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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

感遇·其三

Perceptions III

陈子昂

Chen Zi'ang

咏怀Lyrical 讽喻Satirical

苍苍丁零塞，今古缅荒路。
亭堠何摧兀，暴骨无全躯。
黄沙幕南起，白日隐西隅。
汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴。
但见沙场死，谁怜塞上孤。

The boundless Dingling frontier fort,
An ancient desolate road stretches far.
Watchtowers stand shattered and stark,
Bones exposed, no bodies whole, only dark.
Yellow dust rises from the southern desert,
The white sun hides in the western corner.
Three hundred thousand Han armored men,
Once fought the Xiongnu, but when?
Only the dead are seen on the battlefield,
Who pities the orphans of the frontier field?

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Meaning

The poem depicts the desolation and horror of the ancient Dingling frontier, where soldiers' bones lie scattered. It laments the massive Han army's futile war against the Xiongnu, ending with a bitter question: who cares for the war orphans?

苍茫的丁零边塞，古今遥通荒远之路。亭堠何等残破高耸，暴骨露野不见全躯。黄沙从漠南腾起，白日隐没西边角落。汉家甲兵三十万，曾在此与匈奴征战。只见沙场尸骨，谁怜塞上孤魂。

Appreciation

A five-character ancient-style poem from Chen Zi'ang's 'Perceptions' series, it uses stark imagery of bleak borderlands and brutal warfare to satirize the imperial overexpansion of his own time. The final rhetorical question delivers a powerful anti-war message.

【白话串讲】 “苍苍丁零塞，今古缅荒路”——陈子昂写边塞。“汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴”——汉军三十万。“但见沙场死，谁怜塞上孤”——只看到沙场战死，谁可怜塞上的孤儿。他写战争，写的是普通人的命。【意象与手法】全诗五言古体，起以“苍苍丁零塞”远景，继写“亭堠摧兀”“暴骨无全躯”的惨烈近景【情感与主旨】陈子昂《感遇》诗三十八首，多作于武周时期，借古讽今，抒发对时政、战争、隐居的感慨【名句点睛】常考“汉魏风骨”体现与讽喻主旨。必考“但见沙场死，谁怜塞上孤”的诘问意蕴；亦考“黄沙幕南起，白日隐西隅”的意境烘托

Background

Chen Zi'ang's thirty-eight 'Perception' poems, mostly written during the Wu Zhou period, use ancient themes to critique contemporary politics. This third poem, composed around the Chuigong era (685–688), alludes to Emperor Wu of Han's campaigns against the Xiongnu to implicitly criticize Empress Wu's costly border wars.

《感遇·其三》为唐代陈子昂所作，是写边塞之苦、感慨时事的诗。陈子昂（659—700），字伯玉，梓州射洪人，唐代诗人。此诗：苍苍丁零塞，今古缅荒路。亭堠何摧兀，暴骨无全躯。黄沙幕南起，白日隐西隅。汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴。全诗写边塞之荒、士卒之惨，是陈子昂诗的代表作。

Art

The poem follows the five-character ancient form, opening with a distant view of the Dingling fort, then closing in on shattered watchtowers and exposed bones. The lines 'Yellow dust rises...' create an ominous atmosphere, while the final couplet shifts to a poignant question. Its unadorned language echoes the 'Han and Wei style' Chen Zi'ang championed.

《感遇·其三》艺术上以边塞的荒凉与感慨的深沉见长。全诗八句，层层写来：前四句写边塞之荒——“苍苍丁零塞，今古缅荒路”写丁零塞荒路，“亭堠何摧兀，暴骨无全躯”写亭堠摧兀、暴骨无全躯；后四句写士卒之惨——“黄沙幕南起，白日隐西隅”写黄沙白日，“汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴”写汉甲事匈奴。全诗写边塞之苦、士卒之惨，正是陈子昂诗古朴深沉的笔法。

Allusions

'Dingling' refers to a northern people near Lake Baikal, used here to denote a remote frontier. 'Three hundred thousand Han armored men, once fought the Xiongnu' alludes to Emperor Wu's massive campaigns. The 'orphans of the frontier' evokes images of lonely border heroes like Li Ling and Su Wu.

《感遇·其三》用典在“丁零塞”“亭堠”“汉甲”。“丁零塞”写丁零族之地（边塞）；“亭堠”写瞭望之亭堠；“汉甲三十万”写汉军三十万（借汉写唐），写士卒之惨。全诗以这些意象写边塞之苦，不用深典而深沉自见，正是陈子昂诗的笔法。

Commentary

Yuan-era critic Fang Hui in 'Yingkui Lüsui' noted, 'Zi'ang's Perceptions follow Ruan Ji's Singing of My Cares; this piece achieves particular simplicity.' Ming critic Hu Zhenheng remarked that this poem exemplifies Zi'ang's mission to restore ancient literary ideals.

《感遇·其三》是陈子昂诗的代表作，也是唐代写边塞之苦、感慨时事的代表作。此诗写边塞之荒、士卒之惨，向为论者称道。论者多赏其边塞的荒凉——“苍苍丁零塞，今古缅荒路”写丁零塞荒路，荒凉之极；“暴骨无全躯”写暴骨无全躯，更见士卒之惨。陈子昂为唐代诗歌革新先驱，其诗以古朴深沉著称，此诗正是其代表——以边塞写时事之慨，正是其诗风。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem (one of a series of yonghuai)五言古诗

Rhyme Rimes in the level tones of the 'yu', 'yu', 'wu', 'mo' groups (路, 躯, 隅, 奴, 孤)《感遇·其三》为五言古诗，八句，押仄声韵。此诗用韵：路、躯（遇部）、隅、奴（遇部），音节古朴。

Tone pattern Free, not constrained by tonal patterns五言古诗以音节古朴、情致深沉见长。此诗写边塞之苦、士卒之惨，音节古朴而深沉。全诗以五言贯底，声调与感慨时事的内容相合，是陈子昂诗中古朴深沉的一路。

Reading note Reflects Chen Zi'ang's revival of ancient plain style with Han-Wei vigor《感遇·其三》为唐代陈子昂所作，是写边塞之苦、感慨时事的诗。此诗以“苍苍丁零塞，今古缅荒路”写边塞之荒，以“亭堠何摧兀，暴骨无全躯”写白骨暴野，以“汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴”写士卒之惨。以边塞写时事之慨，正是陈子昂诗的代表作。

Line by line

苍苍丁零塞，今古缅荒路。亭堠何摧兀，暴骨无全躯。

Dark and vast the Dingling frontier, from old to now a desolate road.

苍苍的丁零塞，古今绵延着荒凉之路。亭堠何其摧颓高耸，暴露的白骨没有完整的躯体。

Dark and boundless is the Dingling garrison; through ages past a desolate road runs on. The watchtowers stand gaunt and broken; exposed white bones lie without a whole body.

前四句写边塞之荒，是全诗感慨的起点。“苍苍丁零塞，今古缅荒路”写丁零塞荒路——“苍苍丁零塞”写苍苍的丁零塞，“今古缅荒路”写古今绵延着荒凉之路——丁零塞苍苍，荒路缅古今；“亭堠何摧兀，暴骨无全躯”写亭堠暴骨——“亭堠何摧兀”写亭堠何其摧颓高耸，“暴骨无全躯”写暴露的白骨没有完整的躯体——亭堠摧兀，暴骨无全躯。四句写边塞之荒：苍苍丁零塞、今古缅荒路，亭堠何摧兀、暴骨无全躯。以“苍苍丁零塞，今古缅荒路”写边塞之荒凉，以“亭堠何摧兀，暴骨无全躯”写亭堠摧颓、白骨暴野，正是陈子昂诗写边塞之苦的起点——荒路暴骨，惨不忍睹。

The first four lines write the desolation of the frontier, the starting point of the poem's grief. 'Dark and vast the Dingling frontier, from old to now a desolate road' — the garrison dark, the road running through ages; 'the watchtowers stand gaunt and broken, exposed white bones lie without a whole body' — crumbling towers and bodies ripped apart. The four lines lay waste the border: the dark Dingling fort, the immemorial road, the gaunt watchtowers, the scattered bones. Writing the barren road and the unburied dead is where Chen Zi'ang begins his account of frontier suffering — bones on the wasteland, too grim to look on.

黄沙幕南起，白日隐西隅。汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴。

Yellow dust rises south of the Gobi; the sun hides in the west. Three hundred thousand Han soldiers were once spent against the Xiongnu.

黄沙从幕南卷起，白日隐没于西隅。汉军三十万，曾经用以事奉匈奴（征战）。

Yellow sand storms up south of the desert; the sun sinks behind the western edge. Three hundred thousand Han armed men were once sent to fight the Xiongnu.

后四句写士卒之惨，是全诗感慨的归结。“黄沙幕南起，白日隐西隅”写黄沙白日——“黄沙幕南起”写黄沙从幕南卷起，“白日隐西隅”写白日隐没于西隅——黄沙幕南，白日西隐；“汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴”写汉甲事匈奴——“汉甲三十万”写汉军三十万（借汉写唐），“曾以事匈奴”写曾经用以事奉匈奴——汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴。四句写士卒之惨：黄沙幕南起、白日隐西隅，汉甲三十万、曾以事匈奴。以“黄沙幕南起，白日隐西隅”写风沙蔽日、边地荒凉，以“汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴”写大军远征、士卒死伤，正是陈子昂诗写士卒之惨的归结——三十万汉甲，尽没于匈奴之役。

The last four lines write the soldiers' tragedy, the summing of the poem's grief. 'Yellow dust rises south of the Gobi; the sun hides in the west' — sand blots the sky over the border; 'three hundred thousand Han soldiers were once spent against the Xiongnu' — using the Han to speak of the Tang, a great host expended in the northern wars. The four lines gather the soldiers' fate: dust and hidden sun, and a hundred thousand arms thrown away. Sand obscuring daylight and a vast army lost are the closing of Chen Zi'ang's frontier elegy — three hundred thousand Han warriors swallowed in the Xiongnu campaigns.

Study

Word focus

丁零塞 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “苍苍丁零塞”之“丁零塞”，写丁零族之边塞，是全诗写边地荒远的关键词。“丁零”写古代北方民族，“塞”写边塞——苍苍的丁零塞。这一词写边塞之远：不是中原之地，而丁零塞；不是近边之境，而极远之塞。以“苍苍丁零塞”写边塞之荒远，正是陈子昂诗写边塞之苦的笔法。

亭堠 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “亭堠何摧兀”之“亭堠”，写瞭望之亭堠、边地烽台，是全诗写边地之荒的关键词。“亭堠”写边防瞭望台——亭堠何其摧颓高耸。这一词写边地之筑：不是完固之台，而摧兀之亭堠；不是有人之堠，而荒废之台。以“亭堠何摧兀”写边地亭堠之荒废，正是陈子昂诗写边塞荒凉的笔法。

暴骨 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “暴骨无全躯”之“暴骨”，写暴露的白骨，是全诗写士卒之惨的关键词。“暴骨”写白骨暴露于野——暴露的白骨没有完整的躯体。这一词写士卒之死：不是安葬之骨，而暴骨；不是全尸之亡，而无全躯。以“亭堠何摧兀，暴骨无全躯”写白骨暴野、尸骨不全，正是陈子昂诗写士卒之惨的笔法。

汉甲 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “汉甲三十万”之“汉甲”，写汉军（借汉写唐），是全诗写大军之多的关键词。“汉甲”写汉之甲兵——汉军三十万。这一词写军之多：不是少数之兵，而三十万汉甲；不是无伤亡之军，而尽没之众。以“汉甲三十万，曾以事匈奴”写大军三十万之惨，正是陈子昂诗借汉写唐、写士卒之惨的笔法。