The ancients learned nothing, and it takes time to grow old.
What you get on paper is so shallow that you never know what you have to do.
Translation:
The ancients spared no effort in their studies, and often achieved nothing when they were old. After all, the knowledge gained from books is superficial and imperfect. If you want to understand the truth deeply, you must practice it yourself.
To annotate ...
(1) instruction: instruction, instruction. (Yu): Lu You's youngest son.
(2) Learning: refers to reading and learning, that is, learning. Legacy: keep, keep. Try your best: try your best, without reservation, spare no effort, do your best.
(3) Young and strong: adolescence. Time: the time spent doing things. Start: Only.
(4) paper: books. Finally: After all. Sleep: I think. Shallow: shallow, shallow, limited.
(5) Ignorance: A thorough understanding. Good: practice. Practice: Practice by yourself.
Appreciate:
This is a godson poem, and the poet emphasizes the importance of practice in the relationship between books and practice. Indirect experience is a way for people to draw nutrition from books and learn the knowledge and skills of their predecessors. Direct experience is an understanding that comes directly from practice, and it is a more important way to acquire knowledge. Only by "practice" can we turn book knowledge into practical knowledge and play the guiding role of what we have learned in practice. By describing Lu You's education to his son Yu Zi, this poem tells readers to have a tireless and persistent learning spirit. A person who has both book knowledge and practical spirit is a truly learned person.