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先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗 Poem

小雅·出车

Xiaoya: Chuju (Chariots, Set Forth)

诗经

Shijing

战争War 边塞Frontier 周宣王King Xuan of Zhou 南仲Nan Zhong 诗经Book of Songs

我出我车，于彼牧矣。
自天子所，谓我来矣。
召彼仆夫，谓之载矣。
王事多难，维其棘矣。
我出我车，于彼郊矣。
设此旐矣，建彼旄矣。
彼旟旐斯，胡不旆旆？
忧心悄悄，仆夫况瘁。
王命南仲，往城于方。
出车彭彭，旂旐央央。
天子命我，城彼朔方。
赫赫南仲，玁狁于襄。
昔我往矣，黍稷方华。
今我来思，雨雪载途。
王事多难，不遑启居。
岂不怀归？
畏此简书。
喓喓草虫，趯趯阜螽。
未见君子，忧心忡忡。
既见君子，我心则降。
赫赫南仲，薄伐西戎。
春日迟迟，卉木萋萋。
仓庚喈喈，采蘩祁祁。
执讯获丑，薄言还归。
赫赫南仲，玁狁于夷。

I send forth my chariot, to the pasture wide.
From the Son of Heaven's court, I was called to ride.
Summon the drivers, load the cars with might.
The king's tasks are many, urgent is the fight.
I send forth my chariot, to the suburb's bound.
Set up the serpent flags, the ox-tail staffs around.
Those banners and ensigns, why do they not sway?
My heart is anxious, the drivers worn away.
The king commands Nan Zhong, to fortify the Fang.
The chariots roll in strength, banners shine with clang.
The Son of Heaven orders me, to build the northern wall.
Glorious Nan Zhong, Xianyun he shall maul.
When I went of old, the millet was in bloom.
Now I return, snow and rain cover the road's gloom.
The king's tasks are many, no leisure to rest.
Do I not long for home? For the bamboo slips I'm pressed.
The grasshoppers chirp, the locusts leap about.
Not seeing my lord, my heart is filled with doubt.
Now that I see my lord, my heart is set at ease.
Glorious Nan Zhong, the western Rong he appease.
The spring days are slow, plants and trees grow thick.
Orioles cry in harmonies, women pick starwort quick.
Prisoners are questioned, foes are captured in war.
Glorious Nan Zhong, Xianyun is no more.

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Meaning

The poem commemorates a military expedition under King Xuan of Zhou, led by General Nan Zhong, to fortify the northern borders and quell the Xianyun and western Rong tribes. It interweaves the urgency of royal orders, the hardships of soldiers, and the relief of returning home in spring.

兵车调集已毕，屯驻在那牧野之地。自天子所居之处，传令命我前来。召来那些驭手，吩咐把兵车装载。王室多难当头，军情实在急迫。兵车再次出动，列阵在那郊外。竖起龟蛇之旐，建起旄牛之旄。那旟旗与旐旗，为何不随风飘扬？忧心忡忡暗自愁，驭手也已憔悴劳。周王命将南仲，前往朔方筑城。兵车粼粼出征，旗帜鲜明煌煌。天子亲命于我，去把朔方城筑成。威名赫赫的南仲，把玁狁之患扫平。昔日我赴边时，黍稷正开着花。今日我归来时，大雪落满路途。王室多难未已，无暇安居休养。难道不想回家？只怕那急迫的简书。草虫喓喓而鸣，阜螽趯趯而跳。未见那君子时，忧心忡忡难消。既已见着君子，我心方才放下。威名赫赫的南仲，又把西戎讨伐。春日舒缓悠长，草木繁盛萋萋。仓庚鸟儿喈喈，采蘩人众祁祁。擒获敌众审讯，奏凯缓缓归还。威名赫赫的南仲，终使玁狁平息。

Appreciation

As a typical war song of the Western Zhou, 'Chuju' praises General Nan Zhong's campaigns while also voicing soldiers' homesickness. Its deft use of temporal contrasts—'millet in bloom' against 'snowy roads,' and the serene spring scene at the end—gives the martial theme a warm human dimension. The repeated refrain 'Glorious Nan Zhong' creates a solemn, hymn-like rhythm.

【白话串讲】 “我出我车，于彼牧矣”——诗经《小雅·出车》：我驾出战车。“王事多难，维其棘矣”——国家多难，军情紧急。“忧心悄悄，仆夫况瘁”——“昔我往矣，黍稷方华”——当年出征时，黍稷正在开花。【意象与手法】时空的跳跃与对照。以“昔我往矣，黍稷方华”对“今我来思，雨雪载途”，以“春日迟迟，卉木萋萋”反衬此前征战之苦；“赫赫南仲”反复咏叹，一唱三叹。六章以出征、誓师、筑城、凯旋为线索，刚健之中自有柔情。【情感与主旨】西周宣王时代歌颂中兴名将南仲的战争乐歌。既铺陈平定玁狁、西戎的赫赫武功，又穿插将士行旅之艰与家人思归之切，于凯歌中不失人情温度，既是军功的纪念碑，也是和平的礼赞。【名句点睛】常考“昔我往矣，黍稷方华；今我来思，雨雪载途”以景物变迁写征战之久；“春日迟迟，卉木萋萋”以明媚春景反衬行役之苦。

Background

Composed during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou (c. 9th century BCE), 'Chuju' reflects the historical threat posed by the Xianyun, a northern nomadic people, to the Zhou capital region. King Xuan's 'restoration' involved dispatching generals like Nan Zhong to build walls and launch campaigns against these invaders. The poem likely served as a ceremony for welcoming victorious troops, combining official commemoration with personal sentiment.

《小雅·出车》产生的时代，一般据《诗序》及毛传郑笺定为周宣王时期。西周末年，玁狁（即猃狁，北方游牧民族）屡次南下侵扰周之边鄙，严重威胁镐京以北的朔方一带，迫使周王室不得不兴师征讨。宣王即位后励精图治，任用南仲、尹吉甫、方叔等一批将领北逐玁狁、南平荆蛮，史称「宣王中兴」。本诗所咏，正是南仲受命往城于方（朔方）、修筑城防以御玁狁，并最终「薄伐西戎」「玁狁于夷」的史事。诗当由参与其事的王室乐官或军中幕僚所作，初为劳还慰师之辞，后被采入乐官用于凯旋庆功的典礼歌唱。值得注意的是，诗中既写「王事多难，维其棘矣」的紧张，又写「岂不怀归，畏此简书」的克制，更写「春日迟迟，卉木萋萋」的和平景象，可知其背景不止于单纯的武功记录，还承载着宣王一朝由乱入治、由战转和的时代心理，是理解西周晚期政治军事与礼乐文化的重要文本。

Art

The poem is distinguished by its interweaving of repetitive refrains and sharp temporal contrasts. The first two chapters open with 'I send forth my chariot,' establishing a sense of urgent mobilization. The fourth chapter juxtaposes 'when I went, millet bloomed' with 'now returning, snow and rain cover the road,' compressing the soldier's long absence into a single poignant image. The final chapter's serene spring scene, with chirping orioles and women picking starwort, contrasts with the earlier scenes of war, suggesting that peace is the ultimate reward. The repeated exclamation 'Glorious Nan Zhong' not only praises the general but also structures the poem as a hymn-like ode.

本诗艺术上最突出的特色是重章叠句与时空对照的交织运用。全诗六章章法整饬，首二章以「我出我车」复沓起头，营造大军集结、令出如山的紧迫感；后四章则以「昔我往矣」「春日迟迟」等时间语词，将出征、征战、凯旋串成完整叙事弧线。其对照手法尤见功力：第四章以「黍稷方华」的夏景对「雨雪载途」的冬归，以「昔」与「今」的强烈反差写尽征人岁月之艰；第六章以「卉木萋萋」「仓庚喈喈」的明媚春光，反衬此前金戈铁马的残酷，使和平的来之不易跃然纸上。意象经营亦极讲究，旗帜系列（旐、旄、旟、旂）既是军容的实写，又是威仪的象喻；草虫、阜螽、仓庚、采蘩等自然物象则柔化战争题材的硬度，注入人情温度。结尾三章均以「赫赫南仲」收束，反复咏叹形成一唱三叹的节奏，既是颂功，也是结构的强力锚点，体现了《小雅》雅正中见变化的抒情艺术。此种以复沓为骨、以对照为魂的章法，使《出车》在《小雅》诸多战争诗中独标高格，既见庙堂颂声之正，亦含闾阎人情之温。

Allusions

Nan Zhong was a historical figure during King Xuan's reign, credited with building the city of Shuofang and repelling the Xianyun. The Xianyun (also written as Xianyun) were a northern tribe frequently mentioned in Zhou bronze inscriptions and in other poems like 'Caiwei' (Gathering Ferns). The phrase 'weijing jian shu' (fearing the bamboo slips) refers to the urgent royal orders written on bamboo, which later became a common trope for military dispatches in classical poetry. Also, the line 'city at the north' (cheng bi shuofang) reflects the Zhou practice of building fortified cities as a means of defense and colonization.

诗中典故与意象多有所本。「南仲」为宣王时大将，城朔方、逐玁狁事见《竹书纪年》及《诗经》他篇互证，是西周中兴的符号性人物。「玁狁」即猃狁，乃周人北边世仇，《采薇》《六月》并咏其事，形成一组以「玁狁之故」为母题的战争诗群，其意象渊源可上溯至甲骨、金文中有关「鬼方」「玁狁」的记载。「简书」一词尤可玩味，先秦以竹简书急令，所谓「畏此简书」即惧王命之急，后来「简书」遂成军书、家书的代称，杜甫「邑中上客有柱史，湖上老翁无汉节」虽异，而「简书」入诗之传统实肇于此。「城彼朔方」的筑城意象，则渊源于《诗经》中常见的「城」字政治象征——筑城即立防、即安民。至于「雨雪载途」「春日迟迟」等句，更直接开启了《采薇》「昔我往矣，杨柳依依；今我来思，雨雪霏霏」的范式，成为后世征戍诗时空对照的经典语码。诗中「旂旐央央」「出车彭彭」的盛大形容，亦为汉赋车马羽旄之铺陈先声，可见《出车》在意象气格上已为后世庙堂颂美开启范式。

Commentary

The poem unfolds in three phases. The first two chapters depict the rapid mobilization of chariots and banners, suffused with anxiety and urgency. The middle chapters focus on Nan Zhong's achievements and the soldiers' longing for home, culminating in the famous contrast of seasons. The final chapters shift to a spring landscape and victorious return, blending personal relief with communal celebration. The balanced structure—from tension to release—mirrors the emotional arc of war itself, making the poem a masterpiece of the 'Lesser Odes' for its fusion of martial grandeur and human tenderness.

全诗可分三层读。前二章为出师：首章自「我出我车，于彼牧矣」写兵车集结于牧野，经天子传令、召夫载车，落脚于「王事多难，维其棘矣」，点出军情火急；次章移至郊外誓师，「设此旐矣，建彼旄矣」铺陈军容，「彼旟旐斯，胡不旆旆」以反诘写将士盼战之切，「忧心悄悄，仆夫况瘁」则透出征途劳瘁。中二章为征战与思归：第三章正面写南仲受命城朔方、「玁狁于襄」的功业；第四章以「昔我往矣，黍稷方华；今我来思，雨雪载途」的今昔对照，写征人历夏经冬之苦，结以「岂不怀归，畏此简书」的忠孝两难，最是动人。后二章为凯旋：第五章借「喓喓草虫」起兴，由「未见君子，忧心忡忡」到「既见君子，我心则降」，写家眷得见征人归来的释然，并再颂「薄伐西戎」；第六章以「春日迟迟，卉木萋萋」的和平画卷收束，写「执讯获丑」的战果与「玁狁于夷」的彻底安定。章法由紧张而舒缓，由金戈而春光，刚柔相济，堪称《小雅》叙事抒情之范。

Prosody

Reading note Typical of the 'Xiaoya' style, each chapter has eight lines of four characters, creating a dignified, stately cadence. The use of reduplicative words (e.g., 'pengpeng', 'yangyang') enhances the sonic texture.《小雅·出车》为典型的四言诗，六章章八句，句式以四字顿为主，间以「于彼牧矣」「往城于方」等加字词尾，形成「二二」节奏与舒缓的吟诵感，合乎雅乐雍容端正之体。押韵方面，各章随义换韵，井然有致：首章「矣」「矣」「矣」「棘」押之部（棘属职部，与矣之通押）；二章「矣」「矣」「旆」「瘁」以脂微合韵；三章「方」「央」「方」「襄」阳部一韵到底，气象开阔；四章「华」「途」「居」「书」鱼部相协；五章「螽」「忡」「降」「戎」冬东合韵；六章「萋」「祁」「归」「夷」脂支部通押。整体换韵自由而暗合情绪起伏——阳部之宏阔对应武功，鱼部之悠远对应思归，脂支之明丽对应凯旋，韵随情转，足见乐官配乐之匠心。其重章复沓处（如「我出我车」「赫赫南仲」）更在整齐中见变化，是《小雅》正格四言的典范。

Line by line

赫赫南仲，玁狁于襄。

This line is the pivot of the general's achievement. 'Hehe' (glorious) emphasizes Nan Zhong's martial majesty; 'yuxiang' means to eliminate or level, indicating that the Xianyun threat is swept away. The poet avoids graphic battle descriptions, instead using a grand, dignified phrase that underscores the ideal of virtuous military power.

In glory, oh, Nan Zhong; the Xianyun are driven out.

「赫赫南仲，玁狁于襄」是全诗功业的支点。「赫赫」叠字状威名之盛，呼应《诗经》惯以「赫赫」写神明、写王者、写功臣的崇高语体（如「赫赫姜嫄」「赫赫宗周」）；「南仲」则是宣王朝真实的历史将领，城朔方、逐玁狁见诸史载。「于襄」之「襄」训除、平，意即把玁狁之患彻底扫除。此句置于第三章章末，既是对前文「王命南仲，往城于方」的回应，也是全诗由「出师」转向「告捷」的枢纽。值得玩味的是，诗人不直写鏖战血腥，而以「赫赫」之威、「于襄」之果一笔带过，正是《雅》诗「主文而谲谏」、重德音而轻杀伐的温厚处，亦可见周人「武功」最终要归于「文德」的价值取向。

'In glory, oh, Nan Zhong; the Xianyun are driven out' is the pivot of the poem's achievement. 'In glory,' a reduplicative, writes the splendor of his renown, echoing the Book of Songs' lofty diction of 'glory' for gods, kings, and great ministers; 'Nan Zhong' is the real historical general of King Xuan's reign, recorded as fortifying the north and driving out the Xianyun. The 'driven out'—'driven' meaning removed, pacified—means the Xianyun peril swept away. Placed at the end of the third stanza, it answers the foregoing 'the king commands Nan Zhong to go and fortify the north,' and is the hinge where the poem turns from 'setting out' to 'announcing victory.' Notably, the poet does not write the bloody battle, but passes over it in a word of 'glory' and the result of 'driven out,' precisely the gentle way of the Odes that 'argues through beauty, remonstrates with reserve,' prizing virtue over slaughter, and shows the Zhou value of 'military power' ultimately returning to 'civil virtue.'

昔我往矣，黍稷方华。

These lines form the poem's most poignant temporal contrast. When the soldier departed, the millet was flowering; now he returns through snow-covered roads. The natural imagery conveys the passage of time and the hardships endured, without explicit complaint, yet deeply moving. This couplet directly anticipates the famous 'Caiwei' lines about willows and falling snow.

When I set out, oh, in days past, the millet and sorghum were in bloom.

这一句与后文「今我来思，雨雪载途」遥相呼应，构成全诗最富抒情张力的今昔对照。「昔」与「今」对举，「往」与「来」呼应，将一次出征压缩成夏去冬归的时间胶囊：去时黍稷方华、万物生发，归时雨雪载途、天地肃杀，景语即情语，不言苦而苦自见。其句法直接孕育了《小雅·采薇》「昔我往矣，杨柳依依；今我来思，雨雪霏霏」这一千古绝唱，可视为同一母题的先声。更深一层，「方华」与「载途」之间，隐含着征人由希望走向疲惫、由春和走向凛冽的生命体验，而紧接的「王事多难，不遑启居。岂不怀归？畏此简书」，更把这自然时序的流转升华为忠与孝、归与戍的内心撕扯，使个人命运与邦国危难紧紧相系。

This line echoes the later 'now I return, the snow fills the road,' forming the most lyrical tension of past and present in the poem. 'Past' and 'present' are set against, 'set out' and 'return' echo, compressing one expedition into a time-capsule of summer departure and winter return: going, the millet in bloom, all things growing; returning, the snow filling the road, the world bleak—the scene itself feeling, hardship visible without being named. Its phrasing directly fathered the age-old 'Millet at the Hills' line, 'long ago I set out, willows soft and trailing; now I return, the snow falling thick,' and may be seen as the precursor of the same theme. On a deeper layer, between 'in bloom' and 'filling the road' lies the soldier's passage from hope to exhaustion, from spring warmth to winter's bite; and the following 'the king's affairs are many, no time to rest, how could I long to return, fearing this written order' further sublimates the turning of the seasons into the inner tornness of loyalty and filial piety, return and garrison, binding personal fate tight to the peril of the state.

春日迟迟，卉木萋萋。

The final chapter opens with a serene spring scene: days are long, vegetation is lush. This peaceful image stands in stark contrast to the earlier scenes of war and winter, signaling the restoration of peace. It reflects the Zhou ideal that military victory ultimately leads to agricultural and social flourishing.

The spring day lingers, oh; plants and trees grow lush.

第六章「春日迟迟，卉木萋萋」以一幅明丽平和的春景图，为整首金戈铁马之歌作结。「迟迟」状春日舒缓悠长，「萋萋」写草木茂盛葱茏，叠字本身即带安详韵律。此景之妙，在于它与前文「雨雪载途」的凛冽、「忧心悄悄」的憔悴形成强烈反衬——唯有历尽征战之苦，方知和平春光之可贵。从结构看，这一句也是《诗经》「以乐景写乐、以哀景写哀」传统中「乐景结篇」的范例，与《采薇》「昔我往矣……今我来思」同构而异趣。它告诉读者：南仲之功、王师之还，最终要落实为「卉木萋萋」的寻常春色与「采蘩祁祁」的民间安宁，这正是周人战争诗最高的价值归宿——止戈为武，还天下以生息。

The sixth stanza, 'the spring day lingers, oh; plants and trees grow lush,' closes the whole song of arms and iron in a bright, peaceful spring picture. 'Lingers' writes the slow, long spring day, 'lush' the rich growth of plants, the reduplications themselves carrying an serene rhythm. The art of this scene lies in its sharp contrast with the foregoing 'snow filling the road' bleakness and the 'anxious heart' wasting—only after enduring the hardship of war does one know the preciousness of peaceful spring. Structurally, this line is also the model of 'closing on joyous scenery' in the Book of Songs' tradition of 'joy through joy, grief through grief,' isomorphic yet differently flavored with the 'Millet at the Hills.' It tells the reader: Nan Zhong's achievement and the royal army's return must at last be realized as the ordinary spring green of 'plants and trees grow lush' and the folk peace of 'gathering the white artemisia,' the highest value resting place of Zhou war poetry—laying down arms as true martial power, returning the world to its breeding season.

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Word focus

棘 Urgent; literally 'thistles,' extended to pressing matters. Here it describes the critical state of royal affairs. 「维其棘矣」之「棘」，本义为荆棘，此处引申为「急、迫」。《毛传》训「棘，急也」，盖荆棘丛生、刺人迅疾，故借以形容事态紧急。诗中「王事多难，维其棘矣」置于首章章末，是整支出征曲的定调之笔——王室多难，军情如火，刻不容缓。一个「棘」字，既写出外部局势的危迫，也暗含征人内心的紧绷，较之直说「急矣」更具质感与张力。更可注意的是，「棘」在《诗经》中屡见（如《采薇》「玁狁孔棘」），往往与边患、战事相连，已成为一个固定的「危局」语码，足见周人面对北方民族侵扰时共有的时代焦虑。

旆旆 Fluttering, waving; describes banners moving in the wind, symbolizing soldiers' high morale. 「彼旟旐斯，胡不旆旆」中「旆旆」（音配）形容旗帜垂旒飘扬之貌。旟为画有鸟隼的旗，旐为画有龟蛇的旗，均为周代军中标识；「旆」本指旗末状如燕尾的垂饰，加「旆旆」叠字则状其随风舒展、猎猎生威。诗人以反诘「胡不旆旆」——为何不飘扬起来呢——表面写旗，实则写军心之昂扬、盼战之迫切，一种「旌旗猎猎、整装待发」的场面感扑面而来。叠字的运用是《诗经》炼字一大特色，于此既摹声绘形，又泄情于景，使静态的旗帜有了动态的生命，是全诗军容描写中最灵动的细节。

简书 Bamboo slips with official orders; here meaning urgent royal military commands, representing duty overriding homesickness. 「岂不怀归？畏此简书」之「简书」，指书写于竹简之上的王命军令。先秦无纸，大事书于简策，「简书」即官方急件、征召之符的信称。此词妙在将「怀归」的私情与「简书」的公义并置：征人岂无归心？然惧王命急迫，不敢擅离。一个「畏」字，写尽忠孝两难中的克制与担当。后世「简书」一词沿用为书信、军书之美称（如梁简文帝「行行倦修坂，屡屡览尘策」虽异，而意象相承），其文学传统实滥觞于《出车》此句，足见《诗经》语词生命力之强。