Fan Zhongyan's top ten classic quotes are as follows:

1. Worry about the world's worries first, and rejoice after the world's happiness.

2. The clouds and mountains are green and the rivers are long and clear.

3. Resting and leaning alone high in the Mingyue Tower, the wine fills my heart with sadness, turning into tears of lovesickness.

4. Don’t be happy with things, and don’t be sad with yourself.

5. Good dreams keep people sleeping every night.

6. Every year tonight, the moon shines brightly, and people are thousands of miles long.

7. He would rather die with his voice, but live without silence.

8. When people don’t sleep, the general’s hair is white and his husband is in tears.

9. If you live high in a temple, you will worry about your people; if you live far away from the rivers and lakes, you will worry about your ruler.

10. Sitting alone and leaning high in the Mingyue Tower, the wine fills my heart with sadness, turning into tears of lovesickness.

Expand a bit:

Allusion - Duanjun Painting Porridge

Fan Zhongyan lost his father when he was young, and moved to Changshan with his stepfather when he was four years old. He studied hard at Liquan Temple. Because his family was poor, he used two liters of millet to cook porridge. After the porridge solidified overnight, he cut it into four pieces with a knife. He ate two pieces in the morning and evening, and then cut some pickles to go with it.

As an adult, Fan Zhongyan went to Yingtian Academy to study hard. In winter, when he was tired and sleepy from studying, he would wash his face with cold water. When he had nothing to eat, he would drink gruel to survive. Fan Zhongyan never complained about the difficult life that ordinary people could not bear. After studying hard, Fan Zhongyan finally passed the imperial examination in the eighth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1015), and became an official to participate in political affairs.

Allusion - Willing to Be a Good Doctor

When Fan Zhongyan was not yet prominent, he once went to the shrine to ask for fortune-telling and pray. He said, "Can I be the prime minister in the future?" The result was "no." . He also asked for a fortune and prayed, saying: "If I can't be the prime minister, then I would like to be a good doctor." The result was "no". Fan Zhongyan sighed and said: "Not being able to benefit the people is not what a man should do in his life."

Later, someone asked him: "It is natural for a man to aspire to be the prime minister. Why do you pray to be the prime minister?" What about a good doctor? Isn't this a bit too humble? "Fan Zhongyan replied: "How could it be? The ancients said, 'If you always make good use of people, you will never abandon people; if you always make good use of things, you will never abandon things'. p> Although a talented and learned man hopes to assist the wise king in governing the country and benefiting the world, even if one of the people fails to benefit, it is like pushing him into a ditch. Only the prime minister can do it now. The signature said that I cannot be the prime minister. To realize my wish of benefiting all the people, I have to be a good doctor.

If I really become a good doctor with superb skills, I can cure the diseases of the king and the poor, and save the poor and the lowly. In the face of disaster, there is no one else but a good doctor who can still benefit the people while living among the people.