Ancient and modern words are different
The original characters were carved on oracle bones, which was not so convenient and required simplicity. This made ancient Chinese and literature embark on a path of separation from the beginning. . Poetry has broken away from the oral creation stage, that is, when there is such a thing as "writing poetry", the language of poetry has become increasingly written. However, due to the need for expressive portrayal or the poet's whim, there are still many spoken words that are used in writing. These spoken words and even dialects, ranging from single words (mostly auxiliary words) to phrases, have not become common vocabulary in classical Chinese and are not found in Yaxueguxun. At that time, people passed it down by word of mouth, and those who heard it understood it. Over time, "the ancient and modern words are different, and they are discussed in four directions" (Wang Chong's "Lunheng"), they will appear to be unfamiliar in words and obscure in meaning, or familiar in words but different in meaning. If readers do not know the meaning or misunderstand the meaning, it will lead to estrangement and misunderstanding. . These words, which are called "poems, lyrics, music and words", should also belong to the category of what we call "literacy". "Sisters and brothers are all in the earth, pitiful and glorious," (Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow"). The "pitiful" means gratifying and enviable, but it is not the meaning of "pitiful" in today's spoken language. "Sooner and later" in "Howl day and night and cry in silence, morning and evening the stars will clear the snow" (Li Shangyin's "Chong You Sen") means "sooner and later", which means "sooner or later". It contains the meaning of hope, so it cannot be interpreted as "sooner or later". "The mud basin is shallow and small, and it becomes a pool, and the frog sage knows it in the middle of the night" (Han Yu's "Banzhi"). "The sage knows" means a prophet. It is like a psychic manifesting the divine nature. There seems to be no such word today.
Compared with commonly used words in classical Chinese, the use of words is more flexible, such as the word "whose family":
Who is still confused, this can be based on the surname or name. Hengyan, deduced its meaning. Home is the same as price, which is a word used to estimate a certain situation, and is similar to the word "personality". Whose family is just like today's Suzhou-Hangzhou dialect, which is also what it means. Du Fu's "Youth Journey" says: "Immediately, a white-faced man from someone's family dismounts from his horse and sits on a bed. He doesn't understand the surname and is very rough. He points to the silver bottle and asks for wine to taste." The tone of the word "who's family" is intense, but it is a slang word, and it is still mentioned today. what. "Journey to the West" drama 12 says: "Who dares to scold me if I have a child with a yellow mouth?" The text has the same meaning. If it is interpreted as a son of a certain family or a boy of a certain family, the tone will be inconsistent. "The Peony Pavilion: Amazing Dreams" says: "It's a beautiful place in a good time, but whose home is it to enjoy the pleasure?" The word "whose home" has a heavy tone, which is a sad statement. Whose courtyard still means what kind of courtyard? It means what kind of courtyard it has become, so it is opposite to Naihe Tian. This is not conjecture. The first sentence says: "Like this, all the wells and ruins are abandoned", and the second sentence says: "It is in vain to admire the twelve pavilions." This is clear evidence. If it is interpreted as the courtyard of a certain family, it will be too slow but not clear. (Zhang Xiang's "Preface to the Vocabulary Interpretation of Poetry, Ci and Music")
This type of vocabulary can be found in large numbers in Tang poetry and Song poetry, especially in Yuan music (because music is especially popular in nature), and predecessors have always focused on it. Typical, not much involved. The annotated editions of "The Romance of the West Chamber" begin with emphasis on dialects, but it is not a specialized book yet. Zhang Xiang, a recent scholar, deliberately compiled the explanations and worked hard for more than ten years to write the book "Explanation of the Vocabulary of Poems, Songs, Music and Words", which provides convenience for readers to find explanations. What he has done is to collect the same words in poems, lyrics, and music, synthesize the evidence, and use exegetical methods such as "understanding the sound and rhyme," "recognizing the character shapes," "playing with the composition," "guessing the plot," and "compare the meaning." Interpretation, when one meaning is not enough to summarize, then assume other meanings and multiple meanings. It is a reference book with detailed materials, rigorous explanation and high value, which can be used as a reference for those who read and appreciate ancient poetry.
After talking about "literacy", a question comes to mind. That is, when learning to compose old-style poetry, the most difficult aspect is neither meter (sentence pattern, rhythm) nor rhyme. These problems can be roughly solved by short-term study, pondering of model works, or reading of rhyme books. The most difficult and basic level is the problem of poetry vocabulary, that is, the problem of "literacy". That means you have to be proficient in classical music to the point where you understand it by heart. This was not a problem for people in the past, but it is incomparable for today's readers who don't read much classical poetry. Du Fu's emphasis on mastering "Selected Works" and Li Shangyin's "Daji" fundamentally involve a problem of mastering vocabulary. If you read a lot and become familiar with it, a large amount of poetic vocabulary will be deposited in your subconscious mind. Once poetry becomes popular and your mind is excited, these vocabulary words that are usually dormant will become active and can be used by you. That is the so-called Wen Ruwan. The dendrobium spring flows out wherever it chooses. This is not something that can be achieved by just looking through books and piecing together poems.