Among the numerous works of chanting cicadas, Yu Shinan, a poet in the early Tang Dynasty, is especially praised by the world. Emperor Taizong praised his cicada-chanting poems many times, and praised his virtue, loyalty, erudition, style of writing and style of writing. Shen Deqian, a poet in Qing Dynasty, made a very high and appropriate evaluation of his poems in 300 Tang Poems, saying that "every cicada sings, it respects its nature alone".
"Hang Yi drink clear dew, flow ring out sparse tung. It's not the autumn wind that makes you afraid to speak loudly. "
What impressed me most was this little poem by Yu Shinan, probably because it was the first poem I read when I was a child. When I put it on the first page, I was particularly impressed. The truth of echoing each other from afar may have long been the common sense of ordinary lanes. Xunzi said in his "Encouraging Learning" that "I am not as good at learning as I am. Climb high and recruit, the arm does not grow, and the people you see are far away. " This is a fact. In ancient times, this little poem should be the choice of children's enlightenment. There will always be people with unique conditions on high places, and their voices can spread far away. If they have some shortcomings, they may spread far away. It can be said that "the heights are too cold"!
This poem is a portrayal of the poet's noble personality. According to historical records, Yu Shinan (558-638) was born in Yuyao, Zhejiang. He was one of the four great calligraphers in the early Tang Dynasty. He was born in a noble family, and his ancestral home was Yongding, in the Southern Dynasties. When Yang Di acceded to the throne, he was a doctor. Although Yang Di liked his talent, he didn't like his integrity, so he didn't value him. After entering the Tang Dynasty, although he was over 60 years old, Emperor Taizong attached great importance to his character, reused him and spoke highly of him.
The first sentence, "Hang your head and drink clear dew", on the surface is about the shape and feeding habits of cicadas, but in fact it contains the symbol of Bixing everywhere. "Clothing" is the drooping part of the hat belt tied under the chin of the ancients. Cicada's head has prominent tentacles, which look like a drooping crown tassel, so it is called "drooping". The ancients thought that cicadas were noble and drank dew, so they said "drink clear dew". In the eyes of ordinary people, "party clothes" imply the identity of an official (in ancient times, "official shadow" was often used to refer to your official), which is contradictory or even incompatible with "Qing", but in the author's pen, they are unified in the image of "party clothes drinking clear dew". This unity of "expensive" and "clear" is precisely because the "clear" in three or four sentences does not need to be contrasted with "expensive", and the brushwork is quite ingenious.
The sentence "Streams dilute trees" is a continuation of the previous sentence. Literally, cicadas drink clear dew, so the singing voice is so crisp and sweet, loud and clear. "Tung" refers to Indus, which is recognized as a good tree in the world. Knowing that singing among "Tung" means knowing that the living environment is so good. This bad habit of not living in the environment is not comparable to other ordinary insects, showing the lofty character of "not living in a good forest" And the word "sparse" itself means "sparse", so what kind of phoenix tree is "sparse"? Only the upright and proud people in Wulin can be superior to their peers and show "sparseness". So it is not the poet's intention to write "sparse" here. The poet's original intention is to use "sparse" to write high, paving the way for the later "high".
The last two sentences, "Come from afar without being moved by the autumn wind", are the crowning touch of this poem, which directly points out the reason why "fame" can spread thousands of miles, that is, it is not spread by the autumn wind, but because of its extremely high status. People often think that sound can travel far away by the wind, but in an abnormal situation, the poet firmly rejected this common sense and found another way, thinking that it is the extremely high position that makes sound travel far away, instead of relying on other external forces of nature like autumn wind. Yu Shinan was highly valued by Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty and held a high position for a long time. Generally speaking, it is because he borrowed the love of Emperor Taizong that he achieved such good results. However, the poet has a different understanding of the outside world's view of himself, so he thinks that he can occupy a high position only because of the moral flower and human light radiated by his noble nature, rather than relying on other external forces. This is the poet's high confidence and affirmation of his personality. The last two sentences of the poem are actually comments on the poem itself, comments on the habits of the cicadas in the first two sentences, and comments on their own personality, which are self-evident. Express warm praise and high self-confidence to people's inner character.
After reading this, we can't help but be suddenly enlightened. On the surface, the poet is chanting cicadas, but in fact, he is comparing himself with cicadas and singing in words: even if he becomes a senior official, he should constantly carry out moral cultivation, be indifferent to fame and fortune, and most importantly, don't be eroded by material desires and ruin his years of cultivation; A person with a prominent official position will have a far-reaching reputation as long as he is honest, does not avoid the cold and is tall and straight; The ancients said, "An upright politician can't be upright." Therefore, he is upright, does not need to rely on high officials and dignitaries to show, but relies on his own power and status to spread. This is actually praising a character, a realm.
Yu Shinan became a big official, relying entirely on his own talents, not on speculation. He never gives gifts to those in power for running away from the official, nor does he carefully consolidate his official position. He said it when it was time to say it, and he said no when it was time to say no. His fame spread far and wide, neither because of the high position of officials, nor because of the power behind him to support himself, nor by means of show and hype. His reputation comes from down-to-earth work, from unremitting learning spirit, from the principle of being upright and upright, from the broad mind of serving the country and the people ... Although the whole poem has only 20 short words, it vividly personifies cicada, implying its own unique personality and beauty.
Sima Qian wrote in the book "Bao Ren An": "The ancients were famous for their wealth, but their names were extinct and unforgettable, but they were very charming ..." Every time I read this article, I felt depressed and frustrated, and my heart surged with a change of pen. Extraordinary people must have extraordinary abilities, such as Sun Tzu, Han Feizi, Sima Qian and other historical celebrities, who have experienced the ups and downs of fate and the baptism of impermanence. Their ambitions remained unchanged, and they retired to write books, thus inheriting the times; As the saying goes, only when things change can you show your true colors as a hero. Temporary hardships sharpen the sharp edge of life, cut through thorns, and persevere in achieving your life goals. I looked up at people and things, and I was deeply touched. Rough jade is really difficult to cut, loud and far away.
As the saying goes: people leave their names, geese leave their voices. Even an ordinary person, who doesn't want to leave a good reputation in people's hearts? Nobody wants to leave a stain. However, reputation depends entirely on your own virtue and quality. "It's not the autumn wind that makes you aloof." I think the "high" here should be noble character and lofty sentiment. Only personality charm can make fame spread far and wide. Being an official should benefit the people, being an upright and sincere person should be open-minded, do more good deeds, have a good reputation and have their own evaluation.