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元 Yuan · 曲 Qu song

山坡羊·骊山怀古

Sheep on the Hillside · Meditations on Mount Li

张养浩

Zhang Yanghao

怀古Meditation on the Past

骊山四顾，阿房一炬，当时奢侈今何处？
只见草萧疏，水萦纡。
至今遗恨迷烟树。
列国周齐秦汉楚。
赢，都变做了土；
输，都变做了土。

I gaze around Mount Li,
Where once stood Epang Palace, now burnt to ashes.
Where are the extravagances of those days?
Only sparse grass and winding waters remain.
The regret lingers still among misty trees.
Kingdoms rose and fell: Zhou, Qi, Qin, Han, Chu.
Winners, all turned to dust;
Losers, all turned to dust.

Listen

Meaning

Looking around Mount Li, the poet recalls the Epang Palace that was burned to ashes. All the luxury of the Qin dynasty is gone. Only desolate grass and winding streams remain. The historical regret still lingers. He enumerates the warring states and concludes that both victors and vanquished have turned to dust.

四下回望骊山，当年那座巍峨的阿房宫一把大火便化为灰烬，昔日的穷奢极侈如今又在哪里？只看见荒草稀疏，流水盘曲萦绕，至今遗恨还迷漫在烟树之间。周、齐、秦、汉、楚，多少朝代在此争霸。赢了的，都化作了尘土；输了的，也都化作了尘土。

Appreciation

The poem contrasts past splendor with present desolation. The opening line contrasts Mount Li with the burnt palace. The rhetorical question 'Where are the extravagances?' highlights transience. The final couplet, with its parallel structure—'Winners, all turned to dust; Losers, all turned to dust'—underscores the futility of imperial ambition. Zhang Yanghao sees beyond victory and defeat to the ultimate emptiness of worldly power.

【白话串讲】阿房宫一炬，骊山脚下只剩下草和水。张养浩站在这里说：赢，都变做了土；输，都变做了土。历史的大道理，被他说得比喝凉水还透。【意象与手法】上片由骊山、阿房起兴，以"当时奢侈今何处"设问收束【情感与主旨】此曲与《潼关怀古》同为张养浩天历二年（1329）赴陕赈灾途中所作，属怀古组曲【名句点睛】常考与《潼关怀古》同调而意别：此处言"赢输皆土"，更见历史虚无与超脱，可比较二者主旨差异

Background

Zhang Yanghao wrote this poem in 1329 while on a relief mission to Shaanxi during a famine. Mount Li is the site of the Qin Shihuang's tomb and the Tang Huaqing Pool. Epang Palace symbolizes the rapid rise and fall of the Qin dynasty. The poet, weary from relief work, climbs the mountain and meditates on history, expressing a profound sense of disillusionment with the cycles of dynastic rise and fall.

《山坡羊·骊山怀古》为元代张养浩所作，与《潼关怀古》同为其天历二年（一三二九年）赴陕西赈灾途中所写的怀古组曲。骊山在今陕西临潼，距长安（西都）不远，周幽王『烽火戏诸侯』、秦始皇骊山筑陵、唐明皇华清赐浴皆发生于此，历来为兴亡代谢的见证地。阿房宫则为秦始皇所营，秦亡时付之一炬（见杜牧《阿房宫赋》『楚人一炬，可怜焦土』）。张养浩途经骊山，抚遗迹而兴叹，遂有此作。在文学传统上，骊山怀古自唐以来题咏不绝（如杜牧《华清宫》、李白《过华清宫》），多伤宠溺误国；张养浩此曲却跳出具体史鉴，将视野推及『列国周齐秦汉楚』的更广阔的兴亡循环，以『赢输皆土』收束，显现出对历史虚无的达观与超脱。它与《潼关怀古》同调而异旨：彼重生民之『苦』，此重王朝之『土』，合观方见作者怀古之全幅关怀。又元散曲怀古多叹兴亡，张养浩以宰臣之身、赈灾之际作此，于悲慨中见通透，亦见元人散曲由绮艳转向沉郁之一脉。

Art

The poem begins with a spatial and historical sweep: Mount Li and Epang Palace. The question 'Where are the extravagances?' transitions to the bleak scene of sparse grass and winding streams. The list of states—Zhou, Qi, Qin, Han, Chu—expands the scope temporally. The final two lines, parallel in structure, deliver a blunt conclusion. This contrasts with Zhang's other poem on Tong Pass, which focuses on the suffering of the people.

此曲章法由实入虚、由吊古转入哲理，结构疏宕而意脉贯通。上片『骊山四顾，阿房一炬，当时奢侈今何处』以登临起兴，『四顾』写出凭吊的环视姿态，『一炬』以极简笔墨点出阿房之焚，『今何处』以设问收束奢华幻灭之问，三句由地及事及问，一气流转。中二句『只见草萧疏，水萦纡。至今遗恨迷烟树』由问转写眼前实景，以萧疏荒草、萦曲流水、迷蒙烟树写尽繁华褪尽后的凄凉，『遗恨迷烟树』将历史怅惘化为可见的朦胧之景。下片『列国周齐秦汉楚』陡然展宽时空，罗列历代争霸之国；结句『赢，都变做了土；输，都变做了土』以对仗断语收束，揭示胜负同归虚无。其艺术核心在『由一隅（骊山阿房）之毁推及天下（列国）之同毁』的递进逻辑，末句如一声浩叹，将怀古升华为对历史规律的冷峻洞察。全曲以问起、以景承、以论结，疏密相生，是小令中含纳古今的格局之作。前人谓怀古易犯堆垛，此曲以问句提摄、以断语收煞，疏密自如，故能于短章中见长篇之概，非俗笔所可到。

Allusions

'Mount Li' evokes the Qin imperial tomb and Tang Huaqing Pool. 'Epang Palace burnt' alludes to Du Mu's 'Epang Palace Fu', which describes how a single torch reduced the vast palace to ashes. The list of states includes Zhou, Qi, Qin, Han, Chu—all powers that once fought for dominance, implying that even the greatest empires end in dust.

本曲用典密集而皆贴切。『骊山』牵连周幽王宠褒姒（烽火戏诸侯亡周）、秦始皇筑陵、唐明皇杨妃华清池等多重史事，是浓缩的兴亡符号。『阿房一炬』直用杜牧《阿房宫赋》『戍卒叫，函谷举，楚人一炬，可怜焦土』，指项羽入关焚秦宫室（史载项羽烧秦宫室，三月不灭）。『当时奢侈』暗含对秦皇汉武唐皇穷奢的泛指。『列国周齐秦汉楚』列举春秋战国至楚汉之争的主要争雄之国——周之东迁、齐之霸业、秦之一统、汉之兴替、楚之覆灭，皆曾称雄，终归一尽。『变做了土』化用『化为尘土』的常语，与《潼关怀古》『宫阙万间都做了土』同脉。历来注家指出，『赢输皆土』虽显虚无，实则是作者看破争权夺利后的超脱语，与佛家『一切有为法，如梦幻泡影』及《红楼梦》『落了片白茫茫大地真干净』的色空之叹遥相呼应，其来有自，非率尔之谈。后世论此曲，或病其『虚无』，不知作者之虚无正所以深其悲悯，看破而后能担当，此中消息，最宜细参，未可仅以消极目之。

Commentary

Critics praise Zhang's ability to see through the cycles of history. This poem, with its stark conclusion, reveals a detached, philosophical perspective. While his Tong Pass poem is filled with compassion for the common people, this one adopts a more transcendent view, seeing victory and defeat as equally meaningless.

此曲自明代即入散曲选本，与《潼关怀古》并称张养浩怀古双璧。其经典地位在结句『赢，都变做了土；输，都变做了土』所揭示的历史虚无与超脱——它不同于传统怀古的『叹英雄末路』或『伤红颜祸水』，而是指出无论胜负，争夺的王朝终归尘土，立意别具一种看破红尘的达观。清人评语多将其与《潼关怀古》对读，以为『一悲民生，一嗟兴废，各有境界』。在传播史上，它因句式短促、道理显豁而常与《潼关怀古》并录于教材，供比较阅读。需注意者，『虚无』并非消极：张养浩虽看破王朝幻灭，赴陕后仍竭力赈灾、以民为本，足见其超脱的是功名争夺，而非责任担当。此曲思想之价值，正在以虚无之语反衬务实之行，表里相成，耐人寻味；后世读之，既能识兴亡之虚，亦当敬其赈灾之实。张养浩以词曲写怀抱，不特为风云月露之语，其胸中丘壑，实足以方古之良史，此曲之可贵，正在以曲体而具史识，故能超乎寻常叹老嗟卑之俦。

Prosody

Form San qu (dramatic lyric) in the tune pattern 'Shanpo Yang' (Sheep on the Hillside), Middle Palace mode.元曲小令，中吕·山坡羊

Rhyme End rhymes: gu, ju, chu, yu, shu, chu, tu, tu.押鱼模韵（中原音韵），顾、炬、处、纡、树、楚、土协韵，一韵到底，声情悲郁而收束旷达。

Tone pattern The first five lines describe scenes and events; the last two short lines deliver the moral.山坡羊句式为七七七、三三、七七、三三（末『赢，都变做了土；输，都变做了土』为三四三参差带过），平仄依北曲腔格，不似诗词拘严，『顾』『炬』等仄声顿挫，末『土』字重落如断案。

Reading note The same tune and author as 'Meditations on Tong Pass', both ending with a crisp, desolate conclusion.中吕宫声情『高下闪赚』，宜写感慨跌宕，此曲由骊山凭吊之沉郁转入『赢输皆土』之旷达，声情正合『高下闪赚』之致。用韵上『顾』『炬』『处』『纡』『树』『楚』『土』皆鱼模部，回环往复如叹息不绝；『土』字两现于结句，重拍收束，将虚无之叹敲定。句式前密后疏——上片铺陈实景，下片『列国周齐秦汉楚』一句展宽时空，末以三三短句断语收煞，长短错落如历史的俯仰。北曲本色与怀古深沉于此交融，唱之令人既感兴亡之重，又悟争夺之空。中吕之调写兴废，声情与辞意两相激发，由沉郁而旷达，宫调之助于此曲尤为明显。中吕写怀古，声情辞意相得，由沉郁而旷达，遂成元曲豪放一脉之佳构，唱之令人既感兴亡之重，复悟争夺之空。

Line by line

骊山四顾，

Looking out from Mount Li on every side,

四下回望骊山

Turning from Mount Li to gaze out on every side.

起句写登临凭吊之姿，『四顾』二字将读者带入作者环视骊山的现场，既状空间之周览，亦含历史之回望——骊山一隅，周秦汉唐多少争雄宠溺之事皆发生于此。一个『顾』字带出人事代谢的俯仰感，开篇即定下怀古的苍茫基调。它看似平淡叙事，实则以动作统领全篇视野，由『四顾』之所见，自然引出下文阿房之焚与列国之灭，是怀古小令『即地生感』的典型起法，亦见作者凭高吊古的从容与沉郁。

The opening writes the posture of climbing to mourn; 'on every side' brings the reader into the poet's scanning of Mount Li, the survey of space, and the looking back of history — one corner of Mount Li, yet how many feuds and favors of Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang happened here. The word 'gaze' brings the俯仰 feeling of human affairs' turns; the opening fixes the vast tone of historical mourning. Seemingly plain narrative, the line in fact commands the whole field of vision through action, naturally leading, from 'what is seen on every side,' to the burning of Epang and the fall of the states below — the typical opening of the historical short song, 'feeling born on the spot,' showing the poet's calm and somberness in mourning from the height.

阿房一炬，

Epang, a single torch.

当年那座巍峨的阿房宫一把大火便化为灰烬

That Epang Palace, one torch, turned to ashes.

承句以极简笔墨写尽秦宫之毁灭，『一炬』二字力重千钧——耗费天下民力的巍峨阿房，竟毁于区区一炬，奢华与灰烬的瞬间转换极具讽刺张力。此句直用杜牧《阿房宫赋》『楚人一炬，可怜焦土』之典，却浓缩为四字短语，于小令体式中见史笔之简。它既坐实『骊山四顾』中所见的兴亡实证，又为下句『当时奢侈今何处』之问提供答案，是由景及问的关键转捩。以『一』字写尽倾覆之易，与『阿房』之巨形成惊心反差，炼字之妙在举重若轻。

The answering line writes the destruction of the Qin palace in the fewest words; 'a single torch' is weighty beyond measure — the mighty Epang, built on the toil of all the realm, destroyed by one small torch, the instant shift from splendor to ashes holding satirical tension. The line directly uses Du Mu's Rhapsody on Epang, 'the men of Chu set a torch, alas, the scorched earth,' yet condenses it to four characters, showing history's brevity within the short song's form. It confirms the rise-and-fall evidence seen in the 'looking out on every side,' and answers the next question 'where is the splendor of that time?' — the key turning from scene to question. The word 'single' writes the ease of overthrow, set in a shocking contrast with the vastness of 'Epang' — the word-craft of weightless handling.

当时奢侈今何处？

Where now is all that splendor of that time?

昔日的穷奢极侈如今又在哪里

That lavish luxury of the time — where is it now?

此句以设问收束上片，将阿房一炬的个案升华为对一切『奢侈』（穷奢极侈的统治者）的诘问。『当时』与『今』的时间对举，凸显繁华之短暂与虚无之必然，问而不答，答案已见于眼前『草萧疏，水萦纡』的荒凉。设问笔法使怀古由叙述转为抒情与思辨，调动读者同思，是全曲由吊古转入哲理的枢纽，亦为下片推及列国、归结『皆土』埋下伏笔。一问而关千古，字面浅近而包孕极深，是散曲小令以寻常语发大感慨的当行家数。

This line closes the first part in a question, lifting the single case of Epang's torch into an arraignment of all 'splendor' (the extravagant rulers). The time contrast of 'that time' and 'now' sets off the briefness of splendor and the inevitability of void; asked without answer, the answer already in the desolation before the eyes — sparse grass, winding water. The questioning turns the mourning from narrative to lyric and thought, drawing the reader into the same reflection, the song's hinge from mourning to philosophy, priming the spread to the states and the close of 'all dust.' One question reaching across the ages, plain on the surface, deep within — the native art of the short song finding great emotion in ordinary words.

赢，都变做了土；输，都变做了土。

Winners, all turned to dust; Losers, all turned to dust.

赢了的，都化作了尘土；输了的，也都化作了尘土

Winner — all turned to dust; loser — all turned to dust.

结句为全曲灵魂，以『赢』『输』对举、两现『变做了土』，道出历史最冷峻的真相：无论争霸胜负，王朝与英雄终归一抔黄土。此语打破怀古常情——人每叹失败者之悲，作者却指出胜利者同样虚无，遂将兴亡之叹推向彻底的平等与超脱。句式短促如民谣断案，与前面铺叙形成节奏反差，读来如一声浩叹。它既是对『列国周齐秦汉楚』争雄的总收束，亦显作者看破功名争夺后的达观，与《潼关怀古》『百姓苦』互补，共构其怀古之完整思想。『土』字以最卑微的物象消解最煊赫的权势，反讽与色空之叹俱在其中。

The closing is the soul of the song, setting 'winner' and 'loser' against each other, repeating 'turned to dust' twice, speaking history's coldest truth: whether victory or defeat in the feud, dynasties and heroes alike end in a handful of yellow earth. The words break the usual habit of mourning, where men sigh only for the loser; the poet points out that the victor is equally void, pushing the lament to utter equality and detachment. The line is short, like a folk verdict, set in rhythmic contrast with the narrative above, reading like a long sigh. It is at once the gathering of the feud of 'the states of Zhou, Qi, Qin, Han, Chu,' and the poet's detachment after seeing through the scramble for fame — complementary with 'the people suffer' of his His Pass at Tong Pass, completing his thought on history. The word 'dust,' the humblest thing, dissolves the most towering power; irony and the sigh on form and void are both within.

Study

Word focus

一炬 a single torch (i.e., burnt down) 『一炬』二字以极小写极大，是史笔式的高度凝缩。阿房宫『覆压三百余里』的巍峨，耗尽了秦天下的人力，却毁于『一炬』之火，奢华与毁灭在二字中完成戏剧性对撞。相较杜牧赋中铺陈的『楚人一炬，可怜焦土』，张养浩缩为『一炬』，更显举重若轻，于小令寸金之地见史家剪裁之力。『一』字既言火势之单一，亦暗讽统治者聚敛之巨终归虚妄，是怀古小令以少胜多、以实写虚的炼字典范。它与起句『四顾』相映，一广一骤，将千年兴废收于一火，最见作者炼字之雄健与史识之通透。

土 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 『土』字是结句也是全曲的终极符码，两现于『赢输皆土』。它将一切帝王功业、宫阙奢华、争霸胜负收束为最朴素的『尘土』，与《潼关怀古》『宫阙万间都做了土』同脉而异用——彼『土』侧重繁华易逝之悲，此『土』侧重胜负同归之虚。『土』以最卑微的物象消解最煊赫的权势，具强烈的反讽与色空意味，遥通佛家『如梦幻泡影』与《红楼梦》白茫茫之叹。一字而定全曲虚无超脱的基调，是小令以口语载哲理的上乘之用。张养浩以『土』字作结，看似冷峭，实则是阅尽兴亡后的悲悯与通透，非少年轻狂者所能道。