Appreciation of "Inscription on a Humble Room":

Inscription is an ancient rhyming style carved on gold and stone. It is mostly used to praise virtues and warn oneself. After understanding the meaning of the inscription, you also understand the meaning of the title. The author expressed his ambition through the object, and tried his best to describe the humble room through the description of the room. The center of "This is a humble room, but I am virtuous" is actually Using the name of a shabby house to praise moral character expresses the noble and arrogant moral integrity of the owner of the house and his taste for living in poverty and enjoying peace and prosperity.

The "Inscription on the Humble House" begins with the theme of mountains and rivers. The mountains do not need to be high, and the water does not need to be deep. As long as there are immortal dragons, you can be famous. Then, although the residence is simple, it will be famous because of the "virtue" of the owner. "And "Xin" means that a humble house can certainly become famous because of the presence of people with high moral character, and its reputation will spread far and wide, and it will be recorded in stone. Ordinary landscapes are brought to life by immortal dragons, so of course humble houses can also be spread with fragrance by people of high moral character. This technique of leveraging strength is really wonderful and can be said to be the author's unique ingenuity. Especially the fairy dragon embellishes the landscape, which is a wonderful idea. "This is a humble house, but I am virtuous and kind." The title starts from the landscape, fairy dragons, and the author directly cuts into the theme with a sudden change of style, laying the foundation for reading the introduction. It also points out the reason why a humble house is not poor. The reason is the word Dexin.

It can be seen from this point that the author wrote this essay after repeated thinking, and it was definitely not a temporary inspiration. Quatrains can be the result of a sudden inspiration, but flawless connection is the result of daily accumulation of skills and repeated deliberation. Four to seven sentences of this article were written out of difficulty and carved on stone, which has a strong tit-for-tat nature. Judging from the writing technique of the full text, the whole text is written in one go with the technique of "comparison", rather than as a contrast. So what exactly are the two sentences "moss marks" and "talking and laughing" talking about? Moss is still green on the stone steps, and weeds are still lush and green in the wasteland. What is the implication? I, Liu Yuxi, will never change my true character wherever I go. The people I associate with are all well-educated and learned people, and there are no uneducated people (like you). The author uses moss and weeds to describe his independent personality. This is a portrayal of integrity and a declaration of unyieldingness.

If sentences one to three of this article are a kind of foreshadowing, then sentences four to seven enter the real confrontation. The author uses poetic and beautiful language to show his pride and pride, and at the same time, he also mercilessly lashes out at the snobs.

"Zhuge Lu in Nanyang, Ziyun Pavilion in Western Shu" The author uses Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage and Yangziyun's Xuanting in Western Shu as analogies to draw his own humble house and the two people as his role models. He hopes that he will also Being able to have the same noble moral character as them reflects one's own thought of treating oneself like an ancient sage, and at the same time implies that a humble house is not a humble one. In fact, Liu Yuxi's writing has another profound meaning, that is, Zhuge Liang was living in Wolong Caolu waiting for the Ming Dynasty to come out. And what about Yang Xiong? But he was a man who was indifferent to fame and wealth and devoted himself to studying. Although he was a top official, his indifference to the ups and downs of official position and money was a model for future generations. The author quotes these two people, and what he wants to express is: not being shocked by honor or disgrace, unyielding in danger, and adhering to integrity. Not wanting to go along with the secular world, but also wanting to show off one's ambitions in the presence of an enlightened master. If there is no enlightened master, one is willing to settle for a mediocre ambition. This, combined with the ups and downs of the author's officialdom, is more in line with the actual situation.

The concluding sentence quotes "Confucius said: Why is there such a thing as shabby?", quoting the words of the ancients and concluding the whole article, explaining that a shabby house is "not shabby". It expressed his pursuit of the highest moral quality of the feudal ethics at that time. To standardize and demand oneself with the ethics affirmed by saints may be Liu Yuxi's highest requirement for his own moral character. Such a conclusion does not say what the content means, but combined with the meaning of the question, it is a masterstroke. Because feudal ethics take Confucian moral standards as the highest moral standard, Confucius’ affirmation also provides the best conclusion for his theory of moral character. The paper should have arguments, and quoting Confucius’ words as an argument is undoubtedly It was the best argument at the time, sufficient and irrefutable.

Original text of "Inscription on a Humble Room":

"Inscription on a Humble Room"

Liu Yuxi? [Tang Dynasty]

If the mountain is not high, there are immortals Then the name. 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?

Full text translation of "The Inscription on the Humble Room":

A mountain does not lie in its height. If you have gods, you will be famous. Water does not depend on its depth. When there is a dragon, there will be aura.

This is a simple house, but it doesn’t feel so simple because of my good moral character. The moss marks are green and grow to the stage, and the green grass is reflected in the curtain. The people who come here to talk and laugh are all knowledgeable people, and the people who come and go without knowledge can play the undecorated harp and read Buddhist scriptures. There is no sound of orchestral music to disturb the ears, and no official documents to tire the body. There is Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage in Nanyang, and there is a pavilion like Yangtze Cloud in Western Shu. Confucius said: What is so simple?

Word notes:

Shawhouse: a simple house.

Inscription: In ancient times, the words engraved on objects to warn oneself or describe merits were called "inscriptions", and later became a literary style. This style of writing generally uses parallel sentences, and the sentence structure is relatively neat and catchy.

In: lies.

Name: famous, famous, noun used as verb.

Spirit: magical; supernatural.

This is a humble house: This is a humble house. Si: demonstrative pronoun, this, this; yes: a judgment verb that expresses affirmation.

Weiwu Dexin (xīn): Just because the people living in the house have good moral character, they don’t feel shabby. Wei: only; Wu: me; Xin: the fragrance that spreads far away, here refers to high moral character. "Shang Shu·Jun Chen": "The millet and millet are not sweet, but the bright virtue is sweet."

The moss marks on the steps are green, and the grass color enters the curtain green: the moss marks are green and grows to the steps; the grass color is green and green, reflecting the Enter the curtain. Go up: grow to; enter: reflect into.

Hongru: Great Confucian, here refers to a learned person. Hong: the same as "Hong", big; Ru: used to refer to scholars.

Bai Ding: Common people, here refers to people with little knowledge.

Tiao (tiáo) plain qin: playing a qin without decoration. Tiao: Tune, here finger playing (qin). Plain Qin: A Qin without decoration.

Golden Sutra: There is still controversy in academic circles today. Some scholars think it refers to the Buddhist scripture (Diamond Sutra), while others think it refers to a Confucian classic. Gold: precious.

Sizhu: The general name for musical instruments such as qin, se, Xiaoguan, etc. This refers to the sound of playing music. Silk: refers to string instruments; Bamboo: refers to wind instruments.

It is: modal particle, not translated. Used between subject and predicate to cancel the independence of the sentence.

Huan Er: Disturbing both ears. Chaos: The causative usage of the adjective makes...chaos, disrupts.

Double (dú): official documents and documents from the government.

Labor shape: making the body tired. Lao: the verb usage of the adjective, making... tired; form: shape, body.

Nanyang Zhuge Cottage, Western Shuziyun Pavilion: Nanyang has Zhuge Liang’s thatched cottage, and Western Shu has the pavilion of Yangziyun. Nanyang: Place name, present-day Nanyang City, Henan Province. Before Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, he lived in seclusion in Wolonggang in Nanyang and farmed; Zhuge Liang: courtesy name Kongming, the Prime Minister of the Shu Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms, and lived in seclusion in Wolonggang in Nanyang before becoming an official; Ziyun: Yang Xiong, a writer in the Western Han Dynasty, a native of Chengdu, Shu County ; Lu: a simple little house.

Confucius said: Confucius said that clouds generally refer to meaning in classical Chinese. "The Analects of Confucius·Zihan": "How can a gentleman live there?" The author removes the gentleman's home here to reflect his modest character.

He Buzhiyou: That is, "What's the shame", which belongs to the preposition of the object. It is: an auxiliary word, expressing a strong rhetorical question, a sign of the preposition of the object, and is not translated.

About the author:

Liu Yuxi (772-842), courtesy name Mengde, Han nationality, a native of Pengcheng (now Xuzhou) in the Tang Dynasty of China, native of Luoyang, a writer and philosopher of the Tang Dynasty , claimed to be a descendant of King Jing of Shanzhong Mountain in Hanzhong, served as a supervisory censor, and was a member of Wang Shuwen's political reform group. A famous poet in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, he was known as the "Poetry Hero". His family is a scholarly family with Confucianism passed down from generation to generation. He advocated political innovation and was one of the central figures in the political innovation activities of Wang Shuwen School. Later, Yongzhen's reform failed and he was demoted to Sima of Langzhou (now Changde, Hunan). According to Mr. Zhou Xinguo, a historian and collector in Changde, Hunan, Liu Yuxi was demoted to Sima of Langzhou and wrote the famous "Spring View of Han Shou City" during his demotion.

Creative background:

"The Inscription on the Humble Room" was written during the reign of Hezhou (824-826). "Liyang Dianlu": "The humble house was built in the prefecture by Liu Yuxi, the governor of Tanghe Prefecture. It has an inscription and a stele written by Liu Gongquan."

The author participated in Wang Shuwen's "Yongzhen" work during his tenure as the censor. Reform" and opposed the eunuchs and the separatist forces of feudal towns. After the reform failed, he was demoted to Hezhou County, Anhui Province as a general judge. According to regulations, the general judge should live in a three-bedroom house in the county government office. Seeing that the author was demoted, the magistrate of Hezhou deliberately made things difficult for him.

The magistrate of Hezhou first arranged for him to live in the south of the city facing the river. The author not only had no complaints, but was very happy. He even wrote two sentences at random and posted them on the door: "Facing the river and watching the white sails, I was thinking about arguing with Hezhou." The magistrate of Hezhou was very angry when he found out and ordered the Yali officers to move the author'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 residence is located by the Desheng River, with weeping willows nearby, and the environment is quite pleasant. The author still did not care, and was moved by the scenery. He wrote two sentences on the door: "The weeping willows are green by the river, and people are in Liyang and their hearts are in Beijing." ”

The county magistrate saw that he was still leisurely and carefree, so he sent someone to transfer him to the middle of the county again, and only gave him a small room that could only accommodate a bed, a table, and a chair. . In half a year, the magistrate forced the author to move three times, each time the area became smaller and smaller, and in the end it was just a small room. The author angrily wrote this "Inscription on the Humble Room" and asked someone to carve a stone tablet and place it in front of the door.

Express the theme:

"The Inscription on the Humble Room" is a parallel-style inscription created by Liu Yuxi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty. The full text is only eighty-one words long. The author uses the praise of the humble house to express his noble aspirations, contentment in poverty and happiness, and not to conform to the world. The article has a clear hierarchy. It starts with the landscape and points out the main theme of "this is a humble house, but I am virtuous and happy". Then it starts from the outdoor scenery, indoor people and things in the room, exaggerating the elegance of the humble house but not shabby, and citing ancient times. In Junyan's Residence, the words of ancient saints strengthen the meaning of the text and end with rhetorical questions, leaving a long lasting aftertaste.

Comments from famous experts:

Wu Chucai and Wu Tiaohou of the Qing Dynasty wrote "Guanwen Guanzhi": The reason why a shabby house can be inscribed lies in its virtue, not in its ugliness. Only if a virtuous person lives there, then everything in the humble room will be beautiful to the eye. It ends with "He Huo", which is full of charm.

Qing Dynasty Xie Youhui's "Guwen Appreciation of Music": A humble house can only be used as a contentment, but in the end it cannot escape the word "shabby". With "Dexin" as the main theme, the room will be more people-oriented, and it will be crude but not crude. This article almost uses the humbleness of the room to describe it as extraordinary. Although it is less than a hundred words, it has the effect of a tiger leaping and a dragon soaring.

Qing Dynasty Lin Yunming's "Analysis of Ancient Prose": The whole article is always derived from the four words "Wei Wu De Xin", which means that a virtuous person will live in a dignified house, even if it is shabby, it is not shabby. The first four sentences use mountains and rivers to describe people, and then they talk about the scenery in the room, the guests in the room, and the things in the room. No other hardships. That is to say, compared with Nanyang Caolu and Xishu Xuanting, there is no concession. Just because the virtuous people live here, there are differences. At the end, the Master's words "how ugly" are quoted, and the four words "a gentleman lives here" are hidden. If you quote it in full, it will leave a trace, and readers must not know it.

Guo Gong of the Qing Dynasty's "Complete Collection of Commentary on Ancient Prose in Detailed Edition": Every sentence reverses the case with the word "倰", and ends with quotes from Confucius as evidence, which is the most structured.

Li Fujiu of the Qing Dynasty wrote "Hundred Chapters on Ancient Writing and Writing Techniques": a small short chapter, it is impossible not to be prepared. Fan Mingduo warned himself, but this time he boasted about himself, and his physique changed slightly. If you use the metaphor of mountains and rivers to introduce it, it will not come suddenly; if you use ancient knots at the end, it will never go away. In the middle, the scene in the room, the people in the room, and the things in the room are arranged in different levels. The words "how ugly" are quoted at the end, and the four words "a gentleman lives in it" are hidden in it. If it is quoted in full, it will be traced, which is especially clever.

Qing Dynasty Yu Cheng's "New Editing of Ancient Prose Interpretations": The first four sentences express the importance of morality and meaning in the rise of the family. The phrase "Only my virtue can make a humble house happy" is the most concise way to describe the beauty of a humble room. The following are all about my virtue, which can make a humble house cheerful. Therefore, the moss and the color of the grass are nothing but my virtue's business; talking and laughing are nothing but my virtue's socializing. There are no strings or bamboos to clutter the ears while tuning the harp, no trouble in reading the scriptures, and the more I know without asking, it is my virtuous act. My virtue can make a humble room happy. Although this room is not much better than Zhuge Thatched Cottage or Ziyun Xuanting, I conclude with "how humble" and recite Confucius's teachings. How can its virtue be measured? ? Although the room is shabby, it is not shabby. When the tone of his words is clear and his structure is complete, even though his writing is less than a hundred words, it is elegant in its own right.