"The Inscription of the Humble Room" - Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty

Original text: If the mountain is not high, it will be famous if there are immortals. If the water is not deep, if there is a dragon, it will be spiritual. This is a humble house, but I am virtuous. The moss marks are green on the upper steps, and the grass color is green on the curtains. There are scholars who talk and laugh, but there are no idle people when coming and going. You can tune the plain Qin and read the Golden Sutra. There are no messy ears of silk and bamboo, and there is no laborious shape of case documents. Zhugelu in Nanyang, Yunting in Western Shuzi. Confucius said: What is so shameful?

Translation: A mountain does not matter how high it is, as long as there are immortals living in it, it will be famous; water does not matter how deep it is, as long as there are dragons living there, it will show its spirit. This is a humble room, but my virtue has made it famous. The moss climbs up the steps and dyes it a green color, and the color of the grass reflects into the bamboo curtains, making the house full of green. The people talking and laughing here are all knowledgeable people, and there are no unlearned people who come and go.

You can usually play the elegant guqin and read Buddhist scriptures written in clay. There is no complicated music to disturb the hearing, and no paperwork to strain the body and mind. It looks like the thatched cottage of Zhuge Liang in Nanyang, or the thatched cottage of Yangziyun in Western Shu. Confucius said: "What's so crude about this?"

Extended information

Background:

Liu Yuxi offended the powerful officials of the dynasty because he participated in the political reform movement at that time. , was demoted to Hezhou County, Anhui Province as a small general judge. According to regulations, the general judge should live in a three-bedroom house in the county government office. But when Hezhou County saw people serving dishes, they saw that Liu Yuxi was a soft persimmon who had been demoted from above, so they deliberately made things difficult for him.

He was first arranged to live in the south of the city facing the river. Liu Yuxi not only had no complaints, but was very happy. He even wrote two sentences casually and posted them on the door: "Facing the river and watching the white sails, I am in Hezhou I want to argue." When Hezhou County Magistrate found out, he was very angry and ordered the Yali officers to move Liu Yuxi's residence from the south gate of the county to the north gate of the county, reducing the area from the original three rooms to one and a half rooms.

The new house is located by the Desheng River, with weeping willows nearby, and the environment is pleasant. Liu Yuxi still didn't care, and fell in love with the scenery. He wrote two more sentences on the door: "The weeping willows are green by the river. "He is in Liyang and his heart is in Beijing."

The county magistrate saw that he was still enjoying himself and did not care, so he sent someone to transfer him to the center of the county again, and only gave him a room that could only accommodate one bed. A small room with a table and a chair.

In half a year, the county magistrate forced Liu Yuxi to move three times. Each time, the area became smaller and smaller, and in the end it was just a small room. Thinking that this snobbish dog official had really deceived people too much, he angrily wrote this extraordinary and elegant "Inscription on the Humble Room" and asked someone to carve a stone tablet and place it in front of the door.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Humble House Inscription