"Tao is enough to forget the spring of things, and ambition is enough to rise and fall." It means: if a person has enough thoughts and direction (Tao), he can forget the gains and losses of objects, honor and disgrace; if his ambition is strong enough, he can dominate The exuberance and decline of an individual's mental state.
1. From Su Shi's "Congratulations to Young Master Ouyang on his Official Beginning", the original text is "Wisdom is enough for everyone to know, benevolence is enough for self-love, Tao is enough to forget the gain and loss of things, ambition is enough for the rise and fall of one spirit. Then who can see it? A few misfortunes and blessings come before you, and you are always afraid of not being able to see this person in this world."
2. Translation:
If you are not wise enough to know everything, benevolence. If one is virtuous enough to respect oneself (treasures one's own reputation), has a noble state and is not affected by external things, and has enough ambition to affect the rise and fall of one's destiny (a dynasty or a generation), how can one encounter blessings and misfortunes and not be stained by the dirt of the world? There is probably no such person in the world.
3. Background
In April of the fourth year of Xining in the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 1071), Ouyang Xiu resigned from his old age and wrote three letters and three letters. In June, he became a bachelor of Guanwen Palace and became a prince's junior master (resigning from office and returning home). In July, he returned to Ying's home. In June of the fourth year of Xining, Su Shi was sent to Hangzhou as a general judge and left Beijing to take up his post. Passing through Chenzhou, Zhang Fangping was guarding Chenzhou and Su Che was a professor of state studies. After leaving Chenzhou in September, his younger brother Su Che was sent to Yingzhou to pay a visit to his former teacher Ouyang Xiu, so he wrote this article.
4. About the author
Su Shi (1037-1101) was a writer, calligrapher, painter and gourmet in the Northern Song Dynasty. His courtesy name is Zizhan and his nickname is Dongpo Jushi. Han nationality, Sichuan native, buried in Yingchang (now Jiaxian County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province). His official career was bumpy throughout his life, but he was knowledgeable, extremely talented, and excellent in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. His writing is unbridled, clear and fluent. Together with Ouyang Xiu, he is called Ou Su, and he is one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties". His poetry is fresh and vigorous, good at using exaggeration and metaphor, and his artistic expression is unique. He is also called Su Huang together with Huang Tingjian. He started a bold and unrestrained school and had a huge influence on later generations. Together with Xin Qiji, he was called Su Xin. He was good at calligraphy in running script and regular script. He was able to create his own ideas. His pen was rich and ups and downs, and he had an innocent taste. He was called Song Dynasty together with Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu and Cai Xiang. The four schools have the same painting studies and literature, advocate spiritual similarity in painting, and advocate "scholar painting". He is the author of "The Complete Works of Su Dongpo" and "Su Dongpo Yuefu".