A wonderful explanation of the Book of Songs:
(1)
One day, Zixia asked Confucius a very strange question.
He asked the teacher to explain a few lines of poetry, but those lines were not profound at all. I don’t know how the saint’s skills would be troublesome.
Zixia said: "There are several sentences in "Poetry": 'The smile is beautiful, the beautiful eyes are looking forward to it, and I always think it is gorgeous'. What does that mean? ”
These sentences are from "Wei Feng·Shuo Ren". In the version that can be found today, there is no longer the sentence "I always thought it was gorgeous". But looking at the entire poem, the meaning of those sentences is clear.
There are four paragraphs in the whole poem. The first two paragraphs are listed below with reference to Mr. Cheng Junying’s translation:
A tall and beautiful woman, wearing a brocade dress and a single shirt. The daughter of the Marquis of Qi and the beloved wife of the Marquis of Wei. The prince's sister, Xinghou's aunt, Tan Gongyuan was her brother-in-law.
The fingers are as slender as catkins, and the skin is white and moist. The beautiful neck is like a grasshopper, and the teeth are as neat as melon seeds. She has a square forehead, thin eyebrows, a clever smile with dimples, and beautiful eyes that look like autumn waves.
"The beautiful smile is beautiful, the beautiful eyes are looking forward to" are the last two sentences.
This poem is clearly describing a beautiful woman. "Always considered gorgeous" refers to the gorgeous makeup on her white skin.
The sentences in the poem are beautifully written, but they have no particularly profound meaning.
Confucius told his students that the meaning of the poem is that you must have fair skin first, and then you can put on makeup: "After painting, you will be plain."
< /p>
Zixia asked, does that mean that you have to have a good foundation first, and then you can be polite: "What about etiquette?"
From the beauty's skin and Makeup was pushed to "ceremony", which was so far away that it even shocked the teacher. However, Confucius not only did not scold the student for being unreliable, but also praised him for his courage. Even the teacher was inspired and mastered such a skill. From now on, he can listen to Confucius talk about "Poetry": "Those who start from the beginning can discuss it! Only then can they talk to each other. "Poem" is over"
(2)
< p> There is a legend that Confucius collected more than 3,000 poems, deleted most of them, and left more than 300 poems, which were compiled into teaching materials. Thousands of scholars have painstakingly studied it carefully and found that this is not the case.
The Zhou Dynasty had full-time officials who collected poems everywhere, and officials and literati from various places also presented poems to the court. According to "Zhou Rites", the "Grand Master" and "Master Le" of the Zhou Dynasty taught students how to read poems, and musicians also provided music to the poems.
The "Book of Songs" we see now was basically formed before Confucius. The old man only corrected the music of some poems.
However, Confucius's method of interpreting poetry had a great influence on future generations.
Once, Zigong asked his teacher: "Is it okay to be poor but not flattery, rich but not arrogant?"
< /p>
Confucius replied: "This is good. But if you are poor but happy, and rich but polite, that would be better."
The student asked: "" It is said in "Poetry", "It's like cutting, like brushing, like polishing," right? That's what it means?"
These two lines of poetry come from "Wei Feng·Qi'ao" , with reference to Mr. Cheng Junying's translation, the poem is listed below:
Qishui flows through the river bend, and you can see how graceful the green bamboos are. There is a gentleman who is like ivory that has been quarreled, like jade that has been polished. You see him being solemn and majestic, you see him being upright. A beautiful gentleman's literary talent is always remembered and will never fade away.
Qishui flows in the bay of the river, and you can see the green bamboos. There was a gentleman whose ears were filled with precious stones, and the jade on his hat was as bright as a star. You see him being majestic and majestic, you see him being upright and bright. I will always remember the beautiful gentleman and his literary talent.
The Qi water in the river bend is rushing, and you can see the dense layers of green bamboo. There is a gentleman, as brilliant as gold and tin, as gentle as jade. You see him as generous and gentle, and you see him leaning on his carriage. Loves to laugh and talk in a funny way, and is not mean to others.
"Easy to discuss, as thorough as polishing" are the fourth and fifth sentences of the first paragraph, describing a man who looks as beautiful as fine ivory carvings and jade. .
Zigong seems to use "discuss" and "consider" as verbs, saying that through moral cultivation, a person can go from being "poor but not flattering, to rich but not proud." Big" and progressed to "poor but happy, rich but polite".
This is obviously not in line with the original intention of the poem. Those two sentences are about the "gentleman" in the poem, and "like discussing with each other, like studying and polishing" is a description of his appearance. Comparing the corresponding sentences in the second and third paragraphs: "The ears are as clear as a gleam, and the ear is as clear as a star" and "As gold as tin, as a guide as a jade", you will know that "like cutting with each other, like polishing" is impossible A metaphor for moral cultivation.
But Confucius applauded the students for their thorough explanation, saying that if the teacher taught a little bit, Zigong would be able to think far ahead. If he mastered this way, he would be able to listen to Confucius in the future. Talking about "Poetry": "Gift it, only then can we talk about "Poetry", tell it to those who know what is coming."
Both Zigong and Zixia Only when the poems were forced to refer to the moral aspects, was it admitted that it was starting to get started, and was affirmed by "Before it can be said about "Poems"". For Confucius, interpretation of poetry is a brave moral imagination.
Confucius said that every work in the "Book of Songs" has a pure thought: "Three hundred poems can be summed up in one sentence, saying: 'Thinking without evil'."
The authors of those poems are of various kinds, and their contents are varied. Without some literal meaning, I am afraid it would be difficult to regard them all as standard answers for how people should behave in the world.
Source: Everyone - Yuan Zheng