Xizi means beauty Xishi.
It comes from the poem "Two Poems on the First Sunny and Later Rain on the Drinking Lake" by Su Shi, a writer in the Song Dynasty. These two poems praising the beauty of the West Lake were written when the poet was serving as the general magistrate of Hangzhou. The second one is widely circulated. This poem is not a description of a single scene or a momentary scene of the West Lake, but a comprehensive description and summary of the beautiful scenery of the West Lake. Especially the last two sentences are considered to be an appropriate comment on the West Lake. ?
The whole poem is as follows:
The clear sky is beautiful when the water is shining, but the mountains are also strange when they are empty and covered with rain. (Mengtong: Meng)
If you want to compare the West Lake to the West, it is always appropriate to put on light makeup and heavy makeup.
The translation is as follows:
Under the bright sunshine, the water of the West Lake is sparkling and beautiful, and it looks beautiful; on rainy days, under the cover of the rain curtain, the water around the West Lake looks beautiful. The mountains are confusing, and if they are there or not, they look very strange.
If the West Lake is compared to the ancient beauty Xi Shi, it is very appropriate to wear light makeup and heavy makeup.
The notes are as follows:
Lake: the West Lake in Hangzhou.
潋滟(liàn ??yàn): the appearance of flashing waves on the water surface.
Extended information:
The last two sentences of the poem further use his style of painting to describe the sunshine and rain of the lakes and mountains, but to capture the spirit from the remains, using only one The ethereal yet appropriate metaphor conveys the charm of the lake and mountains. Su Shi used metaphorical rhetoric to compare the beauty of the West Lake with the beauty of Xi Shi, which is of course beyond reproach.
As for calling Xi Shi Xizi, I am afraid it is not only for respect, but also related to the flat tone (the last word of the third sentence requires a flat tone, and "Shi" is a flat tone). Nowadays, West Lake is also called Xizi Lake, which is derived from Su Shi's poem.
As far as talented poets are concerned, this is a metaphor for the divine that comes accidentally from a master's hand. The magical stroke that comes to him when he is thinking about poetry is just a momentary meeting of mind and scenery, from the beautiful scenery of the West Lake to the incarnation of beauty. Xizi, from the West Lake's "sunny side is good" and "rainy weather is also strange", it is imagined that Xizi should also be "light makeup and heavy makeup are always suitable". When the metaphor was created and written, I am afraid that it may not be limited to sunny or rainy. It refers to heavy makeup, which refers to light makeup.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Two poems on the drinking lake: First Sunny and Later Rain