"Li Sao" during the Warring States Period is one of Qu Yuan's masterpieces. This poem is 375 lines long and nearly 2,500 words long. It is the earliest and longest lyric poem in Chinese classical literature and can be called the longest lyric poem in Chinese history. poetry.
The meaning of the word "Li" is: to separate, to separate, to leave, to leave; to cut; to combine, to line up; to display; to experience; one of the eight trigrams, symbolizing fire; to be bright; to suffer, to suffer; to be a woman. Wedding scarf; Li, attachment; the ancient Chinese character for Chi, "Mountain God calls it separation" in "Guangya·Shitian".
The word "sao" means: turmoil, harassment, turmoil, restlessness; sadness; body odor; sweep.
The word "Li Sao" was interpreted by Sima Qian as "leaving sorrow", Wang Yi as "farewell to sorrow", and Ban Gu as "encountering sorrow". Modern people also interpreted it as "complaining" and "laoshang". Laoshang is the name of a popular song in Chu State. "Labour and Merchant". From the perspective of the word "Li Sao" itself, the above explanations are reasonable and can be established. However, if we analyze the time, content and purpose of Qu Yuan writing this poem, he wrote it when he was framed by villains and was cold and alienated by King Huai of Chu (around 313 BC). , was written to King Huai of Chu, meaning "I experienced fluctuations in my thoughts and could not be reused, so I went back to my old profession." From this perspective, Qu Yuan used "Li Sao" as the title of his article, which means "to state one's restless mood".
The whole poem "Li Sao" can be divided into three major paragraphs in terms of content.
The first paragraph, from "Emperor Gaoyang's descendants are here" to "I can't bear to punish him", has 130 sentences, and the content is divided into 5 sections.
Section 1. In the first sentence of "Li Sao", Qu Yuan described his noble birth as "the descendant of Emperor Gaoyang", where Gaoyang refers to Taihao and Shaohao. We know that Qu Yuan was born in the Ba ethnic group of the Chu State. The ancestors of the Ba ethnic group were Taihao and Shaohao. Compared with Zhuanxu, the ancestor of the Chu king, Chu people, and Chu nobles, Shaohao was the emperor Zhuanxu. See " "The Classic of Mountains and Seas: The Eastern Classic of the Wilderness": "Beyond the East China Sea is a great ravine, the country of Shaohao. Zhuanxu, the emperor of Shaohao, abandoned his harp and harp here." Therefore, the subtext of Qu Yuan's words is that the king of Chu and the nobles of Chu, you Don't look down on me, my ancestors are nobler than your ancestors.
Next, Qu Yuan recounted that he was born on an auspicious day in the Year of the Tiger, the Tiger Moon, and the Tiger Day (Ba people worship tigers). He was talented, intelligent, valued self-cultivation, had lofty ambitions, and was seizing every day and reforming to become stronger. , The political ambition of daring to be the first in the world "If you don't grow strong and abandon the filthy, why not change this attitude? Take a ride on the horse and gallop, come to me to lead the way!"
Section 2. Tell about your own assistance King Huai of Chu carried out legislative reforms in order to realize the prosperity of the three generations of Yao, Shun and Yu in Chu. However, he was framed by villains, the king of Chu broke the contract, and was alienated and excluded from the political arena of Chu. Here, Qu Yuan points to the sky as righteousness, expresses his sincere loyalty to his motherland and his king, and deplores Ling Xiu (King of Chu) for breaking the contract and changing his mind: "Since I first fell in love with Yu, I regretted running away and having him. It's not difficult for Yu to be with him." Farewell from husband hurts spiritual cultivation."
The so-called king of Chu broke the contract, this is a very unusual statement, and ordinary officials would not say this. The reason why Qu Yuan said this was because his political career represented the desire of the Ba people, a minority group in Chu State, to resist Qin, and he had reached an agreement with King Huai of Chu. In 318 B.C., King Huai of Chu was elected as the commander-in-chief of the alliance, leading the rebels of all countries to fight against the Qin Dynasty. It was at this time that Qu Yuan entered the decision-making level of Chu State, and King Chu Huai was interested in the martial spirit of the Ba people. The combat effectiveness it possesses. However, King Huai of Chu was changeable on diplomatic issues, and was neither shrewd nor principled. Sometimes he resisted Qin and sometimes he was pro-Qin, thus breaking his trust with the world and his countrymen.
Qu Yuan used "spiritual cultivation" to refer to the King of Chu many times in "Li Sao", such as "The reason for the husband's spiritual cultivation", "The number of hurt spiritual cultivation", and "The majesty of the resentful spiritual cultivation". So, why did Qu Yuan call King Chu "spiritual cultivator"? Obviously, this is not a common way for Chu nobles and officials to address the King of Chu, but Qu Yuan's original creation. This is because Qu Yuan was born as a wizard of the Ba tribe, and his real name was Lingjun (Ling means witch). Therefore, he had reason to think that the King of Chu was a great wizard or the leader of the wizards. The word "Xiu" means beautiful, tall and big. The ancients regarded tall stature as beautiful; the so-called "Lingxiu" refers to a tall wizard, that is, the head of wizards.
Section 3. Describe that during his tenure, he has done a lot of work that is beneficial to the country, but he has been unable to change the social status quo of villains who are fighting for their own interests. I deeply feel that my time is wasted, and I am afraid that if things continue like this, I will not be able to realize my desire to make contributions to the country when I grow old. In this case, "although I am not as good as today's people, I am willing to follow Peng Xian's legacy." Peng Xian refers to Wu Peng and Wu Xian, famous wizards in ancient times; Qu Yuan was born as a priest and his dharma name was Lingjun. To learn from Peng Xian was to practice his own profession.
Section 4. Describes that he was criticized in the court in the morning and was dismissed from his official position in the evening. As a result, he was very depressed and confused, and felt extremely painful. Despite this, he still refuses to join the others, and he does not regret his choice of good things. "I am still doing good in my heart, and even though I almost died, I still have no regrets."
It specifically mentioned that "all the women were jealous of Yu's beautiful eyebrows, and rumors spread that Yu was good at lewdness." The so-called "women are jealous of me" means that Qu Yuan's eyebrows were as curved as the moon, his figure was beautiful, and he was suave. Coupled with his unique behavior, he once strongly attracted the attention and admiration of princes, nobles, and their concubines. As a result, he was jealous and rumors spread.
Section 5. Describe your complicated emotions and difficult choices: "If you can't get in, you'll have to leave. If you retreat, you will restore my first server." The meaning is that since you have been convicted of joining politics, you might as well repair your original clothes (the national costume of the Ba people's wizards) and go back to your old profession. On the issue of maintaining national customs, Qu Yuan's attitude was resolute, "Everyone has their own interests in life, and I only take it as a matter of course that I am good at cultivation. Although I have understood it, I have not changed, so I can't punish it!"
The second paragraph, from "The beauty of a woman's beard" to "How can I endure this forever", has 128 sentences, and the content is divided into 4 sections.
Section 1. Describes how women advise themselves to follow the local customs and not to be different. It shows that after Qu Yuan was squeezed out of the political arena, he once returned to his hometown, or he took a detour back to his hometown during his exile. Although people in his hometown sympathized with Qu Yuan's experience, they did not understand Qu Yuan's ideas.
Nv Xu, there are different opinions about her identity. Some say she is Qu Yuan's sister, some she is Qu Yuan's daughter, some she is Qu Yuan's maid or concubine, some she is a fictional character of Qu Yuan. Her status is equivalent to that of Qu Yuan. Lingfen, Wuxian. Judging from the description in "Li Sao" that "Nuxu is a beautiful girl, Shen Shen Qiyu" and the point of view held by Nuxu, she should be a real figure in Qu Yuan's life, probably Qu Yuan's sister. At the same time, the identity of Nüxu should be that of a witch, whose position is similar to that of the witch aunt among the Ten Witches of Wushan; Chen Shilin also believed that "Nuxu" means "spiritual girl" by comparing Chu and Yi languages ??("Nationality"). Chinese Language, Issue 2, 1991).
Section 2. Describe his arrival in the south, state to Emperor Shun the reasons why he adheres to his life ideals, summarize the experiences and lessons of historical successes and failures, and continue to elaborate on the proposition that only by emphasizing talents and empowering can a country be prosperous and strong.
Section 3. Describe yourself riding a dragon and a phoenix to a distant place, "The road is long and long, and I will realize it and search for it." No matter how far the journey is, I must search up and down to find my ideal. However, Master Lei refused to listen to the instructions, and the guards of the Heavenly Palace refused to open the Heavenly Gate. He encountered obstacles at every turn, implying that the road to leaving the country would not work.
Here, Qu Yuan fully demonstrated his extraordinary imagination. He ordered Xi He to let the sun chariot drive slowly, invited the moon god Wangshu as the pioneer, and suddenly went to the Hanging Garden of Kunlun Mountain. In the hanging garden, I suddenly went to the Xianchi to drink my horse, and now I went to the Heavenly Palace to knock on the door. Obviously, this is due to Qu Yuan's background as a wizard, because the words to invite gods and life gods are part of the wizard's job and have become habitual thinking; in fact, similar rhetorical methods exist in a large number of Qu Yuan's various works. , and became one of Qu Fu's most prominent literary features.
Section 4. Describe your pursuit of beautiful women in history, and at the same time show your persistence and determination towards your ideals by pursuing beautiful women. Qu Yuan repeatedly described his pursuit of beautiful women in "Li Sao": "I am sorry for the lack of girls in Gaoqiu", "It is a pity to look down on a girl", "Is it only because he has girls", "Who pursues beauty and releases girls", " Talking about floating and asking for a girl", and "asking for the location of Concubine Mi", "seeing the lost girl", "leaving Yu's two Yao" and so on. Concubine Mi, according to legend, was the daughter of Fu Xi. She drowned in Luoshui and became the goddess of Luoshui; You's daughter was the wife of Emperor Gaoxin; Eryao was the concubine of Emperor Shaokang of Xia.
As for the meaning of Qu Yuan's "seeking for a girl" in "Li Sao", ancient and modern commentators have been arguing about it. Some say it is seeking someone who can connect with the emperor, some is seeking a way to achieve good governance, or some is seeking a woman. Red pink confidant, or seeking close friends. In fact, this involves Qu Yuan's love, marriage, and family issues.
Perhaps, Qu Yuan's repeated narration of his "wooing for a girl" but to no avail was actually a statement of his repeated failures in marriage: Fuxi's daughter Mi Fei (an allusion to a royal princess) was too proud. , he looks down upon himself; the beauty he likes (implying the daughter of a noble family) has already been obtained by others quickly; he is not as good as the fleeing Shaokang, because no one is willing to marry his daughter (implying the daughter of a distant aristocratic family) Own. Of course, Qu Yuan's frustration in marriage was also another manifestation of his frustration in politics.
Generally speaking, if Qu Yuan was born into a prominent family in Chu, the above situation would be almost impossible to happen. However, because Qu Yuan was born in the Ba ethnic group of the Chu State, he was engaged in politics in the Chu State's court. Due to his special status, he not only lost the opportunity to marry a woman of his own clan, but also suffered discrimination and cold treatment from the prominent families of Chu State on the issue of intermarriage. In this case, the talented Qu Yuan, although there was no shortage of women who admired him, and there were also women who he admired, but his lover ended up not getting married, so he fell into a strong lovelorn. It was precisely because Qu Yuan suffered setbacks in both marriage and politics that he came up with the idea of ??leaving Chu's political arena to find another way out, and sought the opinions of Nuxu, Chonghua (Shun), Lingfen and Wu Xian.
The third paragraph, from "Suo Mao Yi Feast" to "I will live in Peng Xianzhi", has 117 sentences, and the content is divided into 3 sections.
Section 1. Describe that your pursuit has not been realized and you don’t know where the way out is, so you ask the spirit for divination. Lingfen's fortune-telling said that there is no fragrant grass anywhere in the world, and he advised Qu Yuan to leave Chu State and fly far away without hesitation.
Subsection 2. Describes Wu Xian’s trance. Qu Yuan consulted Wu Xian about his next step in life. He decided to accept Wu Xian’s advice and went on a long trip to the country, “talking about floating and seeking girls”, “Zhou Liuguan”. Almost up and down."
Section 3. Describe that I set out for a long trip on an auspicious day and was in high spirits along the way. But suddenly I looked back and saw my hometown. My nostalgia rose leisurely and I refused to leave like this because deep down in my heart I still felt Looking forward to King Chu waking up.
It is worth noting that Qu Yuan said in the last paragraph of "Li Sao": "That's it! There is no one in the country who I don't know about, so why should I care about the old capital? It's not enough for good governance. , I will live in Peng Xian's home." It means: "Forget it! There is no one in the country who understands me, so why should I be attached to my hometown? Since I can't realize the ideal of good governance, then I will live like Peng Xian. ”
Qu Yuan’s so-called learning from Peng Xian meant that he wanted to do his own business. He mentioned twice in "Li Sao" that he wanted to learn from Peng Xian, intending to emphasize its importance. In fact, this sentence was said to King Chu Huai in reverse, sincerely hoping that King Chu would wake up.
Looking at the entire poem "Li Sao", it is not only fluent in diction, but also fully reflects Qu Yuan's wit and strategy. In fact, when Qu Yuan wrote "Li Sao", he was not simply complaining, nor was he moaning for nothing. Instead, he had a clear purpose. Through this long poem, he intended to express his concern for the country, the monarch, and the people. Influence and influence King Huai of Chu so that he can continue to realize his ideals of beautiful politics.
Perhaps, the reason why Qu Yuan was able to end his first exile in a short period of time, return to Yingdu, and be appointed as the official of Sanlu was that he read "Li Sao" with King Huai of Chu. It doesn't matter if you have some insights. Of course, Qu Yuan's fate did not only depend on personal grievances, but also on the background of the times. This background was the diplomatic relations between Chu and Qin.
In 313 BC, Zhang Yi went from Qin to Chu, and persuaded King Huai of Chu to kiss Qin and seize Qi, and offered to cede 600 miles of land as bait. King Huai of Chu was so stupid that he believed it. Because Qu Yuan firmly advocated uniting Qi to resist Qin, he was framed and excluded by the pro-Qin aristocrats of Chu State. In order to show his determination to be pro-Qin, King Huai of Chu alienated and exiled Qu Yuan. After that, Qin broke the treaty of ceding territory, and Qin and Chu became enemies. When King Chu Huai read "Li Sao", he thought of Qu Yuan again, and re-employed Qu Yuan until King Chu Huai died in Qin in 296 BC.
It can be seen from this that Qu Yuan composed "Li Sao" probably some time after 313 BC.
It is worth noting that "Bu Ju" states that "Qu Yuan will not be seen again for three years after he is released." If this statement is true, then there should be three years between Qu Yuan's dismissal from the post of Zuo Tu and his reappointment as Sanlu doctor. , which means that "Li Sao" was created around 310 BC