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汉 Han · 赋 Fu rhapsody

刺世疾邪赋（节选）

Satire Against the World and Its Evils (Excerpt)

赵壹

Zhao Yi

民生/讽喻People's Livelihood/Satire 讽喻/刺政Satire/Criticism of Politics

河清不可俟，人命不可延。
顺风激靡草，富贵者称贤。
文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱。
伊优北堂上，抗脏倚门边。

The Yellow River cannot be awaited to clear,
Nor can human life be prolonged.
With the wind, the weak grass bends low;
The rich and noble are called worthy.
Though one's belly is full of classics and books,
It is not as good as a pouch of coins.
The sycophants sit in the north hall,
While the upright lean by the door.

Listen

Meaning

This poem laments the corruption of the Eastern Han dynasty, where wealth and flattery are valued over knowledge and integrity. It contrasts the fate of the sycophant and the upright, showing how the world rewards the wrong people.

黄河水清不可等待，人的寿命也不能延长。风向哪边吹，草就往哪边倒，富贵之人便被称作贤才。纵然胸中装满典籍文章，也不如怀里一袋铜钱管用。谄媚讨好之徒在堂上受宠，刚直不阿的人只能靠在门边遭冷落。

Appreciation

These four couplets are the most famous part of Zhao Yi's 'Satire Against the World and Its Evils.' The first two lines express despair over the impossibility of a just era and the brevity of life. The next two expose the logic of money: wealth buys the title of 'worthy.' The last pair contrasts the flatterer who enjoys favor with the upright who are marginalized. The poem is direct, with sharp contrasts and a cutting tone.

【白话串讲】赵壹骂世道：“河清不可俟，人命不可延”——等黄河清等不到，人却活不了那么久。“文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱”——满腹经纶，不如一袋钱。“伊优北堂上，抗脏倚门边”——谄媚的人坐上堂，正直的人靠门边。汉代的讽刺，锋利如刀。【意象与手法】节选四句纯用五言，句句切中时弊而毫无蕴藉吞吐。'顺风激靡草'以草随风倒喻士风谄媚，意象精警【情感与主旨】赵壹字元叔，东汉末凉州汉阳人，耿介傲兀，屡忤权贵，几遭死罪【名句点睛】常考'文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱'所揭示的社会现象及作者的情感态度，可与李白'黄金散尽还复来'、杜甫'纨绔不饿死，儒冠多

Background

Zhao Yi (courtesy name Yuanshu) was a late Eastern Han scholar from Hanyang, Liangzhou. Arrogant and uncompromising, he repeatedly offended the powerful and narrowly escaped death. During the reigns of Emperor Ling (168-189 CE), the court was corrupt, eunuchs held power, offices were sold, and scholars were neglected. In his anger, Zhao Yi wrote 'Satire Against the World and Its Evils,' ending it with two five-character poems, of which this is the first. Starting with the impossibility of a 'clear Yellow River,' it directly attacks a world where right and wrong are inverted and money stinks. It is one of the sharpest political satires among Han lyrical fu.

《刺世疾邪赋》（节选）为东汉赵壹所作，是讽刺世道不公的赋。赵壹（约122—196），字元叔，汉阳西县人，东汉辞赋家。此赋节选部分：河清不可俟，人命不可延；顺风激靡草，富贵者称贤；文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱；伊优北堂上，抗脏倚门边。全赋以讽刺之笔写世道不公、贤愚倒置，是东汉抒情小赋中讽刺的名篇。

Art

The excerpt uses straightforward five-character lines, every line striking at current evils without any reserve. The image of 'weak grass bending with the wind' vividly depicts the sycophantic trend among scholars. The hyperbole 'belly full of classics versus a pouch of coins' powerfully highlights the devaluation of knowledge. The final couplet pairs 'sycophants' with 'upright' and 'north hall' with 'door,' creating a symmetrical picture of the topsy-turvy world, cold and sharp as a knife.

《刺世疾邪赋》艺术上以反语的辛辣与对比的鲜明见长。此节选八句，层层写来：前二句写世道难清——“河清不可俟，人命不可延”写河清难俟、人命难延；三四句写富贵称贤——“顺风激靡草，富贵者称贤”写顺风靡草、富贵称贤；五六句写文籍不如钱——“文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱”写满腹文籍不如一囊钱；末二句写贤者困顿——“伊优北堂上，抗脏倚门边”写谄者居堂、刚者倚门。全赋以对比写世道不公、贤愚倒置，反语辛辣，正是赵壹讽刺赋的笔法。

Allusions

The opening line 'The Yellow River cannot be awaited to clear' alludes to a saying in the Zuo Zhuan: 'Waiting for the Yellow River to clear – how long is a man's life?' It signifies the hopelessness of waiting for a just rule. 'Yiyou' (sycophants) refers to fawning and bowing behavior; 'kangzang' (upright) means lofty and unbending. The contrast vividly portrays the late Eastern Han court, full of sycophants and abandoned honest men, using everyday language with profound satirical power.

《刺世疾邪赋》用典在“河清”。“河清”用黄河水清之典，古人以“河清”喻太平盛世——河清难俟，写太平难待；“顺风激靡草”写顺风而靡之草，喻趋炎附势之人；“伊优”写谄媚逢迎之人；“抗脏”写刚直不阿之人。全赋以这些意象写世道不公、贤愚倒置，用典自然而讽刺辛辣，正是赵壹“刺世”之笔。

Commentary

The 'Book of Later Han' records that Zhao Yi was 'arrogant and proud'; after writing this fu, 'it was eagerly passed around among scholars.' Liu Xie in 'The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons' praised his 'lofty ambitions.' Modern critics see this poem as 'using folk language in elegant form, expressing anger with a humorous pen,' opening a vein of satire in Wei-Jin lyrical fu. Zhong Xing commented, 'Every line is tears, every word is blood,' highlighting its poignant criticism.

《刺世疾邪赋》是赵壹的代表作，也是东汉抒情小赋中讽刺世道的名篇。此赋写世道不公、贤愚倒置，向为论者称道。论者多赏其对比的鲜明——“文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱”写满腹文籍不如一囊钱，正是对世道的辛辣讽刺；“伊优北堂上，抗脏倚门边”写谄者居堂、刚者倚门，更见贤愚倒置。赵壹为东汉末辞赋家，其赋以“刺世”著称，此赋正是其代表——以对比写世道，正是其愤世嫉俗的风格。

Prosody

Form Han fu (lyrical fu) appended five-character poem抒情小赋（骚体）

Rhyme yan, xian, qian, bian (Old Chinese rhyme)《刺世疾邪赋》为东汉抒情小赋，此节选八句，押韵。此赋用韵：延、贤（元部）、钱、边（元部），音节顿挫。

Tone pattern Unknown (five-character old-style verse)东汉抒情小赋以音节自由、情致激越见长。此节选以“河清不可俟”起，以“抗脏倚门边”收，音节顿挫而讽刺辛辣。全赋以骚体贯底，声调与讽刺世道的内容相合，是东汉小赋中刺世的一路。

Reading note A five-character poem appended to a fu, direct in satire, foreshadowing Wei-Jin five-character satirical poetry.《刺世疾邪赋》（节选）为东汉赵壹所作，是讽刺世道不公的赋。此节选以“河清不可俟，人命不可延”写太平难待，以“顺风激靡草，富贵者称贤”写富贵称贤，以“文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱”写才不如钱，以“伊优北堂上，抗脏倚门边”写贤愚倒置。以对比写世道、以反语写讽刺，正是赵壹愤世嫉俗的代表作。

Line by line

河清不可俟，人命不可延。

The Yellow River's clear time cannot be waited for; a man's life cannot be prolonged.

黄河水清不可等待，人命不可延长。

The time when the Yellow River runs clear cannot be waited for; a human life cannot be lengthened.

首二句写世道难清，是全赋讽刺的起点。“河清不可俟”写河清难俟——“河清”用黄河水清喻太平盛世，“不可俟”写不可等待——河清（太平）不可等待；“人命不可延”写人命难延——“人命”写人的寿命，“不可延”写不可延长——人命不可延长。两句写世道难清：河清不可俟，人命不可延。以“河清不可俟”写太平之难待，以“人命不可延”写人生之短促，正是赵壹写世道不公、贤者无望的笔法——太平不可待，此生已短。

Zhao Yi's satire opens on despair. The Yellow River's clear time cannot be waited for—the proverbial era of peace, which comes only once in a century, will never arrive in this lifetime; and a man's life cannot be prolonged while he waits. The two impossibilities (no age of peace, no extra years) frame the whole poem as an old man's bitter verdict on a disordered age. To have said the times were hopeless would be a complaint; the river that never clears and the life that cannot be extended are the hopelessness.

顺风激靡草，富贵者称贤。

Borne on the wind, the weak grass bends; the rich and powerful are called worthy.

顺风激起柔弱的草，富贵的人被称为贤者。

On the favoring wind, the frail grass is driven; the wealthy and titled are called wise.

三四句写富贵称贤，是全赋讽刺的关键。“顺风激靡草”写顺风靡草——“顺风激”写顺风而激，“靡草”写柔弱的草——顺风激起柔草，喻趋炎附势之人得势；“富贵者称贤”写富贵称贤——“富贵者”写富贵之人，“称贤”写被称为贤——富贵的人被称为贤者。两句写富贵称贤：顺风激靡草，富贵者称贤。以“顺风激靡草”喻趋炎附势之人得势，以“富贵者称贤”写富贵即贤之颠倒，正是赵壹写世道不公的笔法——富贵者称贤，而贤者反困。

The first target. On the favoring wind, the frail grass is driven—courtiers bow before the powerful the way weak grass bends before the wind; the wealthy and titled are called wise. The two clauses mirror the same injustice: success is the only virtue recognized. The grass image is the sycophant. To have said flatterers thrive and the rich are praised would be a cartoon; the wind-driven grass and the wealthy called worthy are the cartoon.

文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱。

Though his belly be full of books, it is not worth a bag of coin.

虽然满腹文章典籍，不如一袋子钱。

Though one's belly be stuffed with books, it is worth less than a bag of money.

五六句写文籍不如钱，是全赋讽刺的高潮。“文籍虽满腹”写满腹文籍——“文籍”写文章典籍，“虽满腹”写虽然满腹——虽然满腹文章典籍；“不如一囊钱”写不如一囊钱——“不如”写不如，“一囊钱”写一袋子钱——不如一袋子钱。两句写文籍不如钱：文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱。以“文籍虽满腹”写贤者之才学，以“不如一囊钱”写钱之重于才，正是赵壹写世道颠倒、贤愚倒置的辛辣之笔——满腹文籍，不如一囊钱。

The sharpest line. Though his belly be stuffed with books, it is worth less than a bag of coin. The learned man's whole education weighed against a purse of cash, and the purse wins. The bitter exaggeration is the satire's point: this age values money, not learning. To have said scholarship was useless would be a statement; the bellyful of books worth less than a bag of coin is the statement.

伊优北堂上，抗脏倚门边。

The fawning man sits in the northern hall; the upright man stands by the door.

谄媚逢迎的人坐在北堂之上，刚直的人倚在门边。

The fawning flatterer is seated in the north hall; the uncompromising upright man leans by the door.

末二句写谄者居堂、刚者倚门，是全赋贤愚倒置的归结。“伊优北堂上”写谄者居堂——“伊优”写谄媚逢迎之人，“北堂上”写坐在北堂之上——谄媚的人坐在北堂上；“抗脏倚门边”写刚者倚门——“抗脏”写刚直不阿之人，“倚门边”写倚在门边——刚直的人倚在门边。两句写贤愚倒置：伊优北堂上，抗脏倚门边。以“伊优北堂上”写谄者得势居堂，以“抗脏倚门边”写刚者困顿倚门，一居堂一倚门、一得势一困顿，正是赵壹写贤愚倒置的归结——谄者居堂，刚者倚门，世道如此。

The closing tableau. The fawning man sits in the northern hall—where power receives guests; the uncompromising upright man leans by the door, outside. The two positions (inside, seated; outside, leaning) are the social order of the poem. The ugly words for flatterer and for the upright man carry the poet's disgust. To have said the crooked prospered and the straight were shut out would be a moral; the fawning man in the hall and the upright man by the door are the crooked and the straight.

Study

Word focus

河清 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “河清不可俟”之“河清”，用黄河水清喻太平盛世，是全赋写世道难清的关键词。“河清”写黄河水清——古人以河清喻太平盛世，河清难俟，写太平难待。这一词以“河清”喻太平：不是寻常之水，而是河清；不是可待之世，而是难俟之治。以“河清不可俟”写世道之乱，正是赵壹写贤者无望的笔法——太平不可待。

顺风激靡草 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “顺风激靡草”之“顺风激靡草”，写顺风激起柔弱的草，是全赋喻趋炎附势之人的关键词。“顺风”写顺着风势，“靡草”写柔弱的草——顺风激起柔草。这一词以“靡草”喻趋炎附势之人：不是刚强之草，而是靡草；不是自立之人，而是随势之徒。以“顺风激靡草”喻小人得势，正是赵壹写世道不公的笔法——小人如靡草，顺风而高。

文籍 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “文籍虽满腹”之“文籍”，写文章典籍，是全赋写贤者才学的关键词。“文籍”写文章典籍——虽然满腹文章典籍。这一词写贤者之才学：不是一艺之长，而是文籍满腹；不是浅薄之学，而是饱读之才。以“文籍虽满腹”写贤者之才，与“不如一囊钱”相对，正是赵壹写才不如钱、贤愚倒置的笔法。

伊优 Sycophants: those who flatter and fawn; contrasted with kangzang. “伊优北堂上”之“伊优”，写谄媚逢迎之人，是全赋写小人得势的关键词。“伊优”写谄媚之态——谄媚逢迎的人坐在北堂之上。这一词以“伊优”写谄者：不是刚直之人，而是伊优；不是有才之辈，而是逢迎之徒。以“伊优”写谄者得势，与“抗脏”写刚者困顿相对，正是赵壹写贤愚倒置的归结。