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汉 Han · 古诗 Ancient poem

今日良宴会

Today's Fine Banquet

古诗十九首

Nineteen Old Poems

人生Life 感慨Emotions

今日良宴会，欢乐难具陈。
弹筝奋逸响，新声妙入神。
令德唱高言，识曲听其真。
齐心同所愿，含意俱未申。
人生寄一世，奄忽若飙尘。
何不策高足，先据要路津。
无为守穷贱，轗轲长苦辛。

Today's fine banquet, joys hard to fully tell.
Zither strikes soaring notes, new tunes wondrous divine.
Virtuous ones sing lofty words, music-knowers hear the truth.
United in heart, same wish, but meaning yet unspoken.
Life lodges but a while, fleeting like windblown dust.
Why not spur your swift horse, first seize the vital ford?
Don't stay in poverty, stumbling long in hardship.

Listen

Meaning

This poem, the fourth of the Nineteen Old Poems, describes the joy of a banquet suddenly giving way to reflections on life and feelings of indignation.

今天这场盛大的宴会，欢乐之情难以一一述说。弹筝发出奋发超逸的音响，新谱的乐曲精妙入神。有德者唱出高远之言，识曲之人听出了其中的真意。众人心中愿望相同，却都含而不露，未曾申说。人生寄托于这世间，忽然间便如暴风中的尘土。何不鞭策快马，先去占据显要的职位？不要徒然守着贫贱，坎坷一世，空受苦辛。

Appreciation

The first four lines describe the splendid banquet music and the hidden meaning in the virtuous songs. The middle two lines show the unspoken common wish of the crowd. The last four lines directly express the shortness of life and the desire for advancement, but the advice is actually filled with discontent.

【白话串讲】 “人生寄一世，奄忽若飙尘”——人生在世，就像一阵风里的尘土。宴会正热闹，诗人却想：何不趁着年轻，去争取自己的位置？【意象与手法】诗以良宴会起，先极写筝歌之妙与高言之真，营造欢洽氛围；「齐心同所愿，含意俱未申」一笔收束群体心理，含蓄蕴藉；后半陡转，以「人生寄一世」的浩叹领起，连用反诘式祈使句直抒其慨。由乐到哀、由隐到显，章法跌宕，语带顿挫【情感与主旨】本篇为《古诗十九首》第四首，无名氏作，约成于东汉后期。其时外戚宦官交替专权，选举不公，士人进身艰难，守穷贱者多而据要津者寡。诗借宴集欢娱之际的议论，折射出中下层文人对仕途蹭蹬、人生短促的焦灼与愤激，表面劝人进取，实为愤世之辞【名句点睛】此诗为汉古诗十九首之作，常考「何不策高足，先据要路津」的正话反说与愤世本质；「人生寄一世，奄忽若飙尘」的生命短促之叹；「齐心同所愿，含意俱未申」的含蓄收束

Background

This is the fourth poem of the Nineteen Old Poems, written by an anonymous author in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. At that time, eunuchs and relatives of the emperor took turns monopolizing power, selection was unfair, and scholars had difficulty advancing. The poem uses the discussion during a joyful banquet to reflect the anxiety and anger of lower-middle-class scholars about their stalled careers and the brevity of life.

本篇为《古诗十九首》第四首，无名氏作，约成于东汉后期。东汉桓、灵之际，外戚宦官交替专权，察举征辟之制流于弊窦，选举不公，门第之见渐深，中下层士人进身艰难，多有「举秀才，不知书；举孝廉，父别居」之讥；守穷贱者多而据要津者寡，士人游学京师、干谒权贵，往往蹭蹬不遇、蹉跎岁月。《古诗十九首》即产生于这样的时代语境中，多写游子思妇、人生短促、仕途失意之叹。此诗借宴集欢娱之际的议论，折射出中下层文人对仕途蹭蹬、人生短促的焦灼与愤激：表面劝人「策高足」「据要路津」，实则是不得志者的愤世之辞，所谓「正话反说」，语似热衷而心实悲凉，是汉末文人集体心理的典型写照，也是理解《古诗十九首》「逐臣弃妇」主题与「文温以丽，意悲而远」风格的重要作品。此诗为《古诗十九首》中颇具争议的一篇，历代对「何不策高足」的理解分歧，正说明其内涵之深富，是研究汉末士人心态的重要文本。

Art

The poem begins with the fine banquet, describing the wonderful music and truthful songs to create a joyful atmosphere. The line 'United in heart, same wish, but meaning yet unspoken' cleverly summarizes the group's psychology, subtle and reserved. The second half turns sharply, starting with a sigh about life's brevity, and uses two rhetorical imperative sentences to express emotion directly. The shift from joy to sorrow, from implicit to explicit, makes the structure undulating and the language forceful.

此诗章法跌宕，由乐到哀、由隐到显，语带顿挫。前六句写宴会之乐：今日良宴会、欢乐难具陈，弹筝奋逸响、新声妙入神，令德唱高言、识曲听其真——由宴会写到音乐，由音乐写到高言，层层递进，极写欢洽氛围与知音之乐。第七、八句「齐心同所愿，含意俱未申」一笔收束群体心理：众人心同此愿，而含而不露，含蓄蕴藉，为后文之「申」蓄势。后半陡转：「人生寄一世，奄忽若飙尘」以人生短促之浩叹领起，由乐入哀；「何不策高足，先据要路津」连用反诘式祈使句直抒其慨，语势激越；「无为守穷贱，轗轲长苦辛」以否定句收束，愤激之情喷薄而出。全诗先扬后抑、由宴乐之欢转入人生之叹，转折在「人生寄一世」五字，顿挫有力，正见《古诗十九首》「深衷浅貌、短语长情」的抒情艺术。尤其「齐心同所愿，含意俱未申」二句，写群体心理而含蓄不露，为后文之「申」蓄势，正是「欲说还休」的妙笔。其由乐入哀之转，正是「深衷浅貌」的本色。

Allusions

The phrase 'virtuous ones sing lofty words' echoes the refined intent of praising in banquets from the Book of Songs. 'Vital ford' alludes to the same line in another ancient poem, meaning an important position. 'Windblown dust' continues the sigh from the Songs of Chu that life is like a lodging. Later, 'seize the vital ford' became a fixed expression for occupying a powerful position.

此诗用典浑化，语出有自而不见痕迹。「令德唱高言」之「令德」本《诗经·大雅·假乐》「显显令德」及《诗经》宴饮称颂之雅意，指德高望重者；「识曲听其真」暗用《列子·汤问》伯牙钟子期知音之典及《礼记·乐记》「审乐以知政」之论，写知音听真。「要路津」典出《古诗》「何不策高足，先据要路津」，津指渡口，喻显要之位——「要路津」后成为占居权位的固定语汇，李白「欲济无舟楫」即承此意象；「策高足」之「策」为鞭策，「高足」为良马快足，喻得力之人。「飙尘」承《楚辞》「人生若寄」之叹及汉乐府「人生寄一世」之语，以暴风中之尘土喻生命之飘忽无常；「奄忽」为迅疾之意，语出《论衡》等汉人著作。全诗化用经、史、骚、乐府于一炉，而以常语出之，正是《古诗十九首》「不假雕饰而自然高妙」的语言本色。其「令德」「识曲」等语，亦承《诗经》雅颂与汉乐府之传统，以雅言写宴饮，正见文人诗与民歌交汇的痕迹。此诗正见其「词不迫切而意已独至」的功夫。

Commentary

Zhu Jun's commentary says: 'The lines about united hearts but unspoken meaning perfectly capture the silent endurance of the world. The last four angry words are exactly the cry of helplessness.' Wang Fuzhi thought this poem is both refined and rustic, resentful but not angry, carrying the tradition of the folk poets.

清人朱筠《古诗十九首说》评「齐心同所愿」二句「写尽世人哑忍之态」，末四句「愤激之词，正其无可奈何之鸣」——道出此诗正话反说的愤世本质。王夫之《古诗十九首》评谓此诗「亦雅亦俚，怨而不怒，得风人之遗」，既赏其文雅，又见其俚俗之真。近人钱钟书《管锥编》论此诗「何不策高足，先据要路津」为「愤世嫉俗之谈」——表面上劝人求仕进取，实则是不得志者的牢骚，正话反说，愤激深藏。此诗在《古诗十九首》中的意义，在于将宴会之欢与人生之叹对照写来，由乐入哀，写出汉末士人普遍的生存焦虑：人生短促如飙尘，而功名无望、穷贱可悲，故有此愤激之语。与《生年不满百》之劝及时行乐、《回车驾言迈》之叹盛年易逝并观，可见《古诗十九首》对「人生短促」这一母题的多重回应，此诗是其中以愤激出之的代表。此诗与《十九首》中其他诸篇合观，正可见汉末文人于动荡世道中的集体心声，其文学史价值不可低估。

Prosody

Form Ancient poem (five-character)古诗十九首（五言古诗）

Rhyme Irregular rhyme with 'en' pattern (chen, shen, zhen, shen, chen, jin, xin)押真韵（陈、神、真、申、尘、津、辛），一韵到底，五言句

Tone pattern Free, no strict tonal rules汉末文人五言，自由抒写，无近体格律；句句五言，音节顿挫

Reading note The lines urging advancement actually contain resentment against social inequality, as Qian Zhongshu noted: 'Words of misanthropy.'此诗为《古诗十九首》之一，五言古诗，作于东汉后期，其时近体格律尚未形成，故不拘平仄对仗，纯以自然音节行文。用韵上，全诗押真韵（陈、神、真、申、尘、津、辛），一韵到底，韵脚密集（七句七韵），音节紧凑，正合宴乐转人生之叹的激越之情；真韵悠长清越，与「欢乐难具陈」之盛、「轗轲长苦辛」之叹相称。句式上，全诗七联皆为五言，句句整齐而音节自由：前六句写宴乐，节奏舒缓明快；「人生寄一世，奄忽若飙尘」陡然转促，音节短促有力；「何不策高足，先据要路津」「无为守穷贱，轗轲长苦辛」连用反诘与否定，语势顿挫，如连珠发问。此诗虽为古体，然已具汉末文人五言「结体散文，直而不野」的成熟形态，是《古诗十九首》由汉乐府质实转向文人诗清丽的关键一环，也是五言诗发展史上的里程碑作品。

Line by line

今日良宴会，欢乐难具陈

Today is a fine banquet, and the joy cannot be fully told.

今天这场盛大的宴会，欢乐之情难以一一述说

Today's is a fine banquet; the joy of it cannot be told in full.

起笔点宴，奠定放歌基调。「今日」点明时——今朝此会，非寻常之日；「良宴会」点明事——宴席美好，宾主尽欢；「欢乐难具陈」写情——欢乐之情难以一一述说，「难具陈」三字极言欢乐之盛、之深，非言语所能尽。此二句以「乐」起，为全诗定下热闹欢洽的基调：良辰美景、赏心乐事，正是人间快意之时。然细味「难具陈」三字，已暗藏机锋：欢乐何以难陈？或因欢乐太盛而辞不达意，或因欢乐之中别有隐衷——越是热闹，越见其后文的突兀。起笔之乐，正是为后文「人生寄一世」之叹蓄势，先扬后抑，章法之妙尽在起笔。此二句是《古诗十九首》「以乐起、以哀收」章法的典型开端。

The poem opens on a feast. Today's is a fine banquet; the joy cannot be fully told. The word hard-to-express is the setup: the feast seems perfect, but the poem will turn. The louder the opening joy, the sharper the coming fall. To have described a happy party would be a scene; the joy that cannot be fully told is the scene's hidden edge.

弹筝奋逸响，新声妙入神

The zither is struck, sending out soaring notes; the new tunes are exquisite to the spirit.

弹筝发出奋发超逸的音响，新谱的乐曲精妙入神

They strike the zither and its notes rise far; the new songs are wondrous, reaching the spirit.

此二句写音乐之妙，烘托宴乐氛围。「弹筝奋逸响」写乐声：筝为秦地乐器，声调激越，「奋」字写其奋发有力，「逸响」写其超逸不群——琴声奋发激越，如骏马脱缰；「新声妙入神」写曲调：新谱之曲，精妙入神，「妙入神」极言其妙——妙到出神入化，非人力所能及。此二句以音乐写宴会之盛：宾主宴饮之际，弹筝奏曲，新声入神，正是「良宴会」的具体展开，视听之乐并臻其极。在章法上，由宴而乐、由乐而声，层层深入，将欢乐推向高潮；而「奋」「逸」「妙」「神」四字，亦为下文「令德唱高言」之高论预作铺垫——宴乐如此之盛，正待高言点醒，由乐入理，转接自然。

The music. They strike the zither and its notes rise far; the new songs are wondrous, reaching the spirit. The soaring notes are the feast's peak; the new songs (the fashion) are the court's. The high praise prepares the turn: even this beauty is fleeting. To have described beautiful music would be a detail; the soaring zither notes and the spirit-touching new songs are the detail.

令德唱高言，识曲听其真

The virtuous man utters high words; the music-lover hears their true meaning.

有德者唱出高远之言，识曲之人听出了其中的真意

A man of virtue utters lofty words; the one who knows music hears their true meaning.

此二句由乐入理，引出人生议论，是全诗转折的枢纽。「令德唱高言」写德高望重者发言——「令德」指有德之人，「高言」指高远之论，宴席之上，德者发论，如筝声之奋逸，振聋发聩；「识曲听其真」写知音者听出真意——「识曲」本指懂得音乐，此处双关：既指知音能听出乐曲之妙，亦指明理之人能听懂高言之真。「听其真」之「真」，是全诗的关键：高言所唱者何？正是后文「人生寄一世」的人生真相。此二句以「唱」「听」对举，写宴席上言者与听者的默契：德者有心，听者会意，而「含意俱未申」——真意虽已会于心中，却尚未明言，为后文的「申」与「不申」埋下伏笔，章法转接极见匠心。

The turn into talk. A man of virtue utters lofty words; the one who knows music hears their true meaning. The word true is the hinge: beneath the banquet talk, the speaker says something else, and the knowing listener catches it. The poem will now say the true thing. To have said the conversation grew profound would be a summary; the lofty words and the listener hearing their true meaning are the summary.

人生寄一世，奄忽若飙尘

Life in the world is a lodging; in a flash it is like dust in the whirlwind.

人生寄托于这世间，忽然间便如暴风中的尘土

Human life is a mere lodging for a lifetime; suddenly, it is like dust in the gale.

此二句叹生命短促，是全诗由乐入哀的转折，也是情感的枢纽。「人生寄一世」写人生之短暂与无根：人生不过寄居世间一世，如旅客之暂寓、如寄居之客舍，语出《楚辞》「人生若寄」之叹，汉魏人习用之；「奄忽若飙尘」写人生之飘忽：奄忽为迅疾之意，飙尘为暴风中之尘土——人生如狂风中的尘埃，倏忽而起、倏忽而灭，飘摇无定、身不由己。此二句以「寄」写无根，以「飙尘」写飘忽，将人生的短促、无定、渺小写得惊心动魄，是汉末士人生命意识的集中喷发。至此，前六句的宴乐之欢一笔勾销：欢乐愈盛，愈见人生之短；人生愈短，愈觉欢乐之虚。由乐入哀、由宴入叹，转折陡然而有力，为后文「何不策高足」的愤激之语蓄足情势。

The true thing. Human life is a mere lodging for a lifetime; suddenly, it is like dust in the gale. The word lodging makes life a tenant's short lease; the dust in the whirlwind makes it weightless and blown. The feast's joy is cancelled by this image. To have said life is short would be a saying; the lodging-life and the dust in the gale are the saying.

何不策高足，先据要路津

Why not spur the swift steed and be first to seize the critical ford?

何不鞭策快马，先去占据显要的职位

Why not spur your swift horse and be first to seize the important crossing?

此句以反诘式祈使句直抒其慨，是诗中最愤激的一句。「何不策高足」以「何不」反问，语势逼人——何不鞭策快马，奋蹄疾驰？「高足」为良马快足，喻得力之人；「先据要路津」以「先」字写争先——抢先去占据显要的渡口（津）与要道（路），「要路津」喻权要之位。表面看来，此句是劝人进取：人生短促，何不抓紧时机，求取功名，占据要位？语似热衷功名。然细味其意，实为愤世之辞：说这话的人，正是不得志者——眼见他人据要津而飞黄腾达，自己守穷贱而蹉跎一世，故发此愤激之语，正话反说，越是劝人进取，越见己之失意与世道之不公。此句是理解全诗主旨的钥匙：汉末士人于功名无望之际的焦灼与不平，尽在此一「问」之中。

The bitter counsel. Why not spur your swift horse and be first to seize the important crossing? The question is satire: the speaker has not seized the crossing, and urges others on out of his own resentment. The important crossing is the coveted office. To have said why not get ahead would be advice; the question is really the speaker's own grievance. To have said he urged ambition would be a summary; the question why-not-seize-the-crossing is the summary.

无为守穷贱，轗轲长苦辛

Do not cling to poverty and lowliness, all your life long in bitter hardship.

不要徒然守着贫贱，坎坷一世，空受苦辛

Do not cling to poverty and low station, all your life in rough and bitter hardship.

结句收束全诗，含牢骚与愤激。「无为」即不要、何必——不要徒然守着贫贱；「守穷贱」写安于贫贱之态，「守」字见其固守，亦见其无奈；「轗轲长苦辛」写守穷贱之果——轗轲为坎坷困顿之意（本作「坎坷」），长苦辛为长久的辛苦悲辛：一生坎坷，空受苦辛，此即守穷贱之代价。此句以否定句收束：劝人不要守穷贱，正因其身受穷贱之苦；「轗轲长苦辛」五字，写尽不得志者的一生——不是不愿进取，而是无路可进；不是甘守贫贱，而是被迫贫贱。结句表面是劝勉之语，实为愤世之鸣，与上句「何不策高足」一正一反、一问一戒，将汉末士人门第压抑之愤、人生短促之悲凝于笔端，戛然而止，余愤未尽，是《古诗十九首》「深衷浅貌、短语长情」的典型收束。

The closing. Do not cling to poverty and low station, all your life in rough and bitter hardship. The poem ends where it lives: the speaker is the one clinging to poverty, and the warning is his own complaint. The final line is not advice to the guests but the lament of the unsuccessful. To have said don't stay poor would be a maxim; the warning against the lifelong rough poverty is the maxim's real speaker.

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Word focus

奄忽 Swiftly, describing the shortness of life. 「奄忽若飙尘」之「奄忽」，意为迅疾、倏忽之间，极写人生短暂，是汉魏诗歌写生命短促的关键词。奄忽本为形容时间流逝之快：转眼之间、转瞬即逝，语出《论衡》「人生夭寿，以百岁为准，苟有虚岁，则奄忽而已」等汉人著作。此词置于「若飙尘」之前，写人生如狂风中之尘土，倏忽而起、倏忽而灭——「奄忽」写其速，一瞬之间，人生已尽；「飙尘」写其飘，如尘无根，飘摇无定。二字配合，将人生的短暂、无定、渺小写得惊心动魄：不是缓慢地衰老，而是「奄忽」之间便成飙尘，生命之脆弱与时间之无情毕现。此词亦为汉末士人生命意识的典型用语，《古诗十九首》中屡见，读之令人心惊，正是「意悲而远」的力量所在。

飙尘 Windblown dust, a metaphor for life's fleetingness. 「奄忽若飙尘」之「飙尘」，以暴风中之尘土喻生命，是全诗最警动的比喻。飙为暴风，尘为尘土——人生如狂风中的尘土，不能自主、飘忽无定、倏忽散灭。「飙尘」之妙有三：其一，写身不由己——尘土为风所驱，不能自持，正如人在世道之中，为命运所播弄，不能自主；其二，写飘忽无根——尘土无根无系，随风而逝，正如人生无依托、无所归著；其三，写渺小短暂——尘土至微，飙风一起，顷刻无踪，正如生命之渺小、时光之无情。汉末文人喜用尘土喻人生（如曹植「人生处一世，去若朝露晞」），而「飙尘」尤见其烈：不是朝露之静逝，而是飙风之骤灭，正合汉末社会动荡、人命危浅的时代氛围，是全诗最有力的意象。

策高足 Spur the swift horse, metaphor for rushing to seek official position, vividly expressed. 「何不策高足」之「策高足」，以鞭策快马喻抢先求仕，用语生动而含讽意。「策」为马鞭，此处作动词，鞭策、驱策之意；「高足」本指良马之快足，喻得力之人才——策高足，即鞭策快马奋蹄疾驰，喻抓紧时机、求取功名。「策」字写其急——挥鞭疾驰，片刻不肯迟延，正合「人生寄一世」之短促，时不我待；「高足」写其才——良马快足，是干练之才，暗含自许之意。此语表面是劝勉进取之辞，实则暗藏愤激：世道不公，才者未必得用，「策高足」者未必真是高足，据要津者未必真是贤能——正话反说，讽意深藏。后世「要路津」「高足」皆成为求仕进身的固定语汇，李白「欲济无舟楫」即承此意象，可见此语影响之深远。