〈楚茨〉詩旨，唐前均從〈詩序〉說，無異議，當為先秦舊說。降及有宋，疑古成風，遂多疑〈序〉。至於後人，乃棄〈序〉不顧，於〈序〉之言「美刺」者，尤避之唯恐不及，而多未詳覈內容，夷考其實。此詩為《詩經》中言祭禮最詳備之篇。然究何為而作？其創作之時代、對象、目的為何？學者持論歧互殊甚，此詩旨之疑義問題。又此詩所言祭禮，究為何階層之禮？所載儀節及其語言意義又如何？學者亦多異說，此經文詮釋之疑義問題。此二問題雖相互關涉，然癥結尤在詩旨問題。詩固有可據一字、一句而定宗旨者，此詩「自昔何為」句即是，而學者或不以為然。本文就詩作環境、詩中用語、所載儀節及其語言意義，逐一疏證辨疑，證〈序〉說仍不可廢，而經文所載儀節、語言意義及其相關問題，亦庶幾可明。本文證此詩〈序〉說之不可廢，闡「自昔何為」句之深意，乃得自龍宇純師之啟發，特此識之，以感念四十餘年前之受教因緣。

Commentators on “Chu Ci”（楚茨）before the Tang dynasty mainly followed the opinions of the Shi Xu（詩序）to interpret the poems. In the Song dynasty, scholars began to doubt about the validity of Shi Xu interpretation under the influence of the “suspicion of antiquity” scholarly tendency. Thereafter, researchers simply sidestepped the Shi Xu’s interpretation on the poems entirely. “Chu Ci” provides the most detailed description of sacrificial rites in The Book of Songs. However, scholars have had many different opinions on the theme of the poems and its textual interpretation. They argued about the purposes, the time and the readership of the writing of the poems. They also debated on issues such as the social classes, the related rites, the functions of the rites, and the language used. This paper studies the writing circumstances, the language and the etiquette recorded in the poems to prove that the perspectives of Shi Xu should still be valuable. The research method of this paper is inspired by Mr. Long Yu-chun, a most respectable teacher of mine. This paper is to commemorate his guidance and our forty years of master-pupil relationship.