"Ask how can the canal be so clear, only the source of living water can come" means: ask why it (Fangtang) is so clear? Because there are rivers flowing in continuously.
It can be extended to: The source of living water is a metaphor for knowledge that is constantly updated and developed, and thus accumulated. Only by constantly learning, applying and exploring in life can we keep ourselves advanced and energetic, just like the source of water. Same.
These two lines of poetry are from Zhu Xi's "Looking at Books and Feelings". The original poem is as follows:
Looking at Books and Feelings
Zhu Xi
As soon as the half-acre square pond is opened, the skylight and cloud shadows linger.
Ask where the canal can be so clear, so that there is a source of living water.
Translation:
The half-acre square pond is displayed in front of you like a mirror. The brilliance of the sky and the shadow of the floating clouds all move together in the mirror. I want to ask why the water in Fangtang is so clear? It is because there is an inexhaustible source that continuously delivers living water to it.
Appreciation:
This is a famous poem that uses scenery as a metaphor. The whole poem uses Fangtang as a metaphor to vividly express a subtle and indescribable feeling of reading. The pond is not a pool of stagnant water, but constantly filled with living water, so it is like a mirror, crystal clear, reflecting the sky and cloud shadows. This situation is quite similar to the situation when the same person solves the problem in reading, gains new knowledge and gains a lot, and improves his understanding. The flow of spiritual energy, clear thinking, fresh and lively spirit and contentment expressed in this poem are exactly the author's personal reading experience as a great scholar. Although the feeling expressed in the poem is only for reading, it has profound meaning and rich connotation, and can be widely understood. Especially the two sentences "Ask the canal how clear it is, because there is living water from the source." The reason why the water is clear is because there is continuous injection of living water from the source. It implies that if people want to have a clear mind, they must study hard and add new knowledge from time to time. Therefore, people often use it as a metaphor to continuously learn new knowledge in order to reach a new realm. People also use these two poems to praise a person's knowledge or artistic achievements, which has its own profound origin. Readers can also get inspiration from this poem. Only when the mind is always active, with an open and broad mind, accepts all kinds of different ideas and fresh knowledge, and is broadly tolerant can we continue to have new ideas and new ideas. These two lines of poetry have been condensed into the commonly used idiom "source of living water", which is used to metaphor the source and driving force of the development of things.
This is a very artistic and philosophical poem. When people appreciate calligraphy works, they often have a spirited artistic feeling. Poems use symbolic techniques to transform this inner feeling into concrete images that can be felt and depicted, allowing readers to appreciate the mystery on their own. The so-called "living water from the source" should refer to the inexhaustible artistic inspiration in the writer's heart.
The meaning of the poem is very profound. The source of living water is used to metaphorically describe the rich inspiration of calligraphy art, which is the real inexhaustible source of calligraphy art works. It illustrates the author's unique reading experience, which is in line with the characteristics of calligraphy art creation. , also reflects the essence of general artistic creation.
About the author:
Zhu Xi (1130.9.15-1200.4.23), also known as Yuanhui, also known as Zhonghui, also known as Hui'an, later known as Huiweng, posthumous title, and world name. Zhu Wengong. His ancestral home is Xiao County, Xuzhou Prefecture, Jiangnan East Road. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the Zhu family moved to Wuyuan County, Huizhou Prefecture (now Wuyuan, Jiangxi Province), and was born in Youxi, Nanjian Prefecture (now Youxi County, Fujian Province). A famous Neo-Confucian, thinker, philosopher, educator, and poet in the Song Dynasty, a representative of the Fujian School, and the master of Confucianism, the World Honored One called him Zhu Zi. Zhu Xi was the only one who was not a direct disciple of Confucius and was worshiped in the Confucius Temple, and was among the twelve philosophers in the Dacheng Hall. [1] Zhu Xi was a student of Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi's third disciple Li Tong. He served as the prefect of Nankang in Jiangxi, Zhangzhou in Fujian, and governor of eastern Zhejiang. He was an upright and promising official and promoted the construction of academies. He served as a minister and lecturer in Huanzhang Pavilion and gave lectures to Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty.
Zhu Xi wrote many works, including "Collected Commentary on Chapters and Sentences of the Four Books", "Explanation of Tai Chi Pictures", "Commentary on Tongshu", "Reading of Zhouyi" and "Collected Commentary on Chu Ci". Later generations compiled "The Complete Works of Zhu Zi" and "Collected Sayings of Zhu Zi". "Xiang" etc. Among them, "Collected Commentary on Chapters and Sentences of the Four Books" became the imperial textbook and the standard for imperial examinations.