Learn Chinese traditional culture happily and grow up with nine thoughts.
Unknowingly, Jiusi Chinese Studies Center has progressed to the sixth period, and more than half of the interpretation of Chinese Chinese Studies for the first grade of elementary school has been completed.
In the last issue, we shared with you famous aphorisms such as "An inch of time, an inch of gold". In this issue, we return to the palace of poetry again and appreciate the bold and unrestrained poet Li Bai's different poems that contain a strong sense of family and country. "Flying down three thousand feet, it seems like the Milky Way falling from the sky" is not so bold as the poem "Gu Lang Yue Xing".
Before talking about Li Bai's "Long Moon Walk", let's take a look at another ancient poem "Long Moon Walk". It is an ancient Yuefu poem written by Bao Zhao during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
The bright moon rises from the east mountain and shines in front of my beautiful window.
There are many beauties in the window, and they are so charming and charming.
Sitting in the curtain with beautiful make-up, clearing the strings at home.
The hair on the temples is as fast as the female guard, and the body is as strong as the flying swallow.
I sing a song for you, and call it "The Bright Moon".
When the wine reaches its peak, the face will be relieved, and the voice and heart will also be clear.
A thousand pieces of gold is of no value, but only a small amount of energy.
The entire poem depicts a scene of a beautiful lady singing to the moon. The picture is very beautiful. Li Bai's "Gu Long Yue Xing" also describes the moon, but the style is completely different from Bao Zhao's "Long Yue Xing", and it contains a deep feeling of anxiety.
Let’s first understand the writing background of "Gu Lang Yue Xing". This poem was written before the Anshi Rebellion. crisis.
Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty favored Yang Yuhuai, Yang Guozhong was good at controlling the government, and An Lushan supported his troops and was ready to rebel at any time. Li Bai, who had a clear insight, was concerned about the country and the people, and euphemistically expressed his worries about reality by writing about the moon.
When I was young, I didn’t recognize the moon. It was called a white jade plate.
I also suspected that the Yao Tai Mirror was flying in the blue clouds.
The immortal has his legs hanging down, and the osmanthus tree is not round.
The white rabbit pounded the medicine and asked who he wanted to eat with.
The toad has eroded its round shadow, and the bright night has faded away.
When Yi fell from the Nine Crows in the past, heaven and man were clear and peaceful.
The yin essence has fallen into confusion, and it is not enough to understand it.
Worry comes no matter what, and sadness destroys the heart and liver.
When I was young, I didn’t recognize the moon. It was called a white jade plate. I also suspected that the Yao Tai Mirror was flying in the blue clouds. Many people will recite these four sentences. It beautifully expresses the beauty of a full moon night, with the round moon hanging high in the sky, like a fairyland.
It is said that in the moon there is Chang'e, a osmanthus tree, and a jade rabbit. Chang'e secretly ate the elixir of immortality given to Houyi by the Queen Mother of the West, and soared to the moon alone, leaving behind the story of "Chang'e flying to the moon".
These four sentences describe the moon gradually rising. From low to high, the eyes first see the feet of the immortal, then the round osmanthus tree, and then the jade rabbit pounding the elixir of life. The whole picture fully embodied.
Ancient emperors have always pursued immortality. The Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven and left behind the idiom story of "The Dragon Goes to Dinghu". Qin Shihuang sent boys and girls to Penglai in the East China Sea to obtain elixirs. Almost all subsequent emperors asked sorcerers to prepare elixirs for themselves to take. As a result, their tempers became worse and worse, and they died faster and faster. The White Rabbit pounded the elixir of life, who would give it to him? Of course only the emperor can.
When it is full, it overflows, and when it is profitable, it becomes a loss. This is the law of natural change. Naturally, there is a lunar eclipse after the full moon. Here, imagine that a toad bites off the moon. The toad eclipses the round shadow. The natural light of the eclipsed moon is dim and unclear. The result is that the bright night is over.
In the past, Yi fell from the Nine Crows, and heaven and man were clear and peaceful. It refers to the story of Hou Yi shooting down the sun. Hou Yi was an ancient hero who shot down nine suns to eliminate harm for the people.
The toad has eroded its round shadow, and the bright night has faded away. Yi Xi fell into the Nine Crows, and heaven and man were clear and peaceful. How to understand these four sentences? From the moon to the sun and Hou Yi, there is a big jump.
In ancient times, the sun generally referred to the emperor, and the moon referred to the courtiers, including the inner palace. At that time, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was confused by people like Yang Yuhuan and Yang Guozhong. How could there be a hero like Hou Yi who came to eliminate harm to the people and could get rid of the huge hidden danger of Anlu Mountain? He looked around at a loss and could only shake his head and sigh.
The yin essence has fallen into confusion, and it is not enough to understand it. Worry comes as it comes, and sadness destroys the heart and liver. Faced with such a huge potential disaster, Li Bai, who had no position or power, could only sigh. Although he was full of sorrow, what could he do? There is no other way but to place my love on the mountains and rivers.
Once we understand the seriousness of the damage caused by the Anshi Rebellion, we can deeply understand that the author's sorrow is not unreasonable. Before the An-Shi Rebellion, the population of the Tang Dynasty was about 52 million. After the An-Shi Rebellion, it was only over 16 million, a decrease of about two-thirds. That is why there is a saying that "the war rages for three months, and a letter from home is worth ten thousand gold." After the Anshi Rebellion, the entire culture changed from openness to conservatism, which had a long-term and huge impact.
In the next issue, we will extend the perspective of Chinese studies to Taoism, the first of the hundreds of schools of thought, and listen to what the "Tao Te Ching" says: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
The content of the Chinese Studies series is simultaneously serialized on the WeChat public accounts Jiusi Chinese Studies Museum and Toutiao.