"Read old books without getting tired of reading them a hundred times. If you read them carefully, you will know yourself" means that you should read the old books over and over again. Once you are familiar with them, you will naturally ponder and understand the meaning. This poem comes from Su Shi's "Send Off the Scholar Andun Returns to the West".
Full poem:
"Send Off the Scholar Andun to Return to the West" by Su Shi
Read the old book a hundred times without getting tired of it, and you will know yourself after reading it carefully.
It is inevitable that he will be a famous official in his old age, and he will be chased today.
I no longer return to my old home, and I no longer see the sunflowers in the garden when writing books.
I came to travel eastward to admire Renjue, and abandoned my old school to play.
Crazy plans and miscalculations all fail, but the frost comes as scheduled.
Therefore, the pines and cypresses in the mountains are all planted by hand, and when will they return?
Knowing that everything is destined, wandering around for ten years would be better than being an idiot.
There is no way to compare gains and losses with you, and we can only have a long consultation before parting.
Creative background:
In the third year of Xining of Emperor Shen Zong (1070), 28-year-old Andun participated in the provincial examination as a scholar, and the result was that he "returned to the west without understanding" . Although this poem was given to Andun by Su Dongpo in the Song Dynasty, its content is beneficial to everyone. The original poem aims to comfort and encourage Andun not to think about passing the exam, but to pursue the value of knowledge itself; the infinite knowledge contained in the sages' classics can be understood by "reading it carefully and thinking deeply". Lost solution: failed in the tribute examination. The tone of Su Shi's two poems is euphemistic, advising An Dun scholar to go home and study in peace, and not to rush for success. As long as he "reads carefully and ponders deeply", he will naturally understand the mysteries of the classics, and he will surely be successful in the examination in the future.
Su Shi (1037-1101), a writer, calligrapher and painter 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). He had a bumpy official career throughout his life, but he was knowledgeable and talented. He was 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 could 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".