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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

夷门歌

Song of the Yimen Gate

王维

Wang Wei

咏史Historical 怀古Nostalgic

七雄雄雌犹未分，攻城杀将何纷纷。
秦兵益围邯郸急，魏王不救平原君。
公子为嬴停驷马，执辔愈恭意愈下。
亥为屠肆鼓刀人，嬴乃夷门抱关者。
非但慷慨献良谋，意气兼将身命酬。
向风刎颈送公子，七十老翁何所求。

The Seven Powers' rise and fall not yet decided; they storm the walls and slay the generals, endlessly divided.
Qin's host tightens Handan's siege; the Wei king will not save Lord Pingyuan's plea.
The prince halts his four-horse carriage for Ying, holds the reins, more reverent, his will bending low, a humble thing.
Hai was a butcher wielding the blade in the market's roar; Ying, the gate-keeper of Yimen's door.
Not only with bold counsel did he his good plan impart, but with spirit and life he repaid the prince's heart.
Facing the wind he cut his throat to speed the prince away—what more could a seventy-year-old seek, this very day?

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Meaning

In the Warring States the seven powers fought without end; Qin besieged Handan and the Wei king would not rescue Lord Pingyuan. Prince Xinling humbled himself for the gate-keeper Hou Ying, and the butcher Zhu Hai lent his arm. Hou Ying gave bold counsel and then gave his life; facing the wind he cut his throat to see the prince off—what more could a seventy-year-old want? The poem honors the bond of knowing and the knight-errant's death for a friend.

战国七雄争霸，胜负未分，各国攻城杀将，战事纷乱。秦兵日益围困邯郸，形势危急，魏王却不肯出兵救援平原君。信陵君礼贤下士，为侯嬴停下驷马，亲自执缰，态度愈发恭敬。朱亥是屠市中的操刀人，侯嬴是夷门的守门人。侯嬴不仅慷慨献出救赵的良策，更以意气、以生命来报答知遇之恩。他迎着长风刎颈自尽，送别公子，七十岁的老翁，还有什么可求的呢？

Appreciation

A famous historical poem by Wang Wei, drawn from the tale of Xinling's stealing the tally to save Zhao. The first lines set the warring age; then the crisis of Handan; then the prince's courtesy and the low birth of Hou Ying and Zhu Hai; the last lines write Hou Ying's counsel and death. It praises chivalric spirit and Wang Wei's own longing for a worthy lord—rare, impassioned among his calm works.

【白话串讲】王维写《夷门歌》：“七雄雄雌犹未分，攻城杀将何纷纷”——“秦兵益围邯郸急，魏王不救平原君”——侯嬴为信陵君献计窃符救赵。“非但慷慨献良谋，意气兼将身命酬”——“向风刎颈送公子”——侯嬴以死相报——他写士为知己者死。【意象与手法】此诗是王维咏史抒怀诗中的名篇，取材于战国信陵君窃符救赵的故事。全诗以史事为骨、以侠气为魂：前两句以「七雄雄雌犹未分，攻城杀将何纷纷」总写战国纷争的时代背景，气势恢宏；「秦兵益围邯郸急，魏王不救平原君」写秦围邯郸、魏王不救的危局，为后文信陵君与侯嬴的义举蓄势；「公子为嬴停驷马，执辔愈恭意愈下」「亥为屠肆鼓刀人，嬴乃夷门抱关者」写信陵君礼贤下士与侯嬴朱亥的卑微身份，对比鲜明；末四句写侯嬴献谋并以死相报，「向风刎颈送公子，七十老翁何所求」以问作结，豪气干云。全诗咏史而不滞于史，在赞颂侠义的同时，也寄托了王维对「士为知己者死」精神的向往。【情感与主旨】此诗为王维早年之作，约作于其壮年游宦时期。诗人借咏信陵君窃符救赵、侯嬴刎颈相报的历史故事，歌颂了礼贤下士的精神与士为知己者死的侠义气节。诗中「公子为嬴停驷马，执辔愈恭意愈下」，写信陵君不以侯嬴为卑贱的守门人而折节下士，这正是战国「养士」风气的最高体现；「亥为屠肆鼓刀人，嬴乃夷门抱关者」，点出侯嬴朱亥出身卑微，却身怀奇谋绝技，暗含「英雄不问出处」的感慨；末句「七十老翁何所求」，写侯嬴年七十而慷慨赴死，更把侠义精神推向极致。全诗通过对这段史事的再诠释，既流露出王维对古代侠义精神的追慕，也寄托了其渴望遇明主、报知遇的情怀，是王维诗中少有的慷慨激昂之作。【名句点睛】常考“七雄雄雌犹未分，攻城杀将何纷纷”写战国纷争的时代背景；“向风刎颈送公子，七十老翁何所求”以问作结，写侯嬴以死相报的侠气。

Background

An early work of Wang Wei (around his jinshi success). It draws on 'Xinling stealing the tally to save Zhao' from the Shi Ji 'Biography of the Wei Prince.' In 257 BCE Qin besieged Handan; Lord Pingyuan asked Wei for help; the Wei king, fearing Qin, halted his army. Xinling (Lord Wuji) followed the gate-keeper Hou Ying's plan: through the king's favorite concubine Ru Ji he stole the tally, had the strongman Zhu Hai kill the general Jin Bi, took command, drove off Qin, and lifted the siege. Hou Ying, too old to go, pledged to 'die to send the prince' and cut his throat facing north. Wang Wei's poem praises this. Notably, though Wang Wei is known for calm, empty landscapes, this is a rare impassioned historical poem—showing his early heroic, public ambition, contrasted with his late 'in old age I love only quiet.' It is also a famous Tang knight-errant poem, with Li Bai's 'Chivalric.'

此诗为王维早年作品，约作于其进士及第前后或游宦初期（开元年间）。诗取材于战国时期著名的「信陵君窃符救赵」故事，事见《史记·魏公子列传》。公元前257年，秦昭王派兵围攻赵国都城邯郸，赵国平原君向魏国求救。魏王派将军晋鄙率军救赵，却因畏惧秦国而驻军观望，按兵不动。平原君求救于信陵君（魏公子无忌），信陵君本欲率门下宾客与秦军拼命，后听从大梁夷门监者（守门人）侯嬴之计，通过魏王宠妃如姬窃得兵符，又令力士朱亥椎杀晋鄙，夺得兵权，率军击退秦军，解了邯郸之围。侯嬴因年老不能随军，在信陵君出发时，预言自己「当以死送公子」，遂「北乡自刭」，以死酬谢信陵君的知遇之恩。王维此诗正是对这一史事的咏叹。值得注意的是，王维一生以山水田园诗著称，诗风清淡空灵，此诗却是其少有的慷慨咏史之作，可见王维早年也曾怀抱豪侠之气与用世之志，这与其晚年「晚年惟好静，万事不关心」的恬淡形成鲜明对照。此诗也是唐代咏侠诗中的名篇，与李白《侠客行》「十步杀一人，千里不留行」同以战国侠客为题材，体现了盛唐诗人对侠义精神的普遍追慕，正是盛唐「任侠」风气的文学反映。

Art

Four layers: (1) history as bone, poem as soul—strictly follows the tale yet every layer breathes the poet's feeling; (2) sharp contrast—Qin's siege vs Wei king's inaction; the prince's honor vs the menials' low birth; the king's coldness vs Hou Ying's hot death; (3) narrative tension—first four lines urgent, middle four calm, last four rising to fervor, ending on the question 'what more could an old man seek'; (4) history to voice his own aspiration—surface praises the past, really yearns for a worthy lord and the 'hero regardless of origin.'

此诗的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以史为骨、以诗为魂的结构。全诗严格依史事展开：开头写七雄纷争（背景），次写秦围邯郸、魏王不救（危机），再写信陵君礼贤、侯嬴朱亥献谋（转折），末写侯嬴刎颈相报（结局），脉络清晰，而每一层都灌注着诗人的情感与评判，咏史而不板滞。其二，鲜明的对比手法。「秦兵益围邯郸急」与「魏王不救平原君」形成危机与冷漠的对比；「公子为嬴停驷马，执辔愈恭意愈下」与「亥为屠肆鼓刀人，嬴乃夷门抱关者」形成尊贵与卑微的对比——尊贵的公子为卑贱的守门人执辔，身份的悬殊反衬出礼贤下士的可贵；「魏王不救」与「侯嬴死报」更形成冷漠与热血的对比。其三，叙事节奏的张弛。前四句写战争的纷乱与危机的紧迫，节奏急促；中四句写礼贤下士与身份卑微，节奏舒缓；末四句写献谋报恩、刎颈相送，由缓而急、由平而激，最后以「七十老翁何所求」的反问戛然而止，余韵激荡。其四，以咏史抒怀抱的寄托。全诗表面咏古，实则抒怀——对侠义的向往、对知遇的渴望、对「英雄不问出处」的感慨，都借史事曲折道出。四重手法相得益彰，使此诗成为唐代咏侠诗中的翘楚。

Allusions

The whole poem draws on Shi Ji 'Biography of the Wei Prince,' almost every line sourced yet seamlessly transformed. 'Seven Powers' rise and fall' hints the Zhan Guo Ce situation; 'Qin tightens Handan's siege' uses the fact Handan was 'urgent, near surrender'; 'Wei king will not save Lord Pingyuan' is the king's fear; 'prince halts carriage for Ying, holds reins more reverent' writes Xinling welcoming Hou Ying (Shi Ji: he 'cleared the left seat, personally met the Yimen elder,' Hou Ying 'boarded the upper seat, yielding nothing,' Xinling 'held the reins ever more reverent'); 'Hai the butcher, Ying the gate-keeper' names their low birth (Zhu Hai a market butcher, Hou Ying the Yimen watchman); 'not only bold counsel but life repaid' sums his plan and vow; 'facing the wind he cut his throat' uses Hou Ying's 'facing north I cut my throat to send the prince'; 'seventy-year old, what seek' closes on his age and death—both history and the poet's sigh for chivalry. All allusions from Shi Ji, poeticized with concise brush—history without pile-up.

此诗通篇取材于《史记·魏公子列传》的史事，几乎句句有出处，却又化用无痕。开头「七雄雄雌犹未分」写战国七雄争霸，暗含《战国策》「横则秦帝，纵则楚王」的形势背景；「秦兵益围邯郸急」用秦围邯郸之史实，据《史记》记载，秦军围邯郸「邯郸急，且降」，平原君使者冠盖相属于魏，求救于魏王与信陵君；「魏王不救平原君」即魏王畏秦、按兵不救之事。「公子为嬴停驷马，执辔愈恭意愈下」写信陵君亲迎侯嬴，《史记》载信陵君「从车骑，虚左，自迎夷门侯生」，侯嬴「摄敝衣冠，直上载公子上坐，不让」，信陵君「执辔愈恭」；「亥为屠肆鼓刀人，嬴乃夷门抱关者」写朱亥、侯嬴的卑微身份，朱亥是「市屠」（屠夫），侯嬴是「夷门监者」（东门守门人），王维以「鼓刀人」「抱关者」称之，更见其市井布衣的底色；「非但慷慨献良谋，意气兼将身命酬」概括侯嬴献窃符之策与「以死送公子」的誓言；「向风刎颈送公子」用侯嬴「北乡自刭」之典，《史记》载侯嬴曰：「臣宜从，老不能。请数公子行日，以至晋鄙军之日，北乡自刭，以送公子。」；「七十老翁何所求」以侯嬴年七十、以死相报作结，既是史事，也是诗人对侠义精神的感慨。全诗用典皆出于《史记》，而王维以凝练的笔触将其诗化，咏史而不堆砌，正是其「以诗写史、以史见志」的功力。

Commentary

Long seen as an outlier in Wang Wei and a famous Tang knight-errant poem. Critics prize the courtesy of 'halts the carriage, holds the reins' and the fervor of 'facing the wind he cut his throat.' Shen Deqian called its narration 'straight the style of Sima Qian.' Its value: it goes beyond praising martial valor (like Li Bai's 'ten paces kill a man') into the spirit's core—the knight dies for the one who knows him. Hou Ying's glory is his word kept, his life given; Xinling's virtue is his bending to the worthy. Through their contrast Wang Wei writes the most moving bond of 'knowing and dying in return.' It also reflects the high Tang 'knight-errant' ethos. With Li Bai's 'Chivalric' and Jia Dao's 'Swordsman' it forms the Tang knight-errant tradition. For readers today it opens the Chinese ideal 'a knight dies for the one who knows him' and shows Wang Wei's 'grandeur beyond the calm.'

此诗历来被视为王维诗中的异调，也是唐代咏侠诗的名篇。历代论者多赏其「公子为嬴停驷马，执辔愈恭意愈下」的礼贤之德与「向风刎颈送公子，七十老翁何所求」的侠义之烈：清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》评此诗「叙次点染，直是史公笔法」，指出其叙事如司马迁史笔；近人更指出此诗以七言古体咏史，气势奔放，在王维「清淡」的诗风中别具一格。在咏侠诗史上，此诗的独特价值在于：它不是简单地歌颂侠客的武勇（如李白《侠客行》「十步杀一人」），而是深入侠义的精神内核——士为知己者死。侯嬴的壮烈，不在于其武艺，而在于其一诺千金、以死报恩的品格；信陵君的贤德，不在于其权位，而在于其折节下士、礼贤若渴。王维通过这两个人物的对照，写出了「知遇」与「死报」之间最动人的伦理关系。此诗也反映了盛唐时代的「任侠」风气：唐人普遍崇尚侠义、敬慕侠客，李白、王维等皆深受影响。王维此诗与李白《侠客行》、贾岛《剑客》等，共同构成了唐代咏侠诗的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解「士为知己者死」这一中国精神传统的入口，也是感受盛唐豪侠气象的窗口，更是欣赏王维「清淡之外有雄豪」另一面的佳作。

Prosody

Form Heptasyllabic ancient-style poem七言古诗

Rhyme Throughout oblique-tone rhymes: 'fen' (divide), 'fen' (endlessly), 'jun' (prince), 'xia' (low), 'zhe' (one), 'chou' (repay), 'qiu' (seek), with natural tone shifts ('fen-fen-jun' one rhyme, 'xia-zhe' another, 'chou-qiu' another)—the free tone-shift of ancient style.通篇押仄声韵，韵脚为「分」「纷」「君」「下」「者」「酬」「求」，转韵自然（「分纷君」一韵，「下者」一韵，「酬求」一韵），属古体诗自由转韵之法。

Tone pattern A heptasyllabic ancient poem, unbound by regulated rules; its uneven lines and shifting rhymes match the content's rises and falls. Eleven lines: first six in paired, neat rhythm (background and courtesy); middle two neat (identities); last four led by 'not only,' 'both,' 'facing,' 'seventy' rising to fervor, ending on the question, abrupt and resonant.此诗为七言古体，不受近体格律束缚，以七言句的参差错落与转韵的节奏变化，配合内容的起伏。全诗十一句，前六句两两相对、节奏整齐，写背景与礼贤；中两句「亥为屠肆鼓刀人，嬴乃夷门抱关者」句式工整，点出人物身份；末四句以「非但」「兼将」「向风」「七十」等词领起，节奏渐趋激越，最后以「七十老翁何所求」的反问收束，戛然而止，余韵悠长。

Reading note A heptasyllabic ancient poem, unbound by regulated form, fitting its impassioned historical voice. Eleven lines in three layers: first four the warring crisis (urgent), middle four the prince's courtesy and the menials' birth (neat contrast), last three counsel and death (from narration to sigh), ending on 'what more could an old man seek'—grandeur and desolation together. Read the first four urgent for war, the middle four calm for courtesy, the last three fervent for chivalry—especially 'facing the wind he cut his throat...' must sound valiant and solemn. Wang Wei is known for calm; this ancient-style grandeur is his rare other face.此诗是七言古体，不受律诗格律束缚，正合其咏史抒怀的奔放气格。全诗十一句，按内容可分为三层：前四句写战国纷争与秦围邯郸的危机，节奏紧凑；中四句写信陵君礼贤与侯嬴朱亥的卑微出身，句式工整、对比鲜明；末三句写献谋报恩与刎颈相送，由叙事转为咏叹，以「七十老翁何所求」的反问作结，豪气与苍凉并见。声调上，全诗以七言的长句写出雄浑的气势，转韵的运用更使声情起伏跌宕。诵读此诗，宜以前四句的急促写战乱，中四句的从容写礼贤，末三句的激越写侠义，尤其「向风刎颈送公子，七十老翁何所求」二句，要读得慷慨悲壮、掷地有声。王维诗向以清淡著称，此诗却以七言古体的雄豪见长，正是其诗中别调，也是理解王维早年豪侠情怀的重要作品。

Line by line

公子为嬴停驷马，执辔愈恭意愈下。

The prince halts his four-horse carriage for Ying; he holds the reins, ever more reverent, his will bending low. — Writes Xinling's courtesy to the worthy, the core of 'knowing.' 'Halts the four-horse carriage' shows the noble lowering himself; 'holds the reins ever more reverent' shows him driving for the old gate-keeper, ever more respectful. The two 'ever more' show his courtesy deepening—not a show but true respect, the root of Hou Ying's later death in return. Courtesy and death-in-return form cause and effect; the base of chivalry lies in this 'holding the reins, ever more reverent' sincerity.

信陵君为侯嬴停下驷马，亲自执辔，态度愈发恭敬。

The prince reined in his four-horse carriage for Ying; holding the reins, he was the more respectful, the more humble.

这两句写信陵君礼贤下士，是「知遇」主题的核心，也是全诗最动人的画面之一。「公子为嬴停驷马」写信陵君为侯嬴停下四马拉的华贵车驾——「停驷马」三个字，写出尊贵者放低身段的姿态；「执辔愈恭意愈下」更进一层，写信陵君亲自为侯嬴执缰驾车，态度愈发恭敬——「愈恭」「愈下」两个「愈」字，写出信陵君礼贤的不断加深：他不是做做样子，而是由衷地敬重这位守门老人。据《史记》载，侯嬴故意考验信陵君，穿着破衣坐上座，信陵君执辔愈恭；侯嬴又故意在集市上与朱亥长谈，信陵君颜色愈和。王维以「愈恭意愈下」五字，浓缩了这段史事的精髓。这两句的深意在于：尊贵的公子放下身段，卑微的门监得到礼遇，「知遇」二字由此成立——正因这份知遇，才换来了侯嬴后来以死相报的壮烈。礼贤与死报，在此形成因果，侠义的根基便在于这「执辔愈恭」的真诚。

These two lines write the prince's honoring of worth, the core of the knowing-and-encountering theme, also one of the poem's most moving pictures. The prince reined in his four-horse carriage for Ying writes Lord Xinling stopping the noble four-horse carriage for Hou Ying - reined in the four horses, three characters writing the noble's lowering of himself. Holding the reins, he was the more respectful, the more humble goes a step further, writing Lord Xinling personally holding the reins and driving for Hou Ying, his attitude the more respectful - more respectful and more humble, two mores, write the deepening of the honoring: he is not performing, but from the heart revering this old gatekeeper. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, Hou Ying deliberately tested Lord Xinling, wearing rags and taking the upper seat; Lord Xinling held the reins the more respectfully. Hou Ying then deliberately talked long with Zhu Hai in the market; Lord Xinling's countenance grew the kinder. Wang Wei uses the more respectful, the more humble to condense this history's essence. The lines' depth lies in: the noble prince lowering himself, the humble gatekeeper receiving honor - thus the word knowing-and-encountering is established; precisely because of this encounter, Hou Ying later repaid with death. Honoring worth and repaying with death form cause and effect here; the root of chivalry lies in this holding-the-reins-the-more-respectful sincerity.

向风刎颈送公子，七十老翁何所求。

Facing the wind he cut his throat to speed the prince away; what more could a seventy-year-old seek? — The poem's emotional peak: Hou Ying cuts his throat north-facing to see the prince off. 'Facing the wind' shows him meeting the wind, facing the prince's distant direction, going valiantly; 'cut his throat' the absolute act of a knight dying for the one who knows him. 'What more could an old man seek' turns the cause of his death to depth: he seeks not wealth or fame but that knowing—Xinling's 'ever more reverent' worth a life. This question is Hou Ying's confession, Wang Wei's sigh for chivalry, and the voice of all who 'die for the one who knows.' The two lines write death's fervor and will's depth, pushing the poem's heroism to its top, then rest on the desolate 'what seek.'

他迎着长风刎颈自尽，送别公子；七十岁的老翁，还有什么可求的呢？

Facing the wind, he cut his throat to send the prince off; what more could a seventy-year-old ask for?

这两句是全诗情感的高潮，以侯嬴的死酬信陵君的知遇，把侠义精神推向极致。「向风刎颈送公子」写侯嬴北向自刭，以死为信陵君送行——「向风」二字，写出他面北（面向魏都大梁与信陵君远去的方向）迎着长风、慷慨赴死的姿态，「刎颈」二字，更以决绝的动作写出士为知己者死的壮烈；「七十老翁何所求」以反问收束——七十岁的老翁，一生看尽兴亡，还有什么可求的呢？这一问，把侯嬴赴死的原因推向深沉：他求的不是富贵，不是名声，而是那一份知遇——信陵君「执辔愈恭」的真诚，值得他用生命来报答。这一问，既是侯嬴的自白，也是诗人王维对侠义精神的感慨，更是千载之下所有「士为知己者死」者的心声。两句一写「死」的壮烈，一写「志」的深沉，把全诗的豪侠之气推到顶点，又落在「何所求」的苍凉一问上，令人掩卷长叹。

These two lines are the poem's emotional climax, using Hou Ying's death to repay Lord Xinling's knowing, pushing the chivalric spirit to the extreme. Facing the wind, he cut his throat to send the prince off writes Hou Ying cutting his throat northward, sending Lord Xinling off with death - facing the wind writes his posture northward (toward Daliang and the prince's departing direction), meeting the long wind, going to death generously; cut his throat writes the resolute action of a knight dying for one who knows him. What more could a seventy-year-old ask for? closes in rhetorical question - an old man of seventy, having seen all rise and fall, what more could he seek? This question pushes the reason for his death to the depth: what he sought was not wealth, not fame, but that one knowing - Lord Xinling's holding-the-reins-the-more-respectful sincerity, worth repaying with his life. This question is at once Hou Ying's confession, the poet Wang Wei's sigh at chivalry, and the voice of all who through the ages have died for one who knows them. The two lines one write death's heroism, one the will's depth, pushing the poem's heroic air to the apex, yet landing on what more could he ask for's bleak question, making the reader close the book with a long sigh.

Study

Word focus

恭 Reverent / humble respect. — The key word for Xinling's courtesy and the base of 'knowing.' Not 'respect' (more distant) or 'modest' (more formal) but 'reverent'—a low, true respect. Because of this 'reverent,' Hou Ying believed the prince truly sought the worthy and gave his plan; because of it he 'sent him off in death.' One word is both Xinling's character and the start of the poem's 'knowing-death in return' logic. Wang Wei poeticizes Shi Ji's 'holds the reins ever more reverent' detail, making Xinling live. 「恭」字是写信陵君礼贤下士的关键字，也是「知遇」主题的基石。恭，是恭敬、谦恭，王维以「执辔愈恭意愈下」写信陵君为侯嬴执缰，「愈恭」的「愈」字，写出恭敬的不断加深——信陵君不是在作秀，而是发自内心地越来越恭敬，这份恭敬，源自他对贤才的真心渴慕。「恭」字的选择极见匠心：它不是「敬」（敬多一分距离感），不是「谦」（谦多一分客套感），而是「恭」——一种低身段、真性情的恭敬。正因为这「恭」，侯嬴才相信信陵君是真心求贤，才愿意献窃符之策；也正因为这「恭」，信陵君才赢得侯嬴「以死相送」的报答。可以说，一个「恭」字，既是信陵君人格的写照，也是全诗「知遇—死报」逻辑的起点。王维炼此一字，把《史记》中「执辔愈恭」的细节诗化，使信陵君的形象跃然纸上。

刎颈 To cut the throat / sever the neck. — The most absolute, fervent words, writing the knight dying for the one who knows him. Cutting the throat is among the most gruesome ancient suicides. Wang Wei writes Hou Ying's death with three layers: its absoluteness (a seventy-year-old not clinging to life, choosing this fervent way); its calm (facing the wind, facing afar, going valiantly not in sorrow); its meaning ('to send the prince' shows the death is a seeing-off, a repayment of knowing, given weight). 'Cut the throat' vs 'took his own life' keeps both absoluteness and calm; with Li Bai's 'ten paces kill a man' it is among the most stunning words in Tang knight-errant poetry. 「刎颈」二字是全诗最决绝、最壮烈的字眼，写尽士为知己者死的侠义。刎颈，即割断脖颈自尽，是古人自杀中最惨烈的方式之一。王维以「向风刎颈送公子」写侯嬴之死，至少有三层深意：其一，写死的决绝——七十老翁，不求苟活，而选择刎颈这种壮烈的方式，可见其义无反顾；其二，写死的从容——「向风」二字点出他是迎着风、面向远方从容赴死，不是悲戚的自尽，而是慷慨的献身；其三，写死的报偿——「送公子」三字点明这死是「送」行，是为报答知遇而死的，死有了意义、有了重量。若换作「自刎」「引颈」等词，则或失其决绝，或失其从容；唯「刎颈」二字，以最直接的动作写最彻底的牺牲，让侯嬴的侠义形象永远定格在读者心中。这一个「刎颈」，与李白的「十步杀一人」一样，是盛唐咏侠诗中最令人震撼的字眼。

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