Jia Pingwa said that living interestingly is the highest state of life.
If you feel that life is boring, in the final analysis, it is a lack of heart that understands beauty.
Zhang Chao, a Qing Dynasty author, said: "Looking at the mountains upstairs, looking at the snow at the head of the city, looking at the moon in front of the lamp, looking at the xia in the boat, and looking at the beauty under the moon, it is another situation."
People who understand beauty are affectionate for the people around them and the things in front of them, and the spiritual world is also extremely broad.
He will not be entangled in busyness, trivial entanglement, and it is not easy to fall into anxiety and irritability. Because you know how to find beauty, even if you live in a chicken feather, you can still live a life into poetry.
Some Western philosophers have exclaimed: "The aesthetics of Chinese is a kind of perceptual wisdom", which not only teaches people to look at life with beautiful eyes, but also teaches them how to coexist peacefully with the world.
In real life, the more people who are familiar with aesthetics, the more they can put aside rich and poor, and live a comfortable and funny, enviable life.
So the question is, what kind of life conforms to the aesthetics of Chinese? Taste tea and burn incense, swing bottles and make flowers?
Don't be in a hurry, first calm down, read these four books carefully, you will understand the core of Chinese life aesthetics, and it is more easy to implement.
"Shadow of Dreams" is a book highly recommended by the master of traditional Chinese studies Lin Yutang throughout his life, and "The Tale of the Little Window" is the pillow book of the great director Wong Kar-wai.
"Cai Gen Tan" and "The Night Talk of the Hearth" not only influenced the masters of the Republic of China such as Wang Zengqi and Zhou Zuoren, but also the thought leaders such as Voltaire and Rousseau thousands of miles away.
If literature lovers must read the four masterpieces, then literati and wise people who love the aesthetics of Chinese life and the philosophy of life must read these four strange books.
You may wonder why these books are famous and cannot be more famous, so why recommend them?
Because in the past, there was no combination of these four books on the market, and most people only read one or two of them. It is a pity that it is not possible to understand the aesthetics of Chinese life in a complete and systematic way.
Therefore, when this set of "Four Books of Classical Chinese Life Aesthetics" came out, I thought to myself: Chinese finally have a set of complete contents, exquisitely bound, able to read all the time, but also to treasure the four books of aesthetics passed down from generation to generation.
Of all the versions I've seen so far, it is the most readable and fits the soul of Chinese aesthetics.
From the cover to the illustration of the inner page, it is beautiful.
The 237 ink paintings are all written by Chen Jia, Lin Xi, Qi Baishi and Bada Shanren. When you flip through it, it's like visiting a luxurious art exhibition, so beautiful that you can't open your eyes.
The original is also quite authoritative and elegant, faithful to the original work, and not a word has been deleted. Each page of graphics is carefully arranged, even those who are afraid of ancient texts can read dozens of pages in one breath without any effort.
Note: The whole set of books has added 303 comments, pronunciation of strange characters, and classical knowledge, which can be understood by adults and children.
The four books are very short, which is very suitable for the fragmented reading habits of modern urbanites. Every day before going to bed, on the commute road, the beauty that permeates the words between the lines nourishes many hearts that are tired of life.
Mu Xin once said: "In life, you need a quality that is higher than that of chai rice oil and salt." In the era of superior material conditions, each of us must have a set of our own life aesthetics, that is, to sublimate the realm, but also to get rid of triviality and mediocrity.
And the aesthetics of life Chinese can most soothe the hearts of Chinese. Because it has been conceived in this land for thousands of years, just wait for you to walk into it and understand it.
If 1.3 billion Chinese have the same ideal personality, it must be what Lin Yutang said: "People who do not escape from society and life, but can also preserve their original happy nature."
If you want to become such a person, first of all, I recommend you to read Zhang Chao's "Shadow of Dreams".
Lin Yutang, who has always admired "beauty", has been tirelessly promoting this book for decades, regarding it as a Chinese version of the Bible, saying that it can make people live in the turbid world.
Is this really the case? You only need to try a few pages, and you will be deeply attracted by this simple and long "golden sentence".
Lin Yutang said that unlike other Chinese poets and essayists, Zhang Chao's "Shadow of Dreams" is permeated with the unique "sexual spirit" of the Qing Dynasty literati, a clean, transparent and simple temperament texture.
A bright moon, a tree, a flower and bird... All the ordinary things in life, after Zhang Chao's contemplation and realization, became enough to pass on the knowledge of life.
Swim with his eyes, and you will find that there is nothing heavy in the world that can overwhelm you, everything is beautiful, everything is like a diamond, first carbon, then light.
Mr. Zhang Yiping, a famous translator, once lamented: "There is no one in which contemporary thinkers can write a fresh and lovely writer like Xinzhai (Zhang Chao)."
Of course, the uniqueness of "Shadow of Dreams" is not only in the original text, but also the commentary of Zhang Chao's friend is also a major attraction. When reading, it seems to be brushing the circle of friends of the Qing Dynasty literati, which is interesting.
For example, once, Zhang Chao lamented: "Spring rain is like grace, summer rain is like a pardon book, and autumn rain is like an elegy." His friend Zhang Huanshi commented: He has been hungry for too long, and he only hopes that the steamed buns can be as much as the summer rain.
Another friend, Zhang Zhupo, said bluntly: There are too many pardons, and there will be chaos in the world.
These gags between the literati make people can't help but be funny, and at the same time, they also make lonely people feel warm. It was as if I was attending a tea party, listening to them laughing, and forgetting the troubles of being alone.
This "Shadow of Dreams" is based on the "Shōdai Series" published by the Daoguang Dynasty Shikaitang, and has a total of 219 quotation-style essays. The table of contents pages are very carefully arranged to make it easier for you to read and find.
Landscape gardens, four-hour wind objects, poetry and songs, calligraphy and painting instruments to play... The world is full of fun and elegance. After reading it, Zhang Chao really knows how to find beauty from life.
When you feel tired of life and lack of novelty in life, you may wish to open this book and follow in the footsteps of Zhang Chao to a beautiful and boundless paradise.
Behind the aesthetics of Chinese life, there is philosophy everywhere. When it comes to philosophy, it is impossible to avoid the "three strange books of Chinese self-cultivation in the world", such as "Cai Gen Tan", "Small Window Youji", and "The Night Talk of the Hearth".
They are the ancients' thinking on the aesthetics of life, and in the long years, they have always maintained the foundation of endless vitality.
Compared to other versions on the market, these three books are beautiful enough, and there is an attraction between the lines. Philosophical phrases that were originally thought to be obscure are full of spiritual beauty in this book.
"Vegetable Root Tan"
The Book of Epiphanies to Find Your Inner Essence
This "Cai Gen Tan" is based on the engraving of the Yangzhou Tibetan Scripture Academy in the thirteenth year of qing guangxu, and the engraving of the "Xi Yongxuan Series" of Wujin Tao's Wayuan in the 20th year of the Republic of China, which is highly readable.
"Cai Gen Tan" is deeply rooted in the essence of the three schools of Confucianism and Taoism, and does not teach you to be a fierce "wolf" or a "sheep" to be slaughtered, but to be a frank and comfortable "person". Guoxue master Ji Xianlin praised it as very intriguing after reading it.
It is also highly regarded by many business practitioners, and Global magazine once said: "There are thousands of books on business management, and fundamentally, most of them are not worth a single "Cai Gen Tan". ”
Although it is a philosophy of life, the text is very beautiful, the meaning is long, and it is very elegant and pleasant to read.
The book is divided into 5 volumes and contains 383 quotations and aphorisms. In the era of materialistic indulgence, how to break through the confusion and dilemma and keep the heart? Brew a cup of tea and savor the "Vegetable Root Tan", the root will become more and more fragrant, and the mind will become more and more clear.
"The Night Talk of the Hearth"
A book of character that enhances wisdom in the world
"On a snowy day, late at night. A small red clay stove, a pot of good tea, half an altar of sake, when the mood is strong. ”
This is the aesthetic of "The Night Talk of the Hearth", like the fire of winter, giving people warmth and comfort.
Based on the 1935 Edition of Ming Shan Bookstore, this "Night Talk of the Hearth" contains 221 pieces of wisdom on the world, drawing on the essence of the ideas and languages of the past and casting them in one. If you can comprehend half of his wisdom, he is not idle.
"The Secret of the Little Window" | Wong Kar-wai's pillow book
It integrates aesthetic taste and the art of life
"The Secret of the Little Window", also known as "Drunken Ancient Hall Sword Sweep", in the criticism of the vivid world style, reveals the profound meaning of the philosopher's style, the style of writing is exquisite and clear, and it is the love of the great director Wong Kar-wai.
This "Little Window Youji" is based on the thirty-five years of the Qianlong Qing Dynasty, and the whole book is divided into 12 volumes, with more than 1500 exquisite words.
Each article is full of words and golden sentences, with drunkenness, ancient meaning, sword meaning, chivalry, and people can see it happily.
The paintings of Qi Baishi and bada shanren are not common, so this set of books can include so many family paintings, which shows the degree of care.
"The Night Talk of the Hearth" contains 61 representative paintings of the Bada Shanren, which are high-definition pictures specially restored by the publishing house, each of which is a collection of cultural relics, which is very connoisseurous.
Bada Shanren is another name for Zhu Yun, the grandmaster of the Chinese painting generation, the "Eight Monsters of Yangzhou" in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the "Hai School" in the late period, and the modern masters such as Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Pan Tianshou, and Li Kuchan.
Critic Wang Jinyu said: "If you really understand the Eight Greats, you will find that although the Eight Monsters of Yangzhou have different styles and extraordinary achievements, they cannot be combined to withstand the Eight Greats." ”
The "Cai Gen Tan" contains 103 high-definition paintings by master Qi Baishi, and the fusion of the two is a must, which vividly interprets the philosophical Zen of the ancients, and the reading experience is superb.
"Shadow of Dreams" and "The Tale of the Small Window" respectively include 31 works by Chen Jia, a well-known contemporary ink painter, and 42 works by painter Lin Xi.
Flowers and birds, grass and trees, landscapes, men and women's feelings, vegetarian clothes and light food... A long scroll of idyllic and leisurely life unfolds slowly. It's a sight to behold and a delight to behold.
In addition, each volume of the book is accompanied by two postcards and a bookmark, all selected from the works of the painter, accompanied by the author's classic quotes, so that you can see that you can't use it.
Many people around me lament that in the era of globalization, the world has changed, and the Chinese has also changed.
Is this true? I don't think so.
Chinese have been continuing their theoretical system and understanding of heaven and earth, and if they were given a chance to live a "sentient life", they would not refuse.
It's just that this opportunity is not easy to get, perhaps, it should start with these four books.