?No one can be seen in the empty mountain, but people can hear their voices. Returning to the deep forest, the light shines on the moss again.
Before reading the poem, here is a reminder——
Luchai (zhài): Chai: a fence surrounded by trees.
Returning scenery (yǐng): Same as "returning shadow", the sunlight reflected through the clouds when the sun is about to set.
If you read the wrong word, you will naturally get the wrong meaning. When reading poetry, it is important to read it accurately first.
"Lu Chai" is a classic among the 300 Tang poems. It's a pity if you haven't read it, and it's a pity if you don't understand it.
Let’s take a look at the geographical location of Luchai:
There is a ravine on the west bank of Wanghe River in the west of Hekou Village. On the big stone at the mouth of the ravine are written the words "Yahu Wujiacun".
Entering the ditch, the mountains on both sides are very steep and there are many big rocks.
This channel, which has been uninhabited since ancient times, is where the Luchai ruins are located.
The ditch is steep and narrow, and the mouth of the ditch shrinks into a very narrow pass. If fences are set up at the upper and lower entrances, it is indeed a good place to raise deer.
Local villagers say that Wang Wei raised deer here.
Wang Wei hired a mute from the village to look after the deer. One day, a tiger appeared near the herd of deer. Mute was frightened and roared loudly. The valley shook and the tiger was scared away. After that, the mute could speak, so the village where the mute lived was called "Mute Hu Village".
Compare the scenery described in the poem with the geographical location:
If we carefully consider the time and space characteristics of this poem, we will find that the scenery and muteness described in the poem The actual situation in Yangou is consistent.
The channel of Yahuyan Valley is narrow. The roadbed and both sides are full of stone paths, stone mountains, and steep walls. Although there is a stream, there are no conditions for building houses and farming, so it is "an empty mountain with no people"; and this channel The landform and geology of the Yahuyan Gaoping above the top are completely different from the channels below. Not only is the sky wider, but it is also all land. There were residents there and people working in the fields. Wang Wei came to see the deer. At the bottom of the ditch, of course he couldn't see the people at the top of the ditch, but he could hear the sounds of the people working in the fields - "but I heard the sound of people's voices."
Yahuyan Valley runs east-west. The sun can shine in from the mouth of the ditch before noon, but after noon the sun is blocked by a row of hills with an altitude of 700 to 800 meters on the south side of the ditch. Until evening, the setting sun shines in from the west port of the ditch again, so there is a scene of "returning to the deep forest and shining on the moss".
It can be seen that the scenery described by Wang Wei can indeed be seen in Yahuyangou. The poems written by Wang Wei were indeed inspired by his visit to this place and the beautiful scenery in front of him.
Wang Wei likes deer. Give an example. In 758 AD, after his mother passed away, he converted Wangchuan Villa into a temple, changed its name to Luyuan Temple, and buried his mother on the west side of the temple. After his death in 761 AD, he was buried there, with his mother and next to Luyuan Temple.
The trend of hunting from top to bottom in the Tang Dynasty; deer was the main target of hunting
In the early Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains was deeply influenced by the Turks and other grassland peoples, including hunting and other wild life customs . In the early Tang Dynasty, a fierce hunting style prevailed among the princes and nobles. In the two Gyeonggifu areas, the princes, nobles, courtiers and officials all highly regarded hunting as one of the three great pleasures in life.
After consulting the "New Tang Book Taizong Ji", we found the following record: "On Xinmao in October of the fourth year of Zhenguan, I hunted in Guiquan Valley. In Jiachen, I hunted in Yulongchuan and presented the harvest to Da'an Palace. Ten On the first day of the second month, I hunted in the Luyuan. On the second day of the lunar month, I left the Luyuan.” hunting activities.
Taizong's crown prince Li Chengqian even loved hunting in the garden, riding and shooting, and was tired of studying. King Li Yuanji of Qi was very fond of hunting with eagles and dogs. He often carried thirty carts of hunting traps when traveling, declaring, "I would rather go without food for three days than not hunt for one day."
When Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was young, he hunted horses, carried eagles and dogs. After he ascended the throne, he regarded hunting as "flying eagles at the right time, telling stories and martial arts". As a "hunter", Yao Chong, who enjoys rabbits, rides with him on a horse-armed eagle.
Under the leadership of the upper-class princes and nobles, the children of the powerful and wealthy families in the capital often rode in the hunting grounds with the appearance of "young knights". Some even joined the imperial army as "changyangyu hunters" or "shooters in front of the palace" to accompany the hunters. A dignified person.
Tang Xuanzong ate deer meat for thousands of years
"Xuan Shi Zhi" records an incident of deer hunting by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
In the autumn of the 23rd year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong was hunting in the suburbs. Driving to Xianyang Plain, there was a big deer in front of me, but its body was quite different from ordinary ones. He shot it with his bow and hit the target. When he returned, he ordered the kitchen staff to give him moxibustion. But the food utensils are still cooked and presented. At that time, Mr. Zhang Guo was in attendance, and Shang Mingguo sat in front of him and gave him his meat. The fruit is eaten with thanksgiving. After eating, he asked: "Your Majesty, why does this deer look like this?" The superior said: "I only know that it is a deer, but I don't know what it is like?" Guo said: "This deer is a thousand years old. Your Majesty is fortunate to ask me."
Shang smiled and said: "How can you say that this beast's ears are a thousand years old!" "Guo said: "In the autumn of the fifth year of hunting in the Yuan Dynasty of the past Han Dynasty, a minister serving Emperor Wu went to Shanglin. If one of his ministers caught this deer while alive and offered it as a gift, the emperor showed it to his ministers and said: "This immortal deer is about to live for a thousand years." Now that you have gained something in life, it is better to live it. ’ Emperor Huiwu honored the immortals, so he accepted the minister’s memorial. "The emperor said: "Mr. Qing is dead. Moreover, in the fifth year of hunting in the Han and Yuan Dynasties and now it is 800 years old, the deer lived a long life. How could it not be caught by the deer after it was 800 years old? Besides, there are many elk in the park, so why should the deer caught now be another deer? Guo said: "In the past, when Emperor Wu got this deer, he wanted to part with it. He also ordered Dongfang Shuo to use copper as a plaque, carve it into characters to identify its year, and tie it under the left corner." I wish I could test it, and I will not make any false accusations. "The superior immediately ordered the deer's head to be placed in front of him, and ordered the minister Gao Lishi to examine it. He never saw any food that was poured out. The superior smiled and said, "Sir, you are wrong. Under the left corner, there is a bronze medal. "Guo said: "Please ask for it yourself. "That is, looking left and right, he used iron tongs to clamp out a small sign. It was made of solid copper and could be about two inches long. The cover was covered with fur and leather because of its age, so it was hard to see his ears. Hold it forward and watch it with sharp eyes. The shortcomings of his writing are hard to discern. The author then asked Guo: "In the fifth year of the Han Yuan Dynasty, when Jiazi compiled the history, I will collect all the records and biographies." Guo said: "At the time of Guihai, Emperor Wu began to open the Kunming Pool, use it to fight with water, and follow the etiquette for hunting." It is now the Jiaxu year, eight hundred and fifty-two years. "The emperor immediately ordered that according to the "History of the Han Dynasty", the Kunming Pond was opened in the fifth year of Yuan Shou, and its Jiazi was also the same. The emperor said to the powerful man, "What a difference! Zhang Guo is truly a great person who can talk about the current affairs of the Han Dynasty and Wu Dynasty. I cannot know it without knowing it. "
The general idea is:
In the autumn of the twenty-third year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty went hunting. In Xianyangyuan, he encountered a deer, and this deer was very special. The deer was relatively large in size and looked different from other deer at first glance. So Tang Xuanzong took a bow and shot accurately. The deer fell to the ground. The imperial chef was asked to prepare processed venison and he wanted to taste it. At that time, there was a man named Zhang Guo who was accompanying Tang Xuanzong. After the venison was cooked, Tang Xuanzong asked him to taste Zhang Guo. After eating, he asked Tang Xuanzong: "Has your Majesty noticed that the venison of this deer is special? Tang Xuanzong didn't understand why, so he replied: "It's just an ordinary deer, nothing special." Zhang Guo said something again, and his words were shocking: "This deer is a thousand years old." Tang Xuanzong didn't believe it even more, and said, "It's just an ordinary animal, how can it be a thousand years old?" "Zhang Guo claimed to be an immortal, and also said that he had lived for a thousand years. Then Zhang Guo told the origin of the deer. He said: "When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was in power, I accompanied him Go out hunting. One of the attendants caught a deer and presented it to Emperor Wu. I stood up at that time and said that this deer was a great deer. It was a fairy deer and could live for a thousand years. It was better to let him go. When Emperor Wu heard this, he let the deer go. Then I was eaten by your majesty. ”
Tang Xuanzong still didn’t believe it. How did this deer escape from hunters during the eight hundred years between Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty? And how did Zhang Guo know that this deer was released by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty? What about the deer? Zhang Guo had expected that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty would say this, so he said that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had someone make a bronze plaque with words on it and tie it to the deer's antlers. When Gao Lishi heard this, he went to look for it. After searching for a long time, I couldn’t find the bronze medal. Tang Xuanzong laughed at Zhang Guo and said, “It seems that you are wrong. Zhang Guo replied: "I will come and get it myself." "So, he took an iron pliers and cut out a bronze medal about two inches. Because the deer was very old and had grown a lot of hair, it covered the bronze medal. Zhang Guo presented the bronze medal to Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, and Emperor Xuanzong ordered People can no longer distinguish the words on the sign. So Tang Xuanzong believed what Zhang Guo said and asked him: "Is there any record of events in history that can match this period? "Zhang Guo solved the problem for Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
The authenticity of the records in "Xuan Shi Zhi" is open to question, but from the story, we can know that Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was the most food-loving emperor among the ancient emperors. The emperor's hobby of deer not only contributed to his health, but also made this game popular at palace banquets for a long time.
"Shan Changsi Kao" records, The "Deer Tail Sauce" that An Lushan presented to Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was made from deer tails.
Deer was eaten at official banquets in the Tang Dynasty. After that, a special banquet was held for the candidates who passed the exam, and the poem "Deer Ming" was sung at the banquet.
"New Tang Book? Election Chronicles" records: "At the end of every year... the exam is held. Already, the chief officials held a drinking ceremony in the countryside, met with their subordinates, arranged guests and hosts, arranged the beans, prepared the orchestra, used a small prison for the animals, and sang the poem "Lu Ming". "It's called the "Deer Ming Banquet".
The Deer and the Hermit
The hermits in the Tang Dynasty wore deer scarves (hats) and called themselves noble.
"Chu "Ci·Ai Shi Ming": "The floating clouds and mist enter the dark world, riding on a white deer and bearing it. "Family Sayings of Confucius": "Confucius was traveling in Mount Tai, and when he saw Rong Shengqi, he was walking in the wilderness, wearing a deer fur belt and a rope, rustling and singing." "Mencius: Concentrating on the Heart": "Shun lived in the deep mountains, hanging with the trees. Stone dwelling is associated with deer and pigs roaming around. "Deer" is associated with a leisurely and contented life.
During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, deer gradually became associated with hermits. For example, Liu Ling, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, "often rides in a deer cart and carries a pot of wine." "Hand-rolled knee-harp", Tang poems include "Leopard skin mattress laid horizontally, deer fetal scarf on the side", "Elk in the mountains can be neighbors", Su Shi's "Red Cliff Ode" in the Song Dynasty also mentioned that "fish and shrimp are friends with elk", deer The living environment is tranquil and quiet, making it an ideal home for hermits.
Obviously, everything Wang Wei achieves and hopes for in life is related to deer. Deer is both a satisfying food and spiritual food.
Literal meaning
No one can be seen in the quiet valley, but the voices of people can be heard.
The afterglow of the setting sun reflected into the deep forest and shone on the moss in the dark place.
Thinking deeper
1. In the deserted deep mountains and valleys, the atmosphere was originally empty and cold, but it became lively because of the presence of human voices. Wang Wei chose the Wangchuan Valley to live in seclusion. Although it was different from the Zhongnan villa and the imperial mausoleum in the suburbs where dignitaries flocked, there were not many neighbors, but it did not mean that he was the only one in this place. He also had many neighbors, including woodcutter. Husbands, laundry girls, farmers... He lived next to these people, often observing their lives and writing poems about their work. For him, their Wangchuan business gave him a different life.
Therefore, what he expresses in the poem "There are no people in the empty mountain, but you can hear people's voices" is that the poet is far away from officialdom, socializing, and living in seclusion in the mountains, but there are also people who are neighbors to him. Feel joy. With these "human words", the "empty mountain" that the poet likes is not cold and silent, but full of joy. The "empty mountain" is even more "empty", which further highlights the easy comfort of the hermit state he pursues.
Wang Wei, who encountered ups and downs in his official career, no longer focused on the glitz and chaos in his last ten years of life, but was more willing to stay close to a simple life.
2. "The scene returns to the deep forest, and the light shines on the moss again." The poet uses "return" and "return". If you read it carefully, there will be a sudden and enlightened mood rising in the reader's heart.
Some people say that it is hypocritical to pursue the so-called mediocrity without passing the peak of life. So, there is absolutely no such hypocrisy in Wang Wei's life and his poetry and paintings. His life experience can be said to be the epitome of the prosperous times of the Tang Dynasty. He was born into a wealthy family, was talented, and became famous at a young age. Most of his friends were heroes, nobles, and royal relatives. He also served as an official for many times. However, his life was not smooth sailing. He lost his father at a young age. He lost his wife when he was an adult. After gaining fame, he was demoted due to unknown crimes. Although he struggled repeatedly, he was still unable to become a marquis or prime minister. He was also captured by the rebellious minister An Lushan and was appointed as a fake official, which humiliated his reputation.
His life has come to the last half, and the 14 years since Wangchuan left his career have been the twilight of his life.
In these years when he knew his destiny, Wang Wei had also seen through all the nihility in the world. Amidst the ups and downs, he still had faith - to love the mountains and rivers and return to nature.
As written in the poem, although it is sunset, it can still illuminate the "deep forest", not only on the trees, but also on the smallest existence in the vast forest - moss. The moss may grow on the trunk of the tree, or it may grow from the ground along the trunk. These emerald-green, silk-thin plants are more eye-catching and more vibrant under the setting sun.
All things are like this. They no longer have day and night, they only know how to grow. The same is true for the poet. No matter what the situation is, high or low, he lives happily and contentedly.
Even in a dark and humid place, it still exudes its own greenery.