"Xing" means that the specific artistic image of poetry can arouse emotion, association and imagination, and gain aesthetic enjoyment in the surge of emotion. "View" refers to the understanding of social politics and morality through poetry, as well as the author's ideological tendency and emotional state. "Group" means that poetry can enable social groups to exchange thoughts and feelings, unify their understanding and promote social harmony and unity. Complaint emphasizes that poetry can express dissatisfaction and criticism of social irrationality.
"Poetry can inspire, observe, combine and complain" comes from The Analects of Yang Huo. Poetry: The Book of Songs. Xing: one of the six meanings of the Book of Songs, that is, to send xing because of things. Point of view: the point of view and attitude towards things. Group: form a group. Complain: Containment and accumulation through "transportation". Meaning: The Book of Songs can cultivate sentiment, cultivate observation ability, strengthen unity and accumulate knowledge.
We said in the article Ji that in the era of Confucius, The Book of Songs was just an all-encompassing encyclopedia. Therefore, the sage not only passed on the poetry etiquette to his family, but also asked his son Kong Li to learn poetry etiquette, and once again appealed to all students to learn poetry well. It is precisely because Confucius strongly advocated and edited it himself that the Book of Songs became the Book of Songs and one of the important Confucian classics.
It is on this basis that the famous and more enthusiastic eulogy "Preface to Mao Shi" was born: "The same is true for gains and losses. Heaven and earth ghosts and gods, not close to poetry. The first king was a couple. He is a filial person, a kind person, and he has changed his customs. " If some people still don't understand why The Book of Songs has become a Buddhist scripture, and have read this sentence of Confucius and the Preface to Praise Shi Mao, then they should understand.