Si Ribbon (tāo): Ribbon. Describes the soft and graceful wicker. Ribbon, a rope made of silk. This refers to wicker like a ribbon.
The phrase "Ten thousand green silk ribbons hanging down" means: the light hanging wicker is like thousands of gently fluttering green ribbons.
Where does this sentence come from? ——"Ode to the Willow" by He Zhizhang of the Tang Dynasty
The complete original text is as follows:
The jasper is as high as a tree, with thousands of green silk ribbons hanging down.
I don’t know who cut out the thin leaves. The spring breeze in February is like scissors.
I have also released the translation for everyone to facilitate your understanding:
The tall willow trees are covered with green new leaves, and the light hanging willow branches are like thousands of gently floating trees. moving green ribbon.
I wonder who cut these thin willow leaves? It's the spring breeze in February, it's like a pair of magic scissors.
Here are some words that I think are more important, and I will explain them to you individually:
Jasper: turquoise jade. Here it is used as a metaphor for the green willow leaves in spring.
Makeup: decoration, dressing up.
One tree: full of trees. One, full, complete. In classical Chinese poetry and articles, quantifiers do not necessarily indicate exact quantities when used. The "wan" in the next sentence means a lot.
Green silk ribbon (tāo): green ribbon. Describes the soft and graceful wicker. Ribbon, a rope made of silk. This refers to wicker like a ribbon.
Cut: cut, cut.
Like: Like, as if.
If you only read the article, it may be difficult to understand its meaning, so we have to interpret it based on the creative background of the article at that time:
Three Years of Tianbao by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (744 AD) , He Zhizhang was ordered to return to his hometown, and hundreds of officials saw him off. He took a boat via Nanjing, Hangzhou, and along the Xiaoshaoguan River to Xiaoshan County. Yuezhou officials came to greet him at the post station, and then took a boat to his old house by the Panshui River outside the South Gate. It is early spring in February, the willow buds are beginning to sprout, the spring atmosphere is full, and the breeze is blowing. He Zhizhang returned to his hometown like a bird out of its cage, and he was naturally very happy, so he wrote this poem on the spot.
Now that we have said this, let’s appreciate and analyze this article together:
This is a poem about things, written about willows in early spring and February. The poet used metaphors and personification techniques to vividly sing the charming grace of the tender willows in early spring and praise the miraculous craftsmanship of nature.
"Jasper makes up a tree as tall as a tree" describes the overall impression of the willow tree. The beauty of the willow tree lies in its long and draping branches. Once a year, it grows new green leaves, drooping, and has a charming attitude in the spring breeze. The "jasper" here can refer to real jade, but also implies the meaning of "jasper" in "jasper little girl" ("jasper song"), which refers to a young and beautiful woman from a small family. Classical poetry often borrows the image beauty of willow trees to describe beauties’ slender figures and graceful waists, but this poem is unique and turns it around, turning the willow tree into a beauty. Using "jasper" to compare willow actually has two meanings: first, "jasper" is related to the color of willow, and "bi" and "green" in the following sentence are complementary to each other; second, the word "jasper" What leaves the impression of youth in people's minds is that in ancient literary works, "jasper" has almost become a general term for young and beautiful women. Using "jasper" to compare willow, people will imagine that this beauty has not yet reached the age of abundance and prosperity. This willow is still a young willow in early spring, and has not yet reached the time of dense leaves hiding crows. At the same time, it is also compared with the "thin leaves" below. "February spring breeze" is related again.
"Ten thousand green silk ribbons hanging down" specifically describes the dense and gently drooping willow branches, which is the most representative part of the willow tree. With the foreshadowing of the previous sentence, these thousands of draping silks have also turned into the beauty's skirt. The word "gao" in the upper sentence brings out the graceful grace of the beauty Tingting; the word "hang" in the second sentence implies that the slender waist is flowing in the wind. There are no words "willow" and "waist" in the poem, but the weeping willows in early spring and the beauty incarnated by the willow trees are vividly depicted. "Southern History" says that Liu Zhizhi, who was the governor of Yizhou, presented several Shu willow trees, "the strips are very long and look like strands of silk". Emperor Wu of Qi planted these willows in front of the Yunhe Palace in Taichang. He admired them and said they were "romantic and cute". The wicker is referred to as "green silk ribbon" here, which may be an allusion to willow. But there is almost no trace of chemical use here.
"I don't know who cuts out the thin leaves. The spring breeze in February is like scissors." These two sentences further describe the young leaves of the willow tree in detail. Each leaf has a unique shape and fine texture, as if it has been carefully cut. The poet was so amazed that he couldn't help but ask: Which skilled tailor made this tree full of fine leaves? Then I found the answer: it turned out to be a masterpiece of nature. She held the big scissors of the February spring breeze and cut out the trees full of spring colors. The green leaves are like the patterns and patterns on the beauty's dress. At this point, the beauty appears vividly on the paper. "The spring breeze in February is like scissors" is a novel metaphor that vividly depicts the invisible and elusive spring breeze. The spring breeze and scissors are originally completely unrelated. Their similarities only exist in the poet's imagination. Therefore, "February spring breeze is like scissors" is both novel and can arouse people's rich associations.
This poem has lofty intentions and clever metaphors. It first looks at the big picture, and then describes it in detail, writing more and more details, and vividly expresses the shape and spirit of the willow tree.
The title is "Wing Willow", but it is not just "Wing Willow", it is also Wing Chun, praising nature. The whole poem begins with "made of jasper" which leads to "green silk ribbon", which leads to "who cuts it out". Finally, the invisible and elusive "spring breeze" is also used as "like scissors" Depicted visually. These "scissors" cut out green and bright red flowers and plants, giving the earth a new look. It is a symbol of natural vitality and a revelation of beauty that spring brings to people. From "jasper makeup" to "scissors", we can see the poet's series of artistic conception processes. The series of images that appear in the poem are closely linked to each other.
Finally, let’s introduce the author He Zhizhang:
He Zhizhang (659-744), courtesy name Jizhen, also known as Siming Kuangke, Han nationality, lived in Yongxing (now Zhejiang), Yuezhou (now Shaoxing), Tang Dynasty He Zhizhang, a native of Xiaoshan, is good at quatrains in his poems. In addition to music for worshiping gods and poems composed for the gods, his landscape and lyrical works are unique in style, fresh and unrestrained. His two famous poems, "Ode to the Willows" and "Returning to the Hometown", have been popular throughout the ages. It was passed down and recited, and there are still 19 poems recorded in "The Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty".