"I only hope that my child will be stupid and rude, and will arrive at the palace without any disaster." It means: I only hope that my child will be a little stupid and dull, as long as he will arrive at the palace safely. Gongqing: the abbreviation of Three Gongs and Nine Qings.
--------Where does it come from--------
Song Dynasty·Su Shi's "Xi'er Poems"
--- -----Original text of the work--------
Everyone raises his son hoping to be smart, but I have been deceived by being smart all my life.
I hope that my child will be foolish and careless, and that he will be able to come to the palace without any trouble.
--------Translation of works--------
All people hope that their children will be smart, but because of their smartness, I Instead, he was misled by his cleverness.
I just hope that my child will be a little stupid and dull, as long as he arrives at the palace safely.
--------Creative background--------
In the third year of Yuanfeng (1080), Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, Su Shi was involved in the "Wutai Poetry Case" "The idle official who was demoted to Huangzhou to serve as a deputy envoy to the regiment was demoted for five years. Su Shi first lived in Dinghuiyuan in Huangzhou, and later moved to Lingao Pavilion. He was content with his demoted residence, eating vegetables with the monks, bathing in villages and temples, searching for streams and valleys, fishing and collecting herbs, and finding his own comfort in his spare time. Sometimes he would follow a small boat on the river, wandering among the mountains and rivers, among fishermen and woodcutters. He would often be pushed down by drunken men, and even cursed at him. Its fun. Su Shi's most proud life in Huangzhou was probably his relationship with Chaoyun. Chaoyun was Dongpo's concubine. He came back in September of the seventh year of Xining (1074) and was deeply favored by Dongpo. On September 27, the sixth year of Yuanfeng (1083), Chaoyun gave birth to a son, whose nickname was Qian'er. He was handsome and unusual, and Su Shi was delighted because he wrote the poem "Xi'er Opera".
--------Appreciation of Works--------
Xi'er, an old custom, three days after a baby is born or one month old, relatives and friends gather to celebrate, giving Baby wash. When Su Shi had a son, in addition to "Xi'er", he wrote a poem called "Xi'er Poetry". The language of this poem is simple and easy to understand. Although there are only 28 words, the emotions are full of ups and downs. On the surface, it is a poem for children, but in fact it not only satirizes the powerful, but also "seems to complain about a life of failure."
Su Shi became a Jinshi in the second year of Jiayou, Renzong of the Song Dynasty, and served as Fengxiang judge, Dian Zhongcheng and other officials. During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, he became a local official in Hangzhou and other places because he opposed Wang Anshi's new laws. Later, he was arrested and returned to Beijing for writing poems that satirized the new law. He was sent to Yushitai Prison. After his release, he was demoted to the deputy envoy of Huangzhou Tuanlian. During the reign of Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty, he was called a Hanlin scholar. Later, he went to Hangzhou and was repeatedly demoted to Huizhou, Qiongzhou and Changhua. After Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty came to the throne and granted amnesty, he was recalled to Beijing and died of illness in a hotel in Changzhou.
Su Shi is a great writer who is excellent in poetry and prose. His works pay attention to refining words and meaning, and this is also the case with this poem. The word "hope" expresses people's expectations for their children; the word "mistake" expresses all the experiences of one's life. There are several turning points in the poem, all of which are full of emotion. Foolish people should do nothing, but they can "come to the ministers without disaster." Su Shi's complaints are all in these turns.
Su Dongpo's "Shi'er Poetry" is just four sentences long, with a joking tone and an ironic tone. "Everyone raises his son hoping to be smart." This is what people want and what everyone expects. However, Su Shi himself suffered a setback in his official career and learned from it painfully. It is also true that "I have been fooled by my wisdom all my life". Su Shi was imprisoned by his opponent because he opposed Wang Anshi's new laws and ridiculed "new advances" in his poems. A "Wutai Poetry Case" shocked the government and the public. Fortunately, senior officials rescued Su Shi from death and was demoted to Huangzhou. During his stay in Huangzhou, his concubine Chaoyun gave birth to a boy for Su Shi, and "Shi'er Poems" was written for this boy. Having just experienced a great tribulation, the poet "hopes that the child will be foolish and carefree, and that he will be able to reach the government without any disaster." It is not difficult to understand at all. I still have to be a "gongqing", I just hope that "there will be no disasters"; "foolishness and recklessness" is just a coat, and great wisdom and foolishness are the core. Su Shi's wish was indeed made out of emotion and was by no means an idle moan.
Ming Dynasty writer Lang Ying recorded in "Seven Revised Drafts" that Qu Cunzhai, an ancestor living in Hangzhou, wrote a poem. "Since ancient times, one's writings are destined to be poor, and wisdom may not be better than stupidity. The flowers in the pen and the brocade in the breast are as good as the empty walls." The meaning of "Xi'er's Poems" is clear at a glance. Lang Ying believed that the Qu family was "self-confident and humble, as if they were on Dongpo". Apparently he thought Su Shi's poems were too straightforward. Yang Lian in the Ming Dynasty also deliberately opposed Su Shi, saying, "Dongpo wished to have a stupid son, just to gain advantage by being clever.
I am ashamed that I have been stupid and reckless all my life, even if I have children, I will live on Dongpo. " Chu Renhui, a native of the Qing Dynasty, commented on Yang's poem, saying that although it was a play, it was not as broad-minded as Shaoling's saying, "There are virtuous and foolish people, why bother to embrace them."
------ --About the author--------
Su Shi, (January 8, 1037 - August 24, 1101), also known as Zizhan and Hezhong, also known as Tieguan Taoist and Dongpo Su Shi, known as Su Dongpo and Su Xian in the world, was a Han nationality from Meishan, Meizhou (Meishan City, Sichuan Province). His ancestral home was Luancheng, Hebei Province. He was a famous writer, calligrapher and painter in the Northern Song Dynasty, and a famous figure in historical flood control. Su Shi was a literary leader in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty. He was famous in poetry. He has made great achievements in poetry, prose, calligraphy, and painting. His poems are broad in subject matter, fresh and vigorous, good at using exaggerated metaphors, and have a unique style. Together with Huang Tingjian, he is called "Su Huang". His poems are bold and bold. Together with Xin Qiji, he is a representative of the Bold and Bold School, and is also known as "Su Xin". His prose writings are rich and bold, and he is called "Ou Su" together with Ouyang Xiu. One; good at literati painting, especially ink bamboo, strange rocks, dead wood, etc. Together with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Ouyang Xiu, he is known as the "Four Masters of Eternal Articles". His works include "Seven Collections of Dongpo", "The Book of Changes of Dongpo" and "Dongpo". "Yuefu", "Xiaoxiang Bamboo and Stone Picture Scroll", "Old Wood and Strange Stone Picture Scroll", etc.