Su Shi's poem "Inscribed on the Wall of the Western Forest" of the Song Dynasty: "Looking at it from the side, it looks like a ridge or a peak, with different heights near and far. I don't know the true face of Lushan Mountain, just because I am in this mountain."
Meaning: I can’t recognize the true face of Mount Lu because I am in Mount Lu.
Appreciation: “I can’t recognize the true face of Mount Lu, just because I am in this mountain.” It is a way of reasoning on the spot and talking about the experience of traveling in the mountain. Why can't we recognize the true face of Mount Lushan? Because when we are in Mount Lushan, our field of vision is limited by the peaks and ridges of Mount Lushan. What we see is only one peak, one ridge, one hill and one valley of Mount Lushan. This is necessarily one-sided. Seeing this, it is often the same when observing things in the world. These two poems have rich connotations. They enlighten people to understand a philosophy of dealing with people - because people are in different positions and have different starting points for looking at problems, it is inevitable that they will not understand objective things. There is a certain degree of one-sidedness; to understand the truth and full picture of things, we must transcend the narrow scope and get rid of subjective prejudices.
"I don't know the true face of Mount Lu, just because I am in this mountain" comes from the ancient poems of Su Shi, a poet of the Song Dynasty. The full text of the first and second sentences of "Ti Xilinbi" is as follows:
Viewed horizontally, it looks like a ridge and a peak on the side, with different heights from near to far.
I don’t know the true face of Mount Lu, just because I am in this mountain.
Notes
⑴Title Xilinbi: Written on the wall of Xilin Temple. Xilin Temple is located at the western foot of Mount Lu. Title: writing, inscription. Xilin: Xilin Temple, in Lushan, Jiangxi.
⑵Horizontal view: Viewed from the front. Lushan Mountain always runs north-south, so when viewed horizontally, it means looking from the east to the west. Side: side.
⑶Different: Each is different.
⑷Unknown: unable to recognize or distinguish. True face: refers to the real scenery and shape of Mount Lu.
⑸ Fate: because; due to. This mountain: This mountain refers to Mount Lu.
Translation
Looking at the rolling hills and towering peaks of Mount Lu from the front and side, looking at Mount Lu from a distance, from near, from high and low, you can see that Mount Lu has different appearances. . The reason why I can't recognize the true face of Mount Lushan is because I am in Mount Lushan myself.
Appreciation
This poem describes the changing appearance of Lushan Mountain, and uses the scenery to reason, pointing out that observation problems should be objective and comprehensive. If it is subjective and one-sided, no correct conclusion can be drawn.
The first two sentences, "Looking horizontally, it looks like a ridge and a peak on the side, with different heights from near and far", which is a realistic description of what you see when you travel to the mountains. Lushan Mountain is a large mountain with crisscrossing hills and undulating peaks. Visitors will see different scenery depending on their location. These two sentences summarize and vividly describe the ever-changing scenery of Lushan Mountain.
The last two sentences, "I don't know the true face of Mount Lu, just because I am in this mountain" are a way of reasoning and talking about the experience of traveling in the mountain. The reason why we cannot identify the true face of Mount Lushan is because we are in Mount Lushan and our field of vision is limited by the peaks and ridges of Mount Lushan. What we can see is only one peak, one ridge, one hill and one valley of Mount Lushan. This is only partial. This is bound to be one-sided. These two wonderful sentences bring out the entire artistic conception, providing readers with a space to reflect on their experiences and gallop their imaginations. This is not just a rational understanding that comes from traveling through mountains and rivers. This is what you see when you travel to the mountains, and it is often the same when you observe things in the world. These two poems have rich connotations. They enlighten people to understand a philosophy of how to deal with people - because people are in different positions and have different starting points for looking at problems, their understanding of objective things will inevitably be one-sided; to understand the truth of things and the overall picture, we must transcend the narrow scope and get rid of subjective prejudices.
The benevolent sees benevolence, and the wise see wisdom. A small poem arouses people's infinite aftertaste and deep thinking. Therefore, "Inscribed on the Wall of the Western Forest" is not only the poet's praise of the wonders and majesty of Mount Lu, but also Su Shi's understanding of the truth derived from it with the perspective of a philosopher. Since this kind of understanding is profound and conforms to objective laws, in addition to the beautiful images of valleys and peaks that give people a sense of beauty, the poem also contains profound philosophy that enlightens people's minds. Therefore, this little poem is extraordinarily implicit and far-reaching, making people read it endlessly.
The meaning of this poem is very profound, but the language used is extremely simple. Explaining the profound things in a simple way is exactly one of Su Shi's language characteristics. When Su Shi wrote poems, he had no habit of carving. What the poet pursues is to use a simple, smooth and fluent language to express a fresh and unprecedented artistic conception; and this artistic conception is shining with the light of philosophy from time to time. Judging from this poem, the language expression is concise, but its connotation is rich. In other words, poetry itself is a highly unified image and logic. In four lines of poetry, the poet summarized the characteristics of the image of Mount Lu, and at the same time accurately pointed out the reason why looking at the mountain is incomprehensible. The vivid sensibility and clear rationality are intertwined, causing each other, and the image of the poem is therefore sublimated into a typical example in the realm of reason. This is why people regard the last two sentences as philosophical aphorisms thousands of times.
If the poetry tradition before the Song Dynasty was characterized by expressing aspirations and emotions, then in the Song Dynasty, especially Su Shi, a new style of poetry characterized by reasoning and reasoning emerged. This style of poetry is a new path developed by the Song Dynasty people after Tang poetry. In Su Shi's words, it is "creating new ideas in the law and expressing wonderful principles in the bold and unrestrained". The characteristics that form this type of poetry are: shallow language and deep meaning, embodying reasoning based on things, and conveying a taste of indifference. "Inscribed on the Silin Wall" is such a good poem.