Cao Zhi, the author of Why Is It Too Urgent?
Original text of the work:
A seven-step poem
Author: Cao Zhi
Boil the beans to make soup, and drain the bean sprouts to make juice.
The leaves are burning under the cauldron, and the beans are weeping in the cauldron.
We are born from the same root, so why rush into conflict with each other?
Vernacular translation
Boil the beans to make bean soup, and filter the beans to make juice.
The beanstalk is burning under the pot and the beans are crying in the pot.
Bean poles and beans grow from the same root. Why do they have to torture and force each other so hard? ?
Creative background
In the first month of the first year of Huangchu (220), the sixty-six-year-old Cao Cao died of illness, and Cao Pi was promoted from the crown prince to the king of Wei; in October of the same year, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was forced to abdicate Cao Pi ascended the throne and proclaimed himself Emperor Wen of Wei. Because Cao Pi couldn't let go of the experience of fighting for the title of crown prince, he still harbored grudges against Cao Zhi after he became emperor. He was worried that his knowledgeable and politically ambitious younger brother would threaten his throne, so he thought of ways to get rid of him. Cao Zhi knew that his brother had deliberately framed him, but he could not excuse himself, so he had to write a poem in seven steps in extreme grief and anger. According to "Shishuo Xinyu·Literature": "Emperor Wen (Cao Pi) tried to order King Dong'a (Cao Zhi) to compose a poem in seven steps. If he failed, he would do Dafa (kill), and he would compose a poem in response... The emperor was deeply ashamed."
Literary Appreciation
Xie Lingyun once said: "There is only one stone in the world, and Cao Zijian has eight buckets. I have one bucket, and all the people in the world have one bucket." ("Shi Chang Tan") ") Liu Xie's "Wen Xin Diao Dragon·Talent" also said: "Zijian is agile and talented, and his poetry is beautiful and elegant." Wang Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty's "Yi Yuan Yan" also said: "Zijian's genius is flowing and beautiful. He has been praised throughout the ages, but he actually avoids his father and brother. Why? His talent is too high and his reputation is too beautiful." It can be seen that the predecessors have pointed out that Cao Zhi has outstanding talents and extraordinary talents, and the best example of his talent is this song "Seven Steps". poetry".
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 first four sentences describe the daily phenomenon of burning beans and cooking beans. Cao Zhi uses "beans" as a metaphor for himself, and the word "cry" fully expresses the sadness and pain of the victim. 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. It is really 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 last two sentences have a sudden change of tone, expressing Cao Zhi's inner grief and indignation. This is obviously questioning Cao Pi: You and I are brothers. Why do we have to fight so hard? "We are born from the same roots, so 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 has been widely circulated among the people.
About the author
Cao Zhi (192-232), courtesy name Zijian, was born in Qiaojun, Peiguo (now a native of Haozhou, Anhui). Writer during the Three Kingdoms period. He is Cao Cao's fourth son, Cao Pi's half-brother, and is named King Chen. Because of his talent and learning, he was favored by Cao Cao in his early years and wanted to establish him as a prince. When Cao Pi and Cao Liu became emperors, they were highly jealous and died in depression.
He is an outstanding representative of Jian'an literature. He has more than 90 existing poems, most of which are five-character poems. Cao Zhi's poems made good use of metaphors and eloquent words, which relatively comprehensively represented the achievements and characteristics of Jian'an literature and had an important influence on the development of five-character poetry.