The willow branches sway — truly 'ten thousand strands hanging down like green silk ribbons.'
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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 (sītāo) = 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.
