Yueyang Tower

Fan Zhongyan, the author of Yueyang Tower, was born in 989 and died in 1052. The word Wen Xi is from Wuxian, and Wuxian is Suzhou today. He was born in poverty and his father died when he was two years old. When I was young, I stayed in a temple to study. I often do not have enough to eat. I still insist on studying hard day and night, and I have never undressed and slept for five years. Later, China scholars wrote to the emperor many times and put forward many suggestions to get rid of the disadvantages, which were repeatedly relegated by conservative forces. Later, he was responsible for the northwest frontier defense and made great contributions in resisting the invasion of Xixia. He was once transferred back to the imperial court, served as the deputy envoy of the Tang Dynasty, and participated in the discussion of state affairs. However, under the attack and exclusion of conservative forces, he was forced to leave the Song Renzong court for five years. When I wrote Yueyang Tower, I was a magistrate in Dengzhou.

Yueyang Tower is famous first because of its lofty ideological realm. Ouyang Xiu, another famous contemporary writer, said in his inscription that he was interested in the world since he was a child. He often recited to himself: "A scholar worries about the world first, and then enjoys the world." It can be seen that Fan Zhongyan's life code of conduct is "worrying about the world first, and enjoying the world later" mentioned at the end of Yueyang Tower. Mencius said, "Being rich is good for the world, and being poor is good for the world." This has become the creed of many literati in feudal times. When Fan Zhongyan wrote this article, he was demoted to an official and "stayed away from the rivers and lakes". He could have taken an independent attitude and lived a leisurely and happy life. However, he refused to do so, and still took the world as his own responsibility, encouraging himself and his friends with the words "Worry about the world first, and enjoy the world later", which is commendable.

It is not easy for a person to worry first, but he must be courageous, knowledgeable and ambitious. For a person who worries first and then rejoices, it is even more valuable to enjoy himself after making achievements. The spirit embodied in these two sentences, the quality of suffering first and pleasure second, undoubtedly still has educational significance today.

As far as art is concerned, The Story of Yueyang Tower is also a wonderful work. Here are a few points to talk about:

First, the grand view of Yueyang Tower has been exhausted by predecessors. What's the point of repeating those old sayings? There are two ways to meet this situation. One way is to write conviction, and others say yes, but I won't write it. Another way is to avoid familiarity and find another way. I won't say what others say is bad. I will find a new topic from a new angle and tell my own story. Fan Zhongyan adopted the latter method. The title of the article is "The Story of Yueyang Tower", but it cleverly avoids writing about the building, but writes about Dongting Lake, and writes about the different feelings of the relocated poets who boarded the building when they saw the different scenery of Dongting Lake, so as to set off the so-called "heart of the ancients" in the last paragraph. Fan Zhongyan's ingenuity cannot but be admired.

Second, notes, scenery writing, lyricism and discussion are integrated into one article. Notes are concise, scenery writing is extravagant, lyrical and incisive. There are not many words in the discussion part, but it plays a leading role in the full text, so some people say that this is a unique argumentative paper. The discussion skills in Yueyang Tower are really worth learning.

Third, the language of this article is also very distinctive. Although it is prose, it is interspersed with many four-character antitheses, such as "the sun, the moon and the stars are hidden, and the mountains are hidden." "Swimming in Jinli, Ji Xiang, Sha Ou." "The long smoke is exhausted, and the moon is thousands of miles away; Glimpses, still shadows. " These compound sentence added color to the article. The author is also deeply honed in the use of words, such as the word "title" and "swallow" in two sentences, which just shows the vast momentum of Dongting Lake. "Don't be happy with things, don't be sad for yourself", and the concise eight words are as inspiring as the motto. "Worry about the world first, and enjoy the world later", which has a rich meaning in just two sentences, and every word has vitality.

In a letter asking Fan Zhongyan to write "The Story of Yueyang Tower", Teng said: "Those who watch the landscape will not see the balcony, but journalists will not see the balcony for a long time." Indeed, Yueyang Tower has become a scenic spot that people yearn for because of this wonderful sketch. The story of Yueyang Tower, like the landscape of Dongting, will always give people good memories.