"Everything is of inferior quality, only reading is high." Who said this familiar verse that has been revered by scholars of all ages? It was Wang Zhuye, the famous prodigy of the Northern Song Dynasty! The original poem is like this:

The emperor values ??heroes, and articles teach you.

Everything is inferior, only reading is superior.

It means: The emperor has always valued talented heroes. Reading and studying is to educate you to be such a person. All professions in the world are despicable. Only studying and becoming an official is the right path and the highest pursuit in life.

Wang Zhu, courtesy name Dewen, was a native of Yin County in the late Northern Song Dynasty. He was born in an ordinary peasant family. His father was literate and well-educated. Wang Zhu was smart and studious since he was a child. It is said that he could write poetry at the age of nine, and was passed down by the villagers as a "child prodigy". This reputation as a "child prodigy" originated from a story.

At that time, Wang Anshi, a famous official in the Northern Song Dynasty, passed the imperial examination and was appointed as the first Yangzhou Signing Judge. After his term of office expired, he was transferred to Yinxian County Magistrate. One day in the autumn of this year, Wang Anshi led all the people and scholars in the county to visit the Confucius statue in the Confucius Temple. After the worship ceremony was completed, Wang Anshi suddenly discovered a poem graffitied with charcoal on the wall of the main hall. The poem said:

Yan Hui watched the stars every night, and the master headed toward the morning rain.

How many ministers will come out from now on, and who will be willing to use the salary money to repair it?

The signature is "Nine Ling Tong Wang Zhu".

This poem is extremely ironic. It talks about how the statues of the saints Confucius and Fusheng Yanhui have been ruined to this state. You ministers who claim to be students of Confucius are not willing to donate money for repairs. How dare you? Make a show of coming to pay homage! Wang Anshi naturally understood the irony in the poem. Looking around carefully, he found that not only the main hall was dilapidated.

Moreover, the statues of Confucius and Yan Hui also had their heads and arms broken off, which was really degrading to their dignity and made them feel ashamed. But then I thought about it, how could a nine-year-old child write such a profound poem? Could it be that someone took the opportunity to hype it up and deliberately satirized me? Thinking of this, Wang An ordered the officer: "Go and find out what kind of person this Wang Zhu is. Tell him to come see me quickly!"

It is said that little Wang Zhu has been driving a group of geese during the day at home. , go to the fields near the village to graze, and come back in the evening to read and write essays. The children of the poor have already become the master! On this day, Wang Zhu went to put geese near the Confucius Temple again. Gu Kong'er took out a book of poetry to read under the tree. Suddenly, a few dark clouds covered his face, and heavy rain fell from the sky. Wang Zhu hurriedly put away the book and ran to the main hall to take shelter from the rain.

When I entered the temple gate, I saw everything in decay and ruins, densely covered with cobwebs and bird droppings. I couldn’t help but feel resentful and resentful. I thought to myself: all the officials in the dynasty claimed to be students of Confucius, but they turned a blind eye to the dilapidation of the temple of the sage Confucius. Ask, how dignified is it! Then he picked up the half-burned stick on the ground and wrote the poem.

Not wanting to alarm the county magistrate Wang Anshi, Wang Zhu dared to take the responsibility and did not want to go out to escape, so he followed his father and the government officials to see the county master. His father, Wang Yuanji, knelt down to worship Wang Anshi and said in horror: "The villain has not been strict with his children and has done inappropriate things, which has offended the adults. I hope you will forgive me and give him a lenient sentence!"

Wang Anshi saw Wang Yuanji. His loyal and dull look has already dispelled his doubts. Looking at Wang Su kneeling aside, his eyes are clear and deep, his expression is neither humble nor arrogant, and he also reveals a bit of cleverness, and he can't help but like him. He asked kindly: "Did you write the poem on the wall?" Wang Zhu replied calmly: "Sir, it was written by a villain. I hope you can give me some advice!" Wang Anshi asked again: " Nine-year-old child, let me ask you, what is the purpose of writing a poem?" Wang Zhu couldn't help but get angry and pointed at the Confucius Temple and said: "You must have paid homage to the Confucius Temple and worshiped the saint. The situation here is already clear to you. What is the purpose of writing a poem? It's natural and clear."

Wang Anshi was secretly happy when he saw Wang Zhu's fluent answers and calm attitude. He praised: "So, this poem is indeed written by you, a prodigy!" But Wang Zhu didn't agree. Unforgiving, he bowed deeply and said: "A country boy really doesn't dare to take this responsibility. I want to see the prestige of Confucius as a saint and immediately allocate funds to repair the Confucius Temple!"

Wang Anshi had already had an idea and responded enthusiastically. Seeing Wang Zhu wearing a short shirt and wanting to test his talents, he said: "The Analects of Confucius says: 'A gentleman straightens his clothes and respects his gaze.' You came to see me in a short shirt and straw shoes. Although you are a prodigy, it is against etiquette!" < /p>

When Wang Anshi heard this, he repeatedly praised: "Wonderful, wonderful! Sure enough, the child prodigy will become a great player in the future!"

Since then, Wang Zhu's reputation as a child prodigy has spread far and wide. Not only did Wang Zhu enter the famous Taoyuan Academy in the local area for further study, but his father Wang Wenji was also relied upon by Wang Anshi, who recommended Wang Yuanji to the history of transfer and put Wang Yuanji in charge of the legal affairs of Mingzhou Prefecture.

Legends are legends. Wang Zhu was indeed a smart boy and a talented poet. He wrote many five-character quatrain poems, all of which were short poems that were easy to understand and easy for children to memorize. In order to promote orthodox ideas and supervise children to study and seek official positions, the school teachers at that time compiled and interpreted more than 30 five-character quatrains composed by Wang Zhu into a collection titled Wang Shentong's Poems. The prodigy's poems are popular and straightforward, easy for children to recite and memorize, and are known as "ancient and modern wonders" along with the Three Character Classic. They have become the main teaching materials for educating children, have been widely circulated, and have far-reaching influence.

In the poems of child prodigies, in addition to "the emperor values ??heroes, articles teach you."

Everything is of inferior quality, only reading is good." There are also several catchy poems that are still recited today, such as the "Four Joys" we often mention, which are also derived from this:

Long drought brings sweet rain. , meeting an old friend in a foreign land,

On the night of flowers and candles in the wedding room, when the gold medal is named

There are also poems that teach people to study hard, respect Confucianism and seek nobles, such as

Being a farmer in the morning and ascending to the emperor's hall in the evening.

A general has no talent at all. A man should strive for self-improvement.

"You must study hard and write well to establish yourself." "Study diligently and diligently, and you will gain thousands of books through the window." "Learning is the treasure of the body, and Confucianism is the treasure of the table." "The golden treasure left behind by my son, how can I teach you a lesson?" "These poems are almost household names, known to all women and children, and are constantly being recited. They still have certain educational significance today.

However, some of the poems among the prodigy poems are suspected of being incomplete and have been passed down in error. For example, the collection

Three autumn leaves fall, but February flowers bloom.

Thousands of feet of waves cross the river, and thousands of bamboo poles slant into it.

This poem was originally called Feng. , written by Li Qiao, a poet of the early Tang Dynasty, and another example:

A plum blossom blooms alone in the corner

I know it is not snow, because there is a faint fragrance. /p>

In the plum blossoms of Wang Anshi of the same dynasty, "several branches of plum" were changed to "one branch of plum". I wonder if Wang Anshi could see it, and what he thought after seeing it.

Modern writer Zhang Ailing has a famous saying, "Become famous early", but becoming famous early is not necessarily a good thing. This is most obvious in the case of Wang Zhu, a child prodigy in the Northern Song Dynasty. , but after many examinations, he failed to pass the exam.

It was not until the third year of Zhe Zong's reign in the Song Dynasty that he was able to pass the Jinshi examination at the age of nearly 70 and was appointed as a professor of Mingzhou Fuxue. A good teacher, many students followed Wang Zhu in his lectures, and he was well-liked in the government. Everyone called him "Mr. Wang". After Wang Zhu's death, the imperial court specially awarded him the title of "Zhengfeng Dafu" and enjoyed the treatment of the fourth rank. The book "Exegesis of the Spring and Autumn Period" was left behind.

Modern people have long criticized the "three tastes" advocated by the prodigy Wang of the Northern Song Dynasty and his prodigy poems, "only reading is good". Bookhouse", its concept of "three flavors" of reading is quite praised. It was originally the idea that "reading the classics tastes like rice beams, reading history tastes like food, reading hundreds of schools of thought, tastes like glutinous rice", which was later described by Lu Xun's teacher Mr. Jingwu. It was changed to the "Three Flavors" of "common clothes are warm, vegetables are fragrant, and poems and books are delicious"

This "Three Flavors" illustrates the school philosophy of Sanwei Bookstore, which teaches the younger generation not to study for exams but to become officials. Be content with the warmth of common clothes and the fragrance of vegetable roots, taste the taste of poetry and books, and enjoy the happiness of life.

I secretly believe that this is the fundamental point of studying and learning!