All poems

唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

前出塞·其六

Out of the Fortress - Sixth

杜甫

Du Fu

边塞frontier 战争war

挽弓当挽强，用箭当用长。
射人先射马，擒贼先擒王。
杀人亦有限，列国自有疆。
苟能制侵陵，岂在多杀伤。

In drawing the bow, draw the strong; in using arrows, use the long.
To shoot a man, first shoot his horse; to capture bandits, first capture their chief.
Killing too has its limit; each state has its own border.
If one can check invasion, why seek the slaughter of many?

Listen

Meaning

In drawing the bow one should draw the strong bow; in using arrows one should use the long arrow. To shoot a man, first shoot his horse; to capture the bandits, first capture their leader. Killing too has its limit; each state has its own borders. If one can curb the invader's incursion, why seek to wound and kill many?

拉弓应当拉强弓，用箭应当用长箭。射人要先射他骑的马，擒贼要先擒他们的首领。杀人也应当有个限度，各国自有各自的疆界。倘若能够制止外敌的侵扰，又何必追求多多杀伤。

Appreciation

Du Fu's 'Out of the Fortress' (nine poems) was written around the Tianbao years, using the Han campaigns against the Xiongnu to satirize Emperor Xuanzong's endless border wars. The sixth is the most argumentative of the sequence. Its first four lines lay down the art of war in the plain, proverb-like manner of a veteran soldier — 'draw the strong bow', 'shoot the horse first' — while the last four turn from tactic to principle: killing has a limit, borders are fixed, and to check invasion is enough without mass slaughter. A reader meets the conscience of a great poet behind the soldier's mouth.

【白话串讲】 “挽弓当挽强，用箭当用长。射人先射马，擒贼先擒王”——杜甫写打仗：要射马，要擒王。“苟能制侵陵，岂在多杀伤”——只要挡住侵略就行，何必多杀人。一个反战诗人的清醒。【意象与手法】前四句以流水对铺陈用兵要诀，句式短促如谣谚，'当''先'等字斩截有力，极似军中口诀【情感与主旨】《前出塞》九首约作于天宝年间，借汉武征伐匈奴以讽玄宗穷兵黩武、开边不已。其六为组诗中议论最显者【名句点睛】本诗常考名句理解与主旨。'射人先射马，擒贼先擒王'既写实战经验，又含抓主要矛盾之哲理，多考其比喻义

Background

The nine 'Out of the Fortress' poems were written around the Tianbao years, using Han Emperor Wu's campaigns against the Xiongnu to satirize Xuanzong's aggression and ceaseless frontier expansion. The sixth is the most pointed in argument. At the time the Tang court repeatedly opened border campaigns and conscripted men to distant garrisons; Du Fu, in the voice of a common soldier, first states the way to win, then raises a doctrine of humane rule and the limit of killing — implicitly mocking the lust for glory and the wasteful slaughter. The turn 'killing too has its limit' moves from tactic to true kingship, lofty in intent.

杜甫《前出塞》九首是一组以征夫口吻自述行役之苦与征战之思的乐府体五言古诗，历来系于天宝年间，学界多定为天宝十一载（752）前后，时杜甫困守长安，尚未入仕。此期唐玄宗穷兵黩武，边将贪功开衅，哥舒翰等边帅屡启边功，朝廷对吐蕃、奚、契丹等连年用兵，民不堪命。杜甫《前出塞》九首即借汉代征夫之口，铺写从军者的悲辛，暗讽玄宗朝的开边黩武。九首之中，其六为议论最显豁的一篇，前四句似军中谣谚，后四句转入正论，直陈节制用兵之理。版本方面，此组诗见《杜工部集》，文字诸本大体一致，「挽弓当挽强」之「强」或作「长」，然通行本皆作「强」，与下句「用箭当用长」相对成文，训释为硬弓之意。组诗题曰「前出塞」，以别于后来的《后出塞》五首；「出塞」乃汉乐府旧题，郭茂倩《乐府诗集》列于横吹曲辞，杜甫借旧题写新事，是乐府精神的正脉。此诗前四句以斩截的短语道用兵要领，后四句以理语收束，全篇八句，一气贯注，是杜甫诗中少见的纯议论之作。《前出塞》九首总起于「戚戚去故里，悠悠赴交河」，历叙从军、戍边、思归、还乡，其六正当全组由「行役之苦」转入「战争之思」的关节处。杜甫借汉武以讽玄宗，正因天宝年间对吐蕃、南诏等连年用兵，边将贪功，民怨沸腾，此诗末二句「苟能制侵陵，岂在多杀伤」实为组诗全部议论的收束与升华。

Art

The first four lines lay out the art of war in a flowing antithesis, the phrasing short like a folk saying; words like 'should' and 'first' are crisp and forceful, much like a soldier's drill-song. 'To shoot a man, first shoot his horse; to capture bandits, first capture their chief' reveals the principle of victory in plain antithesis, becoming an aphorism for ages. The last four lines turn the brush sharply, from method to principle; 'has its limit' and 'has its own border' persuade by reason, and 'if one can' and 'why seek' argue by rhetorical question — hardness and softness joined. The whole seems like a storybook yet holds statecraft; profound worry shows through the plain.

此诗艺术上最显著的特色是「以谣谚入诗而复归于正论」的章法经营。前四句「挽弓当挽强，用箭当用长。射人先射马，擒贼先擒王」连用四组「当」「先」字，句式短促斩截，节奏如军中之口令、民间之谣谚，读来朗朗上口，极富行进感。「当」「先」二字是全篇的骨干——「当」是「应当」，是选择之原则；「先」是「先后」，是行动之次序，四句层层递进，从器具的选用讲到战术的要领，把用兵之道概括得既具体又精要。后四句笔锋陡转：「杀人亦有限，列国自有疆」由战术上升到战略，由「如何战」转向「为何战、战至何度」；「苟能制侵陵，岂在多杀伤」则以反问作结，提出「止戈为武」的战争伦理。这种先铺陈、后反拨的结构，前扬后抑，使末句的诘问更显分量。全诗不设一个意象、不用一个典故，纯以议论行气，却能于平实中见骨力，是杜甫「以文为诗」而又不坠诗味的典型。后世评家多注意其前四句与后四句的张力——谣谚之俚俗与正论之庄重并置，恰构成一种「先俗后雅」的跌宕。全诗无一字写景、无一处用典，而骨力自见，正因「当」「先」二字的斩截与「有限」「制侵陵」的节制形成内在张力——前四句的果决是「术」，后四句的克制是「道」，由术入道，章法上先扬后抑，遂使末句的反问如冷水浇背，发人深省，颇具棒喝之效也。

Allusions

The poem uses no obscure allusion. 'Capture the chief' later became a common saying, meaning solve the problem by seizing the key. 'Each state' refers to the feudal states of the Springs-and-Autumns and Warring-States, here used of old to hint at the present: Tang and its neighbours each have borders and should not rashly provoke. 'Invasion' uses the Shu Jing sense of 'ward off external insult'. The whole uses Han affairs to satirize Tang, entrusting the ancient to mirror the present — a common Du Fu 'use the past to satire the present'; no rare allusion, yet the principle is clear.

此诗几无显性用典，然其思想源流可上溯先秦。「挽弓」「用箭」乃军中习见之物，不劳征引；而「射人先射马，擒贼先擒王」的战术思想，实与《左传》「射人先射马」的古代车战经验暗合——古车战时代，马为战车动力，射马即废其战车，故「先射马」是符合当时战争形态的实战智慧。「列国自有疆」一句，承《诗经·小雅·北山》「溥天之下，莫非王土」而反用之——既然疆土自有其界，则侵陵他国便失却正当性。「制侵陵」三字尤可注意，其义在「制止侵陵」，而非主动开衅，此与《孙子兵法·谋攻篇》「不战而屈人之兵，善之善者也」、以及孟子「以德行仁者王」的思想一脉相通。「岂在多杀伤」更与《老子》「兵者不祥之器」「夫佳兵者不祥之器」及《左传·宣公十二年》「止戈为武」的止战观念相呼应。杜甫熔铸这些传统战争观于一炉，化为明白如话的五言，是其「转益多师」又「无一字无来历」而归于自然的体现。「射人先射马」之语，或亦与《战国策》《史记》所载古代车战「射御」之艺相关，车战以马为动力，故制敌先制其马，是符合冷兵器时代实战的经验总结。杜甫出身「奉儒守官」之家，又历安史之乱，于兵事颇有实感，故能化古训为谣谚，不假书卷而自有来历。此种「化理为谣」的功夫，正可见杜诗「无一字无来历」而归于自然的高处。

Commentary

Su Shi said the lines 'draw the strong bow' etc. 'are like a children's rhyme, like a proverb, yet the meaning is deeply far'. Wang Sishou in his Du Ideas says 'the first four lines speak of the art of war, the last four of true kingship — all are the words of a humane man'. Pu Qilong notes 'economical words that end in the cessation of killing'. This poem, in the form of a frontier ballad, raises a doctrine of cherishing the people and stopping war, so that 'capture the chief' flowed into common speech — showing Du Fu's exceptional insight.

《前出塞》九首在杜诗传播史上地位重要，其六因议论显豁、名句迭出而尤受青睐。历代选本多所采录：《唐诗品汇》列于五言古诗；《唐诗别裁》选此诗，沈德潜评曰「前四句如谣谚，后四句乃正论」，一语道破其结构之妙。王嗣奭《杜臆》论《前出塞》组诗，谓其「借古题写时事，讽刺开边之祸」，正点明此诗的讽喻命意。浦起龙《读杜心解》亦将此组诗视为杜甫对天宝开边黩武之风的针砭。诗中「射人先射马，擒贼先擒王」二句，因既合实战经验，又含「抓主要矛盾」的普遍哲理，早已脱离原诗语境，成为流传极广的成语，被用于军事、政治、商战、管理诸多领域，其影响远超文学范畴。「苟能制侵陵，岂在多杀伤」二句则被后世引为「止战」「慎杀」思想的经典表述，与「止戈为武」的古训并传。近世文学史论杜，多以《前出塞》其六作为杜甫「诗史」精神中战争伦理一面的代表，与《兵车行》「边庭流血成海水」、《后出塞》「军中异苦乐」诸作并观，见出杜甫对战争一以贯之的冷峻反思。组诗前五首写征夫行役之苦，后四首渐转议论，其六居议论之枢纽，故最受选家青睐。杨伦《杜诗镜铨》谓此诗「言止戈为武，少杀伤」，引《左传》「止戈为武」以释其旨，正是此诗思想渊源的确解。此诗与《兵车行》同为杜甫反战诗的代表，而一以叙事之惨状动人，一以议论之精警醒人，双峰并峙。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem (yuefu)五言古诗（乐府体）

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, lower-level seven yang group (strong, long, chief, border, wound)平水韵下平七阳韵，押「强」「长」「王」「疆」「伤」五韵，首句入韵，一韵到底

Tone pattern Ancient form, not bound by strict level-oblique五言古体，声律松弛，不避三平，全篇以单行之气贯注。前四句用两组对偶句，节奏短促如谣谚；后四句渐趋散行，以反问收束，声气由疾转缓、由扬转抑。

Reading note Sixth of the nine 'Out of the Fortress'; five-character six lines, yuefu form; first four lines like a folk saying.此诗为五言古诗，八句，首句入韵，一韵到底，韵脚「强、长、王、疆、伤」同属下平七阳韵，开口洪亮，声气开阔，与「挽弓」「用箭」的军旅气象相合。七阳韵部字音洪大，宜于表现壮阔之思，而杜甫却能在此洪亮的韵脚里注入沉痛的反战之思，形成「声宏而意悲」的张力，正是杜诗沉郁顿挫的声律体现。前四句「挽弓当挽强，用箭当用长」「射人先射马，擒贼先擒王」构成两组工整的对偶，句中以「当」「先」二字为骨，读来如军鼓之点，节奏明快；后四句「杀人亦有限，列国自有疆。苟能制侵陵，岂在多杀伤」则打破对偶，转为散行，句式舒缓下来，与议论的深化相应。末句「岂在多杀伤」以仄仄平仄平收束，一个「岂」字提顿，使全诗在反问中戛然而止，余韵悠长。五古一韵到底而能如此流转，前俚后雅、前疾后徐，声情与内容高度契合，足见杜甫驾驭古体的功力。

Line by line

射人先射马

To shoot a man, first shoot his horse.

射人要先射他骑的马

To shoot the enemy man, shoot first the horse he rides.

此句道出一个符合古代战争形态的实战经验——车战与骑战时代，马是战斗力的核心，射倒战马即可废其机动，故「先射马」是高效的战术选择。句中「先」字点出次序之要，暗含一种冷静的、讲求实效的战争智慧。但此句的价值不止于军事层面：它提示人们，解决问题须先抓关键、断其根本，方能事半功倍。杜甫以一个征夫的朴素口吻说出，不假雕饰，却因切合事理而具有了格言的品格。这种由具体经验而通向普遍哲理的能力，正是杜甫「以俚入雅」的高明处。

This line states a practical truth of ancient warfare — in chariot and cavalry battle, the horse is the core of fighting power; bring down the horse, and the enemy loses his mobility, so 'shoot the horse first' is the efficient tactical choice. The word 'first' points out the order's importance, secretly holding a calm, effectiveness-minded war wisdom. Yet the line's worth is more than military: it shows that to solve a problem, one must first grasp the key, cut the root, and the work is half the result with twice the ease. Du Fu, in a conscript's plain tone, states it without ornament, yet because it fits the truth of things, it has the character of a maxim. This ability to rise from concrete experience to universal philosophy is precisely Du Fu's height of 'raising the colloquial to the noble'.

擒贼先擒王

To take the brigands, first take their chief.

擒贼要先擒他们的首领

To seize the brigands, seize first their chief.

「擒贼先擒王」承上句之势，把战术原则从「器具—目标」的层面推进到「擒获对象」的层面。射马是废其力，擒王是夺其魂——首领既擒，则敌众自溃。这句与前句构成工整的流水对，一「射」一「擒」、一「马」一「王」，动作与目标层层递进，节奏斩截。其哲理意义在于「抓主要矛盾」：纷繁局面中，必先辨识并制服那最关键的一环，其余自可迎刃而解。正因这层哲理，此句与上句合流，成为传诵千古的格言，其影响远远逸出文学与军事，而进入一般的方法论表述。杜甫的过人处，在于把如此精深的道理，藏在一个征夫脱口而出的朴素经验里。

'To take the brigands, first take their chief' follows the line's momentum, pushing the tactical principle from the 'instrument-target' level to the 'captive-object' level. Shooting the horse cripples the strength; taking the chief captures the soul — once the chief is taken, the horde dissolves of itself. This line and the last form a well-matched flowing couplet, one 'shoot' one 'take', one 'horse' one 'chief', action and target advancing layer by layer, the rhythm decisive. Its philosophical meaning is 'grasp the principal contradiction': in the tangled situation, one must first identify and subdue the pivotal link, and all else yields of itself. Precisely for this philosophy, the line merges with the last into a maxim handed down through the ages, its influence far beyond literature and war, entering the general language of method. Du Fu's excellence lies in hiding such a deep truth in the plain experience that slips from a conscript's mouth.

杀人亦有限

Killing, too, has its bound.

杀人也应当有个限度

Even killing men has its proper limit.

此句是全诗的转折点，笔锋由「如何战」转向「战至何度」。「亦有限」三字看似平淡，却是对前四句所铺陈的用兵之道的收束与反拨——即便用兵讲求实效，杀伐亦不可无度。「限」字是此句乃至全篇的伦理支点，它设定了一道不可逾越的界限，把「勇武」与「滥杀」严格区分开来。杜甫以征夫之口说「杀人」，却立刻以「有限」加以节制，冷峻中见出悲悯。这一句由具体的战术议论跃升至战争伦理的层面，为末句「岂在多杀伤」的反问蓄势，是全诗由「术」入「道」的关键一笔。

This line is the turning point of the poem, the brush turning from 'how to fight' to 'to what degree'. The words 'has its bound' seem plain, yet they are the gathering and counter-stroke of the military doctrine laid in the first four lines — even if war is fought for effect, slaughter must not be without measure. The word 'bound' is the ethical fulcrum of this line and the whole: it sets a limit that may not be crossed, strictly separating 'bravery' from 'wanton killing'. Du Fu speaks 'killing' through a conscript's mouth, yet at once restrains it with 'bound', compassion within the sternness. This line leaps from the concrete tactical talk to the level of war ethics, storing momentum for the closing counter-question 'what is the need of much killing and wounding?', the key stroke of the poem's ascent from 'craft' to 'way'.

苟能制侵陵

If only we can stop the invader,

倘若能够制止外敌的侵扰

If only one can halt the invader's encroachment,

「苟能制侵陵」一句，为全诗树立了战争的正当性标准。「制侵陵」三字至为精当——战争的目的在于「制止侵陵」，即抵御外敌的进犯，而非主动开边、贪功生衅。一个「制」字，是防御性的、克制的，与「伐」「攻」「取」等主动进攻之字截然不同，鲜明地划出了正义战争与非正义战争的界限。杜甫在此提出的是「止戈为武」的战争伦理：武力只在抵御侵陵时才具有合法性。此句与「列国自有疆」呼应，共同构成了对玄宗朝开边黩武之风的正面批判，虽出以征夫之口，却是诗人借以讽谏的沉痛之音。

'If only we can stop the invader's encroachment' sets the standard of the war's justice. The words 'stop the encroachment' are precise — the purpose of war is to 'halt the invader's encroachment', that is, to defend against the foreign foe's incursion, not to open new borders out of greed for merit. The one word 'stop' is defensive, restrained, utterly unlike the active, offensive words 'campaign', 'attack', 'take'; it draws clearly the line between just and unjust war. What Du Fu states here is the war ethics of 'to lay down arms is the true martial': force holds legitimacy only in resisting the invader. This line echoes 'each state has its own borders', together forming a direct critique of Xuanzong's reign of border-opening militarism; though spoken through a conscript's mouth, it is the poet's bitter voice of remonstrance.

Study

Word focus

强 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「强」字见于首句「挽弓当挽强」，指硬弓、劲弓。挽强弓者必膂力过人，用长箭者必射程致远，「强」字一出，便带出一种对力量与实效的推崇。在军事上，「挽强」是选器的原则，讲求以最强的装备求最大的战果；在字面上，「强」又与「弱」相对，暗含一种「以强克弱」的实用理性。杜甫用「当」字搭配「强」，把「应当」的语气落在实处，使全句如军令般斩钉截铁。此字虽浅近，却是全诗「以实效论战」立场的起点——后文「射马」「擒王」「有限」「制侵陵」的层层议论，都由这个讲求实效的「强」字引出。

先 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「先」字在「射人先射马，擒贼先擒王」两句中连用两次，是全诗节奏的支点。「先」标举的是行动的次序与轻重——先射马而后射人，先擒王而后擒贼，道破了「抓要害、断根本」的战术要领。两「先」字前后呼应，使两句构成工整的流水对，读来环环相扣，如口令般整齐有力。就其哲理层面看，「先」字揭示的是矛盾的主次关系：凡事须先辨主次、先断关键，方能以最小代价求最大之效。一个「先」字，既是军事智慧的凝练，也是普遍方法论的概括，正是杜甫此句得以千古流传的枢机所在。

岂 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「岂」字见于末句「岂在多杀伤」，是全诗议论的收束之眼。以反问出之，「岂在」即「不在于」，语气峻切，否定了以多杀伤为能事的战争观。与前文「当」「先」的斩截命令式相比，这个「岂」字转而成为一种理性的追问，把「应当如何战」的问题最终引向「何须多杀伤」的反省。一「岂」字，尽扫前四句的杀伐之气，使全诗由昂扬转入深沉，由「术」的层面升入「道」的层面。杜甫借此一字，将劝谏之意藏于征夫的自问之中，含蓄而有力，是全诗讽喻命意的最终落脚点。