魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem
蒿里行
March of Haoli
关东有义士，兴兵讨群凶。
初期会盟津，乃心在咸阳。
军合力不齐，踌躇而雁行。
势利使人争，嗣还自相戕。
淮南弟称号，刻玺于北方。
铠甲生虮虱，万姓以死亡。
白骨露于野，千里无鸡鸣。
生民百遗一，念之断人肠。
At first they met at Mengjin, their hearts set on Xianyang.
Their forces joined but moved not as one, hesitating like wild geese in flight.
Power and gain set them to strife; soon they turned and slew each other.
In Huainan the younger claimed the title; in the north they cut a seal.
Within the armor bred lice; the myriad people died.
White bones lay bare in the fields; for a thousand li no cock crowed.
Of the living, one in a hundred remained—to think of it breaks the heart.
Meaning
'March of Haoli' belongs to the Han yuefu 'Xiang He songs · Xiang He tune' (a funeral song). Cao Cao used the old title to write late-Han current events. In 190 CE the eastern provincial allies, with Yuan Shao as chief, rose against Dong Zhuo, yet the lords each held private hearts and delayed; then Yuan Shu (in Huainan) claimed the imperial title, and Han Fu and others cut a seal to set up a rival—they fought each other and the central plain was wrecked. Cao Cao was there and wrote it as record; titled 'Haoli' (a funeral song) it carries the pain that a turbulent age is a great burial—a true 'poem-history.'
函谷关以东有仗义的将士，起兵讨伐那群奸凶。起初期望能像会盟津那样同心，心志本在收复咸阳、安定汉室。可是军力虽合却步调不齐，徘徊观望如雁阵斜行。权势利益使人相争，不久便自相残杀。淮南的袁术竟僭号称帝，北方又有人刻玺自立。将士铠甲里生满虮虱，无数百姓因而死亡。白骨暴露在旷野，千里之内听不到鸡鸣。幸存的百姓百不存一，想来真令人肝肠寸断。
Appreciation
The whole weaves narrative, argument, and feeling: the first four lines recall the righteous army's first heart 'their hearts set on Xianyang'; the middle four reveal the chaos of 'moved not as one,' 'slew each other,' 'claimed the title,' 'cut a seal'; the last four close with the iron-like plain strokes 'within the armor bred lice,' 'white bones lay bare… no cock crowed,' leaping from specific history to universal misery. The language is plain and firm, uncarved yet piercing, repressed and halting—truly the model of Jian'an bone.
【白话串讲】 “白骨露于野，千里无鸡鸣”——曹操写东汉末年的战乱，白骨遍野，千里听不到鸡叫。他本是讨伐董卓的义军之一，看到的却是军阀混战、生灵涂炭。 【意象与手法】 全诗叙事、议论、抒情三线交织：前四句追叙义师初心，中六句揭「力不齐」「自相戕」之乱象，末四句以「白骨露于野，千里无鸡鸣」的如铁白描收束，由具体史事跃入普世惨景。语言古朴刚健，不事雕琢而力透纸背。 【情感与主旨】 《蒿里行》属汉乐府「相和歌·相和曲」（挽歌），曹操借旧题写汉末时事。初平元年（190）关东诸侯讨董卓，然各怀异心、自相攻战，中原残破。曹操亲与其事，以诗纪实，题为「蒿里」而有「乱世即大葬」之痛，是典型的「诗史」之作。 【名句点睛】 高考常取「白骨露于野，千里无鸡鸣」考查白描手法与战乱主题，或要求概括诗歌对「义士」态度的变化（由赞到讽）。
Background
'March of Haoli' belongs to the Han yuefu 'Xiang He songs · Xiang He tune' (a funeral song). Cao Cao used the old title to write late-Han current events. In the first year of Chuping (190) the eastern provinces and commanderies, with Yuan Shao as chief, rose against Dong Zhuo, yet the lords each held private hearts and delayed; then Yuan Shu (Huainan) claimed the title, and Han Fu and others cut a seal to set up a rival—they fought each other and the central plain was wrecked. Cao Cao was there and wrote it as record; titled 'Haoli' (a funeral song) it carries the pain that a turbulent age is a great burial—a true 'poem-history.'
《蒿里行》为汉乐府旧题，本属「相和歌·相和曲」，与《薤露》同为出殡时唱的挽歌（《古今注》谓田横门人作《薤露》《蒿里》二曲，送王公贵人用《薤露》，送士大夫庶人用《蒿里》）。曹操（155—220），字孟德，东汉末年政治家、军事家、文学家，建安文学领袖，「三曹」之首。初平元年（190），关东各州郡起兵讨伐董卓，推袁绍为盟主，然诸侯各怀异心、迁延观望，甚至自相攻伐：袁术于淮南僭号称帝，袁绍等又谋立刘虞、刻玺于北方，天下大乱，中原白骨蔽野。曹操亲与其事，深慨于义师之变为内讧、生民之惨遭涂炭，遂借挽歌旧题写当代战乱，题为《蒿里》而有「乱世即大葬」之痛。此诗向被推为「汉末实录」与「诗史」之祖，是建安风骨的奠基之作，也是曹操以乐府旧题写时事、开文人拟乐府风气的代表作。此诗所写之事，曹操亲历其境：初平元年曹操散家财、合义兵，首倡讨董，然见诸侯各怀异心，遂自率军西进，汴水之战兵败，士卒伤亡殆尽，此后独力经营，深知「义师」之虚妄。故诗中「军合力不齐」的冷眼、「势利使人争」的洞见，皆是从血火中得来的实录，非旁观者所能道。又「蒿里」本为送士大夫庶人的挽歌，曹操以之写「生民百遗一」的惨状，正是「以挽歌写时代之葬」的绝大笔力，使旧题焕发出「诗史」的光彩，开后世杜甫《三吏》《三别》以乐府写时事的先河。
Art
The whole weaves narrative, argument, and feeling: the first four lines recall the righteous army's first heart; the middle four reveal the chaos; the last four close with the iron-like plain strokes 'within the armor bred lice,' 'white bones lay bare… no cock crowed,' leaping from specific history to universal misery. The language is plain and firm, uncarved yet piercing, repressed and halting—truly the model of Jian'an bone.
全诗叙事、议论、抒情三线交织，章法严谨。前四句追叙义师初心：「关东有义士，兴兵讨群凶」先立「义」字；「初期会盟津，乃心在咸阳」以盟津会师、心向咸阳写其本志，为后文的反转蓄势。中六句揭露乱象：「军合力不齐，踌躇而雁行」以「雁行」喻诸侯观望斜出、步调不一；「势利使人争，嗣还自相戕」直写同室操戈；「淮南弟称号，刻玺于北方」以两件史实点出僭号夺权之丑态；「铠甲生虮虱，万姓以死亡」由军旅之久写到生民之死，过渡自然。末四句如铁白描：「白骨露于野，千里无鸡鸣」以白骨与鸡鸣的意象反差写尽中原惨状，千古名句；「生民百遗一，念之断人肠」以直抒胸臆收束，悲悯与沉痛并出。全诗由赞而讽、由史而景、由景而情，语言古朴刚健、不事雕琢而力透纸背，正是「建安风骨」的典型范式。此诗在句式与音节上亦见匠心：前八句以五言散行叙事，间以「军合力不齐，踌躇而雁行」的对句与「淮南弟称号，刻玺于北方」的偶句，整散相间、节奏错落；「铠甲生虮虱，万姓以死亡」由军旅转民生，过渡自然；末四句「白骨」「无鸡鸣」「百遗一」「断人肠」连用极度惨淡之词，音节短促沉痛，如重锤连击。全诗以「讨群凶」起、以「断人肠」结，由激愤而悲悯、由叙事而抒情，一气流转，正是曹操「以气驭辞」的典型，亦可见建安诗人「尚气」的审美追求。
Allusions
'Met at Mengjin' uses King Wu of Zhou meeting the feudal lords at Mengjin to attack Zhou (the tyrant)—figuring that the eastern righteous army should have been of one heart against the evil; 'their hearts set on Xianyang' uses Liu Bang entering the Pass 'he who first settles the central plain shall be king,' heart toward Xianyang, to figure the will to restore the Han. 'Haoli' was itself a funeral song name (with 'Dew of the Leek' from Tian Heng's followers); Cao Cao uses the title to point that a turbulent age is like a whole realm in burial. The allusions all fit the history, not overgrown, not obscure.
「会盟津」用周武王会盟诸侯于盟津（孟津）伐纣之典（《尚书·泰誓》），喻关东义师本应同心讨逆，然事实上却各行其是，用典含深讽。「乃心在咸阳」用刘邦入关、先入定关中者为王之典（《史记·高祖本纪》），以「咸阳」指代东汉帝都洛阳，喻其志在匡复汉室。「淮南弟称号」指建安二年（197）袁术在寿春僭号称帝；「刻玺于北方」指初平二年（191）袁绍等谋立刘虞为帝、刻制金印。二者皆当代史事，以直叙入诗，不避时忌。「蒿里」本为挽歌名，曹操借题点出乱世如举国送葬，题旨双关。全诗用典皆切史事、不芜不僻，以经史为诗而浑然无迹，正见曹操「以时事入乐府」的开拓之功。此外，「踌躇而雁行」之「雁行」亦有出处：《礼记·王制》「兄之齿雁行」本以雁行喻兄弟序次，此处反其意用之，写诸侯如雁阵斜行、步武不齐，以礼制之语写军纪之坏，讽刺更见辛辣；「万姓以死亡」之「万姓」即百姓（《尚书》「万姓咸服」），以古语写时事，庄重而沉痛。全诗用典皆切史事，或正用（盟津、咸阳），或反用（雁行），皆融化于叙事之中，正是曹操「以经史为诗」而「浑然无迹」的体现。
Commentary
Zhong Rong ranked Cao Cao's poems in the lower grade yet said 'Cao Cao is ancient and straight, with very grievous lines.' Zhong Xing (Ming) greatly prized 'white bones lay bare' as 'miserable and piercing.' This poem and 'Dew of the Leek' are sister pieces, long pushed as 'a true record of the late Han'; Shen Deqian called it 'deep, heroic, and sharp, now showing the tyrant's air.'
钟嵘《诗品》列曹操诗于下品，然称「曹公古直，甚有悲凉之句」，虽置下品而极赏其古直悲凉。明人锺惺《古诗归》极赏「白骨露于野」二句，谓之「惨痛」。此诗与《薤露行》为姊妹篇，皆借挽歌写汉末丧乱，《薤露行》写董卓之乱、此诗写诸侯内讧，合观为完整的「汉末实录」。清人沈德潜《古诗源》谓曹操诗「沉雄俊爽，时露霸气」，此诗正见其气魄。就文学史而言，曹操以乐府旧题写时事，开建安文人「借古题写时事」之途，其「白骨露于野，千里无鸡鸣」的写实笔法，下启杜甫「朱门酒肉臭，路有冻死骨」的新乐府传统，是中国现实主义诗歌的重要源头。就文学史地位而言，此诗与《薤露行》并称曹操「诗史」双璧，向被推为文人五言诗成熟的标志：汉代五言多写闺情游子（《古诗十九首》），曹操首以五言写重大时事，将「缘事而发」的乐府精神与五言的表现力结合起来，遂开建安「实录」诗风；此后曹植《送应氏》、王粲《七哀诗》「出门无所见，白骨蔽平原」皆沿此脉，至杜甫而集大成。此诗「白骨露于野，千里无鸡鸣」二句，更成为写战乱惨景的「母句」，千载传诵，其影响之深远，实超出诗体本身，成为民族记忆中的苦难符号。
Prosody
Line by line
关东有义士，兴兵讨群凶。
East of the Pass, righteous men rose, marching to punish the band of villains.
函谷关以东有仗义的将士，起兵讨伐那群奸凶。
East of the Pass, righteous men rose in arms to punish the wicked horde.
起笔叙史，先立「义」字，为后文的反转蓄势。「关东」指函谷关以东地区，初平元年关东州郡联合起兵讨董，正是当时天下注目的大事；「义士」写起兵者以「义」相号召——讨伐董卓、匡扶汉室，名正言顺；「兴兵讨群凶」写其行动——「群凶」指董卓及其党羽，一个「凶」字已见褒贬。此句以史笔直叙起笔，先写义师的正当与声势，然「义」字之立，恰为下文「力不齐」「自相戕」的堕落埋下伏笔，一扬一抑，全诗的讽刺由此展开。
The opening narrates history, first establishing righteousness, preparing the later reversal. East-of-the-Pass refers to the east of Hangu Pass, where in 190 the regional lords rose against Dong Zhuo. Righteous-men writes the call to righteousness - punish Dong, restore Han, justified. Rose-in-arms-to-punish-the-wicked-horde writes the action; wicked-horde names Dong and his party, the already present judgment. The line narrates history straight, first writing the righteous army's legitimacy and momentum, yet the establishment of righteousness prepares the later disunity and mutual slaughter, one lift one suppression, the poem's satire begins.
军合力不齐，踌躇而雁行。
Their forces joined but moved not as one, hesitating like wild geese in flight.
军力虽合却步调不齐，徘徊观望如雁阵斜行。
Their armies joined, yet their wills were divided; they hesitated, flying like geese in formation.
揭破「义士」貌合神离，是全诗由赞转讽的关键。「军合」写表面上的联合——各路兵马会集；「力不齐」写实质上的涣散——人心各异、号令不一；「踌躇而雁行」以雁阵斜行喻诸侯观望迟疑、各有算计——雁飞成行而斜出参差，正是各路诸侯徘徊不进的写照。此句以「合」与「不齐」的矛盾、「雁行」的比喻，将义师同床异梦的真相一语道破，「不齐」二字是全篇讽意之眼，为下句「自相戕」作了铺垫。
This line exposes the righteous men's superficial union, the poem's turning from praise to satire. Armies-joined writes the surface union. Wills-divided writes the real disunity - different minds, no single command. Hesitating-flying-like-geese-in-formation uses the wild goose formation to write the lords' hesitation and calculation. The contradiction between joined and not-of-one-mind, and the goose-formation metaphor, expose the allied army's shared-bed-different-dreams truth. The not-of-one-mind is the poem's satirical eye, preparing the next line's mutual slaughter.
势利使人争，嗣还自相戕。
Power and profit set men fighting; soon they turn and slay each other.
权势利益使人相争，不久便自相残杀。
Power and profit set men at odds; soon they were slaying one another.
直写同室操戈，是讽刺的深化。「势利使人争」写相争之由——所谓「义士」，实为势利所驱，争权夺利才是本心；「嗣还自相戕」写相争之果——不久之后，诸侯便自相残杀，「戕」为残杀，写同室操戈之惨。此句由「争」到「戕」，一层紧似一层：起兵讨贼的义师，转瞬成为自相残杀的乱源，讽刺之意冷峻而沉痛。曹操亲历其事，故能写得如此真切——「势利」二字，已将为「义」而起的讨董战争还原为争权夺利的乱局，正见其史笔之冷、见识之深。
This line directly writes the fraternal slaughter, deepening the satire. Power-and-profit-set-men-fighting writes the cause: the so-called righteous men are driven by power, their true heart is contesting profit. Soon-they-turn-and-slay-each-other writes the consequence: soon the lords are killing one another; slay writes the civil war's cruelty. The line moves from fight to slay, layer upon layer: the righteous army that rose against villains becomes in moments the source of civil war. Cao Cao lived through it, hence the vividness: power-and-profit reduces the so-called righteous campaign to a power struggle, showing his cold historical brush.
白骨露于野，千里无鸡鸣。
White bones lie exposed on the plain; for a thousand li no cock crows.
白骨暴露在旷野，千里之内听不到鸡鸣。
White bones lie bleaching on the plain; for a thousand li no cockcrow is heard.
白描如铁，是写战乱惨景的千古名句。「白骨露于野」写白骨暴露荒野——人死无人收葬，白骨纵横，触目惊心；「千里无鸡鸣」写千里之内听不到鸡鸣——鸡鸣是人间烟火、村落生息的标志，无鸡鸣则意味着人烟灭绝、大地死寂。两句一近一远、一具体一空阔：以白骨写尸横遍野之惨，以无鸡鸣写千里荒芜之寂，纯用白描而不加一字议论，惨状自见。此句与杜甫「朱门酒肉臭，路有冻死骨」同为写战乱惨景的极致，而更见荒芜之气，是「建安风骨」刚健写实的典范。
This line's plain description is iron, the famous line of war desolation. White-bones-lie-exposed-on-the-plain writes unburied bones, shocking. For-a-thousand-li-no-cock-crows writes the silence: cockcrow is the sign of human settlement; no cockcrow means no people, the dead earth. One near one far, one concrete one vast: white bones for the strewn corpses, no cockcrow for the thousand-li waste. Pure plain description, no argument, the desolation self-evident. This line, with Du Fu's wine-and-meat-rot-by-the-red-door-and-frozen-bones-by-the-road, is the extreme of war desolation, yet more desolate - the model of Jian'an's vigorous realism.
生民百遗一，念之断人肠。
Of the living, one in a hundred remained—to think of it breaks the heart.
幸存的百姓百不存一，想来真令人肝肠寸断。
Of the people, one in a hundred survives; to think of it breaks the heart.
以直抒胸臆收束，悲悯与沉痛并出，是全诗情感的爆发点。「生民百遗一」以数字写惨状——百姓百人中仅存其一，战乱杀戮之酷、生民凋零之甚，尽在「百遗一」三字之中；「念之断人肠」写诗人闻此而痛断肝肠——「断人肠」以极度夸张写极度悲痛，是曹操这位乱世枭雄难得一见的悲悯流露。此句由「白骨」「无鸡鸣」的景象写实转入内心的情感直陈，将全诗的沉痛推向顶点。曹操以「生民」为念、以「断肠」作结，正见其「忧世悯人」的一面，也为其「白骨露于野」的史笔注入了诗人的体温。
This closing speaks directly, pity and grief together, the poem's emotional explosion. Of-the-people-one-in-a-hundred-survives uses numbers for the horror - of a hundred, one remains; the slaughter's cruelty, the people's thinning are all in one-in-a-hundred. To-think-of-it-breaks-the-heart writes the poet's pain: break-the-heart is hyperbole for extreme grief, a rare show of compassion from this warlord. The line moves from the white-bones-no-cockcrow scenery to direct feeling, pushing the poem's grief to the peak. Cao Cao closing on the people and the broken heart shows his world-compassion, giving the historical brush of white bones the poet's warmth.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
One writes grief at the times and pity for the ruined, the other seeks the worthy to build—compare Cao Cao's two feelings.
《短歌行》「对酒当歌，人生几何」写求贤若渴、统一天下的雄心，感慨悲凉而志气昂扬；《蒿里行》写诸侯内讧、生民凋零，沉痛激愤而哀悯深切。同出曹操之手，一写「建功立业」的进取、一写「乱世惨状」的忧愤，恰见曹公情怀的两面：既是「宁我负人」的枭雄，又是「念之断人肠」的诗人。比较二诗可见曹操「悲凉」诗风的两种形态——悲而壮与悲而痛，也可见建安文学「慷慨悲凉」的总体气质。
蒿里 Haoli 汉乐府 · 同用「蒿里」挽歌题，可溯乐府渊源 Same 'Haoli' funeral-song titleCao Cao used this title for current events; trace its yuefu origin.
汉乐府古辞《蒿里》「蒿里谁家地，聚敛魂魄无贤愚」写人死归蒿里的挽歌本义，曹操借此题写当代战乱，将挽歌之哀与乱世之痛融为一体——既是哀悼死者，更是哀悼这个「举国送葬」的时代。比较古辞与曹操拟作，可见乐府旧题如何被赋予新意：曹操「借旧题写时事」的开拓，使挽歌成为「诗史」，正是文人拟乐府「借题发挥」传统的开端，也可见曹操对乐府民歌的继承与改造。