"The Eight Formations" was written by Du Fu in the Tang Dynasty. The vernacular meaning of the whole poem is that you have achieved unparalleled achievements in the establishment of the Three Kingdoms. By creating the Eight Formations, you have achieved eternal fame. The rivers flowing eastward cannot turn away the stones you laid out, and I will regret your failure to destroy Wu through eternity. This poem praises Zhuge Liang's great achievements and expresses his emotion about the ruins of the "Eight Formations".
The original text of the poem is as follows: The merits cover three parts of the country and are called the Eight Formations. The stone in the river will not turn, and the regret will be swallowed up by Wu. The Eight Formation Diagram is a figure composed of eight formations, used for military training or combat. Gai means to exceed. The Three Kingdoms refers to the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. The stone does not turn means that when the water rises, the stones in the eight formations remain still. To swallow Wu by mistake means to swallow Wu without a plan.
Extended information
Creative background: The poet Du Fu moved to Kuizhou in the summer of the first year of the Dali Emperor of the Tang Dynasty (766). There is the Wuhou Temple in Kuizhou and the Eight Formations on the riverside. Legend has it that it was built by Zhuge Liang on the river beach in Kuizhou during the Three Kingdoms period. Du Fu, who had always admired Zhuge Liang, used a lot of pen and ink to express his feelings by praising historical sites. This song "Eight Formations" is one of them.
The first two lines of this poem are written in antithetical lines. "Three-pointed Kingdoms" versus "Eight Formations", the contribution to the military with overall achievements, appears exquisite and neat. Naturally appropriate. In terms of structure, the first sentence is mentioned at the beginning and gets straight to the point; the second sentence points out the title of the poem, further praising the achievements, and at the same time paving the way for the following to pay tribute to the relics.
The first sentence is written from a general aspect, saying that Zhuge Liang made the most outstanding achievements in the process of establishing the situation of Wei, Shu and Wu dividing the world into three parts. This highly summarized praise by the poet Du Fu objectively reflects the historical reality of the Three Kingdoms era. The second sentence is written from a specific aspect, saying that Zhuge Liang's creation of the Eight Formations made him more famous.
The last two sentences express feelings about the ruins of the "Eight Formations". The ruins of the "Eight Formations" are located on the flat sand in front of Yong'an Palace in the southwest of Kuizhou. The eight formation diagrams here are made of fine stones piled up, five feet high, sixty in circumference, arranged vertically and horizontally, and arranged into sixty-four piles. They always maintain their original appearance, even if they are flooded by floods in summer, and when the water falls in winter, they will remain unchanged. Everything has lost its original state, but the pile of stones in the Eight Formations remains the same and has remained unchanged for six hundred years.
"A stone cannot turn" is adapted from the poem "My heart is broken by a stone and cannot be turned" in "The Book of Songs·Guofeng·Beifeng·Bozhou". In the author's opinion, this magical color is intrinsically related to Zhuge Liang's spiritual aspirations: he was loyal and unwavering to the Shu Han regime and the great cause of unification, as unshakable as a rock.
The last sentence is "Regret the loss of Wu", saying that Liu Bei failed to annex Wu and destroyed Zhuge Liang's fundamental strategy of uniting Wu to fight against Cao, so that the great cause of unification died midway, which became an eternal regret. The poet in this poem is writing about Zhuge Liang's "remnant" and feeling sorry for Zhuge Liang. In this regret, Du Fu's own depressive feelings of "hurting himself and failing to achieve anything" permeated.