Meaning: Too much ambition leads to sacrifices, but I dare to turn the world upside down and change it to a new look. It’s great to see the vast fields of crops rolling in like waves, and the heroic farmers returning from work in the dusk.
Qilu·To Shaoshan - Mao Zedong
Farewell dream vaguely cursed death in Sichuan, hometown thirty-two years ago.
The red flag rolls up the serf's halberd, and the black hand hangs the overlord's whip.
To have great ambitions to sacrifice, I dare to teach the sun and the moon to change the sky.
I like to see thousands of waves of rice paddies, and heroes everywhere are setting off the sunset smoke.
Interpretation: How many dreams are cursing the passage of time after parting. Thirty-two years have passed since I left you, my hometown. The red flags waved the peasants' arms, while the enemies held high the overlord's whip. Too much ambition leads to sacrifices, but I dare to turn the world upside down and change it to a new look. It’s great to see the vast fields of crops rolling in like waves, and the heroic farmers returning from work in the dusk.
Extended information:
Poem appreciation:
Mao Zedong returned to his hometown of Shaoshan after a vague dream for thirty-two years. Cruel struggle, vivid reality and beautiful ideals stir up the poet's feelings. He could not sleep at night and wrote this poem. The main idea of ??the poem is that after parting, many dreams reflect the passage of time. Thirty-two years have passed since I said goodbye to my hometown.
Back then, the red flag rolled up the revolutionary struggle in full swing. Faced with the bloody suppression of the reactionaries, the revolutionaries were full of lofty ideals, looked down upon death, and dared to turn the world upside down. But now, looking at this large field of rice sprouts rolling like waves, I feel extremely happy. Countless heroes are walking deep in the smoke at dusk. The whole poem is both broad-minded and meticulous, with sharp contrasts in time, color and emotion, and is unique.
The two sentences "For the sake of sacrifice, I dare to teach the sun and the moon to change the sky" are the focus of the whole poem, which contains the poet's deep memory for the martyrs and his full affirmation of their great contributions. In terms of writing, the poet uses a causal sentence pattern to express the lofty spirit of the revolutionaries.
"Dare to teach the sun and the moon to make a new sky" is the profound connotation of "ambition" and a concrete embodiment of the revolutionary spirit. These two sentences are magnificent and adopt the method of "flowing water pair". In general duality, the upper and lower sentences are parallel, but there is a causal relationship between the two sentences. The duality is neat, yet natural and smooth, and it has become a commonly used famous sentence for people to express their pride and ambition.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Qilu·To Shaoshan