<p>登彼西山兮，采其薇矣。[登上那首阳山，采摘薇(蕨菜)来充饥。]</p>
<p>以暴易暴兮，不知其非矣。- [(周朝)用暴虐去替换暴虐，却不知这种做法的错误。]</p>
<p>神农虞夏忽**焉(动词宾语前置?)**没兮，我适安归矣？- [神农虞舜古代圣君转瞬即逝啊，我要到哪里寻找理想的归宿呢？]</p>
<p><strong>于嗟</strong>徂(已往的、過去的)兮，命之衰矣！- [<strong>感嘆</strong>過往，在生命垂危之际，命运是这样不济！]</p>
<p>Background:</p>
<p><strong>伯夷、叔齐</strong>是商朝末年孤竹国国君墨脱初的长子和幼子。孤竹君生前拟定让位给叔齐，他去世后，叔齐让位给伯夷，伯夷不接受，逃走，叔齐也因不肯继位而逃走，王位便由孤竹君的中子继承。武王建立周朝后，<strong>二人因不食周粟，饿死于首阳山</strong>。伯夷、叔齐在历史上受到推崇有两个原因：一是他们不贪权势，二是他们反对周武王讨伐商纣王（因为在他们看来，武王伐纣是以臣弑君，不仁）。<strong>这首歌谣就是他们饿死前的绝命辞</strong>。</p>
<p>Ref: (Note: The translation was compiled from the ref materials with my edit)</p>
<ul>
<li><p>采薇歌 - <a href="https://www.gushiwen.cn/shiwenv_35333a855cf7.aspx" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.gushiwen.cn/shiwenv_35333a855cf7.aspx</a></p>
</li>
<li><p>焉 - <a href="https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=10967&amp;q=1&amp;word=%E7%84%89;" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=10967&amp;q=1&amp;word=%E7%84%89;</a> <a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%B3%93%E8%AA%9E%E5%89%8D%E7%BD%AE/1294308" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%B3%93%E8%AA%9E%E5%89%8D%E7%BD%AE/1294308</a></p>
</li>
<li><p>徂 - <a href="https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=9833&amp;q=1&amp;word=%E5%BE%82" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=9833&amp;q=1&amp;word=%E5%BE%82</a></p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-05T19:50:01.870Z
2024-10-05T20:04:09.350Z
2024-10-05T20:04:09.350Z
r13
<p>What does 焉 mean in 忽焉沒兮?</p>
<p>焉: how</p>
<p>《诗•小雅》篇名。<br />
《Poem • 小雅》name<br />
《史记•伯夷列传》载，<br />
《Records of the Grand Historian•Biography of 伯夷 》records,<br />
周武王灭殷之后，<br />
After King Zhou Wu decimated Yin,<br />
“伯夷、叔齐耻之，<br />
&quot;伯夷、叔齐(were) disgraced，<br />
义不食周粟，<br />
therefore not eat Zhou millet,<br />
隐于首阳山，<br />
(they) hid in 首阳 mountains<br />
采薇而食之。<br />
(and) picked fern to eat. (Delicious 矣!)</p>
<p>采薇歌<br />
Pick fern poem</p>
<p>登彼西山兮，<br />
Scale those west mountains ah,<br />
采其薇矣。<br />
pick their fern yeah.<br />
以暴易暴兮，<br />
tooth for tooth, eye for eye ah,<br />
不知其非矣。<br />
unknown it is not yeah.<br />
神農虞夏，<br />
Farmer God, Yu dynasty, Xia dynasty,<br />
忽焉沒兮，<br />
how suddenly gone ah,<br />
吾適安歸矣？<br />
I follow calmly returning yeah?<br />
于嗟徂兮，<br />
in reaching alas ah,<br />
命之衰矣。<br />
life, that ends yeah.</p>
<p>The ahs and yeahs were punctuation, commas and other bits not having been invented yet.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-05T18:02:34.390Z
2024-10-05T18:02:34.390Z
Pedroski
<p><strong>采薇歌</strong></p>
<p>登彼西山兮，采其薇矣。</p>
<p>以暴易暴兮，不知其非矣。</p>
<p>神農虞夏，忽焉沒兮，吾適安歸矣？
于嗟徂兮，命之衰矣。</p>
<p>My questions:</p>
<p>What does 焉 mean in 忽焉沒兮?</p>
<p>What does 于嗟徂兮 mean? The dictionary says 于嗟 means &quot;to sigh/lament&quot;, but I can't grasp this intuitively, because when I read 于嗟 I am thinking it's a noun, but apparently it's a verb? 徂 means either &quot;to go&quot; or &quot;death&quot;; I am assuming this line is saying something along the lines of &quot;lamenting/sighing about inevitable death&quot;, but again I can't grasp this intuitively.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help.</p>

<meaning>
Question about the meaning of some words in the poem 采薇歌
# Question about the meaning of some words in the poem 采薇歌

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-10-05)

**采薇歌**

登彼西山兮，采其薇矣。

以暴易暴兮，不知其非矣。

神農虞夏，忽焉沒兮，吾適安歸矣？
于嗟徂兮，命之衰矣。

My questions:

What does 焉 mean in 忽焉沒兮?

What does 于嗟徂兮 mean? The dictionary says 于嗟 means "to sigh/lament", but I can't grasp this intuitively, because when I read 于嗟 I am thinking it's a noun, but apparently it's a verb? 徂 means either "to go" or "death"; I am assuming this line is saying something along the lines of "lamenting/sighing about inevitable death", but again I can't grasp this intuitively.

Thanks for the help.

**Tags:** meaning

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-10-05. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

登彼西山兮，采其薇矣。[登上那首阳山，采摘薇(蕨菜)来充饥。]

以暴易暴兮，不知其非矣。- [(周朝)用暴虐去替换暴虐，却不知这种做法的错误。]

神农虞夏忽\*\*焉(动词宾语前置?)\*\*没兮，我适安归矣？- [神农虞舜古代圣君转瞬即逝啊，我要到哪里寻找理想的归宿呢？]

**于嗟**徂(已往的、過去的)兮，命之衰矣！- [**感嘆**過往，在生命垂危之际，命运是这样不济！]

Background:

**伯夷、叔齐**是商朝末年孤竹国国君墨脱初的长子和幼子。孤竹君生前拟定让位给叔齐，他去世后，叔齐让位给伯夷，伯夷不接受，逃走，叔齐也因不肯继位而逃走，王位便由孤竹君的中子继承。武王建立周朝后，**二人因不食周粟，饿死于首阳山**。伯夷、叔齐在历史上受到推崇有两个原因：一是他们不贪权势，二是他们反对周武王讨伐商纣王（因为在他们看来，武王伐纣是以臣弑君，不仁）。**这首歌谣就是他们饿死前的绝命辞**。

Ref: (Note: The translation was compiled from the ref materials with my edit)

* 采薇歌 - <https://www.gushiwen.cn/shiwenv_35333a855cf7.aspx>
* 焉 - <https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=10967&q=1&word=%E7%84%89;> <https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%B3%93%E8%AA%9E%E5%89%8D%E7%BD%AE/1294308>
* 徂 - <https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=9833&q=1&word=%E5%BE%82>


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-10-05. Score: 0

What does 焉 mean in 忽焉沒兮?

焉: how

《诗•小雅》篇名。  
《Poem • 小雅》name  
《史记•伯夷列传》载，  
《Records of the Grand Historian•Biography of 伯夷 》records,  
周武王灭殷之后，  
After King Zhou Wu decimated Yin,  
“伯夷、叔齐耻之，  
"伯夷、叔齐(were) disgraced，  
义不食周粟，  
therefore not eat Zhou millet,  
隐于首阳山，  
(they) hid in 首阳 mountains  
采薇而食之。  
(and) picked fern to eat. (Delicious 矣!)

采薇歌  
Pick fern poem

登彼西山兮，  
Scale those west mountains ah,  
采其薇矣。  
pick their fern yeah.  
以暴易暴兮，  
tooth for tooth, eye for eye ah,  
不知其非矣。  
unknown it is not yeah.  
神農虞夏，  
Farmer God, Yu dynasty, Xia dynasty,  
忽焉沒兮，  
how suddenly gone ah,  
吾適安歸矣？  
I follow calmly returning yeah?  
于嗟徂兮，  
in reaching alas ah,  
命之衰矣。  
life, that ends yeah.

The ahs and yeahs were punctuation, commas and other bits not having been invented yet.


---

