What does the word Li Sao mean?

There are two opinions about the meaning of "Li Sao". One is that Sima Qian, a historian and writer in the Western Han Dynasty, explained in Records of the Historian and Biographies of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng that those who leave Sao are still worried. Separation means pain. Li Sao is suffering from anxiety. Second, the expression in Wang Yi's Preface to the Songs of Chu and Lisao in the Eastern Han Dynasty: leave, never leave. Sao, sorrow. Interpret Li Sao as "Don't worry".

In Shuo Wen Jie Zi, "Ye Li" means attachment; "Sao, disturbing" stands for anxiety! Qu Yuan, a Chu native, was banished to a remote place, but he still cared about his motherland and refused to leave. So it is called "separation". At that time, the traitors in Chu were in power, and their national strength declined, which was gradually eroded by Qiang Qin. Looking at the national disaster, Qu Yuan could do nothing. He must be worried and restless, so he called it "Sao".

Qu Yuan pursues beauty all his life, whether it is politics or literature, so his body is full of the melancholy temperament of literati, and he often fully expresses his feelings for the country and everything in literature.

For example, there is a sentence in Li Sao, "I take a long breath to hide my tears and lament the hardships of the people." Such a straightforward patriotic feeling! His poems mainly express his love for the country, his misfortune to the country and his feelings about his own misfortune. The title of the poem Li Sao shows that it is a literary work that describes his misfortune and expresses his parting sadness.