Thousand Characters

Chapter 31

[Original text]

It is not only a collection of grave ceremonies, but also a gathering of heroes.Du manuscript Zhongli, lacquer script on the wall.

【Note】

Both set: gather.Grave: The works of the Three Emperors, namely Fuxi, Shennong, and Huangdi.Dian: A book that records the deeds of the Five Emperors, that is, Shaowu, Zhuanxu, Diku, Yao, and Shun.Qunying: Numerous talents and talents.The ancients believed that only those who have both ability and political integrity can be regarded as talents.Du draft: refers to the cursive script of Du Du, a calligrapher of the Han Dynasty.Zhongli: Refers to the official script of Zhong Yao, a calligrapher of the Three Kingdoms.Lacquer calligraphy: Refers to characters written with lacquer in ancient times.Wall Scriptures: Refers to the scriptures preserved in the walls of Confucius’ home.Here is a detailed description of the scene in the palace, from which we can know that Guangnei Hall is the place where the emperor used to collect various books and precious calligraphy and paintings.

【Interpretation】

In Guangnei Hall and Chengming Hall, not only the works and classics of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors period are collected, but also many civil and military talents with both political integrity and ability are gathered.There are not only the cursive script manuscripts of Du Du, a calligrapher of the Han Dynasty, but also the authentic official scripts of Zhong Yao, a calligrapher of the Three Kingdoms. In addition, there are also ancient books written with lacquer, and scriptures found in the walls of Confucius' home.

【allusion】

Yuan Mei's couplet "Grave Code" refers to the three tombs and five codes, referring to the works of the Three Emperors and books about the Five Emperors.It is said that during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a talented man named Yuan Mei in the south of the Yangtze River. He bought the prototype of the Grand View Garden in "A Dream of Red Mansions", which is now the Nanjing Sui Garden, renovated it, and hung a pair of couplets at the gate. It said: "There are lofty mountains, lush forests and bamboos here, and the people read three tombs, five classics, eight records and nine hills." In fact, he just wanted to tell others through this couplet that he has read a lot of books and is very talented.One day, another talented person, Zhao Yi, passed by the door of Yuan Mei's house. He saw the couplet on the door and was very unconvinced.Zhao Yi thought: "You, Yuan Mei, are speaking too loudly. The Three Tombs and Five Classics are the works of the Three Emperors and books about the Five Emperors. They have long been extinct. I am afraid that even the old Master Confucius has never read them. You are so angry!" Zhao Yi decided to go to see what kind of person Yuan Mei was in two days.Unexpectedly, Yuan Mei was not there that day, and it was the housekeeper who received Zhao Yi.Seeing Zhao Yi coming, the butler asked, "What do you want to do here?" Zhao Yi said, "It's nothing serious, I just want to borrow two books." The butler asked, "What book do you want to borrow? "Zhao Yi said: "I don't borrow anything else, I just want to see the three graves and five classics of your family." After Yuan Mei came back, the housekeeper told him about it.Yuan Mei knew that Zhao Yi was looking for trouble as soon as she heard it, so she hurriedly asked someone to take off the couplet at the door.It can be seen from this that even if a person has read a lot of books and is very talented, he must learn to be modest and prudent when dealing with others.Don't be self-righteous and arrogant, otherwise you will cause trouble for yourself and be ridiculed by others.

(End of this chapter)