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汉 Han · 诗 Poem

步出夏门行·冬十月

Walking Out of the Xia Gate — Tenth Month of Winter

曹操

Cao Cao

四时Four Seasons 写景Scenery

孟冬十月，北风徘徊。
天气肃清，繁霜霏霏。
鹍鸡晨鸣，鸿雁南飞。
鸷鸟潜藏，熊罴窟栖。
钱镈停置，农收积场。
逆旅整设，以通贾商。
幸甚至哉！
歌以咏志。

The first month of winter, the tenth moon; the north wind hovers and turns.
The weather is stern and clear; thick frost falls in ceaseless flakes.
The kun chick cries at dawn; the wild geese fly south.
The raptors hide and vanish; bears and brown bears lodge in their dens.
The hoes and billhooks are laid by; the harvest is gathered on the threshing ground.
The inns are set in order, to speed the merchants' trade.
How fortunate, how great! — I sing to give voice to my intent.

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Meaning

A four-character ode to the tenth month of winter and to a well-ordered age. The first half charts the season's signs — hovering north wind, stern clear weather, thick frost, migrating birds, hidden beasts. The second half turns to human peace: farm tools laid down after harvest, grain gathered, inns prepared for trade. Closing with the conventional 'how fortunate,' the poem celebrates not war but the quiet prosperity of the common people under settled rule.

孟冬十月，北风徘徊。天气肃清，繁霜霏霏。鹍鸡晨鸣，鸿雁南飞。鸷鸟潜藏，熊罴窟栖。钱镈停置，农收积场。逆旅整设，以通贾商。幸甚至哉！歌以咏志。

Appreciation

Cao Cao's 'Bu Chu Xia Men Xing' is a set of four-character odes; 'Tenth Month of Winter' is its calm, observant member. [Plain Paraphrase] Early winter, the tenth moon: the north wind hovers. The air is stern and clear; thick frost falls and falls. The kun chick calls at dawn; the wild geese fly south. The raptors are hidden away; bears lodge in their caves. The hoes and billhooks are set aside; the harvest is stacked on the ground. The roadside inns are put in order, to open trade to merchants. How fortunate, how great — I sing to voice my intent. [Structure] The first six couplets are nature's register: wind, frost, birds, beasts — a layered inventory of the season's omens. The next six turn abruptly to human affairs: tools laid by, grain gathered, inns for trade. Nature and society together show a world in its winter order. [Imagery] The poem's power is its restraint: no word of war or worry, only the settled rhythms of heaven and of men. The closing formula 'how fortunate' is not hollow but the ruler's quiet self-contentment at seeing his people at peace.

【白话串讲】曹操写《步出夏门行·冬十月》：“孟冬十月，北风徘徊”——“天气肃清，繁霜霏霏”——“鹍鸡晨鸣，鸿雁南飞”——“钱镈停置，农收积场”——“幸甚至哉！歌以咏志”——他写冬日的田园。【意象与手法】此诗写冬景，以岁暮写民生，是曹操的名篇。前六句写冬景：「孟冬十月，北风徘徊」写孟冬十月、北风徘徊——写尽孟冬的风；「天气肃清，繁霜霏霏」写天气肃清、繁霜霏霏——写尽孟冬的霜；「鹍鸡晨鸣，鸿雁南飞」写鹍鸡晨鸣、鸿雁南飞——写尽孟冬的鸟；后六句写民生：「鸷鸟潜藏，熊罴窟栖」写鸷鸟潜藏、熊罴窟栖——写尽孟冬的兽；「钱镈停置，农收积场」写钱镈停置、农收积场——写尽孟冬的农事；「逆旅整设，以通贾商」写逆旅整设、以通贾商——写尽孟冬的商旅。全诗以岁暮写民生，写尽孟冬的景与民生的安，是曹操的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写冬景，以岁暮写民生，是曹操的名篇。此诗为曹操《步出夏门行》组诗之一，写孟冬十月的节候与民生。曹操北征乌桓后，写此组诗。此诗写冬景：孟冬十月，北风徘徊——写孟冬十月、北风徘徊，写尽孟冬的风；天气肃清，繁霜霏霏——写天气肃清、繁霜霏霏，写尽孟冬的霜；鹍鸡晨鸣，鸿雁南飞——写鹍鸡晨鸣、鸿雁南飞，写尽孟冬的鸟；鸷鸟潜藏，熊罴窟栖——写鸷鸟潜藏、熊罴窟栖，写尽孟冬的兽；钱镈停置，农收积场——写钱镈停置、农收积场，写尽孟冬的农事；逆旅整设，以通贾商——写逆旅整设、以通贾商，写尽孟冬的商旅。全诗以岁暮写民生——那「北风徘徊」写尽孟冬的风，「农收积场」写尽孟冬的农事，写尽孟冬的景与民生的安，是理解曹操四言诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「孟冬十月，北风徘徊」写孟冬的风；「天气肃清，繁霜霏霏」写孟冬的霜；「钱镈停置，农收积场」写孟冬的农事；以及全诗以岁暮写民生、以写景写民生的手法。

Background

Cao Cao (155–220), courtesy name Mengde, was born in Qiao (modern Bozhou, Anhui). A late-Eastern-Han statesman, strategist, and poet, he was the preeminent leader of the Jian'an literary circle. In 207 CE, after his northern campaign against the Wuhuan, he returned via Jieshi and composed the 'Bu Chu Xia Men Xing' set — 'View of the Sea,' 'Tenth Month of Winter,' 'The Land Is Not the Same,' and 'A Tortoise Lives Long.' This poem depicts the climate and folk life of early winter, written from the settled vantage of a unifier who could at last observe the people's peace rather than the battlefield.

此诗写冬景，以岁暮写民生，是曹操的名篇。曹操（155—220），字孟德，沛国谯（今安徽亳州）人，东汉末年杰出的政治家、军事家、文学家，建安文学的领袖。此诗为曹操《步出夏门行》组诗之一，写孟冬十月的节候与民生。建安十二年（207），曹操北征乌桓，得胜而还，途经碣石，写《步出夏门行》组诗，包括《观沧海》《冬十月》《土不同》《龟虽寿》四章。此诗写孟冬之景：「孟冬十月，北风徘徊」写孟冬十月、北风徘徊——写尽孟冬的风（孟冬十月，北风徘徊）；「天气肃清，繁霜霏霏」写天气肃清、繁霜霏霏——写尽孟冬的霜（天气肃清，繁霜霏霏）；「鹍鸡晨鸣，鸿雁南飞」写鹍鸡晨鸣、鸿雁南飞——写尽孟冬的鸟（鹍鸡晨鸣，鸿雁南飞）；「鸷鸟潜藏，熊罴窟栖」写鸷鸟潜藏、熊罴窟栖——写尽孟冬的兽（鸷鸟潜藏，熊罴窟栖）；「钱镈停置，农收积场」写钱镈停置、农收积场——写尽孟冬的农事（钱镈停置，农收积场）；「逆旅整设，以通贾商」写逆旅整设、以通贾商——写尽孟冬的商旅（逆旅整设，以通贾商）。全诗以岁暮写民生，写尽孟冬的景与民生的安，是理解曹操四言诗的重要篇章。

Art

The art is fourfold. First, the four-character line for season: 'early winter, the tenth moon' names the time with classical brevity, the very meter evoking antiquity. Second, antithesis for the winter scene: 'the weather is stern and clear; thick frost falls in ceaseless flakes' pairs two descriptors, the parallel structure mirroring the season's symmetry. Third, enumeration (pucha) for the people's life: 'the hoes and billhooks are laid by; the harvest is gathered' stacks concrete facts of husbandry, building a picture of abundance through accumulation. Fourth, the conventional close 'how fortunate... I sing to voice my intent' sums the poet's intent, lifting scene into statement. The first half is nature's stern clarity, the second humanity's settled ease; from heaven's signs to men's affairs, the poem is a model of 'writing intent through scene.' A notable stroke is its 'seeing good governance in winter': the first six lines pile up the season's severity (north wind, frost, birds, beasts), then turn suddenly to the human world — tools laid by, grain gathered, inns for trade — revealing a realm where the people rest in peace. Not a word of war, yet the secure age speaks for itself; the formulaic close is the ruler's contentment made plain.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以四言写节候。「孟冬十月，北风徘徊」以四言写节候——那「孟冬十月」写尽时令，以四言写尽孟冬的节候。其二，以对偶写冬景。「天气肃清，繁霜霏霏」以对偶写冬景——那「肃清」「霏霏」写尽肃霜，以对偶写尽孟冬的霜。其三，以铺陈写民生。「钱镈停置，农收积场」以铺陈写民生——那「农收积场」写尽农事之收，以铺陈写尽孟冬的民生。其四，以总括写咏志。「幸甚至哉！歌以咏志」以总括写咏志——那「歌以咏志」写尽咏志，以总括写尽诗人的怀抱。此外，此诗前写冬景的肃清，后写民生的安和，由景及民，正是四言诗「即景写志」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以岁暮写民生，写尽孟冬的景与民生的安，是曹操的代表作。此外，此诗尤可注意其「以冬景见治世」的笔意：前六句极写孟冬之肃（北风徘徊、繁霜霏霏、鹍鸡晨鸣、鸿雁南飞、鸷鸟潜藏、熊罴窟栖），层层铺陈天地物候，而忽然转笔写人间——钱镈停置、农收积场、逆旅整设、以通贾商，由天象写到人事，正见岁丰民安之象；诗中无一字言兵革、言忧患，而万民安居之意自见，正是曹公「外示闲雅，实怀天下」的吞吐之处。而「幸甚至哉！歌以咏志」的套语，亦非泛泛，而是诗人于岁暮观民生而自喜其治的流露。

Allusions

The diction is rooted in the four-character and year-end traditions. 'Early winter' cites the first month of winter from the 'Monthly Ordinances' of the Book of Rites, which records its natural signs. 'North wind' reaches back to the Shi Jing ('the north wind is cold, snow and sleet'), and 'wild geese fly south' to the Classic's 'the wild geese fly, their wings whirring.' 'Hoes and billhooks' alludes to the Shi Jing ('prepare your hoes and billhooks'), while 'I sing to voice my intent' echoes the Shang Shu ('poetry speaks the intent, song prolongs the words'). The whole draws on the northern-wind and wild-goose imagery to present a well-ordered age; Cao Cao's 'ancient, direct, and desolate' manner carries the four-character tradition into his own civic vision. Further, 'wild geese fly south' quietly inverts the Shi Jing's 'wild geese' ode — there a lament for displaced people, here the birds' natural return, signaling a world set right.

此诗的用语深植于四言与岁暮的传统。「孟冬」令人想到「孟冬」写冬月之始的意象——孟冬即农历十月，为冬季之首月，也令人想到《礼记·月令》「孟冬之月」的物候记载；「北风徘徊」令人想到「北风」写冬风的意象——《诗经·邶风·北风》「北风其凉，雨雪其雱」已写北风，也令人想到「北风卷地白草折」（岑参）的北风意象；「鸿雁南飞」令人想到「鸿雁」写候鸟的意象——《诗经》「鸿雁于飞，肃肃其羽」已写鸿雁，也令人想到「秋风起兮白云飞」的意象；「钱镈」令人想到「钱镈」写农具的典故——《诗经·周颂·臣工》「命我众人，庤乃钱镈」，也令人想到「镃基」的农具意象；「歌以咏志」令人想到「歌以咏志」写言志的意象——《尚书·尧典》「诗言志，歌永言」，也令人想到「幸甚至哉」的套语。全诗化用北风、鸿雁、钱镈的意象典故，以岁暮写民生，正是曹操「古直悲凉」而承四言传统写民生的本领。又「鸿雁南飞」可联系《月令》物候与《诗经》传统：《礼记·月令》谓孟冬「水始冰，地始冻，雉入大水为蜃，虹藏不见」，正与此诗北风繁霜相应；而「鸿雁南飞」暗用《诗经·小雅·鸿雁》「鸿雁于飞，肃肃其羽」之句，本写流民之哀，曹公此处却写候鸟之南归，一正一反，正见其以乐府写民生的吞吐。「逆旅整设，以通贾商」更见其经世之怀：乱世商旅不通，而岁暮逆旅整设，正是天下渐定、货殖流通的写照，可见曹公不以写景为止，而以观民为志。

Commentary

Long ranked a masterpiece of Cao Cao's four-character verse and a representative Han treatment of year-end livelihood, the poem earns high praise: Zhong Rong's 'Shipin' calls Cao Cao 'ancient, direct, with desolate lines,' and Qing critics note its 'writing livelihood through year's end, grave and plain.' Its special worth is the fourteen-line four-character form holding both winter's signs and the people's peace — the north wind and frost above, the gathered harvest and trading inns below. It belongs with Cao Cao's 'View of the Sea' ('I climb Jieshi to view the sea') from the same set: one the 'starry river brilliant' sea, the other the 'harvest gathered' winter; both show his two brushes. It also continues the Shi Jing's 'Seventh Month' tradition of singing the year's husbandry. For today's reader it opens his four-character verse, and that gathered harvest still speaks of winter's peace across the millennia.

此诗历来被推为曹操四言诗的名篇，也是汉末写岁暮民生的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：钟嵘《诗品》评曹操「曹公古直，甚有悲凉之句」；清人评此诗「以岁暮写民生，沉郁古直」。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以十四句的四言写尽孟冬的景与民生的安——那孟冬，那北风，那肃清的天，那霏霏的霜，那晨鸣的鹍鸡，那南飞的鸿雁，那潜藏的鸷鸟，那窟栖的熊罴，那停置的钱镈，那积场的农收，那整设的逆旅，那通贾商的商旅，都写尽了曹操笔下的孟冬；那「农收积场」更以铺陈写尽孟冬的民生。此诗与曹操《观沧海》（「东临碣石」）同为《步出夏门行》名篇，一写「星汉灿烂」的海（观沧海），一写「农收积场」的岁暮（冬十月）；又与《诗经·豳风·七月》写岁时农事的传统一脉相承，可见中国四言诗写民生的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解曹操四言诗的窗口，也是中国诗写岁暮的经典——那积场的农收，穿越千年，仍在诉说着孟冬的民生。

Prosody

Form Poem (shi) — four-character verse (si yan)诗·四言诗

Rhyme Four-character lines, rhyming on 徊 (huai), 霏 (fei), 飞 (fei), 栖 (qi), 场 (chang), 商 (shang), 志 (zhi); rhyme shifts between level and oblique, with an ancient, direct cadence.四言，押「徊」「霏」「飞」「栖」「场」「商」「志」韵（平仄转换），音节古直

Tone pattern Four-character verse with relatively sparse rhyming and an ancient, direct cadence that suits its classical gravity.此诗为四言诗，押韵较为疏朗，音节古直，正合四言的古直。

Reading note A fourteen-line four-character poem — 'Early winter... I sing to voice my intent' — grouped in couplets, with sparse rhyme (huai, fei, fei, qi, chang, shang, zhi) and an ancient, direct rhythm. The first six couplets paint winter (north wind, frost, wild geese, hidden beasts); the next turn to livelihood (tools laid by, grain gathered, inns for trade). From scene to society, it embodies Cao Cao's typical structure of 'writing intent through scene.' Read the winter lines with ancient gravity, the livelihood lines with calm ease, and the close with settled weight. Cao Cao's four-character verse is famed for being 'ancient, direct, and desolate,' and this poem is a prime example.此诗为四言诗，十四句——「孟冬十月，北风徘徊。天气肃清，繁霜霏霏。鹍鸡晨鸣，鸿雁南飞。鸷鸟潜藏，熊罴窟栖。钱镈停置，农收积场。逆旅整设，以通贾商。幸甚至哉！歌以咏志」，四句一组，押韵疏朗（徊、霏、飞、栖、场、商、志），音节古直。全诗以岁暮写民生：前六句写孟冬的冬景（北风徘徊、繁霜霏霏、鸿雁南飞），后六句写孟冬的民生（鸷鸟潜藏、农收积场、逆旅整设）。两组由景及民，层层写尽孟冬的景与民生的安，正是曹操四言诗即景写志的典型结构。诵读此诗，宜以古直的语调读「北风徘徊」的冬景，以安和的语调读「农收积场」的民生，结句要读得沉着而有余韵，方能传达出曹操的古直。曹操四言诗以「古直悲凉」著称，此诗正是其四言诗的典范。

Line by line

天气肃清，繁霜霏霏

The weather is stern and clear; thick frost falls in ceaseless flakes.

天气肃清，繁霜霏霏。

The weather is austere and clear; thick frosts fall thick and fast.

此二句是全诗写冬景的核心，以天气肃清写天，以繁霜霏霏写霜，写尽孟冬的霜，是千古名句。「天气肃清」写天气肃清——那「天气」写天气，「肃清」写肃清，写尽孟冬的天；「繁霜霏霏」写繁霜霏霏——那「繁霜」写繁霜，「霏霏」写霏霏，写尽孟冬的霜。这句的深意在于：它以「天气肃清」的天与「繁霜霏霏」的霜，写尽孟冬的霜——天气肃清，那「天气肃清」写尽孟冬的天——孟冬天气肃清，正是冬寒的写照，那「肃清」写尽孟冬的清寒；繁霜霏霏，那「繁霜霏霏」写尽孟冬的霜——繁霜霏霏，正是霜重的写照，那「霏霏」写尽繁霜的浓密；那「天气肃清」写尽孟冬的天，那「繁霜霏霏」写尽孟冬的霜，一写天，一写霜，写尽孟冬的霜——天肃而霜繁，正是孟冬的写照；此二句以天、霜写尽孟冬的霜，也让此二句成为全诗写冬景的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「冬天很冷霜很多」，则失其古直；唯以「天气肃清」写天、「繁霜霏霏」写霜，写尽孟冬的霜，也让此二句成为全诗写冬景的核心。

Cao Cao's yuefu opens mid-winter with a soldier's plainness. "Austere and clear" gives the sky of deep winter—dry, bright, biting; "thick frosts fall thick" gives the ground, white and heavy. The two four-character lines are spare, almost official, and the hardness is the point: this is the world of a marching army in the tenth month, not a gentleman's garden. The dense repetition of frost prepares the account of orderly settlement that follows. To have said the winter air was clear and frosty would lose the terse, northern grit; the four-character drumbeat is the poem's soldierly measure.

钱镈停置，农收积场

The hoes and billhooks are laid by; the harvest is gathered on the threshing ground.

钱镈停置，农收积场。

The hoes and spades are laid aside; the harvest is piled high on the threshing grounds.

此二句是全诗写民生的核心，以钱镈停置写农具，以农收积场写农收，写尽孟冬的民生，是千古名句。「钱镈停置」写钱镈停置——那「钱镈」写钱镈，「停置」写停置，写尽农具的停歇；「农收积场」写农收积场——那「农收」写农收，「积场」写积场，写尽农事的收成。这句的深意在于：它以「钱镈停置」的农具与「农收积场」的农收，写尽孟冬的民生——钱镈停置，那「钱镈停置」写尽农具的停歇——钱镈停置，正是农事告竣的写照，那「停置」写尽农具的停歇；农收积场，那「农收积场」写尽农事的收成——农收积场，正是年成丰稔的写照，那「积场」写尽农收的丰盈；那「钱镈停置」写尽农具的停歇，那「农收积场」写尽农事的收成，一写农具，一写农收，写尽孟冬的民生——农具停而农收积，正是岁丰民安的写照；此二句以农具、农收写尽孟冬的民生，也让此二句成为全诗写民生的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「今年收成很好」，则失其古雅；唯以「钱镈停置」写农具、「农收积场」写农收，写尽孟冬的民生，也让此二句成为全诗写民生的核心。

The scene shifts from weather to the fruits of order. The digging tools, the qian and bo of ancient hoes, are laid aside because the plowing is done; the year's grain stands heaped on the threshing floors. The two lines together describe a countryside at peace in deep winter—tools at rest, barns full—and that, the warlord-poet implies, is what a soldier's work is for: not glory, but a village where the harvest is gathered. The plain nouns and the plain resting of tools carry the whole political argument. To have said the harvest was good this year would lose the paired image of the tools; at rest is the moral.

Study

Word focus

徘徊徘徊 (paihuai, 'hover / linger'): The key word for the north wind. It conveys the wind's circling, lingering motion and, by extension, the heavy stillness of deep winter — the whole season's suspended weight gathers in these two characters. 「北风徘徊」之「徘徊」是写北风的关键词，一个「徘徊」写尽北风的盘旋。徘徊者，回旋往复也。曹操以「北风徘徊」写风，这个「徘徊」至少有双重意味：其一，写风之盘旋——那「北风徘徊」写北风徘徊，那「徘徊」写尽北风的回旋——北风徘徊，正是风势回旋的写照，那「徘徊」写尽北风的盘旋；其二，写冬之凝重——那「徘徊」更是写冬——风徘徊，正见冬寒之凝重，那「徘徊」写尽孟冬的凝滞。以「徘徊」写北风，正是曹操写冬景的枢纽——若换作「萧萧」「凛冽」等词，则或失其与「孟冬十月」的配合，或失其写徘徊的意味；唯「徘徊」二字，以北风徘徊写尽北风的回旋与孟冬的凝重，与「天气肃清」的肃清相合，写尽孟冬的风，也让「北风徘徊」成为全诗写冬景的名句。

积积 (ji, 'pile / accumulate'): The key word of the livelihood theme. It marks the harvest 'gathered' on the threshing ground, conveying both the abundance of the crop and the people's settled peace after the year's toil. 「农收积场」之「积」字是写民生的关键词，一个「积」字写尽农收的丰盈。积者，堆积也。曹操以「农收积场」写农收，这个「积」字至少有双重意味：其一，写收成之丰——那「农收积场」写农收积场，那「积」字写尽农收的丰盈——农收积场，正是五谷丰登的写照，那「积」字写尽收成的丰盈；其二，写民生之安——那「积」字更是写安——积场，正见岁丰民安，那「积」字写尽民生的安和。以「积」字写农收，正是曹操写民生的枢纽——若换作「满」「盈」等字，则或失其与「钱镈停置」的配合，或失其写积的意味；唯「积」字，以农收积场写尽农收的丰盈与民生的安和，与「钱镈停置」的停置相合，写尽孟冬的民生，也让「农收积场」成为全诗写民生的名句。