Reading tens of thousands of volumes, writing as if there is spirit is a famous line from the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu, which comes from "Twenty-two Rhymes to Wei Zuocheng".

It means that reading can only be done by reading thoroughly and reading a lot of books. Only by putting it into writing can you be able to use it with ease, like a divine help.

Du Fu (712-770), whose courtesy name was Zimei, sometimes called himself Shaolingye Lao. He was not ranked as a Jinshi, but he once served as a member of the Ministry of Education and Engineering. In his later life, he was called the Ministry of Industry and Engineering. He was the greatest realist poet in the Tang Dynasty. After the Song Dynasty, he was revered as the "Sage of Poetry" and was called "Li Du" together with Li Bai. His poems boldly exposed the social contradictions of the time, expressed deep sympathy for the poor people, and were profound in content. Many excellent works show the historical process of the Tang Dynasty from prosperity to decline, so they are called "history of poetry". In terms of art, he is good at using various poetry forms, especially rhythmic poetry. He has various styles, but mainly melancholy. His language is refined and he has a high degree of expressive ability. There are more than 1,400 poems in existence, including "Collection of Du Gongbu".

Extended information:

"Twenty-Two Rhymes for Wei Zuocheng" was written in the seventh year of Tianbao reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty (748), when Du Fu was 37 years old and lived in Chang'an. Wei Zuocheng refers to Wei Ji, who was Zuocheng of Shangshu Province at that time. He appreciated Du Fu's poems very much and expressed his concern for them. In the sixth year of Tianbao (747), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty issued an order for people with skills from all over the world to go to Beijing to take the exam. Li Linfu ordered the minister to take the provincial exam, and refused to admit all those who took the exam.

Du Fu failed the exam and was trapped in Chang'an. He felt lonely and wanted to leave Beijing for a trip, so he wrote this poem to say goodbye to Wei Ji. In the poem, he stated his talents and ambitions, expressed his frustrations in career and poor life, and also criticized the darkness of reality.

In the seventh year of Tianbao (748), before and after Wei Ji became Minister Zuocheng, Du Fu gave him two poems, hoping to be promoted by him. Although Wei Ji appreciated Du Fu's poetic talent, he failed to provide any practical help. Therefore, Du Fu wrote this "Twenty-Two Rhymes" to express his determination to leave Chang'an and retire to Jianghai if he really couldn't find a way out.

It has been thirteen years since Du Fu failed the Jinshi examination in Luoyang at the age of twenty-four and started writing poetry. Especially since he has been seeking fame in Chang'an for three years, he has encountered obstacles everywhere and has found it difficult to achieve his ambition. The pride of his youth had long since turned into resentment and anger, and he had no choice but to vent it out in front of Wei Ji.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Twenty-Two Rhymes of Wei Zuocheng