People often use the metaphor of "Jiang Lang is exhausted" as a metaphor for a talent that is exhausted. And what's going on, I'll talk about it.
Jiang Yan (444–505), courtesy name Wentong, was a native of Kaocheng, Jiyang, SongZhou (present-day Jiangji Village, Chengzhuang Town, Chengzhuang County, Shangqiu County, Henan Province). Southern Dynasty politician and writer, who served as an official in the Song, Qi, and Liang dynasties.
Jiang Yan has been diligent and studious since childhood, and he can write poetry at the age of six. When he was thirteen years old, his father died tragically, and the family went into poverty. Forced by his livelihood, Jiang Yan cut firewood to provide for his mother, but he studied diligently and memorized the Five Classics at the age of eighteen. His works "Hate Endowment" and "Other Endowment" show his talent. Jiang Yan, known as the "Ancient Qiwen", took up a post under Liu Ziluan, the King of Xin'an, about twenty years old and began his political career.
In the first year of Shengming (477), Emperor Qi Gao heard that he was brilliant and intelligent, so he summoned him to join the army as Shangshu Driving Department Lang and Horse Rider, and participated in the drafting of edicts and decrees, writing the history of the country, and later serving as the official Shangshu. In the third year of Yongyuan (501), Xiao Yan rebelled against the imperial court in Xiangyang, and Jiang Yanwei sent out Xiao Yan's army and threw himself into Xiao Yan Province. At this time, Jiang Yan was undertaking the task of guarding Miyagi, and his defection was like a tiger to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan also attached great importance to Jiang Yan and appointed him as the champion general, still serving as a secretary supervisor. In the first year of Zhongxing, he also appointed Jiang Yan as the official Shangshu, and used Jiang Yan's influence to recruit talents for his own Jianliang, and was later given the title of Marquis of Liling. When Jiang Yan died at the age of sixty-two, Emperor Wu of Liang dressed him in plain clothes and gave him the title Xianbo.
Jiang Yan was famous for his literary words when he was young, but in his later years his morale was slightly reduced, and according to his own opinion, when he returned home as a Xuancheng Taishou official, he once anchored by the river near the Zen Ling Temple, and at night he dreamed that a man claiming to be Zhang Jingyang (Zhang Xie) said to him: "Once upon a time, I put a piece of brocade here with you, now please return it to me." Jiang Yan took out a few feet from his arms and returned it to him, and Zhang Jingyang said angrily, "How can you cut such a little bit?" Looking back at Qiu Chi, he said, "Since the remaining few feet are useless, give them to you." Since then, Jiang Flood's article has not been as good as before.
There is another legend: one day, Jiang Drown slept in Yeting (a pavilion in present-day Nanjing) and had a dream. In the dream, a man named Guo Pu said to him: I have a pen in your place for many years, and now it is time to return it to me. Jiang Yan touched his arms, and sure enough, he pulled out a five-color pen, so he returned the pen to Guo Pu. Since then, Jiang Yan has never been able to write wonderful articles again. Therefore, people say that Jiang Lang's talent has been exhausted.
This is the origin of the idiom "Jiang Lang cai exhausted", which is now often used as a metaphor for the decline of people's literary style and thinking.
The reason why you can't write a good work is attributed to a dream, in the old saying, it is a bit of a "can't sleep, but blame kang edge high" taste. Jiang Yan was born into poverty, but he was diligent and studious, and had great ambitions. Although he entered the army at the age of 20, he did not have much success under the fence. Later, he was implicated in the Guangling Order Guo Yan copywriting, was falsely bribed and imprisoned, and after his release, he was degraded, and his bumpy experience and angry and mournful thoughts created a generation of poets. During this period, he wrote many good poems. After the age of 34, when the river flooded, he successively attached himself to Xiao Daocheng, the Emperor of Qi Gao, and Xiao Yan, the Emperor of Liangwu, and was appreciated, and finally made the Marquis of Liling. Jiang Yan was born in a poor general scholar clan, but he was able to judge the hour and size up the situation, and with his outstanding political vision and outstanding personal talent, he safeguarded the interests of himself and his family in the change of dynasties and cruel political struggles, and to a certain extent, he also continued the political presence of the Jiang clan in the Southern Dynasty of Jiyang. In this regard, he once said to his disciples proudly: "I was originally an official without real power, and I did not want to be rich, but now I am really ashamed of such an official position." Life always says contentment, as long as life is happy, why seek riches. I've achieved fame and want to go home and live my ordinary life. In this environment of pampering, comfort and comfort, Jiang Yan no longer has the passion for creation, and even less the life background of creation, but the peak of official fortune has created a low point in his creation, the exhaustion of literary thinking is a natural thing, and "a dream of Jinling" is just an excuse. There is also a saying that Jiang Yan, who is well versed in the way of the officialdom, is worried about causing trouble with literature, so he plays a trick of "Jiang Lang is exhausted" and quit writing to protect himself. However, no matter which way it can be said, "Jiang Lang" has indeed "exhausted" so far, and there is no major work after "Ye Ting's dream".