The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Wu Jingzi vividly described a farce of head-hunting in The Scholars.

It tells the story of butcher Zhang Tiebi, who pretends to be a knight-errant and uses a pig's head as a human head to defraud two young masters of the Lou family of five hundred taels of silver.

This story was not fabricated by Wu Jingzi. The prototype of his story came from the Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Hu.

Zhang Hu was born into the prominent Zhang family in Qinghe. He was known as Master Zhang and was renowned as a famous scholar throughout the country.

Like Chen Zi'ang, he liked to wield swords and travel the world when he was young, and did not like reading.

All he wanted was to make friends with people from all walks of life and become a free and easy wanderer.

"The poet who was most like Li Bai had the hope of becoming a little Li Bai, but wasted his life because of his personality."

"Mid-Tang was the turning point when the Tang Dynasty's national power went from prosperity to decline."

"But in terms of poetry and literature, although there were no giants like Li Bai, Du Fu and Wang Wei, it was also an era in which poets emerged in large numbers."

"Just like the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, it also presents a prosperous scene with flowers blooming in full bloom."

"Han Yu, Liu Yuxi, Liu Zongyuan, Bai Juyi, Yuan Zhen...any one of them is a well-known figure."

"In terms of fame alone, Zhang Hu certainly cannot be compared with those mentioned above."

"But at that time, he was also considered a famous person, known as Master Zhang."

"Zhang Hu is a bit like Li Bai. He has great ambitions and cares about national affairs."

"At the same time, he is romantic and particularly enjoys discussing swords and military affairs with his friends."

"He often traveled between Jianghuai, Wuyue and other places, and was quite chivalrous."

"He wrote a poem called "Going to Guangling" to describe his early life. Is he very similar to Li Bai, who dreamed of becoming a hero every day?"

"Unfortunately, this kind of character has also become a stumbling block in one's career."

"Tianping Jiedushi Linghu Chu thought highly of him and recommended him to Emperor Xianzong of Tang."

"But Prime Minister Yuan Zhen couldn't stand this kid and said something irrelevant, so the emperor put the matter aside."

"There was no other way. Zhang Hu had to work for the Jiedushi. However, due to his arrogant personality, he could not stay long anywhere."

"He wasted his life in this way, and died in poverty in his later years."

"So much so that in the Biography of Talented Scholars in the Tang Dynasty, this former Master Zhang, Zhang Hu, was mistakenly referred to as Zhang You."

"It shows how miserable Mr. Zhang's second half of life was, to the point where he almost couldn't even keep his real name."

"Zhang Hu's early and middle and late poems are two completely different styles."

"But whether it is the early palace-style poems or the mid- to late-period poems, they were all considered excellent works in his time."

Su Shi: Zhang Hu was a famous poet in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. He was born into a prominent family and had an unrestrained personality.

He has been busy in the official career for a long time and is eager to get a high position.

But he was often ostracized by others and lived a miserable life.

His poems cover a wide range of topics and are of diverse styles, highlighting the poet's talent and talent, and are also extremely personal.

It is said that Zhang Hu was called Master Zhang, which shows that his family background was quite prominent.

He was a noble man with great talent, and was highly appreciated by Linghu Chu, an official in the mid-Tang Dynasty.

The latter strongly recommended Zhang Hu to the court and presented his poems to the court.

At that time, the emperor asked Yuan Zhen to evaluate Zhang Hu's poems, but Yuan Zhen gave a low evaluation.

In the end, he did not receive the emperor's recognition, and eventually returned home in loneliness, living in seclusion in Huainan until the end of his life.

He has great ambitions and is talented, but his social status does not match his talent.

He never got any official position until his death, and Du Mu once wrote a poem to express his indignation for his fate.

Although his social status was not high, Zhang Hu had a wide circle of friends. In addition to Linghu Chu and Du Mu who strongly recommended him, Pi Rixiu and Li She also wrote poems for him.

It can be seen that Zhang Hu was recognized in the literary circle.

The Confucian idea of ​​benefiting the world dominated Zhang Hu's life. When he was young, he worked hard for a career in officialdom, but encountered setbacks everywhere.

After suffering many setbacks, he expressed his desire to retire many times, and finally he really lived a secluded life in his later years.

Facing political setbacks, he later focused his energy on poetry writing, which also revealed some of his views on real politics.

It can be seen that although he is a commoner, he is always paying attention to national affairs.

Although he did not enter the official career, Zhang Hu's poems are full of satire and admonition, which reflects the practical tendency of poetry.

Influenced by the spirit of the times, Zhang Hu's poems also have a popular quality.

The language is simple, the style is elegant, and it is neat. The techniques are extensively borrowed from the language of folk songs.

It can be said that Zhang Hu's poems were deeply influenced by the poetic style of Yuan and Bai, and have distinct characteristics of the times.

It must be said that if you carefully read Zhang Hu's poems, you can find that his description of scenery and scenes is just right.

He also paid great attention to the identity and characteristics of the recipients of his poems, and chose appropriate and appropriate sentences to describe them.

He is particularly good at capturing details and the different aspects of people and scenery, and can present them to readers in the most accurate and vivid language.

In addition, Zhang Hu was able to capture the most representative and unique features of the region's scenery, giving his poetry a strong regional character.

He is also good at capturing the characteristics of different regions and scenery under different times and seasons. This type of poetry has distinctive features.

Furthermore, when Zhang Hu wrote poems about mountains, rivers, and temples, he would combine scenery with history, increasing the connotation and cultural depth of all things.

It must be said that Zhang Hu was very restrained in his personal emotions when writing poetry.

There is no such ups and downs, passionate and exciting text to set off the story.

For example, in farewell poems, which best reflect the poet's emotions, Zhang Hu seldom expresses his feelings of parting, and mainly relies on narration and description.

It depicts local characteristics and customs with a peaceful mentality, mostly describing scenery, with a calm heart, and a profound effect.

Generally speaking, most of the landscape poems about leisure and wandering are in the pentasyllabic style.

In terms of poetic style and the use of parallelism, his style is very similar to Jia Dao's, and the realm is also close.

They are all dominated by quietness, coldness and triviality, and some poems also reflect the sense of hard work.

This type of poetry does not have a complex social perspective, it only needs to show the poet's aesthetic taste through words.

It can be said that during the transition period from the middle Tang Dynasty to the late Tang Dynasty, Zhang Hu was a poet who could not be ignored in the poetry world.

His poems retain the characteristics of mid-Tang poetry, inherit the realistic spirit of Yuan and Bai, and also reflect his concern for politics.

His poems are written in popular language, with many of them being colloquial, and the polished style of the Dali poets is still evident in his poems.

His hard-working poems are close to Jia Dao's, his sentence refinement and conception are similar to Meng Jiao's, and his poetic realm shares something in common with Li He's.

The use of folk song techniques in the poem increases the aesthetic interest of the poem and highlights the personal characteristics.

It can be said that Zhang Hu’s poems utilized the strengths of many famous calligraphers.

At the same time, it incorporates his own personality and aesthetics, making him extremely charming.

"With his talent and character, if he met a prime minister who could be his own, he might become a little Li Bai."

"In his early years, the romantic and eccentric Master Zhang preferred to write palace-style poems, mostly quatrains."

"This guy is extremely gossipy. He asks around every day for secrets of the imperial court during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao years, and then composes them into poems."

"There are thirty or forty quatrains of this kind handed down, and they are all excellent."

"Zhang Hu's poetry style changed a lot in the middle and late period, and he wrote many poems about famous places and historical sites."

"If you run into Zhang Hu, you will be lucky enough to have a glimpse of Tang poetry."

"Among them, Zhang Hu was very fond of various temples. Whenever he visited a temple, he would write a poem. This was Mr. Zhang's stubbornness."

"Or maybe he wrote poems to present to the nobles. I guess he was forced to make a living by visiting the powerful and wealthy."

"It's not shameful to do this kind of thing in the Tang Dynasty. Li Bai, Du Fu and Wang Wei have all done it."

“At the same time, the poetic form changed from quatrain to regulated verse.”

"During the reign of Emperor Wuzong of Tang, there was a palace secret."

"It is said that Emperor Wuzong of Tang, Li Yan, was critically ill, and there was a talented woman named Meng who was favored for playing the sheng to serve him."

"When Meng Cairen saw that the emperor was silent, she immediately coaxed him and said, "Let me sing a song for you." So she sang "He Manzi."

"After singing just one line, Meng Cairen fell to the ground and died. A few days later, the emperor also died."

"Then something strange happened - on the day of the funeral, the emperor's coffin could not be lifted."

"A clever eunuch said, Your Majesty, are you waiting for Lady Meng?"

"So everyone brought Meng Cairen over as well, and sure enough, the emperor's coffin could be lifted."

"Three years later, in a tavern in Jiaxing, Zhang Hu composed a poem called 'Meng Cairen Tan' based on this secret story."

"At a banquet, an actor from the palace was doing a live show with everyone."

"The actor said, I'm telling you this secret, please don't spread it out."

Xin Qiji: An unpopular poet in the Tang Dynasty, he made Bai Juyi feel inferior to him, Du Mu wrote poems to praise him, but Yuan Zhen despised him.

It is said that Emperor Wuzong of Tang, Li Yan, was very fond of the talented woman Meng who was good at singing and dancing. Later, when Wuzong was seriously ill, Meng served by his side.

Wuzong asked her, "What will you do if my illness cannot be cured?"

Meng Cairen replied that if Your Majesty passed away, I would not live in hiding.

Wuzong asked her to sing the song "He Manzi" in front of her sickbed. Her voice was so sad that everyone who heard it burst into tears.

Not long after, Emperor Wuzong passed away, and Meng Cairen died after days of grief.

The story of Meng Cairen's suicide for love was widely circulated. One day, Bai Juyi, Zhang Hu and others were drinking together.

After half a round of drinking, they mentioned this matter and proposed to write a poem to praise Meng Cairen's loyalty. Everyone took turns to write poems, and when it was Zhang Hu's turn, he picked up his pen and wrote this "Palace Poem".

The homeland is three thousand miles away, and I have been in the palace for twenty years.

With a cry of He Manzi, tears fell in front of you.

This poem describes the true portrayal of Meng Cairen, who has been away from her hometown for more than 20 years, and her hometown is 3,000 miles away from the capital.

While singing the song "He Manzi", I couldn't help but shed tears in front of the king.

A young girl was unfortunately chosen to enter the palace, where she was separated from her family and lost her freedom.

After finally being favored by the king, I thought my fate had taken a turn for the better.

But in the blink of an eye, they were separated by Yin and Yang again. I couldn't help but feel sad and burst into tears.

After Zhang Hu finished writing, it was Bai Juyi's turn. Bai Juyi picked up his pen and thought for a moment.

He put his pen down and stopped writing, lamenting that no matter how hard he tried, he could never surpass Zhang Hu's "Palace Poems".

Later, among the several poems written at this wine party, only Zhang Hu's "Palace Poems" was included in the Three Hundred Tang Poems and has been passed down to this day.

Zhang Hu's fame spread quickly because of this poem, and Prime Minister Linghu Chu also admired it very much.

He recommended him to the court, and the emperor immediately summoned Zhang Hu to the capital.

Zhang Hu was extremely excited after receiving the imperial edict. At that time, he was over fifty years old and thought that he could finally display his talents.

When Zhang Hu came to the capital, Yuan Zhen was at the peak of his power in the court and the emperor trusted him very much.

So the emperor summoned Yuan Zhen and asked him whether Zhang Hu's poem was good.

Yuan Zhen said that Zhang Hu's poems were trivial and a real man would not write like him.

If you reward him too much, it may affect your majesty's customs and education.

The emperor adopted Yuan Zhen's suggestion, rewarded Zhang Hu with some property, and sent him home.

Zhang Hu was depressed after returning to his hometown. He was resentful of Yuan Zhen's exclusion and wrote a poem called "Book of Anger".

At the age of thirty, if not yet crowned a noble, he will be as crazy as a madman all over the country.

I have always wielded a sharp sword and would never seek revenge against a villain.

Although Zhang Hu had a bad career in officialdom throughout his life, he had to travel around everywhere.

Even if he holds a precious sword in his hand, he will not bother to take revenge on a villain.

The villain here refers to Yuan Zhen. He believed that Yuan Zhen was jealous of talented people and was stirring up trouble around the emperor, preventing him from displaying his talents.

But he disdained the infighting among villains, so he gave up the idea of ​​becoming an official and began to travel around.

In his later years, Zhang Hu visited Yangzhou and was attracted by the local beauty and prosperity, so he settled in Yangzhou for several years.

He wrote many poems praising the beautiful scenery of Yangzhou, among which "Traveling in Huainan" is the most famous.

Shilichang Street Market Jinglian, look at the gods on the Yueming Bridge.

Life is only the death of Yangzhou, Zen Zhi Shanguang good cemetery.

Yangzhou in the Tang Dynasty was a famous big city at that time, known as Yangzhou No. 1 and Yizhou No. 2. During the day, the ten-mile-long street in Yangzhou was extremely prosperous, with markets selling all kinds of rare treasures everywhere.

At night, the entertainment venues in the city become lively. Standing on the bridge, you can enjoy the prostitutes competing with each other in beauty and showing off their skills.

In ancient times, scholars and literati likened brothels to fairyland and called the prostitutes in brothels fairies. This is also the meaning of this poem.

Watching the gods on the Moonlit Bridge does not mean watching the gods in the sky, but watching the prostitutes in the brothel singing and dancing.

Finally, the poet wrote about his life wishes. The prosperity of Yangzhou has made him reluctant to leave. He can choose to live in Yangzhou for a long time while he is alive, and he wants to be buried in Yangzhou after his death.

Du Mu, another great poet in the Tang Dynasty, admired Zhang Hu very much and felt sympathetic towards his experience.

In Du Mu's view, Zhang Hu valued poetry more than high office and generous salary, and no one could match his noble and open-minded character.

Zhang Hu had the ambition to serve his country and hoped to enter politics, serve the court and realize his ambitions.

In interpersonal communication, he became famous for his poetry, made friends with wine, and reminisced about past business, and he got to know many celebrities and officials.

However, due to his aloof, arrogant and conceited character, he was ostracized and had no chance to serve his country.

“The guests all agreed: Don’t worry, this secret is only known to me and my friends.”

"Among the guests was a Jinshi named Gao Qu, who was a friend of Zhang Hu."

"This poem, 'Sigh of the Talented Meng', is Zhang Hu's lament for the fate of the Talented Meng. What happened to the Talented Meng also reflects the miserable situation of women in the ancient palace."

"They were confined in the deep palace all their lives, revolving around an old emperor, and could not control their own destiny until their death."

"Later, Zhang Hu expanded on the story of Meng Cairen and created a poem called 'Palace Poems'."

"Three thousand miles from home, twenty years in the palace."

"A cry of "He Manzi" and tears fall before you."

"One sentence spans three thousand miles, another sentence spans twenty years, every word is the tears of an old man in the deep palace."

"Although this poem still borrows the story of Meng Cairen as its theme, it is not just about Meng Cairen, but about all the palace women who are helpless."

"Many years later, Du Mu also heard about this secret story, and heard court ladies singing Zhang Hu's poems."

"Thinking of Zhang Hu's life, I could not help but feel deeply moved and wrote "Four Rhymes in Reply to Zhang Hu's Letter."

"Among the Seven Masters, who can compare with you in poetry? Cao and Liu must be in command."

"Jian Heng knew Wen Ju in the past, but no one was as good as Kuai Tong when begging for fire."

"The North Pole Tower is always hung with dreams, and the waves of the West River swallow up the sky."

"It's a pity that my homeland is three thousand miles away, and the empty lyrics fill the six palaces."

"This poem can be said to be very respectful, comparing Zhang Hu's talent to Cao Zhi and Liu Zhen, two of the Seven Scholars of the Jian'an Period, while also expressing pity for his and Prime Minister Yuan Zhen's fate."

"So I can only wander around the world. The last two sentences praise Zhang Hu's "Palace Poems"."

"It's a pity that although the six palaces are singing the song of the homeland three thousand miles away."

"But for Zhang Hu, it's all empty talk. What's the use of being famous in the palace? No one will use you!"

Li Qingzhao: Zhang Hu, a poet also known as Master Zhang, wrote countless poems but was framed by Yuan Zhen, a romantic man.

Zhang Hu liked writing poetry rather than articles. This collection contains 349 poems by Zhang Hu, which makes him considered a prolific poet in the Tang Dynasty.

During the Yuanhe and Changqing years, he was highly regarded by the prime minister Linghu Chu, who personally drafted a memorial to recommend Zhang Hu.

He presented his three hundred poems to the court, hoping that the court would recruit more talents and that Zhang Hu could make full use of his talents.

From the perspective of poetry, Zhang Hu was a genius, and his contemporaries knew that he was a good poet.

Born into a distinguished family in Qinghe, the Qinghe Zhang family was a prominent family during the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Zhang Hu had been wandering around for many years and had long been skilled in poetry and prose, with a style rarely matched.

At that time, the great romantic Yuan Zhen and the great enemy Zhang Hu were equally matched in terms of their works, and Zhang Hu's poems were probably better.

But Yuan Zhen was jealous. He told the emperor that Zhang Hu's poems were good, but they were all trivial and his mind was not broad enough.

Finally, fearing that the emperor would become suspicious, he said something fatal.

If the emperor rewards too much, it may affect customs and education.

After hearing this, the emperor fell into silence and thought for a while. Soon after, he replied to Linghu Chu and allowed Zhang Hu to return home.

In this way, Yuan Zhen cut off Zhang Hu's only chance to enter the official career.

Zhang Hu's failure to enter the official career may be a blessing in disguise. Instead of wandering in the officialdom, he did not encounter any turmoil. He lived in Huainan and wrote poetry, and wrote countless poems in his life.

His poems are of balanced quality, steady and profound, with the style of a hermit, rich in subject matter, and many famous and excellent works.

Zhang Hu once traveled and stayed overnight at Jinling Ferry in Zhenjiang. The sight of the scenery moved him, and he wrote a seven-character quatrain "On Jinling Ferry":
A small mountain building at Jinling Ferry, a traveler can be sad after a night
The tide is low and the moon is slanting in the night river. Two or three stars are Guazhou.

Jinlingjin: In Zhenjiang, on the south bank of the Yangtze River.

Xiaoshanlou: should be the place where the author stayed.

Guazhou: On the north bank of the Yangtze River, now in Jiangsu Province's Hanjiang District, across the river from Zhenjiang, it has always been a key transportation hub between the north and south of the Yangtze River.

In the small mountain tower at the Jinling Ferry, a traveler would feel sad after spending the night there.

The first two lines explain the location and the reason, pointing out that the poet is in a sad mood.

The poet came to the south bank of the Yangtze River alone and stayed in an inn. Although the night view was beautiful, he was worried, not knowing what the next day would bring.

The word "zi" indicates that loneliness and sadness were the norm for ancient people when traveling far away.
But the next two sentences take a turn: When the tide recedes and the moon is slanting in the night river, two or three stars are Guazhou.

The low tide indicates that the water is calm and peaceful. The night river deepens the feeling of tranquility. The slanting moon indicates the setting moon in the west.

There is a line in Zhang Ruoxu's "Spring River Moon Night" that says "the slanting moon is hidden in the sea fog", which shows that the poet was still unable to fall asleep in the second half of the night and was filled with lingering sorrow.

Even so, the poet still leaned over and looked at the other side. The two or three sparks were Guazhou.

Starfire does not refer to the stars in the sky, but to the fishing fires. Zhang Ji's poem "The moon sets, the crows cry, and the sky is full of frost. The maples on the river bank and the fishing fires are opposite me, I am worried that I will fall asleep.

Two or three fires were already pitifully rare. Most of the fishing boats had gone to sleep, with only a few people and animals unable to sleep like himself.

On this ordinary sleepless night, it is such a comfort to know that there are people who feel the same way as me.

Looking at the whole poem, the theme is sorrow, which is expressed beautifully.

The literary images of the setting moon, the slow ebb tide, the peaceful night river and the scattered stars wrap up the sorrow of a traveler in a hurry.

The twinkling fishing lights on the night river, the small mountain inn where you are about to leave after a night, all of this will become the past when you leave when the sky brightens.

Let worry become a concern rather than a hindrance, let worry be faced and get rid of troubles, let worry become a lifestyle habit and have the courage to solve problems.

Although this poem revolves around the word "sorrow", it does not dwell on it, and lets people all over the world know that sorrow is also beautiful and charming.

Zhang Hu's sorrow left behind not melancholy but a fresh and bright stroke in the history of poetry. The two or three stars represent Guazhou. (End of this chapter)