清 Qing · 诗 Poem
狱中赠邹容
Given to Zou Rong in Prison
邹容吾小弟，被发下瀛州。
快剪刀除辫，干牛肉作糇。
英雄一入狱，天地亦悲秋。
临命须掺手，乾坤只两头。
Quick, the scissors cut the queue; dried beef for your provisions.
Once a hero enters prison, heaven and earth too mourn the autumn.
At the end, we must clasp hands; under heaven there are but two heads.
Meaning
Zou Rong, ah my little brother, with loose flowing hair you went down to the Ying Isles (Japan). Quick, the scissors cut off the queue; dried beef serves as your rations. Once a hero enters prison, heaven and earth too mourn the autumn. At the moment of death we must clasp hands; under heaven there are but two heads.
邹容啊我的小兄弟，披散着头发远下瀛州（日本）。快剪刀剪去辫子，干牛肉当作干粮。英雄一旦身陷牢狱，天地也为之悲秋。临刑之时须要紧握双手，这乾坤之间不过只剩两颗头颅。
Appreciation
The whole poem is in the five-character old style, unadorned, plain and near speech yet weighty as a thousand jun. The first couplet, like household talk, directly calls 'my little brother', intimate yet showing the bond of comrades. The second couplet, 'Quick, the scissors cut the queue; dried beef for your provisions', with the plainest description writes the resolve and hardship of the revolutionary youth; the word 'quick' shows the crispness of the act. The third couplet, 'heaven and earth too mourn the autumn', sets off feeling with scene, solemn and desolate. The closing couplet, 'at the end we must clasp hands; under heaven there are but two heads', encourages each other facing death, with hearts laid bare. Vigorous and grieving, it directly pursues the bone of Han and Wei.
【白话串讲】 章太炎和邹容一起下狱，章太炎写：“邹容吾小弟，被发下瀛州”——邹容这个年轻人，剪辫子去日本。“快剪刀除辫，干牛肉作糇”——“英雄一入狱，天地亦悲秋”。“临命须掺手，乾坤只两头”——要死，我们一起。 【意象与手法】 全诗以五言古体写就，不尚雕饰，朴拙近口语而力量千钧。首联如话家常直呼'吾小弟'，亲切中见同志之谊 【情感与主旨】 章炳麟（1869—1936），号太炎。1903年邹容《革命军》出版，章为之序，二人因《苏报》案被上海租界当局拘捕 【名句点睛】 本诗为近代革命诗名篇。考点：一、'快剪刀除辫，干牛肉作糇'的白描手法与革命青年形象
Background
Zhang Binglin (1869–1936), styled Taiyan. In 1903, when Zou Rong's 'Revolutionary Army' was published, Zhang wrote its preface; the two were arrested by the Shanghai concession authorities in the 'Su Newspaper Case'. Zhang wrote this poem in prison for Zou Rong (1885–1905), who was then only nineteen, and whom Zhang called 'little brother'. The line 'with loose hair you went down to the Ying Isles' refers to Zou Rong's study in Japan; 'cut the queue' means cutting off the Qing-mandated queue, both acts of anti-Qing revolution. Both later died in prison, and this poem became the swan-song of modern revolutionary friendship and the spirit of sacrifice.
《狱中赠邹容》为近代章炳麟（章太炎）所作，是狱中赠邹容、写革命之志的诗。章炳麟（1869—1936），字枚叔，号太炎，余杭人，近代思想家、革命家。此诗：邹容吾小弟，被发下瀛州。快剪刀除辫，干牛肉作糇。英雄一入狱，天地亦悲秋。临命须掺手，乾坤只两头。全诗写狱中赠邹容、革命之志，是章炳麟诗的名篇。
Art
The whole poem is in the five-character old style, unadorned, plain and near speech yet weighty as a thousand jun. The first couplet, like household talk, directly calls 'my little brother', intimate yet showing the bond of comrades; the second couplet, 'Quick, the scissors cut the queue; dried beef for your provisions', with the plainest description writes the resolve and hardship of the revolutionary youth, the word 'quick' showing the crispness of the act. The third couplet, 'heaven and earth too mourn the autumn', sets off feeling with scene, solemn and desolate. The closing couplet, 'at the end we must clasp hands; under heaven there are but two heads', encourages each other facing death, with hearts laid bare. Vigorous and grieving, it directly pursues the bone of Han and Wei.
《狱中赠邹容》艺术上以邹容之咏的豪迈与革命之志的悲壮见长。全诗八句，层层写来：前二句写邹容被发下瀛州——“邹容吾小弟，被发下瀛州”写邹容小弟、被发下瀛州；中四句写剪辫作糇——“快剪刀除辫，干牛肉作糇”写快剪除辫、干牛肉作糇，“英雄一入狱，天地亦悲秋”写英雄入狱、天地悲秋；末二句写临命掺手——“临命须掺手，乾坤只两头”写临命掺手、乾坤只两头。全诗以邹容之咏写革命之志，正是章炳麟诗悲壮的笔法。
Allusions
The poem uses very few allusions yet its spirit is true. 'Loose hair' is from the 'Analects' image of 'loose hair and left lapel' for the barbarian, used in reverse to write Zou Rong's freedom from Qing bonds and unconstrained air, also quietly holding an anti-Manchu stance. 'Ying Isles' means Japan (the eastern fairy isle), standing for going east to study. 'Cut the queue' is the hallmark action of late-Qing revolution, symbolizing the break with the Qing court. 'Clasp hands' means to join hands, from the 'Shi Jing · Bei Feng · North Wind' — 'join hands and go together' — here writing encouragement facing death, sharing life and death. The whole poem turns old references into words of blood, not a book-bag yet with its own ancient air.
《狱中赠邹容》用典在“被发”“瀛州”“掺手”。“被发”写披发（幼时披发、有为之意）；“瀛州”写瀛洲（海外之地，喻日本）；“掺手”写执手（《诗经》“掺掺女手”意）。全诗以这些意象写邹容、革命之志，用典自然而悲壮自见，正是章炳麟诗的笔法。
Commentary
This poem is passed down together with Zou Rong's 'Revolutionary Army'; Lu Xun said of Zhang Taiyan that 'his deeds left in revolutionary history are in truth greater than those in scholarly history'. A modern critic said of his poetry 'in the plain shows true spirit, in the desolate shows liver-and-gall'. The couplet 'at the end we must clasp hands' writes to the full the modern patriot's bone of 'heads may be cut, yet will not be bent', and is praised as the swan-song of revolutionary poetry.
《狱中赠邹容》是章炳麟诗的名篇，也是近代革命诗中写革命之志的代表作。此诗写狱中赠邹容、革命之志，向为论者称道。论者多赏其邹容之咏的豪迈与革命之志的悲壮——“邹容吾小弟，被发下瀛州”写邹容小弟、被发下瀛州，豪迈之极；“快剪刀除辫，干牛肉作糇”写快剪除辫、干牛肉作糇，更见其侠；“英雄一入狱，天地亦悲秋”写英雄入狱、天地悲秋，尤见其壮；“临命须掺手，乾坤只两头”写临命掺手、乾坤两头，尤见其烈。章炳麟为革命先驱，其诗以悲壮著称，此诗正是其代表——以邹容之咏写革命之志，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
邹容吾小弟，被发下瀛州。
Zou Rong, my young brother, hair unbound, you sailed down to Yingzhou.
邹容吾小弟，被发下瀛州。
Zou Rong, my little brother, with hair unbound, went down to Yingzhou (Japan).
首写邹容小弟、被发下瀛州，是全诗写邹容之豪的起点。“邹容吾小弟”写邹容吾小弟——“邹容吾小弟”写邹容是我小弟（革命战友）——邹容吾小弟；“被发下瀛州”写被发下瀛州——“被发下瀛州”写披发下瀛洲（东渡日本）——被发下瀛州。二句写邹容小弟、被发下瀛州：邹容吾小弟，被发下瀛州。以“邹容吾小弟”写视邹容如弟之亲（革命同志），以“被发下瀛州”写披发东渡瀛洲之豪，正是章炳麟诗写邹容之豪的起点——少年同志，披发东渡。
The opening writes Zou Rong as a young brother, hair unbound for Yingzhou, the starting point of the poem's writing of Zou Rong's boldness. Zou Rong, my young brother writes Zou Rong as my younger brother (revolutionary comrade). Hair unbound, you sailed down to Yingzhou writes the unbound hair and the eastward crossing to Japan. Two lines: Zou Rong, my little brother; hair unbound for Yingzhou. Writing the regarding of Zou Rong as a dear brother (comrade in the revolution), writing the boldness of the unbound eastward crossing, precisely the starting point of Zhang Binglin's writing of Zou Rong's boldness — the young comrade, hair unbound, crossing the eastern sea.
快剪刀除辫，干牛肉作糇。
A quick snip of the scissors cut off the queue; dried beef served you for road provisions.
快剪刀除辫，干牛肉作糇。
With sharp scissors he cut off his queue; dried beef he made his journey's provision.
此二句写快剪除辫、干牛肉作糇，是全诗写邹容之侠的深化。“快剪刀除辫”写快剪除辫——“快剪刀除辫”写用快剪刀剪除发辫（反清）——快剪刀除辫；“干牛肉作糇”写干牛肉作糇——“干牛肉作糇”写干牛肉作干粮（糇为干粮）——干牛肉作糇。二句写快剪除辫、干牛肉作糇：快剪刀除辫，干牛肉作糇。以“快剪刀除辫”写快剪除辫、志在反清之快，以“干牛肉作糇”写干牛肉作干粮、行役之简，正是章炳麟诗写邹容之侠的深化——除辫作糇，侠气凌云。
The two lines write the quick scissors and the dried beef, the deepening of the poem's writing of Zou Rong's chivalry. A quick snip of the scissors cut off the queue writes the sharp scissors cutting the braid (anti-Qing). Dried beef served you for road provisions writes the dried meat as traveling fare. Two lines: the quick snip cutting the queue, the dried beef as provisions. Writing the quick cut of the queue and the resolve of anti-Qing, writing the dried beef as provision and the simplicity of the journey, precisely the deepening of the chivalry — the cut queue and the dry fare, the knight's spirit touching the clouds.
英雄一入狱，天地亦悲秋。
Once the hero is thrown in prison, heaven and earth grieve as in autumn.
英雄一入狱，天地亦悲秋。
Once a hero enters prison, heaven and earth themselves grieve as in autumn.
此二句写英雄入狱、天地悲秋，是全诗写革命之悲的深化。“英雄一入狱”写英雄入狱——“英雄一入狱”写英雄一入狱中——英雄一入狱；“天地亦悲秋”写天地悲秋——“天地亦悲秋”写天地亦为之悲秋——天地亦悲秋。二句写英雄入狱、天地悲秋：英雄一入狱，天地亦悲秋。以“英雄一入狱”写英雄入狱之悲，以“天地亦悲秋”写天地亦为之悲秋（悲愤），正是章炳麟诗写革命之悲的深化——英雄入狱，天地同悲。
The two lines write the hero in prison, heaven and earth grieving, the deepening of the poem's grief for the revolution. Once the hero is thrown in prison writes the hero entering the jail. Heaven and earth grieve as in autumn writes the world itself grieving the autumn. Two lines: the hero once in prison, heaven and earth grieving. Writing the grief of the hero's imprisonment, writing heaven and earth sharing the grief (indignation), precisely the deepening of the revolutionary grief — the hero in bonds, the world in mourning.
临命须掺手，乾坤只两头。
At the brink of death we must clasp hands; between heaven and earth, but two heads remain.
临命须掺手，乾坤只两头。
At the moment of death, we must clasp hands; between heaven and earth, there are but our two heads.
末写临命掺手、乾坤只两头，是全诗写革命之志的归结。“临命须掺手”写临命掺手——“临命须掺手”用《诗经》掺手之意写临命之时须执手（相勉）——临命须掺手；“乾坤只两头”写乾坤只两头——“乾坤只两头”写乾坤之间只有我们两头（两人相守）——乾坤只两头。二句写临命掺手、乾坤只两头：临命须掺手，乾坤只两头。以“临命须掺手”写临命之时执手相勉（从容就义），以“乾坤只两头”写乾坤之间只你我两头（至死相随），正是章炳麟诗写革命之志的归结——生死与共，只余两头。
The closing writes the clasped hands at death's door, the two heads between heaven and earth, the resolution of the poem's revolutionary resolve. At the brink of death we must clasp hands uses the Book of Songs' sense of clasping hands, writes the clasping at the hour of death (mutual encouragement). Between heaven and earth, but two heads remain writes the world between holding but our two heads (two standing together). Two lines: clasping hands at death, two heads between heaven and earth. Writing the clasping at death's door (meeting death calmly), writing the two heads alone between heaven and earth (together until death), precisely the resolution of the revolutionary resolve — sharing life and death, two heads remaining.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
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