"The spirit of poetry and calligraphy in the belly comes from China" comes from "Farewell to Dong Chuan", the full text is as follows:
Su Shi, a litterateur in the Song Dynasty
Wrapped in coarse cloth Life is full of poetry and calligraphy.
I am tired of cooking gourd leaves with the old Confucian, and force me to step on the locust flowers with my son.
I have nothing to do but look for a young horse, and my eyes wander around looking at the car for choosing a son-in-law.
To be proud is worthy of praise from the secular world, and the edicts of Huang Xinshu are like crows. ?
Translation:
In life, if the body is wrapped in coarse clothes and poor cloth, the intellectual temperament in the chest will naturally shine. He didn't like to accompany the old Confucian and talk about the hard life of "cooking gourd leaves", so he decided to take the imperial examination with the officials. If you don't have money in your pocket, you won't buy the "flower-looking" horse, but you will buy the dazzling "husband-selection car". If I pass the exam, I can still boast to the secular people. My name is newly written in black letters like crows on the edict.
Extended information:
Creative background
The poem "Farewell to Dong Chuan" was written by Su Shi when he dismissed Fengxiang and went to Bianjing. My friend Dong Chuan left this as a gift to Dong Chuan before leaving.
In the sixth year of Jiayou (1061), Su Shi took the high school examination, which is usually called the "three-year Beijing inspection", and entered the third class. Follow it. Dong Chuan was living in poverty in Fengxiang and was preparing to take the imperial examination. Su Shi wrote this poem after returning to Chang'an the following year.