What you get on paper is so shallow that you never know what you have to do. The meaning of this poem is that the knowledge gained from books is not perfect enough. If you want to understand the truth deeply, you must practice it yourself. From Lu You's poem "Reading on a Winter Night for Children"

Full text of original text:

The ancients learned nothing, and it takes time to grow old. What you get on paper is so shallow that you never know what you have to do.

Full text translation

The ancients spared no effort in their studies, and often achieved nothing when they were old. After all, the knowledge gained from books is not perfect. If you want to understand the truth deeply, you must practice it yourself.

Make an appreciative comment

Lu you warned his son that if he wants to achieve something in his later years, first, he should work hard when he is young and strong; At the same time, we should not only be satisfied with book knowledge, but also pay attention to "practice". Emphasize the importance of practice. Textbook knowledge is the summary of predecessors' experience. It is not enough to obtain knowledge from textbooks, because the feelings of predecessors may not be in line with the situation here and now, and we need to turn the knowledge in books into our practical skills through personal practice.

Personal summary

After all, the knowledge gained from books is simple, just like Zhao Kuo's reading of the art of war, which will only be "an armchair strategist" and lead to Qin Jun's defeat. Finally, if we want to know the nature of things or things, we must practice and try to do it ourselves. Only by combining the knowledge gained from direct experience with books can we deeply and clearly understand the essence of things.