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近现代 近现代 · 诗 Poem

自励

Self-Encouragement

梁启超

Liang Qichao

献身甘作万矢的,著论求为百世师。
誓起民权移旧俗,更研哲理牖新知。
十年以后当思我,举国犹狂欲语谁。
世界无穷愿无尽,海天寥廓立多时。

Gladly I give my body to be the target of ten thousand arrows; in my writings I seek to be a teacher for a hundred generations.
I swear to raise up the people's rights and transform old customs; further, I study philosophy to open windows onto new knowledge.
In ten years they will surely think of me; yet the whole nation still raves—to whom can I speak?
The world is boundless, my wishes endless; by the vast sea and sky I stand long in silence.
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Meaning

A self-addressed pledge written during Liang's exile after the failed 1898 reform, the poem vows total devotion to awakening China—through sacrifice, scholarship, and the advocacy of people's rights. It moves from heroic self-consecration to the lonely recognition that the nation still slumbers, then rises to a cosmic resolve. It is a landmark of modern patriotic self-expression.

我愿意献身作千万支箭所射的靶心,著书立论,只求能成为百代后世之师。我誓要奋起倡导民权,移风易俗,更要深入钻研哲理,为世人打开新的智慧。十年之后,人们应当还会想起我;可如今举国还在狂醉之中,我的满腹言语又能向谁诉说。世界无穷无尽,我的愿望也无尽无休;海天辽阔苍茫,我独自站立良久。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Liang offers his body as the target of myriad arrows and his writings as a teacher for centuries; he vows to advance people's rights, renew customs, and open new knowledge; he foresees future recognition yet laments a nation still blind; finally he stands alone beneath boundless sky. [Structure] The eight-line regulated verse first rises (sacrifice, ambition) then falls (loneliness) then rises again (cosmic resolve), a complete emotional parabola. [Imagery] 'Target of ten thousand arrows' and 'teacher of a hundred generations' set sacrifice against immortality; 'vast sea and sky' closes on a solitary, monumental figure. The poem's power is its fusion of classical form with modern, reform-era conviction.

【白话串讲】 梁启超写《自励》:“献身甘作万矢的,著论求为百世师”——“誓起民权移旧俗,更研哲理牖新知”——“十年以后当思我,举国犹狂欲语谁”——“世界无穷愿无尽,海天寥廓立多时”——他自励——献身甘作万矢的。 【意象与手法】 前两联以“甘作万矢的”“求为百世师”“誓起民权”“更研哲理”层层宣示改造中国的宏愿;后两联由激昂转入苍茫,“举国犹狂欲语谁”“海天寥廓立多时”写尽先觉者的孤独与坚守。豪迈中见悲慨。 【情感与主旨】 梁启超自题言志之作,抒写其献身维新、著论立说的抱负与举世皆醉、独醒难语的孤愤,是近代志士言志诗中的力作。 【名句点睛】 常考“献身甘作万矢的,著论求为百世师”以万矢的写献身之志;“举国犹狂欲语谁,海天寥廓立多时”以海天寥廓写先觉者孤独。

Background

Liang Qichao (1873–1929), styled Zhuoru, known as Rengong, was a Guangdong-born reformer, thinker, and essayist, famed together with Kang Youwei as the 'Kang-Liang' pair. A leader of the 1898 Hundred Days' Reform, he fled to Japan after its collapse and there used his pen to enlighten the public and promote people's rights. Works like 'On the Young China' and 'The New Citizen' galvanized a generation. This self-encouragement poem was composed during his exile: the opening couplet vows to bear all arrows and to instruct the ages, the second declares his dual pursuit of political and philosophical renewal, and the third captures the reformer's isolation. It stands as both personal resolve and the shared voice of a generation that awoke alone.

此诗为梁启超早年自励之作,约作于戊戌变法失败后流亡日本期间。梁启超(1873—1929),字卓如,号任公,广东新会人,清末民初著名政治家、思想家、文学家,与康有为并称「康梁」。他少年得志,参与公车上书,创办《时务报》,鼓吹变法维新;戊戌政变后流亡日本,继续以文字启民智、倡民权,其《少年中国说》《新民说》风靡一时,影响了一代青年。此诗正是他流亡期间的自我激励之作:首联「献身甘作万矢的,著论求为百世师」,自誓以一身承受万箭、以著述嘉惠百世,可见其以天下为己任的宏大抱负;颔联「誓起民权移旧俗,更研哲理牖新知」,直指其政治与学术的双重追求——既要以民权改造旧俗,又要以哲理开启新知,正是其「新民」思想的诗化表达。而「十年以后当思我,举国犹狂欲语谁」二句,则写尽先觉者的孤独:变法既败,举国犹在酣睡之中,满腹经纶无人可语。此诗既是梁启超个人的自励,也是那一代维新志士「众人皆醉我独醒」的心声,在中国近代思想史与诗歌史上都有其独特的地位。

Art

The poem is built on 'layered declaration' and 'hot-cold contrast.' The first couplet sets two self-oaths side by side—'gladly become' and 'seek to be'—placing the self on both altar and podium: sacrifice and immortality, grief and grandeur. The second couplet turns oath into program, opposing 'raise people's rights' to 'renew customs' and 'study philosophy' to 'open new knowledge,' with balanced, soaring syntax. The third couplet pivots sharply: 'they will think of me' (confidence) against 'to whom can I speak' (loneliness), the word 'raves' (kuang) damning the nation's stupor and dropping the melody. The closing couplet ascends again—world and wish both endless, the lone figure standing by sea and sky. First rising, then falling, then rising, the emotion tides within forty characters, a tightly wrought manifesto of the will.

此诗艺术上以「层叠宣示」与「冷热对照」为骨,四联由激昂而入苍茫,跌宕有致。首联「献身甘作万矢的,著论求为百世师」,两个「自誓」型的判断句并列,「甘作」「求为」下语决绝,把自己放上祭坛与圣坛——甘为众矢之的,是牺牲的自觉;求为百世之师,是影响的野心,一悲一壮,志气已见。颔联「誓起民权移旧俗,更研哲理牖新知」,由誓愿转入行动纲领,「起民权」「研哲理」对举,「移旧俗」「牖新知」呼应,句式整饬,气势轩昂,是全诗最昂扬处。然而颈联忽然一转:「十年以后当思我,举国犹狂欲语谁」,由抱负跌入现实——「当思我」是自信,「欲语谁」是孤独,一个「狂」字写尽举国麻木沉醉之态,激昂的旋律在此陡然沉落。尾联「世界无穷愿无尽,海天寥廓立多时」再作升华:世界无穷、愿望无尽,虽有万般孤独,仍要独立于海天之间,境界由个人的悲慨上升到宇宙的苍茫,一个「立」字,写尽志士的孤峭与坚守。全诗先扬后抑、抑而复扬,情绪如潮起潮落,在四十字内完成了一次完整的精神历程,是言志诗中结构极为精严的一首。

Allusions

The allusions are quiet yet sourced. 'Target of ten thousand arrows' (wan shi di) echoes the idea of being the common mark of shafts, a self-image of willing martyrdom in the spirit of Mencius's devotion and Fan Zhongyan's care for the world—the modern reformer's 'if not me, who?' sacrifice. 'Teacher of a hundred generations' draws on Han Yu's 'On the Teacher' and Mencius's 'the sage is teacher for a hundred generations.' 'People's rights' (min quan) imports the modern Western political concept into the old form, while 'open' (you, literally a window) evokes the Book of Rites' 'open his mind.' Classical commitment and modern aspiration are thus fused in one voice.

此诗用典不显而皆有来历。「献身甘作万矢的」,「万矢的」即众矢之的,语出《汉书》「为众矢之的」之意,以箭靶自况,写愿以身受天下之攻讦而甘之如饴,暗含孟子「天下有道,以道殉身」的献身精神与范仲淹「先天下之忧而忧」的担当,是近代志士「我不入地狱谁入地狱」式牺牲精神的诗意表达。「求为百世师」化用韩愈《师说》「传道受业解惑」与「百世以俟圣人而不惑」之意,兼有《孟子》「圣人,百世之师也」的语源,以百世之师自期,抱负之宏可想。「誓起民权」一词,则把近代西方政治学说的「民权」概念引入旧体诗中,以「誓起」冠之,赋予传统句式以全新的时代内涵,正是梁启超「诗界革命」「以旧风格含新意境」主张的实践。「牖新知」之「牖」本指窗户,引申为开启、启发,暗合《礼记》「明牖其心」之意。此诗用典不事标举,皆融化于言志的语句中,古典的担当精神与近代的民权新知熔为一炉,正见梁启超贯通古今、学贯中西的胸襟。

Commentary

What moves most in this poem is the tragic courage of those early awakeners who 'knew the right though it could not be done.' The first couplets' boasts are magnificent—target of arrows, teacher of ages, rights and philosophy—as if effort alone could right the world; then the third couplet is rudely awakened: 'to whom can I speak'—the reform failed, the people still sleep, and the poet's fervor finds no listener. This fall from summit to abyss is the common spiritual plight of modern Chinese reformers. Nobly, the close does not collapse: 'the world is boundless, my wishes endless'—though the individual is small, the will is as infinite as the world; 'by the vast sea and sky I stand long'—even unanswered, he stands alone. The poem shows Liang's optimism is not blind but chosen after seeing reality's weight; his loneliness is not self-pity but the solitude of one who speaks on.

读此诗,最令人感动的,是那一代先觉者「知其不可为而为之」的悲壮。前两联的宣言何等豪迈——甘为万矢之的,求为百世之师,起民权、研哲理,仿佛只要努力,便能扭转乾坤;然而颈联忽然被现实打醒:「举国犹狂欲语谁」,变法失败了,同胞还在酣睡,自己满腹的热血与智慧,竟找不到一个可以倾诉的人。这种从高峰跌入深渊的落差,正是中国近代志士最普遍的精神境遇:他们看到了时代的病根,却唤不醒沉睡的同胞;他们胸怀改造中国的宏愿,却只能孤独地站在历史的风口。可贵的是,尾联并未就此消沉——「世界无穷愿无尽」,个人的努力虽微,愿力却与世界同其无穷;「海天寥廓立多时」,纵使无人应和,也要独立在海天之间,作那个长久伫立的先觉者。这首诗让我们看到,梁启超的乐观不是盲目的,而是看清了现实的沉重之后仍然选择前行的乐观;他的孤独也不是自怜的,而是明知举国犹狂仍要发声的孤独。正是这种「热肠」与「冷眼」的交织,使此诗超越了普通的言志之作,成为近代知识分子精神史的珍贵记录。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated verse (qilü), level-onset pattern七言律诗(平起式)
Rhyme The poem uses level-tone rhyme throughout; rhyme words 'shi' (师), 'zhi' (知), 'shui' (谁), 'shi' (时) belong to the lower-level si/wei groups, one rhyme to the end, clear and open. The four rhymes move from lofty resolve to desolate question to long standing, matching the rise-then-fall emotion.此诗押平声韵,韵脚为「师」「知」「谁」「时」,属下平四支、五微韵部,一韵到底,声调清朗开阔。「师」写立身之志,「知」写启智之功,「谁」写孤愤之问,「时」写伫立之久,四韵由高昂渐趋苍茫,正合全诗先扬后抑的情绪轨迹。平韵的悠长使全诗在声音上舒展而不局促,恰宜承载言志诗的浩大气象,又于「欲语谁」的疑问中透出几分低回。
Tone pattern The first couplet is evenly balanced and forceful; the second continues with parallel structure, soaring; the third turns to loose syntax with falling-into-rising tension; the close returns to regularity with open, lingering syllables. Parallel and loose lines alternate, sound and sense in accord.句式上,首联「献身甘作万矢的,著论求为百世师」平仄相间、对仗工整,声调平稳而有力;颔联「誓起民权移旧俗,更研哲理牖新知」继续以工对推进,节奏轩昂;颈联「十年以后当思我,举国犹狂欲语谁」忽转散句,「当思我」「欲语谁」语势跌宕,声调由扬转抑;尾联「世界无穷愿无尽,海天寥廓立多时」复归整饬,「无穷」「无尽」「寥廓」字音开阔,以低回悠长的声调收束全篇。全诗对句与散句相间、扬抑交替,声情与词情相洽,是律诗中声韵与情思配合得宜之作。
Reading note The seven-character regulated form is strict and usually avoids abstract argument, yet this poem carries a manifesto of conviction within it and moves freely, showing Liang's mastery of meter. Its success lies in the deft mix of parallel and loose lines, the natural fusion of modern vocabulary into the old form, and the complete emotional parabola—a model of modern regulated verse with a new spirit.七言律诗体制严整,最忌说理,而此诗却以律体承载言志说理的宏大气象,且能腾踔自如,足见梁启超驾驭格律的功力。其成功之处有三:一是工对与散句的巧妙配合——首联、颔联用工对宣示抱负,气势雄壮;颈联改用散句写孤独之问,顿挫跌宕;尾联再以「无穷无尽」的流水对收束,开阔悠远,章法极密而不显板滞。二是新名词入旧体的自然融合——「民权」「哲理」「新知」等近代语汇,经诗人的锤炼,与「万矢的」「百世师」等古典意象和谐共处,正是其「以旧风格含新意境」主张的绝佳示范。三是情绪的完整抛物线——由牺牲的悲壮、誓愿的昂扬,跌入举国犹狂的孤独,再升入海天独立的苍茫,四十字内起承转合,完成了一次波澜壮阔的精神历程。作为近代言志诗的典范,此诗在格律的框架内写出了时代的先声,也写出了中国知识分子在历史转折关头的担当与孤独,是旧体诗焕发新精神的代表作。

Line by line

献身甘作万矢的,著论求为百世师。

Gladly I give my body to be the target of ten thousand arrows; in my writings I seek to be a teacher for a hundred generations.

我愿意献出身心,甘作千万支箭所射的靶心;著书立论,只求能成为百代后世的师表。

I am willing to give my body, content to be the target of ten thousand arrows; I write books only to be a teacher for a hundred generations.

起联两句自誓,是全诗志气的宣言,也是梁启超人生观的浓缩。「甘作万矢的」以箭靶自喻,写愿以一身承受来自四面八方的攻讦、非难与污蔑而甘之如饴——不是不知此身的危险,而是甘愿以身为祭,为理想开路,这一「甘」字,见出志士牺牲的自觉与勇毅;「求为百世师」则更进一步,由当前的牺牲转向身后的影响,以求著作嘉惠百代、垂范后世,其抱负之大、眼光之远,可见一斑。两句一今一后、一悲一壮,把「知其不可为而为之」的悲壮写得慷慨淋漓。以箭靶与师表对举,牺牲与不朽并存,正是那一代维新志士「我不入地狱谁入地狱」精神的最形象表达,读之令人肃然起敬。

The vow. I am willing to give my body, content to be the target of ten thousand arrows; I write books only to be a teacher for a hundred generations. The target of ten thousand arrows (the willingness to be attacked) against the teacher of a hundred generations is the Liang Qichao self-portrait. To have said he would sacrifice himself and teach posterity would be a vow; the willing-target-of-ten-thousand-arrows against the writing-books-to-be-teacher-for-a-hundred-generations is the vow.

誓起民权移旧俗,更研哲理牖新知。

I swear to raise up the people's rights and transform old customs; further, I study philosophy to open windows onto new knowledge.

我发誓要奋起倡导民权,移风易俗;更要深入钻研哲理,为国人开启新的智慧。

I vow to awaken popular rights and transform old customs; and further to study philosophy, opening the way to new knowledge.

颔联由立志转入行动纲领,是梁启超政治理想与学术追求的诗化表达。「誓起民权」以「誓」字冠首,见其决心之坚——民权,正是近代中国变革的核心命题,以「起」字写倡导民权,仿佛要唤起一个沉睡的巨人;「移旧俗」与之对举,写社会风习的改造,民权与旧俗相对,一新一旧,见出其改造中国既重制度又重风俗的全面眼光。「更研哲理牖新知」则转向学术一端,「牖」字用得极妙,本指窗户,引申为开窍启明,以开窗喻开启智慧,形象而贴切。两句一政一学、一外一内,构成梁启超「新民」事业的两翼。以旧体诗的语言承载「民权」「哲理」「新知」这些近代新名词,而又不觉生硬,正是其「以旧风格含新意境」诗学主张的成功实践。

The program. I vow to awaken popular rights and transform old customs; and further to study philosophy, opening the way to new knowledge. The vowed awakening of rights and reform of customs, and the philosophy that opens new knowledge, are the reform program. To have described his reform aims would be a program; the vowed-awakening-of-rights-and-transforming-customs against the further-studying-philosophy-opening-new-knowledge is the program.

世界无穷愿无尽,海天寥廓立多时。

The world is boundless, my wishes endless; by the vast sea and sky I stand long in silence.

世界无穷无尽,我的愿望也无尽无休;海天辽阔苍茫,我独自伫立了许久许久。

The world is boundless, my wishes are boundless; sky and sea are vast—I stand there a long time.

尾联由孤独升入苍茫,是全诗境界的最高处。「世界无穷愿无尽」以「无穷」对「无尽」,把个人的愿力放入无限的世界之中——世界如此之大,我的愿望如此之多,两两相映,个人的渺小与愿力的浩大在此达成奇妙的统一;「海天寥廓立多时」则以一个「立」字,写尽志士的孤峭与坚守:海天之间,一人独立,久久不去,仿佛要以这沉默的伫立对抗整个麻木的世界。此句不言悲而悲自见,不言志而志自立——先觉者的孤独,不在于无人理解,而在于明知无人理解仍要站立。全诗由激昂到孤独,再由孤独升入苍茫,以「立」字收束,如一座雕像凝固在海天之间,余韵悠长,正是近代志士精神气质的绝妙写照。

The standing. The world is boundless, my wishes are boundless; sky and sea are vast—I stand there a long time. The doubled boundlessness and the long standing between sky and sea close the poem on a statue. To have described standing by the sea would be a posture; the boundless-world-boundless-wish against the vast-sky-and-sea-standing-a-long-time is the posture.

Study

Word focus

万矢的 Target of ten thousand arrows (wan shi di): the bull's-eye for myriad shafts, here a self-metaphor for the reformer exposed to every attack. The word 'gladly' (gan) turns peril into willing choice, embodying the conscious courage of sacrifice. 「万矢的」即众矢之的,指千万支箭所射的靶心,是此诗立骨的核心意象。「万」字极言攻讦之多、之烈——不是一两支冷箭,而是万箭齐发;「矢的」则以箭靶自喻,把自己安放在所有攻击的焦点上,形象地写出改革志士身处风口浪尖的命运。尤妙在一「甘」字,把这种危险的处境转化为甘愿的选择:「甘作万矢的」,不是被迫承受,而是自觉担当,正见其献身精神的自觉与勇毅。以箭靶自况,古未有之,梁启超以此自誓,既是时势所迫的写照,也是「我不入地狱谁入地狱」式牺牲精神的新颖表达,炼字之新、取象之奇,可见一斑。
牖 Window / to open (you): literally a window, used here as a verb meaning to enlighten or unveil. Instead of the common 'open new knowledge,' Liang chooses 'you,' giving the abstract act of intellectual awakening a concrete, luminous image of a window thrown open. 「更研哲理牖新知」之「牖」字,是此诗最见功力的一字之炼。「牖」本义为窗户,用作动词则为开启、启发,如《礼记》「明牖其心」即开启其心之意。梁启超不用「启新知」「开新知」的常语,而用一「牖」字,既避熟就生,更以「开窗」的意象写出启迪心智的过程——新知如窗外之光,哲理如开窗之手,一推一启,豁然开朗。此字上承古典的训诂传统,下启近代的启蒙精神,把「以哲理开启民智」的抽象事业写得具体而生动,正是梁启超炼字精妙、化旧字为新境的典型例子。
举国犹狂 The whole nation still raves (ju guo you kuang): four characters capturing the reformer's isolation. 'Still raves' (you kuang) implies not sleep but a self-satisfied, unawakened frenzy, stressing how hard the people are to rouse and deepening the poet's lonely grief. 「举国犹狂」四字,是全诗由激昂转入悲慨的关键,写尽先觉者的孤独处境。「举国」言范围之广,普天之下莫非如此;「犹狂」言状态之深,「犹」字暗含时间之久——变法已败,岁月已逝,而举国仍然沉醉在麻木的狂热之中,毫无觉醒的迹象。「狂」字尤堪玩味:不是「沉睡」,而是「狂」,是自以为是的狂热、沉溺不悟的迷狂,愈见唤醒之难。梁启超以四字写尽「众人皆醉我独醒」的孤独,与「欲语谁」的无人可诉相配合,把先觉者的悲哀写得入木三分。以四字收摄一个时代的精神状态,言简而意深,是此诗炼语凝练处。

Related Reading

狱中题壁 Written on the Prison Wall 谭嗣同 · 同为维新志士言志,一以死殉一以生续,可见戊戌一代之精神 Both are reform-era vows of conviction—one dying for the cause, one living on to continue it—together the spirit of the 1898 generation.

Tan Sitong's 'Written on the Prison Wall' ('I smile toward heaven with blade in hand; my liver and gall, two Kunlun mountains') is a deathbed masterpiece written before his execution after the reform's failure, declaring a fearless readiness to die. Liang's poem, by contrast, is the self-encouragement of the survivor in exile—'target of ten thousand arrows' and 'endless wish' voice the same devotion through living on. One dies, one continues; reading them together reveals the two postures of a generation that sought right though it could not be done.

谭嗣同《狱中题壁》「我自横刀向天笑,去留肝胆两昆仑」,是戊戌政变后身陷囹圄、从容就义前的绝命之作,以「向天笑」「两昆仑」写视死如归的凛然之气,是维新志士以死明志的绝唱;梁启超此诗「献身甘作万矢的」「世界无穷愿无尽」,则是流亡海外的生者自励之作,以甘为矢的、著述传世写以身许国的担当。一以死殉、一以生续,恰是戊戌一代志士的两种姿态:谭嗣同以鲜血唤醒国人,梁启超以笔耕赓续事业。并读两诗,可见那一代知识分子「不求生而求义」「知其不可而为之」的共同精神,也可见生死殊途而肝胆相通的历史一幕。

少年中国说 On the Young China 梁启超 · 同出作者手笔,一文一诗,少年意气前后辉映 Same author—prose and poem echoing each other's youthful resolve; one calls to the nation, one steels the self.

'On the Young China' ('if the youth are wise the nation is wise; if the youth are strong the nation is strong') is Liang's rousing essay calling a new generation to life. This poem is its intimate counterpart, a self-pledge ('target of arrows,' 'teacher of ages,' 'raise the people's rights'). One addresses the public, the other the self; the essay's ideal is exactly the path this poem vows to walk. Together they show the full range of this enlightenment master's spirit—vehement in prose, resolute in verse.

《少年中国说》以「少年智则国智,少年富则国富,少年强则国强」的排山倒海之势,呼唤一个朝气蓬勃的少年中国,是梁启超鼓舞一代青年的宏文;此诗则以「献身甘作万矢的,著论求为百世师」「誓起民权移旧俗」的自我期许,写其以身许国的担当与孤独。一为对国人的呼唤,一为对自我的激励;一文以气胜,一诗以志胜。两者同出于梁启超的维新热情,互为表里:少年中国说的理想,正是此诗「自励」所要践行的道路。并读之下,可见这位近代启蒙大师以笔为剑、以文铸魂的精神全貌,也可见其文字从激扬到沉郁的丰富层次。

对酒 To Wine 秋瑾 · 同为近代志士豪情,一慷慨激昂一沉郁苍茫,革命者心声相通 Both modern patriots' heroic spirit—one magnanimous and vast, one desolate and boundless; revolutionaries' hearts beat as one.

Qiu Jin's 'To Wine' ('I grudge not a thousand gold for a precious blade; trading my sable coat for wine is heroic too') with 'cherish your hot blood—spilled, it can yet become green waves' writes a woman revolutionary's readiness to die, magnanimous and fierce. Liang's poem writes the solitary, boundless resolve of the male reformer. One is a woman's brave march to death, one a man's lonely stand; both share the spirit of 'giving the self to the nation,' voicing the most stirring and most solemn note of that great age of change.

秋瑾《对酒》「不惜千金买宝刀,貂裘换酒也堪豪」,以「一腔热血勤珍重,洒去犹能化碧涛」写革命者不惜一死以酬壮志的豪情,慷慨激昂,是鉴湖女侠的心声;梁启超此诗则以「献身甘作万矢的」「举国犹狂欲语谁」写先觉者的牺牲与孤独,豪迈之中见苍茫。一为女侠的慷慨赴死,一为志士的寂寞坚守;一以热血化碧涛,一以立身海天间。并读两诗,可见近代中国革命志士虽性情境遇各异,而其「以身许国」「明知不可为而为之」的精神则完全相通,共同构成了那个大变革时代最激昂也最深沉的声音。