Yuan Dynasty
一半儿·题情
### 标题
不比等闲墙外花。
碧纱窗外静无人，跪在床前忙要亲。
虽是我话儿嗔，一半儿推辞一半儿肯。
乍孤眠好教人情兴懒。
多情多绪小冤家，迤逗的人来憔悴煞。
怎知他，一半儿真实一半儿假。
Translation
Her cloudlike hair is darker than piled raven feathers; her small feet show slightly beneath the rustling crimson gauze. She is no ordinary flower outside the wall. I scold you, my charming little tormentor — half because love is hard to bear, half because I am teasing. Outside the green gauze window all is quiet; you kneel before the bed, eager to kiss me. I call you heartless and turn away. Though my words sound angry, half of me refuses and half consents. The silver lamp has gone out; incense smoke fades. Alone I enter the gauze curtains, my eyes soaked with tears. To sleep alone so suddenly makes all desire grow dull. The thin quilt lies light and lonely, half still warm, half already cold. That tender, troublesome little lover has teased me into deep distress. His words have deceived me before. How can I know? Half of them are true, and half are false.
Analysis
The refrain “half… half…” is the structural heart of this lyric. It turns erotic playfulness into a psychology of division: half refusal, half consent; half warmth, half cold; half truth, half falsehood. This is very much in the spirit of Yuan sanqu, which often speaks more directly about love, desire, and bodily experience than more restrained poetic traditions. The lyric begins with charm and flirtation, but gradually moves toward loneliness and doubt. The line about the quilt being “half warm and half cold” is especially effective: it describes an object, yet it also evokes the memory of another body and the ache of being alone. The final phrase leaves love suspended between trust and deception.
About the Author
Guan Hanqing was a major Yuan dramatist and sanqu poet, renowned for his vivid language, theatrical force, and attention to women’s voices and urban life. His works range from powerful social drama to lively love lyrics. His ability to turn colloquial speech into expressive literary language made him one of the defining figures of Yuan drama and song.