However, for more and more people, reading is no longer a good thing, but constitutes a problem, a burden and even a war. In the face of a sea of books, they are at a loss: what books should they read? How to read? Is this a good book or a bad book? Do you take reading notes? ..... when they ask: Why do you want to study? What is reading? Finally escaped. We grew up, no, it should be said that our ancestors were educated since childhood, what is the use of reading, what can reading bring, and why we should study. The most classic old adage is "There are thousands of millet in Qian Qian ..." It is said that it comes from "Li Xue Pian" by Song Zhenzong and Zhao Heng: a rich family doesn't have to buy fertile land, but there are thousands of millet in Qian Qian. You don't need a tall building to live in peace, but there is a golden house in the book. Don't hate unscrupulous media when you get married. Yan Ruyu is in the book. Don't hate a person when you go out. There are so many chariots and horses in the book. Men want to be flat and ambitious, and read to the window after six classics. To tell the truth, this poem is not very clever. It was written by Mr. Xue in the hinterland. It is not as good as the "prodigy poem": "The son of heaven values heroes and heroes, and the article teaches two Cao. Everything is inferior, only reading is high. " "Boys and girls should study hard before the article can be established. Zhu Zigui, a learned man. " ..... From these poems, it is not difficult to see that reading was just a tool for the ancients. Books are regarded as a means, a path, not an end. The purpose is the power, wealth and beauty buried in books. This determines that even if the title of "sage" is added in front of this book, including sages, they all adhere to a utilitarian consideration of reading. In connection with Zhao Heng's identity, it is not difficult to see that Qian Zhongshu, Jin Wu Cang Jiao and Yan Ruyu's guidance on reading also contains the discipline of power on readers. Just as Li Shimin praised the role of imperial examinations in selecting scholars: "Those who fall into my trap are the best heroes in the world", so is Zhao Heng's Li Xue Pian. This concept of reading is the "win" set by the emperor for intellectuals. There is a story in Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio called "Bookworm". Lang Yuzhu of Pengcheng, like most scholars in ancient China, thinks that there are thousands of bells, golden rooms and Yan Ruyu in the book. Suddenly, one day, his piety touched God, and a beautiful woman, Yan Ruyu, descended on him from the eighth volume of Hanshu, with a soft fragrance, resting on a mat. However, the beauty repeatedly warned him not to be obsessed with books, and later forced him to make a choice: "If you want to stay, you should lift the books and scatter them." Books are your hometown and my life. How can you ask them? The next step is tragedy. In fact, the ending is not important. What is worth facing up to is their attitude towards books. Pu Songling doesn't like Lang Yuzhu's infatuation with books. He reflected a different stone criticism: "Everything in the world, if accumulated, causes jealousy, if it is good, causes evil ..." Although Yan Ruyu came from a book, he was ungrateful and even regarded himself as an option, which was incompatible with the book. Here, the fate of bookworms and beautiful women is raised, and the value of books is devalued indefinitely. Does the value of books depend on the values of Qian Zhongshu, Jin Wu Cang Jiao and Yan Ruyu? It's hard to say. Over the past century, we have all heard a resounding slogan: study for the rise of China. This is probably "there are thousands of millet in Qian Qian in the book ...", which makes many people in China excited, thinking that they have found the direction of reading from now on, and they can see the bright future of China by opening the pages. Unfortunately, this is still a utilitarian view of reading. Reading may not contribute to the rise of China (the problem is not reading, but what books to read and how to read them), but the heavy mission of China's rise often overwhelms reading. When they are radical, people raise their arms and shout, "North China is too big for a quiet desk!" " "Who is more afraid of the invaders or scholars? I am not against the rise of China, just as I am not against reading, but I am against tying the two together. The thinking behind this is the "reading usefulness theory", which implies at least two points: reading can't be read in vain; There must be treasure in the book. The result is often disappointing, which leads people to slide to the other terrible extreme: the theory of the futility of reading. In short, the theory of "reading is useful" and the theory of "reading is useless" are just separated by a piece of paper, which is broken at a glance. Can we ask questions from a different angle and in a different way instead of "Why are you studying? "Some people may ask: Do you advocate reading for the sake of reading? -this is the highest level of reading, but I can't do it. I just hope that when we study, we can be less utilitarian, less mentally bound, and less colorful desires except curiosity. The rise of Xiaomi, Golden House, Yan Ruyu and China often constitutes an unbearable weight for the fragile spine. Under the heavy pressure, readers get nothing, but lose their most natural love for books and knowledge. I don't deny that I am deeply troubled by "why study". The reading state I am most looking forward to is "". Even I don't know why I opened this book. I don't know whether my reading journey is bright or sad. I don't know where to start and where to end. My mood is like that poem "... I am like a child who accepts communion/expands my courage, but holds my breath". Speaking of which, the best context is prison How many people in China dream of studying in prison? Probably only here can reading be purified, all purposes can be eliminated, and all burdens can be put down. Prison deprived them of their physical freedom, but gained their inner nature. On the other hand, in this world, how can a scholar not be free? In A.D. 1930, Hu Shi was asked about the Chinese dream, and he replied, "I dream of an ideal prison, where I will be imprisoned for ten or fifteen years. There, I am not allowed to meet guests and relatives, only on Sundays. But I can read books, borrow books from various libraries outside, and move some of my own books to use ... "In fact, Hu Shi's life, reading is very utilitarian. From the bibliography he read, we can see the turning point of society; Moreover, his study time is often oppressed by state affairs. Therefore, ten years in prison and ten years in school are his heartfelt words. Why study, you can't help but feel anxious, and when "what" can't be realized, it is even more painful. So why is reading a pleasure? Perhaps, only when we study can it become such a good thing.