The poem "Xuemei" points out the reason why the poet spent money on writing and commenting: the plum blossoms are three points whiter than the snow, but the snow loses the fragrance of the plum blossoms.
The plum blossoms and snow are fighting for the spring but they are not willing to fall, so Sao Renge spends money to write reviews.
From "Snow Plum" by Lu Yue of the Song Dynasty
The plum blossoms and snow refused to fall in spring, so Sao Renge spent money to comment on it.
The plum blossoms are less white than the snow, but the snow is less fragrant than the plum blossoms.
Translation
Both plum blossoms and snowflakes think that they have all the beauty of spring, and neither one is willing to admit defeat. It is difficult to judge the quality of plum and snow, so I have to put down my pen and think about it carefully.
The plum blossoms make the snowflakes crystal clear and white, but the snowflakes lose the fragrance of the plum blossoms.
Appreciation
Many poets in ancient and modern times often write about snow and plum blossoms together. Xue Yinmei revealed the message of spring, and Main Xue showed even more noble character. For example, "Bu Suanzi·Yong Mei" once wrote: "The wind and rain send spring back, and the flying snow welcomes spring. The cliffs are already hundreds of feet of ice, and there are still beautiful flowers and branches. The beauty does not fight for spring, but only reports the coming of spring. When the mountain flowers are blooming, , she laughed among the bushes. "Snow and plum blossoms have become messengers of spring and symbols of the end of winter and the coming of spring.
The first sentence uses personification to write that plum blossoms and snowflakes compete with each other. They both think that they are the most distinctive in early spring, and they do not admit defeat to each other. This expresses the beauty of plum blossoms and snowflakes in early spring in a unique and lively way. . The second sentence states that it is difficult for the poet to judge between the two. The poet originally thought that it would be done in one stroke, but because it was difficult to judge, he had to stop writing and think. "Commentary" means evaluation.
The last two sentences are the poet's comments on plum blossoms and snow. In terms of whiteness, plum blossoms are worse than snow, but snow does not have the fragrance of plum blossoms. "Three points" is almost the same, and "one paragraph" materializes the aroma, making people feel that the aroma can be measured. Predecessors have noticed these characteristics of plum blossoms and snow. For example, Cen Shen's "Song of White Snow Sends Magistrate Wu Back to the Capital": "Suddenly a spring breeze came overnight, and thousands of pear blossoms bloomed." Wang Anshi's poem "Plum Blossoms": "There are several corners of the wall. The plum blossoms are blooming alone in Ling Han. I know it is not snow, because there is a faint fragrance." However, this poem summarizes the different characteristics of plum blossoms and snow in two lines, which is very interesting and has a certain impact.