The Silkworm Woman

张俞Bashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 3.7K words
Chapters: 48

Summary

Silkworm Weaver is a five-character quatrain by the Song dynasty poet Zhang Yu that reflects the hardships of ordinary people's lives. Through the observations and feelings of a peasant woman who makes her living by raising silkworms as she goes into the city to sell silk, the poem exposes a shocking social reality—"the exploiters reap without laboring, while the laborers have neither clothes nor food"—and expresses the poet's sympathy for the working people and his discontent with the oppression and exploitation of the ruling class.

Editor's review

Zhang Yu's "The Silkworm Woman" is a famous five-character quatrain of the Song dynasty. Taking as its point of entry what a silkworm-raising peasant woman sees and feels when she goes to town to sell silk, it depicts in extremely brief compass the stark reality that laborers go without clothing or food while those who do not labor enjoy the fruits. The poem's language is plain and unadorned; its power comes from contrast: the silkworm woman toils at raising silkworms yet cannot afford silk, while the silk-clad in town have nothing to do with silkworm work. This method of seeing the great in the small and mastering complexity with simplicity gives a mere twenty characters strong social-critical force and reflects the poet's sympathy for the people at the bottom. Bashu Press published an edition of this poem in 2024, suitable as a sample for close reading of Song poetry and for teaching the social themes of classical poetry. When reading, focus on the shift from what is "seen" to what is "felt," appreciate how the quatrain completes the transition from narrative to commentary within a minimal structure, and understand the reality the poem reveals in light of the Song dynasty's sericulture economy.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Primary and secondary school Chinese teachers preparing classical poetry lessons
Lovers of Song poetry and students of close reading of quatrains
General readers interested in poetry on ancient social themes
Students needing short classical poems for appreciation

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking long poetry collections or systematic anthologies of Song poetry
Literary readers who prefer intricate plots and rich narrative
Readers with no interest in classical poetry

Reading tips

First read the poem aloud repeatedly, noting the rhythm and pauses of the five-character quatrain, then examine where the contrast falls line by line.
Separate the silkworm woman's "what she sees" from "what she feels" to see how the poet completes the turn within twenty characters.
Read alongside background material on the Song dynasty sericulture and silk industry to help understand the poem's real-world references.
Try retelling the poem's scene in your own words, then compare with the original to appreciate the compression of quatrain language.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
【题汪明府山居】杜荀鹤
卷692_106【下第东归将及故园有作】杜荀鹤
卷692_107【宿东林寺题愿公院】杜荀鹤
卷692_108【山居自遣】杜荀鹤
卷692_109【赠友人罢举赴辟命】杜荀鹤
卷692_110【乱后旅中遇友人】杜荀鹤
卷692_111【赠休粮僧】杜荀鹤
卷692_112【维扬春日再遇孙侍御】杜荀鹤
卷692_113【乱后宿南陵废寺寄沈明府】杜荀鹤
卷692_114【投郑先辈】杜荀鹤
卷692_115【途中有作】杜荀鹤
卷692_116【和舍弟题书堂】杜荀鹤
卷692_117【送蜀客游维扬】杜荀鹤
卷692_118【旅寓】杜荀鹤
卷692_119【途中春】杜荀鹤
卷692_120【维扬冬末寄幕中二从事】杜荀鹤
卷692_121【辞郑员外入关】杜荀鹤
卷692_122【书斋即事】杜荀鹤
卷692_123【隽阳道中】杜荀鹤
卷692_124【入关因别舍弟】杜荀鹤
卷692_125【赠彭蠡钓者】杜荀鹤
卷692_126【送友人入关】杜荀鹤
卷692_127【送友人宰浔阳】杜荀鹤
卷692_128【秋日卧病（一作秋日旅中）】杜荀鹤
卷692_129【叙吟】杜荀鹤
卷692_130【行次荥阳却寄诸弟】杜荀鹤
卷692_131【登石壁禅师水阁有作】杜荀鹤
卷692_132【赠袒肩和尚】杜荀鹤
卷692_133【闲居即事】杜荀鹤
卷692_134【自叙】杜荀鹤
卷692_135【空闲二公递以禅律相鄙因而解之】杜荀鹤
卷692_136【寄温州朱尚书并呈军倅崔太博（朱名褒）】杜荀鹤
卷692_137【恩门致书远及山居因献之】杜荀鹤
卷692_138【寄温州崔博士】杜荀鹤
卷692_139【李昭象云与二三同人见访有寄】杜荀鹤
卷692_140【自江西归九华】杜荀鹤
卷692_141【和友人见题山居水阁八韵】杜荀鹤
卷693_1【感寓】杜荀鹤
卷693_2【春闺怨】杜荀鹤
卷693_3【马上行】杜荀鹤
卷693_4【钓叟】杜荀鹤
卷693_5【再经胡城县】杜荀鹤
卷693_6【读诸家诗】杜荀鹤
卷693_7【春来燕】杜荀鹤
卷693_8【清溪来明府出二子请诗因遗一绝】杜荀鹤
卷693_9【哭陈陶】杜荀鹤
卷693_10【哭贝韬】杜荀鹤

FAQ

"The Silkworm Woman" has only four lines; why is it worth publishing and reading on its own?

Brevity does not mean little information. "The Silkworm Woman" completes a turn from narrative to criticism in twenty characters, with striking contrast and restrained language, making it a typical sample for understanding quatrain structure and poetry on ancient social themes. Close reading on its own helps grasp how a short poem can carry real-world concern within a minimal span.

What is the core contrast in this poem?

The core contrast lies in the separation between those who raise silkworms and those who wear silk: the silkworm woman toils all year yet goes without clothing or food, while those who enjoy silk products take no part in silkworm work. Through what the silkworm woman sees and feels when she goes to town to sell silk, the poet compresses the reality of reaping without sowing and sowing without reaping into a short span.

Is it suitable for use as teaching material in class?

Yes. The poem is short and easy to recite, and its use of contrast is clear, making it convenient for guiding students to analyze the structure, verbal compression, and social themes of the quatrain. Teachers can design questions around what is "seen" and what is "felt," and can extend the lesson with the Song dynasty's sericulture economy; it is suitable for classical poetry teaching and appreciation classes in primary and secondary schools.

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About the author

张俞 Author

Zhang Yu's biographical details are unknown, and publicly available information is limited. His writing and editorial work span several fields. Four of his works are included in the collection: the classical poem Silkworm Woman, the literary appreciation book A Book to Understand The Blue Sky in One Read, the biography Li Shutong in Half an Hour, and the historical reader Curious Skills and Crafts in Ancient China. These works show that Zhang Yu writes on classical poetry interpretation, accessible literary appreciation, biographical accounts, and ancient history and culture, with an emphasis on readability and the transmission of knowledge for general readers. As his dates of birth and death, place of origin, and professional career are not clearly recorded, a complete biography cannot be outlined; only the range of his subjects—poetry, literature, historical figures, and history—can be inferred from his works, along with his practice of popular writing.