Wordless beauty

One day, Confucius suddenly said happily to his students, "I have nothing to say." Zi Gong then asked him, "If the son says nothing, what will the boy say?" Confucius said, "If heaven doesn't say anything, everything will be fine." What day does it say? "

This kind of wordless praise was originally for education. However, to understand the meaning of silence, we should study it from an artistic point of view?

Words are so expressive, but the meaning is by no means completely expressible. Because words are fixed and marked; The meaning changes rapidly, and it is uncertain. The words are scattered and the meaning is mixed. Words are limited and their meanings are infinite. Expressing ideas in words is like drawing objects with intermittent dotted lines, which can only be approximated. ?

The so-called literature is the art of expressing meaning with words. In literary works, the image before language and the language attached to emotional intention should be perfect in order to arouse aesthetic feeling. ?

Perfection has many conditions. But first of all, we should be "loyal to nature" without violating the basic principles of art: this sentence is put in a more popular way, that is, works of art cannot lie. Not lying has two meanings: first, what we say is just like what we want to say. Second, we vomited everything we wanted to say, and said it, and there was nothing left. ?

Meaning can't be fully expressed in words, and literature can't meet the condition of "harmony between man and nature, vivid expression". Let's ask directly. If words can fully convey feelings, if the pen is in the book and grinds in the heart, it is not happy at all. Is this what literature should hope? .

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To understand literature and other fine arts, we must answer this question. Now let's answer: although written language can't fully convey emotions? Intention, if possible, is not what literature should hope. The same is true of all works of art. It is not only impossible but also unnecessary to try to express it as much as possible.

Let's start with the facts. For example, there is an abandoned village or any object. Photographers take pictures of it and artists draw pictures of it. This kind of photo and picture can be compared from two angles: First, which one is more real than the natural one? Needless to say, everything in the same perspective can be covered in the photo, and the volume ratio is commensurate with the real thing, and there will be no error. The picture is not; The artist will add some choices to a scene before showing it. The selected materials must be idealized, contain the artist's personality, and then show it. It shows only a part of the real thing, and even this part doesn't have to be exactly the same as the real thing. So a picture must be less "natural and realistic" than a photo. Secondly, let's ask again, which is the strong aesthetic feeling and the impressive feeling caused by photos and pictures? Needless to say, people who have a little taste in art think pictures are much better than photos. ?

The same is true of literary works. For example, in the Analects of Confucius, Zichuan said:' The deceased is like a husband, not giving up day and night! The word "Xi" never fully described Confucius' mood when he said these words, while the word "Rurufu" was more general and did not fully describe the flowing water at that time. More specifically, Confucius might say, "The river runs day and night without stopping. Isn't everything in the world constantly changing like this running water? If the past is gone forever, there will be no turning back. I feel very sad when I see this running water! ..... "But even so, I haven't tried my best. In comparison, "the deceased is like a husband, not giving up day and night! "Nine words are more worth pondering than this long and smelly romance! In excellent literary works, especially poems, such unsatisfactory examples abound. For example, in Tao Yuanming's "Fortune", "There is a south wind coming, and the wings are new; "Reading (Shan Hai Jing)" Light rain comes from the east, accompanied by good wind; "I didn't show the poet's mood, but after thinking deeply, I feel a sense of leisure and leisure, which is refreshing. The last two sentences of Qian Qi's "Try the Soul Drum of Huxiang", "When the song ends, the river is green", do not reveal the poet's mood. However, a sad and farewell look is naturally beyond words. In addition, like Chen Ziang's "You Zhou Tai Nostalgia", "Before me, where were those lost years? Behind me, where are the future generations? Miss the gloom of heaven and earth, but cry alone! "Li Bai" resentment ","how beautiful she is, opening a pearl window and sitting in a boudoir. You can see the bright tears on her cheeks now, but you can't see the man she loves so much. "Although it explains the poet's feelings, how simple and profound the meaning is, it still needs a lot of pen and ink to describe the scene at that time vividly. But only two or three things are chosen to be understated, and the complete situation is revealed and lifelike. For example, Tao Yuanming's "Return to the Garden", "There are more than ten acres of square houses and eight or nine thatched houses. Steal Liu Yin behind the eaves and Li Taoluo pond in front. A warm and distant village, the smog in the Yi market. Dogs bark in deep alleys, and mulberry trees crow. "How truly these forty words describe the rural scenery! Another example is Du Gongbu's "After the Dike", "The sun sets on the earth, and the wind is rustling A?vagho?a. There are thousands of scenes in Pingsha, and each department has its own actions. The moon hangs in the sky, making the night lonely. The number of sad eggplant sounds, and the strong man is sad and crazy. "In a few words, how vivid the battlefield situation on a moonlit night is. But after careful observation, how many rural scenery Tao Yuanming didn't mention and how many battlefield situations Du Gongbu didn't mention. It can be seen that we don't try to be valuable in literature. ?

Musically, we feel the same way. Whenever we sing and play music, the tone changes from grand and strong to deep or even silent, and we have a quiet, solemn, peaceful and happy scene mentally. Bai Xiangshan described the temporary pause of pipa sound in Pipa Travel, saying: "With its cold touch, the string seems to be broken, so let us never stop. The depth of sadness and the hiding of sadness are more told in silence than in voice. " This is the meaning of describing the beauty of silence in music. Keats, a famous British poet, also said in Song of the Greek Vase that "the audible tone is beautiful, especially the inaudible tone" (the audible melody is sweet; But what about those who can't hear? Sweeter), which means the same thing. Probably everyone who likes music has tasted it. ?

As far as drama is concerned, the beauty of silence is easier to see. Many works often reach a very important point in the lively field, and suddenly everything is silent, showing a silent and mysterious scene. Maeterlinck's works are a good example. For example, the setting of "Jade Bird" makes important people sleep for a long time in the dead of night, which is to take advantage of the beauty of silence. Mei also said, "When the mouth is open, the door of the soul is closed, and when the mouth is closed, the door of the soul is opened." The praise for the beauty of silence could not be more profound. Hamlet, Shakespeare's masterpiece, describes the night watchman's vigil at the beginning of the play. In Lincoln, drinkwater describes Lincoln kneeling on the ground and praying silently on an afternoon in the Civil War. In Wilde's Fan, Mrs. Windermere eloped and waited in her lover's apartment. When the situation is tense and the heart is hanging, release the mystery of silence. In modern times, there is also a kind of pantomime, static scenery, or only action without words, or no action at all, which will be fascinated by silent beauty. ?

Carving statues is originally wordless, and it can also be used to illustrate the beauty of wordless. The so-called silence does not necessarily mean not speaking, but focusing on implication. Sculpture is vivid in still life, some are expressive and some are implicit. This difference is particularly easy to see in the eyes. There is a proverb in China that says, "King Kong glowered, while Bodhisattva lowered her eyebrows". The so-called glare is thought-provoking; The so-called low eyebrows are implicit. Those who look at idols with their heads down and eyes closed are often particularly impressed. The most interesting thing is the sculpture of the western goddess of love. Men and women are blind. This is based on Greek mythology, but it does contain artistic truth, because love is usually revealed between eyes, and the eyes that reveal love are the most difficult to compare. So simply carve it blind and bear people's thoughts. Sculptors didn't have to do this deliberately at first, but these may be the unconscious natural sense of touch of human beings. Laocoon, a famous Greek sculpture, is the best example to illustrate the difference between revelation and suggestion in sculpture. According to legend, laocoon committed a heinous crime. The gods punished him with a very cruel criminal law and sent a vicious snake to hang him and his two sons. Under this capital punishment, of course, there are sad moments before death, but Greek sculptors did not show them. He only carved the expression of the moment before the pain reached the extreme, so his sadness was implicit. If it is exposed, it must look like a cry for struggle. At first glance, this sculpture only feels that all three people have an unspeakable threat; If you look closely, you will find that all the ribs and pores show a very painful appearance. Laocoon, Lessing's masterpiece, is based on this sculpture to explore the truth hidden in art.

? These are some examples of various arts. By summarizing these individual examples, we can get a general rule, that is, it is better to express thoughts and feelings as much as possible by art; Instead of throwing up and telling everything, it is better to leave a large part for the viewer to understand. Because the impression and beauty produced in the mind of the viewer, if implicit, is more profound than trying to show it. In other words, the less you say, the more you stay, the greater the aesthetic feeling, the deeper and the more real it is. ?

This example is just the end of many facts. Now we need to find a reason to explain this common law. We have to ask why the less we say, the deeper the aesthetic feeling. Why is the beauty of silence so powerful? .

Words are endless | It means endless.

To answer this question, we must first understand the mission of art, and why human beings have artistic requirements cannot be expressed in words. It can only be said that art helps us to be surreal and seek comfort in the ideal realm. Man's will can develop in two aspects: one is reality, and the other is ideal. But the real world is sometimes dominated by our will, and sometimes it is not dominated by our will. For example, we are going to build a house. This is a will. To realize this will, we need to make great efforts to conquer reality, to reclaim land, to build bricks and tiles, to build beams and columns, and to make money to hire plasterers. These things can be done by manpower and can be dominated by will. But in reality, everything falls in his heart, and he can't conquer it with his will. Therefore, when the will moves in the real world, it is blocked and restricted everywhere, and it is impossible to achieve the goal satisfactorily. In fact, nine times out of ten, our will is restricted by reality and cannot develop freely. For example, who doesn't want to have a happy family and who doesn't want to live in a paradise? However, there is no such thing as bliss in the real world. Therefore, our will cannot but conflict with reality. ?

When most people meet the conflict between will and reality, they mostly let reality conquer their will and go to a pessimistic and boring road, thinking that everything is unsatisfactory. What's the point of life? Therefore, all kinds of negative methods to solve depravity, suicide and escaping from the net are taking advantage of the situation, but this negative outlook on life is not the best way to solve the conflict between will and reality. Because we humans are not born cowards, this negative outlook on life is willing to let reality conquer our will, which is a very cowardly performance. ?

But is there a better solution? Yes, this is what I call surrealism. We have two attitudes towards life. When human resources can do it, we try our best to conquer reality. When there is nothing we can do, we should temporarily transcend reality and save our energy to conquer reality from other aspects later. Where is the detachment? Transcendence from the ideal world. There are obstacles and restrictions everywhere in the real world, and the ideal world is the sky where birds can fly, which is extremely open and free. The real world can't build castles in the air, but the ideal world can. The reality is not perfect, but the ideal world is perfect. ?

Give an example to illustrate. When I arrived in a small city, I saw the streets were narrow and dirty, and there were sewers and toilets everywhere. Of course, we are not happy, and we will immediately show our attitude. If we want to conquer this reality, we will tear down all these street houses and build wide roads and clean houses. But it is not easy to talk about all kinds of physical obstacles, and this layer may not be able to do it. How to deal with the will at this time? He said: I want to transcend reality and create an ideal street house in an ideal world, and show it in the form of pictures, sculptures and poems. So there are so-called works of art, artists become works and feel very creative. Of course, he was extremely happy. Others are happy when they see this kind of work and think it is really beautiful. This is the so-called aesthetic feeling. ?

Therefore, the artist's life is a surreal life; Works of art help us transcend reality and seek comfort in the ideal world. In other words, we have artistic requirements, just because the real world is too harsh on us and refuses to let our will be carried out without hindrance, so our will runs to the ideal world to seek the path of comfort. The beauty of a work of art lies in that it can give us a beautiful ideal realm. Therefore, we can say that the value of a work of art depends on its surrealism and whether the ideal world it creates is broad or narrow. ?

But art can't be completely divorced from the real world. The tools it uses, such as stones for carving, colors for pictures and language for poetry, are all taken from the real world. The materials used in it, such as the feelings, joys and sorrows of the characters, are also the products of the real world. Therefore, art can be said to fight poison with poison and use the help of reality to get rid of the distress of reality. As we said above, the value of a work of art depends on how far it is from reality. This sentence needs to be corrected slightly. We should say that the value of a work of art depends on whether it can create a large number of ideal worlds with the help of a very small number of real worlds. ?

In fact, the less help works of art get from the real world, the bigger the ideal world they create. Then take pictures to illustrate. Why is the beauty caused by photos not as good as that caused by pictures? Because the photos are the same, everything is real and everything is there. When we look at photos, all kinds of shadows nail our imagination like nails. When I see a photo, it seems that I can only think of 10 when I see 25, but I can't think of other numbers. In other words, photos take pictures of things as they are, leaving us no room for imagination. Therefore, photos can only copy the real world and cannot create an ideal world. The picture is not. With artistic vision and a little effort to choose, the painter chose a small thing in a complete situation, then idealized them and showed them again. Only when a large part of it is not expressed can the imagination of the viewer be brought into play. The result of imagination is an ideal world. Therefore, although the real world represented by the picture is extremely small, the ideal world created by the picture is extremely great. Confucius said about education: "If you don't take a corner, turn it around with three corners, and it will be gone." The photo shows four corners, so don't bother to "reply". Take only one corner of the picture, ask the viewer to increase some imagination, and then "use three corners in turn." ?

There is a saying in the catchphrase: "Words are endless, meaning is endless". Infinite meaning can be expressed in endless words, so there are many meanings, all in silence. The beauty of literature lies not only in the infinity of words, but also in the infinity of meaning. In a broad sense, the beauty of a work of art lies not only in the part that has been shown, especially in the part that has not been shown but implies infinity, which is the so-called wordless beauty in this paper. ?

Therefore, the belief that art should be realistic with nature should be explained as follows: being realistic with nature is to peep out the nature and show it; I don't mean to mechanically copy nature into printed text. ?

There will be a problem here. If we appreciate works of art, we should pay attention to what is not shown, but to what is implied, and we should go beyond "words" and seek "meaning". Everyone has his own opinion, and it is inevitable that the implication is different. Of course, the beauty of a work of art lies in its elasticity, which can be lengthened or shortened. It is elastic, so it is not rigid. The same works of art, you have your interest to ponder, and I have my interest to ponder. For example, Shakespeare's Yuefu occupies a very high position in art because people from all walks of life are happy to read his works in different environments. It is elastic, so it doesn't change flavor. The same works of art, today's thinking has today's interest, and tomorrow's thinking has tomorrow's interest. All works that can't stand the elimination of the times are not excellent works. Excellent literary works are never tired of reading. ?

In terms of literature, poetry is more flexible than prose; In other words, poetry is more wordless than prose. Prose is revealed as much as possible, and the more incisive it is, the more wonderful it is. Poetry should be subtle, and if it is kept at arm's length, it can also be fascinating. Nowadays, people who study literature generally focus on prose, especially novels. Careless about poetry. This fact can prove that the average person's literary appreciation ability is very weak. If you want to improve literature now, you must first improve your literary appreciation ability. To improve our literary appreciation ability, we must first make special efforts in poetry and cultivate our ability to appreciate the beauty of silence. Therefore, I very much hope that literary creators will make more efforts in poetry, which should occupy an important position in the school Chinese curriculum.

It's really delicious in here | I tried to explain but forgot to say it.

This paper discusses the beauty of wordlessness, focusing only on art. In fact, this truth is not difficult to find in all aspects of ethics, philosophy, education, religion and real life. Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" clearly said at the beginning: "Tao can be Tao, but extraordinary; Famous, very famous. " In other words, there is wordless beauty in ethical philosophy. When Confucianism talks about education, most of them advocate subtle influence, so they take rain and spring breeze as metaphors. The power of Buddhism and other religions is deeply rooted in people's hearts, and it is also through the mysterious power of silence. Montessori, the creator of Kindergarten, is particularly interested in the use of the beauty of silence. In her kindergarten, every day when the children are busy, the teacher will suddenly write a word "quiet" on the chalk board or play the piano. Then all the children ran to their seats, closed their eyes and covered their heads, pretending to sleep on the table, but they must not fall asleep. A few minutes later, the teacher called the children's names in a very slight voice quite far away. Anyone who hears this name should wake up immediately. This is to let children appreciate the beauty of silence in silence. ?

As far as practical life is concerned, there is nothing more profound in the world than the love between men and women. Love is more sincere in the stomach than in the mouth. "Qi Xin has the same wish, but his intention has not been delayed" and "I have nothing to say and face each other from a distance" are sweeter than "soft words and tenderness" and "pity me and pity you".

British poet Blake has a poem called "The Secret of Love", which reads:

The secret of love (1)

Never say your love.

Love is far from being spoken.

Because she is like a breeze.

Blowing silently. ?

(2)

I have said my love over and over again.

I told my love everything.

Trembling shrugged and said.

But she finally left me! ?

(3)

She left me.

Soon a passer-by came. ?

Silently, quietly, only with a sigh?

I took her there. ?

This little poem describes the power of silent beauty in love, which is extremely thorough. Originally, love is a kind of telepathy, and its profundity is what Laozi said is indescribable. Therefore, many poets think that the word "love" itself is too much, too common and too boring to describe the sacred and profound feelings between men and women. ?

In fact, there are many mysteries in the world, and there are many spiritual understandings in people's hearts that words can't convey. As soon as the words came out, they were as dull as bagasse. This truth can also be pushed to the problems of the universe and life. The world we live in is the most perfect because it is the least perfect. On the surface, this statement is extremely unreasonable. But it really contains wisdom. If the world is perfect, the life of human beings is better than that of immortals and worse than that of immortals, and the life of pigs is dull and monotonous, because if everything is perfect, there is naturally no hope and no effort. The most interesting thing in life is the feeling of activity, which is the joy of success. Since the world is perfect, how can we taste the joy of creating success? The perfection of the world lies in its defects, in its promising opportunities and imaginative fields. In other words, the world is flawed and has great potential. This possible and unsuccessful situation is the beauty of silence. There are many secrets in the world, so we should keep them. There are many ideals in the world that should remain unrealized. Because after the realization, follow "I know!" Happy is "so that's it!" Disappointed.

Zhu Guangqian (1897-1986), whose real name is Meng Shi, was born in Tongcheng County, Anhui Province (now Zhujia Laowu, Da 'ao Village, Qilin Town, Zongyang County, Anhui Province). Modern and contemporary famous aesthetician, literary theorist, educator and translator. 1922 graduated from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Hong Kong. From 65438 to 0925, he studied at the University of Edinburgh, England, devoted himself to the study and research of literature, psychology and philosophy, and later obtained a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Strasbourg, France. After returning to China from 65438 to 0933, he worked as a professor in Peking University, Sichuan University and Wuhan University. His major works include Tragic Psychology, Psychology of Literature and Art, History of Western Aesthetics, Talking about Beauty, etc. In addition, his theoretical readings such as Talking about Literature and Talking about Beautiful Letters are easy to understand, practical in content and fluent in writing, which is quite inspiring to improve teenagers' writing ability and artistic appreciation ability, including The Complete Works of Zhu Guangqian. A collection of classic works by aesthetic masters: leaves piled up to listen to the rain; A liter of dew and a liter of flowers.

Please send your comments to wangwl@shanghaitech.edu.cn.

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