Looking back lazily at Huacong, I am half destined to practice Taoism and half destined to be a king.
From "Five Poems on Lisi, No. 4" written by Yuan Zhen of the Tang Dynasty, the full text is as follows:
There was a time when the sea was difficult to overcome, except for Wushan, it was not a cloud.
Looking back lazily at Huacong, I am half destined to practice Taoism and half destined to be a king.
Translation
If you have been to the sea, you will not care about the water elsewhere; except for Wushan, the clouds elsewhere will not be called clouds.
I walked through the flowers in a hurry, not bothering to look back. The reason for this is partly because of the asceticism of the monks, and partly because of the you I once had.
The first two sentences, "Once upon a time, it was difficult for the sea to be made of water, but except for Wushan Mountain, it is not clouds", which is derived from the chapter "Mencius: Wholeheartedness", "It is difficult for those who look at the sea to be water, and those who swim in the gate of the saint are difficult to speak". The metaphors in the two places are similar, but "Mencius" is a simile, using "watching the sea" as a metaphor for "swimming in the gate of the sage", and the metaphorical meaning is obvious; while these two sentences are metaphors, and the metaphorical meaning is not obvious. The sea is so vast and deep that it dwarfs water elsewhere. There is Chaoyun Peak in Wushan, overlooking the Yangtze River, with steaming clouds and brilliant clouds. According to Song Yu's "Preface to the Ode of the High Tang Dynasty", the clouds are transformed by goddesses. They belong to the sky above and fall into the abyss. They are as lush as pine trees and as beautiful as a charming concubine. Therefore, the clouds elsewhere pale in comparison. "Canghai" and "Wushan" are the largest and most beautiful images in the world. The poet used them as metaphors. Literally, it means that after experiencing "Canghai" and "Wushan", it is difficult to appreciate the water and clouds elsewhere. , is actually used as a metaphor that the relationship between their husband and wife is like the water of the sea and the clouds of Wushan Mountain. Its depth, breadth and beauty are unparalleled in the world. Therefore, except for his beloved wife, there is no other woman who can make him emotional. The fourth sentence continues the above to explain the reason for "lazy review". Since he was so deeply in love with his deceased wife, why is it said here that he was "partly destined to practice Taoism and half destined to be a king"? During his life, Yuan Zhen "committed himself to the "Xiaoyao Pian" and the "Toutuo Sutra" in his heart" (Bai Juyi's "Ten Heda Poems" praised Yuan Zhen's words), and he respected the Buddha and the Tao. In addition, the "cultivation" here can also be understood as concentrating on the cultivation of moral character and knowledge. However, whether it is respecting Buddha and practicing Taoism or practicing self-cultivation and studying, for Yuan Zhen, it is just an emotional sustenance for the heart that has lost the one he loves and is unable to escape the sadness. "Ban Yuan Xiu Dao" and "Ban Yuan Jun" express the same concern, and saying "Ban Yuan Xiu Dao" has a deeper meaning. Qin Chao's "Xiaohan Shihua" in the Qing Dynasty believed that mourning the death of a person and saying "half-yuanjun" was a sign of ruthlessness, which would not understand the poet's difficulties.