Hua Jian Collection.

《醉妆词·者边走》艺术上以反复的句式与直白的笔法见长。全词六句，层层写来：前三句写者边走那边走——“者边走，那边走，只是寻花柳”写这边走那边走、只是寻花柳；后三句写那边走者边走——“那边走，者边走，莫厌金杯酒”写那边走这边走、莫厌金杯酒。全词以反复写寻欢作乐之态，正是王衍词直白的笔法。

Allusions

The lyric uses no clear story-allusion, writing court revelry purely in plain description. 'This side' and 'that side' are then-current spoken words, 'this' standing for 'this'; 'seeking flowers and willows' is a Tang-Song colloquialism meaning to visit singsong girls, to roam with pleasure. The whole piece cites no history, exactly showing the game, banquet nature of this court jingle, and also reflects the age's air that 'above and below the court, many gave themselves to luxury'.

《醉妆词·者边走》用典少而意象自明。“寻花柳”写寻花问柳（花柳为妓女之称）；“金杯酒”写金杯美酒。全词以这些口语写寻欢作乐之态，不用深典而情态自见，正是王衍词直白的笔法。

Commentary

Moderns on this lyric say that 'though the form is small, it vividly paints a picture of court night-feast roaming', writing the ruler's willful pleasure in a plain, chant-like phrasing, quite different from the gorgeous, gentle Hua Jian pieces. Song notes record that Wang Yan 'composed the drunken make-up lyric himself, and the folk vied to imitate it', showing how widely it was sung then, and also serving as proof of the Former Shu's neglect of rule.

《醉妆词·者边走》是王衍词的代表作，也是五代词中写帝王奢靡之态的名篇。此词写其寻欢作乐、沉醉金杯之态，向为论者称道。论者多赏其反复的句式——“者边走，那边走，只是寻花柳”写这边走那边走，反复其句、其态毕现；“莫厌金杯酒”写莫厌金杯，更见其奢。王衍为前蜀后主，其词以直白奢靡著称，此词正是其代表——以直白写奢靡，正是其词风。

Prosody

Form Lyric, 'Drunken Make-Up Lyric' (Zui Zhuang Ci), double-tune short form (twenty-four characters)词·醉妆词

Rhyme 'willows' and 'wine' take oblique rhyme (you rhyme), circling and repeating《醉妆词·者边走》为单调词，押仄声韵。此词用韵：柳、酒（有部），音节轻快。

Tone pattern Short tune, irregular circling clauses, not strict in pattern醉妆词为单调小令，音节轻快而直白。此词写寻欢作乐之态，音节轻快而直露。全词以口语贯底，声调与奢靡之态的内容相合，是五代词中直白的一路。

Reading note Composed by Wang Yan himself, a 'clever form' lyric, writing court revelry in a plain, chant-like manner, rarely passed down.《醉妆词·者边走》为五代前蜀后主王衍所作，是写寻欢作乐之态的词。此词以“者边走，那边走，只是寻花柳”写寻花问柳之态，以“那边走，者边走，莫厌金杯酒”写沉醉金杯。以直白写奢靡、预伏亡国之兆，正是王衍词的代表作。

Line by line

者边走，那边走，只是寻花柳。

This way I go, that way I go, only seeking flowers and willows.

这边走走，那边走走，只是去寻花问柳。

This way I go, that way I go, only seeking flowers and willows.

前三句写寻花问柳之态，是全词写其奢靡的起点。“者边走，那边走”写走来走去——“者边走”写这边走，“那边走”写那边走——这边走、那边走；“只是寻花柳”写寻花问柳——“只是”写只是，“寻花柳”写寻花问柳——只是寻花柳。三句写寻花问柳之态：者边走、那边走，只是寻花柳。以“者边走，那边走”的反复写其行踪不定，以“只是寻花柳”写其所寻，正是王衍词以反复句式写其寻欢之态的笔法——走来走去，只为寻花。

The first three lines write the roaming in search of pleasure, the starting point of the lyric's description of extravagance. 'This way I go, that way I go' writes the walking to and fro—this path, that path. 'Only seeking flowers and willows' writes the pursuit of courtesans—the word 'only' a simple 'merely,' 'seeking flowers and willows' the pursuit of brothels. Three lines write the roaming: this way and that, only seeking flowers and willows. It is Wang Yan's way of writing his revelry through repeated phrasing—walking to and fro, only to seek pleasure.

那边走，者边走，莫厌金杯酒。

That way I go, this way I go, do not tire of the golden-cup wine.

那边走走，这边走走，不要厌弃金杯美酒。

That way I go, this way I go; refuse not the wine in the golden cup.

后三句写莫厌金杯，是全词写其奢靡的归结。“那边走，者边走”写来回走动——“那边走”写那边走，“者边走”写这边走——那边走、这边走；“莫厌金杯酒”写莫厌金杯——“莫厌”写不要厌弃，“金杯酒”写金杯美酒——莫厌金杯酒。三句写莫厌金杯：那边走、者边走，莫厌金杯酒。以“那边走，者边走”回环其句，以“莫厌金杯酒”写其沉醉，正是王衍词写其奢靡之态的归结——往返寻欢，沉醉金杯，正是其亡国之兆。

The last three lines write the refusal to scorn the golden cup, the conclusion of the extravagance. 'That way I go, this way I go' writes the walking back and forth—that path, this path. 'Refuse not the wine in the golden cup' writes not to spurn the golden cup's wine—'refuse not' means not to loathe, 'golden cup wine' the rich wine. Three lines write the golden cup: that way and this, refuse not the golden wine. It is Wang Yan's conclusion of his revelry—roaming back and forth, drunk on the golden cup, precisely the omen of his ruin.

Study

Word focus

者边走 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “者边走”之“者边走”，写这边走，是全词写其行踪的关键词。“者边”为口语“这边”，“走”写行走——这边走。这一词以口语“者边”写行走：不是雅言之处，而者边；不是静止之态，而边走。以“者边走，那边走”的口语反复写其行踪不定，正是王衍词写其寻欢之态的笔法。

寻花柳 A Tang-Song colloquialism meaning to visit singsong girls, to roam with pleasure, plainly writing the court's sound and color, uncarved. “只是寻花柳”之“寻花柳”，写寻花问柳，是全词写其所寻的关键词。“寻花”写寻花，“问柳”写问柳——只是去寻花问柳。这一词写其所寻之乐：不是赏春之花，而寻花柳（花柳为妓女代称）；不是雅致之游，而冶游之乐。以“只是寻花柳”写其寻欢，正是王衍词写其奢靡、预伏亡国之兆的笔法。

莫厌 In 'do not tire of the golden-cup wine', 'do not tire' means do not dislike; the tone of urging a drink lively catches the drunken state. “莫厌金杯酒”之“莫厌”，写不要厌弃，是全词写其沉醉的关键词。“莫”写不要，“厌”写厌弃——不要厌弃金杯美酒。这一词写对酒之态：不是能饮则饮，而莫厌；不是节饮之劝，而纵饮之求。以“莫厌金杯酒”写其沉醉金杯，正是王衍词写其奢靡无度的笔法。

金杯酒 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “莫厌金杯酒”之“金杯酒”，写金杯美酒，是全词写其奢靡之物的关键词。“金杯”写金制之杯，“酒”写美酒——金杯美酒。这一词写其饮之奢：不是寻常之杯，而金杯；不是寡淡之饮，而美酒盈杯。以“莫厌金杯酒”写其纵饮金杯，正是王衍词写帝王奢靡之态的笔法——金杯美酒，乐而忘国。

醉妆词·者边走