This poem comes from one of the two poems "On an Autumn Night, the dawn is coming out of the gate to welcome the coolness" written by Lu You, a poet from the Song Dynasty. The full text is as follows:
The autumn light of silver candles paints the screen coldly,
The small light fan flutters at the fireflies.
The night sky is as cool as water,
Lie down and watch Altair and Vega.
There was a sudden west wind on the river before it was cold,
The clear dew turned over again and made the sky clear.
The floating life is temporarily sent to dreams within dreams,
The world is like hearing the wind and the wind.
This poem expresses Lu You's feelings about life and worldly affairs. In the two sentences "Floating life is temporarily in dreams, and things in the world are like hearing the wind in the wind", Lu You uses "floating life" to describe life as floating life, short and impermanent, as illusory as in a dream. "Everything in the world is like hearing the wind in the wind" is a metaphor for the unpredictable changes in the world, like the sound of the wind in the wind, which is elusive and difficult to grasp.
The philosophy of life here reflects Lu You’s profound understanding and detached attitude towards life. He believes that life is short and things are impermanent, so one should not be too obsessed with worldly fame, fortune and power struggles, but should maintain a detached mentality and view the changes in the world. This thought reflects a common attitude towards life among ancient Chinese literati, which is to find peace of mind and self-cultivation in a turbulent world.
Lu You's philosophy of life also reflects his helplessness towards the real society and his yearning for an ideal life. Against the background of turbulent times, he expressed his desire for a simple and peaceful life through poetry, as well as his profound thinking on the meaning of life.