Qingqing Zijin, my heart is leisurely. Even if I don't go, will Zi Ning have no heir?
The green purple embroidery makes me think about it for a long time. Even if I don't go, Zi Ning won't come?
It is in the city gate. Not seeing each other for one day is like three months!
Reference translation:
On (your) green collar, my heart is tied leisurely.
Even if I didn’t go (to find you), you couldn’t take the initiative to give me news?
On (your) green jade pendant hangs my longing.
Even if I didn’t go (to see you), couldn’t you come to me?
I'm scratching my head and pacing back and forth, (I'm) waiting for you on the city gate tower; I haven't seen you for just one day, and it feels like three days.
"Zi Jin" has always been regarded as a poem about the emotions between men and women, but if you analyze it carefully, you can find that it actually expresses the emotions between men and women.
Emotional analysis of men and women in "Zi Jin":
1. Zi Jin's "子" is the second name. Zi is often used as an honorific, such as Confucius and Laozi. When used as the second person, it is generally used to address men of equal status and peers. It can also be used to address men of lower status. That is, a man can call another man "son", but a woman cannot. The same title often appears in the "Book of Songs", such as the famous line in "Bei Feng" in "Drumming": "Holding the son's hand, we will grow old together with him", which is a life and death agreement between warriors.
2. Qingqingzijin, Qingqingzijin is a kind of clothing. It is the uniform of the students of the Zhou Dynasty (mostly the children of officials) and the attire of scholars. This shows that "Zi" is a scholar with a higher status. Calling him "Zi" means that his "I" is a male of equal status and equal to him.
3. "Even if I don't go, Zi Ning won't come?" The "I" is a knowing word, referring to the person (male) holding the golden sword. "I" is the male first person, used among peers. At that time, the first person pronoun for women was "卬", which has evolved into "nu" and "nujia" in modern times. For details, see the evolution of the female first-person pronoun "卬".
4. "Tiao Xi Da Xi, in the city." "Tiao" means scratching one's head, "Da" means "stepping", and "Tiao Xi Da Xi" means scratching one's head and standing still. (pace), used to describe a man's anxious waiting. "At the city gate", that is, on the city gate tower. The "city gate" refers to the city gate tower. The city gate is the entrance to the city. The gate tower is often guarded by guards, making it difficult for ordinary people to get up. Women are even prohibited from entering, just like the ancient army prohibited women. Therefore, "I" is a man with a certain status.
5. It can be analyzed from the poem that it is usually "I" who goes to find "the son", so there is the saying "I will not go". If "I" were a woman, it would not be in line with the etiquette of the time and would be too proactive. If "I" were a woman, she must be a child of a noble with a higher status (similar to Qing Jin), and the etiquette requirements for her would be even more stringent. It would be impossible for her to appear in the city gate tower where the surroundings are basically all men. Public places where everyone can see it. If she is a commoner woman, she can go to the city gate tower and actively pursue the noble "Qingjin", which is a content that can only be found in modern novels.
Author: Nanzhu Culture
Link: /p/31cacae388cb
Source: Jianshu