Classical Prose

捕蛇者说

Bǔ shé zhě shuō

柳宗元

Liǔ Zōngyuán

Yǒng zhī yě chǎn yì shé, hēi zhì ér bái zhāng.

永州之野产异蛇,黑质而白章。

Chù cǎomù, jìn sǐ; yǐ niè rén, wú yù zhī zhě.

触草木,尽死;以啮人,无御之者。

Rán dé ér là zhī yǐ wéi ěr, kě yǐ yǐ dà fēng, luánwǎn, lòulì, qù sǐ jī, shā sān chóng.

然得而腊之以为饵,可以已大风、挛踠、瘘疠,去死肌,杀三虫。

Qí shǐ, Tàiyī yǐ wáng mìng jù zhī, suì fù qí èr.

其始,太医以王命聚之,岁赋其二。

Mù yǒu néng bǔ zhī zhě, dāng qí zū rù.

募有能捕之者,当其租入。

Yǒng zhī rén zhēng bēn zǒu yān.

永之人争奔走焉。

Yǒu Jiǎng shì zhě, zhuān qí lì sān shì yǐ.

有蒋氏者,专其利三世矣。

Wèn zhī, zé yuē: “Wú zǔ sǐ yú shì, wú fù sǐ yú shì, jīn wú sì wéi zhī shí èr nián, jǐ sǐ zhě shuò yǐ.”

问之,则曰:“吾祖死于是,吾父死于是,今吾嗣为之十二年,几死者数矣。”

Yú bēi zhī, qiě yuē: “Ruò dú zhī hū? Yú jiāng gào yú lì shì zhě, gèng ruò yì, fù ruò fù, zé hé rú?”

余悲之,且曰:“若毒之乎?余将告于莅事者,更若役,复若赋,则何如?”

Jiǎng shì dà qī, wāng rán chū tì yuē: “Jūn jiāng āi ér shēng zhī hū? Zé wú sī yì zhī bù xìng, wèi ruò fù wú fù zhī bù xìng zhī shèn yě.”

蒋氏大戚,汪然出涕曰:“君将哀而生之乎?则吾斯役之不幸,未若复吾赋不幸之甚也。”

Xiàng wú bù wéi sī yì, zé jiǔ yǐ bì yǐ.

向吾不为斯役,则久已病矣。

Ér xiāng lín zhī shēngrì cù, dān qí dì zhī chū, jié qí lú zhī rù, hào hū ér zhuǎn xǐ, jī kě ér dùn pō.

而乡邻之生日蹙,殚其地之出,竭其庐之入,号呼而转徙,饥渴而顿踣。

Fēi sǐ zé xǐ ěr. Ér wú yǐ bǔ shé dú cún.

非死则徙尔。而吾以捕蛇独存。

Hàn lì zhī lái wú xiāng, jiào xiāo hū dōng xī, huī tū hū nán běi, huá rán ér hài zhě, suī jī gǒu bù dé níng yān.

悍吏之来吾乡,叫嚣乎东西,隳突乎南北,哗然而骇者,虽鸡狗不得宁焉。

Jīn suī sǐ hū cǐ, bǐ wú xiāng lín zhī sǐ zé yǐ hòu yǐ, yòu ān gǎn dú yé?

今虽死乎此,比吾乡邻之死则已后矣,又安敢毒耶?

Yú wén ér yù bēi. Kǒngzǐ yuē: “Kē zhèng měng yú hǔ yě.”

余闻而愈悲。孔子曰:“苛政猛于虎也。”

Wū hū! Shú zhī fù liǎn zhī dú yǒu shèn shì shé zhě hū!

呜呼!孰知赋敛之毒有甚是蛇者乎!

Gù wéi zhī shuō, yǐ sì fū guān rén fēng zhě dé yān.

故为之说,以俟夫观人风者得焉。


Translation

In the wilds of Yongzhou there was a strange snake, black in body with white markings. If it touched plants, they died; if it bit a person, no medicine could resist it. Yet when caught and dried, it could be used as medicine for serious illnesses. At first, imperial physicians collected these snakes by royal order, demanding two each year. The authorities then allowed snake-catching to offset taxes. A man of the Jiang family had held this duty for three generations. His grandfather died from it, his father died from it, and he himself had inherited the work for twelve years and nearly died several times. Liu Zongyuan pitied him and offered to ask the officials to change his duty and restore normal taxes. Jiang wept, saying that although snake-catching was unfortunate, paying taxes again would be far worse. His neighbors had been ruined by taxes and forced labor; their households disappeared through death or migration. By contrast, he faced death only twice a year and could otherwise live in relative peace. Hearing this, Liu became even more sorrowful. Confucius had said, “Harsh government is fiercer than a tiger.” Liu now understood the truth of that saying. He wrote the account so that those who observe the people’s condition might understand that the poison of taxes can be worse than the poison of snakes.

Analysis

“The Snake Catcher’s Account” is one of Liu Zongyuan’s strongest indictments of harsh government. Its central irony is clear: the snake is deadly, yet people choose to catch it because taxes and forced labor are even more unbearable. Jiang’s testimony gives the essay its force. His family has suffered death through snake-catching, but he still fears the return of regular taxation more than the snake. Through this reversal, Liu shows that oppressive governance can be more destructive than natural danger. The quotation “Harsh government is fiercer than a tiger” becomes concrete and undeniable. Liu does not merely argue; he lets a common person’s experience reveal the truth. That is why the essay remains so moving.

About the Author

Liu Zongyuan was a Tang dynasty writer, thinker, and one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song. His years of exile in Yongzhou and Liuzhou shaped his concern for local society and the suffering of ordinary people. “The Snake Catcher’s Account” is a representative work of his socially critical prose.