When Su Dongpo was a child, he posted a couplet on his study door:
Know all the words in the world
Read all the books in the world
It should be said that Su Dongpo's ambition is beyond reproach, but there are so many "words for the world". Can you "know them all"? There are so many "Books of the World", can you "read them all"? It’s a bit “crazy”!
This matter was known by an old man. One day, he brought a small book and asked Su Dongpo for advice. Su Dongpo took the little book and looked at it. There were many words he didn't recognize. He had never seen this little book before, and he couldn't help but feel ashamed. The old man took back the small book, stared at the couplet for a long time, shook his head and walked away. Su Dongpo looked at it and felt that his couplet was indeed a bit crazy and should not be done, so he picked up the pen and added two more words at the beginning:
The words "work hard to know the world"
Determined to read all the books in the world
This change has lost the original "crazy" spirit and has become the direction of efforts. From then on, Su Dongpo became humble, worked tirelessly on literacy and reading, and finally became a great poet and literary giant of his generation.