Content of the work

Era: Han

Author: Xiang Yu

Work: Gaixiage

Content:

Strengthening the mountains and overwhelming the world.

When times are unfavorable, good things will never fade away.

There is nothing you can do if your glory does not die!

Yu Xi, Yu Xi is helpless!

Notes on the work

Notes:

An elegy for a hero at his end.

This is the final word made by Xiang Yu, the overlord of Chu, on the eve of a fatal battle. In this poem, it is filled with unparalleled heroic spirit and deep affection; it not only shows rare self-confidence, but also sighs heavily for the insignificance of human beings. It is truly a miracle to express such rich content and complex emotions in just four sentences.

At the end of Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Liang raised troops to rebel against Qin. Because of his brilliant military exploits, unparalleled courage, and outstanding talents, he actually became the leader of the anti-Qin heroes and played a major role in overthrowing the violent Qin rule. But after the fall of Qin, Liu Bang, the leader of another anti-Qin force who was Xiang Yu's ally, started a cruel war with Xiang Yu in order to rule the country. He ended up with Xiang Yu's defeat. When writing this poem, Xiang Yu was surrounded by Gaixia (on the north bank of the Nantuo River in today's Lingbi County, Anhui Province), with no food or supplies. He knew that his defeat was certain; after writing the poem, he led his troops to break out of the encirclement, although he had killed and wounded the enemy troops. Many people committed suicide in Wujiang (now northeast of He County, Anhui) because of their weak military strength. The first sentence of the poem allows readers to see an unparalleled heroic image. In ancient my country, "qi" originated from a person's innate endowment, but also relied on acquired cultivation; a person's character, ability, demeanor, etc. all depended on "qi". The so-called "unparalleled" means that he surpasses anyone else in these aspects. Although this is a very general narrative, the three words "Strengthen the Mountain" give readers a concrete and vivid feeling. Therefore, in this sentence, through the combination of virtual and real, he vividly expresses his all-powerful spirit. manifested.

However, in the second and third sentences, this unparalleled hero suddenly became extremely pale and powerless. These two sentences mean that due to unfavorable weather conditions, the famous horse he was riding - Zui - could not move forward, which put him in a desperate situation of failure and could not extricate himself, so he had to call out "Nai He". What is worth noting here is: Why does Zou's "immortality" cause such serious consequences? I am afraid that the only answer to this is this: The main reason why he has achieved such great achievements is this famous horse; with its cooperation, he can be invincible. In other words, he almost conquered the world alone, so his most important comrade-in-arms was Zui. As for others, they played a very minimal role in his career, and their harmony did not play much role in his success or failure. function, so he only needs to pay attention to Zui. This also means: His power makes it meaningless for anyone to help him. No one is worthy of being his main comrade. This is how arrogant a person is. It can be said that he is the only one in the world! However, no matter how brave and invincible he is, if the weather is unfavorable, he will have no other choice but to perish. How insignificant human beings are in front of the mysterious "Heaven"; even the greatest heroes among humans cannot withstand a slight blow from "Heaven".

Xiang Yu knew that his own demise was inevitable and that his career would evaporate, but he had no nostalgia, no regrets, or even a sigh. The only thing he worries about is the future of his beloved beauty, Yu, who often accompanies him on his expeditions from east to west. There is no doubt that after his death, Yu's fate will be very tragic. As a result, the sharp and unbearable pain gnawed deeply into his heart, and he sang the last line of the song with infinite sadness: "Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can I do?" Translated into vernacular, it is: "Yu ah. "Yu, what should I do to you?" What a deep and unforgettable love is contained in this short sentence!

Yes, compared to the eternal nature, individual people are indeed extremely fragile. Even heroes are just like a big wave in the endless river of history, fleeting and fleeting. , which makes people sigh.

But love lasts forever. It has always been one of the powerful spiritual pillars for human beings to make themselves stronger and purer. Even if they are murderers without blinking an eye, there will be a day when they will prostrate themselves in front of love, which makes people Praise with joy. Although "Gaixia Song" is short in length, it profoundly expresses these two aspects of life. For thousands of years, it has touched the hearts of countless readers; probably this is its charm!

(Zhang Peiheng)

Quoted from "Chinese Studies Website"

Poem title. Written by Xiang Yu. Guo Maoqian of the Song Dynasty titled "Yuefu Poetry Collection" as "Strengthening the Mountain", "Selected Works Supplement" as "Songs in the Gaixia Tent", and Feng Weina's "Ancient Poems" as "Gaixia Songs". "Historical Records" records that Xiang Yu, the overlord of the Western Chu, was trapped by the Han army in Gaixia (south of Lingbi in today's Anhui). With a small number of soldiers and no food, he drank in the tent at night. Knowing that the defeat was certain, he sang a generous lament: " The strength of the mountain is overwhelming, but the times are unfavorable, and the zui will not fade away! What can be done if the zui does not fade away, what can be done about the danger? " (The beautiful woman with a feather is named Yu, and the horse is named Zou). The sadness of being at the end of the road is "generous and fierce, with the anger of thousands of years of injustice" (Song Zhuxi's words).