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先秦 Pre-Qin · 楚辞 Chu Ci

云中君

The Lord in the Clouds

屈原

Qu Yuan (Chu Ci)

楚辞Theme 九歌Theme 祭祀Theme 先秦Theme 云神Theme

浴兰汤兮沐芳，华采衣兮若英灵连蜷兮既留，烂昭昭兮未央謇将憺兮寿宫，与日月兮齐光龙驾兮帝服，聊翱游兮周章灵皇皇兮既降，猋远举兮云中览冀洲兮有余，横四海兮焉穷思夫君兮太息，极劳心兮忡忡

Bathed in orchid water, washed in fragrance; in bright embroidered robes like blossoming flowers.
The spirit coils and lingers, shining brilliant, never ending.
Truly it rests in the Hall of Longevity, equal in light to sun and moon.
Dragon-drawn carriage, imperial robes - it sports and wanders, turning hither and thither.
The radiant spirit has now descended; then swift it rises again into the clouds.
It surveys the realm of Ji-Zhou and more; crossing the four seas - where is its end?
I think of my lord and sigh; my anxious heart is utterly troubled.

Listen

Meaning

A shaman's hymn welcoming and lamenting the departure of the cloud-god.

用兰草煮的热汤沐浴啊，洗发出芬芳。神灵光明盛大啊，已经降临。横越四海啊，哪里有穷尽的时候。思念那云中君啊，我长声叹息。

Appreciation

The cloud-lord comes in glory - orchid, dragon, light like the sun - and leaves as suddenly as he came. The hymn's last note is a sigh: the god's freedom is the worshiper's grief.

【白话串讲】屈原写《九歌·云中君》（祭云神）：“浴兰汤兮沐芳，华采衣兮若英”——他沐浴芳香。“龙驾兮帝服，聊翱游兮周章”——“览冀洲兮有余，横四海兮焉穷”——“思夫君兮太息”——他写云神的飘渺。【意象与手法】以「浴兰汤」「灵皇皇」写斋洁与神光，「横四海」极写云神之逍遥，祀神如见。【情感与主旨】写迎送云神之虔敬与神去后的怅望，巫风祭歌的缠绵尽在太息中。【名句点睛】「思夫君兮太息」一声长叹，神人相隔之憾悠然不尽。

Background

One of the Nine Songs (Jiu Ge), a set of shamanic liturgies attributed to Qu Yuan (c.340-c.278 BCE). 'The Lord in the Clouds' is sung in a ritual dialogue between a shaman and the descending deity.

《云中君》为《楚辞·九歌》之第三篇，所祭者为云神。关于「云中君」之身份，王逸《楚辞章句》径注「云中君，云神也」，后世或以为是云梦泽之神、或以为是主云雨之屏翳，要皆为楚人云崇拜之人格化。《九歌》本为楚地民间祭歌，屈原「出见俗人祭祀之礼，歌舞之乐，其词鄙陋，因为作九歌之曲」（王逸《九歌序》），加以文人润色，遂成今本。此篇写祭云神之全过程：起以祭者「浴兰汤兮沐芳，华采衣兮若英」的斋洁盛服，示迎神之虔；继写云神「灵连蜷兮既留，烂昭昭兮未央」降临之容与光耀；中幅「謇将憺兮寿宫，与日月兮齐光」「龙驾兮帝服，聊翱游兮周章」写神居寿宫、服帝服、翱游天宇之尊；后幅「灵皇皇兮既降，猋远举兮云中」「览冀洲兮有余，横四海兮焉穷」写神既降而复升、横览四海之自由；终以「思夫君兮太息，极劳心兮忡忡」写祭者思神之眷恋。全篇以「迎—降—居—游—升—思」为脉，是《九歌》诸神祭歌中结构最完整、云神形象最飘举的一篇，亦见楚人「以云喻神、以游写自由」的原始想象。（其写云神之降游升，以云之性写神之体，最得楚辞想象。）

Art

Alternates the god's glorious arrival (orchid bath, dragon car, light equal to sun and moon) with the worshiper's sudden loss as he rises back to the clouds - splendor answered by longing.

《云中君》的艺术，全在把无形之云，写得有形有神、可降可游。其结构之妙，在于「人—神—人」的视角往复：开篇「浴兰汤」「华采衣」是祭者自身的斋洁，镜头在人；「灵连蜷」「烂昭昭」转为神之降临，镜头及神；「龙驾」「翱游」「横四海」尽情铺写神之自由，镜头随神上天；末「思夫君兮太息」又落回祭者之人，以人的「劳心忡忡」收束神的「横四海」之从容。这种以人之思反衬神之远、以神之自由反衬人之眷恋的章法，使短章具回环深致。意象经营上，屈原善以云之物理写神之性情：「连蜷」状云之卷舒，喻神体之婉曲；「猋远举」状云之疾升，喻神行之迅；「横四海兮焉穷」直写云之弥漫无涯。最精处是以「与日月兮齐光」将云神与日神（东君）并尊，暗伏《九歌》日云对称的结构匠心。全诗无一「云」字直写其形，而句句皆是云，是为「不写之写」的最高笔法。（人—神—人之视角往复，以人之思反衬神之自由，回环深致。）以人之思反衬神之自由，声情跌宕而结构圆融，短章具长歌之回环。

Allusions

The 'Lord in the Clouds' is a sky deity; the Hall of Longevity the shrine; Ji-Zhou the central realm of the world. The Chu Ci keeps the shamanic 'I' addressing the god as 'my lord.'

诗中名物，皆楚祭迎神与天界漫游之典。「浴兰汤」以兰草煮汤沐浴，《周礼·春官》有「女巫掌岁时祓除衅浴」之制，楚人迎神先斋洁，「兰汤」取其芳洁辟恶；「沐芳」即洗发以香，与「华采衣兮若英」的彩衣相配，写祭者敬神之极。「若英」为杜若之花，《九歌·湘君》「采芳洲兮杜若」可证，以芳草喻衣饰之华。「连蜷」训蜷曲、长曲貌，洪兴祖补注「连蜷，长曲貌」，此处既状神之体态，亦暗合云气卷舒之态。「寿宫」谓神所居之庙，《史记·封禅书》「置寿宫神君」可参。「帝服」「龙驾」写神以帝者之服、龙为之车，承《离骚》「为余驾飞龙」之仙游传统。「夫君」为祭者对云神之尊称（王逸「夫君，谓云中君也」），非后世「丈夫」之义，读此最须辨明，否则易生歧解。凡此皆屈原采楚俗祭仪与远古仙游神话熔铸而成，典故虽简，而楚文化的巫风与仙气尽在其中。（兰汤、连蜷、夫君皆楚祭古训，读此最须辨明尊称之义。）兰汤沐芳为楚人斋洁之俗，连蜷状云气卷舒，夫君为王逸所明训之尊称，读此最须辨明尊称非后世丈夫之义。

Commentary

More than nature worship, the song stages the human need the god cannot stay to fill - a pattern that shades into Qu Yuan's own exile longings.

王逸《楚辞章句》于《云中君》篇题下明注「云中君，云神也」，并于「浴兰汤」注「浴兰汤，以兰香煮水沐浴也」，于「夫君」注「夫君，谓云中君也」，为全篇解读定调——他以祭者思神说诗，视末二句为「思神之来而不可得，故太息劳心」。洪兴祖《楚辞补注》补王说尤详：于「连蜷」引《大人赋》「跮踱輵辖容以委丽」互证蜷曲之态，于「猋」引《尔雅》「扶摇谓之猋」明其迅疾，于「冀洲」辨「冀州」之异文，于「忡忡」引《诗经·召南》「忧心忡忡」证其训诂所本。朱熹《楚辞集注》卷二注「烂昭昭兮未央」为「昭昭，明貌；未央，未止也」，注「与日月兮齐光」以见云神之尊，皆平实可据。现代学者游国恩《楚辞概论》指出，《云中君》与《东君》在《九歌》中本为对称之篇（云与日），其「降—游—升—思」的结构与《东君》「升—降—思」正相映，足见屈原编排祭歌的对称匠心。诸家或重祭仪、或重训诂、或重结构，要皆承认此篇是《九歌》写「神之自由与人之眷恋」的完美小品。（王逸洪兴祖朱熹诸注相承，共认此篇写神之自由与人之眷恋。）游国恩以日月对称说其结构匠心，灼然可见，足补王洪注疏之所未详。

Prosody

Form Chu Ci psaltery-line with 'xi' caesura楚辞·九歌体（骚体兮字句）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'fragrance' (fang), 'flowers' (ying), 'ending' (yang), 'light' (guang), 'thither' (zhang), 'clouds' (zhong), 'end' (qiong), 'troubled' (chong) - archaic Chu rhyme.芳、英（阳部）；留、央（幽/阳通协）；宫、光（冬/阳）；服、章（职/阳）；降、中（冬部）；余、穷（鱼/冬通协）；息、忡（职部）

Tone pattern Free ritual chant; the 'xi' marks the musical pause.六言为主，句中「兮」分读，十四句排比铺展，由徐转疾复归于徐

Reading note A liturgical lyric where ecstasy and abandonment are two halves of one rite.《云中君》为《九歌》典型的骚体短章，全篇十四句（实为七组两句），以六言为基、句中嵌「兮」分读，形成「浴兰汤兮—沐芳」「灵连蜷兮—既留」的「四—兮—二」节奏，句式整饬而流丽。其用韵随情感段落转换而疏密不定：起二句「芳」「英」阳部相押，写迎神之明洁；次「留」「央」幽阳通协，写神降之从容；「宫」「光」冬阳、「服」「章」职阳，皆遥协以应神居之尊；「降」「中」冬部、「余」「穷」鱼冬通协，写神游之远；终「息」「忡」职部相押，写人思之愁。韵脚之由密转宽再收束，恰合「迎—降—居—游—升—思」的情感曲线。章法上，十四句以「兮」字句一贯而下，前半写人洁、神降、神居、神游（空间由地及天），后半写神升、人思（由神归人），声情由徐缓入畅达、终归于低回的太息。楚辞「兮」字在此既分隔语意又连贯气韵，使祭歌的香洁、辉煌、逍遥、眷恋四重情绪，皆由此曼声托出，是《九歌》以声调配合祭仪情绪的精湛范例，亦与《东君》日神之篇构成日月云对称的乐理结构。

Line by line

浴兰汤兮沐芳，

Bathed in orchid water, washed in fragrance,

用兰草煮的热汤沐浴啊，洗发出芬芳。

Bathing in the兰-broth, oh, scented from the wash;

此句为《云中君》开篇，写祭者迎神前的斋洁之礼，是全诗「人—神」对话的起点。「浴兰汤」以兰草煎汤沐浴，本于楚地「祓除衅浴」的巫俗，兰取其芳洁辟恶，示去秽以求清通；「沐芳」即洗发以香，与下句「华采衣兮若英」的盛服相接，写祭者由身及衣的彻底洁净。其妙，在以「芳」字双关——既指沐后之香，更暗喻迎神者心的芳洁；一个「浴」字把抽象的虔敬化为可感的动作，使读者如见祭场氤氲的兰香。此句虽写人而非写神，却是神之降临的必要前奏：唯有人间斋洁，方招天界云君。它奠定了全诗「以人之洁，招神之降」的礼意逻辑，亦遥启《九歌》他篇「芳菲菲兮满堂」的香祭传统，是楚辞祭歌「身洁而后神至」的范式开篇。

This is the opening of the 'Lord in the Clouds,' writing the purifying rite before the sacrificer welcomes the god, the starting point of the poem's human-god dialogue. 'Bathing in the兰-broth'—bathing in兰-steeped hot water, rooted in the Chu custom of 'purification and lustration,' the兰 chosen for its fragrance that wards off ill, showing the removal of defilement to seek clearness. 'Scented from the wash' means washing the hair with fragrance, joined to the next line 'robes bright as flowers,' writing the sacrificer's thorough cleansing from body to dress. The art lies in the double meaning of 'fragrant': both the scent after bathing and, hidden, the fragrant purity of the welcoming heart; the single 'bathe' turns abstract devotion into a perceivable action, letting the reader see the兰-scent rising through the ritual ground. Though the line writes the human, not the god, it is the necessary prelude to the god's descent: only human purity can summon the cloud-god. It fixes the ritual logic of the whole, 'human purity to invite the god's descent,' and foreshadows the fragrant-sacrifice tradition of the other Nine Songs pieces, the model opening of Chuci hymns on 'the body clean before the god comes.'

灵皇皇兮既降，

the radiant spirit has now descended,

神灵光明盛大啊，已经降临。

Divine in splendor, oh, he has descended;

此句写云神降临的高光时刻，是祭礼由「迎」转「降」的关键。「灵皇皇」三字叠「皇」状神光之盛大辉煌，王逸所谓「皇皇，美貌」，洪兴祖补以「大也、盛也」，正写云开光满、神临赫赫之象；「兮」字一顿，引出「既降」——神已从云中下临祭坛。其艺术之重，在于把「云之舒卷」这一自然现象，拟写为「神之赫临」的宗教经验：云之透光即神之光，云之垂落即神之降，物象与神迹浑然莫辨。此句与开篇「浴兰汤」的人间斋洁呼应：人既洁，神乃降，礼成于此一瞬。更可味者，「皇皇」之盛与篇末「劳心忡忡」之悴形成强光与柔忧的对照——神之降临越是辉煌，祭者别后的思念越是绵长，这一明一暗的声情跌宕，正是《九歌》祭歌最动人的心理张力。

This line writes the luminous moment of the cloud-god's descent, the turning of the rite from 'welcoming' to 'descending.' 'Divine in splendor'—the doubled 'splendor' renders the vast brilliance of the divine light; Wang Yi glosses 'splendor as fair,' and Hong Xingzu adds 'great, abundant,' precisely the scene of the cloud opened to light, the god coming in glory. The 'oh' pauses, leading to 'has descended'—the god has come down from the clouds to the altar. The artistic weight lies in writing the natural phenomenon of 'the cloud's unfolding and folding' as the religious experience of 'the god's splendid arrival': the light through the cloud is the god's light, the cloud's sinking is the god's descent, thing and miracle indistinguishable. This line echoes the opening 'bathing in the兰-broth'—human clean, then god descends, the rite completed in an instant. Most toothsome is the contrast between the 'splendor' of arrival and the closing 'heart sore with longing,' the bright of the god's descent set against the soft grief of the sacrificer's farewell—the chiaroscuro of sound and feeling that is the most moving psychological tension of the Nine Songs hymns.

横四海兮焉穷

crossing the four seas - where is its end?

横越四海啊，哪里有穷尽的时候。

Across the four seas, oh, where is the end?

此句写云神既降而复升、横览天地的自由，是《云中君》最见云之特性的奇笔。「横四海」直写云气弥漫、周流六合的无远弗届，「焉穷」以反诘表其无穷尽——云本无形而遍覆，以此写神之逍遥，可谓「以云之性写神之体」。它遥承上句「猋远举兮云中」的疾升，把神的行踪从「降于祭坛」推向「游于天下」，空间骤然放大至四海八荒。其妙在「横」字：云非直上，而是横铺漫卷，「横」字最得云之神髓；「焉穷」二字则以人的有限反衬神之无限，暗含祭者「望神之去而不可追」的怅惘。此句与《九歌·云中君》整体的「降—升」结构相扣，亦与《东君》日神「横四海」形成日云并尊的对称。读此一句，只见云涛浩瀚、神游无极，而人立于祭坛仰望，渺小与宏阔的对照，正是楚辞「天人相感」意境的极致。

This line writes the cloud-god, having descended, again rising and ranging the free heaven and earth, the stroke that best shows the cloud's nature in the 'Lord in the Clouds.' 'Across the four seas' directly writes the cloud-vapor permeating and circulating the six directions, reaching everywhere; 'where is the end?' uses a rhetorical question for its boundlessness—the cloud, formless yet covering all, used to write the god's freedom, truly 'writing the god's being through the cloud's nature.' It carries forward the previous 'swiftly rising into the clouds,' pushing the god's course from 'descending to the altar' to 'roaming the world,' the space suddenly enlarged to the eight wastes. The art lies in the word 'across': the cloud rises not straight up but spreads and rolls horizontally, 'across' best catching the cloud's essence; 'where is the end' sets human finitude against the god's infinitude, secretly carrying the sacrificer's wistfulness at 'watching the god go and not being able to follow.' This line links to the overall 'descend—rise' structure of the 'Lord in the Clouds,' and forms a symmetry with the Sun-god's 'across the four seas' in the 'Eastern Lord,' the sun and cloud alike honored. Reading this line, one sees only the vast cloud-sea, the god's roaming without bound, while the human stands on the altar gazing up—the contrast of small and grand, the extreme of Chuci's 'heaven and man responding.'

思夫君兮太息，

I think of my lord and sigh,

思念那云中君啊，我长声叹息。

Longing for that lord, oh, I heave a deep sigh;

此句为全诗情感的下沉与收束，由神之「横四海」的宏阔，陡落回祭者之「太息」的微叹。「夫君」为王逸所明训的「对云中君之尊称」，绝非后世「丈夫」之义，读此最须辨明——它是楚祭中人对神的标准敬称（亦见于《九歌·大司命》「思夫君兮太息」同句，足证为祭歌套语）。「兮」字一顿，引出「太息」，把前面所有的降、居、游、升之热烈，凝为一声悠长的叹息。其艺术之要，在以「思」字收束全篇：神已横四海而去，人所余唯「思」；神愈自由，人之思愈深。此句与《大司命》几乎同辞，正见《九歌》祭歌「神去而人思」的固定收尾模式，亦可见屈原把相同的祭歌套语，安置于不同神祇篇末，形成复调般的呼应。一个「思」字，把祭礼的宗教虔敬，化为人神之间永恒的距离与眷恋，哀婉而庄严。

This line is the emotional descent and close of the poem, dropping from the god's grand 'across the four seas' suddenly to the sacrificer's 'deep sigh.' 'That lord' is expressly glossed by Wang Yi as 'the respectful title for the Lord in the Clouds,' by no means the later sense of 'husband'—the most crucial distinction in reading: it is the standard honorific for the god in Chu sacrifice (also seen in the identical line 'longing for that lord, oh, I heave a deep sigh' in the 'Great Master of Fate,' proving it a hymn formula). The 'oh' pauses, leading to 'deep sigh,' gathering all the foregoing descent, dwelling, roaming, and rising into one long sigh. The artistic crux is the single 'longing' closing the poem: the god has gone across the four seas, and what remains to the human is only 'longing'; the freer the god, the deeper the human longing. This line is nearly identical to the 'Great Master of Fate,' showing the fixed closing pattern of the Nine Songs hymns, 'the god departs and the human longs,' and showing how Qu Yuan placed the same hymn formula at the ends of different god-pieces, forming a contrapuntal echo. A single 'longing' turns the rite's religious devotion into the eternal distance and attachment between god and human, plaintive and solemn.

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兰汤 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「兰汤」即以兰草煎沸的沐浴之汤，是此诗开篇迎神斋洁的核心物象。《周礼》载女巫「掌岁时祓除衅浴」，楚人迎神尤重以芳草浴身，「兰」取其芳香辟恶、通灵迎神之意。炼此一词，不须铺陈祭仪，已令祭场兰香氤氲、虔敬自生；且「兰」在楚辞中是贯穿性的芳洁符号（如《离骚》「纫秋兰以为佩」、《九歌》诸篇屡言兰茝），「兰汤」正将此符号落实为迎神的第一个动作。其妙在「汤」字——热水蒸腾，既写沐浴之实，又暗喻人心的涤荡升腾；兰与汤合，形（香）神（洁）兼具。屈原以「兰汤」二字开启全篇，使无形的「敬」化为有形的「浴」，是以物写礼、以实写虚的炼字典范，亦为《九歌》「芳洁招神」传统的开篇定调。

连蜷 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「连蜷」训长曲、蜷曲之貌，洪兴祖补注引证其为「长曲貌」，本形容体态或物形之宛转。屈原于此以「灵连蜷兮既留」写云神降临时的体态——既状神体之婉曲从容，又暗合云气卷舒回环的物理之态，是一字而兼写「神」与「云」的双关妙笔。炼此一词，最见楚辞「以物性写神性」的匠心：云的卷舒即神的行止，云的蜷曲即神的容与，物象与神格浑融莫分。它与下「烂昭昭」的光耀、「既留」的暂驻相接，写神之降不是骤然而来，而是如云之舒卷、从容留驻，极尽「云之为神」的柔美。一个「连蜷」，把抽象的「神临」写得如云可抚，是屈子「将云拟神」最精微的炼字，亦开后世以云之卷舒喻仙姿的先声。

夫君 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「夫君」为此诗末段「思夫君兮太息」的称谓，王逸《章句》明训「夫君，谓云中君也」，是祭者对云神的标准尊称，与后世「丈夫」之义了不相涉——读《九歌》者最须于此辨明，否则易生文意之歧。炼此一词，分量极重：它标示了全诗视角的归属——前面种种降、居、游、升，皆是「我」所见的神；而「夫君」一声尊称，把高高在上的云神唤作可思可叹的「君」，既存宗教的敬畏，又含人神相契的亲近。此词亦非云中君所独用，《九歌·大司命》末亦有「思夫君兮太息」同辞，正证其为楚祭「神去人思」套语，屈原将其安于不同神祇篇末，形成复调呼应。一个「夫君」，凝着楚人祭歌中人对神既敬且恋的复杂情感，是小称谓见大礼意的炼字典范。

云中君