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汉 Han · 古诗 Ancient poem

去者日以疏

Those Who Leave Grow Distant Day by Day

古诗十九首（无名氏）

Anonymous (Nineteen Old Poems)

思乡Homesickness 羁旅Theme 忧愤Theme

去者日以疏，来者日以亲。
出郭门直视，但见丘与坟。
古墓犁为田，松柏摧为薪。
白杨多悲风，萧萧愁杀人。
思还故里闾，欲归道无因。

Those who leave grow distant day by day,
Those who come grow close day by day.
Outside the city gate I look straight ahead,
Only hills and tombs I see.
Ancient graves are plowed into fields,
Pines and cypresses are cut for firewood.
White poplars often suffer sad winds,
Xiao xiao the sound, grief enough to kill.
I long to return to my old village,
I wish to go back but there is no road.

Listen

Meaning

A traveler reflects on the passage of time and the impermanence of life as he sees graves outside the city, and yearns to return home but finds no way back.

逝去的岁月一天天疏远，将来的日子一天天亲近。走出外城的城门纵目直视，只看见座座坟丘。古旧的墓园被犁成田地，坟地的松柏被砍作柴薪。白杨树间吹起悲凉的疾风，萧萧作响，真教人愁杀。想要回到故乡的里门，想要归去却找不到路径与缘由。

Appreciation

This poem from the Nineteen Old Poems opens with a contrast between those who depart and those who arrive, capturing the feeling of time slipping away. The traveler's view of tombs and plowed graves underscores the transience of life. The vivid image of white poplars in the wind conveys deep sorrow, ending with a poignant desire to return home.

【白话串讲】死去的人一天天变远，活着的人一天天变亲。诗人出城看见一片坟丘，“白杨多悲风，萧萧愁杀人”——他想回家，却找不到回去的路。【意象与手法】全诗以议论起、以写景承、以抒情结，章法自然。前四句时空对举，疏亲、丘坟形成强烈反差；古墓犁为田、松柏摧为薪以动写静，见沧桑之力；白杨多悲风以听觉渲染悲境，萧萧二字叠响凄厉。末句欲归道无因收束全篇，不著力而力透纸背，深得风人之致。【情感与主旨】此诗为《古诗十九首》之一，写游子行役在外、久不得归，出郭见坟，兴发忧生之嗟。古墓犁田、松柏为薪，写出世事沧桑、人生无常；思还故里而道无因，则将思乡之情与生命之悲融为一体，是汉末乱世士人生命悲慨的集中投射。【名句点睛】「白杨多悲风，萧萧愁杀人」以景结情，叠字萧萧状声亦状愁，情景交融，为千古传诵之句；「去者日以疏，来者日以亲」以议论开篇，凝练道出时光流逝中人与往昔的疏离感，是理解全诗哲理的关键。

Background

The Nineteen Old Poems were composed by various anonymous literati in the late Eastern Han dynasty. This poem depicts a traveler who, unable to return home, goes outside the city and sees graves, prompting reflections on mortality. The line 'Ancient graves are plowed into fields' reflects the social upheaval and devastation of the era.

《古诗十九首》非一人一时之作，多出于东汉末年中下层文士之手，南朝梁萧统编《文选》时辑为一组，冠以古诗之名，后世遂以十九首称之。东汉末年，政治黑暗，党锢之祸频仍，社会动荡，兵连祸结，游宦与行役之士漂泊四方，久不得归，遂多兴人生短促、忧生念归之叹。此诗即写游子出郭见坟、感怀身世之作。其古墓犁为田、松柏摧为薪之语，折射出战乱频仍、田畴荒废、冢墓湮没的时代景象：连死者的安息之地尚不能保全，生者的飘零无依更可想而知。诗人于客途之中眼见此景，遂将思乡之情与忧生之嗟打成一片，为乱世士人生命悲慨之集中投射，亦为汉末社会现实之忠实记录。朱自清《古诗十九首释》谓此诗与驱车上东门同写游子之悲，而此篇尤以思乡与忧生打成一片为特色：坟冢之景本是生死之思，诗人却于末二句收归故里之念，使乡愁与生命之感互为表里，遂比泛言人生无常更深一层。诗中游子或即汉末游学求仕之士，其欲归无因之叹，既有道路阻绝之实，亦有功名未就、无颜归乡之隐衷，读此诗须合当时士人出处进退之艰难，方得其中三昧。

Art

The poem begins with a philosophical statement, then moves to concrete scenes, and ends with emotion. The contrast between 'distant' and 'close' in the first couplet sets the tone. The images of graves turned to fields and trees cut for firewood show the ravages of time. The onomatopoeic 'xiao xiao' (whistling of wind) intensifies the mournful atmosphere.

全诗以议论起、以写景承、以抒情结，章法自然天成。首二句去者日以疏、来者日以亲以对偶发端，以去、来、疏、亲四字对举，将抽象的时光流逝化为可感的疏亲之变，理趣盎然。出郭门直视、但见丘与坟，一但字顿挫，由议论转入写景，满目丘坟扑面而来。古墓犁为田、松柏摧为薪，犁、摧二字以动态破坏写静态消亡，见岁月沧桑之力，触目惊心。白杨多悲风、萧萧愁杀人，转以听觉写悲，风过白杨、萧萧作响，愁绪随之弥漫，情景交融。末句思还故里闾、欲归道无因，以无因二字收束，不著力而力透纸背：不是不想归，而是归之无路，乡思与身世之悲至此合流。全诗由理入景、由景入情，层层逼进，深得汉诗浑朴自然之致。又首二句以议论入诗，本易流于枯涩，然疏亲二字饱含人情，理趣与情韵兼胜，故不觉其议。中段写景由远及近、由静而动、由视及听：丘坟为静观之景，犁田摧薪为变故之动，悲风萧萧为听觉之悲，层层收拢，终归于愁杀人三字，章法谨严而气脉一贯。末二句由景入情，以无因作结，不写绝望之状而绝望自见，正是汉诗浑朴含蓄之极致。

Allusions

Although no specific allusion is used, the image of white poplars carries cultural significance: in Han times, white poplars were commonly planted in cemeteries, and their rustling leaves were associated with grief. This natural symbol evokes shared emotions without explicit reference.

本诗无明显用典，纯以即目之景、直抒之情取胜，唯白杨意象隐含深厚的文化积淀。汉魏丧葬习俗，墓地多种白杨松柏，白杨叶大而柄长，遇风则簌簌作响，故古诗中白杨常与坟冢相连，成为悲凉之符号，如《古诗十九首》驱车上东门篇白杨何萧萧、松柏夹广路，与此诗同出一辙。古墓犁为田、松柏摧为薪，亦暗合《庄子》方生方死、万物皆化之思，及后世黍离之悲的沧桑感喟。欲归道无因之道，兼指道路与道理、途径，一语双关，极写归乡之无路可寻。全诗不征引故实，而借习见风物不动声色地唤起集体记忆，使个人之悲获得普遍共鸣，正是不用典而胜用典之范例，亦见十九首浑朴本色。又欲归道无因之道字，双关道路与道理、途径，言归乡既无路可通，亦无由可说，将无可奈何之感写得含蓄不尽。白杨悲风之句，后代诗人如杜甫《兵车行》新鬼烦冤旧鬼哭、天阴雨湿声啾啾，及李贺《苏小小墓》冷翠烛、劳光彩，皆承此以悲风写坟冢之传统，可见其影响之深远。全诗无一僻典而文化意蕴极厚，正是十九首融典故于无痕的浑成之境。

Commentary

Li Shan's commentary in the Wenxuan cites the Shizi to explain the meaning of 'departing and arriving'. Zhong Rong in the Shipin praised the Nineteen Old Poems as 'gentle and beautiful, with deep sorrow'. Later critics like Fang Tinggui noted the overwhelming bleakness of this piece.

《文选》李善注引《尸子》以释去来之义，谓日往月来、相推而生变化，可见其哲理源远流长。钟嵘《诗品》评古诗文温以丽、意悲而远，惊心动魄，可谓几乎一字千金，此诗正得悲远二字。明人陆时雍《古诗镜》谓此诗去者日以疏二句，语极平而理极深，道尽游子百年心事。清代方廷珪《文选集成》评其一片苍凉，喷薄而出。近人朱自清《古诗十九首释》特赏其以景写悲、不著一字而愁情自见。此诗与驱车上东门、生年不满百等同属忧生之作，而尤以思乡之情与生命之感融合无间见长，为汉末文士人生悲慨之代表作，其萧萧白杨之句，更开后世墓地悲风意象之先声，影响深远。又此诗之妙，尤在能以最平易之语写最深沉之思：去者来者、丘坟田薪，皆眼前习见之物，一经拈出，即成千古警句。后世论者多以此诗与生年不满百、驱车上东门并称十九首中忧生之三绝，而此篇于旷达与沉郁之间独取沉郁，正见汉末士人生命感受之沉痛。其艺术上以景结情、以问作结之法，更为后世怀乡诗、悼亡诗开启无数法门，是中国诗歌抒情传统的源头活水之一。

Prosody

Form Five-character old-style poem (from the Nineteen Old Poems)五言古诗（《古诗十九首》）

Rhyme Rimes on true/civil/steam/origin groups (ancient style, not strict)押亲、坟、薪、人、因，真文韵部，古体不拘严韵

Tone pattern Not applicable (old-style poems do not follow tone patterns)五言句节奏二二一或二一二，古体不讲平仄黏对，以气行文

Reading note A mature example of Eastern Han literati five-character poetry, natural in diction, not ornate.此诗为东汉文人五言诗成熟之作，全篇十句，句句五言，音节自然流畅。首二句以对偶议论开篇，疏亲对举，理趣盎然；中段四句两两对仗，丘坟、田薪、悲风、萧萧，层层写景，节奏由平缓而趋急促；末二句散句收束，舒缓作结，一张一弛，正合情感之起伏。押真文韵，韵脚疏朗，一韵到底，读来浑朴流转。其句式自然，不尚雕琢，无一丝斧凿痕迹，正是十九首浑然天成的艺术境界，亦为五言诗由民歌走向文人化的成熟标志，对后世五言古诗影响深远。此诗十句一气呵成，诵读之间如闻游子叹息，其声调之悲、气韵之沉，正与内容之苍凉相应，堪称声情并茂之作。古体诗虽不讲平仄，然此诗以对偶句开篇、以散句收束，天然具备抑扬开阖之势，可见十九首于不自觉中已暗合声律之美。

Line by line

去者日以疏，来者日以亲

Those who leave grow distant day by day — the past increasingly fades from memory.

逝去的岁月一天天疏远，将来的日子一天天亲近。

What is gone grows daily more distant; what is coming grows daily nearer.

开篇以议论起，对偶精工。去者指已逝之岁月、已别之亲友，来者指将来之日子、眼前之世事：过去的愈去愈远，渐至疏淡；未来的日日迫近，愈觉切近。疏亲二字对举，凝练道出时光推移中人与往昔的疏离感——人生在世，昨日之日不可留，故旧之情日渐淡薄，而前途茫茫、死生未卜，来日之迫近反成压迫。此二句不言悲而悲意已深，将抽象的时间之流化为可感的亲疏之变，是汉诗中以理入情的典范，亦为全篇怀旧忧生之思张本。

The opening reflection. What is gone grows daily more distant; what is coming grows daily nearer. The nearer future is the oppressive one: as the past recedes, the approaching future presses. To have said the past fades and the future comes closer would be a saying; the gone-growing-distant and the coming-growing-near are the saying.

出郭门直视，但见丘与坟

Those who come grow close day by day — the future becomes more intimate.

走出外城的城门纵目直视，只看见座座坟丘。

I go out the outer gate and look straight before me: nothing but mounds and graves.

由议论转入写景，郭门即外城之门，汉时城郭之外即郊野墓地所在。直视二字写游子茫然四顾、目光无所归属之态，一但字陡转，满目所见唯丘与坟，荒凉扑面而来。丘指高起的坟堆，坟指隆起的墓冢，丘与坟连言，极言坟冢之多之密，几乎无处不有。此句以白描写景，不着一个愁字，而游子惊心触目、四顾苍茫之状如见，为下文古墓犁田、松柏为薪的沧桑感慨作了最直接的视觉铺垫，荒芜之景与飘零之人相映，更显人生之无常。

The look. I go out the outer gate and look straight before me: nothing but mounds and graves. The straight look is the wanderer's empty gaze; the mounds and graves are all it finds. To have said I saw graves would be a sight; the straight gaze and the mounds and graves it meets are the sight.

古墓犁为田，松柏摧为薪

Outside the city gate I look straight ahead — stepping out of the town and gazing into the distance.

古旧的墓园被犁成田地，坟地的松柏被砍作柴薪。

The old tombs have been plowed into fields; the pines and cypresses are chopped for firewood.

两句以动态破坏写永恒消亡，是全诗最惊心动魄处。古墓本是死者安息之所，竟被犁为耕地；松柏本是陵墓标识、长存之木，竟被砍作柴薪。犁、摧二字力重千钧，写出人力与岁月对死者的双重摧毁：不仅生命终归黄土，连坟茔亦难长保。此中暗含深沉的忧生之嗟——生者尚且飘零无依，死者之墓犹不能免，则人生于世，何物可恃？此联上承丘坟之景，下启白杨悲风之叹，将眼前之景升华为对生死沧桑的哲思，语言平实而意味无穷，是汉末乱世创痕的直观写照。

The erasure. The old tombs have been plowed into fields; the pines and cypresses are chopped for firewood. The plow and the axe complete what death began: even the grave mounds do not last. To have said old tombs were plowed under would be a fact; the plowed tombs and the pines chopped for firewood are the fact.

白杨多悲风，萧萧愁杀人

Only hills and tombs I see — nothing but grave mounds and burial sites.

白杨树间吹起悲凉的疾风，萧萧作响，真教人愁杀。

The white aspens breed a sad wind; its sighing kills me with grief.

两句以景结情，是千古传诵之名句。白杨为墓地常见之树，风过叶响，簌簌有声，诗人以多悲风三字，将无情之风写得似有悲意，移情于景；萧萧叠字拟声，状风过白杨之声，亦状愁绪之纷沓，声情并茂。愁杀人三字直抒胸臆，将前文蓄积的沧桑之感、身世之悲一齐迸发，浓烈真挚。此联纯以听觉写悲：丘坟之景已足惊心，而风过白杨之悲声更令人肠断，听觉与视觉交织，情景交融，使读者如闻其声、如见其景，是汉诗中情景关系处理最成功的范例之一，开后世墓地悲风意象之先河。

The sound. The white aspens breed a sad wind; its sighing kills me with grief. The cemetery aspen wind is the sound of the poem; the kill-me-with-grief is the direct cry. To have said the wind in the aspens was sad would be a mood; the aspen-born sad wind and the sighing that kills with grief are the mood.

思还故里闾，欲归道无因

Ancient graves are plowed into fields — old burial grounds are turned into farmland.

想要回到故乡的里门，想要归去却找不到路径与缘由。

I long to return to my home village; I wish to go back, but there is no way.

结句直抒情志，收束全篇。故里闾即故乡里门，古制二十五家为里，里门曰闾，思还故里闾写游子思归之切，渴念之情溢于言表。然欲归道无因一笔宕开：道字双关，既指道路，又指道理、机缘，归乡既无路可通，亦无由可寻，不是不愿归，而是归之无门。无因二字不著力而力透纸背，将思乡之切与归乡之难形成的巨大落差推向极致，身世之悲、时世之艰尽在其中。此句以平淡语写绝望情，言尽而意不尽，千载之下，犹能令游子读之泫然，是十九首以浅语写深情的典范。

The longing. I long to return to my home village; I wish to go back, but there is no way. The no-way means both no road and no means: not unwilling, but unable. To have said I wanted to go home but could not would be a statement; the longing for the home lane and the wishing without means are the statement.

Study

Word focus

疏、亲 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 疏、亲二字反义对举，是全诗炼意之眼。去者日以疏，来者日以亲：以疏写往日之渐远渐淡，以亲写来日之迫近切至，二字将时光流逝中人情物理的变化凝练道出。疏本指距离之远、关系之淡，亲本指关系之近、情意之浓，二字对举，正见往者不可追、来者不可拒的无奈——逝去的亲友与岁月愈去愈远，而迫近的死亡与苍老却愈逼愈近，亲字反成压迫。以极简字词包孕时光与人事的双重疏离，炼意精警，为全篇定下忧生怀旧之基调，是汉诗以少总多、以理入情的典范。

但 only; merely 但字训只、仅，是出郭门直视、但见丘与坟一句的句眼。直视写出游子茫然直视、目光散漫之状，但见则陡然收束：极目四望，所见到处唯丘与坟，此外一无所有。一但字顿挫有力，将满目坟冢之荒凉一笔写尽，也写出游子期望有所见而终于一无所见、唯见死寂的失落与惊心。若去但字，则语势平缓，不见转折之妙；着一但字，则如目光所及忽然凝定于坟丘之上，荒芜与绝望之感油然而生。此字以虚字见功力，是炼字之精者，强化了所见唯坟丘的荒芜与绝望，为全诗悲慨蓄势。

萧萧 whistling sound (onomatopoeia) 萧萧为叠音拟声词，状风过白杨之声，亦状愁绪之纷至沓来，声情并茂。萧萧本形容风雨声、马鸣声，此处写白杨悲风，声音凄厉萧索，与愁杀人之情相应：风声愈紧，愁绪愈浓，听觉形象与心理感受浑然一体。叠字之用，使诗句音节回环，如闻其声，比单用风声二字更富感染力。此词自《诗经》风萧萧兮易水寒以来，即与悲壮萧索之情相联，诗人信手拈来，不动声色地唤起文化记忆，使个人之愁获得普遍之共鸣。萧萧二字，既写景之悲，又写情之悲，是情景交融的典范，亦是全诗悲调最集中的凝聚点。