明 Ming · 诗 Poem
北风行
Song of the North Wind
城外萧萧北风起，城上健儿吹落耳。
将军玉帐貂鼠衣，手持酒杯看雪飞。
On the wall the soldiers' ears are nearly blown off by the cold;
The general in his jade tent wears sable fur;
Cup in hand, he watches the snow fly.
Meaning
A cold frontier scene where shivering soldiers contrast with a general sipping wine in sable, exposing injustice in the army and sympathy for the rank and file.
城外萧萧的北风刮起，城上的健儿被寒风吹得耳朵都要冻落。将军却在玉帐里穿着貂鼠皮衣，手端酒杯观赏着雪花飞舞。
Appreciation
The poem sets the bleak north wind and soldiers with all but frozen ears against the general in his jade tent, cup in hand, watching snow. The contrast is stark and cold, said in plain strokes. In idle lines it delivers a pointed reproach against military inequality. The closing image of the general's ease cuts like ice.
【白话串讲】 “城外萧萧北风起，城上健儿吹落耳”——刘基写北风行：北风把士兵的耳朵都吹掉了。“将军玉帐貂鼠衣，手持酒杯看雪飞”——将军穿着貂鼠皮衣，端着酒杯看雪。一句写士兵的苦，一句写将军的逸，对比惨烈。 【意象与手法】以“萧萧北风”与“吹落耳”写戍卒之苦寒，以“玉帐貂衣”“持杯看雪”写将军之逸乐，对比鲜明。 【情感与主旨】通过边地将士苦寒与将领宴乐的对照，揭示军中不公，寄寓对戍卒的同情。 【名句点睛】“将军玉帐貂鼠衣，手持酒杯看雪飞”——以将领逸乐反衬士卒苦寒，冷峻刺目。
Background
Liu Ji (Liu Bowen) was an early-Ming founding statesman and poet; this quatrain contrasts the bitter cold of the frontier town with the ease of its officers.
《北风行》为明代刘基所作，是写北风呼啸、将军看雪的边塞诗。刘基（1311—1375），字伯温，青田人，明代开国功臣、诗人。此诗：城外萧萧北风起，城上健儿吹落耳。将军玉帐貂鼠衣，手持酒杯看雪飞。全诗写北风呼啸、将军看雪，是刘基诗的名篇。
Art
Contrast (soldiers nearly losing ears vs. general holding a cup to the snow), with cold, plain description.
《北风行》艺术上以北风呼啸的描摹与将军看雪的冷峻见长。全诗四句：首写北风健儿——“城外萧萧北风起，城上健儿吹落耳”写城外萧萧北风起、城上健儿吹落耳；末写玉帐看雪——“将军玉帐貂鼠衣，手持酒杯看雪飞”写将军玉帐貂鼠衣、手持酒杯看雪飞。全诗以北风呼啸写将军看雪，正是刘基诗冷峻的笔法。
Allusions
Allusions in 'Song of the North Wind' run through 'the north wind,' 'the sighing air' (xiao xiao), 'the warrior's ears blown raw,' 'the jade tent' of the commander, 'the sable coat,' and 'watching the snow fly.' 'North wind' echoes the ancient theme of the North Wind; 'xiao xiao' recalls the desolate rustling of wind in old poetry; 'the jade tent' names the general's headquarters and 'the sable coat' the fur of a warrior. The poem lets these images paint the howling wind and the general watching snow, its allusions natural and its cold severity self-evident -- the manner of Liu Ji's verse.
《北风行》用典在“北风”“萧萧”“健儿吹落耳”“玉帐”“貂鼠衣”“看雪飞”。“北风”用北风之典（北风行）；“萧萧”用萧萧之典（风萧萧）；“健儿吹落耳”写健儿吹落耳；“玉帐”写玉帐（主帅营帐）；“貂鼠衣”写貂鼠衣（貂裘）；“看雪飞”写看雪飞。全诗以这些意象写北风呼啸、将军看雪，用典自然而冷峻自见，正是刘基诗的笔法。
Commentary
Critics say it 'hides a reproach within idle strokes.'
《北风行》是刘基诗的名篇，也是明诗中写边塞苦寒的代表作。此诗写北风呼啸、将军看雪，向为论者称道。论者多赏其北风呼啸的描摹与将军看雪的冷峻——“城外萧萧北风起，城上健儿吹落耳”用萧萧之典写城外萧萧北风起、城上健儿吹落耳，冷峻之极；“将军玉帐貂鼠衣，手持酒杯看雪飞”写将军玉帐貂鼠衣、手持酒杯看雪飞，更见其冷。刘基为明初文臣，诗亦刚健，此诗正是其代表——以北风呼啸写将军看雪，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
城外萧萧北风起，城上健儿吹落耳。
Outside the walls the north wind rises, shrill; on the walls the soldiers' ears are blown off.
城外萧萧北风起，城上健儿吹落耳。
Outside the walls the north wind rises shrill; on the walls the strong soldiers' ears are blown off.
首用萧萧之典写城外萧萧北风起、城上健儿吹落耳，是全诗写北风呼啸的起点。“城外萧萧北风起”用萧萧之典写城外萧萧北风起——“城外萧萧北风起”用风萧萧之典写城外萧萧、北风骤起——城外萧萧北风起；“城上健儿吹落耳”写城上健儿吹落耳——“城上健儿吹落耳”写城上健儿、耳被吹落——城上健儿吹落耳。二句写城外萧萧北风起、城上健儿吹落耳：城外萧萧北风起，城上健儿吹落耳。以“城外萧萧北风起”用萧萧之典写城外萧萧、北风骤起，以“城上健儿吹落耳”写城上健儿、耳被吹落，正是刘基诗写北风呼啸的起点——城外北风，健儿落耳。
The wind. Outside the walls the north wind rises, shrill; on the walls the soldiers' ears are blown off. The shrill north wind and the soldiers' blown-off ears are the extremity. To have blown ears off would be an extremity; the outside-the-walls-the-north-wind-rises-shrill-on-the-walls-the-soldiers'-ears-are-blown-off is the extremity.
将军玉帐貂鼠衣，手持酒杯看雪飞。
In his jade tent the general, in his sable coat, holds a wine cup and watches the snow fly.
将军玉帐貂鼠衣，手持酒杯看雪飞。
In the jade tent the general, wearing a sable coat, holds a wine cup and watches the snow fly.
末写将军玉帐貂鼠衣、手持酒杯看雪飞，是全诗写将军看雪的归结。“将军玉帐貂鼠衣”写将军玉帐貂鼠衣——“将军玉帐貂鼠衣”写将军在玉帐、身着貂鼠衣——将军玉帐貂鼠衣；“手持酒杯看雪飞”写手持酒杯看雪飞——“手持酒杯看雪飞”写手持酒杯、静看雪飞——手持酒杯看雪飞。二句写将军玉帐貂鼠衣、手持酒杯看雪飞：将军玉帐貂鼠衣，手持酒杯看雪飞。以“将军玉帐貂鼠衣”写将军玉帐、貂衣御寒，以“手持酒杯看雪飞”写手持酒杯、静看雪飞，正是刘基诗写将军看雪的归结——玉帐貂衣，把酒看雪。
The general. In his jade tent the general, in his sable coat, holds a wine cup and watches the snow fly. The sable-coated general with his wine cup watching the snow is the contrast. To have set the general's comfort against the soldiers' ears would be a contrast; the in-his-jade-tent-the-general-in-his-sable-coat-holds-a-wine-cup-and-watches-the-snow-fly is the contrast.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
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