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魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem

苦寒行

Bitter Cold Journey

曹操

Cao Cao

感时Theme 豪情Theme

北上太行山，艰哉何巍巍。
羊肠坂诘屈，车轮为之摧。
树木何萧瑟，北风声正悲。
熊罴对我蹲，虎豹夹路啼。
溪谷少人民，雪落何霏霏。
延颈长叹息，远行多所怀。
我心何怫郁，思欲一东归。
水深桥梁绝，中路正徘徊。
迷惑失故路，薄暮无宿栖。
行行日已远，人马同时饥。
担囊行取薪，斧冰持作糜。
悲彼《东山》诗，悠悠使我哀。

Northward I climb Taihang Mountain, how steep and high!
The winding goat's gut path, the wheels are crushed.
How bleak the trees! The north wind moans.
Bears squat before me, tigers and leopards roar across the path.
Few people in the valleys, snow falls thick and fast.
I crane my neck and sigh, on long journey many thoughts.
My heart so pent up, I long to return east.
Deep water, bridges broken, I wander mid-road.
Bewildered, I lose the old road, at dusk no shelter.
On and on, the sun goes far, both men and horses hungry.
Carrying bags to gather firewood, chopping ice to make gruel.
I grieve for that 'Eastern Hill' poem, its endless sorrow makes me sad.

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Meaning

The poem describes the harsh winter campaign across the Taihang Mountains, highlighting treacherous terrain, fierce weather, wild beasts, and the soldiers' hunger and exhaustion, ending with a poignant allusion to shared sorrow.

向北登上太行山，艰险啊何等巍峨。羊肠坂道曲折，车轮被它摧折。树木何等萧瑟，北风声正悲凉。熊罴对我蹲踞，虎豹夹路长啼。溪谷少有人烟，大雪落得霏霏。伸长脖颈长声叹息，远行心中有许多怀抱。我的心情何等郁结，想要向东归还。水深桥梁断绝，半路正自徘徊。迷惑中失了旧路，傍晚无处歇宿。走啊走日渐遥远，人与马同时饥馁。担起行囊去取柴，凿冰取水解作稀粥。悲念那《东山》诗篇，悠悠使我哀伤。

Appreciation

Written in 206 AD during Cao Cao's campaign against Gao Gan, this poem vividly records the bitter cold and dangers of the march. The first half depicts the terrifying mountain journey with stark natural imagery, while the second half focuses on the troops' suffering and longing for home. The concluding allusion to the 'Eastern Hill' poem deepens the sense of historical resonance, exemplifying the vigorous yet sorrowful style of Jian'an poetry.

【白话串讲】曹操带兵北上太行山：羊肠小路，车轮都断了，熊罴蹲着，虎豹在路边叫。大雪里他叹息：“我心何怫郁，思欲一东归”——连一代枭雄，行军也有想家的时候。【意象与手法】全诗以纪行线索展开：由「北上太行」总起，继以羊肠、萧木、悲风、熊虎、霏雪铺排自然之险，再以失路、无栖、饥馁、斧冰写行军之困，末以思归、《东山》之悲收束。多用「何」「正」等副词慨叹，语气沉郁；写景如画而带主观悲色，刚健中见苍凉，典型建安风骨。【情感与主旨】《苦寒行》作于建安十一年曹操征讨并州高干途中。太行羊肠坂在今山西，地势险绝。时值隆冬，军行苦寒，曹操以统帅之身亲历其境，遂作此行役之诗。它既是北征的实录，也折射建安年间战乱频仍、民生军旅皆苦的时代底色。【名句点睛】常考诗中如何描写太行山之险与行军之苦；「悲彼《东山》诗」的用典意蕴；建安风骨在诗中的体现；「斧冰持作糜」等细节的白描功力。

Background

'Bitter Cold Journey' was composed in 206 AD when Cao Cao led an expedition against Gao Gan in Bingzhou. The Taihang Mountain path (Yangchang Slope) was notoriously dangerous. In the depths of winter, the army endured extreme cold. As commander, Cao Cao experienced the hardships firsthand, creating this poem that reflects both the specific campaign and the broader suffering of the late Han period.

《苦寒行》作于汉献帝建安十一年（206）正月，曹操率军北征并州（今山西）叛将高干途中。当时袁绍余党高干据并州反叛，曹操亲自领兵从邺城出发，越太行山进击。太行山在今山西与河北交界，山势险峻，羊肠坂（今山西壶关一带）更是著名的险道，盘曲如羊肠，车马难行。时值隆冬，风雪交加，军行极为艰苦。曹操以丞相、统帅之尊，亲历其境，没有回避行军的艰险，反而以诗实录之，遂成此行役诗名篇。此诗是曹操「拟乐府」之作，属《相和歌·清调曲》，借乐府旧题写时事。它不仅是一份北征的行军实录，更折射出建安年间战乱频仍、民生军旅皆苦的时代底色：汉末以来，军阀混战、白骨露野，行役之苦难是那个时代无数人共同的命运。曹操以当世枭雄之身，写出「我心何怫郁，思欲一东归」的真实脆弱，正见其「外定武功，内兴文学」的襟怀——他不讳言艰难，反以真性情入诗，这正是建安风骨「慷慨以任气，磊落以使才」的精神。

Art

The poem unfolds as a travelogue: beginning with the ascent of Taihang, then detailing the winding paths, desolate trees, cold wind, wild beasts, heavy snow, followed by the soldiers' confusion, lack of shelter, hunger, and finally the allusion. Frequent use of exclamatory words like '何' and '正' gives a deep, mournful tone. The vivid scenes are imbued with subjective sorrow, creating a robust yet bleak atmosphere typical of the Jian'an style.

全诗以纪行线索展开，层次分明，笔力沉郁。起笔「北上太行山，艰哉何巍巍」总起，以「艰哉」「何巍巍」两个叹词定下全诗沉郁的基调。继以「羊肠坂诘屈，车轮为之摧」写路之险，以「树木何萧瑟，北风声正悲」写景之哀，以「熊罴对我蹲，虎豹夹路啼」写环境之凶，以「溪谷少人民，雪落何霏霏」写人烟之稀，层层铺排自然之险，一幅荒寒的山间行军图徐徐展开。中段「延颈长叹息，远行多所怀。我心何怫郁，思欲一东归」由写景转入抒情，直写行役者的思归与郁结，是全诗情感的转折与深化。后段「水深桥梁绝，中路正徘徊」「迷惑失故路，薄暮无宿栖」「行行日已远，人马同时饥」「担囊行取薪，斧冰持作糜」连写行军之困：断桥、失路、无栖、饥馁、凿冰煮粥，白描如画而字字沉痛。末以「悲彼《东山》诗，悠悠使我哀」收束，引《诗经·豳风·东山》写周公东征士卒思归之悲，以古证今，哀而不颓。全诗写景如画而带主观悲色，叙事如史而含深沉感慨，刚健中见苍凉，正是建安风骨的典型风貌。

Allusions

'Yangchang' path alludes to Sima Qian's 'Records of the Grand Historian', meaning a winding goat's gut trail. The 'Eastern Hill' poem refers to the 'Dongshan' in the 'Book of Songs', depicting soldiers' homesickness during the Duke of Zhou's campaign. Cao Cao uses it to compare his own army's suffering, naturally deepening the theme of expedition sorrow and showcasing his classical learning.

此诗用典不多而精切，最见功力的是末句「悲彼《东山》诗，悠悠使我哀」。《东山》是《诗经·豳风》名篇，写周公东征归来，士卒思归乡土、悲喜交集的复杂心绪，「我徂东山，慆慆不归。我来自东，零雨其蒙」，其中「制彼裳衣，勿士行枚」「其新孔嘉，其旧如之何」等句，写尽了征人对家室的思念。曹操引此诗以自况：周公东征与曹操北征，同为王者之师的远行，士卒思归之情千古同慨，以《东山》之悲映自身之艰，既见其深通经史，又以古人的悲慨为今人的劳苦作注，深化了行役主题。「羊肠坂」典出《史记》等书记载的太行险道，本为地名实写，然「诘屈」二字暗合古人以羊肠喻路险的意象传统（《战国策》已有「羊肠之险」之说），属借地名写险境的化用。全诗用典极少而皆贴切自然，正见曹操「通脱」的诗风——不尚堆砌，而以真性情、真经历胜，这正是建安文学「尚实崇真」的体现。此外，「溪谷少人民，雪落何霏霏」之「霏霏」暗承《诗经·小雅·采薇》「今我来思，雨雪霏霏」的意象，以雪之纷飞写行役之悲，与《采薇》的「雨雪霏霏」遥相呼应，皆以风雪之景烘托征人心情，正是乐府民歌「以景写情」的经典手法。「延颈长叹息」之「延颈」亦本《诗经》「翘首」望归的传统意象，写行人伸长脖颈、遥望故乡的期盼之态，一个动作写尽归思之切，与「思欲一东归」的心声相为表里，全诗用事虽少，而皆融化于行役的具体情境之中。

Commentary

The 'Yuefu Jieti' states that 'Bitter Cold Journey' fully depicts the suffering of ice and snow. Zhong Rong's 'Shipin' praises Cao Cao's 'sorrowful lines'. Shen Deqian lauds his ability to paint hard-to-describe scenes, such as 'chopping ice to make gruel', as genuinely simple yet powerful, embodying both realism and lyricism.

《乐府解题》谓《苦寒行》「备言冰雪溪谷之苦」，一语道破此诗的主题与内容。钟嵘《诗品》将曹操列为下品，然亦评曹公「甚有悲凉之句」，后人论建安风骨，多以曹操为开山。清·沈德潜《古诗源》评此诗「工于写难写之景，如'斧冰持作糜'，真朴之气溢于纸上」，又谓曹操诗「沉雄俊爽，时露霸气」，正切中此诗的特点：写景之工、叙事之真、抒情之沉，兼而有之。近人论此诗，多将其与曹操《观沧海》《短歌行》等并列为建安诗歌的代表：同为曹操北征途中所作，《观沧海》写沧海之壮阔而见其雄心，《苦寒行》写行役之艰险而见其真情，一豪一郁，恰成对照。尤为可贵的是，曹操以统帅之尊而肯写军旅之苦、思归之念，不讳言艰难，不粉饰太平，这种「真诚面对现实」的态度，正是建安文学「慷慨任气」的精神底色。此诗作为乐府《苦寒行》题下的开山之作，直接启发了后世陆机、谢灵运等人的同题拟作，其影响深远，是建安风骨的标志性文本。

Prosody

Form Yuefu song (Cao Cao's imitation of yuefu, originally in Xianghege Qingdiaoqu)乐府歌行（曹操拟乐府，本辞属《相和歌·清调曲》）

Rhyme Free ancient yuefu rhyme scheme (巍, 摧, 悲, 啼, 霏, 怀, 归, 徊, 栖, 饥, 糜, 哀)五言为主，古乐府用韵自由：巍、摧、悲、啼、霏、怀、归、徊、栖、饥、糜、哀等随韵换押，不依近体格律。

Tone pattern Irregular (yuefu does not follow tonal patterns)乐府歌行不究平仄黏对，以五言为主，偶用叹词（哉、何），语气沉郁顿挫，声情苍凉。

Reading note Mainly five-character lines, somber and sorrowful, representative of Jian'an style.此诗为曹操拟乐府之作，依《苦寒行》旧题填新辞，属《相和歌·清调曲》系统，故不受近体诗平仄对仗的约束，而以五言为主的自由句式铺叙纪行。全诗二十四句，五言为骨，间以「艰哉何巍巍」「何萧瑟」「何怫郁」等带叹词的句式，在整齐的五言中插入顿挫的感慨，读来如见诗人一路跋涉、一路叹息。用韵上，古乐府不拘一格，此诗随情转韵，韵脚多为主声（巍、摧、悲、啼、霏、怀、归、徊、栖、饥、糜、哀），声调低沉悠长，正合苦寒行役的悲凉基调；句中多用「何」「正」等副词（「何巍巍」「何萧瑟」「声正悲」「何怫郁」），反复咏叹，语气沉郁，把行役之苦一层层叹出。全诗以纪行为经、以情感为纬，叙事、写景、抒情交织，刚健与苍凉并举，正是「建安风骨」在乐府歌行中的典范呈现——它继承了汉乐府「感于哀乐，缘事而发」的写实精神，又以曹操个人深沉的抒情个性赋予了乐府旧题新的生命力，开魏晋文人拟乐府的风气之先。

Line by line

北上太行山，艰哉何巍巍

Northward I climb Taihang Mountain, how steep and high! - Opens with a general exclamation, setting a somber tone.

向北登上太行山，艰险啊何等巍峨。

Northward I climb the Taihang Mountains; how hard, how towering!

起笔二句总括全诗，先声夺人。「北上太行山」五字点明行军方向与路线：向北，向太行山进发——「北上」写方向之北（向北行进入严冬苦寒之地），「太行山」写目标之险，起笔即见征途的苍茫。「艰哉何巍巍」以两个叹词连用，写尽登山的感慨：「艰哉」叹行路之艰，「何巍巍」叹山势之高，两个叹词如两声沉重的叹息，瞬间把读者带入诗人跋涉于崇山峻岭之间的情境。此句的妙处在于「未写其险而先写其叹」：不直接描写山如何险，而以诗人的叹息先定下全诗沉郁的基调，为后文羊肠、悲风、熊虎、霏雪的层层铺写蓄势。曹操以统帅之身亲历艰险，此「艰哉」之叹不是文人的无病呻吟，而是身当其境的真实感慨，起笔即见建安诗歌「以真取胜」的本色。

The opening two lines summarize the poem, first-impressive. Northward-I-climb-the-Taihang-Mountains names the direction and route: north, toward Taihang - the north character writes the winter cold, Taihang names the target's danger. How-hard-how-towering! uses two exclamations: how-hard sighs the road's difficulty; how-towering sighs the mountain's height. Two exclamations like two heavy sighs instantly place the reader in the poet's mountain crossing. The line's subtlety is sighing before writing the danger: not directly describing the mountain's peril, but setting the somber tone with the poet's sigh, preparing the later sheep-ladder, sad wind, bears, snow. Cao Cao as commander experiences the hardship; this how-hard sigh is not literary affectation but real feeling - the Jian'an poetry's truth.

羊肠坂诘屈，车轮为之摧

The winding goat's gut path, the wheels are crushed. - Specific image of treacherous road causing practical damage.

羊肠坂道曲折，车轮被它摧折。

The sheep's-ladder slope coils and twists; the cartwheels are shattered by it.

此二句是全诗写路之险的经典，以最具体的细节写出太行山道的凶险。「羊肠坂」是太行山著名的险道，盘曲如羊肠，本已极言其曲折；「诘屈」二字再以叠韵写其盘旋纠结之状，路的蜿蜒扭曲如在目前。「车轮为之摧」是点睛之笔：不直接说路多难走，而写车轮竟被这路「摧」折——坚硬的车轮被颠簸崎岖的山路震断，路之险恶已不言自明，此句以「车轮摧」这一具体到不能再具体的事件，把抽象的「险」化为可感的「凶」。两句一写路形、一写路威，虚实相生，正是建安诗歌「写难写之景如在目前」的功力。此句还暗含深意：车轮可摧，行军之志不可摧，曹操写尽道路之险而不言退，其坚韧之气自在字里行间，为全诗「哀而不颓」的基调作了注脚。

These two lines are the classic writing of the road's peril, with the most concrete detail. Sheep's-ladder-slope is Taihang's famous dangerous road, coiling like a sheep's gut; coils-and-twists uses the rhyming叠韵 for the winding. Cartwheels-are-shattered-by-it is the finishing stroke: not saying the road is hard, but saying the cartwheels are shattered by it - the hard wheels broken by the rough road, the road's peril self-evident. The line uses the cartwheel-shattered event, concrete beyond concreteness, converting abstract danger into tangible menace. One line writes the road's shape, one its power, solid and void mutually generating, the Jian'an skill of writing difficult scenes as if present. The line also secretly holds meaning: wheels may be shattered, the army's will not; Cao Cao writes the road's peril without saying retreat, his resolve in the lines.

熊罴对我蹲，虎豹夹路啼

Bears squat before me, tigers and leopards roar across the path. - Wild animals heighten the sense of danger.

熊罴对我蹲踞，虎豹夹路长啼。

Bears and brown bears crouch facing me; tigers and leopards cry along the road.

此二句以猛兽烘托荒险，是全诗写环境之凶最惊心动魄的一笔。「熊罴对我蹲」写熊罴蹲踞路中，虎视眈眈地「对」着行人——一个「对」字写尽人兽对峙的紧张，仿佛那巨兽随时可能扑来；「虎豹夹路啼」写虎豹在两旁的道路上长啼，「夹路」写猛兽前后左右环绕，「啼」字写其嚎叫，如鬼哭狼嚎，声声入耳。两句一写兽之形（蹲踞的熊罴）、一写兽之声（长啼的虎豹），声色并作，把太行山中的荒凉凶险写得令人毛骨悚然。此二句的艺术力量在于「以猛兽写无人」：熊虎出没之地，正是人烟断绝之地，环境的荒僻与行军的危险互为表里。曹操不写将士如何恐惧，而写猛兽如何「对我」「夹路」，仿佛整个山林都在威胁这支队伍，荒寒险恶之气扑面而来，正是建安诗歌写景「以气胜」的典型笔法。

These two lines use beasts to set off the wild danger, the most thrilling environmental writing. Bears-and-brown-bears-crouch-facing-me writes bears crouching in the road, eyeing the travelers; facing writes the man-beast confrontation tension, as if the beast will spring. Tigers-and-leopards-cry-along-the-road writes tigers and leopards crying along both sides of the road; along-the-road writes the beasts surrounding, cry writes their howling, like ghosts and wolves. One line writes the beasts' shape (crouching bears), one their sound (crying tigers), sound and sight together, making Taihang's desolation hair-raising. The artistic power is using beasts to write no men: where bears and tigers roam, no people live; the wildness and the danger are inside and outside. Cao Cao does not write the soldiers' fear but the beasts' facing-me and along-the-road, as if the whole forest threatens the column - the Jian'an scenery's qi-sheng method.

担囊行取薪，斧冰持作糜

Carrying bags to gather firewood, chopping ice to make gruel. - Laborious survival tasks in extreme cold.

担起行囊去取柴，凿冰取水解作稀粥。

Shouldering bags they go for firewood; they hew ice to make gruel.

此二句是全诗写行军之困的白描巅峰，真朴之气溢于纸上。「担囊行取薪」写将士担着行囊、拖着疲惫的身子去拾柴——「担囊」写负重、「行取薪」写拾柴之劳，饥寒交迫中还要为了一顿饭奔波；「斧冰持作糜」写凿开冰层取水煮粥——「斧冰」以斧凿冰、「持作糜」取冰化水煮稀粥，冰天雪地中连水都冻成了冰，只能凿冰取水。两句以最朴素的笔法写最艰苦的处境：拾柴、凿冰、煮粥，这些最日常的动作在苦寒的太行山中变得如此艰难。「斧冰」二字尤其精彩：以斧凿冰，动词精准，写尽绝境中求生的艰辛。此二句无一句夸张，无一字渲染，纯以白描写真事，而艰苦之状、坚韧之气自在其中，沈德潜称其「真朴之气溢于纸上」，正是此意。以统帅之身写士卒之劳，曹操此笔，尤见其对将士的体恤与真诚。

These two lines are the peak plain description of the marching hardship, simple sincerity on the page. Shouldering-bags-they-go-for-firewood writes the soldiers shouldering bags, dragging themselves for firewood - shouldering-bags writes the burden, going-for-firewood writes the labor, cold and hungry yet still laboring for a meal. They-hew-ice-to-make-gruel writes hewing ice for water to boil gruel - hewing-ice with axe, ice-frozen water in winter. Two lines use the plainest brush for the hardest situation: gathering wood, hewing ice, boiling gruel - these daily actions become hard in Taihang's cold. The hew-ice character is especially fine: axe hewing ice, precise verb, writing the survival in extremity. No hyperbole, no embellishment, pure plain description of fact, yet hardship and resolve are in it. Cao Cao as commander writing the soldiers' labor shows his care and sincerity.

悲彼《东山》诗，悠悠使我哀

I grieve for that 'Eastern Hill' poem, its endless sorrow makes me sad. - Allusion to the Book of Songs, universalizing the sorrow.

悲念那《东山》诗篇，悠悠使我哀伤。

I grieve for that verse of the East Hill; its endlessness makes me mourn.

末二句以用典收束全诗，是全诗情感的最高处，哀而不颓。「悲彼《东山》诗」引《诗经·豳风·东山》——那是写周公东征归来、士卒思归的名篇，「我徂东山，慆慆不归」的咏叹，与曹操此刻「我心何怫郁，思欲一东归」的处境何其相似！诗人悲的不是《东山》之诗本身，而是古今征人共有的思归之痛：周公东征时士卒的悲哀，此刻正原封不动地压在曹操自己与他的将士身上。「悠悠使我哀」以「悠悠」写哀思之绵长无尽，如太行山的云雾，弥漫不散。此句以古证今，以《东山》之悲为今人之苦作注，既是自怜，更是对全体将士的悲悯——千年前的征人如此，千年后的征人依旧。用典贴切自然，收束处余韵悠长，正见曹操深通经史而又不为其所缚，以古诗之悲映自身之艰，深化了全诗的行役主题。

The closing two lines use allusion to close the poem, the emotional height, sad yet not broken. I-grieve-for-that-verse-of-the-East-Hill cites the Book of Songs's East Hill - the famous poem of the Duke of Zhou's eastern campaign and the soldiers' longing to return. Its endlessness makes-me-mourning writes the grief's lasting, like Taihang's mist, pervasive. The line uses antiquity to prove the present: the poet grieves not the East Hill poem itself but the shared soldier's longing across ages - the Duke's soldiers' grief is now pressed on Cao Cao and his men unchanged. The line uses the ancient grief as annotation for the present hardship, both self-pity and compassion for all soldiers. The allusion is natural, the close lasting; Cao Cao deep in the classics yet not bound by them, using the ancient poem's grief to mirror his own, deepening the march theme.

Study

Word focus

诘屈 winding, tortuous 「羊肠坂诘屈」之「诘屈」，即「屈曲、曲折」，是全诗写太行险道最传神的一个词。「诘屈」以叠韵摹状，写羊肠坂道路盘旋纠结、曲折缠绕之态，比单写「曲折」多了一层语言的质感——读来舌齿纠结，仿佛亲身走在那曲里拐弯的山道上，一步一折，步履维艰。此词与「羊肠」之名相配：羊肠本喻路之细曲，加「诘屈」再写其盘绕，双重叠加，把路的凶险写到极致。更妙的是「诘屈」与下句「摧」的因果相生：正因为路如此诘屈盘旋、崎岖不平，车轮才会被「摧」折，一状路形、一写路威，因果分明而气脉贯通。以叠韵词写物态之曲，正是汉魏古诗「以声写形」的语言功力，一字一词，皆见曹操锤炼的功夫。

怫郁 gloomy, pent-up 「我心何怫郁」之「怫郁」，即「忧郁、郁结」，是全诗抒情的关键词，写尽统帅内心的压抑。「怫郁」二字叠韵，音感滞重，读来便觉心头有块垒堵着——这不是一般的忧愁，而是郁结于心、无处排遣的沉痛。「何怫郁」以「何」字叹之，把内心的压抑推到极致。以曹操的身份，写「怫郁」之深，尤其意味深长：他不是普通的征夫，而是三军统帅、当世枭雄，然身在苦寒绝境，面对将士的饥馁、道路的凶险、归期的渺茫，同样有「思欲一东归」的脆弱与疲惫。这种不讳言软弱的坦荡，正是曹操人格与诗格的独特处——刚健中见柔情，雄豪中有真情。一个「怫郁」，写尽铁血统帅心中不为人知的一面，也见建安文学「慷慨以任气」背后的深沉人性。

斧冰 to chop ice (with an axe) 「斧冰持作糜」之「斧冰」二字，是全诗最见功力、也最被称道的炼字。「斧冰」即「以斧凿冰」，把名词「斧」用作动词，一个词写尽三个动作：执斧、举斧、凿冰——冰天雪地之中，河水冻成坚冰，将士只能以斧凿开冰层，取水解渴煮粥。以名词动用写动作，语势刚猛，仿佛那斧凿冰的铿锵之声就在耳边；「斧冰」的艰难，正是行役之苦的具体化——连最基本的水都要凿冰而得，其处境之困可想而知。沈德潜评此诗「工于写难写之景，如'斧冰持作糜'，真朴之气溢于纸上」，正以此句为全诗白描的巅峰：无一句渲染，无一字夸张，只以「斧冰」一个动词，便写尽绝境中求生的艰辛与坚韧，是建安诗歌「以真朴写真实」的典范，千百年来为论者所称道。

苦寒行