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先秦 Pre-Qin · 楚辞 Chu Ci

九歌·大司命

Nine Songs: The Great Lord of Fate

屈原

Qu Yuan

神话/祭祀Mythology/Sacrifice 隐逸/忧愤Reclusion/Indignation

广开兮天门，纷吾乘兮玄云。
令飘风兮先驱，使涷雨兮洒尘。
君回翔兮以下，逾空桑兮从女。
纷总总兮九州，何寿夭兮在予。
高飞兮安翔，乘清气兮御阴阳。
吾与君兮斋速，导帝之兮九坑。
灵衣兮被被，玉佩兮陆离。
一阴兮一阳，众莫知兮余所为。
折疏麻兮瑶华，将以遗兮离居。
老冉冉兮既极，不寖近兮愈疏。
乘龙兮辚辚，高驼兮冲天。
结桂枝兮延伫，羌愈思兮愁人。
愁人兮奈何，愿若今兮无亏。
固人命兮有当，孰离合兮可为？

Wide open, oh the Gate of Heaven,
In manifold clouds, oh I ride the dark cloud.
I command the whirlwind, oh as my herald,
I bid the rainstorm, oh to lay the dust.
You, the Lord, hover and descend, oh,
I cross the Kongsang Mountains to follow you.
Numerous and crowded, oh the Nine Lands,
Yet who lives long or dies young, oh rests with me.
Soaring high, oh flying at ease,
Riding the pure air, oh controlling Yin and Yang.
I with you, oh in fasting haste,
Lead the Lord on High, oh to the Nine Ridges.
My spirit robes, oh flutter and flow,
My jade pendants, oh sparkle and glow.
Now Yin, now Yang, oh alternating,
None knows, oh what I do.
I break off chickweed, oh with jasper flowers,
To give to the one, oh who lives apart.
Old age creeps in, oh and is upon me,
No more approaching, oh but farther apart.
Riding a dragon, oh with rumble and clang,
Soaring aloft, oh straight to the sky.
Weaving a garland of cassia, oh I stand and wait,
The more I long, oh the more I grieve.
What avails, oh this sorrow,
Wishing only now, oh to be without flaw.
Life's span is fixed, oh for every man,
Who can alter, oh the joy and the sorrow of parting?

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Meaning

This poem is a song of sacrifice to the Great Lord of Fate, the deity who controls human lifespan. It describes the deity's majestic descent from heaven, his absolute authority over life and death, and the eventual separation between the god and the worshipper. The poem ends with a philosophical reflection on the inevitability of fate and the helplessness of human emotions in the face of predetermined destiny.

广开啊那天门，我纷然乘着黑云。命旋风啊作前驱，教暴雨啊洒扫尘埃。神君回旋飞翔而下，我越过空桑来追随你。九州之人纷纷总总，谁寿谁夭都掌握在我手里。高高飞翔啊安然翱翔，乘着清气啊驾御阴阳。我与神君啊斋戒疾行，引导天帝到那九冈。灵衣啊飘动，玉佩啊闪烁。一阴一阳交替，众人哪知我所为。折下疏麻啊那瑶花，将用以赠给那离居的人。衰老渐渐啊已到极点，不渐渐亲近啊就更加疏远离去。乘着龙车啊辚辚作响，高高驰骋啊直冲云天。编结桂枝啊久久伫立，越思念啊越使人愁。愁人啊又能如何，只愿如现在啊无所亏缺。本来人的寿命啊自有定数，谁又能左右聚散离合啊可为？

Appreciation

This poem is part of Qu Yuan's 'Nine Songs,' adapted from folk sacrificial songs. The Great Lord of Fate, a god of lifespan, is portrayed by a male shaman while a female shaman welcomes him. Qu Yuan uses the god's unapproachability and the inscrutability of fate to allegorize his own exile and political isolation—the unattainable ruler and the loyal minister's unheard pleas. The first half depicts the god's awe-inspiring descent and power; the second half shifts to the god's departure and the act of gift-giving, expressing the poet's lament over aging and the impermanence of union and separation.

【白话串讲】屈原祭大司命（掌管寿命的神）：神驾着玄云而来，“何寿夭兮在予”——人的寿夭都由他主宰。面对掌管生死的神，屈原唱出了敬畏，也唱出了不甘。【意象与手法】本篇艺术尽显楚辞体之独擅：通篇以'兮'字斡旋节奏，舒缓而回荡【情感与主旨】《九歌·大司命》为屈原在楚国民间祭歌基础上改作的一组《九歌》之一【名句点睛】中高考考点：①体裁——楚辞（《九歌》）体特征与'兮'字作用；②主旨——表层娱神、深层身世忧愤（托神写己）

Background

The 'Nine Songs: The Great Lord of Fate' was revised by Qu Yuan from Chu folk sacrificial songs. The Great Lord of Fate was a star deity worshipped in Chu as the controller of human lifespan. In the ritual, a male shaman played the god and female shamans sang in response. During his exile in Jiangnan, Qu Yuan used the sacrifice to express his own feelings. This piece ostensibly describes the welcoming and seeing off of the Great Lord, but in reality uses the deity's authority over life and death to hint at the capriciousness of the king, and the image of 'living apart' and 'farther apart' to reflect his own estrangement from King Huai of Chu and his loyal but slandered life. According to Wang Yi, the poem carries a satirical intent, embodying Qu Yuan's habit of 'using the gods to write about himself.'

《大司命》是《九歌》十一篇之一。大司命为楚人崇奉的执掌人间寿夭之神，与少司命分掌生死与子嗣。《周礼·春官·大宗伯》有「以槱燎祀司中、司命」之文，司命之祀上古已然；《楚辞》之外，《史记·封禅书》记楚地「司命」之祭，可证大司命、少司命是战国楚巫风中最受崇敬的神祇之一。屈原放逐沅湘，亲见当地巫觋以歌舞娱神之俗，遂更定其辞，成《九歌》。本篇即写祭祀大司命的场面：由男巫或灵保扮大司命，自述其广开天门、乘云下降、执掌九州寿夭的威灵，其间又穿插迎神巫者与神周旋、欲赠离居而不得的怅惘。关于本篇的性质，王逸《楚辞章句》以为屈原借祭神以「讽己忠贞」而「托意于神」，朱熹《楚辞集注》承之，谓「因彼事神之心，以寄吾忠君爱国、眷恋不忘之意」；近人则多主此篇为纯粹的祭歌，是娱神乐舞的实录。两说虽有寄托与实录之别，但都承认本篇表层是迎送司命之神的祭辞。篇中「天门」「玄云」「飘风」「涷雨」「空桑」「九坑」等语，或出天象，或出古地名，皆楚地巫祭语境中习见的语汇，是理解此篇的文化背景。关于大司命的祭祀场景，《史记·封禅书》记楚地以司命为巫祠之神，正与此篇互证。屈原作《九歌》，或即在这种巫风炽盛的氛围中，据民间的祭神之曲而更定其辞，遂使粗朴的巫歌一变而为精美的抒情诗。

Art

This poem fully exhibits the unique style of Chu ci: the use of the exclamatory 'xi' to regulate rhythm, creating a soothing and echoing effect. The imagination is bizarre and magnificent, with images like 'the Gate of Heaven opened wide,' 'riding the dark cloud,' 'commanding the whirlwind,' and 'riding a dragon with rumble' constructing a grand celestial procession. Vivid imagery (spirit robes, jade pendants, chickweed flowers, cassia branches) and brilliant colors enhance the effect. The structure shifts from the god's majestic arrival to his departure and the tender act of gift-giving. The transition from the god to the human, with 'old age creeps in' and 'the more I long,' weaves romantic fantasy with deep personal sorrow, typical of Qu Yuan's 'strange and profound' style.

本篇艺术尽显楚辞体的独擅之处。全诗以「兮」字居中斡旋，句法多为「□□□兮□□□」，节奏舒缓而回荡，最宜巫觋歌舞时缓步徐吟。其章法以神之自述为主干：开篇「广开兮天门，纷吾乘兮玄云」，以大司命的口吻庄严宣告其从天而降，气势恢宏；「令飘风兮先驱，使涷雨兮洒尘」写其出行仪仗，飘风开路、暴雨净尘，天象皆供其驱使，一个「令」字、「使」字，把司命之神的威权写得凛然可畏。中段「纷总总兮九州，何寿夭兮在予」，一句点出其执掌，九州之众、寿夭之命，尽在一己掌握，是全篇神威的最高点。继而「高飞兮安翔，乘清气兮御阴阳」，写神之遨游，由威严转入清空之境。后段笔锋陡转，「折疏麻兮瑶华，将以遗兮离居」，由神之自述转入赠遗离人的幽情，「老冉冉兮既极，不寖近兮愈疏」更透出聚散无常的悲凉。末以「固人命兮有当，孰离合兮可为」作结，将神的无奈与人世的宿命并置，题旨由娱神而归于对生死的体认。全篇由威而清、由清而悲、由悲而悟，层次井然，而「阴阳」「离合」二词前后映照，更见构思之密。这种由「威」入「情」的转折，正是《九歌》超出一般祭歌之处——它不满足于铺陈神威，而要在神人之间写出一段离合之情，使天界的神也染上人间的怅惘，此种神人同悲的笔意，尤为难得，正是其高出常篇之处。

Allusions

The Great Lord of Fate was originally a star deity in the Chu region, a standard figure in myth and ritual. 'Kongsang' comes from the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' (eastern Kongsang as a divine mountain). 'Nine Ridges' (Jiugang) refers to the nine mountain ranges, a common directional term in Chu rituals. 'Chickweed' (shuma) and 'jasper flowers' (yaohua) are incense plants from Chu legend (similar to 'plucking jasper branches' in 'Li Sao'), used to symbolize the longing for one who lives apart. 'Cassia branches' are a typical high-purity image for Qu Yuan. The concepts of Yin-Yang and pure air align with Chu cosmology. The poem uses Chu mythology and the incense-plant system without referencing Central Plain history. The philosophical line 'who can alter the joy and sorrow of parting' echoes the fatalistic thought of Zhuangzi, adding depth.

此篇的意象多来自上古天象崇拜与司命神话。「天门」即天帝之宫门，古人以为天有九重，各有门阙，神灵出没必由天门，此词又见于《淮南子·原道训》「排阊阖，沦天门」；「玄云」即黑云，为神之坐骑，古以云为天神乘驾之物，《易·乾卦》「云行雨施」与《庄子·逍遥游》「乘云气」皆此观念之先声。「飘风」「涷雨」二语源出《诗经·邶风·终风》「终风且暴」及《豳风·东山》，本状风雨之骤，此处转作神灵前驱，使自然气象成为神权的仪仗。「空桑」是古地名，传说商汤贤臣伊尹生于空桑，又为司命降神所经之地，其地理歧说颇多，或谓在今河南，或谓泛指高山，学界迄无定论。「九坑」即九冈，或谓九州之山，代指九州，「导帝之兮九坑」是引导天帝巡行九州之意。「疏麻」是传说中的神麻，其花洁白如瑶玉，故曰「瑶华」，折以赠人，是巫祭中通神致诚之物。「阴阳」二字是全篇枢机，司命「御阴阳」即主宰生死之理，此与《易·系辞》「一阴一阳之谓道」的宇宙观相通。楚辞借神话言哲理、借祭神抒幽情的传统，即由这些意象交织而成。「乘龙兮辚辚，高驼兮冲天」的龙车意象，亦可溯至古神话中神人驾龙升天的观念，《山海经》「乘两龙」、《离骚》「驾八龙之婉婉」皆其先例，楚辞以龙为神之车驾，遂成其瑰丽风格的一大标志，影响及于后世辞赋。

Commentary

Wang Yi's 'Chuci Zhangju' says: 'The Great Lord of Fate is a star name governing lifespan. ... Qu Yuan, in exile,... worried that the god would leave, so he sighed.' Zhu Xi's 'Chuci Jizhu' notes: 'It speaks of the god's unapproachability and the fixity of human fate.' Modern scholar You Guoen comments: 'This poem contains depth within grandeur; the relationship between god and human is that between ruler and minister.' Lin Yunming's 'Chuci Deng' remarks: 'It ends with an acceptance of fate, expressing sorrow that cannot be helped,' encapsulating Qu Yuan's loyal but blocked, resigned yet sorrowful state of mind.

《大司命》在《九歌》中地位特殊，历来注家于其名物训诂用力甚勤。王逸《楚辞章句》首创注释，释「司命」为「主知生死」之神，并据「吾与君兮斋速」诸句，附会屈原「托以讽谏」之意，开寄托说之先。朱熹《楚辞集注》虽承王逸，却更重其「乐舞娱神」的本来面目，评「一阴一阳，众莫知兮余所为」数句「语意深长」。明人汪瑗《楚辞集解》、清人蒋骥《山带阁注楚辞》、王夫之《楚辞通释》各有发明，蒋骥考「空桑」「九坑」之地望尤详。近人闻一多在《楚辞校补》中对「灵衣兮被被」等句作了校订，马茂元《楚辞选》则从祭歌角度疏解，以为本篇「写神之自述，实是巫之所唱」。现代学者或将《大司命》与《少司命》并读，探讨楚人司命信仰与中原司中司命之祀的渊源，此一研究至今仍在推进。在文学影响上，「固人命兮有当」所流露的宿命之思，与《古诗十九首》的「人生忽如寄」遥相呼应，是楚辞由宗教抒情向人生感慨过渡的一个关节点。此外，就「司命」二字的神格来源，学者或据《周礼》「以槱燎祀司中、司命」及《史记·天官书》「文昌六星，四曰司命」，考其本为星官之神，后渐人格化而为楚巫所祠；亦有从出土楚简中的「司命」之名，证其于楚地祭祀之盛。这些考证，进一步坐实了此篇的巫祭背景，也为其「托神写己」的解读提供了依据。

Prosody

Form Chu ci · Jiu Ge (Sao style, six-character lines with 'xi' insertion)楚辞（九歌体）

Rhyme Chu ci does not adhere to Central Plain rhyme schemes; it roughly follows Chu phonetics, with end rhymes like 'men/yun', 'xia/nu', 'yu/yang', etc.以「兮」字居中，前后多为三字，韵脚随段转换，前段威灵、中段清空、后段悲凉，各押其韵，声情逐层递变。

Tone pattern The 'xi' character serves as rhythmic pivot; six-character lines; no strict tonal patterns.九歌体短句以「兮」为轴，如「广开兮天门」「乘龙兮辚辚」，三字一顿、上下呼应，宜于祭歌缓歌曼舞，节奏舒缓而回荡。

Reading note Adapted from Chu sacrificial songs; imagination is magnificent; uses gods to write about oneself.《大司命》的体式与《湘君》同属九歌体，而节奏的运用又有自身特点。全篇「兮」字几乎一律置于每句正中，前后各为三字，如「广开兮天门」「乘龙兮辚辚」，这种三三对举的句法，据闻一多等学者考证，最接近楚地巫歌合乐的原始节拍，前三个字扬起、后三个字落下，一唱三叹，与巫觋歌舞时的一进一退相配合。篇中偶有变体，如「高驼兮冲天」为二三句式，于整齐中见参差，正合写龙车冲天时的一跃之势。其用韵亦随情感转换：开篇写神之威严，「云」「尘」相叶，声调沉雄；中段「阳」「坑」相叶，转入清空；后段写离愁与宿命，「居」「疏」「亏」「为」相叶，收于幽咽。尤其「固人命兮有当，孰离合兮可为」二句，一平一仄、一问一叹，以声调的顿挫强化了「命有定数」的苍凉。这种以声传情、声情互生的特点，使本篇虽为祭神之作，读来却如一首命运的悲歌，这正是楚辞九歌体超越宗教仪式而进入文学殿堂的关键。

Line by line

广开兮天门，纷吾乘兮玄云

Wide open, oh the Gate of Heaven—in manifold clouds, oh I ride the dark cloud. (Bizarre imagination, setting the grand background of a celestial journey.)

广开啊那天门，我纷然乘着黑云。

Wide open, O the gates of heaven; in my train I ride the dark clouds.

开篇以「广开」二字劈空而来，天门豁然洞开，一个庄严的神之出场被写得极有画面感。「广」字写门之宏阔，暗含神威之盛大；「纷」字则写乘云之状，纷纷然、浩浩然，云气簇拥，神自天而降的气派呼之欲出。以「吾」为神之自称，是祭歌中巫扮神的口吻，读来如闻其声。两句一写天门、一写玄云，一上一下，把天地之间的浩渺空间压缩在十字之内，为下文「何寿夭兮在予」的威权宣言蓄足了气势，是全篇最见气象的开场。

The gates. Wide open, O the gates of heaven; in my train I ride the dark clouds. The wide-open-heaven-gates and the ride-dark-clouds are the descent. To have opened the gates would be an opening; the wide-open-o-the-gates-of-heaven-in-my-train-i-ride-the-dark-clouds is the opening.

纷总总兮九州，何寿夭兮在予

Numerous and crowded, oh the Nine Lands—yet who lives long or dies young, oh rests with me. (God's absolute authority over lifespan, implicitly criticizing the king's power.)

九州之人纷纷总总，谁寿谁夭都掌握在我手里。

Teeming, teeming the nine provinces—long life or early death, who holds it but me?

「纷总总」三字写九州生民之繁庶，茫茫人海，纷然杂沓，皆在司命俯视之下；「何寿夭兮在予」一句，以反问兼陈述的语气，宣告寿夭之权尽操于己。从繁庶之众到「在予」二字，一放一收，反差极大，司命之神居高临下、执掌生死的威权，于此毕现。此句也暗中透露楚人对命运的敬畏——生死既由神定，则人力之微、人生之无常，皆已寓于其中。这是全篇由写神转向写人的枢轴，为后段「老冉冉」「愈疏」的悲凉埋下了伏笔。

The nine provinces. Teeming, teeming the nine provinces—long life or early death, who holds it but me? The teeming-nine-provinces and the long-life-death-who-but-me are the power. To have teemed would be a teeming; the teeming-teeming-the-nine-provinces-long-life-or-early-death-who-holds-it-but-me is the teeming.

折疏麻兮瑶华，将以遗兮离居

I break off chickweed, oh with jasper flowers—to give to the one, oh who lives apart. (Act of sending gifts to the absent loved one, symbolizing longing.)

折下疏麻啊那瑶花，将用以赠给那离居的人。

I break the hemp, O the jade flower, to give to her who dwells apart.

「疏麻」「瑶华」是巫祭中通神的信物，折花相赠本是祭祀的仪轨，此处却染上了浓重的人情味——「离居」二字点明所赠者乃久别之人，赠花的动作遂由娱神转为怀人。神本高高在上，此刻却俯身折花、殷勤相遗，威严与柔情在两句之间悄然转换，神的形象由「执掌寿夭」的凛然一变而为「牵挂离人」的缠绵。这一转折极见匠心：它让本篇的主题由单纯的祭神，转向了人间聚散离合的普遍哀感，为末句「孰离合兮可为」的浩叹张本。

The flower. I break the hemp, O the jade flower, to give to her who dwells apart. The break-hemp-jade-flower and the give-her-dwells-apart are the longing. To have broken the hemp would be a breaking; the i-break-the-hemp-o-the-jade-flower-to-give-to-her-who-dwells-apart is the breaking.

固人命兮有当，孰离合兮可为

Life's span is fixed, oh for every man—who can alter, oh the joy and the sorrow of parting? (Philosophical resignation to fate, ending with deep melancholy.)

本来人的寿命啊自有定数，谁又能左右聚散离合啊可为？

Man's lot is fixed, O; who can do aught about parting and meeting?

末两句是全篇的结穴，也是屈原思想的凝练表达。「固」字作「本来」解，是看透之后的平静；「有当」即各有定分，人命寿夭皆有定数，非人力所能移。「孰离合兮可为」则以反问作结，聚散离合既是天数，则谁又能有所作为？这一问不是消极的认命，而是历尽悲欢之后的一种了悟与放下。以神之口吻说出人之宿命，娱神的祭辞遂升华为对生死的哲思，其境界之深远，正在于将「寿夭在予」的神话，最终归结为「命有定数」的人间真理。

The lot. Man's lot is fixed, O; who can do aught about parting and meeting? The man's-lot-fixed and the who-do-aught-parting-meeting are the close. To have been fixed would be a being; the man's-lot-is-fixed-o-who-can-do-aught-about-parting-and-meeting is the being.

Study

Word focus

玄云 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「玄云」即黑云，是大司命的坐骑与威仪。「玄」字在楚辞中往往与天、冥、幽等神秘境界相连，如《离骚》「玄云」之属，取其深远幽暗之色，以状神祇出入的幽冥气象。司命乘玄云而降，云之黑浓正衬托神之威严，与开篇「广开天门」的宏阔相接，营造出一种天宫浩渺、神驾庄严的氛围。一个「玄」字，既写实（云色之黑），又写意（神境之幽），色相与意境兼得，是楚辞以一字传神的典型。后世「黑云压城城欲摧」等句，虽用「黑」字，其气势之源实可溯至此处「玄云」的庄严笔意。

纷 Manifold, abundant—describes the profusion of clouds, emphasizing the god's majesty. 「纷」字在本篇两见：「纷吾乘兮玄云」「纷总总兮九州」，一状神之出行，一状生民之众。作「纷纷然」解时，它既描摹云气簇拥、神驾浩荡的动态，又渲染九州人海、纷然杂沓的声势，一词而兼动静两用。楚辞中「纷」字频出，如《离骚》「纷吾既有此内美兮」，多取「盛多」之义，以虚词化实景，在句首或句中起振起、铺排的作用。此处两「纷」前后呼应，前者见神之威，后者见人之众，一神一人，对比之下，「寿夭在予」的悬殊与无常之感自然流露，用字极见经营。

离居 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「离居」出「将以遗兮离居」句，指别居他处、久不相见之人。此词在《九歌》中并非孤例，《湘君》「隐思君兮陫侧」、《湘夫人》「蹇谁留兮中洲」皆写离别之思，「离居」则是其最凝练的表达。以「离居」代称所怀之人，不直言其名，而突出「离」与「居」的空间阻隔，离而居、居而离，正是聚散无定的写照。神折疏麻瑶华以遗离居之人，赠者的殷勤与受者的远隔形成张力，二字之中，人神之间那份「不寖近兮愈疏」的怅惘已尽在其中，余味无穷。