The meaning of these two lines of poem "Ask how clear the canal is? Come from the source of living water" is: Want to ask why the water in the square pond is so clear? It is because there is an inexhaustible source that continuously delivers living water to it.
Original poem:
"One of Two Poems on Reading Readings" Song Dynasty: Zhu Xi
Half an acre of square pond is opened, the sky is bright and the clouds are shadowed* **Wandering.
Ask him how clear he is? Come for living water from a source.
Interpretation:
The half-acre square pond opens like a mirror, clear and bright, with skylight and cloud shadows shining and floating on the water.
Why is the water in the pond so clear? It is because there is an inexhaustible source that continuously delivers living water to it.
Notes:
1. Fangtang: Also known as Banmu Pond, it is located in the Zheng Yizhai Hall (later Nanxi Academy) in the south of Youxi City, Fujian Province.
2. Jian: One theory is that it is a large bronze basin used to hold water or ice in ancient times. Mirror; some scholars believe that mirror. The finger is like a mirror (mirror) that can illuminate people.
3. "Skylight" sentence: It means that the light of the sky and the shadow of the clouds are reflected in the pond water, constantly changing, just like people wandering.
4. Wandering: moving back and forth.
5. Because: because.
6. Qu: It, the third person pronoun, here refers to the water of Fangtang.
7. Na De: How could it be?
8. That: What does it mean?
9. Clear as Xu: So clear.
10. Such as: so, so.
11. Qing: clear.
12. Source of living water: It is a metaphor that knowledge is constantly updated and developed, and thus accumulated. Only by constantly learning, applying and exploring in life can we keep ourselves advanced and energetic, just like water. The source is the same.
About the author:
Zhu Xi (1130.9.15-1200.4.23), also known as Yuanhui, also named Zhonghui, nicknamed Hui'an, later called Huiweng, posthumous title, and worldly name Zhu Wengong. His ancestral home is Wuyuan County, Huizhou Prefecture (now Wuyuan, Jiangxi Province), and he was born in Youxi, Nanjian Prefecture (now Youxi County, Fujian Province). A famous Neo-Confucian, thinker, philosopher, educator, and poet in the Song Dynasty, a representative of the Fujian School, and the master of Confucianism, the World Honored One called him Zhu Zi.
Extended information:
This is a famous poem that uses scenery as a metaphor. The whole poem uses Fangtang as a metaphor to vividly express a subtle and indescribable feeling of reading. The pond is not a pool of stagnant water, but constantly filled with living water, so it is like a mirror, crystal clear, reflecting the sky and cloud shadows. This situation is quite similar to the situation when the same person solves the problem in reading, gains new knowledge and gains a lot, and improves his understanding.
The flow of spiritual energy, clear thinking, fresh and lively spirit and contentment expressed in this poem are the personal feelings of the author as a great scholar. Reading experience. Although the feeling expressed in the poem is only for reading, it has profound meaning and rich connotation, and can be widely understood.
Especially the two sentences "Ask the canal how clear it is, because there is living water from the source." The reason why the water is clear is because the living water from the source is continuously poured in. It implies that if people want to have a clear mind, they have to study hard. Add new knowledge from time to time. Therefore, people often use it as a metaphor to continuously learn new knowledge in order to reach a new realm.
People also use these two poems to praise a person's knowledge or artistic achievements, which has its own profound origin. Readers can also get inspiration from this poem. Only when the mind is always active, with an open and broad mind, accepts all kinds of different ideas, fresh knowledge, and is broadly tolerant can we continue to have new ideas and new ideas. These two lines of poetry have been condensed into the commonly used idiom "source of living water", which is used to metaphor the source and driving force of the development of things.
This is a very artistic and philosophical poem. When people appreciate calligraphy works, they often have a spirited artistic feeling. Poems use symbolic techniques to turn this inner feeling into concrete images that can be felt and depicted, allowing readers to appreciate the mystery on their own. The so-called "living water from the source" should refer to the inexhaustible artistic inspiration in the writer's heart.
The meaning of the poem is very profound. The source of living water is used to metaphorically describe the rich inspiration of calligraphy art, which is the real inexhaustible source of calligraphy art works. It illustrates the author's unique reading experience, which is in line with the characteristics of calligraphy art creation. , also reflects the essence of general artistic creation.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Two Poems on Reading Books
Baidu Encyclopedia - Zhu Xi (Confucianist of the Southern Song Dynasty)