Su Shi's reply to Wang Xiang's book Su Shi Series: Selected Works of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties Su Shi's reply to Wang Xiang's book
Original text Don't overdo it, old, sick and forgetful, how can you be so handsome? When teenagers take the exam, record the number history and questions, etc., roughly the same as those who take the exam in recent years. There are also some texts of Shaoxiang1 and Caichen Erhou2, which were taken away by the elevator. They are all gone now, but they are useless. There is no shortcut or sure-fire technique. But if you are talented and powerful and have studied for several years, you will have your own way, but in fact it is all destiny. However, he wanted the young man to become a scholar, and he would exhaustively read every book he wrote. Books are as rich as the sea, and they are available in all department stores. People's energy cannot be used to absorb them all, but they can only get what they want. Therefore, I hope that scholars will seek it one at a time. If you want to seek the role of ancient saints and sages in their rise and fall, and in regulating chaos, just seek it with this intention, and don’t have any lingering thoughts. Don't do it again, seeking deeds, stories, scriptures, articles, cultural relics, etc., the same is true. He all imitates this. Although this is obtuse and obtuse, if you learn it in the future, you will be faced with enemies on all sides, and it is not the same as those who dabble in it. It's not a speedy technique, it's ridiculous!
Notes 1 Program text: refers to the more difficult questions in the exam. "Book of Rites·Xue Ji" records: "A good inquirer is like attacking a strong tree. He should first change the subject, and then the program." 2. Cai Chen and Hou: Low ability, ranking at the bottom of the list. Self-effacing words.
Translation: You praised me too much in your letter. Now that I am old, sick and forgetful, how can I bear your expectations? When I took the imperial examination when I was young, the subjects that required rote memorization were probably still the same as in recent years. There are also some more difficult questions in the exam. Due to my low ability, this part of the exam ranked at the bottom. These articles have all been taken away by the examiners back then, and they are probably all gone today, but even if they are there, they are of little use. In fact, there are no shortcuts to learning. As talented as you are and your learning ability is strong, after studying for a few years, you will naturally understand how to learn without external assistance. Young people read every good book several times. A good book is rich in content, just like an ocean of knowledge. When reading, people's consciousness is directed to one aspect, and it is impossible to master all aspects of knowledge, so you only need to read with one goal in mind every time you read it. Therefore, I hope that I can concentrate every time when I study. If you want to understand how the ancients stabilized the country and managed chaos, and learn from the ancient sages and sages, you must study like I said and don't have any other ideas of taking shortcuts. You can also imitate the famous articles of ancient people and write a similar article, and write from a different angle. Although this method is a bit clumsy, it will definitely benefit you a lot in the future. When you are successful, you will be able to deal with various academic difficulties. Those who have read a lot of books but have not done in-depth research cannot compare with you. These are not quick fixes, just laugh and laugh!
Commentary Wang Xiang, a native of Rongzhou (now Rong County, Sichuan), was the son-in-law of Su Zhe. This article is a letter written by Su Shi in his later years in response to Wang Xiang's inquiry. With a persuasive attitude, he told Wang Xiang that there is no shortcut to study. He must study diligently, pay attention to methods, grasp the key points, and grasp them deeply.