The question to consider is where the sound of the piano comes from. Everything is composed of several factors that complement each other. Without the piano, you cannot hear the beautiful sound of the piano, and you cannot hear the beautiful sound of the piano without hands.
This sentence comes from Su Shi's "Poetry on the Qin". This poem talks about the principle of playing the qin: the production of a piece of music cannot be done by the qin alone, nor by the fingers alone, but also by people's thoughts, feelings and emotions. Technical proficiency.
It is not difficult to master the piano, and everyone has fingers. However, due to the great differences in people's thoughts, feelings and playing skills, whether the music played is pleasant or not is completely different. The poem uses two questions to make readers think.
Original text
If there is sound on the harp, why not when it is placed in the box? If the words are on your fingertips, why not listen to them on your fingertips?
Translation
If the sound comes from the piano, why doesn’t it sound when you put it in a box? If the sound of the piano comes from your hands, why can't you hear the sound from your hands?
Extended information:
Appreciation of "Poems on the Qin"
Su Shi often uses poetry to explain truths. Most of the images he chooses are simple and clear, but they can touch the subtle and difficult. The philosophy of the words is thought-provoking.
The connotation and writing method of Su Shi's poem may have been inspired by the Buddhist scriptures cited above. The poet wrote the front and back in the form of Buddha's thirst. Both sentences are a hypothesis and a rhetorical question. They contain answers to questions, indicating that they want to play a pleasant song. For a beautiful melody, only the piano or the wonderful fingers, that is, superb playing skills are not enough. This enlightens people: the success of any career is the result of the combination of objective conditions and subjective initiative.
This poem shows the poet's strong interest in exploring the true meaning of things, and also shows the poet's simple dialectical thinking. It is written in an innocent, lively and witty way.
Reference source: Baidu Encyclopedia-Qin Shi