汉 Han · 乐府 Yuefu ballad
猛虎行
Song of the Fierce Tiger
饥不从猛虎食，暮不从野雀栖。
野雀安无巢，游子为谁骄？
But has the wild sparrow no nest? For whom, wanderer, do you flaunt your pride?
Meaning
Even hungry I will not go with the fierce tiger to feed; even at dusk I will not roost with the wild sparrow. How could the wild sparrow lack a nest? Wanderer, for whom do you flaunt your pride?
饥饿也不跟从猛虎去觅食，傍晚也不跟从野雀去栖宿。野雀怎会没有巢？游子你究竟在向着谁逞强骄矜？
Appreciation
The whole is but four lines, yet closely built. The first two, with the two negations 'will not eat with the fierce tiger' and 'will not roost with the wild sparrow', flatly state a stance of not clinging to the violent nor following the vulgar. The last two close on the question 'but has the wild sparrow no nest? for whom do you flaunt your pride' - the sparrow, lowly, still has a nest to rest in, setting off the wanderer's rootless drift, while 'pride' holds both self-mockery and a stubborn bone. Comparison and pun together, few words yet deep meaning: the fierce tiger's fierceness sets off the wanderer's chastity; a short piece with backbone, the very yuefu knack of 'shallow words, deep intent'.
【白话串讲】 “饥不从猛虎食，暮不从野雀栖”——饿了不吃猛虎剩下的食物，天黑不栖在野雀的巢里。一个游子的自尊：宁可饿着，也不低贱地活。 【意象与手法】 全诗仅四句，却章法严密：前两句以「不从猛虎食」「不从野雀栖」两个否定句式，斩钉截铁地表明不附暴、不随俗的立场；后两句以反诘收束，野雀虽微犹有巢可依，反衬游子飘零无托，而「骄」字又含自嘲与傲骨二重意味。比兴双关，短章见骨力。 【情感与主旨】 《猛虎行》为汉乐府相和歌辞平调曲古辞，作者无考，当为东汉民间歌谣之残篇。诗以猛虎、野雀起兴，托物言志，写游子（或失路士人）坚守节操、不附权暴的心志，反映汉代士人于乱世中清白自守的人格追求。 【名句点睛】 考查重点：一、「不从」「不栖」两个否定句的语气与象征义；二、猛虎、野雀的比喻内涵；三、短章的章法（起兴—反诘）。
Background
'Song of the Fierce Tiger' belongs to the Han yuefu 'Xianghe' tunes, Ping mode; author unknown, a fragment of Eastern-Han folk song. The poem rises by the fierce tiger and the wild sparrow, lodging intent in things, writing the wanderer (or the thwarted man of letters) who holds fast his integrity and will not cling to the violent and powerful. Han scholars in a troubled age often used the tiger for the brutal tyrant, and 'will not eat with it' for a clean self-keeping. Though only four lines survive, it is typical of yuefu's comparison-and-intent, and flows in one line with later Lu Ji's and Li Bai's same-titled imitations - showing yuefu's deep influence on the literati poem.
《猛虎行》为汉乐府相和歌辞平调曲古辞，作者无考，当为东汉民间歌谣之残篇。汉代末年，政治黑暗、豪强暴虐，士人进退失据、飘零无依。诗以「饥不从猛虎食，暮不从野雀栖」起兴，托物言志，写游子（或失路士人）坚守节操、不附权暴、不随流俗的心志。猛虎喻暴虐权贵，野雀喻势利小人，不从其食、不从其栖，即不食嗟来之食、不依附权门之意。全诗虽短，而比兴寄托之义深长，是汉乐府比兴寄志的典型。后世陆机《猛虎行》、李白《猛虎行》皆用此题抒怀，可见此题对文人诗影响之深远。此残篇以二十字立起一个孤贞自守的游子形象，其人格力量直贯千载，也是研究汉代士人出处观与乐府比兴传统的重要文献。此诗之「游子」，非泛泛的旅行者，而是汉末失路士人的写照：东汉末年，外戚宦官交替擅权，党锢之祸屡兴，士人或被禁锢、或遭诛杀，飘零无托者比比皆是；「游子」二字，正是这种「天地一沙鸥」般处境的浓缩。又《猛虎行》古辞虽仅存四句，然《乐府解题》谓其「言贫士操守」，后世拟作者不绝：晋陆机《猛虎行》「渴不饮盗泉水，热不息恶木阴」正是此诗「不从猛虎食」的展开，唐李白《猛虎行》则借题写安史之乱，一题数拟，可见此题承载的「守节」主题之深远。
Art
The whole is but four lines, yet its structure is tight: the first two, with the two negations 'will not eat with the fierce tiger' and 'will not roost with the wild sparrow', flatly declare a stance of not clinging to the violent nor following the vulgar; the last two close on the question 'but has the wild sparrow no nest? for whom do you flaunt your pride' - the sparrow, though small, still has a nest, setting off the wanderer's rootless drift, while 'pride' holds both self-mockery and an unbending bone. Comparison and pun together, few words yet deep: the fierce tiger's fierceness sets off the wanderer's chastity; a short piece with backbone.
全诗仅四句，章法却极严密。前两句「饥不从猛虎食，暮不从野雀栖」以两个否定句式斩钉截铁地表明立场：饥而不从猛虎食，宁饿不附暴；暮而不从野雀栖，宁露不随俗。两句结构相同、语义并列，复沓之中见决绝，音节短促而语气坚定。后两句「野雀安无巢，游子为谁骄」以反诘收束：野雀虽微，尚有巢可依；游子飘零无托，孤身一人，又在向谁逞强骄傲？「骄」字含义双关——既是守节之孤傲，又是漂泊之自嘲，亦傲亦悲。前两句言「不为」，后两句言「无所依」，由拒斥到自省，由刚烈到苍凉，二十字写出游子孤贞而凄凉的一生际遇。以猛虎之猛反衬游子之贞，以野雀之巢反衬游子之无托，比兴双关、言简意深，短章见骨力，深得乐府「辞浅意深」之妙。此诗在语言上亦极见功力：「饥不从猛虎食」与「暮不从野雀栖」两句，不仅句式复沓，音节亦相呼应——「饥」「暮」对举（时间），「猛虎」「野雀」对举（意象），「食」「栖」对举（动作），对仗工整而古意盎然；「野雀安无巢，游子为谁骄」则转用反诘，语气由斩截转沉郁，一问收束，如钟声余响。四句二十字，前两句立骨，后两句传神，句句有实义而字字有余味，正是乐府短章「言简意深」的极致，可为「以少总多」之典范。
Allusions
The fierce tiger in Han-Wei poetry often figures the brutal tyrant, as in the Nineteen Old Poems 'the fierce tiger trusts its claws', and the 'Record of Rites' 'cruel rule is fiercer than a tiger'; this poem's 'will not eat with the fierce tiger' means not eating the contemptuous offer, not clinging to the violent. The wild sparrow figures the lowly drifter; it inverts the Songs' 'The Magpie's Nest' ('the magpie has a nest, the dove dwells in it'), saying the sparrow has its own nest. The last 'for whom do you flaunt your pride' transforms the 'Li Sao's' lone loftiness of 'all compete in greedy advance'. Though short, its allusions lie hidden - the yuefu knack of using them unawares.
猛虎在汉魏诗文中常喻暴虐权贵：《礼记·檀弓》记孔子过泰山见妇人哭于墓，曰「苛政猛于虎」；《古诗十九首》亦有「猛虎恃爪牙」之喻。本诗以「不从猛虎食」喻不食嗟来之食、不附凶暴，承「苛政猛于虎」之批判精神。野雀喻微贱之人，《诗经·召南·鹊巢》「维鹊有巢，维鸠居之」本写鹊巢鸠占，此反其意而用之，言野雀自有其巢，反衬游子无家可归。「游子」为汉乐府习见形象（如《游子吟》），指离乡漂泊之人。末句「为谁骄」暗含《楚辞·离骚》「众皆竞进以贪婪兮，凭不厌乎求索」的孤高自守之旨。全诗虽短，而典故暗含，用典于不觉之间，正是汉乐府质朴中含蕴藉的本色。此外，「游子」意象在汉乐府中反复出现（《青青陵上柏》「游子不顾返」等），皆写离乡之人的生存状态，此诗独以「守节」立意，为「游子」注入人格的力量；「为谁骄」之「骄」，又暗用《尚书·大禹谟》「汝惟不矜」的反面——世俗以矜夸为能，游子以孤贞为骄，一俗一雅，褒贬自见。全诗用典虽隐，而《礼记》《诗经》《楚辞》之血脉皆在，正是汉乐府「不著一字典故，尽得典故风流」的化境。
Commentary
The 'Yuefu Anthology' records this old lyric; Guo Maoqian praised it 'though the words are few, the lodging of intent is far'. The Ming critic Hu Yinglin said Han yuefu short pieces like 'Song of the Fierce Tiger', a few phrases, carry the force of a thousand jun. The Qing Shen Deqian also includes it in 'Source of Ancient Poetry', calling it 'archaic and pleasing' - enough to show that though this fragment is short, its place in yuefu history is not small, spawning countless later imitations.
郭茂倩《乐府诗集》录此古辞，谓其「言古者征伐之事」而辞义难详；然后世论者多取其比兴之义。明人胡应麟《诗薮》称汉乐府短章「如《猛虎行》数语，便有千钧之力」，极赞其以少胜多。清人沈德潜《古诗源》亦收之，谓其「古质可喜，见汉人风骨」。此诗之价值，一在其比兴手法之典范——以猛虎野雀写士节，开后世托物言志之途；二在其人格境界之高——「宁折不弯、不附权暴」的孤贞精神，成为后世士人的精神坐标。陆机、李白拟《猛虎行》皆借题抒怀，可见此题之深远影响。就文学史而言，此残篇虽仅二十字，却是汉乐府「感于哀乐，缘事而发」精神与比兴传统的结晶。就接受与影响而言，此诗虽仅残篇，然自晋陆机、唐李白至明清拟作者不绝，明人徐祯卿《猛虎行》「饥不从猛虎食」直引古辞，足见其影响之深；其「宁折不弯、守节自重」的精神，更成为后世士人的精神图腾——文天祥「留取丹心照汗青」的从容就义、于谦「要留清白在人间」的坚守，皆与「不从猛虎食」的气骨一脉相通。就文学史而言，此诗以二十字立起一个「孤贞游子」的永恒形象，其人格力量与艺术力量俱已超越残篇的规模，是汉乐府「短章大义」的最高体现。
Prosody
Line by line
饥不从猛虎食，暮不从野雀栖。
Hungry, I will not eat with the fierce tiger; at dusk, I will not roost with the wild sparrow.
饥饿也不跟从猛虎去觅食，傍晚也不跟从野雀去栖宿。
When hungry, I will not feed with the fierce tiger; at dusk, I will not roost with the stray sparrow.
两个否定句式斩截有力，是全诗立场的宣言。「饥不从猛虎食」写饥饿时不与猛虎争食——猛虎喻暴虐权贵，不从其食即不食嗟来之食、不依附凶暴；「暮不从野雀栖」写日暮时不与野雀同栖——野雀喻势利小人，不从其栖即不随流俗、不辱身名。两句结构相同、语义并列，复沓中见决绝，音节短促而语气坚定，如誓言般斩钉截铁。一「饥」一「暮」写尽处境的艰难，一「不从」再「不从」写尽立场的坚决——宁饥宁露，不附不随，游子孤贞自守的品格由此立起。
The two negations are the oath. When hungry, I will not feed with the fierce tiger (the violent powerful); at dusk, I will not roost with the stray sparrow (the worldly petty). The repeated refusal states the wandering scholar's integrity: hunger and exposure are preferable to compromise. To have said I would not associate with the bad would be a refusal; the hungry-not-tiger and the dusk-not-sparrow are the refusal.
野雀安无巢，游子为谁骄？
But has the wild sparrow no nest? For whom, wanderer, do you flaunt your pride?
野雀怎会没有巢？游子你究竟在向着谁逞强骄矜？
Does the stray sparrow really lack a nest? And for whom, O wanderer, do you keep your pride?
反诘收束，由拒斥转入自省，是全诗最耐咀嚼的一联。「野雀安无巢」以反问写野雀自有其巢——野雀虽微，尚有巢可依，生活自有归宿；「游子为谁骄」反诘游子：你孤身飘零、无家可归，又在向谁逞强骄傲？「骄」字含义双关——既是守节之孤傲（不与俗同流，故骄傲），又是漂泊之自嘲（孤身无托，有何可骄），亦傲亦悲。前两句言「不为」，此句言「无所依」，由刚烈到苍凉，二十字写尽游子孤贞而凄凉的一生，言简意深，正是乐府「辞浅意深」的极致。
The self-questioning. Does the stray sparrow really lack a nest? Even the lowly sparrow has its roost; and you, homeless wanderer, for whom do you keep your pride? The word pride carries both defiance and self-pity. The poem ends on the loneliness behind the oath. To have asked what you are proud of would be a question; the sparrow-with-its-nest against the proud wanderer is the question.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both write the firm, chaste keeping of vow and not following the vulgar; one a yuefu short piece, one Jian'an display of talent - compare the techniques.
曹植《白马篇》「捐躯赴国难，视死忽如归」写游侠儿慷慨赴难的壮烈，《猛虎行》写游子不附权暴的孤贞，同写刚贞守节、不随流俗的情怀，而一为乐府短章的含蓄比兴、一为建安骋才的铺张扬厉。比较可见汉乐府与建安文人诗在题材承接上的关系——曹植拟乐府多托物言志，正承汉乐府比兴传统而更加文人化，一古质一华赡，恰可对照汉魏乐府演变的轨迹。
相逢行 Song of Meeting 汉乐府 · 同属汉乐府，一讽一乐，可见题材之广 Different (yuefu - one satire, one joy)Both Han yuefu - one the wanderer's lone chastity, one the joy of meeting - compare the breadth of yuefu themes.
《相逢行》「相逢狭路间，道隘不容车」写富贵之家的繁华享乐（黄金为门、白玉为堂），《猛虎行》写游子饥不从虎、孤贞自守，同属汉乐府而题材迥异：一写富贵之乐、一写贫士之贞，一铺陈华美、一质直简古。比较二诗可见汉乐府题材之广与风格之多样，也可见汉代社会富贵与贫寒的两极，是研究汉代社会生活的珍贵材料。
野田黄雀行 Yellow Sparrow in the Wild Fields 曹植 · 同以鸟雀起兴，可比较乐府承变 Same (yuefu - Cao family)Cao Zhi's yuefu imitations also lodge intent in things and anger; read with the Han old lyric to see its inheritance and change.
曹植《野田黄雀行》「不见篱间雀，见鹞自投罗」以黄雀投罗喻友朋遭难，与《猛虎行》同以鸟雀起兴写士人处境，而一写孤贞自守、一写救难无力，一简古一悲慨。曹植拟乐府多托物寄愤，正承汉乐府比兴传统而更见文人化的抒情深度，两诗并观，可见乐府「以物起兴」手法由汉到魏的承变，也可比较汉乐府与建安诗风的不同气质。