Shandong was in chaos before the ashes were cold, and Liu Xiang did not study.
From "The Book Burning Pit" written by Zhang Jie of the Tang Dynasty
The emperor's business was wiped out when the bamboos, silk and smoke were sold out, and the Guanhe River was empty and locked in the ancestral dragon's home.
Shandong was in chaos before the ashes were cold, and Liu Xiang did not study. Appreciation of the chaos in Shandong before the ashes were cold, Liu Xiang originally did not read
This poem is a bitter mockery and ruthless condemnation of Qin Shihuang's brutal book-burning behavior based on the turbulent situation in the late Qin Dynasty.
In 213 BC (the thirty-fourth year of the First Emperor of Qin), the Prime Minister Li Si was adopted and ordered to collect and burn Confucian "Poems", "Books" and books of hundreds of schools of thought across the country. Those who did not burn for ten days were punished with hard labor in building the city, causing a cultural catastrophe in Chinese history.
The Book Burning Pit is said to be a cave where books were burned. The former site is on Mount Li, southeast of present-day Lintong County, Shaanxi Province. Zhang Jie may have been there, touched it with his eyes, and felt emotional about it, so he wrote this poem.
The poem begins by touching on the subject. The first sentence uses slightly exaggerated language to reveal the contradiction: the bamboos and silks turned into ashes and disappeared, and Qin Shihuang's empire also perished, as if what was burned in the book burning pit was his Ying family world. This sentence is a combination of narration and discussion, explicit statement and hidden discussion, with some truth and some falsehood. "Bamboo and silk cigarettes are sold" is a real description and can be seen in images. "Bamboo and silk" are the materials for writing books in ancient times, here they refer to books. "Emperor's industry is empty" is a fictitious writing. This kind of expression technique that alternates reality and reality is very charming.
The second sentence takes the meaning of "the emperor's career is empty" to a deeper level, saying that although the river is dangerous, it cannot protect Qin Shihuang's palace in the capital. "Guanhe" mainly refers to Hangu Pass and the Yellow River, but also includes other passes and rivers, such as Sanguan, Xiaoguan, Jinghe, Weihe, Xiaoshan, Huashan, etc. Jia Yi's "On Passing the Qin": "The land of Qin is considered solid by mountains and rivers, and it is a country with four fortresses." The word "Guanhe" summarizes all the geographical dangers that can be relied upon. Although Xianyang, the capital of Qin, is surrounded by many mountains and rivers, it still cannot be defended. Therefore, "On the Passage of Qin" also says: "The people of Qin will not guard against dangers, the passes and beams will not be closed, the halberds will not thrust, and the crossbows will not be able to defend." Shoot. The Chu army went deep and fought at Hongmen. No matter how strong the "fence" was, it could not stop the insurgent army from advancing. The poem summarizes the entire historical facts of the turmoil in the late Qin Dynasty and the demise of the Qin Dynasty with the sentence "The Guanhe River is empty and locks the ancestors of Longju". It is simple and profound; it also expresses it vividly, making the abstract concept of "empty emperor's industry" emotional and emotional. The scenery, with description and commentary, is very memorable. "Ancestral Dragon" refers to Qin Shihuang. The use of "ancestral dragon" instead of "first emperor" here is by no means a pure pursuit of allusion, but out of the need to express expressions. "Historical Records: The Chronicles of the First Emperor of Qin" records a legend: In the thirty-sixth year of the First Emperor's reign, a divine man said to the Qin envoy: "This year Zulong died." The envoy reported back to the First Emperor. After hearing this, the First Emperor did not speak for a long time, and later made his own explanation. Said: "The ancestor of the dragon is the ancestor of man." Qin Shihuang was determined to be the ancestor of all "dragons" for generations to come. At this time, the country changed hands, and the word "ancestral dragon" was used in reverse, adding new meaning and becoming a wonderful satire on Qin Shihuang. It was also full of twists and turns, and was in line with the charm of poetic language.
The third sentence point question further uses historical facts to judge the "book burning" incident. Qin Shihuang, Li Si and others regarded "books" as the source of disasters and thought that burning books would eliminate disasters and bring peace to the world. The result was counterproductive, and the Ying Qin Dynasty soon fell into a precarious and precarious situation. "Not cold" are exaggerated words, aiming to highlight the absurdity of the book burning behavior. In fact, there was a gap of four years from the book burning to Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raising the flag of righteousness for the first time in Daze Township.
The last sentence expresses discussion and emotion. The Shandong Rebellion lasted for a period of time, and the Qin Dynasty finally fell at the hands of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. One of these two people had been hanging out in the market for a long time, and the other was from the military. Neither of them was a scholar. It can be seen that "books" are not necessarily the source of disasters, and "book burning" is not necessarily an effective measure to consolidate "the inheritance of descendants and emperors for eternity" ("Guo Qin Lun"). It is said that "Liu Xiang did not study at first", but he was able to destroy the Qin Dynasty by "burning books". The whole sentence is purely teasing and ridiculing, and contains extremely bitter irony. It starts from "bamboo and silk" and ends with "book". The beginning and end are connected like a ring, which looks round and natural.
Argumentative poetry must not only analyze facts but also display images, which is really not easy. This poem adopts an almost comic expression technique: revealing contradictions and putting Qin Shihuang in a position of self-denial. Writing this way may seem tactful and calm on the surface, but in fact the attitude of opposition and feelings of hatred are very clear. If this is the expression of "resentment without anger", then it can also be regarded as a successful artistic technique. Shandong was in turmoil before the ashes were cold, and Liu Xiang originally did not read. Translation and annotation
Full text translation
As soon as the smoke of burning books cleared, Qin Shihuang's imperial career also perished, and Hangu The pass and the natural dangers of the Yellow River cannot lock the former residence of the First Emperor's homeland.
Before the ashes of the burning book pit cooled down, the heroes of Shandong had already revolted. It turned out that the leaders of the rebel army, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, did not study!
Notes
Book Burning Pit: The place where Qin Shihuang burned books. The former site is located on Lishan Mountain in the southeast of Lintong County, Shaanxi Province.
Bamboo and silk: refers to books. Cigarette burning: refers to burning all the books. Emperor's career: the emperor's career. This refers to Qin Shihuang's cause of ruling the world and consolidating his dominance. Void: empty.
Guanhe: refers to the dangerous and solid geographical situation. Pass: Hangu Pass. River: Yellow River. Empty lock: guarded in vain. Zulongju: the former residence of Qin Shihuang, referring to Xianyang. Zulong: refers to Qin Shihuang.
Shandong: East of Weihan. One theory refers to the east of Taihang Mountain, which is the old land of the Six Kingdoms destroyed by Qin Shihuang.
Liu Xiang: Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, the leaders of the two main peasant uprising armies in the late Qin Dynasty. Not reading: Liu Bang was a scoundrel in the market when he was young, and Xiang Yu practiced martial arts when he was young. Neither of them read many books. Shandong was in chaos before the ashes were cold, and Liu Xiang did not study. Introduction to the author
Zhang Jie (836-905), a poet of the Tang Dynasty, was named Lishan and was the son of Zhang Xiaobiao. He became a Jinshi in the third year of Qianfu of Tang Dynasty (876). During the Qianfu period, the minister Gao Xiang brought Shao Anshi (from Lian County, Guangdong) to Beijing from Changsha. Gao Xiang presided over the examination, and Shao Anshi passed.