This poem comes from the first of ten poems in "Entering the Capital" written by Li Hongzhang in the Qing Dynasty.
Original poem:
Entering the capital
Li Hongzhang of the Qing Dynasty
One
The husband held Wu with one hand Hook, the spirit is higher than that of a hundred feet building. Whoever writes history in the past ten thousand years wants to be named a marquis from three thousand miles away.
The general will be swift and swift, and he will chase the water gulls when he is leisurely. Smiling and pointing at the moon beside Lugou Bridge, how many people will come to Yingzhou from now on?
Meaning: A man holds a Wu hook in one hand, with passion in his heart that is higher than a hundred-foot-tall building. Who has been writing history for thousands of years? Now let’s see how I have made a name for myself three thousand miles away.
You must follow those who are outstanding in talent and virtue and get there quickly. Where can there be those who are leisurely and eager to learn from the sea and play with gulls and birds. While talking and laughing, pointing to the moon beside Lugou Bridge, how many people can really go to the emperor's side and serve the country?
Extended information:
Creative background:
In the 23rd year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1843), Li Hongzhang was 21 years old. Li Wen'an was ordered to go to Beijing from his hometown in Anhui to take the Shuntian Provincial Examination the next year. When Li Hongzhang entered Beijing, he wrote ten poems "Enter the Capital".
"Entering the Capital" is a collection of ten poems written by Li Hongzhang, a minister of the Qing Dynasty. It is included in the sixth volume of "Collected Works of Li Wenzhong" and the 37th volume (Poetry) of "The Complete Works of Li Hongzhang". ?
These ten poems were written by the author when he was ordered by his father to go to Beijing to take the exam to express his ambition. They fully demonstrate Li Hongzhang's ambition.
The first poem is full of self-confidence and is especially full of heroism. It has the meaning that I am the only one who can write the history of the late Qing Dynasty. Among the ten poems, this poem is the most praised by the world.
The first two couplets tell the whole life of the poet. It was Li Gong's "only one hand" to run the mechanism of the late Qing Dynasty and control the communication between Europe and the United States. The last couplet is a poetic eye, which captures the charm of the poet and has a particularly long meaning. The word "laughing finger" is implicit but not explicit; "several people" and so on are confident but not ostentatious.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Entering the Capital