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This sentence comes from Sima Qian's Letter of Appointment in the Western Han Dynasty.
Excerpts from the original text
"People are inherently mortal, or they are heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather, so use them differently."
translate
Everyone will die eventually. Some people die heavier than Mount Tai, while others die lighter than a feather, depending on what this person pursues before life.
Make an appreciative comment
This sentence tells us that everyone will die, but the meaning of death depends on what he pursued before his death. Some people die for justice, for the people, for faith and so on. And the significance of their death is even heavier than Mount Tai. And some people die because of exploitation and oppression, and their death is lighter than a feather. This sentence inspires people to pursue meaningful and valuable things before their death and make contributions to the people and society.
Creation background
Sima Qian expressed his painful feelings after being punished in Bao Ren, and mentioned his intention and determination to write Historical Records. In this letter, he incorporated Mount Tai into this famous saying, emphasizing the solemn, majestic and majestic symbol of Mount Tai. In the book Serving the People, Mao Zedong used this sentence to praise Zhang Side's spirit of sacrifice in serving the people, so as to inspire party member cadres and soldiers to learn from his spirit and serve the people.
To annotate ...
Everyone is mortal: everyone is doomed to die.
Or more important than Mount Tai: the meaning of death is more important than Mount Tai, which means sacrificing for lofty causes such as justice and people.
Enlightenment of life
Personally, this sentence tells us that the meaning and value of life lies not in the length of life, but in how we spend this short life. We can choose to live for our own selfish interests, or we can give up ourselves for greater ideals and careers. Those who sacrifice their lives for true love and justice die heavier than Mount Tai, because their actions and sacrifices transcend personal existence and represent higher values and pursuits.
For each of us, the most important thing in life is to find our own value and meaning and work hard for it. We need to explore our inner world, tap our potential, understand the shortness and preciousness of life, cherish what live high wants every day, and create more value for ourselves and others. If we can keep in mind the meaning of this sentence, we will strengthen our faith and pursuit in life and cherish ourselves and the people around us more.