It comes from the "Seven-Step Poetry" written by Cao Zhi, a poet of the Wei State during the Three Kingdoms period.
Poetry in seven steps
Boil the beans to make soup, and drain the black beans to make juice.
The leaves are burning under the cauldron, and the beans are weeping in the cauldron.
Since they are born from the same root, there is no need to rush into mutual conflict.
Vernacular translation:
Boil the beans to make bean soup, and filter the beans to make juice.
The beanstalk is burning under the pot and the beans are crying in the pot.
Bean poles and beans grow from the same root, so why do they have to torture and force each other so hard?
Creative background:
In the first month of the first year of Huangchu (220), Cao Cao died of illness at the age of sixty-six, and Cao Pi was promoted from Crown Prince to King of Wei; in October of the same year, Emperor Xian of Han was forced to abdicate Cao Pi ascended the throne and proclaimed himself Emperor Wen of Wei. Because Cao Pi couldn't let go of the experience of fighting for the title of crown prince, he still harbored grudges against Cao Zhi after he became emperor. He was worried that his knowledgeable and politically ambitious younger brother would threaten his throne, so he thought of ways to get rid of him. Cao Zhi knew that his brother had deliberately framed him, but he could not excuse himself, so he had to write a poem in seven steps in extreme grief and anger. According to "Shishuo Xinyu·Literature": "Emperor Wen (Cao Pi) tried to order King Dong'a (Cao Zhi) to compose a poem in seven steps. If he failed, he would do Dafa (kill), and he would compose a poem in response... The emperor was deeply ashamed."
This poem was first recorded in "Shishuo Xinyu", and only four sentences were circulated later, namely: "Cooking beans burns the bean sprouts, and the beans weep in the cauldron. They are originally from the same root. , why be so impatient!" Probably because during the dissemination process, it is still difficult to determine whether it was actually written by Cao Zhi. However, the author of "Shishuo Xinyu" lived not far from the time of Cao Wei, so there is certainly a certain basis for what he said. Moreover, according to "Wei Zhi" cited in "Shishuo Xinyu", it is also said that Cao Zhi "spoke as an argument and wrote as a chapter." ", Cao Cao once tried "Ode to the Bronze Bird Terrace", which was completed with Zhi's support, and it was impressive. Therefore, it is entirely possible for Cao Zhi to compose such a good poem within seven steps.
The authenticity of "Poetry in Seven Steps" is highly controversial. Yu Qiuyu believed that with Cao Pi's intelligence, it was impossible for him to play such a cruel and childish prank in the palace. Moreover, Cao Pi knew that Cao Zhi was very clever and quick, so he would not be so stupid if he wanted to make things difficult for him. Yu Qiuyu believes that this poem has a decent metaphor and a Yuefu flavor. It was probably written by Cao Zhi, but the dramatic scenes at the time of creation were probably made up by later generations. "The beans are burning when they are boiling, and the beans are weeping in the cauldron. They are originally from the same root, so why fry each other in a hurry?" This is a forgery written by Luo Guanzhong, not the original text of the seven-step poem.
"Seven Steps of Poetry" is a poem by Cao Zhi, a poet of the Wei State during the Three Kingdoms period. This poem uses the beans and beans that are born from the same root to describe brothers with the same father and mother, and uses the fried beans to describe the brother Cao Pi who brutally harmed his younger brother. It expresses the strong dissatisfaction with Cao Pi, vividly, and in a simple way. It reflects the cruel struggle within the feudal ruling group and the poet's own difficult situation, depressed and angry thoughts and feelings.
Cao Zhi (192-December 27, 232), courtesy name Zijian, was born in Qiao County, Peiguo (now Bozhou City, Anhui Province). He was born in Dongwuyang (now Shen County, Shandong Province). Juancheng), the third son born to Cao Cao and Empress Wu Xuan Bian, was King Chen during his lifetime, and was given the posthumous title "Si" after his death, so he was also called King Chen Si.
Cao Zhi was a famous writer during the Three Kingdoms period. As one of the representatives and masters of Jian'an literature, [2] he was respected as a model of articles during the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties. His representative works include "Luo Shen Fu", "White Horse Pian", "Seven Sorrow Poems", etc. Later generations named him, Cao Cao and Cao Pi the "Three Caos" because of their literary attainments. His poems are famous for their vigorous writing and eloquent words. Thirty volumes of his poems have been lost. The current collection of Cao Zijian was compiled by people of the Song Dynasty. Cao Zhi's prose also has the characteristics of "emotion, elegance and resentment, body and quality". Coupled with the rich variety of his prose, he has achieved outstanding achievements in this aspect. Xie Lingyun, a writer in the Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, once commented that "there is only one stone in the world, and Cao Zijian has eight buckets". Literary critic Zhong Rong also praised Cao Zhi for his "extraordinarily high character, splendid poetry, elegance and resentment, and elegant style and quality. He is outstanding in both the present and the past." He ranked him as the highest-ranking scholar in "Poetry". poet. Wang Shizhen said that Cao Zhi, Li Bai and Su Shi were among the poets who could be called "immortal talents" in the two thousand years since the Han and Wei dynasties.