Below, the author systematically combs the symbolic meaning of the common image "moon" in ancient poetry for your reference.
First, express homesickness
Looking at the moon and homesickness is one of the most common symbolic meanings of the moon image in ancient poetry. In this regard, China readers are most familiar with Li Bai's Thoughts on a Quiet Night and Wang Anshi's Sailing in Guazhou:
Thoughts in the dead of night
The foot of my bed is shining so brightly. Is there frost already? I looked up at the moon and looked down, feeling nostalgic.
Berthing Guazhou
Jingkou and Guazhou are just separated by a water, and Zhongshan has only a few heavy green mountains. Jiang Nanan spring breeze is green, when will the bright moon shine on me?
The former poem is elegant and dignified, and the latter poem is beautiful and distant. These two poems sincerely and movingly express homesickness.
Second, express feelings for others.
Looking at the moon and cherishing people is a common lyric technique used by ancient poets. For example, "He knows that the dew will be frost tonight, and the moonlight at home is so bright!" "Tonight, the bright moon is in the sky, and I don't know whose home is Qiu Si", "The bright moon is in the sky, and now it is full of the sea, and the horizon is * * * at this time", "It is expected that the heart will be broken every year, and Matsuoka will be short on the moonlit night". These poems all express the thoughts of distant relatives or friends through the image of the moon, which is really touching and charming.
In addition, Li Bai's Yuege on Mount Emei, Du Fu's Moonlit Night and Su Shi's Shuidiao Song Tou are all representative works expressing their feelings through the moon.
Third, express the sadness of the soldiers on the border.
It is another important symbolic meaning of the moon image to convey the hardships and sorrows of the soldiers guarding the border. This significance is most fully reflected in the works of frontier poets in Tang Dynasty. For example, Wang Changling's Bunker and Li Yi's Watching the Lane and Listening to the Flute at Night are representative works in this respect:
Cross the border
It is still the moon and border pass in Qin and Han dynasties, and the enemy has fought a protracted war. If Wei Qing, who attacked Longcheng, and Li Guang, the flying general, were alive today, the Huns would not be allowed to go south to spend their horses in Yinshan.
Listen to the night flute from the wall of Shouxiang
Before returning to Yuefeng, the sand is like snow, and the city will be like frost next month. I don't know where the bleak reed flute blows and I look at my hometown all night.
Both poems use "bright moon" to express the sadness of frontier fortress soldiers and their yearning for a peaceful life in their hometown, which is touching to read.
Fourth, express the eternity of time and space.
"Jiang Tianyi color without fine dust, our headquarters solitary moon wheel. Who saw the moon by the river for the first time? When did Jiang Yue take the photo at the beginning of the year? Life is endless from generation to generation, and Jiang Yue is only similar year after year. I don't know who Jiang Yue is waiting for, but I see the Yangtze River delivering water. " This is a famous sentence in Zhang's "Moonlit Night on a Spring River". These poems describe the poet's philosophical thinking and questioning about the eternity of time and space and the distant humanity. This poem has a long lasting appeal and endless aftertaste.
In addition, Li Bai's Wine Asks the Moon is also a rare masterpiece in this respect:
Nine times out of ten, I want the moon.
When will the moon appear in the blue sky? I'll stop for a drink and ask. The moon will never reach the moon, but it is very close to the people. Green smoke as bright as a mirror is flying in the palace, emitting cold light. I only see the clouds rising from the sea every night, and who knows the clouds in the morning? The white rabbit tinkers with medicine in autumn and revives in spring. Who does Chang 'e live with? Now people are not seen in Gu Yue, but in this month they took the ancients. The ancients said, if people are running water, they look at the bright moon. Just look at the glass and sing loudly, and the moonlight can grow in a golden cup.
In the poem, "Today people don't see Gu Yue, but this month they took photos of the ancients. If the ancients run water today, * * * looks at the bright moon ",expressing the feeling that time and space are eternal and life is limited.
Verb (abbreviation for verb) expresses loneliness.
When ambition is difficult to be rewarded and lonely, poets often entrust it to the moon. Li Bai's Drinking the Bright Moon Alone is a masterpiece in this respect:
Drink with the moon
Flowers in the next pot of wine, no friends, drink alone. Raise my cup, I invite the bright moon, which brings me its shadow and makes us three people. The moon doesn't know how to drink, but the shadow in front of it is behind. I have to mingle with them and enjoy the happiness of spring. The song I sing is bright and wandering, and I dance the shadow before wandering. Wake up and be happy together, and disperse after drunkenness. I am willing to stay with them forever and forget the harm of friendship, just like the Milky Way.
In the poem, the poet personifies the moon and expresses his loneliness through the "bright moon" full of human feelings, which is full of fun and stirring.
In addition, there is "Jianghan" written by Fu, "The sky is far away, and the moonlight is lonely", and "I hear the lonely notes of the horn resounding through the darkness, and the moon is in the middle of the sky, but no one shares it with me?" Song on the edge of the Sujiang River "Between thin clouds and rocks, the lonely moon is turning over the waves"; Meng Haoran wrote in his "Lumen Nocturne": "Soon the moonlight penetrated the misty treetops, and I unconsciously came to an ancient seclusion." . A hermit lives and moves in a place where he never needs companions, thatched doors, pine and cypress trails, loneliness and quietness. Su Shi's poems, such as "When the moon is away, beginning of life is quiet", are all masterpieces to express loneliness through the moon.
Sixth, express the pain of national subjugation.
In this respect, Li Yu's ci is a model. Night terrors: "The moon is like a hook, and there is no word to go to the West Building. Lonely phoenix tree deep courtyard, lock clear autumn. Cut constantly, reason is chaotic, it is sorrow, and there is no general taste in my heart "; "Langtaosha" (the second half): "Jin Jian has been buried and full of vitality. On a cool night, the moonlight blooms. Get the shadow of Louyuyao Temple and take the photo of Qinhuai "; Yu Meiren (the first half of the sentence): "When are the spring flowers and the autumn moon? What do you know about the past! The small building was easterly again last night, so the country could not bear to look back on the bright moon. " These words vividly express the poet's yearning for the motherland and the pain of national subjugation, and they have a shocking artistic power to read.
The moon has a special significance in the ancient culture of China. On the one hand, ancient myths have woven many beautiful legends for it, on the other hand, ancient poems have endowed it with many rich emotions. Therefore, understanding the moon in China and studying the moon in China will not only help us understand and appreciate the ancient poems about the moon, but also help us understand the rich and splendid ancient culture of our country.