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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

江城子·密州出猎

Riverside Town · Hunting at Mizhou

苏轼

Su Shi

豪放Heroic and unrestrained 言志Expressing ambition 狩猎Hunting 爱国Patriotic

老夫聊发少年狂，左牵黄，右擎苍。
锦帽貂裘，千骑卷平冈。
为报倾城随太守，亲射虎，看孙郎。
酒酣胸胆尚开张，鬓微霜，又何妨。
持节云中，何日遣冯唐？
会挽雕弓如满月，西北望，射天狼。

Rejuvenated, I my youthful wildness flaunt,
Left hand leashed hound, on right hand falcon gaunt.
In brocade hat and sable gown,
A thousand horsemen sweep over the down.
To reward the whole town for coming out to see,
I must shoot a tiger myself, as once Sun did he.
Wine-drunk, my chest and gall still open wide,
Though hair has frost, what does it matter?
When will the imperial envoy be sent from Cloudside
With a tally to let me go?
I will bend my bow like a full moon,
And aiming northwest, shoot at the Wolf.

Listen

Meaning

The poet, though past forty, expresses youthful vigor while hunting with a huge retinue. He boasts of his own skill, hoping for a chance to serve on the frontier and defend the country against invaders.

老夫暂且抒发少年的狂放，左手牵着黄犬，右臂举着苍鹰。头戴锦帽身披貂裘，千骑奔腾卷过平冈。为酬答全城人随我出猎的盛情，且亲射猛虎，看我如同当年的孙郎。酒意正浓胸胆更见开张，鬓发虽已微霜又有什么妨碍。何时朝廷能持节遣冯唐来起用我？定要挽起雕弓如满月，朝西北望，射落那贪暴的天狼。

Appreciation

This poem opens with a startling declaration of youthful wildness, then paints a magnificent hunting scene. It uses three allusions—Sun Quan shooting a tiger, Feng Tang bearing the imperial tally, and the celestial Wolf star—to convey the poet's patriotic ambition and desire for recognition. The style is bold and vigorous, marking Su Shi's pioneering role in the heroic school of ci poetry.

【白话串讲】 40岁的苏轼在密州，带着全城人出去打猎，自称“老夫聊发少年狂”。左手牵黄狗，右手擎苍鹰，最后喊出“会挽雕弓如满月，西北望，射天狼”——这是他少有的一次豪放。【意象与手法】上片铺排围猎盛况，“左牵黄，右擎苍”“千骑卷平冈”场面壮阔，节奏铿锵；下片“酒酣胸胆尚开张”直抒豪情【情感与主旨】熙宁八年（1075）苏轼知密州，时年四十【名句点睛】重点掌握三个典故的所指与用意；赏析豪放风格特征；理解“老夫聊发少年狂”的“狂”字领起全篇

Background

In 1075, Su Shi was prefect of Mizhou (modern Zhucheng, Shandong). At age 40, he went on a winter hunt and wrote this poem, declaring it 'a style of my own,' distinct from the delicate style of Liu Yong. It is considered the herald of the heroic school in Song ci.

此词作于宋神宗熙宁八年（1075）冬，苏轼知密州（今山东诸城）任上，时年四十。熙宁四年，苏轼因与王安石新法不合，自请外任，先通判杭州，熙宁七年迁知密州。密州地近齐鲁，民风劲悍，冬日常有狩猎之俗。是年冬，苏轼率部属出猎于常山一带，兴会所至，遂作此词，并自题小序「密州出猎」。苏轼对此词颇为自负，其《与鲜于子骏书》自述：「近却颇作小词，虽无柳七郎风味，亦自是一家。呵呵。数日前猎于郊外，所获颇多，作得一阕，令东州壮士抵掌顿足而歌之，吹笛击鼓以为节，颇壮观也。」这段自白是词史上一份重要文献——它表明苏轼已自觉地在柳永一派的婉约词风之外另辟「自成一家」的豪放路子，且以「壮观」自许。此词作于《念奴娇·赤壁怀古》之前数年，是苏轼豪放词的先声，历来被视为「词史上第一首完整意义上的豪放词」。值得注意的是，苏轼此时年方四十，却自称「老夫」，实因外任流转、壮志未申而生的迟暮之感，与下文的「鬓微霜」「何日遣冯唐」相呼应，都指向一个核心：他渴望朝廷重新起用，一展安边报国之志。此词作于熙宁年间新法推行、边防紧张之时，西夏与辽在西北虎视眈眈，苏轼虽处地方，却始终心系边事，故出猎之际，遂由眼前之猎生出「射天狼」的宏愿，狩猎的兴会与报国的热肠就此打成一片。

Art

The first stanza describes the hunting procession with vivid imagery and dynamic rhythm. The second stanza shifts to direct expression of ambition. The three allusions are used to expand the theme from hunting to patriotic aspiration, creating a grand and powerful atmosphere.

此词上片写围猎之盛，下片抒报国之志，由实入虚，层层翻进。起句「老夫聊发少年狂」以「狂」字领起全篇，奠定昂扬基调，是全词的纲。「左牵黄，右擎苍」连用两个三字对，写猎装之具；「锦帽貂裘，千骑卷平冈」写阵容之盛，一个「卷」字写千骑奔驰如风卷残云，气势夺人。「为报倾城随太守」写百姓倾城观猎，「亲射虎，看孙郎」以孙权射虎自比，自许英武。下片笔锋一转，「酒酣胸胆尚开张」由猎场转入心境，「鬓微霜，又何妨」以退为进，愈见豪情。接着以冯唐持节赦魏尚的典故，暗喻自己怀才不遇、望朝廷起用；末三句「会挽雕弓如满月，西北望，射天狼」，弓如满月、箭指天狼，把出猎的实景升华成北伐御侮的宏愿，虚实相生，境界顿开。全词意象壮阔：黄犬、苍鹰、锦帽、貂裘、千骑、雕弓，层层铺排，构成一幅有声有色的围猎图。以「狂」为眼，以「射」为骨，写尽词人豪迈不羁、渴望报国的精神气度。全词章法亦可留意：上片以「狂」字领起，句句写实；下片以「望」字收束，句句写虚，由实入虚，由猎场而及疆场，由眼前而及西北，境界层层拓展。语言上，三字句与七字句交错，短句铿锵、长句奔放，与围猎的急促节奏、报国的激越情怀正相配合，读来如闻马蹄声碎、弓弦响处。这种「以壮士之歌写豪迈之志」的声情配合，正是苏轼「自是一家」主张在词体上的具体实现。

Allusions

'As once Sun did he' refers to Sun Quan of the Three Kingdoms period, who personally shot a tiger. 'Feng Tang' refers to a Han emperor who sent envoy Feng Tang to pardon the general Wei Shang, whom Su Shi compares himself to. 'Shoot at the Wolf' refers to the Wolf star (α Canis Majoris), which in Chinese astrology symbolizes invasion; here it represents the enemy (Western Xia or Liao).

此词用典三处，皆精当贴切。其一，「亲射虎，看孙郎」用孙权射虎事，见《三国志·吴书·吴主传》：「（权）亲乘马射虎于庱亭，马为虎所伤，权投以双戟，虎却废。」苏轼以孙权自比，既应合出猎射虎的实景，又暗以少年英主自许，为下片「持节云中」的报国之志张本。其二，「持节云中，何日遣冯唐」用《史记·张释之冯唐列传》故事：汉文帝时，云中太守魏尚御匈奴有功，因报功时多报六颗首级而被削职，冯唐面谏文帝，文帝遂遣冯唐持节赦魏尚、复其职。苏轼反用此典，自比魏尚，暗问朝廷何时遣使起用自己，既切合其遭外放的身世，又见其待时而起的用世之心。其三，「射天狼」出自《楚辞·九歌·东君》「举长矢兮射天狼」，天狼星主侵掠，古人以之喻入侵之敌，此处明指西北的西夏。三典一喻射虎之勇、一喻起用之望、一喻御敌之志，环环相扣，将狩猎的兴会逐步引向安边的宏愿。此外，「锦帽貂裘」暗用《诗经·秦风·无衣》「岂曰无衣，与子同袍」的尚武精神，「倾城随太守」则化用「倾城倾国」的成语写围观之众。三典之外，还有一层以孙郎、冯唐、天狼勾连而成的古今对照——孙权之英武、魏尚之被赦、天狼之可射，皆指向词人对「起用」与「北伐」的双重期许，用典而不隔，密处仍见疏朗。三典皆切「出猎」与「报国」两端，无一字虚设，正见苏轼「以典运情」的圆熟。

Commentary

In a letter, Su Shi said of this piece, 'Though it has no flavor of Liu Yong, it is a style of my own... It would be sung by stalwart warriors of the eastern prefecture, stamping their feet.' This shows his conscious creation of a new school of ci.

此词在词史上地位特殊，被视为苏轼豪放词风的奠基之作，也是「词」由应歌娱人走向言志抒怀的标志之一。苏轼《与鲜于子骏书》自许「亦自是一家」，并谓「令东州壮士抵掌顿足而歌之，吹笛击鼓以为节」，可见其已自觉以壮士之歌替代歌儿舞女的浅斟低唱。后世评点无不拈出此词的开创意义。胡寅《酒边集序》评苏轼词「一洗绮罗香泽之态，摆脱绸缪宛转之度」，虽非专评此词，却是对此词所代表的苏轼词风的精准概括。王灼《碧鸡漫志》谓苏轼「指出向上一路，新天下耳目」，亦含此义。词学史上，此词与《念奴娇·赤壁怀古》《水调歌头》并称苏轼豪放词三绝，而就开创性论，此词居先。纪昀评苏诗「无意不可入，无事不可言」的精神，此词正是「以诗为词」在题材上的第一次成功实践——把出猎这种诗才敢写的题材带进词中。今人论此词，多引夏承焘、唐圭璋诸家之说，肯定其在词体解放上的里程碑意义。今人龙榆生《东坡乐府笺》于此词下考订作年，并指出其「以壮士之歌，易歌儿之曲」的词史意义；夏承焘亦谓此词为豪放词之先声。要之，此词上承范仲淹《渔家傲》的边塞苍凉，下开辛弃疾、陈亮等人的壮怀激烈，在词风嬗变中居枢纽之位，凡论词史者，皆不能绕开这一首。此词之重，重在其「开创」——它以一首完整而成功的豪放词，证明了词可以走出花间尊前，直抒家国之志。

Prosody

Form Ci poem to the tune 'Riverside Town' (double-stanza, 70 characters, five level tones per stanza)江城子，双调七十字，上下片各五平韵，一韵到底

Rhyme Rhymes in the seventh rhyme group (level tone): kuáng, cāng, gāng, láng, zhāng, fáng, táng, láng全词押平水韵下平七阳，韵脚为狂、黄、苍、冈、郎、张、霜、妨、唐、狼十字，通押阳韵，首句入韵

Tone pattern Both stanzas interlace three-character lines (e.g., left hand leashed hound, on right hand falcon gaunt) with seven-character lines, creating a rapid, forceful rhythm suitable for heroic expression.此调上下片句式完全相同，各为七、三、三、四、五、七、三、三、五、七，平仄相间，节奏疏密有致。上片两个三字对「左牵黄，右擎苍」与下片「鬓微霜，又何妨」均为对起，句式整齐。全词十韵脚同押平声阳韵，音色洪亮开阔。

Reading note This is Su Shi's pioneering work in the heroic style: the first stanza describes the hunt, the second uses allusions to shift to patriotic ambition, from event to aspiration, with overwhelming momentum.《江城子》唐词为单调，至宋人始有双调，苏轼此词用双调体，上下片各五平韵，一韵到底。阳韵属开口呼，音色洪亮、声情昂扬，最宜抒发豪壮之情，故苏轼用之以写出猎的壮阔场面，字音与词情高度合一。此调句式以七言、三言为主，三字句短促有力，七字句悠扬舒展，长短相间，读来有「抵掌顿足而歌」的节奏感，正合苏轼自述「令东州壮士抵掌顿足而歌之」的声情设计。上片「左牵黄，右擎苍」为三字对仗，工整峭拔；下片「鬓微霜，又何妨」以「又何妨」三字一顿，先抑后扬，愈见豪迈。全词平韵到底，气脉贯注，自首至尾如骏马奔坡，无一处滞涩。较之苏轼另一首同调名作《江城子·乙卯正月二十日夜记梦》之哀婉低回，此词之慷慨雄放，正可见同一词牌在不同情感驱动下所呈现的截然声情，亦见苏轼驾驭声律、以声写情的深湛功力。

Line by line

老夫聊发少年狂

This old man will, for once, put forth the wildness of his youth.

老夫暂且抒发少年的狂放

This old man, for a moment, lets loose the wildness of his younger years.

起句七字，一个「狂」字是全篇之眼。苏轼时年四十，正当壮年，却自称「老夫」，不是真的老迈，而是历尽外任迁转、壮志难伸之后的自嘲；「聊发」二字，透出平时压抑、此刻迸发的意味。「少年狂」三字，既写出此番出猎的意气风发，也暗含对少年时代豪情的追忆。以「狂」领起，全词的昂扬基调由此确立——这个「狂」不是轻薄放荡，而是儒家进取精神与豪士本色交织的狂放。这「狂」字并非一味张扬，其中还有几分自嘲与解嘲——正因壮志难酬，才须借出猎之狂来一浇胸中块垒，狂的表象之下，是一颗不肯消沉的心。

The opening seven characters, the one word wild the eye of the whole poem. Su Shi at forty, in the prime of life, and yet calls himself old man — not truly aged, but the self-mockery after long external postings and the thwarted ambition; the words for a moment carry the sense of long repression and the present outbreak. The three words youth's wildness write both the spirit of this hunt and the memory of the young ardor. Rising on the wild, the poem's high tone is established — this wildness is not frivolity, but the fusion of the Confucian striving spirit and the hero's native temper. The wild is not mere display; within it lies a measure of self-mockery — precisely because the ambition is thwarted, the hunt's wildness must be let loose to pour out the heart's block, and beneath the wildness beats a heart that will not sink.

千骑卷平冈

A thousand horsemen sweep across the level ridge.

千骑奔腾卷过平冈

A thousand horsemen gallop, sweeping across the level ridge.

「卷」字是这句的着力处。千骑出猎，本已壮观，着一「卷」字，则人马如风、尘土蔽天的奔驰之势跃然纸上，既写出速度快，又写出阵势猛。平冈之上，千骑席卷，与前面的「锦帽貂裘」的华美、后面的「倾城随太守」的盛况连成一片，铺排出密州出猎的宏阔场面。这个「卷」字也为下片「会挽雕弓如满月」的凌厉蓄了势，是全篇由实景转入豪情的关键一笔。「卷」字兼写速度、力量与声势，千骑过处，尘土随之翻腾，平冈被这奔涌的阵势席卷一空，一个围猎的宏大场面就此铺开，也为下文「倾城随太守」的盛况蓄足了势。

The word sweep is the line's stroke. A thousand horsemen hunting is already grand, and with the sweep the riders and horses like wind, the dust covering the sky, galloping onto the paper, writing both speed and momentum. On the level ridge, the thousand riders sweeping, joins the brocade cap and sable coat above with the whole city following the prefect below, laying out the grand scene of the Mizhou hunt. The sweep also stores force for the second stanza's I shall draw the carved bow, the key stroke of the poem's turn from real scene to bold feeling. The sweep writes speed, power, and thunder together; where the thousand riders pass, the dust surges, the level ridge swept empty by the surging formation, the grand hunt laid out, and the force stored for the whole city's following below.

何日遣冯唐

When will the court send Feng Tang with the tally to me?

何时朝廷能持节遣冯唐来起用我？

When will the court send Feng Tang, with the tally, to call me back to service?

此句是全词的枢纽，情感由昂扬转入深沉的期盼。苏轼自比蒙冤待雪的魏尚，渴望有冯唐般的直臣向朝廷进言，重新起用自己。「何日」二字，写尽待时而起的焦灼与无奈——他外任密州已非本愿，报国无门才是真正的隐痛。狩猎的豪兴，到此显出其底色：那不是闲情逸致，而是「老夫」积郁已久的用世之志的宣泄。他以魏尚自比，又以冯唐相期，一贬一赦之间，藏着他对自己「无罪而外放」的委屈与「有望而再起」的期盼，这一问，问得既有怨意，又有盼头。

This line is the hinge of the ci, the feeling turning from high spirit to deep expectation. Su Shi figures himself Wei Shang, the wronged official awaiting vindication, longing for a remonstrant like Feng Tang to speak to the court and recall him to service. The two words when exhaust the anxiety and helplessness of waiting for the time — his external posting to Mizhou was never the wish, and the door shut to serve the country is the true wound. The hunt's high spirits here show their ground: it is not idle amusement, but the discharge of the old man's long-buried will to serve. He figures himself Wei Shang and hopes for Feng Tang, and between the demotion and the pardon lies the grievance of being sent out without guilt, and the expectation of being recalled — the question carrying both resentment and hope.

会挽雕弓如满月

I shall draw the carved bow to the full, like the round moon.

定要挽起雕弓如满月

I will draw the carved bow to its full extent, like a full moon.

「如满月」是极精妙的比喻。弓拉开至极限，其形恰似一轮满月，既写臂力之强，又见射者之神。更妙的是「满月」一词暗含圆满、饱满的意蕴，与「会」字的坚定语气相配，写出矢志不移、志在必得的决心。从「亲射虎」的实景，到此「挽雕弓」的想象，射猎的动作被升华了——他真正要射的不是林间猛虎，而是西北边境的来犯之敌，一个动作连起出猎与卫国两层境界。「会」字的笃定、「如满月」的饱满，共同构成一幅力与美的画面，把前文的狩猎之狂，最终收束为报国之志，境界由实返虚，由豪入壮。

The like-a-full-moon is the most exquisite metaphor. The bow drawn to its limit has the shape of the round moon, writing the arm's strength and the shooter's spirit. The deeper beauty: the full moon carries the sense of completeness and fullness, matching the determined tone of the word shall, writing the resolve unshaken, the will fixed. From the real scene of personally shooting the tiger to the imagined drawing of the carved bow, the hunt's action is elevated — what he truly means to shoot is not the tiger in the forest, but the invaders on the northwest border, one action joining the two realms of the hunt and the defense of the country. The shall's certainty and the full moon's fullness compose together a picture of strength and beauty, gathering the hunt's wildness into the will to serve, the realm returning from the real to the imagined, from the bold to the grand.

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Word focus

狂 Wildness (the key character of the poem, expressing youthful exuberance despite age) 「狂」字是此词的纲领，全篇皆由这一个字生发。「老夫」而「聊发少年狂」，狂的是不服老、不认命的倔强，是外任流转中不甘消沉的生命力。苏轼此处的「狂」，既有少年意气的张扬，又有儒家「狂者进取」的意味——孔子曰「狂者进取」，苏轼正是以进取之心行豪迈之事的「狂者」。后世论苏轼，常拈「狂」「豪」「旷」三字，此词之「狂」与《念奴娇》之「旷」、《定风波》之「达」各擅胜场，而「狂」字最见其盛年锐气。苏轼以「狂」自命，非轻薄之狂，而是「狂者进取」的进取之狂，是志士不得其位而不肯屈己的傲岸之狂，一字而见其全部的人格力量。

卷 Sweep (depicting the overwhelming momentum of the cavalry) 「卷」字写千骑奔驰之势，力透纸背。它不是静态的「行」或「过」，而是动态的、裹挟一切的「卷」——如风卷残云、如浪卷平沙，人马过处，尘土随之翻腾，地平线都被这奔涌的阵势搅动。一个「卷」字，兼写速度、力量与规模，使「千骑」从数字概念化为扑面而来的视觉冲击。此字与下片「挽雕弓如满月」的张力相呼应，全词的豪壮气魄，一半是这一个「卷」字带出来的。较之「千骑过平冈」「千骑驰平冈」等常语，「卷」字独能写出那种裹挟一切、势不可当的动态，正是所谓「着一字而境界全出」的炼字功夫。

天狼 The Wolf (astral name for a star that symbolizes invasion, here referring to the enemy) 「天狼」是星宿名，古人以为主侵掠，故以之喻入侵之敌。《楚辞·九歌·东君》「举长矢兮射天狼」以射天狼喻扫除强暴，苏轼移用，明指西北边境的西夏。「射天狼」三字，把上片的射猎实景点化为御敌卫国的宏愿，是全词境界的升华处。天狼星在西北，故前面特写「西北望」，方位与意象严丝合缝。一个「天狼」之喻，让整首词的「狂」落到了实处——那是安边报国、扫清边患的壮志，而非单纯的游猎之乐。天狼星在参宿东南，古人以为主侵掠，故「射天狼」实为「御外侮」的象征，全词的家国情怀，至此有了明确的靶心。