The lotus flower is noble and beautiful, it is the flower of a gentleman, and has always been praised by people. Zhou Dunyi, a scholar and poet of the Song Dynasty, wrote a lyrical prose poem called "Ai Lian Shuo". Among them, the mud is not stained, and the water is clear and rippled but not demonic, which is a well-known sentence.
"Ai Lian Said" Zhou Dunyi
The flowers of water, land, grass and trees are very lovely. Jin Tao Yuanming loves chrysanthemum alone. Since Li Tanglai, the world loves peonies very much. To love the lotus out of the mud but not stained, clear ripples but not demons, straight through the outside, not vines and branches, fragrant far and clear, pavilion net planting, can be seen from a distance and can not be blasphemed.
It is called chrysanthemum, the hermit of flowers, peony, the rich and noble of flowers, and lotus, the gentleman of flowers. Oh, the love of chrysanthemum, pottery is rarely heard. The love of the lotus, who is the giver? The love of the peony should be carried out by all.
This is an ancient strange essay about lotus flowers, the article is short and concise, and many people can memorize it. In particular, the two 12-character sentences of "out of the mud but not stained, clear ripples but not demons" are highly summarized and have become a famous sentence for evaluating lotus flowers, and no one can surpass them.
The outline of this famous sentence is the key to the whole text, so let's focus on appreciating it below.
The previous sentence is out of the mud but not stained, and the next sentence is clear and rippling but not demonic, all of which are excellent qualities of writing lotus. They are not affected by the outside world, they are upright, clean and self-conscious, and maintain a noble temperament.
However, the division of labor between the two sentences is different, and the connotations they express have their own emphasis.
The previous sentence is out of the mud and not stained, focusing on the birth environment of the lotus. Even if it is sludge and muddy water, the lotus leaves can not be disturbed, and they stand up. Although he passed through a filthy place, his body was not stained with filth at all.
Of course, the silt here is directly understood, but in fact the author has some metaphors. As Qu Yuan said, the whole world is turbid, I am alone, and everyone is drunk and I am sober. The society in which people live is a big river and lake, in which the fish and dragons are mixed and the ideas are uneven. Some people are not only low-grade fun, but even dirty.
Therefore, Tao Yuanming couldn't get used to it, he didn't bend his waist for five buckets of rice, and he didn't want to go along with it, so he retreated to the countryside, and preferred to live a self-supporting farm life.
The next sentence is clear and not demonic, focusing on the comparison with many flowers. I have washed it in clean water, and I have always maintained a kind of purity and purity. The lotus leaves, the fresh flowers, are not so glamorous and frivolous.
The author compared other flowers, first of all, Tao Yuanming loves chrysanthemums. Tao Yuanming returned to the countryside, and the chrysanthemum has also become a symbol of seclusion. It's good to be a recluse, but it's too much, and this kind of birth and escapism is not worth advocating.
If people encounter difficulties and setbacks, and when they see that they are not satisfied, they run away, do not fight, and do not improve, and if this goes on for a long time, the situation will be even worse. The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of the husband, and where is the responsibility of the ancient literati and doctors.
Secondly, the author compares peonies. Why the world loves peonies so much since Li Tang is because the peony flower is big and colorful, and it is the flower of wealth. People have ideals and desires, and it is normal for people to seek fame and wealth, which is beyond reproach.
However, if we do not proceed from a righteous conscience, but blindly pursue fame and fortune, or even use illegal means to compete for fame and fortune, then we must oppose it. Such a starting point is incorrect, so Fan Zhongyan put forward the worries of the world first, which is so supported by people.
I remember that Zhang Zai also said that he would establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a life for the people, continue to learn for the saints, and open peace for all generations. The height of the temple and the distance of the rivers and lakes, the status is different, the ability is different, and each does his duty.
In short, out of the mud but not stained, clear ripples but not demons, that is, the lotus is the flower of the gentleman. It is different from the chrysanthemum that belongs to the hermit, it dares to take responsibility and does not escape from reality. The peony of the lotus flower is also different from the flower of wealth, it does not pursue personal glory and wealth, but takes the world as its own responsibility, the poor are good to themselves, and the reach is to help the world.
Out of the mud but not stained, clear ripples but not demons. How do you understand Zhou Dunyi's lotus poems, welcome to discuss and exchange.
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