All poems

魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem

吁嗟篇

Alas the Tumbleweed

曹植

Cao Zhi

忧愤Theme 咏物Object poem 怀才memory

吁嗟此转蓬，居世何独然。
长去本根逝，夙夜无休闲。
东西经七陌，南北越九阡。
卒遇回风起，吹我入云间。
自谓终天路，忽然下沉泉。
惊飚接我出，故归彼中田。
当南而更北，谓东而反西。
宕宕当何依，忽亡而复存。
飘飖周八泽，连翩历五山。
流转无恒处，谁知吾苦艰。
愿为中林草，秋随野火燔。
糜灭岂不痛，愿与根荄连。

Alas! This tumbleweed, why alone in the world?
Leaving its root far behind, no rest day or night.
East and west it crosses seven paths, north and south nine lanes.
Suddenly a whirlwind rises, blows me into the clouds.
I thought I'd reach the sky's end, but then sink to the deep springs.
A startling gale sweeps me out, back to the middle fields.
Should go south but go north, say east but turn west.
Drifting, where to rely? Suddenly lost, then alive.
Blown around eight great marshes, swiftly over five mountains.
Wandering without fixed place, who knows my bitter toil?
I wish to be a forest weed, burned by wildfire in autumn.
Wouldn't decay and death be painful? Yet I wish to be with the root.

Listen

Meaning

The poem laments the tumbleweed's endless drifting, rootless and directionless, eventually expressing a wish to be burned yet stay connected to the root, symbolizing the poet's own political exile and longing for stability.

可叹这随风转徙的飞蓬，居处世间为何独独如此。长久离开本根飘逝，日夜不得休闲。东西走过七条陌路，南北越过九条田间。终于遇到回旋之风起，吹我直上云间。自料终能行走天路，忽然又沉入黄泉。惊风接我而出，仍归那田中。该向南却更向北，说向东却反向西。飘飘荡荡将依何处，忽而亡失忽而复存。飘摇遍历八大泽，连翩经历五岳山。流转没有恒定处所，谁知道我的苦艰。愿做中林之草，秋时随野火焚燔。糜烂毁灭难道不痛，只愿与根荄相连。

Appreciation

This poem is a self-metaphor of Cao Zhi, whose fiefdom was frequently moved and who was distrusted by the emperor. The tumbleweed symbolizes his rootless wandering. The entire poem adopts the perspective of the tumbleweed, detailing its separation from the root, its erratic journey, and its desperate wish to be burned yet connected to the root. Artistically, it personifies the object, merging object and self. The extensive use of directional terms conveys instability, and the final twist—preferring destruction to rootlessness—is profoundly moving.

【白话串讲】曹植把自己比作被风吹走的蓬草：“当南而更北，谓东而反西”——被风吹来吹去，身不由己。这是曹植被哥哥压制时的心声，他是那株转蓬。【意象与手法】全篇拟转蓬自诉，结构随蓬之飘转而起伏：起二句呼告点题；中十句以「长去本根」「经七陌越九阡」「入云间」「沉泉」「当南更北」等铺排流转之状，方位与时间交错，极写无定；末四句陡落奇想，以「愿为草—随野火燔—愿连根」三层翻进，悲愤磅礴。语言排奡，情如奔泉。【情感与主旨】曹植晚年备受曹丕、曹叡猜忌，封地屡迁、行动受限，如同断根之蓬。本篇以转蓬自况，写其流转无依、欲归本根而不得的苦闷，「愿为中林草，秋随野火燔」宁毁灭以求连根，是这位才高命蹇的亲王对自由与归属的绝望呼喊，折射魏室宗亲受制于君权的时代悲剧。【名句点睛】常考「转蓬」象征的内涵与全诗抒情结构、密集方位词（东西、南北、当南更北、谓东反西）的表达效果，以及末「愿为中林草……愿与根荄连」的奇想意蕴。

Background

In his later years, Cao Zhi was suspected by Cao Pi and Cao Rui, his fiefdom frequently changed, and he was restricted, like a rootless tumbleweed. This poem uses the tumbleweed as a self-metaphor, expressing his longing for the root and his despair. The line 'I wish to be a forest weed, burned by wildfire in autumn' reveals his desperate desire for freedom and belonging, reflecting the tragedy of the royal clan under imperial power.

曹植（192—232），字子建，曹操第三子，封陈王，谥思，世称陈思王。早年以才学为曹操所爱，几乎立为太子；建安二十五年（220）曹丕即位后，曹植备受猜忌，屡遭贬徙，封地一再迁移，行动处处受限，「十一年中而三徙都」，名为王侯而实同囚徒。曹叡继位后，猜忌如故，曹植「汲汲无欢」，年仅四十一岁即郁郁而终。此诗以转蓬自况：蓬草离根飘转，东西南北、身不由己，正如曹植封地屡迁、漂泊无依；「愿为中林草，秋随野火燔。糜灭岂不痛，愿与根荄连」——宁可化为中林之草被野火焚燔，也不愿做这断根的飞蓬，只要能与根荄相连、得归本根，宁受糜灭之痛。这是这位才高命蹇的亲王对自由与归属的绝望呼喊，也是魏室宗亲受制于君权、动辄得咎的时代悲剧的缩影，与《求自试表》《求通亲亲表》等文同为其后期心态的写照。曹植后期『十一年三徙都』，其封地多在贫瘠之地，名为藩王而实同囚徒，其《求自试表》自陈『抱利器而无所施』，此诗以转蓬写飘零，正是其政治上无所归依、精神上备受压抑的写照，与《野田黄雀行》《七哀》并为忧生之作，是解读曹植后期心态的第一手文本。

Art

The entire poem personifies the tumbleweed. The structure follows its drifting: opening with a cry, middle lines describe the wandering with directional and temporal contrasts, and the final four lines abruptly shift to a shocking wish. The language is forceful, the emotion like a rushing spring.

全篇拟转蓬自诉，物我合一，结构随蓬之飘转而起伏，章法独特。起二句「吁嗟此转蓬，居世何独然」以呼告点题——「吁嗟」是叹息，蓬本无知，而诗人呼之叹之，物我合一，定下全篇悲慨基调。中十句铺排流转之状：「长去本根逝，夙夜无休闲」写离根之始，「东西经七陌，南北越九阡」写飘转之广，「卒遇回风起，吹我入云间」写高飞之极，「忽然下沉泉」写跌落之深，「当南而更北，谓东而反西」写方向之悖，「宕宕当何依，忽亡而复存」写存亡之无常，「飘飖周八泽，连翩历五山」写遍历之远——方位词密集铺排，与「云间」「沉泉」「八泽」「五山」等空间的极写交错，把飞蓬之无定写得淋漓尽致。末四句陡落奇想：「愿为中林草，秋随野火燔。糜灭岂不痛，愿与根荄连」——由转蓬而愿为中林之草，由草而愿被野火焚烧，层层翻进，宁痛而求连根，悲愤磅礴，情如奔泉，是全诗情感的最高潮。全诗二十四句，一气贯注，如蓬之飘转、如风之回旋，章法随物象而流转，正是『咏物即咏怀』而物我无间的至高境界，也是曹植后期五言诗『沉郁顿挫』风格的集中体现。

Allusions

The 'tumbleweed' allusion originates from the Book of Lord Shang and the Book of Songs, often used in Han-Wei poetry to symbolize wandering. Cao Zhi makes it his personal emblem. 'Root' is a pun on his homeland and political belonging. 'Eight marshes' and 'five mountains' are general references to famous places.

「转蓬」典出《商君书·禁使》「飞蓬遇飘风而行千里」及《诗经·卫风·伯兮》「自伯之东，首如飞蓬」——蓬草随风飘转、离根四散，汉魏诗中多用以喻漂泊无依，曹植《杂诗》「转蓬离本根，飘飖随长风」已开先声，此诗则将其推向极致，使「转蓬」成为曹植身世之专属符号。「本根」既指蓬草之根，亦双关故国宗族与政治归属——曹植身为宗室而不得安居，其悲正在「离本根」三字。「八泽」「五山」泛指大泽名山，用《史记》「九州八泽」之类成说，以极言飘转之远。「根荄」即草根，《尔雅》「荄，根也」，「愿与根荄连」以草根喻归属，是全诗情感的核心意象。用典自然，蓬草意象遂与曹植身世融为一体，是「咏物即咏怀」的典范。又『惊飚』『回风』皆《楚辞》常用意象（《离骚》『飘风屯其相离兮』），写风力之暴烈无常，正喻君威之难测、命运之难料；以《楚辞》意象入乐府体，正是曹植『兼善众体』而能熔铸古今的所在。又『七陌九阡』以陌阡（田间道路）写漂泊路线之密，『八泽五山』以泽山写飘转范围之广，数目与地名皆泛写而自具气象，正是曹植乐府体铺陈扬厉的本色。

Commentary

This poem is included in the 'Miscellaneous Songs' section of the Collection of Yuefu Poems. Ding Yan commented that it uses the tumbleweed as a self-metaphor, mournful and desolate. Modern critics consider it Cao Zhi's most powerful expression of grief, surpassing his 'Seven Sorrows', and it pioneered the tradition of 'chanting objects to express feelings'.

《乐府诗集》收此篇入《杂曲歌辞》，题为曹植作。历代论者皆以「自喻」视之：丁晏《曹集诠评》谓「此诗全以转蓬自喻，悲感苍凉」，点破其物我合一之旨；近人论此诗，以为「愿连根虽糜灭」之语，沉痛过于《七哀》，是曹植后期抒愤最高之作。全诗以蓬自况而能推己及物、以物写心，开后世「咏物即咏怀」之格——咏物而物我无间，抒情而托物以显，正是曹植对咏物诗体的重大贡献。其悲愤之深，可与《赠白马王彪》并观：一写兄弟生离之悲，一写宗亲飘零之痛，皆曹植后期「忧生之嗟」的代表。在曹植全部诗作中，此诗以其结构的独创、想象的奇崛、情感的沉痛，被推为咏物抒怀的典范，对后世咏物诗（如骆宾王《在狱咏蝉》、杜甫《孤雁》）影响深远。从咏物诗史看，此诗以全篇拟物、物我双写的手法开后世咏物抒怀之先河，骆宾王《在狱咏蝉》、杜甫《孤雁》皆承此脉；其以蓬草写身世、以连根写归属的构思，更成为『咏物即咏怀』的经典范式，影响深远。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem (Cao Zhi's imitation of yuefu/miscellaneous song)五言古诗（曹植拟乐府/杂曲）

Rhyme rhymes: ran, xian, qian, jian, quan, tian, xi, cun, shan, jian, lian etc.; irregular, ancient style全诗二十四句，押平声韵（然、闲、阡、间、泉、田、西、存、山、艰、燔、连），大致隔句押韵，古体自由，不拘平仄。

Tone pattern not determinable (ancient style does not follow tonal patterns)五言古体，不究平仄；以方位词对举（东西—南北、南—北、东—西）形成的拗折音节，与飘转无定的内容相谐。

Reading note Personification throughout, fusion of object and self, somber and forceful此诗为五言古诗，全诗二十四句，属曹植拟乐府之作，收于《乐府诗集·杂曲歌辞》。其格律特点有三：一是五言句式，二二一或二一二节奏，音节舒展，正宜写铺排流转之状；二是古体自由，不拘平仄对仗，而以「东西经七陌，南北越九阡」「当南而更北，谓东而反西」等方位词对举形成工整的排比，音节整齐而意象纷乱，正合蓬草飘转之无定；三是以铺排为章法，中段连用「东西」「南北」「云间」「沉泉」「八泽」「五山」等方位与空间词，层层铺转，如蓬之飘飖，语言排奡、情如奔泉。全诗结构随蓬之飘转而起伏：起二句呼告点题，中十句铺写流转，末四句陡落奇想，起承转合自然而有波澜，是曹植后期五言古诗「沉郁顿挫」风格的代表，也是揣摩古体诗铺排章法与音节之范本。

Line by line

吁嗟此转蓬，居世何独然。

Alas for this tumbling wutong-seed grass—why must its life in the world be thus alone?

可叹这随风转徙的飞蓬，居处世间为何独独如此。

Alas for this tumbling seed-grass, why must its lot in the world be so uniquely wretched?

起句以呼告开篇，物我合一，是全诗的破题之笔。「吁嗟」是叹息之声，一声长叹，如闷雷破空，定下全篇悲慨基调；「此转蓬」点出所咏之物——随风转徙的飞蓬，蓬本无知，而诗人对之呼之叹之，物我已合而为一；「居世何独然」以设问发之——飞蓬处世，为何独独如此飘转无定？这一问既是问蓬，更是问己：蓬之飘零正如我之飘零，蓬之无定正如我之无定，问蓬即是问己，物我难分。此句的妙处有三：一是以呼告起兴，如对知己倾诉，情感先声夺人；二是以设问提挈，一问之下，全篇皆为此问作答；三是物我合一，蓬我一体，为通篇拟蓬自诉确立了抒情框架。

The poem opens with an exclamation that fuses object and poet. 'Alas' is a cry of grief that sets the tone; the 'tumbling seed-grass' blown about by the wind becomes the object of the poet's lament. The question—why must it alone be so?—is addressed both to the grass and to the poet himself, for his own life as a Cao prince, repeatedly moved from fief to fief, has been just as rootless. The opening works three ways: as direct address that seizes the emotion, as a question that frames everything to follow, and as the fusion of self and thing that sustains the whole allegory of the blown grass.

长去本根逝，夙夜无休闲。

Long it has left its root and gone; morning and night it knows no rest.

长久离开本根飘逝，日夜不得休闲。

It has long since left its root and drifted away, with never a moment's rest from dawn to dusk.

此句写飞蓬离根之始，是全诗「悲」的根源。「长去本根逝」写蓬草长久地离开本根飘逝——「长去」写时间之久，一去不复返；「本根」二字是全诗的核心意象，既指蓬草之根，更双关故国宗族与政治归属——曹植身为宗室亲王而封地屡迁、漂泊无依，正如蓬之离根；「逝」字写飘逝之迅疾，一去不回。「夙夜无休闲」写日夜不得休闲——「夙夜」即昼夜，从早到晚，没有一刻安宁，既是蓬草随风无休无止的飘转，更是诗人「汲汲无欢」的忧惧生涯的写照。此句的妙处在于：以「本根」立骨，以「夙夜」写苦，离根之痛与无休之劳交织，为下文「东西」「南北」的极写铺转蓄势，悲慨之情自此层层加深。

This line states the source of the poem's sorrow: the grass torn from its root. 'Long' measures the irreversible departure; 'root' is the central image, pointing both to the plant's origin and, by double meaning, to Cao Zhi's own lost clan and political home. 'Dawn to dusk, no rest' renders the ceaseless tossing of the grass, but it is equally the record of the poet's anxious, joyless life. The root gives the line its spine; the sleeplessness gives it its pain. Together they prepare the extreme descriptions of being blown east and west that follow.

东西经七陌，南北越九阡。

East and west it crosses seven lanes, north and south it surmounts nine field-paths.

东西走过七条陌路，南北越过九条田间。

East and west it traverses seven byways, north and south it crosses nine field paths.

此句以方位词铺排，极写飞蓬飘转之广，是全诗写「无定」的典型笔法。「东西」「南北」四字，涵盖整个空间，蓬草忽东忽西、忽南忽北，无一处可停；「七陌」「九阡」以数目写路程之远——陌、阡皆田间小路，七陌九阡，极言飘转路线之长之密，仿佛蓬草走遍了所有的道路。此句的妙处有三：一是方位词密集铺排，「东西」「南北」两两相对，音节整齐而意象纷乱，正合蓬草飘转之无定；二是以数目夸张，「七」「九」非实指，而是极言其多，如《木兰诗》「军书十二卷」之用法；三是以空间写心理，飘转越广，离根越远，无定之悲愈深，为下文「当南而更北」的方向悖反作了铺垫，也暗写曹植封地屡迁、身不由己的宗亲处境。

The line uses the four directions to render the vastness of the grass's wandering. East, west, south, and north cover all space: the grass has nowhere to stop. 'Seven lanes' and 'nine paths' exaggerate distance—like the 'twelve scrolls' of Ballad of Mulan, the numbers are not literal but emphatic, suggesting the grass has worn every road out. The crowded direction words create a rhythmic, disorienting chaos that matches the rootlessness, while the wider the drift, the farther from the root, and the deeper the sorrow. It also shadows Cao Zhi's own forced relocations, where his movement was controlled by forces beyond him.

当南而更北，谓东而反西。

When it should go south, it turns north; when it thinks east, it goes west instead.

该向南却更向北，说向东却反向西。

It is meant to go south but is driven north; it seems bound east yet veers west.

此句写方向之悖反，是全诗「身不由己」主题的极致表达，也是最见沉痛的一笔。「当南而更北」写本该向南却偏向北，「谓东而反西」写以为向东却反向西——蓬草欲南而风使之北，欲东而风使之西，方向完全被外力支配，自身毫无主宰之力。此句的妙处有三：一是以悖反写无奈，南与北、东与西，正反相对，欲行而不得行，正是身不由己的绝妙写照；二是以风写权，风的支配力暗喻君权的威压——曹植封地屡迁、行动受限，欲留不得、欲归不能，正如蓬之欲南偏北；三是以简驭繁，十字而写尽无可奈何，比千言铺陈更见沉痛。两句全用方位词对举，音节拗折，读来如见蓬草被风摆布、东西乱撞之态，是「以声写形」的典范。

This line is the poem's most bitter statement of powerlessness. The grass intends south but the wind forces it north, intends east but is thrown west: direction itself is controlled from outside, and the grass has no will of its own. The mutual contradiction of north and south, east and west, is the perfect image of a body that cannot choose its own path. The wind's tyranny is a covert image of imperial pressure—Cao Zhi, wanting to stay or return, was instead moved and confined. The ten characters state utter helplessness more powerfully than a thousand words of lament, and the clashing direction words sound like the grass being hurled this way and that.

流转无恒处，谁知吾苦艰。

Drifting and turning, there is no fixed place—who knows my hardship and bitterness?

流转没有恒定处所，谁知道我的苦艰。

It rolls on with no constant dwelling; who, then, knows my suffering and hardship?

此句直抒胸臆，由物及人，是全诗情感的转折与深化。「流转无恒处」总结前文——飘转东西南北、遍历八泽五山，没有一处恒定的居所，「无恒处」三字写尽漂泊无依，既是蓬之流转，更是曹植「十一年中三徙都」的宗亲生涯；「谁知吾苦艰」以设问直抒——谁知道我的苦艰？这一问，问得沉痛而孤独：蓬之苦艰，风知之而无人知；我之苦艰，谁能知之？无人能知，无人可诉，正是「忧生之嗟」的孤独绝境。此句的妙处有二：一是由物及人，前文皆拟蓬自诉，至此直接以「吾」称之，物我之界限彻底打通，蓬即我、我即蓬；二是以问收束上片，一问之下，前文所有的铺转漂泊都凝为「苦艰」二字，为末四句「愿为草」的奇想作了情感的蓄势。

This line turns from allegory to direct speech and deepens the emotion. 'No fixed place' sums up all the wandering: no home anywhere, a phrase that names both the grass's drift and the poet's own transfers between three capitals in eleven years. 'Who knows my hardship?' is a cry of loneliness—of the grass, the wind alone knows its bitterness; of the poet, no one can know or hear him. At this line the pretense of describing the grass breaks and the pronoun becomes 'I': grass and poet are one. The question condenses all prior wandering into the single word 'hardship' and prepares the extravagant wish of the ending.

糜灭岂不痛，愿与根荄连。

Surely it hurts to be consumed to nothing—yet I would only be joined again to the root beneath.

糜烂毁灭难道不痛，只愿与根荄相连。

To be burned and destroyed is surely agony, yet I ask only to be joined once more to the root below.

结句陡落奇想，是全诗情感的最高潮，也是千古名句。「糜灭岂不痛」先设一问——被野火焚燔、糜烂毁灭，难道不痛吗？「岂不痛」三字，明知其痛而甘愿承受；「愿与根荄连」后作答意——只愿与根荄相连！「根荄」即草根，连着大地、连着本源；愿为草、愿被焚、愿糜灭，一切痛苦皆可承受，唯一的要求是与根相连。此句的震撼力在于「以痛换根」的决绝：不是不怕痛，而是宁痛不愿离根——漂泊之苦甚于糜灭之痛，归属的渴望压倒求生的本能。此句以三层翻进（愿为草—随野火燔—愿连根）写尽对归属的渴望，悲愤磅礴、撼人心魄，正是曹植「才高命蹇」的一生绝唱，也是「咏物即咏怀」的最高境界。

The closing couplet plunges into an extravagant wish and is the poem's climax and most famous line. 'Surely it hurts' anticipates being consumed by wildfire—the pain is real and known—and yet 'I would only be joined to the root beneath' is the answer: burn me, consume me, I accept all pain on one condition, reunion with the root. The power lies in trading agony for belonging: it is not that pain does not hurt, but that rootless drifting hurts more than destruction does, and the craving for home overrides the will to survive. It is Cao Zhi's own elegy for his thwarted life, and the highest instance of describing a thing in order to sing the self.

Study

Word focus

转蓬 tumbleweed - Cao Zhi's lifelong metaphor for rootlessness 「吁嗟此转蓬」之「转蓬」二字，是全诗的咏物之体，也是曹植身世的专属符号。「转蓬」即随风转徙的蓬草——蓬草秋枯，根断而随风飘转，离根四散，无所归依。此词之妙有三：一是以物写人，蓬草之离根飘转，正是曹植封地屡迁、漂泊无依的写照，物我之间高度契合，咏物即是咏怀；二是承前启后，「转蓬」典出《商君书》「飞蓬遇飘风而行千里」，《诗经》「首如飞蓬」，汉魏诗中曹植《杂诗》「转蓬离本根，飘飖随长风」已用此象，此诗则将其推向极致，使「转蓬」从此成为曹植的专属意象；三是含义丰富，转蓬既写漂泊无定，又暗含身不由己、命运被外力支配的无奈，一词而具多层意蕴，正是咏物词炼字的典范。

本根 root - pun on homeland and political belonging 「长去本根逝」之「本根」二字，是全诗情感的核心意象，一语双关。「本根」字面上指蓬草的根——离根飘逝，是蓬草悲剧的根源；骨子里指故国宗族与政治归属——曹植身为魏室宗亲，却封地屡迁、行动受限，欲归本根而不得，其悲正在「离本根」三字。此二字之妙有三：一是双关精妙，「本根」既指草木之本，又指人身之本、宗族之本，字面与寓意相合无间，正是咏物诗「物我双写」的典范；二是情感支点，全诗之悲皆由「离本根」而起——飘转愈远，离根愈深，无定之悲皆归于「本根」之失，故末句「愿与根荄连」以「连根」作结，首尾呼应；三是语重千钧，「本根」二字负载着曹植对归属、自由、安定的全部渴望，一字一词皆见其沉痛。

宕宕 drifting aimlessly - reduplicated word depicting spiritual emptiness 「宕宕当何依」之「宕宕」二字，是叠字写飘荡之态的传神之笔。「宕」本义为放荡、流荡，「宕宕」叠用，极言飘荡之无所依归——飘飘荡荡，荡荡飘飘，不知何处是归宿。此二字之妙有三：一是以叠字写动态，「宕宕」叠用，如蓬草在风中飘飘荡荡、往复无定之态，音节本身即是飘荡的模拟，声情相谐；二是以叠字写无依，「宕宕」连用而「何依」相问，荡得越厉害，依得越无望，飘荡之极与无依之悲相映，正是「无恒处」的具象化；三是与「忽亡而复存」呼应，「宕宕」写飘荡之无定，「忽亡复存」写存亡之无常，一写空间之飘，一写时间之变，把飞蓬（亦是曹植）朝不保夕的处境写得淋漓尽致。叠字双声，摇曳生姿，正见曹植炼字的功力。

吁嗟篇