In China's rich and colorful linguistic treasure house, the idiom "a pillow of yellow sorghum" can always evoke people's infinite reverie. This is not just a word to describe empty dreams, it is more like a mirror, reflecting people's endless pursuit of illusory things and desires, and the helplessness of these pursuits in the end.
Imagine you're lying on a soft pillow and falling into a sweet dream. In your dreams, you may become a billionaire, you may have reached the pinnacle of power, or you may have unparalleled talent and beauty. However, when the first rays of dawn shine through the curtains, tearing through the veil of dreams, you find yourself still lying on that familiar bed, all glory and dreams vanishing as the night passes.
This is the true portrayal of "a pillow of yellow sorghum" - no matter how beautiful the dream is, it can't withstand the cruelty of reality after all.
Behind this idiom, there is an ancient and profound story. It is about a poor scholar who had a dream in an inn in which he experienced a earth-shaking change from poverty to wealth. However, when he woke up, he found that he was still a poor scholar with no money. This story reveals a hint of sadness in the satire, it tells us: life is like a dream, dreams are like life, and all illusory desires and pursuits are ultimately just "a dream".
Echoing with "a pillow of yellow sorghum", there is also "a dream of Nanke". This idiom comes from another story about a man who had a dream under a big locust tree, in which he experienced all kinds of glory and wealth, only to wake up to find that he was still sitting under the locust tree, and everything was like a dream. Both idioms express the same artistic conception: the desires and pursuits of life are often like an empty dream, and when you wake up, you have nothing left.
In real life, we have all had similar experiences to a greater or lesser extent. Maybe you have dreamed of getting rich overnight, or maybe you have longed to become famous in one fell swoop, but when you wake up from the dream and face all kinds of challenges and dilemmas in reality, you will find that those so-called "yellow dreams" are just beautiful bubbles woven by yourself.
However, that doesn't mean we should give up on pursuing and dreaming. On the contrary, "A Pillow of Yellow Sorghum" is more like a wake-up call, reminding us to keep our feet on the ground and not to indulge in illusory dreams. True dreams need to be achieved through hard work and dedication, not by fantasy and daydreams.
So, when you hear the idiom "a pillow of yellow sorghum" again, you might as well smile and accept its irony, and start again to pursue those goals and dreams that are truly worth your effort. After all, life is not an empty dream, but a wonderful journey woven by our own choices and efforts.