The Quatrain of Seven Steps

To this day, the Quatrain of Seven Steps (also known as the Seven Steps Poem) remains one of the most well known and popular poetry pieces in all of Chinese history. So who wrote this poem, and what is it about? Let me explain. 

MEET THE AUTHOR

Born in 192, Cao Zhi, third son of the warlord Cao Cao, was a brilliant philosopher. As a child and teenager, Cao Zhi’s sharp mind and natural mastery of poetry gained him much popularity amongst his parents and peers. However, as he aged, Cao Zhi grew impulsive and reckless. He became a heavy drinker, which often made his actions foolish and embarrassing. Two examples of such incidents include: A) After a particularly chaotic party, Cao Zhi rode his chariot through a gateway reserved for the king, forcing Cao Cao to execute the driver. B) In the year 219, Cao Cao ordered Cao Zhi to reinforce a city under siege. However, Cao Zhi was so drunk that he was unable to receive and follow the command. 

Though he remained an expert poet, Cao Zhi’s rash decisions  ended up costing him the position of king; Cao Cao chose instead to pass the throne to his eldest son, Cao Pi. While Cao Pi did not possess Cao Zhi’s intelligence, he was a much more disciplined and responsible individual, and was much more popular with the royal officials. 

Soon after Cao Cao’s death, Cao Pi took action to diminish Cao Zhi’s power. First, he executed two of Cao Zhi’s most prominent followers, Ding Yí and Ding Yì, along with their entire family. Then, Cao Pi exiled Cao Zhi and his followers/family to a distant municipality. There, Cao Zhi was prohibited from taking part in any political issues. 

THE STORY

The story behind the Quatrain of Seven Steps takes place after Cao Pi’s coronation, but before Cao Zhi is exiled. The narrative describes a meeting between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi – a gathering that Cao Pi arranged with hopes to find an excuse to execute Cao Zhi. 

As Cao Zhi arrived, he naturally greeted Cao Pi with the enthusiasm of a brother. However, Cao Pi immediately reprimanded him, telling him that although the two were brothers, they were, professionally speaking, lord and subject, and needed to act accordingly in official settings. 

Next, Cao Pi began a crude interrogation of his brother, asking Cao Zhi about the originality and authenticity of the poems he had written as a child. Cao Zhi answered all of the questions truthfully, telling Cao Pi that he had indeed written all of his poems himself and without external influence. Naturally, Cao Pi was not satisfied. Though he most likely knew that Cao Zhi had told the truth, Cao Pi still needed to tarnish Cao Zhi’s reputation. So, he decided to give Cao Zhi a test. Cao Zhi would take seven steps, and within that time, he would have to construct a poem. If Cao Zhi did not complete the poem within the time limit, or if the poem was deemed unworthy, he would be executed. To Cao Pi’s surprise, Cao Zhi agreed immediately, and even asked for a prompt. The tiniest bit unsettled, Cao Pi chose a topic that he thought would be particularly challenging; brotherhood. Cao Zhi then began to walk. Before he had even taken five steps, the poem was complete. 

Cao Zhi recited: “煮豆燃豆萁，豆在釜中泣。本是同根生，相煎何太急?” 

(in English): The stem is burned to boil the beans, the beans weep within the pot. Born of the same root, why the rush to fry each other?

By comparing himself and his brother to beans, Cao Zhi was able to express his disappointment in their shattered brotherhood through a simple, everyday task. 

Upon hearing the poem, Cao Pi immediately felt ashamed for his hostility towards his own brother. Unable to convict Cao Zhi, Cao Pi decided to send his brother away rather than execute him. 

The Seven Steps poem was first documented in a collection of historical anecdotes known as “A New Account of the Tales of the World”. However, this compilation was released in the year 430- two hundred and eleven years after the story supposedly took place. So why were there no additional documentations of such a controversial event? Historians have two common theories:

AMBIGUOUS ORIGINS

1. Because it embarrassed/insulted the emperor, the story was kept secret for many years
2. The entire story was fabricated by the author of “A New Account of the Tales of the World”, and never took place at all

So, it’s entirely possible that the Seven Steps Poem was not written by Cao Zhi at all. However, as it fits in with his general body of work, most people still credit Cao Zhi for the brilliant Quatrain of Seven Steps. 

OTHER VERSIONS

Though the Quatrain of Seven Steps was first described in “A New Account of the Tales of the World”, a condensed version from the Romance of Three Kingdoms (mentioned above) is now much more popular. 

The original poem was six lines: 

煮豆持作羹, 漉菽以为汁。萁在釜下燃，豆在釜中泣。本是同根生，相煎何太急。”