Meaning: The best time for boys to study is between midnight and the time when the rooster crows.
Encouragement to study
Tang Dynasty: Yan Zhenqing
It is the time for men to study when the lights are on at three and the chickens are on at five.
Black-haired people don’t know how to study diligently early, and white-haired people regret studying late.
Translation
The best time for boys to study is between midnight and the time when the rooster crows.
When I was young, I only knew how to play and didn’t know how to study hard. When I get older, I regret why I didn’t know how to study hard when I was young.
Notes
Update: In ancient times, the unit of calculating time at night was divided into five updates a night, with each update lasting two hours. There are three updates from 11:00 to 1:00 midnight.
Chicken at dawn: The rooster crows at dawn.
Black hair: youth, refers to a teenager.
White head: The hair is white, which refers to old age. Fang: Talent.
Extended information:
Appreciation
This poem explains the profound things in a simple way, is natural and smooth, and is rich in philosophy. The core idea is that "black haired people study early, white haired people study late".
As an ambitious person, you should seize the time to read, learn and cultivate yourself. The best time to read is between three and five, and read continuously in the morning. And only by persevering hard year after year, can we truly learn the skills to serve the country and build a family. From the perspective of study time, young people are advised not to waste their time, but to study hard as early as possible to avoid regrets in the future.
The poet's conception is from the perspective of the meaning, role and attitude of learning, and hopes that people will pay attention to acquired learning in order to strengthen their own behavioral cultivation.