Appreciation of famous prose works by "Su Shi·Riyu" by eight masters of Tang and Song Dynasties

Appreciation of famous prose works by "Su Shi·Yu Yu" by eight great masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties

Those who are born blind ① do not know the sun, and those who ask about it have eyes. Or tell him: "The shape of the sun is like a copper plate." You can hear the sound by pressing the plate, and when you hear the bell the next day, you think it is the sun. Or tell him: "The light of the sun is like a candle." You can get its shape by touching the candle. If you think about it tomorrow, you will think of it as the sun. The sun is also far away from the bell and the robe, but those who are blind don't know the difference, so they are looking for people who have never seen them.

The Tao is even more difficult to see than the sun, and the failure of a person to reach it is no different than being blind. Experts tell me that although there are clever examples and good guidance, they are not as good as the disk and the candle. How can it be true that a bell comes from a plate, a candle comes from a candle, and then turns to look at it? Those who talk about the Tao in the past may name it based on what they see, or they may not see it but understand it. This is all because of the fault of seeking the Tao.

But Taoist soldiers cannot ask for help? Su Zi said: "The way can be achieved but cannot be sought." What does it mean to achieve? Sun Wu ④ said: "Those who are good at fighting can cause ⑤ people, but not harm others." Zixia ⑥ said: "A hundred workers live in a house ⑦ to achieve their goals; a gentleman learns and develops his own way." There are many people in the south, and the sun and water Home. You can wade at the age of seven, float at the age of ten, and sink at the age of fifteen. How can one live in peace without a husband? There will be those who find the way to water. If the sun and water live together, then the path will be achieved at the age of fifteen. If you are born without knowing water, even though you are strong, you will be afraid of boats when you see them. Therefore, the brave men in the north asked no one and asked them why they were drowned. If they tried to test the river, there would be no one who would not drown. Therefore, those who do not learn but pursue the Tao are those in the north who have lost their learning.

In the past, scholars were selected based on sound and law, and scholars studied miscellaneously but were not committed to the Tao. In today's world, scholars are selected based on classics and skills, and scholars know how to pursue the Tao but do not study. Wu Junyanlu of Bohai 9 was an aspiring scholar, so Fang Qiu recommended him to the Ministry of Rites and wrote "Ri Yu" to inform him.

Notes

①簇 (miǎo second): This originally refers to blindness in one eye, but this refers to total blindness. ② Chuaixi (yuè month): guess, explore. Hui, a kind of musical instrument. ③Phase: observe. ④Sun Wu: A military strategist of Qi State in the Spring and Autumn Period, he wrote thirteen chapters of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. ⑤To: Incur, mobilize. ⑥ Zi Xia: Disciple of Confucius, named divination merchant. ⑦4: Handicraft workshop. ⑧No one: Those who can swim. ⑨Wu Junyanlu: Wu Guan, named Yanlu.

The word "Yu" in "Riyu" means metaphor. Using vivid and vivid things to make metaphors is a common method of argumentation in discussions. This article uses a vivid example of a blind man who can see the sun as a metaphor to illustrate that only by personal observation and not relying on ears instead of eyes can we obtain complete knowledge. Without direct observation and hearsay, it is impossible to get a correct understanding of things.

The article narrates a story at the beginning, but the characters, time, and place in the story are not clear. It is just a "fable" used as an argument. But because of its vivid description, it appears concrete and convincing. From the metaphor to the main topic, it is pointed out that "the Tao is even more difficult to see than the sun", that is, the abstract "Tao" is more elusive than the tangible sun. Warn people that any knowledge comes from perceptual experience. If you put aside perceptual experience and rely only on indirect experience, like the blind man who "seeks without seeing it", he will inevitably "turn it around" and confuse this thing with other things. The various attributes of things are speculated and fabricated to make jokes like "listening to the clock and thinking the sun" and "holding the candle to the sun" are just a hair's breadth away.

Then, it further explains the reason why the blind man can see the sun: because of the repeated "looks", the mistake is thousands of miles away, and the result is a joke. It is a very vivid description of his lack of practical experience and personal experience. He only relays second-hand materials from others, which inevitably leads to blind conclusions. The author pointed out: "The Tao is more difficult to see than the sun, and people's failure to understand it is no different from being ignorant." If you rely solely on "the master will tell you", "although there are clever examples and good guidance, it cannot be better than the pan and the candle." also".

However, perceptual experience alone is not enough. You must practice it yourself and explore it many times before you can master the Tao; the author believes that "the Tao can be achieved but cannot be sought." So what is the difference between "to" and "to seek"? The author quoted ancient sayings to explain "Zhi": "Sun Wu said: 'Those who are good at fighting bring harm to others, but do not harm others'. Zixia said: 'Hundreds of workers live in the workplace to achieve their goals; a gentleman learns to achieve his goal.' "The word "zhi" here is a kind of "step by step". If you accumulate knowledge in daily life, you will naturally get the meaning of "Tao". After learning to a certain extent, the Tao will be achieved by itself.

For example, if the army can seize the initiative, advance when it can, retreat when it can, and attack when the time is right, only in this way can it win; if it relies on "seeking" victory, it will become "for others" and it will fail. The same is true for seeking the Tao. If you practice it regularly and don't rush for success, then the Tao can be achieved.

The author uses two fables in succession to illustrate the two stages of the understanding process, which are closely linked and connected, making the theme and concept of the fables more in-depth and strengthened. The last paragraph relates to reality and explains the purpose of the article. "In the past, scholars were selected based on sound and law, and scholars studied miscellaneously but were not committed to the Tao." On the contrary, "in this world, scholars are selected based on classics and skills. Scholars know how to seek the Tao but do not study." Confucian classics are meant to carry the Tao, so "scholars know how to seek Tao but do not study". They do not know that "Tao" is closely linked to social life. If you want to truly understand "Tao", you cannot just rely on reading a few scriptures. You should learn from miscellaneous things. You should not ignore perceptual experience, but you must also go through long-term exploration and thinking to gradually master Tao. Here, the author is targeting Wang Anshi's use of classics to recruit scholars.

The language of this article is very fluent and friendly, and does not sound like preaching with a straight face. But behind the lightheartedness and fun, there seems to be solemnity and seriousness. Of course, the most exciting thing is the colorful and appropriate metaphors. The whole article uses four metaphors, one at the beginning and the other at the end. The blind man does not know the sun and the northerner learns to dive are two obvious metaphors directly created by the author. They are very vivid and can be seen at a glance. The middle two are based on ready-made, relatively obscure and indirect metaphors from the ancients. One is to quote Sun Wu's words, using combat to illustrate that people should take the initiative; the other is to use Zixia's metaphor of "a hundred workers live in a house" to illustrate the relationship between "Tao" and "Learning". These two seem to be quoting scriptures, but in fact they are using ready-made materials from the ancients to serve themselves. This shows that the author's writing style is flexible and his skills are profound.

Bai, when talking about morality, benevolence and righteousness; when it comes to applying it, it is at a loss, and it is no different from Feiqing. This is why Su Shi wrote "Riyu"."