Thousand-Character Essay by Zhou Xingsi of the Southern Dynasties (50)

<1>Original text:

The ultimatum is brief and the answer is detailed.

The dirt wants to bathe, and the heat wants to be cool.

.

Brief: concise and to the point.

Gu Da: Answer other people’s questions and answer questions later.

Review: (review: detailed, careful. Details: comprehensive, careful.) Comprehensive and detailed, clear, careful and thoughtful.

Skull: (Skeleton: body. Skull: dirty, filthy.) The body is dirty.

Want to take a bath: Want to take a bath.

Heat: The heat is difficult to resolve. Who can hold on to the heat and die without being wiped out? (Who wouldn’t want to take a bath to cool down when it’s hot?)

Wish to cool down: Willing to be cool.

<4> Translation:

Letters and official documents, concise and to the point,

Answers to questions, comprehensive and detailed.

The body looks dirty and you are eager to take a bath.

The heat is unbearable and you are eager to cool down.

<5> A mnemonic chapter of four or four sentences in a thousand-character essay:

Letter and ultimatum,

Concise and to the point, ultimatum brief.

Guard to answer questions,

Be careful and thoughtful, Guan to answer questions carefully.

The dirt smells bad,

I want to take a bath, the dirt wants to take a bath.

It is hard to bear the heat,

I want to be cool, I want to be cool when I hold the heat.