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汉 Han · 赋 Fu rhapsody

长门赋（节选）

Rhapsody on the Changmen Palace (Excerpt)

司马相如

Sima Xiangru

爱情Love 愁思sorrow

夫何一佳人兮，步逍遥而自虞。
魂逾佚而不反兮，形枯槁而独居。
言我朝往而暮来兮，饮食乐而忘人。
心慊移而不省故兮，交得意而相亲。
伊余志之慢愚兮，怀贞悫之懽心。
愿赐问而自进兮，得尚君之玉音。
奉虚言而望诚兮，期城南之离宫。
脩薄具而自设兮，君曾不肯乎幸临。

Ah, what a beauty she is, pacing idly yet with hidden care.
Her soul has strayed and won't return; her form withered, she dwells alone.
He said he'd come at dawn and dusk, but feasting happy, he forgot me.
His heart shifted, mindless of the past; he finds new love and clings to her.
I am slow and foolish, yet hold a sincere and faithful heart.
I wish to be asked and offer myself, to hear again my lord's jade voice.
I hold his empty words as true, await him at the southern departure palace.
I prepare humble offerings myself, but my lord never deigns to come.

Listen

Meaning

This excerpt from the rhapsody depicts the emotional state of an abandoned woman. Her beauty fades as she waits for her lord, who has broken his promises and found new love. She clings to false hope, preparing for his visit in vain.

那是怎样的佳人啊，步履逍遥却暗自忧思。魂魄散失不能回归，形貌枯槁独自居处。说是早晨去傍晚便来，饮食欢乐却忘了故人。心意暗移而不顾旧好，结交新欢而相亲。我性情迟缓愚钝，怀抱忠贞诚恳的欢心。愿蒙垂问而自进，得闻君王玉音。奉着空言却盼望真诚，期待城南离宫。备办薄礼亲自陈设，君王却不肯屈尊光临。

Appreciation

The rhapsody, traditionally said to be commissioned by Empress Chen Ah Jiao to regain Emperor Wu's favor, portrays the abandoned woman's sorrow without bitterness. The psychological depth is remarkable, especially in lines like 'I hold his empty words as true,' which captures the tragic self-deception of hope.

【白话串讲】陈皇后失宠被贬长门宫，花重金请司马相如写了这篇赋。赋里写一个孤独的妃子，“魂逾佚而不反兮，形枯槁而独居”——据说汉武帝读后回心转意。文人的笔，能抵千军。【意象与手法】赋用骚体，以「兮」字舒缓音节，宜于低回抒情。心理描摹层层递进：由「自虞」「枯槁」之形，到「朝往暮来」之幻期，再到「曾不肯幸临」之实冷，幻想与现实的落差构成悲剧张力。「奉虚言而望诚」五字，写痴情女子以假为真，最是摧心。【情感与主旨】《长门赋》见《文选》，序称陈皇后（阿娇）别在长门宫，奉黄金百斤为相如取酒，终复得亲幸。然史载陈后废居长门，未见复幸，故赋之作者与本事多受后世质疑（或以为六朝伪托）。然其写失宠思幸之情，绵邈入骨，足为汉赋抒情一脉之代表。【名句点睛】常考：①节选如何表现失宠女子的心理——以「自虞」「枯槁」写形神之伤，以「朝往暮来」写幻期，以「不肯幸临」写破灭；②「奉虚言而望诚」的意蕴——以假为真的痴情与幻灭；③《长门赋》在宫怨题材中的开创意义。

Background

According to the preface in the 'Wenxuan,' Empress Chen was relegated to Changmen Palace and offered a hundred catties of gold to Sima Xiangru for this rhapsody, hoping to be reinstated. However, historical records suggest she never regained favor, leading some scholars to question the authorship and story, possibly being a Six Dynasties forgery. Nevertheless, it stands as a poignant lyric fu.

《长门赋》见于《文选》卷一六，其序称：孝武皇帝陈皇后（阿娇）得幸颇妒，后废居长门宫，愁闷悲思，闻司马相如工于文章，奉黄金百斤为相如文君取酒，相如为之作赋以悟主上，陈皇后复得亲幸。然据《汉书·外戚传》，陈皇后废居长门宫后，未曾复得亲幸，故赋序之说与史不符，作者与本事自唐宋以来屡受质疑，或以为六朝人伪托。尽管如此，此赋写失宠女子思幸盼归之情，层层深入、绵邈入骨，其文学成就并不因真伪之辨而减色，反而因集中书写「宫怨」这一母题，成为汉赋抒情一脉的代表作。赋写深宫女子的孤寂与痴望：自伤形神、追忆旧欢、盼君垂问、奉虚言而望诚，终以君不肯幸临的冷落收束，幻想与现实的落差构成了全赋的悲剧张力。司马相如是汉赋的代表作家，与扬雄、班固、张衡并称汉赋四大家，其《子虚》《上林》二赋以铺张扬厉见长，写帝王苑囿之盛，而《长门赋》一改其体，专写一己之幽情，正是汉赋由体物大赋向抒情小赋转变的过渡之作。此赋的产生背景，是汉代后妃制度下女性命运的沉浮：陈皇后以金屋藏娇之宠而终致废居长门，其遭遇正是无数深宫女子命运的一个缩影，赋家借以写深宫的孤寂与女性的悲哀，遂使此赋超越了一时一人的本事，成为宫怨文学的奠基之作。

Art

The fu employs the sao style with the 'xi' particle, creating a slow, musical rhythm suitable for lament. Psychological portrayal layers from self-pity and physical decline to the illusion of promised visits, ending in cold reality. The contrast between fantasy and truth builds tragic tension, with 'holding empty words as true' as the emotional climax.

此赋艺术上的最大特点是骚体抒情与心理刻画的结合。赋用骚体，句尾缀以「兮」字，音节舒缓低回，正宜抒写幽怨缠绵之情；而心理描写层层递进，尤为工细：起笔「夫何一佳人兮，步逍遥而自虞」，以「逍遥」与「自虞」的反差写形散神伤——步履看似闲适，心中实怀忧思，一开篇便见其善于从矛盾处写心理；「魂逾佚而不反兮，形枯槁而独居」，以魂形对举，写相思销铄之状，把失宠的憔悴写到极致；「言我朝往而暮来兮，饮食乐而忘人」，转写君之负约，怨而不怒，含蓄得体；「奉虚言而望诚兮，期城南之离宫」，写痴情女子把一句空言当作真诚的许诺，以假为真，最是摧心；结以「君曾不肯乎幸临」，以冷落收束，幻想彻底破灭，哀婉无尽。全赋由形入神、由怨入痴，幻想与现实的落差层层加深，正是「以赋写情」的典范。此赋在心理刻画上还有一个显著特点，即善于以时间的落差写情感的落差：『朝往而暮来』是当初许诺的归期之近，『君曾不肯乎幸临』是如今等待的遥遥无期；『奉虚言而望诚』把过去的空言当作现在的希望，『期城南之离宫』又把现在的等待寄托于未来的幸临——过去、现在、未来三重时间的交叠，正是失宠者以回忆为生、以盼望为活的心理写照，其层层深入的心理刻画，已开后世宫怨诗赋以时间写哀怨的先河。

Allusions

'Changmen' became a standard allusion for abandonment and neglect in later literature, used by Li Bai, Bai Juyi, and others. 'Li gong' refers to the emperor's temporary palace, here Changmen. 'Yu yin' is a respectful term for the emperor's speech. These allusions draw from Han palace lore and influenced the palace resentment genre for centuries.

「长门」本为汉宫门名，陈皇后废居长门宫，后世遂以「长门」为「失宠」「见弃」之代称，成为中国文学中最著名的宫怨符号，如李白《长门怨》「长门一步地，不肯暂回车」、辛弃疾《摸鱼儿》「长门事，准拟佳期又误」，皆沿用此典。「离宫」指帝王临时居住的宫殿，此处即指长门宫，是「正宫」之外的冷宫，暗含被疏远的意味。「玉音」为对君王言语的敬称，出《尚书大传》「皆莫不磬折玉音金声玉色」，女子以「玉音」称君言，敬慕之中更见卑微盼幸之态。全赋用事皆本汉代宫苑故实与经典雅言，无生僻典，而以「长门」一典影响千年宫怨文学，成为此后宫怨诗赋的母题源头，其文化史意义远超出赋本身。『玉音』一词还见于《礼记·玉藻》『行则鸣佩玉，动则鸣环佩』的礼制传统，以佩玉之声喻君王之言，既见敬慕，亦见礼制森严下妃嫔的卑微；『薄具』即微薄的肴馔，女子修薄具而自设，以薄礼自陈，正见其盼幸之切与处境之窘。全赋用词皆本礼制雅言，却于典重之中见深情，正是汉赋体物写志传统的延续，也是理解汉代宫廷文化的一个窗口。

Commentary

Li Shan's 'Wenxuan' commentary preserves the preface about Empress Chen. Zhu Xi doubted its authenticity, considering it a later work. Yet from the Tang dynasty, 'Changmen' has been a classic allusion for abandonment. Modern scholars, regardless of authenticity, praise it as a masterpiece of lyrical expression in fu, comparable to lament poetry.

《文选》李善注引赋序述陈后奉金作赋事，此后「长门买赋」成为文人典故；然朱熹《楚辞后语》疑其为后世依托，谓「相如之赋，未必果为陈后作」。真伪之争虽悬，而自唐以来，「长门」已成失宠的通用典故，李白、白居易、辛弃疾等屡用不衰，足见此赋影响之深远。近人论此赋，多取其「以赋写情」的成就：在汉赋以铺陈体物为主流的时代，此赋专写一己之情，层层刻画失宠女子的心理，与班婕妤《怨歌行》并称汉代宫怨文学的双璧。其以骚体抒情、以赋写怨的开创意义，上承屈原《离骚》「以男女喻君臣」的传统，下启六朝宫怨诗赋与唐宋宫词，在中国抒情文学史上有其不可替代的地位。后世论宫怨文学，必溯及《长门赋》：李白《长门怨》『夜悬明镜青天上，独照长门宫里人』、白居易《上阳白发人》写宫女的幽闭，皆承此赋的母题；而千金买赋更成为文人以文字改变命运的典故，见出文学在特定历史情境中的力量。近人萧涤非论汉赋，谓《长门赋》以赋体而兼抒情诗之长，正点出其跨文体的价值。此赋在中国文学史上的地位，在于它以赋的形式第一次集中书写了深宫女子的心灵史，其心理刻画的深度，使它在两千年后的今天读来，依然撼人心魄。

Prosody

Form Sao-style fu (Han fu, with 'xi' at line end)骚体赋（汉赋，句尾用「兮」字）

Rhyme Words like yu, ju, ren, qin, xin, yin, lin, etc., follow Chu ci rhyming patterns.楚辞式参韵，韵脚如「虞、居、人、亲、心、音、宫、临」等，句句用韵或隔句用韵，依骚体文气自然转韵，不严拘平仄。

Tone pattern Not applicable (sao-style fu uses natural rhythm, not tonal patterns)骚体以「兮」字舒缓音节，每句或每两句一「兮」，声调低回悠长，宜于抒写幽怨缠绵之情。

Reading note The 'xi' particle slows the rhythm, ideal for lyrical lament, and this fu is a precursor to palace resentment literature.此赋为骚体，上承屈原《离骚》《九歌》的句式传统：以「兮」字置于句中之「某某兮某某」结构，或句尾之「某某兮」结构，音节一唱三叹，极尽低回之致。骚体赋与汉大赋（散体赋）不同：大赋铺陈排比、体物写志，多用四六骈句；骚体则以抒情为主，句式参差、音节舒缓，正是写幽怨之情的最佳载体。此赋句句含「兮」，声调绵长婉转，与失宠女子的忧思相谐，读来如泣如诉；用韵则依骚体传统，随文气转韵，不严拘平仄，自由流转。此赋在赋体史上的意义，在于把骚体的抒情传统引入汉赋，与贾谊《吊屈原赋》一脉相承，专以骚体写一己之情，开汉代「抒情小赋」之先声，此后王粲《登楼赋》、曹植《洛神赋》等抒情赋皆承此体，可见其影响之深远。

Line by line

夫何一佳人兮，步逍遥而自虞

Oh, what a beauty! She paces idly yet worries within. The contrast between ease and hidden sorrow highlights her loneliness.

那是怎样的佳人啊，步履逍遥却暗自忧思。

What beauty is this, her steps leisurely while in secret she grieves?

开篇以问句起势，一个「何」字带着惊叹与怜惜，引出这位佳人。「步逍遥」写她步履闲适从容，看似自在；「自虞」写她心中暗自忧思，「虞」即忧。一「逍遥」一「自虞」，外在的从容与内在的忧思形成强烈反差，正是失宠者强作镇定、实则心事重重的写照——她不愿让人看出失宠的狼狈，仍保持着妃嫔的仪态，而那藏不住的忧思，却从「自虞」二字中泄露无遗。开篇即从矛盾处写心理，以「逍遥」衬「自虞」，一个强颜欢笑的深宫怨女形象便立了起来，也为下文「形枯槁」「独居」的憔悴作了铺垫，是全赋心理描写的起点。

The fu opens on the abandoned queen. What beauty is this, the narrator exclaims, her steps leisurely while in secret she grieves? The contrast is the whole portrait: outwardly composed, inwardly anxious. The graceful walk and the private grief cannot both be true, and the tension is the courtier's performance of a woman who will not let the palace see her fall. To have said she looked calm but was heartbroken would be a summary; the leisurely steps with the hidden grief are the contradiction.

魂逾佚而不反兮，形枯槁而独居

Her soul has strayed and not returned, her form withered, she lives alone. Emphasizes lovesickness through soul-body duality.

魂魄散失不能回归，形貌枯槁独自居处。

Her soul has wandered away and will not return; her form is withered, she lives alone.

此二句以魂形对举，极写相思销铄之状。「魂逾佚而不反」写魂魄飞散而不能回归，古人以为人之魂魄寓于形体，魂不守舍则精神涣散，「逾佚」写魂魄散失之远，「不反」写其不能复归，正是「黯然销魂」的写照；「形枯槁而独居」写形体日益憔悴，独自幽居冷宫，无人问津。「魂」与「形」对举，一写精神之涣散，一写形体之枯槁，身心俱损，把失宠女子的憔悴写到极致；「独居」二字更点出这憔悴的根源——长门宫中的孤寂。此二句由外而内、由形及神，是全赋写「伤」最工的一笔，也为下文追忆旧欢、盼望君恩的心理活动提供了背景。

The inner state. Her soul has wandered away and will not return—following the tradition that a soul can leave the body when love fails; her form is withered, she lives alone. The couplet pairs spirit and body: both broken. The living alone is the cause, the withering the effect. To have said she was pining away would be a cliché; the soul gone astray and the withered, solitary body are the pining.

言我朝往而暮来兮，饮食乐而忘人

He said he'd come morning and evening, but feasting happily, he forgot her. Indirectly blames his broken promise without anger.

说是早晨去傍晚便来，饮食欢乐却忘了故人。

He promised, I will go in the morning and return at dusk; but he feasts and is merry and has forgotten her.

此二句转写君之负约，是全赋「怨」的开始。「言我朝往而暮来兮」追述君王的许诺：他说早晨离去，傍晚便回，把归期说得那么近；「饮食乐而忘人」写现实：他却在外饮食寻欢，乐而忘返，把故人忘在脑后。一「言」一「忘」，许诺之轻易与遗忘之彻底形成对照，怨意已在其中。妙在此处怨而不怒、怨而含蓄：女子不直斥君王负心，只平静地复述他的诺言与他的遗忘，仿佛在陈述一件事实，而听者自能感到其中的委屈与失望。「饮食乐」三字写得平淡，却暗含君在别处寻欢、己在冷宫独守的对比，正是以含蓄之笔写深怨，深得怨而不诽的分寸。

The broken promise. He promised, I will go in the morning and return at dusk; but he feasts and is merry and has forgotten her. The remembered vow (morning out, evening back) set against the actual feasting: the gap between word and deed is the grievance, stated without anger. The restrained telling is the complaint's refinement. To have said he promised to return and didn't would be a fact; the morning-dusk vow against the merry feasting is the breach.

奉虚言而望诚兮，期城南之离宫

I take his empty words as sincere, waiting at the southern departure palace. The epitome of delusional hope.

奉着空言却盼望真诚，期待城南离宫。

Clinging to his empty words, she hopes they are true, watching for him at the detached palace south of the city.

此二句是全赋最摧心的一笔，写痴情女子以假为真。「奉虚言」写她捧着君王的一句空话，如同捧着珍宝；「望诚」写她竟把这虚言当作真诚的许诺来盼望——明知是虚，偏要望其为诚，这正是痴情的本质。她不敢奢望君王回宫，只「期城南之离宫」：只盼君王能驾临长门宫一次，哪怕只是在离宫相见，也已心满意足。这期望卑微到极点，却终究是空——「虚言」与「望诚」的悖谬，把失宠女子的痴与苦写到极处：她不是不知道那是虚言，而是不敢不信、不能不望。此句以最平淡的字眼写最惨痛的心事，故历代论者叹为「写痴情女子以假为真，最是摧心」。

The most painful lines. Clinging to his empty words, she hopes they are true—knowing they are empty, yet choosing to believe; watching for him at the detached palace south of the city, the humblest possible place, hoping he might deign even to come there. The absurdity (believing what you know is false) is the depth of her desire. To have said she hoped against hope would be a statement; the empty words treated as true, the vigil at the distant palace, are the hope.

君曾不肯乎幸临

I am slow and foolish, but hold a sincere and faithful heart. Self-deprecating yet honest, revealing her loyalty.

君王却不肯屈尊光临。

Yet the sovereign has refused, utterly, to come and visit.

结句以冷落收束，是全赋情感的总爆发与总幻灭。「曾」作「竟」解，「不肯」二字下得干脆，写君王始终不肯驾临——她备办薄礼、亲自陈设，在离宫中等了又等，盼了又盼，得到的却只是一个「不肯」。「乎」字是感叹语气，全句如一声长叹：不是不能来，而是不肯来，一字之间，写尽君恩的冷酷与女子处境的卑微。至此，前面的「自虞」「枯槁」「望诚」「期宫」，所有的痴望都在这一个「不肯」中粉碎，幻想彻底破灭，哀婉无尽。全赋由「逍遥自虞」的强作镇定，写到「枯槁独居」的形神俱损，再到「奉虚言望诚」的以假为真，终以「不肯幸临」的冷落收束，心理层层递进，悲剧感层层加深，结得斩截而余哀不尽。

The verdict. Yet the sovereign has refused, utterly, to come and visit. The word refused is final: it was not that he could not come, but that he would not. All the watching collapses into this one word. The fu ends on the courtier's bitterest single judgment. To have said he never came would be a fact; the simply refused is the fact's weight.

Study

Word focus

自虞 Self-pity; 'yu' means worry. The surface calm contrasts with inner anxiety, highlighting isolation. 「步逍遥而自虞」的「自虞」二字，是全赋开篇的心理之眼。「虞」作忧解，「自虞」即暗自忧思。妙处在于与「步逍遥」并置：她步履闲适，仿佛无事，心中却忧思深重——外在的从容是强作的体面，内在的忧思才是真实的心境。这一字写出了深宫失宠者的生存状态：不敢失态、不能示弱，只能把忧思藏在闲适的步态之下。同时「自」字又见其忧无人可诉、无处可解，只能独自承受，孤寂之感油然而生。以「逍遥」衬「自虞」，一虚一实、一表一里，寥寥四字便把人物的身份、处境与心理和盘托出，正是汉赋抒情语简意深的本色，也是理解全赋「强颜之痛」的关键字眼。

逾佚 Scattered and lost; describes the soul's absence, vividly portraying lovesickness. 「魂逾佚而不反兮」的「逾佚」二字，写魂魄散失之状，极工极切。「逾」有越过、远去的意味，「佚」即散失，二字连文，写魂魄飘散而去、愈去愈远，如烟如雾，不可复收；配以下文「不反」（不复回归），把失魂落魄的精神状态写得如在目前。古人认为魂藏于内、主乎精神，魂散则神丧，故「逾佚而不反」正是「黯然销魂」的赋体化表达——相思至极，心神俱碎，魂魄都守不住了。这二字在炼字上的好处，在于以「逾」写其远去之动态、以「佚」写其散失之不可寻，二字一层，把无形的精神之伤写得可感可触，与下句「形枯槁」对举，一虚一实、魂形并写，足见相如炼字之工。

幸临 The emperor's gracious visit. The respectful term reveals the woman's lowly position and desperate hope. 「君曾不肯乎幸临」的「幸临」二字，是全赋结句的关键词，一字见出深宫等级与女子卑微。「幸」在汉代特指帝王驾临或帝王对后妃的宠爱，「临」为降临，二字连文，是臣妾对君主驾临的敬语。女子以「幸临」称君王之来，敬慕之中已见地位之悬殊：君之来是「幸」，是恩赐，不是寻常的造访；「不肯」二字与「幸临」相连，更写出这恩赐之吝——连一次驾临都不肯施与。「乎」字一叹，把盼望、委屈、绝望都含在其中。一词而兼敬语之卑与君恩之吝，既见宫廷礼制，又见失宠者的心酸，是全赋「以一字传神」的典范，也是理解深宫女性处境的钥匙。