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战国战国 · 文 Prose

荆轲刺秦王·版本

Jing Ke Assassinates the King of Qin (Version)

刘向

Liu Xiang

名篇Masterpiece 史传Historical Biography 刺客Assassin 战国策Strategies of the Warring States

荆轲奉樊於期头函，而秦武阳奉地图匣，以次进。
至陛下，秦武阳色变振恐，群臣怪之。

Jing Ke presented the casket of the head of Fan Yuqi, and Qin Wuyang presented the casket of the map, advancing in order. When they reached the foot of the throne, Qin Wuyang changed color and trembled with fear, and the assembled ministers wondered at it.

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Meaning

A passage from the 'Strategies of Yan III' of the Strategies of the Warring States, the matter of Jing Ke's assassination of the King of Qin. 'Jing Ke presented the casket of the head of Fan Yuqi, and Qin Wuyang presented the casket of the map, advancing in order'—the two envoys of Yan presenting the head and the map, advancing to the throne of the King of Qin, the climax before the assassination; 'when they reached the foot of the throne, Qin Wuyang changed color and trembled with fear, and the assembled ministers wondered at it'—the change of color and the trembling of the young Qin Wuyang at the foot of the throne, the wonder of the ministers, the tension of the court. The passage is the key moment of the whole matter: the sub-envoy Qin Wuyang's loss of composure almost revealing the plot, and the calm of Jing Ke against the trembling of Wuyang, the suspense of the assassination to the utmost.

荆轲捧着装着樊於期头颅的匣子，而秦武阳捧着装着地图的匣子，两人按次序向前行进。走到宫殿的台阶之下，秦武阳脸色大变、震惊恐惧，秦国群臣都感到奇怪。

Appreciation

The narrative art of the passage may be summarized as the three wonders of the 'the guest setting off the host, the motion written with the stillness, and the many controlled by the few.' First, the guest setting off the host: Qin Wuyang is the supporting role, yet bears the most dramatic action of the whole piece—the 'changing color and trembling with fear,' four characters writing the loss of composure of the young brave facing the great assembly, the heart and the gall splitting; while the protagonist Jing Ke, in this passage, has almost no action, only the three characters of 'presenting the casket of the head,' his calm set off by the trembling of the sub-envoy—the more the timidity of Qin Wuyang is written, the more the valor of Jing Ke is seen, the classic stroke of the side-writing and the contrast. Second, the motion written with the stillness: on the steps of the hall, the two presenting the head and the map advancing, the silent advance, yet beneath the silence the assassin's plot and the ministers' suspicion, the stillness and the motion in one. Third, the many controlled by the few: the whole matter of the assassination, with the few strokes of the head casket, the map casket, the change of color, the trembling, and the wonder, the tension of the court and the suspense of the assassination written to the full, the very model of the narrative of the suspense.

【白话串讲】刘向写《荆轲刺秦王》：荆轲带着樊於期的头和地图进见秦王。“至陛下，秦武阳色变振恐”——副手秦武阳吓得变了脸色。荆轲“顾笑武阳”，替他打圆场。“图穷而匕首见”——“荆轲逐秦王，秦王还柱而走”——“轲自知事不就，倚柱而笑，箕踞以骂”——他说：“事所以不成者，乃欲以生劫之”——荆轲悲壮死去。【意象与手法】此段是《战国策》叙事艺术的缩影：以极俭笔墨交代使团进殿的细节，用「色变振恐」与「奉函以进」的动静对照，写出两副面孔；再以「群臣怪之」四字侧面写危机降临，把紧张气氛推向沸点，是「以静写动、以宾衬主」的典范。【情感与主旨】表面写刺秦的临场细节，骨子里褒扬荆轲临危不乱的胆识，暗含对「勇者」与「怯者」的对照；而秦武阳的露怯，正是后文荆轲以「北蛮夷之鄙人，未尝见天子」一语遮掩的铺垫，足见行刺之局一着不慎便满盘皆输的凶险。【名句点睛】常考「秦武阳色变振恐，群臣怪之」——以少年副使的失态反衬主角的镇定，是衬托手法与悬念营造的经典之笔。

Background

The passage is from the matter of Jing Ke's assassination of the King of Qin recorded in the 'Strategies of Yan III' of the Strategies of the Warring States. The Strategies of the Warring States is a national-historical book of the Warring States, compiled and collated by Liu Xiang at the end of the Western Han, named the Strategies of the Warring States, the whole in thirty-three chapters, divided into the twelve states of the Eastern Zhou, the Western Zhou, Qin, Qi, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, Song, Wei, and Zhongshan, preserving a great number of the words of the strategists and the historical stories, its prose ornate and expansive, a treasure house of the pre-Qin historical prose and the later literature of the strategists. The historical background of the assassination: since King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the Qin army had been advancing eastward, nibbling the six states, and after the accession of King Zheng of Qin (the later First Emperor), the Qin army attacked year after year, and Yan was in imminent peril. Crown Prince Dan of Yan had been a hostage in Qin, and returned humiliated, and plotted to assassinate the King of Qin to relieve the crisis of the state. Jing Ke, the guest of the Crown Prince, received the plan, and the whole matter of the casket of the head of Fan Yuqi and the map, the 'the wind is bleak and the Yi waters are cold, the brave man goes and does not return' of the farewell at the Yi River, the assassination failing in the end.

此段选自《战国策·燕策三》所载荆轲刺秦事。《战国策》为战国时期国别体史书，西汉末刘向整理校订，定名为《战国策》，全书三十三篇，分东周、西周、秦、齐、楚、赵、魏、韩、燕、宋、卫、中山十二国策，保存了大量策士游说之辞与历史故事，其文铺张扬厉、纵横捭阖，是先秦历史散文与后世纵横家文学的宝库。荆轲刺秦的历史背景在战国末期：秦昭襄王以来秦国东进蚕食六国，至秦王政（后来的秦始皇）即位后，秦军连年攻伐，燕国危在旦夕。燕太子丹曾在秦国为人质，受辱而归，遂谋刺秦王以纾国难。他礼遇游侠荆轲，荆轲提出以「樊於期之首」与「督亢地图」为晋见之礼：樊於期本为秦将，叛逃至燕，秦王悬重赏购其头；督亢是燕国富庶之地，献图以示臣服。樊於期闻计自刎献头，荆轲遂与年方十三的勇士秦舞阳（文中作「秦武阳」，避讳或传写之别）同行使秦。本文所写正是二人上殿的瞬间：秦武阳临阵色变，群臣生疑，而荆轲随机应变、化险为夷——此后便是「图穷匕见」的千古名场面。此段承前启后，是刺秦大戏中张力最足的关节之一。

Art

The art is the three wonders of the 'the guest setting off the host, the motion written with the stillness, and the many controlled by the few': the trembling of the sub-envoy setting off the calm of the protagonist, the silent advance beneath the tension, and the few strokes controlling the whole matter—the very model of the narrative of the suspense of the historical biography.

此段的叙事艺术，可概括为「以宾衬主、以静写动、以简驭繁」三妙。其一，以宾衬主：秦武阳是配角，却承担了全书最富戏剧性的动作——「色变振恐」，四字写尽少年勇士临大阵而心胆俱裂的失态；而主角荆轲在此段中几乎无动作，仅「奉头函」三字，他的镇定反由副使的战栗衬托而出——越写秦武阳之怯，越见荆轲之勇，这是侧写与反衬的经典笔法。其二，以静写动：殿陛之上，群臣「怪之」，一个「怪」字写出众人由恭迎转向狐疑的心理骤变，如水面涟漪层层漾开；全文不写荆轲如何应对，只写到「群臣怪之」便止，把最紧张的一刻定格，悬念被推到极致，为下文荆轲的从容化解预留了巨大张力。其三，以简驭繁：使团入秦的许多前情（献头、献图、至秦厚遗中庶子蒙嘉以通于秦王）一概略去，只取「奉函」「以次进」「至陛下」三个动作镜头，如电影蒙太奇般快速切换，节奏由缓而急，将读者瞬间带入剑拔弩张的现场。句式上，「荆轲奉樊於期头函，而秦武阳奉地图匣，以次进」双句对举，两两相映；「至陛下」三字一顿，场景骤变；「色变振恐」四字连用，如鼓点急促，语言与情境高度同构，是先秦史传「记言记事如画」的典范。

Allusions

Though short, the allusions and the cultural import of the passage are deep. First, the 'casket of the head of Fan Yuqi' contains a solemn and sorrowful old story: Fan Yuqi was originally a general of Qin, and, having offended the King of Qin, his parents and the clan were all killed, and he fled to Yan, and the King of Qin hung the reward of 'the thousand jin of gold and the ten thousand households of the fief' for his head. Jing Ke, with the request of 'may I have the head of the general to present to the King of Qin,' asked, and Fan Yuqi, with the generous words of 'this is what I have gnashed my teeth and rotted my heart over day and night,' cut his own throat. Second, the whole matter of the assassination has become the most famous story of the Chinese chivalry: the 'the wind is bleak and the Yi waters are cold, the brave man goes and does not return,' and the failure of the assassination, the tragic hero of Jing Ke, the eternal memory of the Chinese culture.

此段虽短，牵涉的典故与文化内涵却极深。其一，「樊於期头函」含着一个悲壮的旧事：樊於期本为秦国将军，因事得罪秦王，父母宗族皆被杀戮，逃至燕国，秦王悬「金千斤、邑万家」之赏购其首。荆轲以「愿得将军之首以献秦王」相请，樊於期慨然曰「此臣之日夜切齿腐心也」，遂自刎。以他人之首为信物、以自刎成就行刺大计，这一细节把刺秦之事的残酷与决绝推向顶点，也让「头函」二字带上了血的分量。其二，「地图匣」预伏「图穷匕见」的著名典故：荆轲以督亢地图献秦王，图卷展开至尽处，藏于图中的匕首显现，荆轲遂持匕行刺——「图穷匕见」自此成为成语，喻事情发展到最后真相毕露。本文写到「奉地图匣」而止，恰是匕首将出未出之际，典故的张力在此蓄而未发。其三，「以次进」写使臣上殿的礼制：古礼使臣见君须按尊卑次序徐行，荆轲在前、秦武阳在后，正合「正使在前、副使随行」之制，而秦武阳的失态恰在礼制最森严处发生，更见其心理防线崩溃之彻底。其四，此段人物皆可溯源：《战国策》以「秦舞阳」名之，司马迁《史记·刺客列传》作「秦舞阳」，皆指随荆轲入秦的少年勇士，后世「色变振恐」遂成形容临事胆怯的成语典故。

Commentary

The assassination of the King of Qin by Jing Ke is one of the most famous chivalric events in the Chinese history, and this passage, as the key fragment of the event recorded in the Strategies of the Warring States, has considerable literary and historical value. In literature, the passage has always been held as the model of the 'art of the suspense' of the historical narrative: the loss of composure of the sub-envoy setting off the calm of the protagonist, the suspicion of the assembled ministers creating the tension of the whole court, the writing like the pulling of the bowstring of the full moon, the more the tension before the assassination, the more moving the tragedy of the failure; and the whole matter has been sung by Tao Yuanming's 'Song of Jing Ke,' 'the brave man, or the death or the life, the two are not repeated'—the eternal memory of the chivalry of the Chinese culture.

荆轲刺秦是中国历史上最著名的侠客事件之一，此段作为《战国策》所载该事件的关键片断，其文学与历史价值均极可观。文学上，此段历来被推为史传叙事「悬念艺术」的典范：以副使的失态反衬主角的镇定，以群臣的疑心制造全场的紧张，行文如拉满的弓弦，为「图穷匕见」蓄足势能，清人评《战国策》「文辞之胜，冠绝先秦」，此段即是注脚。历史与思想上，荆轲刺秦的行为在后世引发了持续两千年的聚讼：司马迁《史记·刺客列传》为之立传，赞其「不欺其志」，是「立意较然，不欺其志」的侠义典型；陶渊明《咏荆轲》以「其人虽已没，千载有馀情」深致哀悼，把他塑造成反抗强权的悲剧英雄；而宋代理学家则多责其「以匹夫之勇犯虎狼之秦」为不智。这种毁誉并存的接受史，正说明荆轲刺秦已成为中国文化中「侠义」与「悲剧」的双重象征符号。在传播史上，荆轲故事经由《战国策》《史记》的记载，再经后世戏曲（如京剧《荆轲传》）、影视的演绎，早已家喻户晓；「图穷匕见」「风萧萧兮易水寒」等语汇深深嵌入汉语。本文虽只截取上殿一瞬，却是这一宏大文化叙事中最富戏剧性的节点之一，其「以宾衬主」的笔法更成为后世小说、戏剧塑造英雄形象的范本。

Prosody

Form Pre-Qin national-historical prose (the narrative of the Strategies of the Warring States)先秦国别体历史散文（《战国策》叙事文字）

Rhyme Unrhymed; the rhythm is strong: the opening with the four-character pairs in parallel (Jing Ke presenting the casket of the head, Qin Wuyang presenting the casket of the map)本段为散体叙事，不押韵，而节奏感极强：起句双四言对举（荆轲奉头函、秦武阳奉地图匣），庄重如仪仗；「以次进」「至陛下」两个短句如鼓点连击，节奏骤然加快；末句「色变振恐」四字急促，「群臣怪之」四字一顿，如绷紧的弦戛然收住。

Tone pattern The 'presenting the casket of the head' is even, the 'advancing in order' is steady, the 'changed color and trembled with fear' is abrupt, and the 'the assembled ministers wondered at it' is tense—the whole from the advance to the trembling to the wonder, the suspense carried by the rhythm句式上骈散相间：「荆轲奉樊於期头函，而秦武阳奉地图匣」以双句对偶铺陈，如两列仪仗徐徐展开；「以次进」「至陛下」则以三字短句快切场景，如镜头跳转。「色变振恐」四字连用仄声居多的字眼，读来短促有力，恰合慌乱之感；「群臣怪之」以平收束，余韵陡留。

Reading note The four-character pairs and the abrupt turn carry the suspense of the assassination, the tension of the court.《战国策》散文的音律之美，在于以句式的长短变化模拟情节的松紧。本段恰是这种「以句式叙事」的标本：开篇「荆轲奉樊於期头函，而秦武阳奉地图匣，以次进」凡二十二个字，以「荆轲奉……秦武阳奉……」的双句对偶缓缓铺开，节奏舒展庄重，如同仪仗行进，营造出使臣觐见的肃穆氛围——这是「松」；「至陛下」三字陡然一顿，如乐谱上的休止符，场景由宫门切至殿陛——这是「转」；「秦武阳色变振恐」六字，以「色变」「振恐」两个仄声居多的双音词急促连击，模拟心跳加速的慌乱——这是「紧」；「群臣怪之」四字收束，语气一顿，全文在此戛然而止，悬念悬而不落——这是「留」。四个节奏单元，松—转—紧—留，恰与情节的缓进、突变、危机、悬置严丝合缝。此外，「樊於期头函」与「地图匣」两物的铺陈，「以次」与「陛下」的礼制语汇，皆使文气带上一层森严的殿堂之感。诵读此段，宜前缓后疾，至「色变振恐」处骤然加快，方见史传散文「以声写境」的功力。

Line by line

荆轲奉樊於期头函，而秦武阳奉地图匣，以次进。

Jing Ke presented the casket of the head of Fan Yuqi, and Qin Wuyang presented the casket of the map, advancing in order. (The advance: the two envoys presenting the head and the map, advancing to the throne, the climax before the assassination.)

荆轲捧着装着樊於期头颅的匣子，而秦武阳捧着装着地图的匣子，两人按次序向前行进。

Jing Ke carried the casket containing Fan Yuqi's head, and Qin Wuyang carried the case containing the map; they advanced in order.

此句是行刺大计进入实施阶段的特写镜头，两个「奉」字、两个匣子，构成庄严而又杀气暗藏的画面。「奉」是恭敬地捧着，写两人作使臣态、行使臣礼，越是恭谨，越与匣中之物的凶险形成反差——头函里是血，地图匣里藏着匕首。句法上，「荆轲奉樊於期头函，而秦武阳奉地图匣」双句对举，主语与宾语两两相对，如仪仗般整齐；「而」字一转，点出二人分工：荆轲持头函、秦武阳持地图匣，一正一副，次序井然。「以次进」三字写按尊卑次序行进，荆轲在前、秦武阳在后，既是使臣觐见的礼制，也是「图穷匕见」之局的必要铺垫——进殿之后，荆轲先献头函，再展开地图，匕首方能乘隙而出。三个短语层层推进，镜头由宫外推到殿上，气氛由肃穆转向紧张；而「樊於期头函」五字，更让读者想起樊於期自刎献头的惨烈前情，一个匣子，装着一颗为行刺而死的头颅，也装着整个燕国的孤注一掷。

This line is the close-up of the assassination entering its execution, two 'bore,' two boxes, a solemn yet deadly picture. 'Bore' means holding reverently, the two bearing envoy mien and envoy rite; the more reverent, the sharper the contrast with what the boxes hold - blood in the head-box, a dagger hidden in the map-box. In syntax, 'Jing Ke bore the box holding Fan Yuqi's head, while Qin Wuyang bore the box holding the map' the double lines paired, subject and object matched like a guard of honor; the word 'while' the turn marking the two's division: Jing Ke the head-box, Qin Wuyang the map-box, one principal one second, the order orderly. 'They advanced in due order' writing the advance by rank, Jing Ke before, Qin Wuyang behind, both the rite of envoy audience and the necessary prime for 'the map's end, the dagger shown' - entering the hall, Jing Ke first presents the head-box, then unrolls the map, the dagger slipping out in the gap. Three phrases layer on layer, the camera pushing from outside the palace to the hall, the air from solemn to tense; and 'Fan Yuqi's head-box' five words recall to the reader Fan Yuqi's suicide to offer his head, one box holding a head died for the plot, holding also the whole of Yan's desperate throw.

至陛下，秦武阳色变振恐，群臣怪之。

When they reached the foot of the throne, Qin Wuyang changed color and trembled with fear, and the assembled ministers wondered at it. (The turn: the change of color and the trembling of the sub-envoy at the foot of the throne, the wonder of the ministers, the suspense of the assassination to the utmost.)

走到宫殿的台阶之下，秦武阳脸色大变、震惊恐惧，秦国群臣都感到奇怪。

When they reached the foot of the throne steps, Qin Wuyang's face changed and he trembled in fear; the Qin courtiers found it strange.

此句是全文紧张气氛的引爆点，十二个字把危机写得如在目前。「至陛下」三字先定格场景——已到殿前台阶之下，距秦王不过数步，箭在弦上；就在这礼制最严、戒备最密之处，「秦武阳色变振恐」六字如惊雷骤起：少年勇士的防线在最后一刻崩溃，脸色骤变、浑身战栗，两个动作写尽其内心的惊骇。「群臣怪之」四字紧承其后，以众人的反应把个体的失态放大为全场的危机——殿上群臣由恭迎变为狐疑，目光如剑般聚向二人，行刺之局霎时间千钧一发。这段描写的妙处至少有四：一是以副使之怯反衬荆轲之勇，主角尚未开口，其镇定已在对比中凸显；二是「怪之」的「怪」字是意动用法（以之为怪），写群臣心理的骤变，比直写「群臣疑之」更见语言的锤炼；三是全段只写危机、不写化解，戛然而止，把悬念推到顶点，为下文荆轲「一坐定」「跪而谢曰」的即兴表演蓄足势能；四是「色变振恐」与上句「奉函以进」的从容形成动与静、怯与稳的对照，叙事节奏由舒缓骤然转为急促，读者之心亦随之提到嗓子眼。

This line is the fuse of the whole's tension, twelve characters writing the crisis as if before the eyes. 'When they reached the steps of the throne' first fixing the scene - already below the palace steps, a few paces from the king, the arrow on the string; at this strictest rite, tightest guard, 'Qin Wuyang's color changed and he shook with fear' six words like a sudden thunder: the young warrior's defense breaking at the last moment, the face changed, the whole body trembling, the two actions writing the inner terror. 'The courtiers marveled at it' four words close behind, magnifying the single man's lapse into the whole hall's crisis through the crowd's reaction - the courtiers above, from welcome to suspicion, eyes like swords converging on the two, the assassination in an instant weighing a thousand catties on a hair. The passage's genius is at least four: first, the deputy's fear setting off Jing Ke's courage, the hero's calm shown in contrast before he speaks; second, the word 'marveled' a factitive use (thought it strange), writing the courtiers' sudden turn of mind, more crafted than 'the courtiers suspected'; third, the whole passage writes only the crisis, no resolution, stopping short, pushing the suspense to the peak, charging Jing Ke's later improvisation of 'I calm the seat' and 'kneeling to apologize'; fourth, 'color changed and shook' set against the 'bore the boxes and advanced' calm of the line above, motion against stillness, fear against steadiness, the narrative rhythm from unhurried to urgent, the reader's heart rising to the throat.

Study

Word focus

奉 To present (to hold up). The word of the advance: 'Jing Ke presented the casket of the head of Fan Yuqi'—the presenting of the casket of the head, the calm of the protagonist, against the trembling of the sub-envoy, the valor of Jing Ke in the one 'present.' 「荆轲奉樊於期头函」之「奉」字，是理解此段气氛的关键动词。奉，本义为恭敬地双手捧着，引申为进献、尊奉，与「捧」同义而更显郑重。此处连用两「奉」（荆轲奉头函、秦武阳奉地图匣），写二人以最恭谨的姿态执行行刺前最后的礼数——越是「奉」得恭敬，越与匣中之物的血腥凶险形成巨大的反差，恭谨的仪态与杀机暗藏的实质相映成趣，戏剧张力顿生。若换作「持」「携」，则仪态尽失；换作「捧」，则少了一层「奉上、进献」的言外之意——他们此行正是要「奉」礼入秦、伺机行刺，一个「奉」字，既是动作，也是整个骗局的伪装。此外，「奉」字还暗含古礼：使臣见君须奉礼品，奉之愈恭，礼数愈周，秦廷的戒备也愈易松懈。一字之择，可见《战国策》炼字之精，也见出战国策士文学「于礼数中见机心」的独特韵味。

振恐 Trembled with fear. The word of the trembling: 'Qin Wuyang changed color and trembled with fear'—the trembling of the sub-envoy facing the great assembly, the loss of composure of the young brave, setting off the calm of the protagonist. 「秦武阳色变振恐」之「振恐」，是此段刻画失态的关键词。振，通「震」，作「战栗、发抖」解；恐，恐惧。二字连用，写秦武阳因极度惊惧而浑身发抖，与「色变」（脸色大变）配合，从面色与肢体两个层面写尽一个少年在生死关头的心理崩溃。「振恐」一词的妙处在于程度之深：不是一般的「惧」，而是「振」——身体不由自主地颤抖，这是恐惧突破了心理防线、直达生理层面的表现，比「恐惧」「惊惧」更具画面感与震撼力。在礼制森严、群臣环视的秦廷之上，这一「振恐」既是副使的失态，也预告着行刺之局已到了最危险的边缘：稍有不慎，前功尽弃。以二字写怯，恰为下文的「荆轲顾笑武阳」蓄势——少年之振恐愈甚，荆轲之镇定愈见；而「振恐」一词自《战国策》而出，遂成汉语中形容临事胆怯的成语词汇，其语言生命力至今不衰。

怪 To wonder at. The word of the ministers: 'the assembled ministers wondered at it'—the suspicion of the ministers at the loss of composure, the tension of the whole court, the suspense of the assassination in the wonder. 「群臣怪之」之「怪」字，是意动用法（以……为怪），也是此段叙事视角转换的枢纽。群臣本在恭迎燕国使臣，忽见副使色变振恐，于是「怪之」——一个「怪」字，写尽众人由恭而疑、由疑而警的心理过程，目光、疑虑、暗流，尽在此二字之中。其妙有三：其一，意动用法的「怪」，把「认为奇怪」的心理动词化，一字抵「感到奇怪」四字，正是文言尚简的极致；其二，此字是全段唯一的心理描写，以群臣的「怪」侧写秦武阳的「振恐」之异常，也侧写行刺之局的千钧一发——众人的怀疑如暗潮涌动，随时可能掀起惊涛；其三，从叙事结构看，「群臣怪之」是危机的高潮点，也是悬念的悬置点：下文荆轲将如何化解？秦武阳将如何收场？读者被这四字吊住，欲罢不能。此后荆轲以「北蛮夷之鄙人，未尝见天子，故振慑」一语解围，正是对着这「怪之」的群臣而发。一个「怪」字，承上启下，是全段画龙点睛的题眼。