All poems

汉 Han · 文 Prose

鸿门宴·版本

The Hong Gate Banquet (Version)

司马迁

Sima Qian

名篇masterpiece 史传historical biography 叙事narrative

沛公旦日从百余骑来见项王，至鸿门，谢曰：臣与将军戮力而攻秦，将军战河北，臣战河南，然不自意能先入关破秦。

At daybreak Duke Pei came with a hundred-odd horsemen to see King Xiang, arriving at Hong Gate, and apologized, saying: 'Your Highness and I joined strength to attack Qin—you fought north of the Yellow River, I south of it; yet I never expected to enter the pass and overthrow Qin first.'

Listen

Meaning

This excerpt captures the crucial moment before the Hong Gate Banquet: with Xiang Yu's army bearing down and Fan Zeng plotting his death, Liu Bang arrives at dawn with only a hundred-odd horsemen and personally apologizes, using the old bond of 'joining strength against Qin' and the humble claim of 'never expecting to enter the pass first' to dissolve Xiang Yu's murderous intent. In a few words it reveals the turning point of the Chu–Han struggle and the historian's judgment of Liu Bang's suppleness and Xiang Yu's womanly mercy.

沛公（刘邦）第二天一早带着一百多名骑兵前来会见项王，到了鸿门，谢罪说道：我和将军合力攻打秦国，将军在黄河以北作战，我在黄河以南作战，然而我自己也没有料到能先进入函谷关攻破秦国。

Appreciation

As a model of biographical-narrative art, its brilliance lies wholly in dialogue and detail. Liu Bang's apology proceeds in three layers—first evoking old friendship, then dividing the credit, then professing humility—every phrase shows weakness yet advances step by step; Xiang Yu's hesitation and Liu Bang's agility appear in a few words. The contrast of character (Xiang Yu's rage versus Liu Bang's calm attendance) and the controlled rhythm—from sword-drawn tension to this narrow escape—set up the even more perilous climax within the feast.

【白话串讲】司马迁写《鸿门宴》：刘邦到鸿门见项羽谢罪。“项王即日因留沛公与饮”——宴会上“项庄舞剑，意在沛公”。刘邦的谋士张良叫来樊哙，樊哙闯帐“瞋目视项王”，项羽赏他酒肉。刘邦借口“如厕”，从小路逃走——“大行不顾细谨，大礼不辞小让”。【意象与手法】史迁以对话传神：刘邦一番话层层设辞——先叙旧谊、再分劳绩、后表谦抑，句句示弱而步步为营；项羽的迟疑与刘邦的机变在数语间毕现。【情感与主旨】借一宴写楚汉兴亡之机，暗含史家对刘邦「能屈能伸」、项羽「妇人之仁」的评价。【名句点睛】「不自意能先入关破秦」一句是刘邦的护身符，谦卑之辞中藏着杀机四伏的权谋。

Background

The Hong Gate Banquet comes from the 'Records of the Grand Historian, Basic Annals of Xiang Yu,' the most famous banquet in Chinese history; this excerpt is Liu Bang's pre-banquet apology. In 206 BCE, King Huai of Chu and the generals agreed 'whoever first enters and settles Guanzhong shall be its king'; Liu Bang first entered Xianyang, the Qin heir Ziying surrendered, Liu sealed the treasuries and withdrew his army to Bashang; Xiang Yu led four hundred thousand troops to station at Hong Gate, and hearing Liu meant to be king of Guanzhong, flew into rage, and his strategist Fan Zeng urged 'strike at once, do not miss.' Xiang Bo rode by night to see Zhang Liang and warn him; Zhang Liang introduced Liu Bang, who with humble words and rich gifts proposed a marriage alliance, leading to the next day's Hong Gate meeting. Sima Qian (c. 145–c. 86 BCE) succeeded his father as Grand Astrologer, and after the Li Ling affair suffered castration, resentfully wrote the 'Records of the Grand Historian,' especially attending to the Chu–Han period, writing the rise and fall through the twin lines of 'Basic Annals of Xiang Yu' and 'Basic Annals of Gaozu'; the Hong Gate Banquet is one of the book's most brilliant scenes. The word 'Version' indicates this is a commonly used excerpted version. The background of this dialogue is the subtext of King Huai's agreement: Liu Bang's 'first entry' technically gave him the title to king Guanzhong, yet he claims 'never expected' with self-modesty, every word a political game, and the historian records it as history, the turning point of Chu–Han rise and fall contained within. Also Xiang Bo was Xiang Yu's uncle, owing Zhang Liang his life, hence rode by night to tell him; Liu Bang then married his daughter to Xiang Bo's son, entrusting him to mediate, which brought about the Hong Gate turning point—this dialogue is the result of that series of maneuvers, and the historian narrates its ins and outs in full detail.

鸿门宴出自《史记·项羽本纪》，是中国历史上最著名的宴会，本段为宴前刘邦赴宴谢罪之语。公元前206年，楚怀王与诸将约「先入定关中者王之」；刘邦先入咸阳，秦王子婴投降，刘邦封府库、还军霸上；项羽率四十万大军屯于鸿门，闻刘邦欲王关中，大怒，谋士范增力主「急击勿失」。项伯夜驰见张良告急，张良引见刘邦，刘邦卑辞厚礼约为婚姻，遂有次日鸿门之会。司马迁（约前145—约前86）继父任太史令，因李陵之祸受宫刑，发愤著《史记》，于楚汉之际尤致意焉，以《项羽本纪》《高祖本纪》双线写兴亡，鸿门宴正是全书最精彩的场景之一。「版本」二字表明此为节选之通行版本。此段对话的背景是怀王之约的潜台词：刘邦「先入关」本有王关中之名分，却偏以「不自意」自谦，一字一句皆是政治博弈，史迁以史笔录之，楚汉兴亡之机尽在其中。又项伯为项羽季父，受张良救命之恩，故夜驰相告；刘邦遂与项伯结为婚姻，托其居中缓颊，方有鸿门之会的转机，此节对话正是这一系列斡旋的结果，史迁叙其来龙去脉，纤悉无遗。

Art

This passage is a model of biographical-narrative art, its wonder wholly in dialogue and detail. First, writing character through dialogue: Liu Bang's apology has three layers—'joined strength to attack Qin' evokes old friendship, dispelling hostility; 'you fought north of the River, I south' divides the credit, yielding the main credit of breaking Qin to Xiang Yu (the Julu battle); 'never expected to enter the pass and break Qin first' professes humble lucky chance, never mentioning King Huai's agreement yet hinting the title, every phrase weak yet step-by-step airtight; Xiang Yu actually fell 'silent,' the murderous intent instantly gone—Liu's wit and Xiang's directness appear here completely. Second, showing character through contrast: Xiang Yu 'flew into rage' wanting to strike, while Liu Bang 'at dawn came with a hundred-odd horsemen' to attend on his own initiative—one stubborn one smooth; 'a hundred-odd horsemen' three characters extremely economical, writing Liu's lone-risk courage and humble posture. Third, the narrative rhythm alternates tension and ease: from the sword-drawn tension before (Xiang's rage, Fan's plot) to this narrow escape, like reining in a horse at a cliff, building momentum for the even more perilous climax within the feast of Fan Zeng's jade signal and Xiang Zhuang's sword dance. Fourth, after 'apologized, saying' the first-person quotation lets one hear his voice, fully showing Sima Qian's skill of 'using mouth and tongue instead of brush and ink.' Also though this passage is short, the apology's wording sets the keynote for later scenes—Fan Zeng's jade signal, Xiang Zhuang's sword dance, Fan Kuai's charge, Liu's escape—one phrase spoken, the cosmos briefly settled, yet the murderous intent remains; the historian's arrangement lays the whole banquet's board in a few words.

此节为纪传体叙事艺术的典范，其妙全在对话与细节。其一，以对话写人物：刘邦谢罪一席话分三层——「戮力而攻秦」叙旧谊，消除敌意；「将军战河北，臣战河南」分述劳绩，把破秦主力之功让给项羽（巨鹿之战）；「不自意能先入关破秦」自谦侥幸，绝口不提怀王之约而暗示名分，句句示弱而步步为营，滴水不漏；项羽竟「默然」，杀机顿消，刘邦之智与项羽之直于此毕现。其二，以对比见性格：项羽「大怒」欲击而刘邦「旦日从百余骑」主动赴会，一刚愎一圆滑；「百余骑」三字极省，写尽刘邦孤身涉险的胆识与谦卑姿态。其三，叙事节奏张弛有度：由前文剑拔弩张（项羽大怒、范增定计）到此节化险为夷，如悬崖勒马，为宴中范增举玦、项庄舞剑的更险高潮蓄势。其四，「谢曰」以下用第一人称引语，如闻其声，史迁「以口舌代刀笔」的写人功夫尽显。又此节虽短，而「谢曰」之辞实为后文范增举玦、项庄舞剑、樊哙闯帐、沛公脱身等情节立下基调——一辞既出，乾坤暂定，而杀机仍在，史迁经营章法，于数语之间已布下全宴之局。

Allusions

The allusions and tales in this dialogue hide beneath the rhetoric, a model of 'using allusion invisibly.' 'Joined strength to attack Qin' uses the 'Zuo Zhuan' phrase 'united strength, one heart,' softening hostility with the old ally bond, a classic opening of diplomatic rhetoric; 'you fought north of the River, I south' divides the merit by the Yellow River, with historical basis—Xiang Yu broke Qin's main force at Julu (north of the River), Liu detoured to enter the pass (south of the River, Wu Pass), one holding the main credit, one the side force, Liu actively yielding the credit exactly fits the 'Laozi' way of 'knowing the male, keeping the female' in humility; 'enter the pass and break Qin first' darkly uses King Huai's agreement ('whoever first settles Guanzhong shall be its king')—Liu with 'never expected' professes modesty, yet actually hints his entry had a title to stand on, the legal argument hiding beneath the humble words; 'Hong Gate' is a place-name in present Lintong, Shaanxi, at the gateway of Guanzhong, together with Hangu Pass and Bashang forming the 'east of the pass–Guanzhong' geographical pattern, since ancient a contested military point, also referring to the cultural symbol of 'Qin.' The whole rhetoric, in evoking the old, yielding credit, and professing humility, layers defense after defense, exactly the mature use of the pre-Qin rhetorician tradition in historical biography. Also 'Hong Gate' in present northeastern Lintong, Shaanxi, lies north of the Li Mountains, south of the Wei River, a place of Guanzhong's strategic beauty; Xiang Yu stationed troops here to block Liu's path into the pass, the geographic peril exactly showing the situation's danger—the historian puts place-names in the text, the rivers and mountains' form all at the brush's tip.

此段对话用典与掌故皆隐于辞令之下，是「用事于无形」的典范。「戮力而攻秦」用《左传》「戮力同心」之语，以同盟旧谊软化敌对，是外交辞令的经典起手；「将军战河北，臣战河南」以黄河为界分述战功，实有史实为据——项羽破秦主力于巨鹿（河北），刘邦绕道入关（河南、武关），一居主功、一居偏师，刘邦主动让功，正合《老子》「知其雄，守其雌」的谦下之道；「先入关破秦」暗用怀王之约（「先入定关中者王之」），刘邦以「不自意」自谦，实则暗示自己入关有名分可据，谦辞之下藏着法理之辩；「鸿门」为今陕西临潼地名，地处关中门户，与函谷关、灞上共同构成「关东—关中」的地理格局，自古为兵家必争，亦为「秦」这一文化符号的指涉。整段辞令，于叙旧、让功、自谦之中层层布防，正是先秦策士辞令传统在史传中的成熟运用。又「鸿门」在今陕西临潼东北，地处骊山之北、渭水之南，为关中形胜之地，项羽屯兵于此以扼刘邦入关之路，地理之险正见局势之危，史迁以地名入文，山河形势尽在笔底。

Commentary

The Hong Gate Banquet has become one of the most famous symbols in Chinese culture; the term 'Hong Gate Banquet' has entered daily vocabulary meaning a feast hiding murderous intent; the Peking opera 'Hong Gate Banquet' and various film adaptations remain popular, and this passage is precisely the textual source of that cultural symbol. In literary history, this passage is a pinnacle sample of 'biographical-narrative literature': the personalized language of characters (Liu's modesty, Xiang's directness, Fan's impatience), the highly concentrated dramatic conflict (one banquet bearing the Chu–Han rise and fall), praised endlessly by Ming-Qing commentators—Yao Zhitian's 'Records of the Grand Historian Essence' commented 'writing Hong Gate yet extremely trivial, extremely spirited,' Wang Shizhen said the 'Records' narrative 'without adding a dot.' Sima Qian writes history through dialogue, providing a model for later fiction: the 'Records of the Three Kingdoms' Hong Gate-style scenes (such as 'discussing heroes over warmed wine'), and the historian's tradition of 'writing the man through words,' all arise here. In historical insight, the historian writes the Chu–Han success-failure mechanism 'in the space of one banquet'—Liu humble and Xiang proud, the humble gains the realm, the proud loses it, exactly his historian's eye of 'probing the relation of heaven and man, comprehending the changes of past and present.' This passage remains a classic middle-school text. In the history of genre, the historian writes history through dialogue, turning political game into dramatic scene, providing later biographical-narrative literature and historical fiction (such as 'Records of the Three Kingdoms') the model of 'seeing the man through words,' its influence reaching opera and film, undiminished after two thousand years.

鸿门宴已成为中国文化最著名的符号之一，「鸿门宴」一词进入日常语汇，指暗藏杀机的宴会；京剧《鸿门宴》及多种影视改编至今不衰，此节正是这一文化符号的文本源头。文学史上，此节是「史传文学」的巅峰样本：人物语言个性化（刘邦之谦、项羽之直、范增之躁）、戏剧冲突高度集中（一宴而楚汉兴亡系之），明清评点家盛赞不已——姚苎田《史记菁华录》评「写鸿门却极琐碎，极精神」，王世贞谓《史记》叙事「文不加点」。司马迁以史笔写对话，为后世小说提供了范本：《三国演义》的鸿门宴式场景（如煮酒论英雄）、史家「以言写人」的传统，皆由此出。就史识而言，史迁于「一宴之顷」写楚汉成败之机——刘邦谦而项羽傲，谦者得天下、傲者失天下，此即其「究天人之际，通古今之变」的史家眼光。今此节仍为中学语文经典篇目。就文体史言，史迁以对话写历史，把政治博弈化为戏剧场景，为后世史传文学与历史小说（如《三国演义》）提供了「以言见人」的范本，其影响及于戏曲与影视，历两千年而不衰。

Prosody

Form Western Han historical biography prose (biographical basic annals)西汉史传散文（纪传体本纪）

Rhyme No rhyme, using short-sentence cadence and paired phrases for momentum: 'At dawn came with a hundred-odd horsemen / to see King Xiang / arriving at Hong Gate' short and tight, like drumbeats urging; 'you fought north of the River, I south' opposes in pairs, syllables orderly; 'never expected to enter the pass and break Qin first' closes with a long sentence, from urgent to slow, like a long breath.不押韵，以短句顿挫与偶句造势：「旦日从百余骑／来见项王／至鸿门」短促紧凑，如鼓点频催；「将军战河北，臣战河南」两两相对，音节整饬；「不自意能先入关破秦」长句收束，由促转缓，如长吁一气。

Tone pattern Prose narrative, the quotation in first person unfolding leisurely, tone respectful yet dense; the narrative part runs in short sentences, the apology in long sentences easing out, the sound-feeling hiding edge within peace, showing bearing within humility.散句叙事，引语以第一人称娓娓道来，语气谦恭而绵密；叙述部分短句急行，谢罪之辞长句缓出，声情于平和中藏机锋，于谦卑中见气度。

Reading note This passage is historical biography prose, no rhyme yet rhythm self-formed, its sound-feeling beauty in the long-short scheduling of narrative and quotation. The narrative 'At dawn Duke Pei came with a hundred-odd horsemen to see King Xiang, arriving at Hong Gate, and apologized, saying' unfolds in twelve characters, its cadence distinct (dawn / with a hundred-odd horsemen / to see King Xiang / arriving at Hong Gate), like four quick steps, approaching the enemy camp step by step, tension rising with the syllables; the quotation 'Your Highness and I joined strength to attack Qin' eases in a long sentence, tone calm and respectful, as if speaking seated; 'you fought north of the River, I south' in four-character antithetical parallel, syllables orderly, the intent of dividing credit thereby clear; 'yet I never expected to enter the pass and break Qin first' leads a long sentence with 'yet,' from order into looseness, the tone turning, the humility's tact all in the rising-falling of sound. The whole passage opens with short sentences, closes with long, first urgent then slow, the sound-feeling corresponding to Liu Bang's situation of 'from danger into safety'; the historian uses historical brush yet also literary heart, the wonder of this passage's sound-feeling exactly shows the 'Records of the Grand Historian's' 'vast and flowing' literary breath.此节为史传散文，不押韵而节奏自成，其声情之美在叙事与引语的长短调度。叙事句「沛公旦日从百余骑来见项王，至鸿门，谢曰」以十二字铺开，句中顿挫分明（旦日／从百余骑／来见项王／至鸿门），如四步疾走，步步逼近敌营，紧张感随音节递增；引语「臣与将军戮力而攻秦」以长句缓起，语气和缓谦恭，如对坐而言；「将军战河北，臣战河南」以四字对偶排比，音节整饬，分功之意亦随之分明；「然不自意能先入关破秦」以「然」字领起长句，由整入散，语气一转，谦辞的委婉尽在声调之抑扬中。全节以短句起、长句收，先急后缓，声情与刘邦处境的「由危入安」相应；史迁以史笔而兼文心，此节声调之妙，正见《史记》「浑灏流转」的文气。

Line by line

沛公旦日从百余骑来见项王，至鸿门，谢曰：

At daybreak Duke Pei came with a hundred-odd horsemen to see King Xiang, arriving at Hong Gate, and apologized, saying:

第二天一早，沛公带着一百多名骑兵前来会见项王，到达鸿门，谢罪说道：

Next dawn the Duke of Pei, attended by a hundred-odd riders, came to see the King of Xiang; arriving at Hongmen, he apologized and said:

此句以十二字交代时间、人马、地点、意图，叙事密不透风。「旦日」即次日清晨，写时间之紧——前夜项伯已通风报信，刘邦当机立断，一夜之间定策、次晨即行，其决断之速可见；「从百余骑」写从人之少，与项羽四十万大军悬殊如天壤，以孤身入虎穴之姿示弱，亦见刘邦之胆识——明知山有虎，偏向虎山行，而所恃者惟此三寸不烂之舌；「来见项王」用「来」字，主动就范，姿态已低；「至鸿门」点明地点，鸿门为项羽驻军之地，刘邦亲赴敌营，正如羊入虎口；「谢曰」以「谢」（请罪）字定下此行的性质——不是赴宴，而是谢罪，一低再低；司马迁于十二字中写尽刘邦处境的危与应对的巧，为下文谢罪之辞铺好台阶。

The morning of the banquet. Next dawn the Duke of Pei, attended by a hundred-odd riders, came to see the King of Xiang; arriving at Hongmen, he apologized and said. The hundred riders against Xiang Yu's four hundred thousand is the arithmetic of submission; the apologized is the chosen posture. Sima Qian's twelve words establish the danger and the deference. To have said Liu Bang went to apologize would be a summary; the hundred riders and the apology at Hongmen are the summary.

臣与将军戮力而攻秦，将军战河北，臣战河南，然不自意能先入关破秦。

Your Highness and I joined strength to attack Qin—you fought north of the Yellow River, I south of it; yet I never expected to enter the pass and overthrow Qin first.

我与将军合力攻打秦国，将军在黄河以北作战，我在黄河以南作战，然而我自己也没有想到能先进入函谷关攻破秦国。

Your servant and Your Excellency joined strength against Qin; Your Excellency fought north of the river, your servant south of the river, yet unexpectedly I was the first to enter the Pass and defeat Qin.

此句为刘邦谢罪辞的全部，三句话层层设防，机心深藏。第一层「臣与将军戮力而攻秦」，自称「臣」而尊项羽为「将军」，以同盟旧谊唤起共同记忆，消解敌对；第二层「将军战河北，臣战河南」，分述劳绩，把破秦主力之功归于项羽的巨鹿之战，自己只居偏师，主动让功，谦逊有加；第三层「不自意能先入关破秦」是全部机锋所在——「先入关」暗合怀王之约（先入定关中者王之），本有名分，却偏以「不自意」（没想到）三字推为侥幸，既示无争天下之心，又暗示入关有名分可据，谦辞之下藏着法理之辩；「然」字一转，语气由同盟转向自辩，委婉而周全。三句话示弱而不失体、让功而不失据，滴水不漏；项羽闻此竟「默然」，杀机顿消，刘邦之智与项羽之直，于此数语间毕现。

The apology itself. Your servant and Your Excellency joined strength against Qin—old comrades; Your Excellency fought north of the river, your servant south—giving Xiang Yu the main theater; yet unexpectedly I was the first to enter the Pass. The unexpectedly is the whole trick: entering the Pass first was his right under the prior agreement, but he calls it luck. The deference hides the claim. To have said Liu Bang flattered Xiang Yu would be an interpretation; the comradely opening, the ceded credit, and the unexpected first entry are the flattery.

Study

Word focus

旦日从百余骑 The five characters 'at dawn came with a hundred-odd horsemen' condense Liu Bang's situation. 'At dawn' writes the time's urgency—Xiang Bo had warned him the night before, Liu decided in one night and went at next morning's first light, showing the situation perilous as piled eggs and his instant decision under crisis. 'Came with a hundred-odd horsemen' writes the fewness of followers: Xiang Yu held four hundred thousand troops, Liu accompanied by only a hundred-odd, a disparity of ten thousandfold, exactly showing weakness through few, showing sincerity through lone attendance—since he brought only a hundred-odd, naturally no intent to resist, the highest posture-politics; yet a hundred-odd entering a camp of four hundred thousand is like throwing a sheep into a tiger's mouth, also showing Liu's courage. Sima Qian writes three layers—peril, courage, stratagem—in five characters, extremely economical yet richly implied, exactly the biographer's model of 'saying much in little'; later in the feast Fan Zeng's jade signal and Xiang Zhuang's sword dance, Liu beside him only Zhang Liang and Fan Kuai few men, all arise from this 'hundred-odd horsemen.' 「旦日从百余骑」五字是刘邦处境的浓缩。「旦日」写时间之紧迫：项伯前夜才通风报信，刘邦一夜定策，次晨即赴敌营，可见形势危如累卵，也见其临危决断之速。「从百余骑」写从人之少：项羽拥兵四十万，刘邦仅百余骑相随，兵力悬殊万倍，正以少示弱、以孤身示诚——既然只带百余骑，自然没有对抗之意，这是最高明的姿态政治；同时百余骑入四十万大军之营，无异于以身犯险，刘邦之胆识亦于此见。司马迁以五字写尽危局、胆识与权谋三层意思，用笔极简而含蕴极富，正是史笔「以少总多」的典范；后文宴中范增举玦、项庄舞剑，刘邦身边仅张良、樊哙数人，皆由此「百余骑」而来。

戮力 In 'Your Highness and I joined strength to attack Qin,' the phrase 'joined strength' (luli) means united effort, using the 'Zuo Zhuan' allusion 'united strength, one heart.' 'Lu' (through 'lü') originally has the meaning of uniting, combining; with 'strength' it emphasizes the merging of forces and the identity of goal—Liu uses it to remind Xiang Yu: we were allies fighting side by side, our common goal was attacking Qin, not mutual slaughter. This word's choice is highly strategic: using 'joined strength' evokes the old friendship, dissolving the present sword-crossing into a misunderstanding between allies, paving the emotional step for the later 'never expected' modesty. Also 'joined strength' is solemn and forceful, syllables ringing, matching the feat of 'attacking Qin,' making the apology not base or losing dignity. The historian uses one phrase to set the whole rhetoric's key: both showing goodwill and not losing the vassal's bearing, exactly the historical proof of Liu Bang's 'skillful use of rhetoric.' 「臣与将军戮力而攻秦」之「戮力」意为合力、并力，用《左传》「戮力同心」之典。「戮」（通「勠」）本有并、合之意，与「力」连用，强调力量的合并与目标的同一——刘邦以此提醒项羽：我们曾是并肩作战的盟友，共同的目标是攻秦，而非自相残杀。这一词的选择极具策略性：以「戮力」唤起旧谊，把当下的兵戈相向化解为盟友间的误会，为后文「不自意」的自谦铺平情感台阶。同时「戮力」二字庄重有力，音节铿锵，与「攻秦」的壮举相配，使谢罪之辞不至卑下失体。史迁以一词定全篇辞令的基调：既示好，又不失诸侯之体，正是刘邦「善用辞令」的史证。

不自意 In 'yet I never expected to enter the pass and break Qin first,' the phrase 'never expected' (buziyi) means 'I myself did not anticipate,' the hinge word of Liu's apology. Its wonder has three aspects: first, with 'never expected' he pushes the credit of entering the pass first as lucky chance—entering the pass was not my intent, still less coveting Guanzhong, but an unintentional step ahead, showing no intent to contend; second, 'never expected' three characters hide the legal principle: the one who enters the pass first kings Guanzhong had King Huai's agreement as basis, Liu lightly passes over it with 'never expected,' neither violating the agreement nor showing ambition, the humble words hiding reliance; third, in tone 'never expected' seems true yet false, sincere yet crafty, exactly fitting Liu Bang's character of 'broad and magnanimous' yet 'good at planning and decisive'—later generations judge him 'joy and anger not showing on the face,' these three characters are the footnote. Sima Qian uses these three characters to write a generation's hero's stratagem, few words yet deep meaning, a model of conveying spirit through one word. 「然不自意能先入关破秦」之「不自意」即「自己也没料到」，是刘邦谢罪辞的枢纽词。其妙有三：其一，以「不自意」把先入关的功绩推为侥幸——入关不是我有意为之，更非觊觎关中，而是无意间抢先一步，示无争之心；其二，「不自意」三字暗藏法理：先入关者王关中，本有怀王之约为据，刘邦以「不自意」轻描淡写带过，既不违约定，又不显野心，谦辞之下自有恃仗；其三，语气上「不自意」似真似假、亦诚亦诈，正合刘邦「豁达大度」又「好谋能断」的性格——后世评其「喜怒不形于色」，此三字即注脚。司马迁以此三字写尽一代枭雄的权谋，字少而意深，堪称以一词传神的典范。