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南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 文 Prose

颜氏家训·序致

Preface to the Family Instructions of Master Yan

颜之推

Yan Zhitui

家训Theme 颜之推Theme 南北朝Theme

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夫圣贤之书，教人诚孝，慎言检迹，立身扬名，亦已备矣。
魏晋已来，所著诸子，理重事复，递相模敩，犹屋下架屋，床上施床耳。
吾今所以复为此者，非敢轨物范世也，业以整齐门内，提撕子孙。
夫同言而信，信其所亲；
同命而行，行其所服。
禁童子之暴谑，则师友之诫，不如傅婢之指挥；
止凡人之斗阋，则尧舜之道，不如寡妻之诲谕。
吾望此书为汝曹之所信，犹贤于傅婢寡妻耳。
吾家风教，素为整密。
昔在龆龀，便蒙诱诲；
每从两兄，晓夕温清，规行矩步，安辞定色，锵锵翼翼，若朝严君焉。
赐以优言，问所好尚，励短引长，莫不恳笃。
年始九岁，便丁荼蓼，家涂离散，百口索然。
慈兄鞠养，苦辛备至；
有仁无威，导示不切。
虽读礼传，微爱属文，颇为凡人之所陶染，肆欲轻言，不修边幅。
年十八九，少知砥砺，习若自然，卒难洗荡。
二十已后，大过稀焉；
每常心共口敌，性与情竞，夜觉晓非，今悔昨失，自怜无教，以至于斯。
追思平昔之指，铭肌镂骨，非徒古书之诫，经目过耳也。
故留此二十篇，以为汝曹后车耳。

The books of the sages teach sincerity and filial piety, careful speech and restrained conduct, the establishing of oneself and the making of a name - all this is already complete. Since the Wei and Jin, the various masters have repeated the same matter, copying one another, like building a house beneath a house, or setting a bed upon a bed. The reason I now write this again is not to presume to model the age or instruct the world, but to set my household in order and rouse my descendants.
Of the same words, men believe those of their kin; of the same commands, they obey those they revere. To check a child's wild jesting, the counsel of teacher and friend is less than the maid's command; to stop common folk's brawling, the way of Yao and Shun is less than the wife's teaching. I wish this book to be trusted by you as better than maid and wife.
My family's teaching has long been tight and careful. In childhood I was gently instructed; ever with my two elder brothers, at dawn and dusk I attended to their comfort, walked in measure and stood in form, with calm words and settled countenance, ringing and reverent, as before a stern father. At nine I lost my mother; the house scattered, a hundred mouths desolate. My kind brother fostered me, with bitter toil; he had kindness but no awe, and guided without pressing. Though I read the rites and traditions, I faintly loved letters, and was much stained by common men - giving rein to wish and light of speech, careless of appearance. At eighteen or nineteen I barely learned to temper myself, and habit became nature, hard at last to wash away. After twenty, my great faults grew rare; often heart and mouth were at odds, nature and feeling strove; night I saw the morning's fault, today I rue yesterday's lapse - pitying my own lack of teaching, I came to this. Thinking back on past guidance, it is engraved in muscle and bone, not merely the admonition of old books that passed the eye and ear. Therefore I leave these twenty chapters as a cart behind for you.

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Meaning

Yan Zhitui explains why he wrote his family instructions: to order his household and rouse his descendants, not to mend the age.

古时圣贤的书籍，教人忠诚孝顺、言语谨慎、检束行迹、立身扬名，道理已经说得很完备了。魏晋以来，人们所著的诸子之书，事理重复、彼此模仿，就好比在屋里又盖屋、床上又架床。我如今之所以也写这样一部书，不敢说是要作为世人的规范，只是要整顿家门、提醒子孙罢了。同样的话有人信，是因为说话的是他所亲近的人；同样的吩咐有人照办，是因为嘱咐的是他所敬服的人。要禁止孩童的放肆戏闹，师友的告诫不如侍婢的指挥；要止息常人兄弟间的争斗，尧舜的道理不如妻子的劝谕。我希望这部书能为你们所信服，总还胜过侍婢和妻子的话吧。我家的门风家教，向来严整周密。我童年时便受到诱导教诲；常常跟随两位兄长，早晚侍奉父母、冬温夏清，举动合乎规矩、言辞安详神色端庄，步履恭敬，如同朝见严父。长辈赐予勉励的话语，询问我的爱好，勉励我补短扬长，无不恳切深厚。我才九岁，便遭父母丧亡之苦，家道离散，百口萧条。慈兄抚养，辛苦备至；兄长有仁厚而无威严，督导不够切至。虽读礼传，略爱写文章，却颇受世俗之人熏染，放纵欲望、言语轻率，不修边幅。十八九岁时才开始稍知磨炼，习惯已成自然，终究难以洗刷。二十岁以后，大的过失少了；常常心中与嘴相克制，性与情相争竞，夜里觉悟清晨的过失，今日悔恨昨日的失误，自伤无人教诲，以至于此。追想平日的教诲，刻骨铭心，不只是古书上的诫语、过眼过耳而已。所以留下这二十篇，作为你们的后车之戒。

Appreciation

Yan Zhitui insists he writes nothing new - only for his own sons. Yet from that modest claim grows one of China's most quoted books on how to live, grounded in the author's honest reckoning with his own failings.

【白话串讲】颜之推写《颜氏家训》序：“夫圣贤之书，教人诚孝，慎言检迹，立身扬名”。“魏晋已来，所著诸子，理重事复，递相模敩，犹屋下架屋”——他批评那些重复堆砌的书。“业以整齐门内，提撕子孙”——他是为了教育子孙。中国第一部家训。【意象与手法】语言平实恳挚，不事雕饰而情理俱足。以“同言而信，信其所亲”的至理说明家训之效；以“夜觉晓非，今悔昨失”的自我反省引出著述缘由；“屋下架屋”以比喻批评重复堆砌之作。【情感与主旨】为全书二十篇自序，说明“整齐门内、提撕子孙”的宗旨，开家训“整齐门内”的实用传统与以亲身经历现身说法的家教传统，被誉“古今家训，以此为祖”，对《朱子家训》《曾国藩家书》影响深远。【名句点睛】常考“夫圣贤之书，教人诚孝，慎言检迹，立身扬名”立家训之纲；“同言而信，信其所亲”以亲服之人言说明家教之效。

Background

Yan Zhitui (531-591) wrote the 'Family Instructions of Master Yan' (Yanshi Jiaxun), a hugely influential guide to conduct for his sons, near the end of his life, drawing on a turbulent career across northern and southern dynasties.

颜之推字介，琅邪临沂人，历经梁、北齐、北周、隋四朝，是南北朝末期著名的文学家、教育家与训诂学家。《颜氏家训》成书于隋代，凡二十篇，系统论述了立身、治家、勉学、涉务等方方面面，是中国古代家训的集大成之作。本篇《序致》为全书第一篇，相当于自序，旨在说明著述动机。其写作背景，一是颜氏身处乱世、身经数代，深惧子孙不知立身之道而败德；二是针对魏晋以来子书「理重事复、递相模敩」的流弊，声明自己不作空谈轨范之书，而专以齐家训后为务。尤为关键者，颜之推自叙「年始九岁便丁荼蓼」「有仁无威，导示不切」的成长缺憾，以及「少知砥砺，习若自然，卒难洗荡」的后悔，正是这种切身体悟，使他要把教训留给子孙，免其重蹈覆辙。理解此序，须置于南北朝世家大族重视门风家教、而丧乱之际尤需以文字维系家族的精神传统的背景之中。颜之推一生跨四朝、历三乱，亲见门第之荣衰与典籍之散亡，其著家训以存门风，实有乱世中维系家族文化血脉的深忧。此序虽短，而「整齐门内、提撕子孙」八字，已为全书定下切实而不虚高之基调，亦使《颜氏家训》迥异于空谈名理的玄言与侈谈轨范的帝王家训，成为真正「接地」的家教典范，对后世如《朱子家训》《袁氏世范》影响极为深远。

Art

The preface is a modest, self-deprecating justification: he knows he repeats old wisdom, but writes for his own household, not posterity. The closing self-portrait of a man rueing his own untaught youth gives the whole book its intimate authority.

此序的艺术特征在「平实恳挚、以理服人、以身证道」。与六朝骈文尚丽尚偶的风气不同，颜之推此文以散体出之，语言质直如老者絮语，却字字从肺腑流出。其结构极有层次：先以圣贤之书与魏晋诸子作铺垫，声明著述不过「整齐门内，提撕子孙」，态度谦退；随即拈出「同言而信，信其所亲；同命而行，行其所服」一组对偶，以极精练的至理说明家训的权威性来源，是全序的理眼；再以「禁童子之暴谑」「止凡人之斗阋」两个对比（师友之诫不如傅婢、尧舜之道不如寡妻），用生活化的例证将抽象之理坐实，说理透辟而幽默。后半篇转为自叙，以时间顺序（龆龀—九岁—十八九—二十已后）铺陈个人成长得失，「夜觉晓非，今悔昨失」八字写尽自省之痛，遂自然引出「故留此二十篇，以为汝曹后车」的著述宗旨。通篇由理及事、由事及己、由己及子孙，情理相生，不假雕琢而动人，是散体家训文「辞达而已」的典范。

Allusions

The 'house beneath a house, bed upon a bed' is his image for pointless repetition. Yao and Shun are the sage kings. The 'twenty chapters' are the book's sections.

序中典故与语汇多本于经史，体现颜之推深厚的儒学修养。「诚孝」本于《论语》《孝经》忠孝之训（隋人避杨忠讳改忠为诚）；「屋下架屋，床上施床」为南朝习用之谚语，比喻重复累赘，钟嵘《诗品》亦用以讥颜延之、谢庄之繁密。「傅婢」指侍婢，《汉书》中已有；「寡妻」本《诗经》「刑于寡妻」，指正妻；以「傅婢寡妻」对比「师友」「尧舜」，极写家训贵在亲服之理。「荼蓼」出自《诗经·周颂》「予又集于荼」，以苦菜喻丧亲之苦；「温清」出自《礼记》「冬温而夏凊」，指侍奉父母之礼。「后车」用《诗经·秦风》「溯洄从之，道阻且长」之属车、《国语》「前车覆，后车戒」之意，喻可为鉴戒之书。凡此皆见颜之推融化经史、以雅言写家常的功力，亦可见家训一体与儒家经典的深刻渊源。此外「提撕」本于《诗经》「言提其耳」，「丁荼蓼」化用《诗经》丧亲之喻，「后车」取「前车后戒」之训，皆以经典雅言写家常训诫，足见颜之推融化经传以立家训的深厚学养。其于日常劝诫中时时徵引《诗》《礼》《国语》，使家训不言而自具儒门气象，亦可见南北朝士大夫「家学」以经史为根柢的传统，对后世如朱熹《小学》、吕本中《童蒙训》以经史教子弟的取向影响甚深。

Commentary

Unique among classical essays for its candor about the gap between knowing and doing; it became the model 'family instructions' text for a millennium.

细读此序，可分三层意脉。第一层是「著书之由」：作者先承认圣贤之书道理已备、魏晋子书多重复，自己作此书不敢轨范世人，只为齐家训后。这种谦退的声明，既是对「屋下架屋」流弊的自觉规避，也为家训确立了「实用而非空谈」的品格。第二层是「家训之效」：作者以「同言而信，信其所亲」点破家训权威的来源——亲者、服者之言才有效，师友尧舜之大道反不如傅婢寡妻之切身教诲，这一对比既幽默又深刻，道尽家庭教育「身教亲授」的真谛。第三层是「自叙之悔」：作者回顾自己早年丧父、失于管教、染于世俗、习气难改的历程，以「夜觉晓非，今悔昨失」写自省之痛，终于落到「留此二十篇以为后车」。三层由理到事、由外到内，逻辑严密而情感真挚，尤其「自怜无教以至于斯」一句，将一个饱经世变的父祖对子孙最深的眷顾和盘托出，读之令人动容。此序最动人处，在于作者不端架子、不唱高调，而以一个「自怜无教以至于斯」的至情之语，将严父训子化为历劫长者的肺腑之言。颜之推以自身失教之悔为殷鉴，劝子孙勉力于学、谨饬于行，其「夜觉晓非，今悔昨失」的自省精神，至今犹足为世人警策。一篇短序，既立家训之宗旨，亦见作者之人格，故能流传千载而不朽，被后世推为「古今家训之祖」实非偶然。

Prosody

Reading note A rare first-person account of character formation; the seed of China's whole 'family rules' genre.此序为典型六朝散体文，虽与同期的徐庾骈文异趣，而仍以偶句与虚字相生，讲究文气流转而非丽辞堆砌。文中骈散并用：如「同言而信，信其所亲；同命而行，行其所服」为精整的四六对偶，以复沓（信其所亲、行其所服）增强语势；「禁童子之暴谑……不如傅婢之指挥；止凡人之斗阋……不如寡妻之诲谕」则以对称的长句对比出之，骈而不板。用典方面，多取经史常典（荼蓼、温清、后车、寡妻），融化无痕，与骈文之「隶事绵密」不同，重在「辞达」。句式长短错落，以「夫」「吾」「昔」「年始」「年十八九」「二十已后」等时间词与虚字为脉络，脉络清晰如话。整体节奏从容恳切、不疾不徐，与一位历世长者诲谕子孙的语调若合符契，是六朝散体家训文「质而能文、平而有韵」的代表，亦开启了唐宋古文「文以载道」的平易一脉。

Line by line

吾今所以复为此者，非敢轨物范世也，业以整齐门内，提撕子孙。

The reason I now write this again is not to presume to model the age, but to set my household in order and rouse my descendants.

The reason I now write this is not to set a pattern for the world, but to keep my own household in order and admonish my descendants.

此二句为全序的宗旨宣言，亦是中国家训文学的纲领性表述。「轨物范世」意谓以己为世间规范，这是一般子书、帝王家训常有的宏大抱负；颜之推却以「非敢」二字谦退谢去，转而标举「整齐门内，提撕子孙」——不过整饬自家门风、提醒自家后代而已。这一表态极有分寸：既避免了「屋下架屋」的空谈讥议，又精准界定了家训「私而切用」的本质。更深层看，它反映了颜之推历经数朝丧乱、深明「高论难行、切身方验」的务实精神。后世《朱子家训》《曾国藩家书》皆沿此「齐家而非治世」的基调，足见此二句对家训传统的定向之功。

The purpose. The reason I now write this is not to set a pattern for the world, but to keep my own household in order and admonish my descendants. The not-to-pattern-world and the keep-household-order-admonish-descendants are the manifesto. To have written for the household would be a writing; the the-reason-i-now-write-this-is-not-to-set-a-pattern-for-the-world-but-to-keep-my-own-household-in-order-and-admonish-my-descendants is the writing.

夫同言而信，信其所亲；同命而行，行其所服。

Of the same words, men believe those of their kin; of the same commands, they obey those they revere.

The same words are believed because spoken by those we love; the same commands are obeyed because given by those we respect.

此二句为全序的理眼，以一组精炼的对偶揭示了家训权威性的根源。「同言而信，信其所亲」是说同样一句话，人之所以信，是因为说话者是他所亲近的人；「同命而行，行其所服」是说同样的吩咐，人之所以奉行，是因为嘱咐者是他所敬服的人。颜之推由此导出：家庭教育之所以有效，不在道理多高深（尧舜之道不如寡妻诲谕），而在施教者是否亲而可服。这一洞见直指教育的核心——关系先于说教。六朝人重门第、重家风，此语正是对「门内教化」何以可能的理论概括，亦为后世「身教重于言传」的教育观张本，至今犹为至理。

The trust. The same words are believed because spoken by those we love; the same commands are obeyed because given by those we respect. The same-words-beloved speaker and the same-commands-respected giver are the principle. To have been believed would be a believing; the the-same-words-are-believed-because-spoken-by-those-we-love-the-same-commands-are-obeyed-because-given-by-those-we-respect is the believing.

每常心共口敌，性与情竞，夜觉晓非，今悔昨失，自怜无教，以至于斯。

Often heart and mouth were at odds, nature and feeling strove; night I saw the morning's fault, today I rue yesterday's lapse - pitying my own lack of teaching, I came to this.

Often my mind contends with my tongue, my nature struggles with my passions; at night I see the faults of the morning, today I repent yesterday's errors—pity me, untaught, that I have come to this.

此二句为序文自叙中最沉痛的一段，写作者成年后自我搏斗与悔恨的心路。「心共口敌」写心中所想与口中欲言相克制（即后来所谓「谨言」的修养），「性与情竞」写天性（恒常之性）与情欲相争竞；「夜觉晓非，今悔昨失」写每夜反省白日之非、今日悔恨昨日之失，化用《论语》「吾日三省」与曾子之意而更见痛切。结以「自怜无教，以至于斯」，将一切过失归因于早年失恃、教导不切。八句（含前后）连成一气，把一个因失教而沾染习气、及长勉力改过却倍觉艰难的士人形象写得剖心见骨，亦正是这番切肤之悔，构成了他著书诫子的根本动力，情理俱到，读之惕然。

The repentance. Often my mind contends with my tongue, my nature struggles with my passions; at night I see the faults of the morning, today I repent yesterday's errors—pity me, untaught, that I have come to this. The mind-contends-tongue and the nature-struggles-passion and the night-sees-faults-today-repents-errors are the self-examination. To have contended with the tongue would be a contending; the often-my-mind-contends-with-my-tongue-my-nature-struggles-with-my-passions-at-night-i-see-the-faults-of-the-morning-today-i-repent-yesterday's-errors-pity-me-untaught-that-i-have-come-to-this is the contending.

Study

Word focus

提撕 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「提撕子孙」之「提撕」本义为提引、提醒，《诗经·大雅》「匪面命之，言提其耳」已有相近之意。颜之推以「提撕」与「整齐门内」对举，意谓不只要整肃门风，更要以言语提引、时时警醒子孙。此词用于家训，既含长辈的慈爱提携，又含谆谆告诫的郑重，较「教诲」「训诫」更显亲切而有温度。六朝以前家训多用「诫」「训」，颜之推好以「提撕」这类带肢体联想的动词写教化，使抽象告诫具象化，亦可见其文风「以家常语写大道理」的特质。

荼蓼 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「年始九岁便丁荼蓼」之「荼蓼」本指苦菜与蓼草，味苦，《诗经·周颂·良耜》「其镈斯赵，以薅荼蓼」用之；后引申为艰苦、丧亲之痛的喻称。颜之推以「丁荼蓼」婉言九岁丧父（或父母），以草木之苦喻身世之艰，措语典雅而哀婉，是六朝文「以物象写悲」的常见手法。一字「荼蓼」，既写出早年失怙的实况，又暗伏下文「有仁无威，导示不切」——正因丧父、兄慈而少威，才导致自己失于管教，遂成全篇自悔的逻辑起点，炼字见章法。

后车 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「以为汝曹后车耳」之「后车」喻可为前车之鉴的训诫之书，语本「前车覆，后车戒」及古者属车（后车）载书以备鉴的礼制。颜之推以「后车」代指《颜氏家训》二十篇，意谓此书如随行之后车，可为子孙行事之鉴戒。以车马之喻写训诫之书，比直称「此书」「此训」形象得多，且暗含「前辙可鉴、后行当慎」的劝勉深意。这一比喻贴切地诠释了家训「以过往教训导引未来行为」的本质功能，是颜之推散文中以喻说理的精妙一例。