This sentence comes from Hao Lixing written by Cao Cao in the Han Dynasty. This poem is based on the old inscription of Yuefu. It describes the reality of the warlords' scuffle at the end of Han Dynasty, reveals the people's sufferings truly and profoundly, criticizes the social reality at that time, expresses great sorrow and sympathy for the people who were in dire straits because of the war, and mercilessly exposes and lashes the chief culprit who caused the people's sufferings.
The original poem is as follows:
The soldiers of the Kwantung Army rose up against the cruel people. On the first day of the first date, General Ding Meng went to attack Dong Zhuo in Chang 'an.
Dong Zhuo's army came together, each with its own plans, looked at each other and refused to stand out. These two sentences led to the battle of various armies, and then the armies of various armies killed each other.
Yuan Shao's cousin Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in Huainan, and the emperor Yuan Shaomou carved the emperor in the north. Because of the war, soldiers have long been unable to take off their battle clothes, their armor is covered with lice, and many people have died because of years of war.
The bones were bare in the field, and there was no one among them, and there was no crowing. It is extremely sad to think that only one person in a hundred people is alive.
Explain in vernacular Chinese: All brave people in Kanto fought against those cruel people. At first, I made an appointment with various generals to form an alliance and make concerted efforts to crusade against Chang 'an Zhuo. After the various armies that fought against Dong Zhuo joined forces, because each had its own plans, they could not work together and looked at each other, and no one would take the lead. The word snobbery caused competition among armies, and then the armies killed each other.
Yuan Shao's cousin Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in Huainan, and Yuan Shao made a puppet emperor in the north to carve the emperor's seal. Because of the continuous war, soldiers can't take off their combat uniforms for a long time, and their armor is covered with lice. Many people have died because of years of war. The bones are exposed in the wild and no one is buried. Thousands of miles are uninhabited, and chickens crow endlessly. It is extremely sad to think that only one out of 100 ordinary people is still alive.
Extended data
About the author: Cao Cao (155-220 Gengzi in the first month), whose real name is Meng De, is an auspicious person, whose real name is Asun, whose real name is Pei Guoqiao (now Bozhou, Anhui), and is a Han nationality. An outstanding politician, strategist, writer and calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. After Cao Pi, the founder of the Cao Wei regime in the Three Kingdoms, proclaimed himself emperor, he was honored as Emperor Wu, with the temple name Taizu.
Creative background: A.D. 189 (the sixth year of Zhong Ping in the Eastern Han Dynasty), Cao Cao led 3,000 troops to join forces with Dong Zhuo's Xu Rong in Xingyang, and suffered a great defeat. Soon, the allied forces that crusaded against Dong Zhuo were torn apart and killed each other because of their respective struggles for power and profit, among which Yuan Shao, Han Fu, Gongsun Zan and other departments were the main ones, and the warlord scuffle began at the end of the Han Dynasty. This poem reflects this historical event.
The first ten sentences of this poem outline such a historical picture: the generals of the counties in Guandong elected Yuan Shao, the governor of the Bohai Sea, as the ally leader, ready to attack Dong Zhuo, who burned the palace and destroyed the temple, held Xian Di hostage, and moved the capital to Chang 'an, which was decadent and shameful and brought disaster to the country and people. At that time, although the armies of various counties gathered together, they looked at each other, hesitated, and even had their own plans. They even kill each other for hegemony and personal gain.
After years of war, the soldiers were unable to disarm for a long time, covered with scorpions and lice, while innocent people died in large numbers because of the soldiers' weapons. There are white bones all over the mountains, and the land thousands of miles away is barren, and even the crow's voice can't be heard. This is an unbearable sight of destruction and desolation.
Finally, the poet sighed: there are hundreds of people who survived the war, and it is heartbreaking to think of these painful facts. When the poet's feelings reached a climax, the whole poem came to an abrupt end in grief and indignation.