Su Hui, a celebrated poet and textile artist of the Former Qin period, is renowned for her exceptional literary talent and her unique woven compositions. Her masterpiece, Star Gauge (Chinese: 璇璣圖), is regarded as one of the earliest reversible poem diagrams in China. The term “Star Gauge” originally referred to the Big Dipper, a symbol of cosmic order and celestial alignment. In this context, the title conveys the work’s structural precision and the harmony between its literary and geometric design.

The Star Gauge consists of a textual panel and a painted panel. The textual portion begins with a portrait of Su Ruolan and contains 841 characters arranged in a 29 by 29 grid. Each character is positioned like a star in a constellation, and the poem can be read horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or in reverse. Every path generates a different set of lines while preserving a consistent emotional tone. Through this symmetrical arrangement, language becomes imagery and structure becomes meaning. The accompanying painting uses refined mineral-pigment colors and depicts scenes such as Su Hui weaving, Dou Tao reading the scroll, envoys delivering messages, and the couple’s eventual reunion.

The work is also a poetic letter of longing. Su Hui embedded her emotions within the geometric pattern, aligning her poem with the cosmic symbolism of its name. The reader’s journey through the grid mirrors the act of traversing the poet’s inner world. Star Gauge stands as a rare achievement in Chinese aesthetics, demonstrating the union of poetic art and structural ingenuity.

A thousand years ago, Su Hui created a maze of reading paths. Are we looking at a poem, an emotional confession, or a map of words? The Star Gauge invites readers to wander, retrace, and rediscover meaning at every turn.

Approaching the Work: How to Read the Star Gauge

The scroll opens with a portrait of Su Ruolan and presents the structure of the reversible poem in clearly divided sections. Its closing colophon, “Preface to Lady Su Ruolan’s Woven Reversible Star Gauge Poem,” explains the work’s background and artistic intent. Written in elegant Six Dynasties calligraphy, the script is balanced and graceful.

The poem’s fame rests on its rigorous grid layout and its many reading routes. Each route yields distinct rhythms and meanings, revealing an interplay of language, sentiment, and order.

Central Palindrome Reading

The poem begins with eight central characters (詩圖璇璣，始乎蘇氏). Reading them clockwise or counterclockwise produces two palindromic verses, such as “The poetic Star Gauge begins with the Lady Su” and “Lady Su’s poetic Star Gauge begins here.” This central layer reflects the core theme of cyclical emotion and the return of memory.

詩圖璇璣，始乎蘇氏。

蘇氏詩圖，璇璣始乎。

Second-layer readings generate four-quatrain poems. Each can be read forward or backward. While the wording shifts, the emotional continuity remains. These variations demonstrate Su Hui’s mastery of reversible poetic design.

詩情明灼，怨義興理。辭麗此作，眷戀終始。

始終戀眷，作此麗辭。理興義怨，灼明情詩。

灼明情詩，理興義怨，作此麗辭，始終戀眷。

眷戀終始，辭麗此作，怨義興理，詩情明灼。

Well-Grid (井字形) Reading

Dividing the poem into nine well-shaped sections creates self-contained poems. Each block can be read forward or in reverse. For example, the upper-right section contains paired lines such as “Mourning thoughts wound the heart; sorrow stirs lament” and its reversed counterpart “Lament stirs sorrow; the heart is wounded by mourning thoughts.” The symmetry preserves emotional coherence while altering nuance. Across all central blocks, forty complete poems can be produced, showcasing the structural richness and conceptual depth of the work.

悼思傷懷，悲感戚嘆。抱獨情乖，誰者我眄。

眄我者誰，乖情獨抱。嘆戚感悲，懷傷思悼。

懷傷思悼，嘆戚感悲，乖情獨抱，眄我者誰。

誰者我眄，抱獨情乖，悲感戚嘆，悼思傷懷。

Outer Seven-Character Verse Reading

Starting from the character “ren” (仁) at the outer boundary and reading along the perimeter produces sequences of seven-character lines. Verses such as “Virtue and wisdom embrace the sage kings of Yu and Tang; purity reveals brilliance and honors past glories” illustrate the outward rotation of meaning, much like the motion of stars around a fixed axis.

仁智懷德聖虞唐，貞妙顯華重榮章，

臣賢惟聖配英皇，倫匹離飄浮江湘。

Language as Structure

Su Hui’s Star Gauge constructs a poetic architecture where language and layout are inseparable. Multiple reading layers transform the act of reading into an exploration of rhythm, pattern, and emotion. Each route opens new meaning, inviting the reader to experience the poem as both art and structure.