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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

八阵图

The Eight Battle Formations

杜甫

Du Fu

怀古meditation on the past 咏史historical reflection

八阵图功盖三分国，名成八阵图。
江流石不转，遗恨失吞吴。

His merit overshadowed the Three Kingdoms,
His fame achieved through the Eight Formations.
The river flows on but the stones do not shift,
A lasting regret: the failure to conquer Wu.

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Meaning

This short poem praises Zhuge Liang's monumental achievements in the Three Kingdoms period and his creation of the Eight Battle Formations. It then laments the strategic mistake of Liu Bei's campaign against Wu, which led to enduring regret.

功绩盖过了三分天下，名声成就于八阵图。江流奔涌而阵石不迁徙，留下的遗憾是刘备失策伐吴。

Appreciation

Du Fu, a lifelong admirer of Zhuge Liang, wrote this poem upon visiting the ruins of the Eight Formations near Kuizhou in 766. With only twenty characters, it encapsulates both Zhuge's unparalleled merit and the tragic flaw of Liu Bei's decision to invade Wu, subtly reflecting Du Fu's own unfulfilled ambitions.

【白话串讲】 “功盖三分国，名成八阵图”——杜甫写诸葛亮：功劳盖过三国，名成于八阵图。“江流石不转，遗恨失吞吴”——江流冲不动那些石头，正如他遗恨，没能劝住刘备伐吴。二十个字，写尽一个英雄的遗憾。【意象与手法】全诗仅二十字而包举功过、熔铸古今【情感与主旨】此诗约作于大历元年（766）杜甫初到夔州时。夔州江边有诸葛亮所布八阵图遗迹（聚石为堆，现存奉节）【名句点睛】中高考多考“江流石不转”的象征义与“遗恨失吞吴”的深层情感。常问：末句“遗恨”是谁之恨、恨在何处？答

Background

Composed around 766 when Du Fu first arrived in Kuizhou, where the stone formation of Zhuge Liang's Eight Formations still existed. Du Fu, wandering in the southwest with unfulfilled aspirations, used this historical site to express his admiration for Zhuge and his own melancholy.

此诗约作于大历元年（766）杜甫初到夔州（今重庆奉节）时。夔州江边有诸葛亮所布八阵图的遗迹，杜甫居夔期间多次凭吊蜀汉古迹，此诗即咏其遗迹之作。八阵图是诸葛亮创制的一种军事阵法，据《三国志·蜀书·诸葛亮传》载，诸葛亮「推演兵法，作八阵图」，历代视为其军事智慧的象征。关于夔州八阵图遗迹，刘禹锡《嘉话录》、王应麟《困学纪闻》等皆有记载，谓其地在奉节西南江滩上，聚细石为堆，纵横各八行，凡六十四聚，江水涨时淹没，退则复现，且乱石虽经激流冲刷而位置不乱，故有「江流石不转」之说。杜甫此行正值安史之乱虽平而蜀中亦乱、吐蕃入侵之际，他避乱入蜀，流寓夔州，年已五十五岁，一生抱负未展，故对诸葛亮这位「鞠躬尽瘁」的贤相，既有高山仰止之思，又有同病相怜之叹。此诗以二十字包举诸葛亮一生的功业与遗恨，是杜甫咏诸葛组诗（与《蜀相》《武侯庙》《咏怀古迹·其五》诸作合观）中最精悍的一首。版本上，此诗见于《杜工部集》，文字稳定，无重要异文。还应指出，杜甫居夔期间，对诸葛亮遗迹的凭吊并非偶然，而是其晚年心境的必然投射：夔州既近白帝托孤之地，又有八阵图、武侯庙诸遗迹，触目皆是蜀汉旧事，极易唤起诗人对诸葛亮「鞠躬尽瘁」人格的追慕与对自身「漂泊西南」命运的感伤。故杜甫咏诸葛诸作，实为「借他人之酒杯，浇自己之块垒」的典范。此诗以二十字咏八阵图，既是对诸葛亮军事奇才的凭吊，也是杜甫对自己「致君尧舜」而终不可得的深沉自叹，其情感的重量，远非二十字所能尽。

Art

The poem is a masterpiece of conciseness, using contrast between the enduring stones and the flowing river to symbolize unyielding loyalty. The first two lines praise Zhuge's achievements, while the last two shift to regret, blending historical commentary with personal emotion in the typical 'deeply melancholy and forceful' style of Du Fu.

此诗的艺术特色，在于以极简的二十字，包举一段波澜壮阔的历史与一层深沉复杂的遗恨，所谓「以少总多，情貌无遗」。首句「功盖三分国」，一个「盖」字，写尽诸葛亮辅佐刘备、鼎足三分的盖世功业，五字便是一段三国史；次句「名成八阵图」，以「八阵图」这一具体物象，坐实其军事上的赫赫声名，由功业之宏落到遗迹之实，虚实相生。第三句「江流石不转」，笔锋一转，由咏史转到写景，写眼前江水奔涌而阵石岿然不动，既是实写八阵图遗迹的奇观，又是虚写诸葛亮忠贞不渝、矢志不移的品格，一语双关，情景交融。末句「遗恨失吞吴」，则以「遗恨」二字陡然收束，点出诸葛亮一生最大的遗憾——刘备失策伐吴、破坏联吴抗曹大计，致鼎足之势失衡、汉室复兴无望。全诗四句，两句写功业，两句写遗恨，先扬后抑，褒中寓惜；写景、咏史、议论、抒情熔于一炉，而皆以最凝练的语言出之，正是杜甫五绝「沉郁顿挫」的极致。此外，此诗的结构尤见匠心：前两句写「功」与「名」，是扬；后两句写「恨」，是抑，先扬后抑、抑扬顿挫，二十字内完成了一次情感的跌宕。而「江流石不转」一句，既是写眼前之景，又是承上启下的枢纽——它上承「八阵图」的遗迹，下启「遗恨」的叹惋，以景为桥，贯通咏史与抒情，使全诗四句环环相扣、一气呵成。这种「以景转情、以物寓史」的结构艺术，正是杜甫五绝以少总多、以简驭繁的最高体现。

Allusions

The Eight Formations (八阵图) were a legendary battle array designed by Zhuge Liang, and the 'Three Kingdoms' refers to the tripartite division of China. 'Conquer Wu' alludes to Liu Bei's ill-fated expedition against Eastern Wu in 222, which fatally weakened Shu-Han. Du Fu uses this to critique a strategic error and to mirror his own frustrated loyalty.

此诗用典精切而含意深曲。「三分国」用诸葛亮《隆中对》定三分之策的史实，陈寿《三国志》载诸葛亮未出茅庐即向刘备陈「三分天下」之计，此「功盖三分国」所本。「八阵图」用《三国志·诸葛亮传》「推演兵法，作八阵图」之文，为诸葛亮军事造诣的实录。「江流石不转」化用《诗经·邶风·柏舟》「我心匪石，不可转也」之语：原诗以石之可转反衬己心之不可转，杜甫翻用其意，写阵石虽经江流而不转，暗喻诸葛亮忠于汉室、矢志不渝的品格如石之不可转，化用无痕而意蕴翻新。「遗恨失吞吴」一句，是千古聚讼之处：「失吞吴」之「失」，历来有数解——一说指刘备不听诸葛亮之谏，为报关羽之仇而兴兵伐吴，致彝陵之战大败，此「失」在刘备；一说指诸葛亮未能及时阻止刘备伐吴，此「失」在诸葛；一说「失吞吴」谓失去了吞并东吴、统一天下的时机。仇兆鳌《杜诗详注》主「以不吞吴为恨」之说，谓「吞吴」指统一之业，遗恨在于蜀汉终未能吞并吴国、复兴汉室。诸说并存，皆可通解，而以「刘备伐吴失策」之说流传最广。还应指出，「江流石不转」虽化用《诗经》旧语，却翻出了全新的意境：原诗以「石可转」反衬「心不可转」，杜甫以「石不转」直写忠贞的岿然，正反之间，既承古意，又见新思。至于「八阵图」之名，历来注家或释为「天、地、风、云、龙、虎、鸟、蛇」八阵，或释为「八八六十四聚」的阵形，说法不一，然皆不出诸葛亮「推演兵法」的本事。凡此歧说，皆为此诗平添了探赜索隐的趣味，也见出杜甫咏史之精审。

Commentary

Su Shi praised the line 'The river flows on but the stones do not shift' as expressing Zhuge's immutable resolve. The 'lasting regret' is considered the key phrase by many critics, though some interpret it as a regret that Wu was not destroyed. The poem has been widely regarded as the finest short meditation on history.

此诗虽仅二十字，却在杜甫五绝中地位极高，是咏诸葛诗的千古绝唱。宋代刘克庄《后村诗话》评此诗「二十字如泰山压卵，不可动摇」，极言其凝练沉雄。朱熹论杜诗，尝举「江流石不转」为「善用经语」之例，指出其化用《诗经》而不露痕迹的高妙。明代杨慎《升庵诗话》亦赞此诗「简而赅，隽而永」。清代仇兆鳌《杜诗详注》于此诗注引甚详，广采诸家对「遗恨失吞吴」的歧解，足见其意蕴之丰。浦起龙《读杜心解》谓此诗「止二十字，而功、名、恨三字到底」，点出其以「功」「名」「恨」三字贯穿的结构之妙。沈德潜《唐诗别裁》选此诗，评以「江流石不转，此语本《柏舟》，翻得尤深」。近人论杜甫咏史诗，多以此诗为「以小见大、以象寓史」的典范，其「江流石不转」一句，更成为汉语中「忠贞不渝、岿然不动」的经典意象。此诗在当代亦长期入选中小学教材，其末句「遗恨失吞吴」的多解性，成为古典诗歌「诗无达诂」教学的经典案例。此诗对后世的影响亦深：其以二十字咏尽诸葛亮功业与遗恨的笔法，成为咏史诗「以简驭繁」的典范；「江流石不转」一句，更以其「忠贞不渝、岿然不动」的象征义，成为汉语中歌颂坚贞品格的经典语汇，为后人所反复引用。而「遗恨失吞吴」的多解性，也使它成为历代诗话聚讼的焦点，从仇兆鳌到今人，注解不绝。可以说，此诗与《蜀相》《咏怀古迹·其五》诸作，共同将诸葛亮的形象推向了诗歌史的最高峰，其影响深远而持久。

Prosody

Form 五言绝句五言绝句

Rhyme 平水韵·上平七虞（图、吴）平水韵上平七虞韵，押「图」「吴」二韵，首句不入韵

Tone pattern 首句不入韵，平起仄收仄起首句不入韵式。首句「功盖三分国」平仄平平仄，次句「名成八阵图」平平仄仄平，三句「江流石不转」平平仄仄仄（三仄尾，有意为之），末句「遗恨失吞吴」平仄仄平平。除第三句三仄尾外，大体合律，近于古绝的凝炼。

Reading note 20-character quatrain with opening couplet parallel and closing couplet unparallel. Intense historical emotion compressed into minimal words.此诗为五言绝句仄起首句不入韵正格，押上平七虞韵，「图」「吴」二韵皆属虞韵，一韵到底。虞韵为阳声韵，合口呼，音色浑厚而悠远，与诗中「功盖」「遗恨」的沉雄情调声情相合；「图」「吴」二韵，一写其功业之宏，一写其遗恨之深，声义的转换恰与诗意由扬而抑的推进同步。平仄上，全诗大体合律，唯第三句「江流石不转」连用三仄声收尾（平平仄仄仄），构成「三仄尾」，这在近体五绝中本属避忌，然杜甫于此有意为之——「石」「不」「转」三字皆入声或上声，短促而激切，正是要以这「三仄」的顿挫，摹写江流冲击、阵石坚挺的力度与态势，与下句「遗恨失吞吴」的平仄开阔形成强烈对照。这种「以拗济正」的手法，使全诗在凝炼的二十字中见出沉郁顿挫的力度，也透出此诗近于古绝的苍劲品格。清人黄生《杜诗说》尝谓此诗「声情俱到，五绝中不多见」，正指出其声律与情感的高度统一。

Line by line

功盖三分国

His merit overshadowed the Three Kingdoms;

功绩盖过了三分天下。

His merit overshadowed the Three Kingdoms;

首句五字，写尽诸葛亮一生的盖世功业。「三分国」指魏蜀吴鼎立的三国格局，而这一格局的奠定，正出自诸葛亮《隆中对》的筹划，故云「功盖三分国」——他的功劳，足以盖过整个三国时代的一切英雄。「盖」字是全句诗眼，一个「盖」字，把诸葛亮置于凌驾群雄的至高地位，其功业之伟，不言自明。此句以极简的笔墨，包举一段波澜壮阔的历史，从「三分国」的宏阔背景中，凸显诸葛亮的卓绝功勋，为全诗定下了崇高的基调。五字之内，史实、评价、气象兼而有之，正是杜甫「诗史」笔力的体现。

The opening five characters write to the full Zhuge Liang's age-overtopping achievement. The Three Kingdoms means the tripartite standoff of Wei, Shu, and Wu, whose settlement came precisely from Zhuge's Longzhong Plan, hence merit overshadowed the Three Kingdoms - his merit enough to overshadow all the heroes of the age. The word overshadow is the line's eye, placing Zhuge in the supreme position above the host of heroes, his achievement's greatness self-evident. This line, in the simplest brush, contains a whole billowing history, bringing out Zhuge's peerless merit from the vast background of the Three Kingdoms, fixing the lofty key of the whole. Within five characters, history, judgment, and atmosphere all together, exactly the showing of Du Fu's poetry-as-history brush.

名成八阵图

his fame was made by the Eight-Formation Plan.

名声成就于八阵图。

his fame was made by the Eight-Formation Plan.

次句紧承首句，由「功」及「名」，由抽象的历史功业落到具体的物象——八阵图。「八阵图」是诸葛亮军事智慧的结晶，也是其声名的一个具体注脚；「名成」二字，写其声名正因八阵图这样的奇才杰作而成就。「成」字与上句「盖」字呼应，一写功之高，一写名之显。此句之妙，在于以「八阵图」这一实有的遗迹，将诸葛亮的抽象声名具象化，使全诗从遥想历史转到凭吊眼前，也为下句「江流石不转」的实景描写张本。从「三分国」的宏大到「八阵图」的具体，诗人的笔触由虚入实，层层收束。

The second line follows close on the first, from merit to fame, from abstract historical achievement to the concrete object - the Eight-Formation Plan. The Eight-Formation Plan is the crystallizing of Zhuge's military wisdom, and a concrete footnote to his renown; the words fame was made write that his renown was made by such a marvel of genius. The word made echoes the upper overshadow, one writing the height of merit, one writing the brightness of fame. The beauty of this line lies in using the real relic of the Eight-Formation Plan to embody Zhuge's abstract renown, turning the whole from the distant imagining of history to the present mourning, and laying a ground for the lower line's the river flows on, yet the stones do not stir. From the grand Three Kingdoms to the concrete Eight-Formation Plan, the poet's brush moves from void to solid, gathering layer by layer.

江流石不转

The river flows on but the stones do not shift.

江流奔涌而阵石不迁徙。

The river flows on, yet the stones do not stir.

此句是全诗情景交融的高峰，也是咏物与咏人的完美合一。字面上，它写八阵图遗迹的奇观：江水奔涌、激流冲刷，而江滩上的阵石却岿然不动、位置不乱，这是实景。深层上，它化用《诗经·邶风·柏舟》「我心匪石，不可转也」之语，以「石不转」暗喻诸葛亮忠于汉室、矢志不渝的坚贞品格，这是虚写。「江流」象征岁月与时代的无情冲刷，「石不转」象征忠贞之心的岿然不动，一动一静的对举中，诸葛亮的形象巍然屹立。以景写人、以物寓情，一语双关而不露痕迹，正是杜甫「化用无痕」的绝诣。

This line is the peak of the whole's fusion of scenery and feeling, and the perfect union of singing the object and singing the man. On the surface, it writes the marvel of the relic: the river surging, the torrent scouring, yet the formation stones on the shallows standing unmoved, their order unbroken, the real scene. In depth, it adapts the Book of Songs' my heart is not a stone, that cannot be rolled, using the stones do not stir to meta-phor Zhuge's loyal heart to the House of Han, unswerving, the void writing. The river flows symbolizes the ruthless scouring of the years and ages, and the stones do not stir symbolizes the loyal heart standing fast; in the pairing of motion and stillness, Zhuge's image stands towering. Writing the man through scenery, lodging feeling through the object, a double meaning without a trace, exactly Du Fu's unmatched art of adapting without a seam.

遗恨失吞吴

A lasting regret: the failure to conquer Wu.

留下的遗憾是刘备失策伐吴。

The lingering regret is the ill-advised swallowing of Wu.

末句是全诗的点睛与聚讼之处。「遗恨」二字，陡然将前文的崇高赞颂跌入深沉的叹惋——纵有盖世之功、八阵之才，诸葛亮仍留下了终身之恨。「失吞吴」三字，历来歧解纷纭：或谓恨刘备不听谏而兴兵伐吴、致彝陵之败，或谓恨蜀汉终未能吞并东吴、统一天下，或谓恨诸葛亮未能及时阻止伐吴之失策。无论何解，其核心都是「功业未竟、大业难成」的深沉遗憾。此句以「恨」收束全诗，与首句「功」遥相呼应——功愈高，恨愈深，先扬后抑之间，英雄末路的悲壮尽在其中，也暗寓了杜甫自身「致君尧舜」而终不可得的自伤。

The closing line is the eye of the whole and the much-debated point. The words lingering regret suddenly plunge the lofty praise of the earlier lines into a deep sigh - though he had merit overtopping the age and the genius of the Eight-Formation Plan, Zhuge left a lifelong regret. The three words ill-advised swallowing of Wu have been variously interpreted: some read it as regret that Liu Bei ignored the remonstrance and marched on Wu, meeting the Yiling defeat; some that the House of Shu could never swallow Wu and unite the realm; some that Zhuge failed in time to stop the ill-advised campaign. Whatever the reading, the core is the deep grief of merit uncompleted and the great cause hard to finish. This line closes the whole in regret, echoing from afar the opening's merit - the higher the merit, the deeper the regret; between raising and depressing, the pathos of the hero's end is all within, and it secretly lodges Du Fu's own grief that aiding the ruler to be a sage was at last impossible.

Study

Word focus

盖 to overshadow, surpass 「盖」字用在「功盖三分国」，是全诗的起笔之魂。它本义为覆盖、笼罩，引申为压倒、超出，此处写诸葛亮的功劳盖过了整个三国时代的一切英雄，一个「盖」字，将诸葛亮置于凌驾群雄的至高地位。此字比「高」「超」「冠」都更见气象：「高」是程度，「超」是相较，「冠」是居首，而「盖」则有覆盖天地、笼罩万物的恢宏之势，与「三分国」这一宏阔背景正相匹配。五字之中，全赖此一字撑起诸葛亮的盖世功业，也为全诗定下了崇高的基调。杜甫用字之凝练，于此一字可见——删去则句意尽失，改易则气象全无。

转 to shift, move 「转」字用在「江流石不转」，是全诗化用典故的核心。它直接承《诗经·邶风·柏舟》「我心匪石，不可转也」而来：原诗以石之「可转」反衬己心之「不可转」，杜甫翻用其意，写阵石经江流冲刷而「不转」，以石的不可转，暗喻诸葛亮忠于汉室的坚贞品格。「转」字在此有多重妙处：从写景看，它写江流之力与阵石之固的对抗，动态的「转」与静态的「不转」相激；从用典看，它以《诗经》旧语唤起「坚贞不渝」的文化记忆；从抒情看，它以石之不转，写人之不移，景语皆情语。一字而兼写景、用典、抒情三用，正是杜甫炼字的极致。

失 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「失」字用在「遗恨失吞吴」，是全诗歧解丛生的根源，也是其意蕴丰厚的所在。「失」在此可作「失策」解——恨刘备失策于伐吴；可作「失去」解——恨蜀汉失去了吞吴统一的机会；亦可作「过失」解——恨诸葛亮未能谏止伐吴之过失。一字三解，各有其据，遂使末句的「遗恨」指向或为刘备、或为诸葛亮、或为天命，意蕴层层叠加。「失」字的多义性，正是古典诗歌「诗无达诂」的生动例证：杜甫以一字之歧，写尽「功业未竟」这一复杂历史悲剧的多重面相——既恨人谋之失，又惜天命之违，千载之下，犹令人低回不已。

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