Seven-Step Poetry
Allusion
Cao Zhi is the youngest son of Cao Cao. He has been talented since he was a child and is loved by his father. After Cao Cao's death, his brother Cao Pi became the emperor of Wei. Cao Pi was a very jealous man. He was worried that his brother would threaten his throne, so he wanted to kill him.
One day, Cao Pi called Cao Zhi in front of him and asked Cao Zhi to compose a poem in seven steps to prove his talent in poetry writing. If he couldn't write it, it would be tantamount to deceiving the emperor and he would be executed.
Cao Zhi knew that his brother was deliberately trying to kill him, and he was sad and angry. He suppressed the grief in his heart and thought hard... Sure enough, he composed a poem in seven steps and read it out on the spot:
Boil the beans to make soup, drain the black beans to make juice. .
The leaves are burning under the cauldron, and the beans are weeping in the cauldron.
They are born from the same roots, so why rush to fight against each other?
Records
According to "Shishuo Xinyu. Literature", after Cao Pi became emperor , has always been jealous of his talented younger brother Cao Zhi. Once, he ordered Cao Zhi to compose a poem within seven steps. If he couldn't do it, he would be executed. However, Cao Zhi didn't wait for his words to finish. In response, he said four lines of poetry, which is the popular poem above. Because it can only be composed in seven steps, later generations called it the "Seven-Step Poetry". It is said that Cao Pi was "deeply ashamed" after hearing this. Not only was Cao Zhi's extraordinary talent reflected in his poems, and his ability to formulate sentences, which made Emperor Wen feel inferior, but also because the poem used simple and vivid metaphors to illustrate that brothers are brothers and should not be separated from each other. There was mutual suspicion and resentment, and they showed great righteousness, which naturally made Emperor Wen extremely ashamed and ashamed.
This poem is written purely in a metaphorical way. The language is simple and the meaning is clear. There is no need for further explanation. Only a few words and sentences need to be slightly clarified, and the meaning is self-evident. The word "soybean" in the second sentence refers to filtering the cooked and fermented beans to make a flavored juice. "萁" refers to the beanstalk, which is used as firewood after drying. The beans that are burned and cooked are the beans that grow from the same root as themselves. It is a metaphor for brothers who press too hard and kill each other. This is actually against the laws of nature and is normal. Not tolerated. The poet's clever use of metaphors, clever use of words, and blurting out the words in an instant are truly breathtaking. The phrase "We are born from the same roots, why rush to fight each other?" has become a common expression for people to advise people to avoid brothers fighting against each other and killing each other for thousands of years, which shows that this poem is widely circulated among the people.
This poem was first recorded in "Shishuo Xinyu", and only four sentences were circulated later, namely: "Cooking beans burns the bean sprouts, and the beans weep in the cauldron. They are originally from the same root. "Why are you so anxious?" Probably because during the dissemination process, it was still difficult to determine whether it was actually written by Cao Zhi. However, the author of "Shishuoxinyu" lived not far from the time of Cao Wei, so there is certainly a certain basis for what he said. Moreover, according to "Wei Zhi" quoted in "Shishuoxinyu", it is also said that Cao Zhi "spoke as an argument and wrote as a chapter." ", Cao Cao once tried "Ode to the Bronze Bird Terrace", which was completed with Zhi's support, and it was impressive. Therefore, it is entirely possible for Cao Zhi to compose such a good poem within seven steps. Therefore, we still introduce it to readers as Cao Zhi's work.
Of course, the style of this poem is not consistent with other poems collected by Cao Zhi. Because it was written in a hurry, there is no refinement of language and exquisiteness of imagery, but only its appropriate and vivid metaphor. , its clear and profound meaning has won praise from readers for thousands of years.