All poems

元 Yuan · 散曲 Sanqu song

拨不断·布衣中

Bo Bu Duan · Among Commoners

马致远

Ma Zhiyuan

闲适Leisure and Contentment 感怀Reflections 怀古History

布衣中，问英雄。
王图霸业成何用？
禾黍高低六代宫，楸梧远近千官冢。
一场恶梦。

Among commoners, I ask the heroes.
What use are kingly plans and hegemon's deeds?
Millet grows high and low where Six Dynasties' palaces stood,
Catalpa trees far and near mark the tombs of officials.
All is a sheer nightmare.

Listen

Meaning

The poet, speaking as a commoner, questions the value of heroic ambitions. The grandeur of palaces and tombs has turned into overgrown fields and trees, ultimately proving to be nothing but a bad dream.

我本是布衣平民，却要试问古往今来的所谓英雄：那称王图霸、建国立业，到头来又有什么用处？你看那六朝宫殿，如今只剩高低起伏的禾黍；千官坟冢，不过远近萧疏的楸梧。到头来，不过是一场噩梦罢了。

Appreciation

This short lyric boldly uses a commoner's voice to deconstruct heroic narratives. It contrasts past glory with present desolation through vivid imagery, and ends with the blunt word 'nightmare', conveying profound disillusionment.

【白话串讲】马致远说：英雄难道只在布衣百姓里？王图霸业有什么用，六朝的宫殿成了高低不齐的禾黍，千官的坟头长满楸梧——“一场恶梦”。看透了兴亡，他只剩一声冷笑。【意象与手法】此曲章法奇崛：开篇「布衣中，问英雄」以身份错位制造张力，平民竟来质问英雄，已含反讽。中段「王图霸业成何用」以反问直揭题旨，随即以「禾黍高低六代宫，楸梧远近千官冢」两个苍凉镜头作答，将抽象历史虚无化为具象荒墟。结句「一场恶梦」仅四字，如重锤收束，以口语化表达出旷达中的沉痛。【情感与主旨】马致远早年热衷功名，曾任江浙行省务官，然宦途失意，晚年退隐田园。此曲正作于其阅尽世事、看破功名之后，借布衣之口抒写对王图霸业的虚无之感，与其《天净沙·秋思》的悲凉意绪一脉相通。【名句点睛】命题多聚焦：设问与反问的修辞效果；「布衣中，问英雄」的反差与反讽；「禾黍」「楸梧」意象的历史沧桑感；「一场恶梦」收束的口语力量。

Background

Ma Zhiyuan (c. 1250–1321), one of the 'Four Great Yuan Playwrights', had a frustrated official career. He retired to a rural life, and this piece reflects his disillusionment with worldly success and the transience of power.

马致远（约1250—1321后），字千里，号东篱，大都人，元代著名散曲家、戏曲家，与关汉卿、白朴、郑光祖并称「元曲四大家」。马致远早年热衷功名，曾任江浙行省务官，然宦途失意，郁郁不得志，晚年退隐田园，寄情山水诗酒。此《拨不断·布衣中》为其「双调·拨不断」小令，正作于阅尽世事、看破功名之后，借布衣之口抒写对王图霸业的虚无之感。元人散曲多写叹世归隐之题，盖蒙古入主中原，士人沦落，功名之路既断，遂于历史与现实之间寻求解脱。马致远此曲以平民之口质问英雄，以荒墟之景证功名之虚，正是元代士人普遍心态的典型表达，与其《天净沙·秋思》的悲凉意绪一脉相通，而此曲更多一分历史眼光与哲理意味。马致远早年追求功名，任江浙行省务官，然元代民族等级森严，汉族文人仕进之路极窄，其宦途颇为失意；晚年看破功名，退隐林下，自号东篱，取陶渊明「采菊东篱下」之意，其散曲多写叹世归隐之思。此曲以「布衣」自居，正见其已放下功名之念；而「问英雄」之语，又见其胸中郁气未平——越是自称布衣，越见其曾经沧海；越是看破功名，越见其用世之心未泯。读此曲者，当于其旷达之中见沉痛，于其冷峻之中见热血。

Art

The poem opens with a striking question that creates tension, follows with desolate visual images ('millet', 'catalpa'), and concludes with a curt, powerful punchline. The language is plain yet sharp, exemplifying the bold and spicy style of Yuan sanqu.

此曲章法奇崛，步步紧逼。开篇「布衣中，问英雄」以身份错位制造张力：平民竟来质问英雄，位卑者竟来审判显赫者，一个「问」字平地起波澜，已含反讽之意。中段「王图霸业成何用」以反问直揭题旨，问而不答，先声夺人；随即以「禾黍高低六代宫，楸梧远近千官冢」两个苍凉镜头作答——六朝宫殿化为禾黍，千官坟冢唯余楸梧，以具象之荒墟写抽象之虚无，一宫一冢、一高低一远近，对仗工稳而意境苍茫。结句「一场恶梦」仅四字，如重锤收束，以口语化表达出旷达中的沉痛，戛然而止，余响不绝。全曲由问而答、由实而虚、由历史而人生，层层递进，将功名虚幻之旨写得淋漓尽致，尽显元曲「豪辣灏烂」本色。又此曲语言之妙，在以俗写雅：「布衣中」「成何用」「一场恶梦」皆市井口语，而置于怀古伤今的大主题中，俗语反生奇趣，正合元曲「豪辣灏烂」的本色；「禾黍高低六代宫，楸梧远近千官冢」则化用诗经雅言、对仗工整，与前后口语形成雅俗相间的节奏，一俗一雅，一近一远，正是散曲雅俗共赏的典范。全曲由问而证、由证而梦，一气流转，四层递进，章法之紧、语势之疾，皆为小令中所罕见。

Allusions

The image of 'millet' (禾黍) alludes to the Book of Songs poem 'Millet Lush', which mourns the fall of a dynasty as palaces become farmland. Here it universalizes the ruin of all Six Dynasties, reinforcing the theme of vanished glory.

曲中「禾黍」化用《诗经·王风·黍离》「彼黍离离，彼稷之苗」之典：周大夫行役过故宗庙宫室，见尽为禾黍，彷徨不忍去而作此诗，后世遂以「禾黍」代指王朝兴废、繁华成空。马致远以「禾黍高低六代宫」一笔囊括六朝兴亡，用典而不滞于典，使历史沧桑感喷薄而出。「六代宫」指建康（今南京）六朝宫殿，六朝更迭，宫殿屡兴屡废；「千官冢」指历代王侯将相之坟，与「楸梧」（坟前所植之树）并置，以数代帝王将相的最终归宿，强化功名虚幻之旨。又「英雄」一词暗含对历史上所谓英雄人物的整体质疑，与《黍离》之悲相为表里。全曲用典极精，化于白描之中，不着痕迹，正见马致远「借古人之酒杯，浇自己之块垒」的本领。又「六代宫」指东吴、东晋、宋、齐、梁、陈六朝宫殿，皆在建康（今南京），六朝更迭频仍，宫殿屡建屡毁，至唐末五代已尽成禾黍；「千官冢」则泛言历代王侯将相之坟，与「六代宫」对举，一写宫殿之墟，一写坟冢之荒，正是「宫阙万间都做了土」之意。马致远取六朝故都之兴废，写古今功名之虚无，较之泛咏历史，更见具体苍凉，亦暗含对元代汉族士人功名绝望的深悲，用典而不滞，正见其举重若轻的功力。

Commentary

Traditional critics like the 'Taiping Zhengyin Pu' praise Ma's style as 'like a morning phoenix'. This piece is noted for its bold perspective and the fusion of historical sorrow with personal awakening.

明朱权《太和正音谱》评马致远词「如朝阳鸣凤」，又列其曲「典雅清丽」；此曲以布衣问英雄，正见其超迈之气。近人论马致远散曲，多许其「豪放之中见沉郁」，此曲以游戏之笔写历史之叹，嬉笑怒骂而沉痛自见，正是这一风格的典范。与《天净沙·秋思》并称，一写行旅之悲（「夕阳西下，断肠人在天涯」），一写历史之叹（「王图霸业成何用？一场恶梦」），皆以极短之章写极深之慨，足见东篱胸次之广。元人散曲多写叹世，而马致远此曲将个人之失意升华为对历史功业的整体省思，其识见之高、笔力之雄，为元曲中不可多得者，亦是元代士人看破功名的绝唱，对后世「功名如梦」主题的文学创作影响深远。又元人散曲多写叹世，如关汉卿「我是个蒸不烂、煮不熟、捶不匾、炒不爆、响珰珰一粒铜豌豆」写倔强，白朴「知荣知辱牢缄口，谁是谁非暗点头」写避世，而马致远此曲独以「问英雄」之诘、以「一场恶梦」之断，将叹世升华为历史哲思，其识见之高，冠绝一时。近人编《散曲丛刊》，收马致远《东篱乐府》，评其「清俊」「宏丽」，此曲正于宏丽之中见沉郁。又此曲与《天净沙·秋思》并称马致远小令双璧，一写「断肠人在天涯」之羁旅，一写「一场恶梦」之历史，合观足见东篱胸次之广与曲境之深。

Prosody

Form Yuan sanqu · Tune 'Bo Bu Duan' (short lyric)元散曲·双调·拨不断（小令）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'zhong, xiong, yong, gong, zhong, meng' (Eastern/Ding tones mixed)押「中、雄、用、宫、冢、梦」，《中原音韵》东钟、庚青通押，平仄互押。

Tone pattern Irregular line lengths (3,3,7,7,7,4) with no strict tonal pattern句式以三字、六字、七字错落，不拘诗律平仄，以自然口语为节奏，音节顿挫有力。

Reading note The tune 'Bo Bu Duan' typically has lines of 3,3,7,7,7,4 characters, ending with a forceful final phrase.此曲为元散曲「双调·拨不断」小令，又名「续断弦」，定格句式为三三七七四，共六句：三字句（布衣中）、三字句（问英雄）、七字句（王图霸业成何用）、七字句（禾黍高低六代宫）、七字句（楸梧远近千官冢）、四字句（一场恶梦）。全曲押「中、雄、用、宫、冢、梦」六韵，依《中原音韵》东钟、庚青二部通押（中、雄、宫、梦属东钟，用、冢属庚青），平仄互押，正合元曲「韵脚平仄通押」的特点，与诗词押韵之严格判然有别。音节上，前三句短句顿挫，如连珠发问；中二句七言对仗，音节舒展苍凉；结句四字，戛然而止，如重锤落地。曲韵之自由、音节之跌宕，正合曲中嬉笑怒骂、由问而证而梦的章法，尽显元曲「豪辣灏烂」、不拘一格的本色，为小令中「以短章写大主题」的典范。

Line by line

布衣中，问英雄

Among commoners, I ask the heroes. The poet identifies as a commoner posing a question to heroes, creating irony and tension.

我这布衣平民，要问一问古来英雄。

I, a man in plain cloth, would ask about the heroes of old.

起句以身份错位制造反讽张力，平地起波澜。「布衣」指平民百姓，是作者自居的身份；「英雄」指历史上的帝王将相，功名显赫者。布衣与英雄，位分之悬绝可知，而布衣竟来质问英雄，一个「问」字，将平民置于审判者的高位，身份错位，反讽顿生——英雄之贵，在布衣眼中不值一问。此句之妙有三：一是以问答体起兴，开篇即设悬念，引人入胜；二是身份错位制造张力，位卑者问位尊者，本身即是挑战与解构；三是「问英雄」三字暗含对英雄价值的整体质疑，为下文「王图霸业成何用」的直揭题旨蓄势，起笔即定全曲反讽批判的基调。

The opening creates irony through an inversion of status. 'Plain cloth' means a commoner, the speaker's own self-designation; 'heroes' means emperors, generals, the illustrious of history. The gap between them is enormous, yet a commoner presumes to question heroes: the word 'ask' places the humble man on the judge's bench, and irony is born — in plain cloth's eyes, the great of the world are hardly worth a question. The device works three ways: a question form that hooks attention at once; the challenge implicit when the low interrogate the high; and the hidden doubt about heroic value that primes the verdict to come.

王图霸业成何用？

What use are kingly plans and hegemon's deeds? A rhetorical question directly challenges the value of ambition.

称王图霸到底有何用处？

What use, in the end, are kingly plans and hegemonic power?

此句以反问直揭主旨，是全曲的题眼。「王图」谓称王之图谋，「霸业」谓称霸之基业，合指帝王将相一生追逐的功名富贵；「成何用」三字以反问出之，问而不答，其意自明——王图霸业，到头来一无所用。此句承上句「问英雄」而来，是布衣对英雄的正面质问，亦是作者对功名价值的根本否定。妙在「成何用」三字的口语化力量：不说「有何益」「终成空」等文雅之辞，而用「成何用」的市井口语，正见元曲「以俗为雅」的本色，也将抽象的哲理化为斩截的诘问，一锤定音。此句是全曲由「问」入「证」的枢纽，为下文两个荒墟镜头的作答张本。

The rhetorical question strikes the theme directly and is the eye of the song. 'Kingly plans' and 'hegemonic enterprise' name the fortune and fame that statesmen and emperors spent their lives chasing; 'what use, after all?' asks without answering, the answer plain in the asking — it came to nothing. Following the previous 'ask the heroes,' this is the commoner's direct indictment, the poet's fundamental rejection of worldly success. The colloquial force of the phrase — plain market speech rather than elegant wording — is exactly the Yuan qu spirit of making the vernacular eloquent, turning abstract philosophy into a flat, final verdict.

禾黍高低六代宫，楸梧远近千官冢

Millet grows high and low where Six Dynasties' palaces stood; catalpa trees far and near mark the tombs of officials. Vivid images of decay answer the question, showing fleeting glory.

六朝宫殿只剩高低起伏的禾黍，千官坟冢唯余远近萧疏的楸梧。

Where the Six Dynasties' palaces stood, sorghum and millet rise and fall; around the thousand officials' graves, catalpa and parasol trees scatter far and near.

此二句以荒墟意象作答，是全曲最苍凉的画面。「禾黍高低六代宫」写六朝宫殿化为高低起伏的禾黍之地，化用《诗经·黍离》「彼黍离离」之典，六代繁华，尽付黍离，王朝兴废之悲尽在其中；「楸梧远近千官冢」写历代千官坟冢，远近皆是萧疏的楸梧，功名赫赫者终归一抔黄土。「高低」写禾黍之起伏，「远近」写坟冢之绵延，对仗工稳而意境苍茫，一写宫殿之墟，一写坟冢之荒，以具体可感的荒凉图景，回答了「成何用」的诘问。此二句是全曲由议论转写景的枢纽，以景证理，以实写虚，历史虚无之感喷薄而出，是元曲「以景结情」的典范。

These two lines answer the question with ruins, and are the bleakest picture in the song. Sorghum and millet billow where the palaces of the Six Dynasties once stood — an echo of the Book of Songs' swaying millet, the ancient lament for fallen capitals; far and near, the graves of a thousand officials are overgrown with catalpa and parasol, and the mighty rest at last under dust. 'Rising and falling' renders the undulation of the grain; 'far and near' the spread of the graves. The balanced couplet moves from ruined palace to abandoned tomb, answering 'what use?' with what the eye can see — scenery proving the argument, the emptiness of history pouring forth, a masterwork of Yuan qu closing in landscape.

一场恶梦

All is a sheer nightmare. The final four characters sum up everything as a nightmare, leaving a lasting impact.

到头来，不过是一场噩梦罢了。

In the end, nothing but a nightmare.

结句仅四字，却如重锤收束，是全曲的豹尾。「一场恶梦」以口语化的比喻收束全篇：王图霸业、六代宫阙、千官坟冢，一切功名富贵，到头来不过是一场噩梦。「梦」字承上句荒墟而来——宫殿禾黍、坟冢楸梧，正是梦醒后的荒凉残迹；「恶」字写梦之可怖，繁华是梦中的幻象，醒后唯余苍凉，恶梦之喻，将功名虚无论推向极致。此句之妙有三：一是以四字收束全篇，戛然而止，余响不绝；二是以口语入曲，「一场恶梦」如市井常谈，而含意深重，正见元曲「豪辣灏烂」本色；三是梦喻双关，既是历史之梦（六朝繁华如梦），亦是人生之梦（一生追逐如梦），言简而意丰，旷达中见沉痛。

Four characters close the song like a hammer. Kingly plans, palaces of six dynasties, the tombs of a thousand officials — all fame and wealth, at last a nightmare. 'Dream' follows from the ruins: the millet fields and graves are the desolation after waking; 'nightmare' marks how terrible the dream was, prosperity its phantom, waking leaving only bleakness. The four-character close is sudden and resonant; the colloquialism 'one bad dream' — plain as market talk yet weighted with meaning — shows the raw, unsparing manner of Yuan song; and the dream doubles as history's dream (the Six Dynasties' glory) and life's dream (a lifetime's chase), terse and rich, resignation holding pain beneath.

Study

Word focus

恶梦 nightmare; here a metaphor for the illusory nature of power and glory. 「一场恶梦」之「恶梦」，是全曲收束的诗眼，以梦喻史，四字将王图霸业的价值彻底解构。「恶」字写梦之可怖、之可厌，繁华功名皆成噩梦，醒后唯余荒凉；「梦」字写历史之虚幻，六朝宫殿、千官坟冢，皆不过一场大梦的遗迹。此词之妙有三：一是以梦喻史，将漫长的历史压缩为一个「梦」字，举重若轻，四字写尽千古兴亡；二是口语化表达，「一场恶梦」如市井常谈，冷峻辛辣，正合元曲「以俗为雅」的体性，也正见其「豪辣」本色；三是「恶」与「梦」的搭配，既否定其价值（恶），又否定其真实（梦），双重否定，彻底解构了功名富贵的神话，冷峻辛辣，收束有力，余味沉痛。

问 to ask; the poet's action of questioning, setting the interrogative tone. 「布衣中，问英雄」之「问」字，是全曲立骨的动词，一字奠定反讽与解构的语调。「问」本谓询问、质问，此处布衣质问英雄，位卑者审判位尊者，身份错位，张力顿生。此字之妙有三：一是以问答起兴，开篇即设悬念，一个「问」字领起全篇，引人入胜；二是反讽之力，英雄之贵，何须布衣来问？而偏要布衣来问，一问之下，英雄的权威地位已被动摇；三是结构之功，「问」字引出「成何用」的正面诘问，又引出禾黍楸梧的荒墟作答，全曲由「问」而「证」、由「问」而「梦」，一气贯通。一字之设，定全曲反讽批判之调，是元曲炼字「以俗为雅、以平为奇」的典范。

高低 / 远近 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「禾黍高低六代宫，楸梧远近千官冢」之「高低」「远近」两组对举词，是此联炼字的精妙处。「高低」写禾黍之起伏——宫殿已成废墟，唯余禾黍随风俯仰，高低错落，写尽荒凉之态；「远近」写坟冢之绵延——千官坟冢，远近皆是，写尽功名者最终归宿之普遍。此二词之妙有三：一是以空间之铺展写时间之代谢，宫殿之高（昔）与禾黍之低（今）、坟冢之远（古）与楸梧之近（今），今昔对照，兴亡之慨尽在其中；二是以对仗之工写意境之苍茫，「高低」对「远近」，工稳而自然，画面层次分明；三是化抽象为具象，将「功名虚幻」的哲理，化为高低禾黍、远近坟冢的可见图景，以景证理，力透纸背。