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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

蜀先主庙

Temple of the Late Founder of Shu

刘禹锡

Liu Yuxi

咏史history 怀古nostalgia

天下英雄气，千秋尚凛然。
势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱。
得相能开国，生儿不象贤。
凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前。

The hero's spirit fills the world;
Through a thousand autumns still it awes.
His power split the realm in a tripod's three legs;
His work restored the wuzhu coin.
With a chancellor he could found the state;
His son took not after the worthy.
How desolate—Shu's old palace singers
Come to dance before the Wei halls.

Listen

Meaning

The heroic spirit of the Founder (Liu Bei), a thousand autumns later, still commands awe. In his day the realm was split like the three legs of a tripod; he vowed to restore the Han and recast the wuzhu coin. With a worthy chancellor he could found the state; but his son did not take after the worthy. Most desolate: after Shu fell, the old palace singers were taken to dance before the Wei court.

先主刘备的英雄气概，千秋万代之后依然令人敬畏凛然。当年天下三分如鼎足之势，他立志复兴汉室、重铸五铢钱。得贤相诸葛亮方能开创蜀国基业，可子孙刘禅却无先主之贤。最凄凉的是蜀汉亡后，旧日歌妓被掳入魏宫，在殿前起舞献艺。

Appreciation

A five-character regulated historical poem, it first honours Liu Bei's heroic air and his founding deeds, then turns to lament the unworthy heir and the fallen state. The structure rises then falls; the contrast between a worthy chancellor and an unworthy son, closed by the desolate image of old palace singers dancing in the conqueror's court, turns joy into sorrow. The language is spare yet weighty, the feeling grave—a model Tang poem of reflecting on the past.

【白话串讲】 “天下英雄气，千秋尚凛然”——刘禹锡写刘备：英雄气概千秋凛然。“势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱”——“得相能开国，生儿不象贤”——得了诸葛亮能开国，生的儿子却不像样。“凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前”——蜀国的歌女，在魏宫前跳舞。【意象与手法】全诗八句，前四句雄健高昂，颂刘备“英雄气”与“三足鼎”“五铢钱”之功业【情感与主旨】此诗约作于刘禹锡任夔州（今重庆奉节）刺史期间（821—824）。夔州毗邻蜀汉故地，城西有蜀先主庙【名句点睛】高频考点为对比手法与怀古寄托。常考“得相能开国，生儿不象贤”的对比意蕴，及尾联以乐写哀之妙

Background

This poem was likely written while Liu Yuxi served as prefect of Kui Zhou (today's Fengjie, Chongqing), between 821 and 824. Kui Zhou borders the old land of Shu-Han, and west of the city stood the Temple of the Late Founder of Shu. The poet mourns at the old temple; on the surface he sings of Liu Bei's founding and the later ruler's fall, but in truth he hints at his worry over the regional warlords and the declining court since Xianzong, and his political ideal of a wise ruler and worthy chancellor to set the realm right.

《蜀先主庙》为唐代刘禹锡所作，是咏刘备的怀古诗。刘禹锡（772—842），字梦得，洛阳人，唐代诗人。此诗：天下英雄气，千秋尚凛然。势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱。得相能开国，生儿不象贤。凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前。全诗咏刘备之业与后主之衰，是刘禹锡怀古诗的名篇。

Art

Eight lines; the first four are bold and high, praising Liu Bei's "heroic spirit" and his deeds of "tripod" and "wuzhu coin"; the last four turn sharply desolate, contrasting "with a chancellor he could found the state" with "his son took not after the worthy," then closing on the old Shu singers dancing before the Wei court. In structure it rises then falls, the contrast sharp; the allusions are apt, saying much with little, grave and arrested—deeply in the manner of reflecting on the past.

《蜀先主庙》艺术上以咏史的对举与兴亡的感慨见长。全诗八句，层层写来：前二句总写刘备——“天下英雄气，千秋尚凛然”写英雄之气、千秋凛然；中四句写其业与衰——“势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱”写三足鼎、五铢钱，“得相能开国，生儿不象贤”写得相开国、生儿不象贤；末二句写蜀故妓——“凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前”写蜀妓舞魏宫。全诗以刘备之业与后主之衰对举写兴亡，正是刘禹锡怀古诗的笔法。

Allusions

"Wuzhu coin" uses the coinage of Emperor Wu of Han; when Liu Bei entered Shu he recast the wuzhu, symbolizing the restoration of the Han line. "Tripod's three legs" transforms the "three legs" division of the "Records of the Three Kingdoms." "Wei halls" refers to the Sima clan's moving Shu's music and dance to Luoyang after replacing Wei. The last line quietly uses the tale of the later ruler Liu Shan's "here is joy, I think not of Shu," writing the pain of a fallen state between the lines, meaning beyond the words, feeling flung far.

《蜀先主庙》用典在“英雄”“三足鼎”“五铢钱”“不象贤”“蜀故妓”。“英雄”用曹操“天下英雄唯使君与操”之语写刘备；“三足鼎”写魏蜀吴鼎立；“五铢钱”用汉武帝铸五铢钱之典，写光复汉室；“不象贤”写后主不似贤君（《尚书》“象贤”）；“蜀故妓来舞魏宫”写蜀亡后妓人歌舞于魏宫。全诗以这些典故咏史，用典自然而感慨自深，正是刘禹锡怀古诗的笔法。

Commentary

Qu Fu, in "The Form of Tang Poetry," said: "The first four lines praise his deed, the last four pity his heir; closing on the old singers, infinite desolation." Fang Hui said it is "every line precise, the true school of reflecting on the past." Later readers set this poem beside Du Fu's "Poems on Historical Sites," calling the two the twin peaks of Tang historical verse; where it is grave it falls not short of Shaoling (Du Fu).

《蜀先主庙》是刘禹锡怀古诗的名篇，也是中国咏史诗中写蜀汉兴亡的代表作。此诗咏刘备之业与后主之衰，向为论者称道。论者多赏其咏史的对举——“势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱”写其开国之业，“得相能开国，生儿不象贤”写其得相与后主之衰，一盛一衰；“凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前”写蜀妓舞魏宫，更见兴亡。刘禹锡怀古诗以“微而显”著称，此诗正是其代表——以咏史写兴亡，正是其诗风。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated poem (five-character lü)五言律诗

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, lower-level first xian group (awes, coin, halls; 'worthy' belongs lower-level fourteen yan, a loose match in old poetry)《蜀先主庙》为五言律诗，八句，押平声韵。此诗用韵：然、钱、贤、前（先部），一韵到底，对仗工整，音节深沉。

Tone pattern Oblique-onset, first line enters rhyme五言律诗以音节深沉、咏史感慨见长。此诗咏刘备之业与后主之衰，音节深沉而感慨。全诗一韵到底，声调与兴亡之叹的内容相合，是刘禹锡怀古诗中深沉的一路。

Reading note Historical reflection; strict form yet a magnanimous breath.《蜀先主庙》为唐代刘禹锡所作，是咏刘备的怀古诗。此诗以“天下英雄气，千秋尚凛然”写刘备英雄之气，以“势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱”写其鼎立之势，以“得相能开国，生儿不象贤”写一盛一衰，以“凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前”写亡国之象。以咏史写兴亡，正是刘禹锡怀古诗的名篇。

Line by line

天下英雄气，千秋尚凛然。势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱。

The hero spirit of all under heaven, after a thousand autumns, still awes. His power divided in the three-legged tripod; his cause, to restore the wuzhu coin.

天下的英雄之气，千秋之后尚凛然。其势分成三足之鼎，其业志在恢复五铢钱（汉室）。

The hero spirit of all under heaven, after a thousand autumns, still strikes awe. His power divided like the three-legged tripod; his cause, to restore the Han (the wuzhu coin).

前四句写刘备之业，是全诗咏史的起点。“天下英雄气，千秋尚凛然”写英雄之气——“天下英雄气”用曹操“天下英雄唯使君与操”之语写刘备之英雄气，“千秋尚凛然”写千秋之后尚凛然——天下英雄，千秋凛然；“势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱”写三足鼎、五铢钱——“势分三足鼎”写其势分成三足鼎立，“业复五铢钱”用汉武帝铸五铢钱之典写其志在恢复汉室——三足鼎立，业复五铢。四句写刘备之业：天下英雄气、千秋尚凛然，势分三足鼎、业复五铢钱。以“天下英雄气，千秋尚凛然”写刘备英雄之气，以“势分三足鼎，业复五铢钱”写其鼎立之势、恢复汉室之志，正是刘禹锡诗咏刘备之业的起点——英雄之业，三分鼎足。

The first four lines write Liu Bei's cause, the start of the poem's historic chant. 'The hero spirit of all under heaven, after a thousand autumns, still awes' — the 'hero spirit of all under heaven' uses Cao Cao's saying, 'the heroes of all under heaven are only you and Cao', for Liu Bei's hero spirit; 'after a thousand autumns, still awes' the awe still living after a thousand autumns. 'His power divided in the three-legged tripod; his cause, to restore the wuzhu coin' — 'the three-legged tripod' the division of power into three; 'the wuzhu coin' uses the allusion of Emperor Wu of Han casting the wuzhu coin, for his will to restore the Han. Four lines on Liu Bei's cause: the hero spirit, the thousand autumns' awe, the tripod's division, the wuzhu restoration. Writing Liu Bei's hero spirit through 'the hero spirit of all under heaven, after a thousand autumns, still awes', writing the tripod's power and the restoration's will through 'the three-legged tripod' and 'the wuzhu coin', precisely the start of Liu Yuxi's chant of Liu Bei's cause — the hero's cause, the threefold tripod.

得相能开国，生儿不象贤。

Winning the prime minister, he could found the state; begetting a son, he was not like the sage.

得到贤相能开国，生下儿子却不似贤君。

Winning the wise minister, he could found the state; begetting a son, he was not like the sage of old.

五六句写得相与后主之衰，是全诗一盛一衰的对举。“得相能开国”写得相开国——“得相能开国”写得诸葛亮为相而能开国；“生儿不象贤”写后主不象贤——“生儿不象贤”用《尚书》“象贤”之语，写生下的儿子不似贤君——得相开国，生儿不象贤。二句写得相与后主之衰：得相能开国，生儿不象贤。以“得相能开国”写刘备得诸葛亮而能开国，以“生儿不象贤”写后主刘禅不肖、遂致亡国，正是刘禹锡诗写蜀汉一盛一衰的对举——得相则兴，不肖则亡。

Lines five and six write the winning of the minister and the decline of the later ruler, the poem's pairing of rise and fall. 'Winning the prime minister, he could found the state' — winning Zhuge Liang as minister and founding the state; 'begetting a son, he was not like the sage' uses the Book of Documents phrase 'like the sage', writing that the son born was not like the sage ruler. Two lines: winning the minister and founding the state, begetting a son not like the sage. Writing Liu Bei's winning of Zhuge Liang and the founding of the state through 'winning the prime minister, he could found the state', writing the later ruler Liu Shan's unworthiness and the fall of the kingdom through 'begetting a son, he was not like the sage', precisely Liu Yuxi's pairing of Shu Han's rise and fall — winning the minister and thriving, unworthy and perishing.

凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前。

Pitiful, the old singing girls of Shu, come to dance before the Wei palace.

凄凉的蜀国故妓，来到魏宫前歌舞。

Pitiful, the old singing girls of Shu, come to dance before the Wei palace.

末二句写蜀故妓舞魏宫，是全诗兴亡之叹的归结。“凄凉蜀故妓”写蜀国故妓——“凄凉蜀故妓”写凄凉的蜀国故妓；“来舞魏宫前”写舞于魏宫——“来舞魏宫前”写来到魏宫前歌舞。二句写蜀故妓舞魏宫：凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前。以“凄凉蜀故妓”写蜀亡之妓，以“来舞魏宫前”写其歌舞于魏宫、后主观之，正是刘禹锡诗写蜀汉兴亡之叹的归结——蜀亡而故妓舞于魏宫，后主不知亡国之耻，其悲可知。

The last two lines write the old Shu singing girls dancing at the Wei palace, the close of the poem's sigh on rise and fall. 'Pitiful, the old singing girls of Shu' — the pitiable old singing girls of Shu; 'come to dance before the Wei palace' — coming to dance before the Wei palace. Two lines: the pitiable old girls, dancing before the Wei palace. Writing the girls of fallen Shu through 'pitiful, the old singing girls of Shu', writing their dancing at the Wei palace, the later ruler watching, through 'come to dance before the Wei palace', precisely the close of Liu Yuxi's sigh on Shu Han's rise and fall — Shu fallen and the old girls dancing at the Wei palace, the later ruler knowing no shame of the lost state, his grief to be imagined.

Study

Word focus

凛然 Writes how Liu Bei's heroic air endures; one word sets the bone, laying the tone of awed yet desolate feeling. “千秋尚凛然”之“凛然”，写令人敬畏、凛然可敬，是全诗写刘备英雄之气的关键词。“凛然”写庄重敬畏之貌——千秋之后尚凛然。这一词写英雄之气：不是寻常之盛，而凛然；不是可磨之气，而千秋凛然。以“天下英雄气，千秋尚凛然”写刘备英雄气千秋不灭，正是刘禹锡诗咏刘备之业的笔法。

三足鼎 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “势分三足鼎”之“三足鼎”，写三足鼎立之势，是全诗写蜀汉之势的关键词。“三足鼎”写鼎之三足、三国鼎立——其势分成三足鼎立。这一词写三国之局：不是统一之势，而三足鼎；不是可并之局，而鼎足三分。以“势分三足鼎”写刘备鼎足之势，正是刘禹锡诗写蜀汉之业的笔法。

不象贤 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “生儿不象贤”之“不象贤”，写不似贤君，是全诗写后主之衰的关键词。“象贤”用《尚书》“象贤”之语，“不象贤”写不似贤君——生下的儿子却不似贤君。这一词写后主之不肖：不是贤明之君，而不象贤；不是可继之人，而亡国之君。以“生儿不象贤”写刘禅不肖，正是刘禹锡诗写蜀汉由盛而衰的笔法。

蜀故妓 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “凄凉蜀故妓”之“蜀故妓”，写蜀国旧时妓人，是全诗写亡国之象的归结词。“蜀故妓”写蜀国的故妓——凄凉的蜀国故妓。这一词写亡国之人：不是歌舞于蜀之人，而蜀故妓；不是有国之民，而国亡之妓。以“凄凉蜀故妓，来舞魏宫前”写蜀亡故妓舞于魏宫，正是刘禹锡诗写蜀汉兴亡之叹的归结——故妓凄凉，国已云亡。