Introduction to the Poem Mo Shang Sang | Generated by AI
Question: Provide an introduction to “陌上桑” (Mo Shang Sang).
Answer:
陌上桑 (Mò Shàng Sāng), translated as “Mulberries by the Path” or “Along the Mulberry Path,” is one of the most famous yuefu (Music Bureau) poems from the Han dynasty (around 2nd century BCE – 2nd century CE).
It is preserved in the 6th-century anthology Yuefu Shiji (樂府詩集) compiled by Guo Maoqian and is traditionally classified under the category of “Xianghe ge ci” (相和歌辭).
Main content summary
The poem tells a simple but very vivid story in three parts:
- The beauty of the heroine
A beautiful young woman named Qin Luofu (秦羅敷) is picking mulberry leaves by the roadside. The poet uses extremely exaggerated and lyrical descriptions to portray her stunning beauty:- Her hair is like silk clouds in a high bun
- Her earrings shine like bright moons
- Her silk dress flutters, her skirt and jacket glow → Everyone who sees her is mesmerized: farmers drop their hoes, travelers forget where they are going, young men take off their hats, etc.
- The arrogant official seducer
A powerful official (usually understood to be a “使君” — a regional inspector or governor) passes by in his carriage, sees Luofu, and immediately wants her. He asks:- “Do you have a husband?”
- “How many people are in your family?”
- Luofu’s proud and witty rejection
Luofu answers cleverly and forcefully:- Yes, she has a husband.
- Her husband is an outstanding man (describes him in extremely exaggerated terms — serves in the government, has great power, many followers, rides fine horses, carries a precious sword, etc.).
- The most famous and sharp ending lines:
“使君自有婦，羅敷自有夫。”
(“The lord already has a wife, and Luofu already has a husband.”)
→ This line has become one of the most iconic declarations of marital loyalty and dignified refusal in Chinese literary history.
Literary significance
- One of the earliest and most perfect examples of “beautiful woman + failed seduction” motif in Chinese poetry
- Masterpiece of exaggeration / hyperbole (鋪陳 / 誇張) technique
- Very lively portrait of female agency and wit — rare for ancient literature
- Highly rhythmic and musical (typical yuefu style), easy to remember and recite
- Influenced countless later poems, dramas, and folk stories about “beautiful wife rejecting a powerful man”
Most famous lines (modern Chinese readers usually remember these)
日出東南隅，照我秦氏樓。
秦氏有好女，自名為羅敷。
…
來歸相怨怒，但坐觀羅敷。
…
使君謝羅敷，寧可共載不？
羅敷前致詞，使君一何愚！
使君自有婦，羅敷自有夫。
(“The sun rises in the southeast, shining on the Qin family’s tower.
The Qin family has a lovely daughter, self-named Luofu…
…
They come back angry with each other, only because they were watching Luofu.
…
The lord apologizes to Luofu: ‘Would you ride with me?’
Luofu steps forward and says: ‘My lord, how foolish you are!
My lord already has a wife, and Luofu already has a husband.’”)
In short: 陌上桑 is both a very beautiful praise of female charm and a proud, humorous declaration that “beauty does not mean I can be bullied or bought.”
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