Su Shi's talent is evident. In addition to his good family background (father and son are not joking) and natural intelligence, his original intensive reading method of being surrounded by enemies has also contributed a lot to his immortal literary achievements.
Su Shi believes that when reading, people often feel that there is useful knowledge everywhere, just like "being attacked on all sides". They don't know where to start, and finally enjoy reading, but they get nothing after reading. Every time you study, it is easier to gain in-depth knowledge only under a single theme, just like fighting, breaking the enemy into parts and breaking them one by one.
Su Shi introduced this reading method in detail in Answer to the King: "I want a teenager to be a scholar, and I have read every book several times. There are as many books as the sea, which are available in department stores. People can't read all the energy, but they can get the ears they want. Therefore, I hope that scholars will do it step by step. If you want to rise and fall in ancient and modern times, the sages will play a role. Only in this way, Yu Nian will not be born. Don't do it again, ask for the truth, cultural relics and so on. He imitated this. Although this is stupid, he learned in the future that he was attacked on all sides, which is different from an amateur. "
In other words, a book, especially the classic works of some recognized good books, contains many levels of very rich content. People can study and solve different problems from different needs or different angles, so that the whole book will become their own place.
When talking about his experience of reading Hanshu, Su Shi said: "I have tasted Hanshu, and I have finished counting. Such as governance, people's feelings, geography, official system, art of war, wealth and goods. Don't wait to count, but everything is fine. " This is an example of Su Shi's intensive reading method of "being attacked on all sides".
If you skim every time, your attention will be distracted by the rich layers in the book, and it is easy to stay on the surface. Although you have read a lot of books, you still can't have your own unique opinions in any field. However, if you read a book several times, each time you have a theme or key point, few but fine, and study it carefully, you will get new gains every time, and over time you will be able to be "caught between Scylla and Charybdis". There is an important principle in Sun Tzu's Art of War, which is called "I specialize and divide the enemy". If you are attacked from all sides, don't meet the enemy from all sides, but concentrate superior forces in number and disperse the enemy. Su Dongpo's intensive reading method is the expansion of this strategy in Sun Tzu's Art of War.
Li Ciming, a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, called it "a good prescription for intensive reading". Mao Zedong praised: "Su Dongpo's study of history with the method of' being attacked from all sides' and Song Dynasty with the method of' being attacked from all sides' is also right. Today, when we study China society, we should also divide it into four parts: politics, economy, culture and military, and draw the conclusion of the China Revolution. "
This method is also deeply understood after reading a book recently. I read a professional book, which was a bit difficult. Many proper nouns are difficult to understand, and then they contain more contents, which are roughly divided into three main lines. But before I saw this method, I bravely read it from beginning to end. In the process of reading, I occasionally feel that some ideas are quite enjoyable, but after reading, it is not very rewarding to sum up the book or think about what I have got. You can try this reading method. The human brain really can't run in multiple threads at the same time.
Although some people may think this reading method is a bit stupid, it is a way to produce great writers. The genius we see is nothing more than never seeing the efforts behind him. High-rise buildings are piled up brick by brick. When we see the wonder and magnificence of high-rise buildings, we think it is caused by some extraordinary talents, but it is actually just a little accumulation.
I will never forget when I read Hanshu, but I always have to read it several times before I can finish it. Every time you read, you only focus on exploring one aspect, understanding and digesting a problem. After reading it several times, you can understand the knowledge and knowledge of governing the country, people's feelings, geography, official system, art of war, goods and so on, and get tangible gains. This method of learning knowledge and reading special topics will be beneficial if it is persisted for a long time. "
Su Dongpo stood up and took out a letter from the bookcase, saying, "I have a nephew named Wang Yao, who wrote from Sichuan and asked me how to read. I told him a method of reading from all sides. You may all have read the Art of War. There is an important principle in Sun Tzu's Art of War, which is called "I am an expert and the enemy is divided". If you are attacked from all sides, don't be attacked from all sides. Instead, concentrate superior forces, win more than few, divide and surround them again and again, and break them one by one. My reading method is to use this embattled method! This way of reading is not to swallow everything, but to concentrate, explore one problem after another and then master it. This method is much better than general skimming and reading. To understand a piece of knowledge, we need to decompose it one by one, so that it is easy to understand and remember. When you write an article, your knowledge and study will be handy. "