Daily metaphor excerpt Read the answer

The metaphor of the sun (Su Shi)

Those who are born with a blind eye do not know the sun, but those who ask about it have eyes. Or tell him: "The sun is like a copper plate." You can get the sound by buckling the plate. Hearing the bell one day, he thought it was 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 the sun in the future, you will think of it as the sun.

The Tao is even more difficult to see than the sun, and the failure of people to reach it is no different than a blind eye. 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 that the clock comes from the plate, the bell comes from the bell, and turns to look at it? Those who talk about the Tao in the old world may name it based on what they see, or they may not see it and mean it. This is all because of the fault of seeking the Tao.

But Taoist soldiers can’t ask for help? Su Zi said: "The way can be achieved but cannot be sought." What does it mean to achieve? Sun Wu said: "Those who are good at fighting harm others, but do not harm others." Zixia said: "Hundreds of workers live in the workplace to accomplish their tasks; a gentleman learns to achieve his own way." There is no water in the south, so the sun and water live together. 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 lives with water, then at the age of 15 he will know the way; if he is not aware of water, he will be afraid of boats even though he is strong. Therefore, the brave men in the north, if they ask no one why they drowned, there will be no one who will not drown in the river. 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 seek the Tao but do not study. Wu Junyanlu of Bohai was an aspiring scholar. Fang Qiu recommended him to the Ministry of Rites and wrote "Ri Yu" to inform him.

Translation: (A) A person who was blind since birth did not know the sun and asked someone with eyes what the sun looked like. Some people told him: "The sun looks like a copper plate." When he knocked the copper plate, he heard its sound. One day (he) heard the sound of a bell and thought the sounding bell was the sun. Some people told him: "The light of the sun is like a candle." You can know its shape by touching the candle with your hand. One day, (he) figured out a musical instrument shaped like a candle and thought it was the sun. The sun is very different from the bells that ring and the bells that are played, but a person who is born blind does not know that there is a big difference between them, because he has never seen it with his own eyes but seeks knowledge about the sun from others.

The difficulty of understanding the abstract "Tao" (principles, laws, etc.) is more serious than that of the sun, and the situation of people who do not understand the Tao is no different than that of a blind man who is born to know the sun. The knowledgeable people told him that even with clever metaphors and good inspirational inducements, they could not make these metaphors or teachings any better than those of using copper plates and using candles to illustrate the sun. From using the copper plate as a metaphor for the sun to using the copper bell as the sun, from using the copper bell as the sun to using the musical instrument as the sun, is it possible to deduce it repeatedly and continuously like this? Is there any end? Therefore, among those who talk a lot about "Tao" in the world, some explain it based on their own understanding, while others do not understand it but make subjective guesses about it. These are all shortcomings of studying Tao.

In this case, is it impossible to obtain this "Tao" in the end? Mr. Su said: "Tao can be learned through one's own humility and come naturally step by step, but one cannot force it (Tao) without learning." What is "zhi"? Sun Wu said: "A general who knows how to fight can attract enemies without being attracted by them (being in a passive position)." Zixia said: "Craftsmen from all walks of life sit in shops and workshops to complete their manufacturing and selling products. Business; talented and virtuous people study hard to make the way come naturally. "Not forcing it but letting it come by itself, this is "to"! There are many people in the south who can dive. They live with the water every day. They can wade across a river at the age of seven, float on the surface and swim at the age of ten, and dive into the water at the age of ten. Divers can dive into the water for a long time. How can they be careless and careless? It must be an understanding of the laws of water activity. If you live with water every day, you will be able to master its laws at the age of fifteen. If you are born without knowing the nature of water, you will be afraid of boats even when you are in your prime. Therefore, when warriors from the north ask divers from the south for their techniques for diving into the water, and if they go to the river to test their techniques according to their techniques, they will inevitably drown. Therefore, those who do not study diligently and devote themselves to seeking the Tao are like those in the north who learn to dive. In the past, talents were selected based on poems and poems that paid attention to rhythm, so scholars followed Confucianism, Mohism, and famous legalists instead of pursuing Confucianism. Nowadays, talents are selected based on Confucian classics, so scholars only know how to insist on principles, rather than focusing on Learn in a down-to-earth manner.

Wu Yanlu, a native of Bohai, was determined to study Confucian classics in a practical way. He was about to go to the capital to take the Jinshi examination under the supervision of the Ministry of Rites. I wrote "Riyu" to encourage him.

New words:

燇: originally refers to blindness in one eye, but here refers to blindness in both eyes.

To touch.

To touch: to touch.

龠: An ancient bamboo wind instrument, like a flute, but shorter than the flute.

For example: metaphor.

Appearance: description, metaphor.

Death: Finally, finally.

椤: , particle, expressing question.

No: Can dive.

Wading: wading, refers to wading on foot.

Explanation:

The " metaphor " in "日语" means metaphor. It is common in argumentation to use vivid things to make metaphors and reasoning.

a method of argumentation.

Author:

Su Shi, courtesy name Zizhan, also known as Dongpo Jushi, was a famous writer in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Related links: Sansu refers to Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Che, famous ancient writers; together with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, Zeng Gong, and Wang Anshi, they are collectively known as the Tang and Song Dynasties Eight great families.

Da Su: "Da Su" in "The Legend of Nuclear Boat" in "Gai Da Su Pan Chibi Cloud" refers to Su Shi.

"Ask about those who have a purpose" - "Ask about (to) those who have a purpose"

xiang

"Think of the sun" - "With "(It) is the sun"

Treat... as

"far from..." - a big gap in comparison

"has never been" - - Never, never

To the general idea:

Use a vivid example of a blind man to see the sun as a metaphor to illustrate that only by personal observation and not by eyes instead of ears can we obtain complete knowledge. Without direct observation and hearsay, it is impossible to get a correct understanding of things.

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Only in order to understand things correctly

Those who ask questions will get their voices

} }Those who seek without seeing the truth

Get its shape

Metaphor

(an image argumentation method that combines profound truths in popular metaphors)

A blind man must observe the sun personally, and cannot Only by hearing hearsay

can we understand things correctly

“The Tao is even more difficult to see than the sun.” ”

Understanding:

“Man’s lack of attainment” – Man cannot understand (Tao).

"Nothing" - nothing.

"No different than blindness" - no different from a blind man who doesn't know the sun. P42 Note ④.

“There is no way to compare the market and the candle”——P42 note ⑥.

"Turn to look at them" - describe and compare them with turning over and over.

"Mo Zhijian" - "Mo Jianzhi" (the pronoun in the negative sentence is prepositioned as the object).

Leading to the topic from the metaphor, it is pointed out that "the Tao is more difficult to see than the sun", that is, the abstract "Tao" is more elusive than the tangible sun.

Further elucidates the principle of the blind man’s ability to recognize the sun: because of repeated misunderstandings, he made a joke. This very vividly shows that he lacks practical experience and has no personal experience. He only relays the first sentence from others. Second-hand materials inevitably lead to blind conclusions, emphasizing the importance of in-depth field investigation and obtaining direct experience.

Thinking:

Can "The Blind Man Sees the Sun" still inspire people from another perspective?

Conclusion:

Since a blind man is born blind, and someone tells the blind man the image of the sun without considering the actual situation, even though he is a "clever guide" and has good intentions, then It’s also a waste of effort. The person who asked the question made the mistake of not observing personally, while the person who taught the question made the mistake of not looking at the object and aiming at the wrong target. (Although the truth is simple, it is thought-provoking.)

The main idea of ??the second and third sections:

The mistakes in seeking the Tao should be corrected and a correct way should be sought.

In the form of self-answering questions, two historical allusions are used to explain "the way can be achieved but cannot be sought" with reasonable evidence.

What is the author’s basic point of view?

Conclusion:

The Tao can be achieved but cannot be sought, only by learning can one learn the Tao.

We must work diligently to naturally understand and master the Tao through our own learning, instead of just copying something from others or trying to make tricks without our own practical efforts.

What is "to"?

Conclusion:

"Zhi" - don't ask for it but come by yourself, let it come by itself

Sun Wu "Those who are good at success lead to others, but do not harm others" , "to cause" means to make the enemy fall into a trap, "to" is to be defeated.

Zi Xia "A gentleman learns his way."

Summary:

The metaphor of "the blind man can see the sun" is introduced into "the way is harder to see than the sun", pointing out the shortcomings of people's pursuit of the way; using two historical allusions in succession, it is reasonable and reasonable According to the ground discussion, "the Tao can be achieved but cannot be sought" and "a gentleman learns the Tao".

Principles must be naturally obtained from practice, so that they can be true and reliable.

The word has multiple meanings (substantial words), including "get", "dao", "guo", "自" and "日".

The Northerners learned nothing: Taking it a step further and using the metaphor of a "no one" who "achieved the way" in the long-term practice of "no water", ("no one" knows the "way of water", and further Explain the importance of practice). It shows that "reaching the Tao" requires repeated practice and long-term study like the "no one" swimming, in order to master the laws of the "Tao". If you talk on paper and start hastily based on only a little knowledge you have heard, you will definitely become a "drowned person" like the "Brave of the North".

"The Northerners have not learned anything" points out the bias of scholars in "seeking the Tao" and "doing learning", further emphasizing that "a gentleman learns to follow the Tao".