All poems

南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 文 Prose

惑溺篇所记荀粲事

The Story of Xun Can Recorded in the 'Infatuation' Chapter

刘义庆

Liu Yiqing

世说新语A New Account of Tales of the World 笔记小说Notebook anecdote 魏晋风度Wei-Jin spirit

荀奉倩与妇至笃，冬月妇病热，乃出中庭自取冷，还以身熨之。
妇亡，奉倩后少时亦卒，以是获讥于世。
奉倩曰妇人德不足称，当以色为主。
裴令闻之，曰此乃是兴到之事，非盛德言，冀后人未昧此语。

Xun Fengqian was deeply devoted to his wife. In winter, his wife fell ill with fever, so he went out to the courtyard to let himself become cold, then returned and pressed his body against hers to cool her.
After his wife died, Fengqian himself died shortly afterward. For this he was ridiculed by the world.
Fengqian once said, "A woman's virtue is not worthy of praise; it is her beauty that should be paramount."
When the Director of the Secretariat, Pei Kai, heard this, he said, "This was a matter of a passing mood, not words of great virtue. I hope later generations will not be misled by this saying."

Listen

Meaning

A brief account of the deep love between Xun Can and his wife, his eccentric act of cooling himself to relieve her fever, his death from grief, and his controversial remark about women, with a mitigating comment by Pei Kai.

荀奉倩和妻子的感情极其深厚。有一年冬天，妻子发高烧，他就走到院子当中让自己受冻，再回屋里用身体贴着妻子为她降温。妻子死后，荀奉倩过了不久也去世了，因此受到世人的讥笑。荀奉倩曾说：妇人的德行不值得称道，应当以姿色为主。中书令裴楷听说了这话，说：这不过是兴之所至说出来的一时之言，并不是道德高尚的言论，希望后人不要被这句话弄糊涂了。

Appreciation

This passage, from the 'Infatuation' chapter of Liu Yiqing's *A New Account of Tales of the World*, records the profound marital devotion of Xun Can (courtesy name Fengqian), a Wei-era metaphysician. In fewer than a hundred Chinese characters, it combines narrative, characterization, recorded speech, and critical comment. It begins with the obsessive act of chilling himself in the courtyard to cool his feverish wife, then his death from grief soon after hers, followed by his startling declaration that beauty, not virtue, should be the primary quality of a woman, and ends with Pei Kai's generous explanation. The terse style reveals the tension between worldly ridicule and genuine passion, exemplifying the Wei-Jin ethos of breaking with ritual decorum and following one's true feelings. Liu Yiqing's unspoken judgment is itself a model of narrative restraint.

【白话串讲】《世说新语》记荀粲：妻子冬天发热病，他跑到院子里把自己冻冷，再回来用身体给妻子降温。妻子死后，他不久也死了。“妇人德不足称，当以色为主”——他说女子以容貌为主，却被时人讥笑。一个痴情到被误解的男人。【意象与手法】六朝笔记以简净之笔写人情极致。不足百字却叙事、写人、记言、缀评俱备：先叙冬月熨妇之痴行，再叙殉情早亡之结局，继录“妇人当以色为主”之惊世之论，终以裴楷“兴到之事”之解人为结，文字省净而情态毕露，不加褒贬而风神自见。【情感与主旨】记魏晋玄学家荀粲与妻子情深事，于“获讥于世”的世俗眼光与“情深不寿”的至情之间构成张力。荀粲以“好色”违礼教之常，典型折射出魏晋名士突破礼法、任情率真的时代风气，是《世说》“记言则玄远冷隽，记行则高简瑰奇”的范例。【名句点睛】常考“妇人德不足称，当以色为主”以惊世之论写魏晋任情率真；“冬至后女病，乃出中庭自取冷，还以身熨之”以痴行细节写情深。

Background

The *A New Account of Tales of the World* was compiled by Liu Yiqing, Prince of Linchuan of the Southern Dynasties, with his court retainers. It is a collection of anecdotes and remarks of famous figures from the Eastern Han to the Eastern Jin, arranged in thirty-six categories; 'Infatuation' is the thirty-fifth, meaning those who are lost in obsession and cannot extricate themselves. Xun Can, courtesy name Fengqian, was a native of Yingyin, Yingchuan, the youngest son of the Han minister Xun Yu, and a celebrated metaphysician of the Cao-Wei period. During the Wei-Jin era, with the rise of Neo-Daoism, famous scholars revered natural emotion and disdained Confucian formalism. Xun Can's remark about female beauty was a bold subversion of Han-dynasty orthodoxy on womanly virtue. The affair is also recorded in the *Biezhuan of Xun Can*: he married a daughter of Cao Hong, who was very beautiful, and they were deeply devoted. When she died, he grieved so bitterly that he died a year or so later, at the age of twenty-nine. Liu Yiqing included this not merely for sensationalism but to capture the spirit of the age: 'The one in whom feeling is concentrated is precisely our kind.' Reading this passage requires placing it in the intellectual background of the collapse of Han ritual order and the rediscovery of individual sentiment.

《世说新语》为南朝宋临川王刘义庆组织门客编纂的志人小说集，分三十六门，记东汉至东晋名士言行轶事，《惑溺》为第三十五门，意谓沉迷不悟、溺于情色而不能自拔。本段所记荀粲，字奉倩，颍川颍阴人，东汉名臣荀彧之幼子，曹魏著名玄学家，以好言道、尚玄远著称。魏晋之际，玄学兴起，名士崇尚自然真情、轻视礼法拘束，荀粲「妇人当以色为主」之论，正是对汉代以来「妇德」正统观念的大胆反拨。其事又见《荀粲别传》：粲聘曹洪女，容服甚丽，专房燕婉，妇亡后痛悼不已，岁余亦亡，年二十九。刘义庆采入《惑溺》，并非单纯猎奇，而是借以呈现魏晋士人「情之所钟，正在我辈」的精神面貌。理解此段，须置于汉魏礼法崩解、个体情感价值被重新发现的思想史背景中，方能见其深意。荀粲其人，在《三国志》裴松之注所引《荀粲传》中亦有记述，其与傅嘏、何晏等共倡玄风，时号「正始之音」之前驱，其重情轻礼的言行，实为魏晋风度中「人的觉醒」之一端。刘义庆以简净之笔收入《惑溺》，既存一时之风流，亦为后世留下「情之所钟，正在我辈」的注脚。更可注意者，汉魏之际礼法虽存而名教已裂，士人于夫妇伦常之上别求真情，荀粲之论虽偏激，却正戳中时代之痛，其文献价值与审美意义俱不可小觑。

Art

The artistic power lies in extreme economy and getting more with less. The opening six characters, 'Xun Fengqian was deeply devoted to his wife,' establish the theme with the single word 'devoted.' The vivid detail—'In winter, his wife had a fever, so he went out to the courtyard to let himself become cold, then returned and pressed his body against hers'—makes the abstract devotion tangible through a series of plain actions: go out, take cold, return, press. The narrative pace is restrained: the death of wife and his own shortly after is told in just ten characters, leaving a powerful silence. Then the provocative remark of Xun Can is inserted, and finally Pei Kai's balanced comment. The whole passage has no waste words; narration, portraiture, recorded speech, and evaluation interweave, showing the consummate white-sketch technique of the *Shishuo* style. Its brevity renders intense emotion, and its influence extends to later anecdote and fiction.

这段文字的艺术魅力全在删繁就简、以少胜多。开篇「荀奉倩与妇至笃」六字立骨，一「笃」字统领全段深情。随即以一个极具画面感的细节——「冬月妇病热，乃出中庭自取冷，还以身熨之」——将抽象之「笃」化为可感之痴行，动作连贯（出、取、还、熨），不加形容而痴态如见。叙事节奏极有节制：写生离死别仅用「妇亡，奉倩后少时亦卒」十字，戛然而止，留白处悲慨无穷。继而插入人物直接言论「妇人德不足称，当以色为主」，以惊世骇俗之语凸显其任诞。结尾裴楷「兴到之事，非盛德言」一评，既为荀粲开脱，又替读者释疑，使全段于张力中归于平允。通篇无一字赘语，而叙事、写人、记言、论评四者相生，正是《世说》最擅长的白描笔法。刘义庆编纂《世说》，本意在「执拗琐言，皆成隽永」，此段正是其旨的缩影：不议论而议论自在，不抒情而情致自深。以「出中庭自取冷，还以身熨之」二句状痴，以「妇亡，奉倩后少时亦卒」十字写死，繁简之间，生死之痛俱现。其叙事如高手写生，遗貌取神，于极省处见极浓，足证六朝小说「以形写神」的笔力已臻化境，亦开后世笔记小品与传奇小说写人之法门，影响直至唐人《游仙窟》、宋人《夷坚志》而未尽。

Allusions

The figures and references in this passage have deep origins. Xun Can was the son of Xun Yu of the prominent Yingchuan Xun clan; 'Pei Ling' refers to Pei Kai, courtesy name Shuze, a Western Jin worthy who served as Director of the Secretariat and was known as a 'jade man.' The phrase 'infatuation' derives from the *Book of Rites* and Daoist warnings against indulgence. Xun Can's saying, 'A woman's virtue is not worth praising; it is her beauty that should be primary,' actually stems from his metaphysical view, contrasting with the tradition of praising feminine virtue found in the *Odes* and the *Biographies of Exemplary Women*. Later literary allusions such as 'Xun Qian's old feeling,' 'grieving for Xun Qian,' and 'not refusing to warm her with my body' all originate here. The image was later used by Li Shangyin and Nalan Xingde (e.g., 'not refusing ice and snow to warm you'), becoming a lasting symbol of deep love in Chinese literature.

本段所涉人物与典故皆有其渊源。荀粲为荀彧之子，荀氏为颍川望族，汉魏之际门第清谈之代表；裴令即裴楷，字叔则，西晋名士，官至中书令，时人目为「玉人」。「惑溺」一门之名，本于《礼记》「欲不可纵，志不可满」及道家戒溺于物欲之意，刘义庆借以统摄沉迷女色、嫉妒、情爱诸事，已含价值判断。而荀粲「妇人当以色为主」一语，实源自其「妇人才智不足论，自宜以色为主」的玄学式偏见，并与《诗经》以来「窈窕淑女」以德为本的传统、《列女传》的妇德叙事形成对照。值得注意的是，后世「荀倩旧情」「情伤荀倩」「不辞为卿热」等典故皆由此出，成为诗词中写悼亡至情、写夫妻深爱的常用典实，足见此一小品在文学意象史上的深远影响。又裴楷字叔则，时称「玉人」，其评荀粲之语见于《世说》本文，足见当时名士彼此相知之深；而「荀令伤神」「不辞为卿热」诸语，自李商隐「不辞鶗鴂妒年芳」、纳兰性德「不辞冰雪为卿热」以下，代代有承，遂成中国文学中至情符号之一。此段虽不足百字，而由人物、典故、意象交织成网，自魏晋风流直贯唐宋诗词，其沾溉之远、转化之活，实非寻常小品可比，足证《世说》一书在文学意象史上的枢纽地位。

Commentary

A close reading reveals three layers of meaning. On the surface, it is a record: Xun Can cooled his wife with his own body, and when she died, he died soon after; the world ridiculed him. Yet the phrase 'for this he was ridiculed by the world' does not endorse the ridicule; it leaves an ironic space—the world laughs at the fool, but the fool is the true man of feeling. On the middle level, Xun's saying that beauty should be primary over virtue is a radical expression of Wei-Jin naturalism, contrasting with the hypocrisy of ritualized morality. On the deepest level, Pei Kai's defense—'a matter of passing mood, not words of great virtue'—disarms misunderstanding, showing that Xun was not propounding doctrine but simply speaking from the heart. The three layers combine to make this brief piece rich in narrative, thought, and interpretive openness. Liu Yiqing's non-judgmental record is the highest art: he lets the facts speak, inviting each reader to judge.

细读此段，意味有三层可寻。表层是记事：荀粲以身为妻降温、妻亡己亦亡，世俗讥其惑溺。然细味「以是获讥于世」一语，作者并未认同世俗之讥，反以平叙出之，留下反讽空间——世人笑其痴，而痴者乃真性情中人。中层是论：荀粲「妇人德不足称，当以色为主」之语，看似轻德重色，实则是魏晋名士以自然真情对抗礼法虚伪的极端表达，其背后是「越名教而任自然」的时代思潮。深层则是裴楷的回护：「兴到之事，非盛德言，冀后人未昧此语」，一语道破荀粲本非以理论道，不过是情之所至的率真之谈，劝后人勿执字面而生误解。三层叠加，使这不足百字的小品兼具故事性、思想性与阐释的开放性，刘义庆不置可否的史家笔法，恰为其最高明处。后世论者或讥荀粲轻德，然置于汉魏之际名教裂坏、真情方生的语境中，其言正是对虚伪礼法的反动；刘义庆不置一辞而全幅呈现，正是史家「春秋笔法」的温和变体。读此段者，当于「获讥于世」四字中体察作者微意，更当于裴楷回护之语中，见出魏晋士人相恤相谅、不以常格相绳的精神气质。短短数行，记事、写人、记言、论评俱备，而余味悠长，刘义庆「不言之教」的笔法，恰为此类小品树立了一种以简驭繁、以淡写浓的最高范式。

Prosody

Reading note The rhythm is achieved through variation in sentence length and narrative pacing, not through tonal prosody. The prose moves from short staccato clauses to longer flowing ones, creating effects of urgency and reflection.此段为文言笔记小说，非诗非赋，故其节奏不在平仄押韵，而在文句的疏密、句式的长短与叙事的断连。全文以散句为主，间以短句顿挫，如「妇亡，奉倩后少时亦卒」以两个四字句截断叙事，节奏骤紧，悲慨立见；而「乃出中庭自取冷，还以身熨之」以连动句式写连续动作，节奏舒缓如见其行。人物语言则另作处理：荀粲之语「妇人德不足称，当以色为主」为精炼的判断句，戛戛独造；裴楷之语「此乃是兴到之事，非盛德言，冀后人未昧此语」则为层层递进的解说句，舒缓周至。整体句式奇偶相生、长短错落，于极简省中见出从容章法，正是六朝小品文「简远」风格的典型体现，与骈俪浓丽之文判然两途。

Line by line

荀奉倩与妇至笃，冬月妇病热，乃出中庭自取冷，还以身熨之。

Xun Fengqian was deeply devoted to his wife. In winter, his wife had a fever, so he went out to the courtyard to chill himself, then returned and pressed his body against hers. This detail reveals his selfless, instinctive love and has become a famous image of passion.

Xun Fengqian was deeply devoted to his wife. In winter she had a fever; he went out to the courtyard to cool himself, then returned and warmed her with his own body.

此句为全段最动人的细节，亦是中国文学写「至情」的千古名笔。「至笃」二字提纲，「冬月」点明严寒，妻子病热而丈夫反赴庭中自冻，再回室以体温为妻降温，一连串动作「出」「取」「还」「熨」朴实无华却痴绝动人。它之所以动人，在于完全超越利害计较，是一种本能的、忘我的爱。后世「不辞为卿热」之典即源于此。较之潘岳《悼亡》的哀婉、元稹《遣悲怀》的沉痛，荀粲此行不以文辞胜，而以行动胜，恰恰印证了《世说》记行「高简瑰奇」之妙，寥寥数语而深情毕露。

The devotion. Xun Fengqian was deeply devoted to his wife. In winter she had a fever; he went out to the courtyard to cool himself, then returned and warmed her with his own body. The deeply-devoted and the cooled-himself-then-warmed-her are the detail. To have warmed her with his body would be a warming; the xun-fengqian-was-deeply-devoted-to-his-wife-in-winter-she-had-a-fever-he-went-out-to-the-courtyard-to-cool-himself-then-returned-and-warmed-her-with-his-own-body is the warming.

裴令闻之，曰此乃是兴到之事，非盛德言，冀后人未昧此语。

When Director Pei heard this, he said, 'This was a remark made in a moment of inspiration, not a maxim of great virtue. I hope later people will not be confused by it.' Pei's defense contextualizes the remark as an expression of momentary feeling.

When Pei Ling heard of it, he said this was an impulse of feeling, not a maxim of perfect virtue; he hoped later readers would not misunderstand.

裴楷此评是全段的收束与点睛，体现了魏晋名士之间相知之深与解人之明。他不以卫道士口吻斥荀粲轻德，也不以清谈家姿态附和其说，而是精准地指出：荀粲之语只是「兴到」——即情致所至、脱口而出的率真之言，并非可以垂训的「盛德之言」。「冀后人未昧此语」则是替读者预作提点，怕后人执泥字面、误读荀粲。这一回护既保全了荀粲的任真，又不为其偏论背书，分寸极好。裴楷其人本以通达宽厚称，此评正见其识量，亦可见六朝士人论人论事尚圆融、恶执滞的风神。

The comment. When Pei Ling heard of it, he said this was an impulse of feeling, not a maxim of perfect virtue; he hoped later readers would not misunderstand. The impulse-of-feeling and the not-perfect-virtue-maxim and the hoped-readers-would-not-misunderstand are the close. To have commented would be a commenting; the when-pei-ling-heard-of-it-he-said-this-was-an-impulse-of-feeling-not-a-maxim-of-perfect-virtue-he-hoped-later-readers-would-not-misunderstand is the commenting.

Study

Word focus

至笃 Extremely devoted; 'zhi' means 'to the utmost,' 'du' means 'thick' or 'deep,' used to describe profound and sincere affection, setting the tone for the whole passage. 「至笃」之「笃」本义为厚、深，《诗经》「笃公刘」已用其厚义，后引申为情意深厚、忠诚专一。刘义庆以「与妇至笃」四字开篇立骨，一「至」字极尽程度，一「笃」字定下全段深情基调，统摄后文熨妇、殉情、异论诸事。此词用得极省，却胜过千言铺叙，是《世说》叙事「高简」的典型：不写如何恩爱，只下一「笃」字，而恩爱自在言外。六朝品评人物好用「至」「笃」「深」等字，正反映其时重情的风尚。

兴到 A moment of arising inspiration; 'xing' means mood or inspiration, 'dao' means 'arrive.' Pei Kai uses this to indicate that Xun's remark was a spontaneous, unreflective utterance, not a considered moral judgment. 「兴到之事」之「兴」读作xìng，指兴致、情致所至，六朝清谈与文学创作中「兴」为核心概念，如「乘兴而来」「兴尽而返」。裴楷以「兴到」解荀粲之论，意谓那只是情致触发、脱口而出的偶然之言，并非深思熟虑的定论。此二字极有分寸：既不全盘肯定，也不简单否定，而是还其「率真偶发」的本相。用「兴到」一词，亦见裴楷本人深谙玄学「任自然」之旨，故能不以常理绳人，足见六朝人物相与之通达。

惑溺 Infatuation; 'huo' means delusion, 'ni' means drowning or being obsessed. The title of this chapter in the *Shishuo* carries a hint of criticism, yet the author's attitude is sympathetic, creating irony. 「惑溺」为《世说》此门之名，意为迷惑沉溺、溺于所好而不能自拔，语本道家与儒家戒贪戒溺之训。刘义庆以此统摄沉迷女色、嫉妒诸事，本含贬抑之意。然细读本段，作者对荀粲实多同情，「以是获讥于世」之「讥」出自世俗而非作者，足见「惑溺」之题与其内容是反讽性的张力结构。一词既点出门类主旨，又反衬出至情超越礼法评判的悲剧之美，名实之间饶有深味，是《世说》门类命名深具匠心的一例。