This is to advise men not to lust after women. It comes from the novel "Jin Ping Mei". The literal meaning is that a sixteen-year-old beauty has a graceful figure, but her beauty is like a sharp sword. Ignorant people do not understand the dangers and indulge in it, often causing harm to their lives. Although there is nothing visible on the surface, secretly it consumes a person until his bone marrow is exhausted and dried up, and his body rapidly declines.

Extended information

The Plum in the Golden Vase, written between the Longqing and Wanli years of the Ming Dynasty, is China's first full-length social novel. It borrows the story of Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian from the novel "Water Margin" to extend the story. It writes about the lives of ordinary people in the market.

It depicts in detail the feudal evil trinity of bureaucrats, bullies and wealthy businessmen. The sinful life course of Ximen Qing, a representative of power, from his rise to prosperity to his violent death, clearly describes the Song Dynasty. It is actually the "contemporary history" of the Ming Dynasty where the author lived, profoundly revealing the dark and decadent political and social reality of the late Ming Dynasty.

Mao Zedong loved reading and making comments. He once evaluated "The Plum in the Golden Vase" five times.

The first time was in 1956. On February 20 of that year, while listening to the work report of the heavy industry department, Mao Zedong said in a conversation with Wan Li and others: "The Water Margin reflects the political situation at that time, and The Plum in the Golden Lotus reflects the economic situation at the time. It is the sequel to Dream of Red Mansions." Ancestors, you must watch it.”

The second time was in 1957. Mao Zedong fully affirmed the literary value and sociological value of "Jin Ping Mei", and personally decided to lift the ban on "Jin Ping Mei" on a small scale nationwide. Mao Zedong said: ""Jin Ping Mei" can be used as a reference, but the plot of insulting women in the book is not good. Provinces The Secretary of the Party Committee can take a look."

So, after consultation with the publishing department, the Ministry of Culture and the Central Propaganda Department established the "Beijing Ancient Anonymous Novel Publishing House" in the name of "Literary Ancient Books Publishing House" in October 1933. "We raised funds to photocopy "Newly Engraved Poems on the Plum in the Golden Lotus" and reprinted 2,000 copies.

These books are issued to: provincial party committee secretaries, deputy secretaries, and ministers and deputy ministers of the same level. The photocopied version of "Newly Engraved Poems on the Plum in the Golden Lotus" contains 21 volumes of two letters, 20 volumes of text, and 200 illustrations compiled into one volume. All book buyers are registered and numbered.

The third time was two years later. From December 1959 to February 1960, in a conversation while reading the Soviet Union's "Political Economics Textbook", Mao Zedong compared "Jin Ping Mei" with "Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Dynasties".

He said that the latter only "wrote about the complex and sharp struggles in the superstructure at that time. The shortcoming was that it did not write about the economic foundation at that time", while "Jin Ping Mei" was more profound, "exposing the feudal social economy. The contradictions of life and the contradictions between the rulers and the oppressed are revealed in "Jin Ping Mei" in great detail."

The fourth time was in 1961. On December 20, 1961, Mao Zedong said at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the first secretaries of various regions: "There are only three Chinese novels that write about social history: A Dream of Red Mansions, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and Plum in the Golden Lotus. Have you read "Jin Ping Mei"?

I recommend you to read it. This book writes the true history of the Ming Dynasty, exposing the feudal rule and the contradiction between rule and oppression, and some parts are very interesting. "A Dream of Red Mansions" is the ancestor of "A Dream of Red Mansions." "A Dream of Red Mansions" would not have been written without "A Dream of Red Mansions." However, the author of "A Dream of Red Mansions" does not respect women."

The fifth time was in 1962. In his speech at the core group of the Central Working Conference in August 1962, Mao Zedong compared "The Plum in the Golden Vase" with "The Appearance of Officialdom".

He said that some novels, such as "The Appearance of Officialdom", describe light but darkness, and Lu Xun called them condemnation novels. It only exposes darkness and people don’t like to see it. "Jin Ping Mei" has not been widely spread, not only because of its obscenity, but mainly because it only exposes darkness. Although it is well written, people don't like to read it. "Dream of Red Mansions" is different. It is written with a bit of hope.

Reference materials: People's Daily Online? Mao Zedong's Five Commentaries on "Jin Ping Mei"?,

Baidu Encyclopedia? "Jin Ping Mei"