1. Live as a hero, and die as a ghost. I still miss Xiang Yu and refuse to cross Jiangdong. ——Song Dynasty: Li Qingzhao's "Summer Quatrains"
Translation: You should be a hero among men when you are alive, and you should be a hero among ghosts after death. To this day, people still miss Xiang Yu because he refused to live an ignoble existence and returned to Jiangdong.
2. I refused to marry the spring breeze, but I was mistaken by the autumn breeze for no reason. ——He Zhu's "Bitter Heart: Willows Return to the Pond"
Translation: Back then, it refused to open in the spring, but now it is suffering desolation in the autumn wind for no reason.
3. You can’t have both fish and bear’s paws, and you’d rather take the bear’s paws instead of the fish. ——Zhan. Mencius' "Fish I Desire"
Translation: If these two things cannot be obtained at the same time, I would rather give up the fish and choose the bear's paw.
4. When you enter, you have the same choice, and when you lose the path, you have the same flaws. ——From "Crying Lianzhou Ling Yuanwai Sima" by Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty
Translation: We chose the same reform goal, entered the imperial court, and were demoted to the Southern Barbarians for the same reason.
5. If you select talents from the field, your health and career will be prosperous; if you ask for scholars to be in the court, your wisdom will flourish. ——"Book of Song Dynasty·Biography·Volume 55"
Translation: If the people are chosen to be virtuous and talented, the monarch will be able to cultivate his moral character and establish a career; if the officials are chosen to be scholars in the court, the custom of skillfully displaying their talents will be will arise.