All poems

先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗经 Classic of Poetry

式微

Decline

诗经

Book of Songs

民生People's life 讽喻Satire 战争War

式微式微，胡不归？
微君之故，胡为乎中露？
式微式微，胡不归？
微君之躬，胡为乎泥中？

Declining, declining—why not return?
But for your lord's sake, why should I be in the dew?
Declining, declining—why not return?
But for your lord's very person, why should I be in the mud?

Listen

Meaning

The day is fading, fading—why not return? Were it not for my lord's affairs, why would I toil in the cold dew? The day is fading, fading—why not return? Were it not for my lord's own person, why would I rush in the mire?

天色将暮啊天色将暮，为何还不回还？若不是为了君上的差遣，何故在寒露之中受苦劳作？天色将暮啊天色将暮，为何还不回还？若不是为了君上的身子，何故在泥泞里奔走劳碌？

Appreciation

The poem has only two stanzas of four lines, extremely simple in structure yet full of tension. It opens 'Declining, declining' rising from the failing light, doubled as a cry; 'why not return' asks, and the pressure of 'but for your lord's sake' and 'but for your lord's person' forces out 'in the dew' and 'in the mud', a sharp contrast. Repeated stanzas, one song three sighs; the tone moves from complaint to accusation, layer on layer, condensing in the short, broken lines a strong unequal status and the anger of toil—words end but meaning lingers.

【白话串讲】 “式微式微，胡不归”——天黑了，怎么还不回家？这首诗读起来像一句日常的呼唤，其实是写苦役的人：“微君之故，胡为乎中露”——要不是为了你，我怎么会半夜站在露水里。【意象与手法】诗仅两章，章四句，结构极简而张力十足。开篇「式微式微」以天色将晚起兴，叠用呼告；「胡不归」的诘问与被「微君之故」「微君之躬」逼出的「中露」「泥中」形成尖锐对照。重章叠句一唱三叹，语气从埋怨到控诉层层递进，于短促顿挫中凝聚强烈的身份不对等与劳苦之愤，言有尽而意无穷。【情感与主旨】《式微》出自《诗经·邶风》，为春秋时邶地民歌。旧说多以为是黎侯寓于卫、其臣劝以归之作，或言黎庄夫人失宠不见答之事；今人多视为服役者于暮色中劳作、对统治者发出的怨诉。诗以「式微式微，胡不归」反复设问，揭示劳动者为「君」之故而暴露于露水泥途的悲苦，是《国风》中反映徭役之苦与下层愤懑的代表短章。【名句点睛】中高考赏析常聚焦：一、重章叠句与反复设问的抒情效果；二、「微君之故/躬」揭示的役使关系与下层悲苦；三、「式微」一词双关（天色衰微与国势衰微）的深意。

Background

'Decline' comes from the 'Airs of Bei' in the 'Book of Songs', a folk song of Bei in the Spring and Autumn period. The old reading took it as the minister of Li urging his lord's return when Li was lodged in Wei, or the tale of Li Zhuang's wife fallen from favour; moderns see it as the cry of a labourer toiling at dusk against the ruler. The poem asks 'declining, declining, why not return' again and again, revealing the worker exposed to dew and mud for the 'lord's' sake—a representative short piece in the 'Airs' reflecting the pain of corvée and the anger of the lower folk.

《式微》出自《诗经·邶风》，是《诗经》中篇幅最短的篇章之一，两章八句，三十二字，为春秋时期邶地（今河南淇县一带，周武王封纣子武庚于此，后并入卫）的民歌。关于此诗的创作背景，历代说法不一：《毛诗序》谓「《式微》，黎侯寓于卫，其臣劝以归也」——相传黎侯（黎国在今山西长治一带，后为赤狄所灭）失国后寓居卫国，其臣子劝他归国复位，作此诗以讽；朱熹《诗集传》从毛说而略作发挥；又有说黎庄夫人（黎侯夫人，卫侯之女）失宠不见答于其夫，赋此以自伤。今人多不信这些旧说，以为此诗是服役者的悲歌：天色已晚，而服役者尚在露水泥泞中劳作，不能归家，遂发为「式微式微，胡不归」的呼号，是下层劳动者对统治者无度役使的怨诉。无论旧说新说，此诗反映的都是「劳役之苦」与「下层的怨愤」：在春秋的礼乐帷幕之后，是无数征夫役民在露水泥泞中的呻吟，此诗正是这呻吟的记录，也是《国风》「饥者歌其食，劳者歌其事」的现实主义精神的体现。

Art

The poem has only two stanzas of four lines, extremely simple yet full of tension. It opens 'Declining, declining' rising from the failing light, doubled as a cry; 'why not return' asks, and the pressure of 'but for your lord's sake' and 'but for your lord's person' forces out 'in the dew' and 'in the mud', a sharp contrast. Repeated stanzas, one song three sighs; the tone moves from complaint to accusation, layer on layer, condensing strong unequal status and the anger of toil in short broken lines—words end but meaning lingers.

此诗艺术之妙，在「以极简之章写极深之怨」的重章叠句与反复设问。全诗仅两章，章四句，而张力十足。首句「式微式微」以天色将晚起兴：暮色渐浓，日光衰微，叠用「式微」如呼告，如叹息，一个「式」（语助词）加一个「微」（衰微）的短语连呼两遍，把暮色中归家的渴望与焦灼写得如在眼前；「胡不归」紧随其后，以诘问自问：为何还不回家？这一问看似平淡，实则有千钧之重——不是不想归，而是不能归，下文便是答案。次句「微君之故，胡为乎中露」点明不能归的原因：若不是为了君上的缘故，何至于在寒露之中受苦？「微」作「非、若不是」解，以反诘语气写出役使关系的本质——为「君之故」而暴露于中露，劳动者以自己的苦役供君王驱遣，身份的不对等与劳苦的无奈，尽在反诘之中。第二章易「故」为「躬」（若不是为了君上的身子）、易「中露」为「泥中」（何至于在泥泞中奔波），重章叠句，只换数字而意转深：由「中露」到「泥中」，劳苦层层加重；由「故」（差遣）到「躬」（身子），役使的理由层层逼近——为了君王的差遣、为了君王的身体，一切劳苦都成了「应该」。重章叠句一唱三叹，语气从埋怨到控诉层层递进，于短促顿挫中凝聚强烈的愤懑，言有尽而意无穷。

Allusions

The poem uses no clear allusion, all plain colloquial questions and plain description. 'Decline' originally means the day's light failing, the dusk; later it became the allusion for 'decline, last age' (as 'decline' in later usage broadly means falling). 'In the dew' 'in the mud' are real writings of the toil's place, hinting 'exposed' 'sunk' metaphors. Since the poem cites no history or myth, appreciation should stress its rising and feeling, not textual allusion.

此诗为《诗经》民歌，本无典实可征，而其语言意象却成为中国文化的经典符号。「式微」一词，本指天色将暮、日光衰微（「式」为语助词，「微」为衰微），后世遂以「式微」泛指事物的衰落、国势的衰微（如「国势式微」「家道式微」），由具象的「天色将晚」化为抽象的「衰落」之典，是中国词汇史上「由实入虚」的典型；「胡不归」的诘问，更是中国文学中「归」母题的早期表达——陶渊明《归去来兮辞》「归去来兮，田园将芜胡不归」、王维「式微，式微，胡不归」的化用，皆承此诗「胡不归」的呼唤而来，后世「归欤」之叹，莫不源于此。「中露」「泥中」皆为实写劳役所处之境——「中露」即「露中」，暴露于寒露之下，「泥中」即陷于泥泞之中，二字既写劳作环境的恶劣，又暗含「暴露」「陷溺」的处境之喻：服役者如草芥，暴露于天、陷溺于地，无遮无蔽，正是「哀我征夫，独为匪民」的具象化。因诗无征引史事或神话，赏析当重其比兴与情感，而非考据故实，然「式微」「胡不归」二语本身，已是中国文学中最深远的典故之一。

Commentary

Zhu Xi's 'Commentary on the Book of Songs' says 'the old reading took it that Li Hou lost his state and lodged in Wei, his minister urging his return'; the modern Yu Guan-ying takes it as 'the voice of the toiling'. Fang Yurun's 'Book of Songs: Origins' calls it 'short words, long feeling'. Though critics dispute the story, all grant its depth of grief. Moderns mostly read it as a labourer's elegy, listed among the 'Airs' famous for exposing corvée's pain.

此诗历代评者虽于本事聚讼，而皆许其「语短情长」之妙。朱熹《诗集传》谓「旧说以为黎侯失国而寓于卫，其臣劝之归」，然又谓「此诗之作，未详何指」，可见朱子于旧说亦存疑；清人方玉润《诗经原始》称其「语短情长」，以为「寥寥数语，而臣子恋主之情，溢于言表」；今人余冠英《诗经选》则解之为「劳役者怨声」，谓「天晚了，为什么还不回家？若不是为了君主的缘故，怎么会在露水中受苦」，一锤定音，遂成现代通行之解。历代评者虽于「刺黎侯」与「役者怨」之间聚讼，然皆许其沉痛：无论是臣劝君归的忠悯，还是役者怨役的悲愤，此诗以三十二字写出「身不由己」的共同悲哀，正是其传诵千古的原因。此诗在文学史上的价值，在于它是《国风》中反映徭役之苦、下层悲苦的最精粹的短章之一——它上承《诗经·小雅·何草不黄》「哀我征夫」的征役悲歌传统，下启汉乐府《十五从军征》、唐诗《石壕吏》等写徭役民生的现实主义之作；其「重章叠句、反复设问」的形式，更是《诗经》民歌艺术的核心特征，对后世民歌与文人拟乐府影响深远。

Prosody

Form Book of Songs · Airs of Bei (four-character short stanzas)诗经·邶风（四言短章，重章叠句体）

Rhyme First stanza 'return' 'dew' rhyme; second stanza 'return' 'mud' changes rhyme; stanzas change rhyme首章「归、露」合韵（上古音微部与鱼部通押，一说「归」属微部、「露」属鱼部，为「转韵」），次章「归、中」合韵（微部与冬部通押），两章首句同韵（归）而次句转韵，重章转韵，声情随变。

Tone pattern Mostly four-character; level-oblique not traceable四言为主，句式「四、三／四、五」参差，节奏短促顿挫；「式微式微」四言叠用如呼告，「胡不归」三言急切，一长一短，声情起伏。

Reading note Repeated stanzas; the two stanzas change only 'sake / person' 'dew / mud', yet meaning deepens.此诗为《诗经·邶风》四言短章，属《诗经》典型的「重章叠句」体：两章句式完全相同，仅换「故/躬」「中露/泥中」数字，而意转深、情转烈，这是《诗经》民歌最核心的章法艺术——以最少的文字变化，完成情感的最大推进。全诗三十二字，两章八句，却完成了一个完整的抒情过程：由「式微」的天色起兴，到「胡不归」的呼问，到「微君之故」的揭示，再到「泥中」的控诉，层层递进，一气呵成。用韵上，两章皆以「归」起韵而次句转韵（首章归/露、次章归/中），重章转韵造成声情的微妙变化——同是问「胡不归」，而韵脚由「露」到「中」，音色由清越转浑厚，与「中露」到「泥中」的境遇恶化相表里。句式上，「式微式微，胡不归」的「四、三」句式，一长一短、一缓一急，如暮色中的一声长叹接一声急问，短促顿挫，直击人心。此诗是《诗经》「以少总多」的极致——三十二字写尽劳役之怨，重章叠句的章法、反复设问的语气、虚实相生的意象，皆为后世民歌（如汉乐府《江南》《上邪》）与文人拟乐府提供了范式，是中国诗歌「言短情长」传统的源头之一。

Line by line

式微式微，胡不归？

Declining, declining—why not return?

天色将暮啊天色将暮，为何还不回还？

The daylight wanes and wanes; why do we not return home?

首句是全诗的呼告，也是全诗的基调。「式微式微」写天色将暮——「式」是语助词，「微」是衰微，天色渐晚，日光渐暗，「式微」叠用，如连声呼告，如声声叹息：暮色越来越浓，归家的时刻到了，而我还在野外；「胡不归」是诘问——为何还不回家？这一问是全诗的灵魂：不是不想归，而是不能归，不敢归，归不得——问得越急切，越见其处境之无奈。此句的妙处在于「以问代答」：问「胡不归」而不答，答案在下文（为君之故）；而这一问本身，已经把服役者暮色中望家不得归的焦灼与悲苦写得如在眼前。叠用「式微」造成的音律回环，如暮色中一声声的呼唤，直击人心。后世「式微」「胡不归」成为归隐与思归的经典语汇（陶渊明「归去来兮」），正源于此句的千古回响。

The opening cry sets the tone of the whole poem. The light darkens and deepens, and the reduplicated cry falls like repeated sighs: dusk is gathering, the hour of return has come, yet the speaker remains out in the wild. 'Why do we not return home?' is a challenge: not that he will not, but that he cannot, dare not, is forbidden. The sharper the question, the deeper the helplessness. The beauty lies in asking without answering: the answer comes later, for our lord's sake; but the question itself already paints, before one's eyes, the conscript's dusk-hour longing for a home he cannot reach. The looped music of the repeated 'wanes' falls like calls through the twilight. In later ages 'wanes' and 'why not return' become the classic idiom of withdrawal and homesickness, as in Tao Yuanming's 'I must go home', all echoing from this line.

微君之故，胡为乎中露？

But for your lord's sake, why should I be in the dew?

若不是为了君上的差遣，何故在寒露之中受苦劳作？

Were it not for our lord's service, why should we be toiling amid the dew?

次句点明不能归的原因，是全诗「怨」的起点。「微君之故」——若不是为了君上的缘故：「微」作「非、若不是」解，以反诘语气假设——如果不是君王差遣，我何至于此？这假设的背后，正是「是君之故使我如此」的实情：君王的差遣，是劳役的根源；「胡为乎中露」——何故在寒露之中受苦：「中露」即「露中」，暴露于寒露之下，写劳作环境的恶劣——天色已晚，寒露已降，而役者尚在露中劳作，不能归家。此句的妙处在于「以反诘写怨愤」：两个反诘（微君之故、胡为乎中露）相叠，把「役使关系」的不对等写得一清二楚——君主安坐堂上，役者暴露于露，为君之故，役者之命，这是何等的不公。语气虽是设问，怨愤已在其中，而「怨而不怒」的节制，正是《诗经》「温柔敦厚」的体现。

The second line gives the reason return is impossible, the starting point of the poem's grievance. 'Were it not for our lord's service': the hypothetical challenge, if not for the ruler's commands, how would I have come to this? secretly states the truth: the ruler's service is the root of the toil. 'Why should we be toiling amid the dew?' zhonglu means in the dew, exposed to cold dew; dusk has fallen, dew is descending, and the conscript still labors in the open, unable to go home. The beauty lies in using questions to write resentment: the two challenges overlap, laying bare the inequality of the bond: the ruler sits at ease in his hall while the laborer lies exposed in the dew. Though framed as questions, the resentment is already there; yet the restraint of grieving without anger shows the Shijing virtue of gentle honesty.

微君之躬，胡为乎泥中？

But for your lord's very person, why should I be in the mud?

若不是为了君上的身子，何故在泥泞里奔走劳碌？

Were it not for our lord's own person, why should we be struggling in the mud?

末句是第二章的变奏，是全诗「怨」的深化。「微君之躬」——若不是为了君上的身子：第二章易「故」为「躬」（身体），役使的理由由「差遣」逼近到「身子」——连君王的身体安康，都要役者以泥泞中的劳苦来供养，役使的无所不至，层层逼进；「胡为乎泥中」——何故在泥泞中奔波：第二章易「中露」为「泥中」，劳苦的环境由「露中」恶化到「泥中」——寒露尚可忍受，泥泞更是陷溺之苦。此句的妙处在于「重章叠句中的递进」：两章只换「故/躬」「中露/泥中」四个字，而役使的理由越来越冠冕（为君之故→为君之躬），劳役的环境越来越恶劣（露中→泥中），怨愤随之层层加深——第一章的怨尚存疑问（胡为乎），第二章的怨已是控诉（为了君上的身子，就活该我们陷在泥里么）。两章对读，可见重章叠句「以少变写深化」的艺术，也可见役者由怨到愤的情感推进。

The last line is the variation of the second stanza and the deepening of the grievance. The second stanza changes 'service' to 'person': the reason for exploitation presses from commands to the ruler's very body; even the king's health must be sustained by the laborer's struggle in the mud, and the exploitation presses inward step by step. 'Why should we be struggling in the mud?' changes 'in the dew' to 'in the mud': cold dew is bearable, mud is a sinking engulfment. The beauty lies in the advance hidden in the repetition: the two stanzas change only four words, yet the justification grows more high-sounding and the conditions grow worse; the grievance deepens layer by layer, stanza one still questions, stanza two accuses. Read together, the pair shows how refrain can write deepening art with minimal change, and how the laborer's feeling moves from complaint to indignation.

Study

Word focus

微 'Decline's' wei means the daylight failing, the dusk; also holds a sense of decline—one phrase two meanings, later becoming the allusion for 'falling'. 「式微」之「微」，是全诗的关键字，一语双关。「微」本义为「隐微、衰微」，此处写「式微式微」——天色将暮、日光衰微，是具象的「微」（天黑了）；而这「微」字又暗含「衰微」的引申义——日之将暮，如国之将衰、事之将败，暮色中劳作的役者，正是衰世中的生灵，天色的衰微与命运的衰微在此叠合，一字而写尽「天将暮」与「世将衰」的双重苍凉。后世「式微」由「天色将晚」引申为「国势衰落」（如「国步式微」），正是由这双关义演化而来。「微」字在第二章还以「微君之故」的形式再次出现，作「非、若不是」解——同一个「微」字，一为「衰微」、一为「若非」，两种用法同见一篇，足见此诗语言之精炼与「微」字表意之丰富，是中国词汇史与诗学史的经典范例。

胡 The question word 'why'; runs through the queries, strengthening the unwillingness and the resentful tone. 「胡不归」「胡为乎」之「胡」，是疑问代词，意为「为何、为什么」，是全诗诘问语气的载体。「胡」字贯穿全诗：首章「胡不归」问的是「为何不归家」，次句「胡为乎中露」问的是「为何在露中」，第二章再以「胡为乎泥中」相问——一个「胡」字，四次出现（两章各两用），把全诗的三句诘问串成一体：胡不归（为何不归）——胡为乎中露（为何在露中）——胡为乎泥中（为何在泥中），由「归」之不得问到「露」之苦、再到「泥」之惨，一问紧似一问，怨愤层层加深。「胡」字还暗含「不应该」的责问意味：归是应该的（胡不归——本该归），在露中泥中是「胡为」的（胡为乎——何苦如此），是非对错，尽在问中。「胡」字的反复使用，造成音律的顿挫与语气的逼仄，正合役者积郁难平的心声，是《诗经》以虚词写情（「之乎者也」的虚字传神）的典范。

中露 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「胡为乎中露」之「中露」，即「露中」，指暴露于寒露之下，是全诗写劳役之苦的意象字。「中露」的妙处在于「以一字写处境」：露是夜间的寒露，天将暮而寒露降，役者尚在露中劳作——「中露」二字，写尽役者无遮无蔽、暴露于天寒地冻之间的处境，如草芥之承霜露，无助而凄凉。「中露」还与第二章的「泥中」相对：露中尚是站立之地，泥中已是陷溺之途，由「中露」到「泥中」，劳役环境的恶化层层递进，役者的苦楚层层加深。「中露」「泥中」皆为《诗经》「以实写虚」的意象——不写「苦」字，而露之寒、泥之深，苦已自见；不写「贱」字，而暴露于露、陷溺于泥的处境，贱已自明。二字合观，正是役者「上无遮天，下无立足」的悲惨处境的写照，也是《国风》写民生疾苦「以物象写情」的典范。

式微