Meaning: To sharpen something with a stone and turn something dull into a sharp weapon.
From "Ode on Stones" is a poem written by Liu Yuxi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty.
Original text:
I have a lot of money, and I use it as a treasure. When the soil is low, it becomes dull, and the strong zirconium becomes obscure. Just like when the scenery is dim and the weather is faded, it becomes severe when the skin is lacquered. Gu Qiupeng's hair cannot be shaved, how can it go beyond the hips and thighs? The useful things are blinded, and the talented people are melancholy. After mourning for hundreds of times, the essence will be eliminated, but after one inspection, many illnesses will occur. How can it be harmful to the uniqueness of Qi? It will happen if you don't try it for a long time.
The butcher’s knife is here, the hunter’s birth. If it is not poured or quenched, the lead will be mixed with the wrong lead. The sun is drumming and the moon is waving, and the plumpness is striking. It takes off the rotten skin and protects it with radiant light. Wouldn't it be possible to get a diagnosis by traveling to Lu, and use the tripod to become beautiful? There was a guest from the east who was left behind in Yue Di. Gui-shaped stone, pale color and greasy texture. Guo's scales are chapped and slippery with ripples. Like dirty clothes, like a tripod.
The fog has covered the sky, and water is beginning to appear. Wipe away the cold flames to break the barrier, hit the clear sound to vibrate the ears. The old state returns, and the treasure heart revives. Even if it is given shape and used for the end, what shame is there in being tarnished? Sometimes when your senses are dull, your ambition lies in staring. Alas! A stone can be sharpened to turn dullness into sharpness. The law is used to sharpen the mind and turn ignorance into wisdom. King Wu got it, and the business customs were thick. Emperor Gao obtained it, and outstanding talents played it.
Since gains come naturally, are there no reasons for losses? The Han family has returned, and the three scenes are divided. Follow the broad and narrow path and use it to win people. More than five hundred years ago, Tang Dynasty began to flourish. Hang this big stone to warn the people. The seed is born in the sky, and the finished tool is in the king. Heaven is the heaven of things, and the king is the heaven of humans. You have the tools to persevere in the world, but you are troubled by the lack of virtuous people!
Translation:
I have a precious sword, which I wear with me because it is sharp. When the terrain is low and the moisture erodes it, the sharp blade disappears. It is like a total eclipse of the sun due to dim light, or like poisonous paint on the skin causing malignant sores. It can't even cut through the autumn grass. How can its sharp edge cut the flesh on the leg bones? The sharp sword is covered with rust, which makes the talented man feel melancholy.
Even if it is a fine product that has been tempered for many times, it will be riddled with diseases if it is left unused. Moisture is the only factor that can destroy a sword. It will also happen if it is not used for a long time. The butcher's knife and the hunter's spear are not cast or tempered, so they contain impurities and are not pure enough. They wield it every day, cutting and killing the fat meat and stabbing the animals. The blades look shiny and emit a strong fishy smell.
Have they not been corroded by moisture during the summer season? It’s because they are often used that they look so beautiful. ?A guest from the East gave me a whetstone from Yue. This whetstone is shaped like a gui but its texture is stone. Its color is green and its texture is fine. I used it to polish off the scale-like rust spots on the knife, and then rinsed it with rice water to lubricate it.
Just as dirt is washed away from clothes, filth is removed from the cauldron. It is also like the thick fog clearing to reveal the blue sky, or the duckweeds swaying to reveal the pond water. With this precious sword, the cold light dazzles the eyes when wiped, and the clear sound shakes the ears when struck. Return to its original appearance, revealing its sharp edge again. Since the sword can be restored to its original shape and finally used by people, how can it be considered a shame to be covered with dirt for a while? I deeply feel that there is a certain opportunity for the sharpness of the knife to change!
So I pinned my ambitions on staring at the opportunity. ?ah! Sharpening a knife with a whetstone can turn dullness into sharpness; sharpening it with the rule of law can turn stupidity into wisdom. If King Wu gets it, the customs of the Shang Dynasty will become honest; if Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty gets it, his outstanding talents can be displayed. Since there is a reason to get it, is there no reason to lose it? Since the Han Dynasty, the brilliance of the sun, moon and stars has been scattered.
As the implementation of the legal system is good or bad, talents will be obtained by using the legal system. More than five hundred years later, the Tang Dynasty flourished. Only then did the whetstone of the legal system hang high to hone the people of the world. The growth of all things depends on heaven, and the cultivation of talents depends on the king. Heaven determines the growth of all things, and the king controls the destiny of the people. How can anyone who is in charge of the legal system as a tool of governing the country still worry about finding talented people? ?
Extended information:
Similar poems:
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Translation: His sincerity can be felt, and the metal and stone are open, how can he be afraid of hardships and dangers?
4. Studying is like getting on a boat, never slowing down. ——Zhu Xi
Translation: Reading is like driving a water boat. You must not slacken the oars in your hands! Otherwise, you will go against the current!
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Baidu Encyclopedia - Stone Fu