What does the phrase "poetry" mean if you don't learn poetry, you have nothing to say?

"If you don't learn poetry, you have nothing to say." This "poem" refers to the Book of Songs. If you don't learn poetry, you don't know how to speak.

From: The Analects of Confucius Ji Shi Pian in the Spring and Autumn Period.

Excerpts from the original text:

Ask Yu Boyu: "Do you have different opinions?" Yes: "Not yet. When you taste independence, carp often goes beyond the court. Say,' How about learning poetry?' Yes:' not yet'. If you don't learn this poem, there is nothing to say. Carp retired to study poetry.

Another day, when he became independent, the carp hurried past the court and said,' How about learning etiquette?' Yes:' Not yet.' "If you don't learn etiquette, you can't stand it." Carp dropped out of etiquette. Vince, both. Chen Kang retired and said happily, "Ask one and get three: smell poetry, smell courtesy and smell gentlemen."

Explanation:

Chen Kang asked Apollo, "Have you heard any special teaching from the teacher?" "No," Apollo replied. Once he was standing alone in the class, and I walked quickly through the court. He said, "Have you ever studied poetry?" I answered' no', and he said,' If you don't learn poetry, you won't be able to speak. I went back to study poetry.

Another day, he was standing alone in the class, and I walked quickly across the court. He said, "Have you learned the ceremony?" I replied,'No.' He said,' If you don't learn manners, you won't know how to stand up. I went back to learn manners. I've only heard these two things. Chen Kang went back and said happily, "I asked a question and got three gains. I have heard the truth of poetry, the truth of courtesy, and the truth that a gentleman does not favor his son. "

Extended data

The origin of the title of The Book of Songs;

The Book of Songs was written in the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period. Originally called The Book of Songs. Confucius mentioned this name many times, and Sima Qian also recorded it. For example, "there are 300 books of songs, which were probably written by sages when they were angry."

Because there are 3 1 1 in the later versions handed down from generation to generation, it is called "Poetry 300" for the convenience of narration. It was renamed The Book of Songs because Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took The Book of Songs, Li, Yi and Chunqiu as five classics.

Historical inheritance:

It is said that there are as many as 3,000 poems handed down in the Spring and Autumn Period, and now only 3 1 1 is left (six of them are poems without eyes). After Confucius compiled The Book of Songs, the earliest recorded inheritor was Xia Zi, one of the "Ten Philosophers of Confucius" and one of the 72 sages. He has the deepest understanding of poetry, so he passed it on.

There were three poets in the early Han Dynasty, namely Shen Peigong of Lu, Gu Sheng of Qi and Han Ying of Yan. Qi's poems died in Wei, Lu's poems died in the Western Jin Dynasty, and Han's poems still spread in the Tang Dynasty, with only 10 volume left. The Book of Songs circulated today is a poem by Mao Gong.

Impact:

The expression of "Fu, Bi and Xing" in The Book of Songs has been inherited and developed in the creation of ancient poetry, which has become an important feature of China's ancient poetry. The Book of Songs also proves the artistic creativity of working people with vivid facts. The overlapping forms and accurate, vivid and beautiful language of folk songs in The Book of Songs have been widely absorbed and used by later poets and writers.

The Book of Songs, with its profound social content and beautiful artistic form, attracts the attention and reference of later scholars to folk songs. The flexible and diverse poetic forms and vivid and rich language of The Book of Songs have also had an important influence on various genres of literature in later generations.