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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

夏日绝句

A Summer Quatrain

李清照

Li Qingzhao

咏史historical reflection 气节integrity 壮志lofty aspiration

生当作人杰，死亦为鬼雄。
至今思项羽，不肯过江东。

In life be a hero among men;
In death be a valiant ghost among the dead.
To this day we remember Xiang Yu,
Who would not cross east of the river.

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Meaning

In just twenty characters the poem proclaims a towering ideal of life and death and honors Xiang Yu's refusal to survive in shame, implicitly mocking the Southern Song court that cowered south of the river.

活着应当做人中豪杰，死了也要做鬼中英雄。至今仍思念项羽，因他宁死不肯渡过江东苟活。

Appreciation

Twenty characters alone, yet they fill the sky. The first couplet sets forth a stance of standing straight between heaven and earth — a hero in life, a valiant ghost in death. The second cites Xiang Yu, who at the Wu River would not cross east to live on in disgrace, thereby erecting a model of heroic integrity. The poem is direct utterance with no scenic padding; Xiang Yu's refusal sharply contrasts the complacent Southern-Song court, satirizing the age under a hidden edge. Rare among Li Qingzhao's works for its ringing force, it differs utterly from her soft lyric vein.

【白话串讲】 “生当作人杰，死亦为鬼雄”——李清照写项羽：活着要做人中豪杰，死了也是鬼中英雄。“至今思项羽，不肯过江东”——她借项羽，讽刺南宋朝廷不敢抗金。一个女子的豪气，超过无数男子。【意象与手法】直抒胸臆，不用景物铺陈；以项羽“不肯过江东”的决绝反衬南渡君臣的苟安，借古讽今，锋芒暗藏。【情感与主旨】借项羽之死抒写对英雄气节的推崇，暗讽南宋朝廷偏安江南、不思恢复，是李清照诗中罕见的铿锵之作。【名句点睛】 “生当作人杰，死亦为鬼雄”——二十字立起顶天立地的人生观，遂成千古励志名句。

Background

After Li Qingzhao fled south, the Southern-Song court sat complacently south of the river, with no thought of recovery. Using the tale of Xiang Yu's death at the Wu River, she voiced heroic integrity and a hidden satire of that complacency, probably written during the Jianyan years.

李清照《夏日绝句》一作《乌江》，为五言绝句，作于南渡之后。建炎三年（1129）二月，赵明诚罢江宁知府，将赴湖州，时金兵南侵，局势动荡。李清照随行，途经乌江，有感于项羽自刎事而作此诗。乌江即项羽兵败自刎之地，在今安徽和县东北。《史记·项羽本纪》载，项羽垓下之败后，乌江亭长劝其渡江，项羽笑曰「籍与江东子弟八千人渡江而西，今无一人还，纵江东父兄怜而王我，我何面目见之」，遂自刎而死。李清照此诗借项羽「不肯过江东」的决绝，讽刺南渡君臣的苟安偷生。此诗向被视为李清照诗中罕见的铿锵之作——易安以词名家，诗作流传甚少，而此诗气骨凛然，与其婉约词风判若两人，故历来为论者所重。关于此诗的讽喻对象，学界有说：或谓其讥讽南宋高宗朝廷偏安江左、不思恢复，或谓其暗讽包括赵明诚在内的南渡怯懦者。无论何说，其「借古讽今、以诗言志」的锋芒，都是南宋前期士人痛心国事的时代回声。关于此诗的创作缘起，另有一说系于赵明诚缒城而逃之事。建炎三年，赵明诚知江宁府，值御营统制王亦作乱，赵明诚未加备御，缒城宵遁，此事后赵明诚被罢。李清照过乌江作此诗，或含对丈夫临事而怯的隐讽。此说虽未可尽信，然「不肯过江东」的决绝，与「缒城而逃」的怯懦适成对照，故历来为论者所乐道，亦可备一说。

Art

A five-character quatrain: the first couplet direct utterance, the second an allusion. No scenery, pure in spirit, using the past to satirize the present, with an inward edge and a force of a thousand jun.

此诗二十字，而气吞山河，是五绝中以「议论」见长的典范。首二句「生当作人杰，死亦为鬼雄」，以「生」「死」对举，以「人杰」「鬼雄」对仗，提领一种顶天立地的人生观——活着要做人中豪杰，死了也要做鬼中英雄。这两句是全诗的纲，先立起一个大写的人格标准，不写一人一事，而写一种生命的姿态。后二句「至今思项羽，不肯过江东」，转入具体的历史人物：以「至今思」三字，把千载之下的追思与千载之上的英雄勾连，再以「不肯过江东」点出项羽乌江自刎的决绝，为前二句的「鬼雄」作了历史的注脚。全诗结构极简：前二句立论，后二句取证，以古证今，以人喻世。艺术上最可称道者，是它全不用景物铺陈、不用比喻烘托，纯以议论与典故直抒胸臆，而气势磅礴、锋芒凛冽。这种「以议论为诗」的写法，若出之平庸之手，易流于口号，而李清照以其刚烈之气贯之，遂使二十字如金石掷地，铮铮有声。此诗又妙在「以小见大」：项羽不肯过江东，本是历史的一瞬，而李清照以二十字概括之，前二句立人格，后二句举史事，遂使这一瞬成为「气节」的永恒象征。更可称道者，是诗中的「思」字——李清照「思项羽」，思的是千载之上的古人，而「讽」的却是眼前的今人，一「思」字将古今打通，咏史与讽今遂成一体。这种「借古人的酒杯，浇自己的块垒」的写法，正是咏史诗的当行本色。

Allusions

'Hero among men' (renjie) is an outstanding man (Emperor Gaozu called Zhang Liang and others 'heroes'). 'Valiant ghost' (guixiong) is a heroic ghost (from Qu Yuan's 'Lament for the Fallen': 'their souls stern, they are ghost-heroes'). Xiang Yu, defeated at Gaixia, reached the Wu River and would not cross east, killing himself. 'East of the river' is the south bank of the Yangtze (where Xiang Yu rose).

此诗用典精当，皆切项羽事而有所本。「人杰」一词，语出《史记·高祖本纪》，刘邦论张良、萧何、韩信曰「此三者，皆人杰也」，指人中豪杰。李清照以「人杰」为「生」之标准，是把刘邦口中的政治人杰，提升为一种普世的人格高度。「鬼雄」一词，直接出自屈原《九歌·国殇》「身既死兮神以灵，魂魄毅兮为鬼雄」，本指为国捐躯的战士死后英魂犹为鬼中雄杰。李清照以「鬼雄」为「死」之极致，实是援引屈子歌颂殉国将士的刚烈传统，为项羽之死赋予一种「虽死犹荣」的精神价值。「至今思项羽」的「思」字，是千载追思，暗含「如今无人可思」的潜台词——项羽虽败而死，却仍令人追思；南渡君臣虽生而苟，却无人记挂。「不肯过江东」用《史记·项羽本纪》乌江亭长劝渡、项羽以无颜见江东父老而自刎的史实。江东为项羽起兵之地，「过江东」即卷土重来、苟且偷生之意，项羽「不肯」，是其气节的最高体现。三典皆出正史或《楚辞》，无一字无来历，而熔铸于一，毫无堆砌之迹。又「生当作人杰，死亦为鬼雄」二句，其「生死对举」的句法，可溯至《古诗十九首》及汉魏之际的生死之叹，曹操《龟虽寿》「老骥伏枥，志在千里」的壮怀，文天祥《过零丁洋》「人生自古谁无死，留取丹心照汗青」的慷慨，皆与此诗同一气骨。李清照以女子之身，而作此「生死」之问，其在诗史上的地位，正可与屈子、文山相颉颃。

Commentary

The Qing scholar Li Ying praised it as 'a heroic air, the equal of bearded men'. It is a rare ringing piece among Li's poems, far from her soft lyric style.

《夏日绝句》在李清照的接受史上占有特殊位置。易安以词名家，诗作存世寥寥，而此诗却以其刚烈之气，几乎成为李清照人格的象征。明清以来，论者每以「闺阁而有丈夫气」评之。清代沈德潜《说诗晬语》论咏史诗，尝举此诗为例，谓「咏古而切己，二十字有千钧之力」，其「人杰」「鬼雄」之语，遂成千古励志名句。近人对此诗的阐发尤多：或将其置于南宋初年「主战」的时代语境中，视其为士大夫痛心国事、激扬气节的号角；或从女性文学的角度，惊叹其以女子之身而作此金石之声，突破了「闺怨」「婉约」的性别藩篱。诗中「至今思项羽」的「思」，成为后世解读的焦点——李清照所「思」的，与其说是项羽这个人，不如说是项羽身上那种「宁死不苟活」的气节，而这正是南渡君臣所阙失的。此诗亦常被选入中学教材，作为「借古讽今、托物言志」的典范，其「生当作人杰，死亦为鬼雄」二句，更成为激励后世无数志士的格言，在抗战等民族危亡时刻尤为人传诵，其接受史本身即是一部民族气节的传承史。此诗之所以能成为「千古励志名句」的渊薮，正在于其超越了具体的历史语境，而提炼出一种普世的人格律令。「生当作人杰，死亦为鬼雄」二句，已非咏项羽之诗，而成为一切志士仁人的座右铭。历代仁人志士，从宋末的文天祥，到近代的谭嗣同、秋瑾，其慷慨赴死的气节，皆可与易安此诗相印证，此诗遂由一首咏史诗，升华为一部民族气节的宣言。

Prosody

Form Five-character quatrain (wujue)五言绝句

Rhyme Rhymes on xiong, dong (Pingshui rhyme, upper level, first dong category)押平水韵上平一东韵，韵脚为「雄」「东」二字，首句不入韵（「杰」为入声字）。

Tone pattern Level-tone opening, first line enters the rhyme; a strong, vigorous register此诗声调近于古绝，不拘泥于律句细部。首句「生当作人杰」平平仄平仄，为「平平平仄仄」的拗体；次句「死亦为鬼雄」仄仄仄仄平，是「仄仄仄平平」的变拗；三句「至今思项羽」仄平平仄仄，末句「不肯过江东」仄仄仄平平，收于正格。

Reading note A famous historical and inspirational poem by Li Qingzhao.《夏日绝句》为五言绝句，押平水韵上平一东，韵脚「雄」「东」二字音色洪亮，属开口呼，读来声气雄壮，与诗中的刚烈之气正相呼应。首句不入韵，「杰」为入声九屑字，短促而有力，如一声断喝，立起全篇的凛冽气势。此诗在格律上并不严守近体细部：首句「生当作人杰」用「平平仄平仄」的拗句，次句「死亦为鬼雄」更是「仄仄仄仄平」的四仄连用，若以近体正格绳之，皆属出律。然正因其不受律句拘束，反得一种古绝的自由与古拙，以气运笔、以声壮势，其磅礴的力量，恰恰来自这种「不假雕琢」的声调。诗家论咏史诗，最重「声与气俱」，此诗二十字，字字如金石掷地，尤其「人杰」「鬼雄」「不肯」等词，皆以去声、入声的顿挫，撑起全篇的骨力，读之令人凛然生敬。李清照以婉约词名家，而此诗声情之刚烈，几可与其《渔家傲·天接云涛连晓雾》的豪放相抗，正见其人格与才性的另一面。

Line by line

生当作人杰

In life one should be a hero among men.

活着应当做人中豪杰

Alive, one should be a hero among men.

首句以一个「生」字起笔，立起人生的第一重标准。「当」字是斩截的期许，也是庄严的自誓——活着，就应当做「人杰」。「人杰」一词，语出《史记·高祖本纪》刘邦之口，本指张良、萧何、韩信般的当世豪杰，李清照移以自励，遂使这二字从历史的特指，升华为一种普世的人格高度。此句与下句「死亦为鬼雄」相对，一「生」一「死」，构成了完整的人生命题：生与死，都要抵达某种极致。以「当」字写「生」，语气决绝，不含一丝犹疑，正是此诗刚烈气骨的起点。

The opening line's one sheng word's opening, erecting the life's first standard. The dang word's the decisive expectation, and the solemn self-vow — alive, one should be the hero among men. The hero-among-men word, from the Records of the Grand Historian's Gao-Annals' Liu Bang's mouth, originally meaning the Zhang Liang, Xiao He, Han Xin-like contemporary heroes, Li Qingzhao's transferring it for the self-exhortation, hence making these two words' from the historical-specific's sublimation into a universal personality height. This line with the below's dead-one-should-be-a-champion-among-ghosts's opposition, one-sheng-one-death, forming the complete life proposition: the life and death, both must reach some extreme. Using the dang word for the sheng, the tone's decisive, not carrying one thread of hesitation, precisely this poem's stern-bone's start.

死亦为鬼雄

In death one should be a hero among ghosts.

死了也要做鬼中英雄

Dead, one should be a champion among ghosts.

次句以「死」承「生」，以「亦」字递进——不仅生要为人杰，死亦要为鬼雄。「鬼雄」一词，直出屈原《九歌·国殇》「魂魄毅兮为鬼雄」，本为赞颂为国捐躯的战士，谓其身虽死而英魂长存、为鬼中雄杰。李清照援此刚烈之典，为「死」设定了一个比「生」更高的精神标尺：死不可怕，可怕的是死得猥琐、死得苟且；唯有死如鬼雄，方能与「生为人杰」相配。此句与上句合看，已把「人杰」「鬼雄」并举为一种「生死皆壮烈」的人格理想，为下文的项羽之咏，树起了评判的尺度。

The second line's the si inheriting the sheng, the yi word's progression — not only the living's the hero, and yet the dead's the ghost-champion. The ghost-champion word, directly from Qu Yuan's Nine Songs's National-Hero's the-soul's-resolute-is-the-ghost-champion, originally praising the national-fallen warrior, meaning his body's though dead and yet the heroic soul's enduring, the ghost's champion. Li Qingzhao's citing this stern allusion, for the si's setting a higher spiritual yardstick than the sheng: the death's not fearsome, the fearsome's the death's wretched and death's ignominious; only the death's like the ghost-champion, then able to match the living-as-hero. This line with the above's joint view, already the hero-among-men and ghost-champion's jointly-listed as a life-and-death-both-heroic personality ideal, for the below's Xiang-Yu ode, erecting the judgment measure.

至今思项羽

Even now I think of Xiang Yu,

至今仍思念项羽

Even now I think of Xiang Yu,

第三句是全诗的转折，由议论转入咏史。「至今」二字，把千载之下的此刻与千载之上的英雄瞬间接通——一个「思」字，写尽了对项羽的追慕。项羽本是一个失败的英雄，垓下兵败、乌江自刎，在世俗的成败观里，他并不成功；然而李清照偏偏「思」他，所「思」者不在其成败，而在其气节。「至今」二字又暗含深意：千载以来，仍令人思念的是项羽；那么，如今那些苟且偷安者，又有谁会思念呢？以「思项羽」反照「不思今人」，借古讽今之意，已隐然欲出。

The third line is the whole poem's turn, from the argument to the history ode. The even-now two words, connecting the thousand-years-later present and the thousand-years-above hero's instant — the one si word, exhausting the Xiang-Yu's admiration. Xiang Yu's originally a failed hero, the Gaixia defeat and the Wu-jiang suicide, in the worldly success-or-failure view's, he's not successful; and yet Li Qingzhao's precisely the si him, the si'd's not in his success-or-failure, and yet in his integrity. The even-now two words' secretly carrying the deep meaning: the thousand years' since, still making the person's missing's Xiang Yu; then, now those ignominious-survival's, and yet who's missing? Using the si-Xiang-Yu's reverse-light for the not-si-the-present, the borrow-the-old-for-the-present satire, already's about to emerge.

不肯过江东

who refused to cross east of the river.

因他宁死不肯渡过江东苟活

who chose death rather than cross to the east of the river to survive.

末句点出「思」的具体内容，是全诗的眼目。「江东」为项羽起兵之地，过江东，便可卷土重来、保全性命；而项羽「不肯」，宁以自刎谢江东父老，也不肯渡江苟活。这「不肯」二字，是项羽气节的全部分量——它不是不能，而是不为，是明知可生而宁死，是以死捍卫一个败者的最后尊严。李清照以「不肯」作结，把前文「人杰」「鬼雄」的人格标准，落实为一个具体而决绝的姿态。此句与南渡君臣「肯渡」的苟安形成尖锐对照：项羽宁死不肯过江，而南宋朝廷却仓皇渡江南逃。二十字至此，锋芒毕露，其借古讽今之旨，尽在此「不肯」二字。

The closing line points out the si's concrete content, the whole poem's eye. The east-of-the-river meaning Xiang Yu's rising place, the crossing-east i.e. the comeback's and the life's saving; and yet Xiang Yu's refused, preferring the suicide to answer the east-banks elders, and yet not crossing-the-river for the survival. This refused two words, Xiang Yu's integrity's whole weight — it's not the cannot, and yet the not-willing, the knowing-the-life's-possible-and-yet-the-preference-for-death, the death's defending a loser's final dignity. Li Qingzhao's using the refused for the close, turning the above's hero-among-men and ghost-champion personality standard's, landing as one concrete-and-decisive pose. This line with the south-crossing rulers-and-ministers' willing-crossing's ignominious peace's sharp contrast: Xiang Yu's death's preference and the no-crossing, and yet the Southern Song court's panic's crossing-southward flight. Twenty characters to here, the edge's exposed, its borrow-the-old-for-the-present satire's meaning, all within this refused two words.

Study

Word focus

人杰 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「人杰」二字，是全诗人格理想的正面标尺。此词本出《史记·高祖本纪》，刘邦评张良、萧何、韩信为「人杰」，指辅佐帝王成就大业的当世英豪。李清照以之为「生」的标准，遂使这一政治词汇，脱去了功利的底色，升华为一种普世的、大写的人格追求——生而为人，就应立于人中之杰，不庸碌、不苟且、不负此生。以「人杰」对「鬼雄」，一就生言，一就死言，二字皆是从历史中淬炼出的重量级语汇，一经易安点化，遂成千古自励的格言，其影响之广，远出词苑诗坛之外。

鬼雄 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「鬼雄」二字，是此诗典故运用最精妙处。此词直出屈原《九歌·国殇》「身既死兮神以灵，魂魄毅兮为鬼雄」，本为祭奠为国捐躯的将士，谓其身虽死而英魂为鬼中雄杰。李清照以「鬼雄」写「死」之极致，遂把项羽的乌江自刎，与屈原笔下殉国将士的壮烈接上了谱系——项羽之死，不是寻常的败亡，而是如国殇将士般的「虽死犹荣」。二字援骚入诗，为全诗注入了《楚辞》的刚烈血性，使这首五绝在气格上直承屈子，其「生为人杰、死为鬼雄」的宣言，也因此有了深厚的文化根基。

不肯 In 'would not cross east of the river', the words 'would not' (buken) write Xiang Yu's resolve, contrasting the complacent Southern-Song court, hiding satire. 「不肯」二字，是全诗力量的爆发点，也是咏史的关钥。乌江亭长劝项羽渡江，项羽「不肯」——这「不肯」不是「不能」，而是「不为」；不是无力渡江，而是宁死不肯苟活。二字之间，项羽把「生」的诱惑与「死」的尊严放上了天平，而毅然选择了后者。李清照拈出「不肯」二字，正是要突出这种「主动赴死」的决绝——唯有「不肯」，方见气节；若是「不能」，便无足称道。以「不肯」写项羽，又以项羽照南渡君臣：一者「不肯过江东」而慷慨赴死，一者仓皇渡江而苟且偷生，「不肯」二字所承载的褒贬，遂有千钧之重。