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先秦 Pre-Qin · 民歌 Folk song

硕鼠

The Big Rat

诗经

Shijing

民歌folk song 讽喻allegory 诗经·魏风Book of Songs · Weifeng

硕鼠硕鼠，无食我黍！
三岁贯女，莫我肯顾。
逝将去女，适彼乐土。
乐土乐土，爰得我所。
硕鼠硕鼠，无食我麦！
三岁贯女，莫我肯德。
逝将去女，适彼乐国。
乐国乐国，爰得我直。
硕鼠硕鼠，无食我苗！
三岁贯女，莫我肯劳。
逝将去女，适彼乐郊。
乐郊乐郊，谁之永号？

Big rat, big rat, do not eat my millet!
Three years I have fed you, yet you show no care for me.
I swear I will leave you and go to that happy land.
Happy land, happy land, there I will find my place.
Big rat, big rat, do not eat my wheat!
Three years I have fed you, yet you show no gratitude.
I swear I will leave you and go to that happy state.
Happy state, happy state, there I will get my due.
Big rat, big rat, do not eat my seedling!
Three years I have fed you, yet you give no comfort.
I swear I will leave you and go to that happy suburb.
Happy suburb, happy suburb, who will sigh forever there?

Listen

Meaning

This poem uses the image of a big rat as a metaphor for greedy exploiters. The speaker, a laborer, declares his resolve to leave the rat and seek a land of happiness without oppression.

大老鼠啊大老鼠，不要吃我种的黍子！多年辛苦养活你，你却不肯照顾我。我发誓要离开你，去往那安乐的乐土。乐土啊乐土，才是我安身的地方。大老鼠啊大老鼠，不要吃我种的麦子！多年养活你，你却不肯感念我的恩德。我发誓离开你，去往那安乐的乐国。乐国啊乐国，才能求得应有的报酬。大老鼠啊大老鼠，不要吃我种的禾苗！多年养活你，你却不肯慰劳我。我发誓离开你，去往那安乐的乐郊。乐郊啊乐郊，谁还会长声悲号？

Appreciation

Through three stanzas with repeated patterns, the poem intensifies resentment and hope. It is an early masterpiece of metaphorical poetry in Chinese literature, expressing the oppressed people's yearning for freedom.

【白话串讲】 “硕鼠硕鼠，无食我黍”——三千年前的农民，把剥削者比作大老鼠，喊出“逝将去女，适彼乐土”：我要离开你，去找一块乐土。这是中国最早的抗争诗。【意象与手法】全诗三章结构相同，仅易“黍/麦/苗”“顾/德/劳”“土/国/郊”“所/直/号”等字，是为重章叠句，于复沓中递进情感【情感与主旨】此诗为先秦诗经之作，精要赏析详见下方深度赏析。【名句点睛】常考“重章叠句”手法及其表达效果；“硕鼠”比喻义（贪婪的剥削者）；“乐土”的象征意义（理想中的自由乐地）

Background

The poem is from the 'Wei Airs' section of the Book of Songs. Wei was a small state in present-day Shanxi with poor land and heavy taxes. It reflects peasant suffering during the late Western Zhou and early Spring and Autumn periods.

《硕鼠》收在《诗经·魏风》。此处的魏，是周初分封的同姓诸侯国，地当今山西西南部，非战国时的魏国。魏地「地陿隘而民贫俗俭」，据《汉书·地理志》之说，其民勤苦节俭而赋役繁重。此诗以「硕鼠」喻贪婪的统治者，正是魏地百姓在重敛之下发出的控诉。《毛诗序》解此题旨曰「《硕鼠》，刺重敛也。国人刺其君重敛，蚕食于民，不修其政，贪而畏人，若大鼠也」，明确将此诗系于讽刺魏君横征暴敛。朱熹《诗集传》亦承此说，标曰「比也」，谓「民困于贪残之政，故托言大鼠害己而去之也」。后世学者于「刺君」与「刺重敛」之间偶有辨析，或以为诗中所刺不必专指国君，而是泛指一切不劳而获、蚕食百姓的剥削者，但于「重敛虐民」这一基本事实，历来无大分歧。诗的产生，当在魏国末季、政治腐败、赋敛无度之时，百姓不堪其苦，遂有「适彼乐土」的幻想。值得注意的是，诗中「乐土」「乐国」「乐郊」的理想，与《老子》「小国寡民」、《礼记·礼运》「大同」及后世陶渊明《桃花源记》的乌托邦想象一脉相通，是苦难现实中民众对美好生活最朴素也最顽强的向往。此诗没有明确的年代可考，但以魏国于春秋初年为晋所灭来推，其产生必在春秋之前，是《诗经》中年代较早的民歌声口，其声口之直、情感之烈，在《魏风》中尤为突出，可为魏地民瘼之实录。

Art

The poem uses a refrain structure (three stanzas with only a few words changed) to build emotion. The metaphor of the big rat is vivid and direct, making it a classic example of the 'bi' (comparison) technique.

此诗的艺术核心，在于一个精当的比喻与一套严密的重章叠句。全诗以「硕鼠」喻剥削者，这一比喻的精妙处有二：其一，鼠是窃食黍麦的害物，与「蚕食于民」的统治者形神酷肖，以鼠喻贪，贴切而辛辣；其二，诗中以「女」（汝）直呼其鼠，人鼠直接对话，斥责中带着哀求，哀求中又透出决绝，把被剥削者的愤怒与无奈写得声口毕肖。重章叠句是《诗经》民歌的基本手法，本篇运用得尤其严密：三章结构完全一致，仅在「黍／麦／苗」「顾／德／劳」「土／国／郊」「所／直／号」几处换字，逐章递进。「黍、麦、苗」由成粮到禾苗，写出鼠害之愈演愈烈；「顾、德、劳」由照顾到感德到慰劳，写出剥削者之恩义愈淡；「土、国、郊」由远及近，写理想之地渐次可即；「所、直、号」则由安身之所到应得之酬再到无人悲号，写理想境界的逐层升高。这种在复沓中求变化、在重复中见递进的手法，使三章读来回环往复、一唱三叹，情感层层加深，而主题不断强化，是《诗经》重章体最典型的范本之一。后世乐府民歌如汉《东门行》、北朝《敕勒歌》，其直白呼告与反复咏叹，皆可见此篇血脉；而「重章叠句」之法经此篇的成熟运用，遂成为中国民歌最顽强的形式基因，绵延至今。而「硕鼠」之喻、「乐土」之想，又使此篇兼得刺世之锐与理想之远，一诗而具两端，遂成讽喻诗的双重典范。

Allusions

The 'happy land' (letu) is the first utopian vision in Chinese literature, inspiring later works like Tao Qian's 'Peach Blossom Spring'. The rat metaphor became a symbol for corrupt officials.

此篇的意象源流，当从「鼠」与「乐土」两端来观。以鼠喻贪，古有其例。《诗》中另有《召南·行露》「谁谓鼠无牙」，以鼠之牙喻强暴之侵凌；《豳风·七月》「穹窒熏鼠」则直写驱鼠之实。可见鼠在先秦已是「害物」的通行象征，《硕鼠》则进一步将其拟人化、道徳化，使鼠成为「不劳而获的剥削者」的固定喻象，其影响及于后世「硕鼠」一词几乎成了贪官污吏的代称，如曹植《赠白马王彪》「鸱枭鸣衡扼」之叹、柳宗元《永某氏之鼠》的寓言，皆可溯至此处。「乐土」一词，则是汉语乌托邦想象的第一个专名。它出自本篇，本是受剥削者对「没有硕鼠之地」的幻想，此后演化为一个文化符号：《礼记·礼运》的「大同」之世、陶渊明《桃花源记》的世外桃源、乃至近代以来的种种理想社会构想，其情感原型皆可上溯至「适彼乐土」这四字所承载的向往。一鼠一土，一恶一善，共同构成了此诗二元对立的意义结构，也奠定了中国文学「讽刺现实、向往理想」这一基本母题。「鼠」的隐喻在后世的流变亦值得留意：《诗经》时代的鼠是害物，后世文学中鼠的形象愈趋复杂，或喻贪、或喻微末，如《庄子》「腐鼠」之喻，而其「贪而害民」的道德意味，实以《硕鼠》为最著。「乐土」一词更成为中国文学乌托邦想象的专名，凡写理想之地、桃花之源，其情感底色皆可溯至「适彼乐土」的这声呼唤。

Commentary

Zhu Xi commented that the people, suffering under oppressive rule, pretended to complain about rats to express their desire to leave. Fang Yurun called it a 'millennium masterpiece' that opened the tradition of utopian literature.

《硕鼠》的接受史，几乎与「诗教」传统相伴而行。《毛诗序》「刺重敛」之说，奠定了历代解诗的基本方向，郑玄《毛诗笺》、孔颖达《毛诗正义》皆循此疏解，把此诗纳入「刺时」的政治讽喻谱系。朱熹《诗集传》在确认「刺重敛」的同时，更着重其「比」的手法和「民困」的实情，使此诗从经学的讽谏之辞，逐渐回到文学的民歌本色。后世选本于此篇多所采录，明清以来，《诗经》读本、蒙学教材无不选此，其「重章叠句」的手法与「硕鼠」「乐土」的比喻象征，成为讲授《诗经》艺术与现实主义传统的常备范例。近人于此诗评价亦高，鲁迅在论及中国古代「反抗文学」时曾举《硕鼠》为民间怨刺之作的代表；闻一多、朱自清等现代学者在《诗经》研究中，也多以此篇为「国风乃民歌」的重要证据，用以说明《诗经》与下层民众生活的血肉联系。一首来自魏地的无名歌谣，经千载而成为「人民性」与「讽喻精神」的文学标杆，其接受史本身就是中国文学观念变迁的一个缩影。在近现代的社会史与文化史研究中，此诗又被引为考察周代阶级压迫与民变意识的材料，其「乐土」理想亦被置于早期乌托邦思想的脉络中加以审视。从经学的刺时之诗，到文学的民歌杰作，再到思想史的乌托邦源头，《硕鼠》的多重身份，正是其生命力历久弥新的明证。

Prosody

Form Book of Songs · Wei Airs (four-character folk song)四言诗（《诗经·魏风》）

Rhyme Primarily four-character lines with refrain; each stanza has its own rhyme scheme (e.g., first stanza: shu, gu, tu, suo), ancient rhymes flowing.三章分押不同的韵，首章「黍、顾、土、所」相叶，次章「麦、德、国、直」相叶，末章「苗、劳、郊、号」相叶，韵随章换，声情递变。

Tone pattern Four-character meter with two-beat rhythm; three stanzas with only a few words changed (rat/millet/wheat/seedling, care/gratitude/comfort, land/state/suburb), orderly yet progressive.四言二拍的基调平稳，赖「硕鼠硕鼠」「乐土乐土」的叠呼与「莫我肯顾」的倒装，生出顿挫，读来如农人的连声控诉，急促而悲切。

Reading note Refrain is a typical technique in the Book of Songs. Here, only a few nouns are replaced to advance the emotion and deepen the accusation, with the metaphor of the big rat running throughout.《硕鼠》在声韵上最显著的特点是重章叠句与换韵的结合。三章句式完全相同，仅更换个别字眼，这种「重章」本是《诗经》合乐歌唱的体制，一章为一叠，反复咏唱以尽其情。而每章所换之字又恰恰落在韵脚上，遂使三章换用三组不同的韵：首章「黍、顾、土、所」属上古音鱼部相叶，次章「麦、德、国、直」入声职部相叶，末章「苗、劳、郊、号」宵部相叶。韵部一换，声调的色彩也随之转移，三叠之间既有反复的绵长，又有递进的推进。更须留意的是「硕鼠硕鼠」「乐土乐土」这类叠呼，用叠词复呼以起句，声口急切，如当面指斥、如仰天呼喊，是民歌中呼告修辞最直白的形态，其声调的急促恰与农人心绪的愤懑相应。「莫我肯顾」的倒装，又把「我」字推至句首重读，加强了冤屈不平的力度。这种以换韵生递进、以叠呼传声情、以倒装见情感的声韵经营，使一首本极简朴的民歌，获得了强劲而持久的感染力，也为后世「重章叠句」的民歌创作立下了范本。

Line by line

硕鼠硕鼠，无食我黍

Great rat, great rat; eat not my millet!

大老鼠啊大老鼠，不要吃我种的黍子！

Great rat, oh great rat, do not eat the millet I have planted!

开篇呼告而起，「硕鼠硕鼠」叠呼，如当面斥骂，声口急切而愤懑。「硕」字点出鼠之大，暗喻剥削者势力之盛、贪欲之炽；「无食我黍」的「我」字尤见分量——黍是「我」所种，血汗所凝，却被不劳者窃食，劳动者的愤慨与不平尽在此一字。以鼠喻人，却不言明所刺者谁，正是《诗经》「主文而谲谏」的笔法，既辛辣又含蓄。这一声呼告，是全诗反抗的起点，也是千载之下被压迫者共同的呐喊，其力量正在于直白——不假辞藻，不绕弯子，一个农人最朴素的控诉，反而最具震撼力。

The opening rises in a cry, the repeated great rat, great rat like an upbraiding to one's face, urgent and resentful. The word great points to the size of the rat, secretly likening it to the powerful exploiter, greedy and swollen. The word my in eat not my millet carries special weight: the millet is my planting, the fruit of sweat, yet eaten by those who never labor; the laborer's indignation is concentrated in that one word. Using the rat to stand for the exploiter without naming him is the Shijing art of direct yet covert remonstrance: sharp, yet indirect. This cry is the starting point of the poem's revolt, and the age-old cry of the oppressed; its power lies in plainness: no ornament, no circumlocution, the simplest accusation of a farmer proves the most shattering.

三岁贯女，莫我肯顾

Three long years I have fed you, yet you will not look to my needs.

多年辛苦养活你，你却不肯照顾我。

For years on end I have slaved to feed you, yet you refuse to care for me.

「三岁」非实指三年，而是言其久，多年如一日地供养。「贯」字训「养」，即喂养、供养，一个「贯」字道尽了被剥削者长年累月的付出——他们辛辛苦苦养肥了硕鼠，换来的却是「莫我肯顾」。这是倒装句，「莫我肯顾」即「莫肯顾我」，倒装使「我」字提前，突出被弃者的冤屈。付出与回报的悬殊，供养与被弃的反差，在两句话的对照中形成巨大的情感落差，把剥削的实质——我养你而你弃我——揭露得入木三分。这已不止于对重敛的控诉，而是对整个不公正社会关系的沉痛指陈。

Three long years is not literally three, but a lifetime of long service, year after year. Fed means to nourish, to support; that one word exhausts the years of the exploited: they have fattened the great rat by their labor, only to receive you will not look to my needs. The line is inverted: you will not care for me in the normal order; the inversion pushes me forward, highlighting the wronged, abandoned one. The gap between giving and receiving, the contrast between nourishing and being discarded, forms a great emotional drop in two clauses, laying bare the essence of exploitation, I feed you and you cast me off, to the quick. It is no longer only an accusation of heavy exactions, but a sorrowful indictment of an entire unjust social relation.

逝将去女，适彼乐土

I swear I will leave you, and go to that land of happy ease.

我发誓要离开你，去往那安乐的乐土。

I vow I will leave you and depart for that fair, happy land.

「逝」与「誓」通，即发誓。「逝将去女」四字，语气决绝，是被压迫者终于忍无可忍的出走宣言。「适」为往、到，「乐土」则是对理想之地的命名——那里没有硕鼠，没有剥削，是劳动者可以安居的所在。由「去女」到「适彼乐土」，一弃一趋，方向分明，诗人把对现实的绝望与对理想的向往，凝练在这两个动作之中。这「乐土」虽只是一个虚幻的想象，却因其虚幻而愈发珍贵，它是黑暗现实之上的一线光亮，也是中国文学中「出走」与「寻找理想国」母题的最早书写。

Swear is interchangeable with the oath of vow. I swear I will leave you is spoken with finality: the oppressed have reached the end of endurance, and this is their declaration of departure. Go means to journey to; land of happy ease names the ideal place: no great rat, no exploitation, a place where the laborer may dwell in peace. From leave you to go to that land, one rejection and one pursuit, direction unmistakable; despair of the present and longing for the ideal are condensed into these two movements. The land of happy ease is only a fantasy, yet all the more precious for being so; it is a thread of light above the dark reality, and the earliest writing in Chinese literature of the themes of departure and seeking an ideal realm.

乐土乐土，爰得我所

Happy land, oh happy land; there at last I shall find my place.

乐土啊乐土，才是我安身的地方。

Happy land, oh happy land; only there shall I find a home to rest in.

「乐土乐土」叠呼，与开篇「硕鼠硕鼠」形成首尾呼应——一呼所憎，一呼所爱，一恶一美，情感的两极在呼告中完成对照。「爰」是乃、于是，「爰得我所」即「才是我安身立命之所」，语气笃定而向往。「所」字是落脚点，指安身之地，劳动者所求的不过是一方可以安放身心的所在，如此朴素，却如此难得。叠呼与开篇的呼告遥相呼应，使全诗在形式上也形成一个闭合的圆——从痛斥硕鼠到向往乐土，从「无食我黍」的悲愤到「爰得我所」的憧憬，劳动者的情感历程于此完满收束。

The repeated happy land, oh happy land echoes the opening great rat, great rat: one cry for what is hated, one for what is loved; the two poles of feeling are set against each other in the cries. There at last means then, thereby; find my place means the place where I may settle my life, spoken with certainty and longing. The word place is the landing point, a site to rest body and mind; all the laborer asks is a corner where body and heart may be set down, so plain, and yet so hard to come by. The echoing cry closes the poem into a formal circle: from denouncing the rat to longing for the happy land, from the grief of eat not my millet to the hope of find my place; the laborer's emotional journey is brought to perfect rest.

Study

Word focus

硕 The repetition 'shuo shuo' emphasizes the rat's size, symbolizing the greed of the exploiter. 「硕」字是全诗讽喻的支点。硕者，大也，诗人以「硕鼠」喻剥削者，一个「硕」字既写鼠之肥大，更暗写其肥硕乃何由而来——正是「三岁贯女」的百姓血汗将它喂肥。鼠愈硕，则民愈苦，鼠之肥大与民之贫瘠构成尖锐的反比。此字还暗藏一层嘲讽：贪者自以权势之「大」为傲，在诗人笔下却不过是只养肥了的老鼠，其可憎复可笑，尽在「硕」字的反讽之中。以一字而兼写实、兼讽刺、兼抒情，正是《诗经》炼字的功力所在，力透纸背。

贯 'Guan' means to serve or feed, revealing the laborer's long-term support of the exploiter. 「贯」训「养」，是「三岁贯女」的动词。它本义是贯穿，引申为以食物「喂养」而使之长养，此处用「贯」字，颇值得玩味——贯者，一以贯之也，既言喂养之长久（多年如一），又暗含「把血汗源源不断地贯注给硕鼠」的意象。养人之食而反成鼠之肥，一个「贯」字把剥削关系的单向性写得触目惊心：百姓的付出如水流般持续不断地「贯」入硕鼠之腹，却换不来一丝回报。此字较之寻常的「养」，多了一份绵延不绝的沉重感，是全诗情感蓄积的关键。

逝 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「逝」通「誓」，是「逝将去女」的领字，作「发誓」解，是全诗由控诉转向决裂的转折点。此字原义为往、去，与下文「适彼乐土」的「去女」「适彼」在动作方向上暗通——发誓本身即是「决意离去」的一种姿态。「逝将去女」连读，四字一气，斩钉截铁，把被压迫者终于觉醒、决意出走的决心写得凛然有声。以「逝」代「誓」，既保留了发誓的决绝语气，又暗合「离去」的行动意味，一字而双关，正是《诗经》中同音通假字妙用的范例，一字而双关，字简意深。

硕鼠