Let’s talk about reading.
Let’s look at Mr. Chen Hongshou (1768-1822): “An ancient sword is not sharpened to retain its energy, and reading many different books is a snack.”
Let’s look at the second line first: “There are many different books.” Read as a snack."
This sentence means that reading should be complicated. The author of this couplet is said to be Zuo Zongtang (1812-1885), an important official in the late Qing Dynasty. Zuo Zongtang’s reading characteristics were his wide range of interests and complex subjects.
After Zuo Zongtang passed the national examination at the age of 21, he failed in many examinations (the national examination was his highest academic ability). So he became disheartened and concentrated on learning how to manage the world and apply it. His son and daughter-in-law Tao Shu (1779-1839, official to governor, famous official in the Qing Dynasty) had a rich collection of books, which just satisfied his desire. "Reading many different books is a must-have meal" can be said to be a vivid portrayal of Zuo Zongtang's reading life.
The Bible says: "When God closes one door to you, he will definitely open another door for you." Later, the situation changed, and Zuo Zongtang chose the opportunity to go out and display his knowledge to the fullest. , and finally became a prince and became a minister. Such a result has a lot to do with his accumulation of reading that focuses on applying knowledge to the world.
It's just that Zuo Zongtang has always had a problem, that is - if he doesn't have the status of "Jinshi", his posthumous title will not be "Wen" after his death (because of insufficient academic ability)!
The ancients attached great importance to the word "文" in posthumous titles. It is estimated that Marshal Zuo, who was arrogant and arrogant, screamed over and over again in his heart - "If I can't get this word 'wen' after my death, then wouldn't I, who claims to be Zhuge Liang of this generation, be no better than Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang?"< /p>
Therefore, after Zuo Zongtang became the governor, he told the Empress Dowager Cixi that he would go to the examination room to take the imperial examination, which made Lafayette dumbfounded. In the end, as a favor, the imperial court gave Zuo Zongtang "the same background as a Jinshi". In this way, after the old gentleman passed away, he finally got the posthumous title of "Wen Xiang".
Look at the first couplet again, "The ancient sword is not sharpened but retains its energy."
Why is such a good sword “not sharpened”? Why not "take advantage and see what I can do"? Isn't it a waste to sit there?
In order to answer this question, please take a look at this widely circulated "Ancient Sword Inscription":
If you use its light lightly, it will cause damage if you move it. It is a murderous weapon; If you hide it clumsily, you can decide it when the opportunity arises. It is a sharp weapon.
I don’t know who said these words, but they do convey the essence of Chinese culture - a "sword" cannot be used casually, but once it is "sharpened" and used, it must be To solve big problems.
Next, let’s take a look at Qing Dynasty Prime Minister Qi Zuozao (1793-1866), “Knowledge can only be achieved through self-cultivation, and uninterrupted time is kungfu.”
This couplet can be seen as talking about reading. ?
The second line of the second line "Uninterrupted is Kung Fu", which means that you must have perseverance and cannot fish for three days and dry the net for two days;
The first line of the first line "Knowledge can only be achieved by self-cultivation", What it talks about is the method of reading - read more, ponder more, experience more, and combine it with practice.
Regarding this "cultivation", let's take a look at a passage from Zeng Guofan's letter to his son Zeng Jize:
You don't have much experience in reading the "Four Books", so you can't "humbly cultivate yourself and learn everything." Observe it yourself.” Zhu Xi taught people how to read, and these two words were the most accurate.
The word "Han Yong" is the most difficult to recognize. I have tried to guess it and said: "Han" is like spring rain moistening flowers, like clear canals irrigating rice. If the rain moistens the flowers, if it is too small, it will be difficult to penetrate; if it is too large, it will fall off; if it is moderate, it will moisten and moisten the flowers. If the canal is cleared of irrigated rice, if it is too small, it will become withered; if it is too much, it will cause waterlogging; if it is moderate, it will be conserved and prosperous. The swimmer is like a fish swimming in water, like a person washing his feet. Cheng Zi said that fish leaping into the abyss are lively and splashing on the ground; Zhuang Zi said that watching fish in Haoliang is not a pleasure? This fish is so fast in water. Zuo Taichong's poem "Washing feet flows thousands of miles", Su Zizhan's poem "Lying down at night and washing feet" and "Having a bath" are also one of the joys of human nature. Those who are good at reading must regard the book as water, and the mind as flowers, rice, fish, and washed feet. Then the word "Yong" can be understood as an expression of meaning.
You see, the secret of reading taught by Zeng Wenzhenggong to his son is to "be open-minded and observe with oneself". "It means to experience and understand through personal practice.
When it comes to "being modest and humble", one cannot help but think of the old adage "read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become apparent". Qian Zhenqun (1875-1944), a modern scholar from the south of the Yangtze River, has a piece of ink that reads, "If you read a thousand times, you will see your righteousness, and you will be punished a hundred times without hesitation", which is also quite impressive.
In the following couplet, two words have been changed from the couplet before Zuo Zongtang, from "Read more foreign books as a snack" to "Reread old books as a snack." It also talks about the need to read good books repeatedly. Reading, only by reading repeatedly can you understand the author's profound meaning. This is the work of Sun Jianai (1827-1909), the number one scholar in the Qing Dynasty.
The following is a poem by Tan Zekai (1889-1948), a master of Yan Kai in modern times, "Every time I read an old book, I gain new insights, and the ancient ink is thick and fragrant." If you read it over and over again, think about it over and over again, and understand it with an open mind, then You will realize more things.
Deng Shiru (1743-1805), the great calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty, once said, "When a guest leaves, the scent of tea leaves his tongue, and when he sleeps, the scent of books remains in his chest." This is a poem by Mr. Lu You, which is beautifully written. , very comfortable.
I fell asleep the whole time, with the smell of books still lingering in my chest. For scholars, this "Han Yong" is not only painful to ponder, but also happy to ponder.
Let’s take another look at the poem “The third month after enlightenment of a good book, the spring of four springs when a good friend comes”, which is a collection of words from Sun Guoting’s “Book Book”.
There were some words that I didn’t understand when I was reading. These words lingered in my heart for a long time and couldn’t go away.
On a bright and quiet night, "I suddenly looked back and saw that person in a dimly lit place", I finally figured it out! ——The greatest joy of reading is probably nothing more than this!
(To be continued)