知識份子面對國故鼎新、時移勢易的變局，並非簡單的忠與不忠二元抉擇，其間有生死交關、出處進退等複雜的取捨糾葛。本文觀察時間略具先後、處境間有異同、性別互相對照的班彪、王粲、蔡琰三人，取其紀行之作為例，觀察動亂中的知識份子，如何面對現實處境、形塑認同歸趨，並如何在離鄉或返鄉的遊旅途中，藉由對外在人事物的理解與描繪，展開自我詮釋。他們表現出知識份子的三種形式與三種選擇，也是中國知識份子面對認同問題時的三種基本模式。

When the intellectuals have no choice but face the decline and destruction of their own country, they have to do some complicated choices concerning survival, career and moral courage. This paper focuses on Ban Biao, Wang Can and Cai Yan. The times, in which they lived, as well as the situations they found themselves in and their genders, all these are generally different, despite some similarities. The following questions are dealt with: how do they confront his/her own reality, establish the intention of identity? Furthermore, in the way away from/return home, how do they develop their self-interpretations by the realization and description of people, things and events they encounter and experience? In short, they displayed three patterns and choices of the intellectuals which are the basic modes of traditional Chinese intellectuals facing the problems of identity.