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清平乐·六盘山

Pure Peace Music: Liupan Mountain

毛泽东

Mao Zedong

名篇Famous 词Ci (lyric) 长征Long March 壮志Lofty Ambition

天高云淡，望断南飞雁。
不到长城非好汉，屈指行程二万。
六盘山上高峰，红旗漫卷西风。
今日长缨在手，何时缚住苍龙？

The sky is high, the clouds are pale; I gaze till the southward geese are lost to sight.
None who fails to reach the Great Wall is a true man; counting on my fingers, two myriad li of march.
On Liupan Mountain's lofty peak, red banners roll free in the western wind.
Today the long tether is in our hands—when shall we bind the azure dragon?

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Meaning

Under a vast autumn sky the poet watches the wild geese fly south until they vanish. He declares that only those who reach the Great Wall are true men, noting the Red Army has already marched twenty thousand li. On Liupan Mountain's peak the red banners flutter in the wind, and he asks when the enemy will at last be bound. The poem is a declaration of imminent Long March victory and unshakable revolutionary resolve.

长空高远，云彩淡薄，我久久凝望，目送南飞的大雁直到望断天边。不到长城不算好汉，屈指一算，红军已经走过了两万里。六盘山上高峰耸立，红旗在西风中猎猎翻卷。今天长缨已经握在我们手中，什么时候才能缚住苍龙、彻底打败敌人？

Appreciation

The first stanza paints open autumn scenery and breathes heroic feeling; the second depicts the mountain peak and marching banners, closing on a soaring rhetorical question. Its imagery is grand—sky, geese, Great Wall, Liupan, west wind—and its language taut, merging boldness with grace. The poem fuses personal ambition with the nation's fate and stands among Mao's finest Long March lyrics.

【白话串讲】毛泽东写《清平乐·六盘山》：“天高云淡，望断南飞雁”。“不到长城非好汉，屈指行程二万”——“六盘山上高峰，红旗漫卷西风”——“今日长缨在手，何时缚住苍龙”——他写长征即将胜利。【意象与手法】此词上片写景、下片言志，景中见情、情中有志。上片「天高云淡」以疏朗之笔写秋空，「望断」二字写凝望之久、情意之深；下片「红旗漫卷西风」以鲜明的色彩与动态写进军之势，结尾「长缨在手」「缚住苍龙」用典入词，以问句收束，余韵不尽。全词意象阔大（天、雁、长城、六盘山、西风）、语言凝练，豪放之中见俊逸，是毛泽东长征词中的精品。【情感与主旨】主旨是革命必胜的坚定信念与驾驭历史的英雄气概：望断南飞雁，是长征胜利在望时对革命前途的眺望；不到长城非好汉，是红军将士的钢铁誓言；长缨在手、缚住苍龙，是对革命最终胜利的必胜宣言。全词将个人豪情与民族命运融为一体，是长征精神的又一壮美结晶。【名句点睛】「不到长城非好汉」以七字写尽红军的决心与气魄，成为家喻户晓的名句；「今日长缨在手，何时缚住苍龙」活用终军请缨之典，以设问句把必胜信念推到顶点，豪气直冲云霄，千古传诵。

Background

'Pure Peace Music: Liupan Mountain' was written in October 1935, the last lyric Mao composed on the Long March and a manifesto as victory came into view. In September the Central Red Army took the Lazikou pass, crossed the Min range and entered Gansu; in early October it reached southern Ningxia and climbed Liupan, the last great mountain of the march, so named because its road winds six times to the summit. Beyond lay the Shaanbei base, and victory was near. Companions recalled Mao atop the peak, gazing at the pale sky and southerly geese, watching the banners in the west wind, his heart surging, and he sang this lyric. 'Counting two myriad li' records the march since October 1934; 'reach the Great Wall' voices the resolve as the army neared northern Shaanxi, only days from reaching Wuqi town on October 19. In 1935, as Japan pressed its invasion, the Long March carried both a military retreat and the political mission of resistance; 'binding the azure dragon' meant defeating the pursuing Nationalists and,暗含, resisting the foreign foe. First circulated in the army as 'The Long March Ballad,' it later entered 'Mao Zedong's Poems' alongside 'The Long March' as part of his epic Long March sequence.

《清平乐·六盘山》作于1935年10月，是毛泽东长征途中最后一首词，也是长征胜利在望时的宣言书。1935年9月，中央红军攻克天险腊子口，翻越岷山，进入甘肃；10月初，红军到达宁夏南部，翻越长征途中最后一座高山——六盘山。六盘山位于宁夏固原、隆德之间，海拔近三千米，山路险峻，盘旋六重始达山顶，故名「六盘」；翻越六盘山后，红军即将到达陕北革命根据地，长征胜利在望。据随行人员回忆，毛泽东登临六盘山顶，远眺云淡天高、南飞大雁，俯瞰红旗漫卷、西风猎猎，心潮澎湃，遂吟成此词。词中「屈指行程二万」道出红军自1934年10月长征以来已行军两万余里，「不到长城非好汉」则写红军越过六盘山、即将进入陕北时对胜利的坚定信念——此时距中央红军到达陕北吴起镇（10月19日）仅数日之遥。时代背景上，1935年正值民族危亡之际，日本帝国主义加紧侵华，红军长征不仅是一次军事战略转移，更承担着北上抗日的政治使命；此词作于长征将终、抗日将启的历史关节点，其「缚住苍龙」的誓言，既指消灭围追堵截的国民党军队，亦暗寓抗击外敌的壮志。此词1935年10月作后，曾以《长征谣》之名在军中传唱，后收入《毛泽东诗词》，与《七律·长征》《清平乐·六盘山》等共同构成毛泽东长征诗词的壮丽序列。

Art

This lyric follows the 'Pure Peace Music' form—a short double-meter song: the first stanza scenes and lyrics, the second scenes and will, tightly structured yet majestically flowing. First, the upward 'gaze': 'The sky is high, the clouds are pale' opens with pale, spacious autumn; 'I gaze till the geese are lost' writes the long, deep look, yet also hints longing for the southern soviet—geese fly south while the army moves north, a poignant one-south-one-north contrast. 'None who fails to reach the Great Wall is a true man; counting on my fingers, two myriad li' whirls from gazing to bold speech, the vernacular 'true man' ringing like iron, the light 'counting' making two long marches feel effortless. Second, the forward 'march': 'On Liupan Mountain's lofty peak' plants the camera from far sky to the foot; 'red banners roll free in the western wind' sets red against wind, still peak against moving flag, the word 'roll free' catching the banners' untrammeled flight. 'Today the long tether is in our hands—when shall we bind the azure dragon?' closes on a question, lifting the whole to its height. Techniques—plain sketch, hyperbole, allusion, rhetorical question—all converge on one word: 'grand.' The chain of images—sky, clouds, geese, Great Wall, Liupan, red banner, west wind, tether, dragon—rises from the lofty to the intimate, the real to the symbolic. Both stanzas open with four-character lines and close with long ones, the short lines crisp, the long lines exuberant—a model of 'writing the vast with boldness.'

此词为词牌「清平乐」双调小令，上片写景抒情、下片写景言志，章法精密而气韵雄浑。其一，上片之「眺」：起句「天高云淡」四字写秋空之疏朗，着墨极淡而境界极阔，为全词定下高远的基调；「望断南飞雁」五字写凝望南飞秋雁直到望断天边，「望断」二字既写视线之远、凝望之久，又暗含对南方苏区与革命战友的怀念——大雁南飞而红军北进，一南一北，怅望之中自有悲壮；「不到长城非好汉，屈指行程二万」则笔锋陡转，由眺望转豪语，「不到长城非好汉」以口语入词，斩钉截铁，「屈指行程二万」以屈指轻点写出两万里征程的举重若轻，一刚一柔，豪迈中见从容。其二，下片之「进」：「六盘山上高峰」以名词句写山之耸峙，如镜头由远天摇至脚下，点明所处之地；「红旗漫卷西风」则以红旗与西风相对，一红一白（风本无色，而红旗之红更艳）、一静（峰）一动（旗），写尽山巅进军之壮丽，「漫卷」二字尤见红旗自在飞扬之态；「今日长缨在手，何时缚住苍龙」以设问作结，由写景转入言志，将全词推向高潮。其三，手法之富：白描（天高云淡）、夸张（望断、行程二万）、用典（长缨、苍龙）、设问（何时缚住苍龙）并用，而皆归于一「雄」字。其四，意象之链：天、云、雁、长城、六盘山、红旗、西风、长缨、苍龙，自高远至切身、自现实至象征，层层递进，构成一幅宏阔的立体画卷。全词上下片皆以四字短句起（天高云淡、六盘山上高峰），以长句收（不到长城非好汉、何时缚住苍龙），短句斩截、长句酣畅，节奏与气势相生，是毛泽东词「以豪放写壮阔」的典范。

Allusions

The allusions are exact yet organically fused. First, 'None who fails to reach the Great Wall is a true man': the Great Wall, built since Qin to ward off northern nomads, became a symbol of China and its nation-defending spirit; Mao merges that national symbol with the revolutionary aim—'reach the Wall' means reaching the Shaanbei base and finishing the Long March—while 'true man' is northern vernacular, making a solemn national cause ring like plain speech. Second, 'the long tether in hand': the Han-shu records Zhongsheng, sent to Nanyue, petitioning Emperor Wu, 'I beg the long tether, to bind the King of Nanyue and bring him to the court'; later 'requesting the tether' meant volunteering for the state (Wang Bo and Du Fu echo it). Mao's 'today the long tether is in our hands' writes that the Red Army already holds the key to victory—Zhongsheng's personal bravery becomes the people's collective will. Third, the 'azure dragon': in the Later Han-shu it denotes the baleful year-star; Mao uses it for the Nationalist reactionaries and all oppressors, fierce yet fated to be bound, set against the 'tether.' Fourth, the cultural weight of 'gazing till the geese are lost'—the wild goose as messenger and homesick emblem since Li Qingzhao and Fan Zhongyan—here charged with a revolutionary's northward look southward. All show Mao melting classical allusion, national symbol and dialect into one revolutionary lyric.

此词用典精当而气韵浑成。其一「不到长城非好汉」：「长城」本为抵御北方游牧民族的伟大工程，自秦以降即是中国与中华民族的象征，秦筑长城、汉击匈奴、明修边墙，长城凝聚着保家卫国的民族精神；毛泽东以「不到长城」喻不到达陕北革命根据地、不完成长征使命，将民族象征与革命目标合一——「好汉」又是北方口语，豪爽明快，全句以口语写民族大义，明白如话而气象万千，遂成革命话语中最响亮的誓言之一。其二「长缨在手」：《汉书·终军传》载，终军出使南越，向汉武帝请命：「愿受长缨，必羁南越王而致之阙下。」「长缨」即长绳，本为缚敌之具，后世遂以「请缨」为主动请战、报效国家的典故（王勃《滕王阁序》「有怀投笔，慕宗悫之长风」即此一脉，杜甫亦有「请缨」之叹）；毛泽东「今日长缨在手」写红军已掌握制胜之具、胜利之钥，是「请缨」典的创造性化用——终军以个人之勇请缨，红军以人民之力量握缨，个人之志升华为阶级之志、民族之志。其三「苍龙」：《后汉书·张纯传》等以苍龙指太岁凶神，古代术数中「苍龙」为凶煞之星；又二十八宿东方七宿合称苍龙，象征东方；毛泽东以「苍龙」喻国民党反动势力乃至一切反动派，取其凶恶而终将受缚之意，与「长缨」相对，一握一缚，形象鲜明。其四「望断南飞雁」之文化底蕴：雁意象在中国诗词中源远流长——「雁字回时，月满西楼」（李清照）、「衡阳雁去无留意」（范仲淹），雁是书信的使者、乡愁的化身；毛泽东以「望断南飞雁」写对南方革命根据地的遥望，既承古典的雁意象，又赋予革命者「北望南飞」的特殊情思。凡此种种，皆见毛泽东将古典典故、民族象征、口语方言熔于一炉而化入革命抒情的大手笔，一词之中，历史与现实、个人与民族浑然一体。

Commentary

'Pure Peace Music: Liupan Mountain' unites art and thought at the height of Mao's Long March poetry and is a classic of using a traditional tune for modern revolutionary epic. Historically it forms a sequence with 'The Long March,' 'Recalling Qin E: Lou Shan Pass' and 'Nian Nu Jiao: Kunlun,' recording in literature the final stage of that human feat; 'None who fails to reach the Great Wall is a true man' became a slogan and then a household saying whose reach far exceeds the poem. Literarily it keeps strict 'Pure Peace Music' prosody while admitting modern phrasing like 'counting two myriad li' and 'red banners roll free,' achieving another success of 'old bottle, new wine.' Its 'writing the dense with the pale'—spacious sky, deep gaze, calm counting, tether-binding pride—lays not one word of 'suffering,' the highest aesthetic form of revolutionary optimism. Critics prize its 'bold yet graceful, grand yet tender': the first stanza nears the delicate lyricist's brush, the second opens a new school of verse. Since entering 'Mao Zedong's Poems' in 1957 it has been anthologized in textbooks, and in 1975 a memorial pavilion was raised on Liupan Mountain bearing this lyric.

《清平乐·六盘山》是毛泽东长征诗词中艺术与思想高度统一的佳作，也是中国词史上以传统词牌写现代革命史诗的典范。就其历史价值而言，此词与《七律·长征》《忆秦娥·娄山关》《念奴娇·昆仑》等共同构成毛泽东长征诗词的完整序列，以文学的方式记录了长征这一人类壮举的最后阶段；「不到长城非好汉」自1935年传唱以来，即成为激励红军将士与抗日军民的口号，此后数十年间，「长城」与「好汉」的联结更沉淀为民族精神的公共表达——如今「不到长城非好汉」已成为家喻户晓的俗谚，其影响力远超诗词本身。就其文学价值而言，此词以传统词牌写现代内容而格律严整：清平乐上片四仄韵、下片三平韵，毛泽东严守格律而语言自然，「屈指行程二万」「红旗漫卷西风」等句以现代语汇入词而浑化无痕，实现了「旧瓶装新酒」的又一次成功；其艺术上的「以淡写浓」——天高云淡的疏朗、望断飞雁的深情、屈指行程的从容、长缨缚龙的家迈——层层递进而不着一「苦」字，正是革命乐观主义在美学上的最高呈现。历代评家论此词，多赏其「豪而能俊、壮而能婉」：上片「天高云淡，望断南飞雁」之清俊婉转，几近小令词人之笔；下片「红旗漫卷西风」「何时缚住苍龙」之雄浑劲健，则开一代词风。此词自1957年收入《毛泽东诗词》后，被选入各类中学语文教材，「六盘山」更因之成为革命圣地与文学意象，1975年宁夏六盘山更立「红军长征纪念亭」，此词即镌刻其上。一首小令，融历史、文学、民族精神于一体，其影响之深远，在当代词作中罕有其匹。

Prosody

Form Ci tune 'Pure Peace Music' (double-meter, forty-six characters; first stanza four oblique rhymes, second stanza three level rhymes)词牌「清平乐」（双调四十六字，上片四仄韵、下片三平韵）

Rhyme The first stanza takes oblique rhymes: 'pale (dan),' 'geese (yan),' 'man (han),' 'myriad (wan)'—mostly departing tone, short and forceful, fitting the stirring 'gaze' and 'true man.' The second turns to level rhymes: 'peak (feng),' 'wind (feng),' 'dragon (long)'—long and flowing, fitting the exuberant 'banners roll' and 'bind the dragon.' One oblique, one level; one clipped, one drawn-out: a stark sonic contrast.上片押仄声韵：「淡（淡）、雁（雁）、汉（汉）、万（万）」四字皆去声（雁、汉、万为去声，淡为上声），仄声短促有力，正合「望断」「非好汉」的激越之情；下片转押平声韵：「峰、风、龙」三字皆平声，悠长绵远，正合「红旗漫卷」「缚住苍龙」的昂扬舒展。上下片一仄一平、一促一长，构成声情的鲜明对照。

Tone pattern Lines alternate long and short: first stanza 'four, five, seven, five'—the four-character 'sky high clouds pale' is crisp, the seven-character 'none who fails…' is full-throated; second stanza 'six, six, six, seven'—the two six-character lines are steady, the closing question rises in pitch and lingers.句式长短错落：上片「四、五、七、五」，「天高云淡」四字短句斩截，「不到长城非好汉」七字长句酣畅；下片「六、六、六、七」，「六盘山上高峰」「红旗漫卷西风」皆六字句节奏平稳，末句「何时缚住苍龙」以设问收束，声调上扬，余响不尽。

Reading note The beauty of its sound lies in the tune's 'pure' and 'level'—clear tone, even rhythm—exactly matching the buoyant mood of near victory. In rhyme, the first stanza's four oblique tones beat like marching drums; the second's three level tones sing like a triumphant song. In line shape, four- and six-character lines form the skeleton, short opening and long follow, with the seven-character oath falling like a vow and the closing question rising then settling. Most rare, it keeps strict prosody while admitting modern vernacular, fusing traditional tune and revolutionary content. Mao said he 'leans to the bold, not abandoning the graceful'—and here the first stanza's grace and the second's boldness each find their fitting music.此词的声韵之美，在于词牌「清平乐」的「清」与「平」——清者，音调清亮；平者，节奏平稳——与长征胜利在望的昂扬心境恰好相合。就押韵而言，上片四仄韵（淡、雁、汉、万），仄声字短促劲健，「望断南飞雁」的「雁」、「非好汉」的「汉」、「行程二万」的「万」，字字斩钉截铁，如进军之鼓点；下片三平韵（峰、风、龙），平声字悠长舒展，「高峰」「西风」「苍龙」三字收于平声，如凯歌之悠扬，一仄一平、一促一长，把「翻山越岭之后、胜利在望之际」的声情变化表现得恰如其分。就句式而言，全词以四字句（天高云淡、六盘山上高峰）与六字句（红旗漫卷西风）为骨架，短句起、长句承，节奏平稳中见起伏：「不到长城非好汉」连用七个仄起平收之字，如誓言般掷地有声；「何时缚住苍龙」以「何时」发问、「苍龙」收韵，声调先扬后收，余音绕梁。就语调而言，上片「望断」「屈指」写动作，语调沉静；下片「漫卷」「缚住」写动态，语调昂扬；末句设问不作答，以问代答，更把语调推到最高处。尤为难得的是，此词严守清平乐格律（上片四仄韵、下片三平韵、句句合律），而以「不到长城非好汉」「红旗漫卷西风」等现代口语入词，音韵铿锵而语感新鲜，实现了传统词牌与革命内容的完美融合。毛泽东自谓「偏于豪放，不废婉约」，此词上片之清婉（天高云淡、望断飞雁）与下片之豪放（红旗西风、长缨缚龙）在声律上亦各得其宜，正见大家于词律之精熟。

Line by line

天高云淡，望断南飞雁。

The sky is high, the clouds are pale; I gaze till the southward geese are lost to sight. (The opening paints a vast, pale autumn; 'gaze till lost' writes both the long look and a deep yearning for the southern base areas and comrades.)

长空高远，云彩淡薄，我久久凝望南飞的大雁，直到望断天边。

The sky is high, the clouds thin; I watch the southbound geese till they vanish.

起句「天高云淡」四字写秋空之景，着墨极淡而境界极阔：「天高」写秋日天宇之澄澈高远，「云淡」写云彩之疏淡轻飘，四字两景，一幅高远明净的秋空图立现眼前，为全词定下清朗开阔的基调。次句「望断南飞雁」转写凝望：「望断」二字是全句之眼——望到尽头、望穿天际，写视线追随南飞的大雁直到天边消失，凝望之久、情意之深，尽在「断」字之中。为何望雁？雁南飞而红军北进，一南一北，两相对照：南飞的大雁飞向温暖的南方，那里正是红军离开的中央苏区、正是牺牲的战友与留守的乡亲所在；「望断」之中，有对革命根据地的深深眷念，有对长征战友的默默怀想，更有「雁字回时」的期待。而雁又能传书，望雁亦即望信——红军长征以来音讯隔绝，「望断南飞雁」五字，把革命者深沉的家国情怀写得含蓄而绵长。此句清俊婉转，几近婉约词人之笔，与下句「不到长城非好汉」的豪迈形成刚柔相济的对照，正见毛泽东「偏于豪放，不废婉约」的词风。

The geese. The sky is high, the clouds thin; I watch the southbound geese till they vanish. The high thin sky and the vanished southbound geese are the opening. To have watched the geese till vanishing would be a watching; the the-sky-is-high-the-clouds-thin-i-watch-the-southbound-geese-till-they-vanish is the watching.

不到长城非好汉，屈指行程二万。

None who fails to reach the Great Wall is a true man; counting on my fingers, two myriad li of march. (A northern-vernacular oath: reaching the goal defines a true hero; the light 'counting' makes twenty thousand li feel effortless—resolute yet composed.)

不到达长城不算好汉，屈指一算，红军已经走过了两万里征程。

He who has not reached the Great Wall is no true man; counting on my fingers, the march is twenty thousand.

此两句是全词情感的第一个高潮，由眺望之柔转入誓言之刚。「不到长城非好汉」七字以北方口语入词，斩钉截铁、掷地有声：「长城」既是地理之长城，更是民族精神与革命目标的象征——红军长征的目的地是陕北革命根据地，是抗日前线，「不到长城」即不达目的；「非好汉」以口语的豪爽写出红军的自我期许，一个「非」字不容置疑，把长征的决心写到了极致。下句「屈指行程二万」则以极轻之笔写极重之功：「屈指」是伸出手指计数，本是极寻常的动作，而用以写「行程二万」——两万里征程的雪山草地、血战湘江、四渡赤水，皆在此轻轻一屈之中化为数字——举重若轻，正是「谈笑间」的气度。两句一刚（非好汉）一柔（屈指），一誓言（不到长城）一回顾（行程二万），前望与后顾兼备，把长征行将胜利时的豪迈与从容写得淋漓尽致。「不到长城非好汉」后来更脱离此词而成为全民熟知的俗语，其生命力正源于这七字中凝聚的民族气概。

The Great Wall. He who has not reached the Great Wall is no true man; counting on my fingers, the march is twenty thousand. The not-reached-the-Great-Wall-no-true-man and the twenty-thousand-li march are the oath. To have not reached the Great Wall would be an oath; the he-who-has-not-reached-the-great-wall-is-no-true-man-counting-on-my-fingers-the-march-is-twenty-thousand is the oath.

六盘山上高峰，红旗漫卷西风。

On Liupan Mountain's lofty peak, red banners roll free in the western wind. ('Roll free' catches the banners' untrammeled flourish; red against the west wind mirrors the Red Army's heroism amid hardship.)

六盘山上高峰耸立，鲜艳的红旗在西风中猎猎翻卷。

On the crest of Liupan Mountain, red flags stream wildly in the west wind.

此两句是下片的写景核心，也是全词画面感最强的一笔。「六盘山上高峰」以名词句直陈所处之地：「六盘山」是长征途中最后一座高山，「高峰」二字写山之险峻高耸，山路盘旋六重，登顶即近于天；而着一「上」字，写红军已立于峰巅——两万五千里征程的最后一重天险，已在脚下。「红旗漫卷西风」则是全词最鲜明的意象：「红旗」是革命的颜色，是红军与共产党的象征，红得夺目；「西风」写秋风之烈，猎猎生威，而「漫卷」二字最见神采——卷写旗之翻动，漫写旗之自在飞扬，红旗不惧西风、反借西风而愈显昂扬，正如红军不惧艰险、反因艰险而愈见英雄本色。两句以「高峰」与「红旗」对举，一静一动、一山一旗，画面由山巅之雄峻转向旗帜之鲜明，色彩由青苍转向艳红，正是长征胜利在望时最壮丽的一幕。此两句既写实——登六盘山之实景，又象征——红旗漫卷即革命必胜之宣言；景语即情语，色彩即态度，十四个字绘尽「苍山如海」之后的「红旗如画」，为下文「缚住苍龙」的豪言作了最充分的蓄势。

The flags. On the crest of Liupan Mountain, red flags stream wildly in the west wind. The Liupan crest and the red flags streaming in the west wind are the image. To have streamed in the west wind would be a streaming; the on-the-crest-of-liupan-mountain-red-flags-stream-wildly-in-the-west-wind is the streaming.

今日长缨在手，何时缚住苍龙？

Today the long tether is in our hands—when shall we bind the azure dragon? (Alludes to Zhongsheng's 'requesting the tether'; the azure dragon stands for the enemy; the question pushes certainty of victory to its height.)

今天长缨已经握在我们手中，什么时候才能缚住苍龙、彻底战胜敌人？

Today the long cord is in our hands; when shall we bind down the Azure Dragon?

结尾两句是全词的高潮，以设问收束，豪气干云。「今日长缨在手」活用《汉书·终军传》终军「愿受长缨，必羁南越王而致之阙下」之典：长缨本指缚敌的长绳，此处以「在手」写红军已经掌握制胜的力量——长征即将胜利、陕北根据地即将到达、民族抗战的号角即将吹响，一切有利条件皆已在握，一个「今」字点明时机的成熟。「何时缚住苍龙」以设问句推进：苍龙本指太岁凶神，此处喻国民党反动势力与一切反动派，「缚住苍龙」即彻底消灭敌人——问「何时」而答案已在胸中：胜利只是时间问题。两句一问一答（答在问中），把必胜的信念以最昂扬的方式推到顶点；「今日」与「何时」对举，时间上由现在推向将来，气势上由沉着推向飞动，如劲弩之末再添一矢。就全词而言，结尾以「缚」字总收前文：望断飞雁是「望」，不到长城是「誓」，红旗漫卷是「进」，而「缚住苍龙」是「胜」——四层推进，一气呵成，把长征尾声的壮阔与革命必胜的信念凝于一问之中，余韵不尽，直欲裂云。此两句遂成毛泽东词中与「数风流人物，还看今朝」并峙的豪语名句。

The dragon. Today the long cord is in our hands; when shall we bind down the Azure Dragon? The long cord in hand and the when-bind-the-Azure-Dragon question are the close. To have bound the dragon would be a binding; the today-the-long-cord-is-in-our-hands-when-shall-we-bind-down-the-azure-dragon is the binding.

Study

Word focus

望断 'Gaze till lost.' A traditional phrase charged anew: the unbroken southward gaze fuses longing for the revolutionary base with resolve—stillness of looking that hides surging purpose, the very emotional groundwork for the later oath. 「望断南飞雁」之「望断」二字，是全词上片最见功力的词眼。「断」本指断绝、穷尽，「望断」即望到尽头、望穿天边，写视线追随南飞的大雁直至雁影消失于天际，其用力之专注、情意之深长，尽在「断」字之中。此词源出古典：「望断」是诗词中的传统用语——李白「望断碧云无锦字」、晏殊「望断天涯路」、柳永「望断处，杳杳巫峰十二」，皆以「望断」写极目远望、思念绵长；毛泽东取此二字而注入新的内涵：此处所望，非天涯游子之归途，而是南飞之雁——雁南飞而红军北进，方向相反，故「望断」之中既有对南方苏区与战友的眷念，又有「何时缚住苍龙」的期盼在暗中生长。其妙有三：一是空间之远，「断」字把视线推到天的尽头，境界顿阔；二是时间之久，望而不舍、望而不断，写凝望之持久；三是情意之深，望断即「望不断」——雁已飞断而情不能断，以「断」写「不断」，正是「欲说还休」的深婉。一个「望断」，把革命者的豪情写得如此缠绵，把惆怅写得如此壮阔，是「婉约其表、豪放其里」的绝佳笔法，也为下片「不到长城非好汉」的豪语作了情感上的蓄势。

漫卷 'Roll free / flutter at will.' The red banners borne by the west wind with ease and pride; the flag's freedom mirrors the Red Army's composure amid trial—color and motion become a manifesto of victory. 「红旗漫卷西风」之「漫卷」二字，是全词下片最富神采的动词，写尽红旗在西风中的动态之美。「卷」本指风将旗卷入、翻卷之状，着「漫」字则翻卷之中更见自在：漫有随意、自由、不受拘束之意——「红旗漫卷」写红旗不是被西风撕扯的被动翻飞，而是自由舒展、主动飞扬的昂扬之态，仿佛红旗自己在西风中尽情招展。这两个字的妙处在于「以旗写人」：旗之「漫卷」即红军之「从容」，西风愈烈而红旗愈扬，正如征途愈险而红军愈勇——旗的姿态就是革命者的姿态，旗的精神就是长征的精神。在色彩与动态上，「红旗漫卷」以最鲜明的红与最凌冽的西风对照：红是暖色、是革命、是胜利，西风是寒色、是艰险、是旧世界的衰朽；红战胜白、暖压倒寒，色彩即态度，动态即宣言。此词源出「风卷红旗」的古典意象——岑参「风掣红旗冻不翻」写红旗因天寒而凝固，毛泽东反其意而用之，写红旗在西风中自在漫卷，一凝一扬，正见革命者与边塞诗人对待艰险的不同姿态。「漫卷」二字，遂成中国新诗与旧体诗词中写红旗最传神的一笔。

长缨 'Long tether.' From the Han-shu tale of Zhongsheng who begged the long tether to bind a foe; here it means the people's strength already grasped—turning abstract certainty of victory into a tangible, touchable image. 「今日长缨在手」之「长缨」二字，是全词用典的核心，也是全词由景入志的关键意象。「长缨」本指长绳，出自《汉书·终军传》：西汉少年终军向汉武帝自请出使南越，言「愿受长缨，必羁南越王而致之阙下」，后「请缨」「长缨」遂成主动请战、报效国家的典故。毛泽东化用此典而赋予全新内涵：「今日长缨在手」写红军已握有制胜的「长缨」——这长缨不再是终军一人之缨，而是人民军队的力量、革命事业的优势、历史的必然；「在手」二字点明力量已在掌握之中，胜券在握而静待时机。其妙有三：一是以古写今，终军请缨是一介书生的豪气，红军握缨是亿万人民的伟力，古典典故被注入阶级与民族的新内容；二是以物写志，「长缨」是具体的物，而以物喻力量，抽象的必胜信念因「长缨在手」而变得可以触摸；三是以实写虚，下句「何时缚住苍龙」的「缚」字正是「缨」的功能——缨在手方能缚龙，两句因果相生，把「革命必胜」这一历史必然写得形象而有力。毛泽东诗词中屡用「缨」字（《蝶恋花·从汀州向长沙》「万丈长缨要把鲲鹏缚」），而以此词之「长缨在手」最为凝练传神，一个词，连接了终军请缨的古典气节与红军必胜的现代气魄。