The willow branches sway, truly 'ten thousand strands hanging down like green silk ribbons.'
Tips
history
From 贺知章咏柳 (He Zhizhang, Tang, early 8th c.): 碧玉妆成一树高，万条垂下绿丝绦。不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀 (Jade-green dresses up a tall tree; ten thousand branches hang down like green silk ribbons. Who cut out the slender leaves? The second-month spring wind is like scissors). A four-line masterpiece on willows, universally memorized in Chinese primary schools.
usage
Inseparable from 二月春风似剪刀 as the poem's crowning metaphor. 丝绦 = silk ribbons/tassels - the word 绦 is rare outside this line. 条 is the measure word for long thin things (branches, ribbons, fish). Quote for any willow-bank spring scene.
