《祭侄文稿》的创作历史背景
《祭侄文稿》是唐代书法家颜真卿的行书代表作，被誉为 “天下第二行书”，创作于唐肃宗乾元元年（公元 758 年）。其诞生与安史之乱这一重大历史事件紧密相关。
颜真卿的侄子颜季明，是其兄长颜杲卿之子。安史之乱爆发后，颜杲卿、颜季明父子坚守常山郡（今河北正定），奋勇抗击叛军。然而，因寡不敌众且援军未到，常山最终失守，颜杲卿父子被俘。叛军对他们严刑拷打，试图逼迫其投降，但父子二人忠贞不屈，痛斥叛军，最终颜季明被斩首，颜杲卿也被残忍杀害，全家数十人遇难。
两年后，颜真卿在战乱中寻得颜季明的残骸（仅头骨），悲痛欲绝，遂写下这篇祭文。文稿中，颜真卿将对侄子的深切哀悼、对叛军的满腔愤恨以及对家国命运的忧虑融为一体，情感激荡，笔墨随情绪起伏，多处涂改痕迹更显真情流露，成为书法与情感完美结合的典范。
English Translation of the Historical Background
"Draft for Mourning My Nephew" is a masterpiece of running script by Yan Zhenqing, a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, and is honored as "the second best running script in the world". It was written in the first year of Qianyuan during the reign of Emperor Suzong of Tang (758 AD), closely linked to the An Lushan Rebellion, a pivotal historical event.
Yan Jiming, the nephew of Yan Zhenqing, was the son of his elder brother Yan Gaoqing. When the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, Yan Gaoqing and Yan Jiming defended Changshan County (present-day Zhengding, Hebei) against the rebel forces with great courage. However, outnumbered and without reinforcement, Changshan fell, and the father and son were captured. The rebels tortured them severely, attempting to force their surrender, but the father and son remained loyal and scolded the rebels fiercely. Eventually, Yan Jiming was beheaded, and Yan Gaoqing was brutally killed, with dozens of family members losing their lives in the disaster.
Two years later, Yan Zhenqing found the remains of Yan Jiming (only the skull) amid the chaos of war. Overwhelmed by grief, he wrote this elegiac address. In the draft, Yan Zhenqing fused deep sorrow for his nephew, intense hatred for the rebels, and anxiety about the fate of the country. His emotions surged, and his brushstrokes fluctuated with his feelings, with many corrections revealing his raw 真情. It thus became a model of the perfect integration of calligraphy and emotion.
维乾元元年，岁次戊戌，九月庚午朔，三日壬申。第十三叔、银青光禄大夫、使持节、蒲州诸军事、蒲州刺史、上轻车都尉、丹阳县开国侯真卿，以清酌庶羞，祭于亡侄赠赞善大夫季明之灵。
In the first year of Qianyuan (758 AD), the year of Wuxu, on the third day of the ninth lunar month (with the new moon on the first day, Gengwu, and the third day, Renshen). Your thirteenth uncle, Yan Zhenqing—bearing the titles of Silver and Blue 光禄大夫 (Silver and Blue Gentleman of Light), Imperial Commissioner, Military Governor of Puzhou, Prefect of Puzhou, Upper Light Chariot 都尉 (Upper Light Chariot Commander), and Marquis of Danyang County—offers pure wine and various delicacies to the spirit of my deceased nephew, Jiming, posthumously awarded the title of 赞善大夫 (Court Admonisher).
惟尔挺生，夙标幼德。宗庙瑚琏，阶庭兰玉，每慰人心。方期戬谷，何图逆贼闲衅，称兵犯顺。尔父竭诚，常山作郡。余时受命，亦在平原。
You were born with exceptional virtue, even from youth—like a precious vessel in the ancestral temple, or orchids and jade in the courtyard, always comforting our hearts. We hoped for your prosperity, but who could foresee that rebellious traitors would seize the opportunity to raise troops against the imperial order? Your father, loyal to the core, governed Changshan County; at that time, I too was ordered to defend Pingyuan County.
仁兄爱我，俾尔传言。尔既归止，爰开土门。土门既开，凶威大蹙。贼臣不救，孤城围逼。父陷子死，巢倾卵覆。天不悔祸，谁为荼毒？
Your father, my dear brother, trusted me, sending you to convey messages. After you returned, we opened Tumen Pass. Once Tumen was opened, the enemy’s fierce power was greatly weakened. Yet the traitorous officials refused to send aid, and the isolated city was besieged. Father captured, son killed—like a nest destroyed, all eggs smashed. Heaven did not relent in its calamity; who could have inflicted such suffering?
念尔遘残，百身何赎？呜呼哀哉！吾承天泽，移牧河关。泉明比者，再陷常山。携尔首榇，及兹同还。抚念摧切，震悼心颜。
Thinking of you, brutally killed—how could a hundred lives atone for your loss? Alas, grief! I, blessed by the emperor, was transferred to govern Heguan. Your cousin Quanming, in recent days, retook Changshan, bringing back your severed head and coffin, returning with them here. Grief overwhelms me; my heart and face tremble with sorrow.
方俟远日，卜尔幽宅。魂而有知，无嗟久客。呜呼哀哉！尚飨。
I await a later day to choose a peaceful resting place for you. If your soul is aware, do not grieve at being a wanderer for long. Alas, grief! May you enjoy this offering.