What does "Once upon a time, the sea was difficult to make water, but Wushan is not a cloud" mean?

It was once difficult to find water in the sea, but Wushan is not a cloud. It means: after experiencing the magnificent sea, the water elsewhere is no longer worth looking at. Once you have been intoxicated by the dream of clouds and rain in Wushan, the scenery elsewhere will not be called clouds and rain.

From "Five Poems on Lisi·Four" by Yuan Zhen of the Tang Dynasty

Original text

There was a time when the sea was difficult to overcome, except for Wushan, it was not a cloud.

Looking back lazily at Huacong, I am half destined to practice Taoism and half destined to be a king.

Translation

After experiencing the magnificent sea, water elsewhere is no longer worth looking at. Once you have been intoxicated by the dream of clouds and rain in Wushan, the scenery elsewhere will not be called clouds and rain.

Even if I am among thousands of flowers, I am too lazy to look back; this is partly because of the asceticism of a monk, and partly because of you who I once had.

Notes

Once: once came. Jing: Jing comes, passes.

Difficult: This refers to the meaning of "not worthy of a look" or "not worthy of a look".

Except: Except, leave. This sentence means: In comparison, except for Wushan, clouds elsewhere are not called clouds. Both this sentence and the previous sentence are metaphors for a love affair that I have been in contact with.

The order of choice: hasty, hasty, casual. Here it means "passing by in a hurry", "passing by hastily" or "passing by carelessly". It should not be interpreted as "walking through in order". For example: Song Dynasty Lu You's poem "Autumn Summer Night Rising": "Calling the boy to hold a candle and open the rattan paper, a clear poem is taken from the second one." Yuan Zhu Tingyu's "Green Apricot - Farewell" song: "The broken heart, take the second one to make a farewell."

Flowers: This does not refer to flowers in nature, but refers to a place with many beautiful women, alluding to brothels.

Half margin: This refers to "half of it is because of...".

Cultivation: refers to practicing Taoist techniques. What is clarified here is that people who practice Taoism pay attention to a pure heart and few desires.

Jun: This refers to the lover you once loved.

Creative background

This poem was written in the fifth year of Yuanhe (810) when Cao, a scholar in Jiangling Prefecture, was demoted to join the army. It is said that the author wrote this poem because he missed his childhood sweetheart Cui Yingying. Another theory is that this poem was written by the author in memory of his wife Wei Cong.

About the author

Yuan Zhen (779-831, or the 14th year of Emperor Dahe of the Tang Dynasty to the fifth year of Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty), also known as Wei Zhi, alias Wei Ming, was born in Luoyang, Tang Dynasty (Today's Luoyang, Henan). His father is Yuan Kuan and his mother is Zheng. He is a descendant of the Tuoba tribe of the Xianbei clan in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the fourteenth generation grandson of Shi Yijian. In his early years, he and Bai Juyi jointly advocated "New Yuefu". People often call him "Yuan Bai" together with Bai Juyi.

Appreciation

This is a work in memory of his late wife Wei Cong. The poet uses the metaphorical technique of "asking for things to show affection" and uses sharp words and phrases to praise the love between husband and wife and express his loyalty and nostalgia for Wei Cong.

The first two sentences, "Once upon a time, it was difficult for the sea to be made of water, but except for Wushan Mountain, it is not clouds", which is derived from the chapter "Mencius: Wholeheartedness", "It is difficult for those who look at the sea to be water, and those who swim in the gate of the saint are difficult to speak". The metaphors used in the two places are similar, but "Mencius" is a simile, using "watching the sea" as a metaphor for "swimming in the gate of the sage", and the metaphorical meaning is obvious; while these two sentences are metaphors, and the metaphorical meaning is not obvious. The sea is so vast and deep that it dwarfs water elsewhere. There is Chaoyun Peak in Wushan, overlooking the Yangtze River, with steaming clouds and brilliant clouds. According to Song Yu's "Preface to the Ode of the High Tang Dynasty", the clouds are transformed by goddesses. They belong to the sky above and fall into the abyss. They are as lush as pine trees and as beautiful as a charming concubine. Therefore, the clouds elsewhere pale in comparison. "Canghai" and "Wushan" are the largest and most beautiful images in the world. The poet used them as metaphors. Literally, it means that after experiencing "Canghai" and "Wushan", it is difficult to appreciate the water and clouds elsewhere. , is actually used as a metaphor that the relationship between their husband and wife is like the water of the sea and the clouds of Wushan Mountain. Its depth, breadth and beauty are unparalleled in the world. Therefore, except for his beloved wife, there is no other woman who can make him emotional.

"It's difficult to be water" and "It's not clouds" are also love words. Although this is Yuan Zhen's preference for his wife, there are indeed very few husband-wife relationships like theirs. Yuan Zhen vividly described it in his poem "Removing Sorrow". Therefore, the third sentence says that he was walking past the "flowers" and was too lazy to look at them, which means that he has no attachment to women.

The fourth sentence continues the above to explain the reason for "lazy review".

Since he was so deeply in love with his deceased wife, why is it said here that he was "partly destined to practice Taoism and half destined to be a king"? Throughout his life, Yuan Zhen "committed himself to the "Xiaoyao Pian" and the "Toutuo Sutra" in his heart" (Bai Juyi's "Ten Heda Poems" praised Yuan Zhen's words), and he respected the Buddha and the Tao. In addition, the "cultivation" here can also be understood as concentrating on the cultivation of moral character and knowledge. However, whether it is respecting Buddha and practicing Taoism or practicing self-cultivation and studying, for Yuan Zhen, it is just an emotional sustenance for the heart that has lost the one he loves and is unable to escape the sadness. "Ban Yuan Xiu Dao" and "Ban Yuan Jun" express the same concern, and saying "Ban Yuan Xiu Dao" has a deeper meaning. Qin Chao's "Xiaohan Shihua" in the Qing Dynasty believed that mourning the death of a person by saying "half-yuanjun" was a sign of ruthlessness, which would not understand the poet's difficulties.

Yuan Zhen’s quatrain is not only highly descriptive and intensely lyrical, but also has a superb writing style. The first two sentences use extreme metaphors to describe the feeling of nostalgia and mourning, such as "Canghai" and "Wushan". The words have a heroic meaning, with the potential of resounding tragic songs and rushing rivers. Later, "Lazy Looking Back" and "Ban Yuanjun" suddenly slowed down the tone of the poem and turned into a melodious and profound lyricism. It relaxes freely and changes smoothly, forming an ups and downs melody. As for the mood of the whole poem, it is romantic but not vulgar, magnificent but not gaudy, tragic but not depressing, creating a perfect realm among the mourning quatrains of the Tang Dynasty. The two sentences "Once upon a time in the sea" are particularly well-recited.