Yueyang Tower

And

The Story of Yueyang Tower

The Story of Yueyang Tower. After the failure of the Qingli New Deal, Fan Zhongyan was exiled to Dengzhou, and at this time he was in poor health. Teng Zijing, a former friend, wrote to him from Hunan, asking him to make a note of the rebuilt Yueyang Tower, and attached a picture of Dongting in late autumn. Fan Zhongyan agreed. In June of the sixth year of Qingli (that is, June 146), he wrote the famous "Yueyang Tower" in Huazhou Academy in Dengzhou. It shows that although the author lives in rivers and lakes, he is worried about state affairs, and although he is persecuted, he still does not give up his indomitable will. At the same time, it is also an encouragement and comfort to his demoted comrades.

Fan Zhongyan was a pioneer of the poetic innovation movement in the Northern Song Dynasty. He realized the harm of soft articles and clever customs in the early Song Dynasty, emphasized the inheritance of the progressive literary tradition in history, and recommended good works that can adhere to the tradition of elegance and competition. His own poems also represent the progressive direction in literary creation. His essay aims to clarify the importance of the people as the foundation of the country, and it is very popular and has the momentum of grabbing people. The Story of Yueyang Tower is his masterpiece that has been praised for centuries. The article puts forward the principle that an upright scholar-bureaucrat should stand firm and act as one, and thinks that personal honor and disgrace promotion should be ignored, "not to be happy with things, not to be sad with oneself", but to "worry about the worries of the world first, and be happy with the joy of the world later". Full-text narration, scenery description, lyricism and discussion are integrated, with dynamic and static movements, light and shade contrast, simple words and harmonious syllables, and the use of antithetical couplets to compare scenery has become an innovation in miscellaneous notes.

Appreciation of The Story of Yueyang Tower (Yuan Xingpei)

Down the Xiangjiang River, through Changsha, a vast expanse of water comes into view, that is, Dongting Lake with "one color of water and one color of sky, boundless romance". Meng Haoran, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in a poem entitled "Facing the Dongting": "and a mist from the Yun and Meng valleys, has beleaguered the city of Yueyang." It vividly shows the vast momentum of Dongting Lake and has become a swan song throughout the ages. Yueyang, mentioned in the poem, is bordered by Dongting in the west and the Yangtze River in the north, which has been the throat of north-south traffic since ancient times. Looking from Dongting Lake to Yueyang, the most striking thing is a three-story tower standing by the lake, which is very spectacular against the blue sky and white clouds. That is the famous Yueyang Tower.

The predecessor of Yueyang Tower was the military parade platform of Lu Su, the commander-in-chief of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. In the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Shuling, the secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, called Yueyang Tower, built a pavilion in the former site of the parade platform. Famous poets such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Zhang Xiaoxiang, Lu You, etc. have all left their well-known poems here. In the fourth year of the Northern Song Dynasty, in the spring of 144, Teng Zijing was relegated to Baling County, Yuezhou as a magistrate, and the Yueyang Tower was rebuilt in the spring of the following year. In June, he wrote to Fan Zhongyan, a good friend of the demoted official in Dengzhou, with a picture of Dongting in late autumn, asking him to write an article about it. By September of the sixth year of Qingli, Fan Zhongyan had written this famous "Yueyang Tower". The full text of Yueyang Tower is only 368 words, divided into five paragraphs.

the first paragraph explains the reason for taking notes.

This explanation is necessary, because Fan Zhongyan is neither a native of Yueyang nor an official in Yueyang. He may have never been to Yueyang at all, and a person who has nothing to do with Yueyang suddenly wrote a note for Yueyang Tower. This must be explained. The author first put forward his good friend Teng Zijing, saying that after he was demoted to Yueyang, after a year's time, he achieved "harmony between the government and the people, and everything was prosperous." The Yueyang Tower was rebuilt and expanded, and the poems of the sages and modern people in the Tang Dynasty were carved upstairs, and I was asked to write an article about it. This passage is concise and to the point. At the beginning of the article, the background that must be explained is explained in a concentrated way, and then you can gallop and imagine freely.

in the second paragraph, the Yueyang Tower itself is not described, but the mood of the transition from the grand view of Yueyang Tower to the view of things.

the content of this passage is about scenery, but the tone is about discussion. As soon as I came up, I put forward my own views: the beautiful scenery of Baling is concentrated on Dongting Lake, which is a distant mountain, swallowing the Yangtze River, surging, flowing and boundless. These words describe the vastness of the lake and the vastness of the water potential in space. The next two sentences, "It's sunny in the morning and cloudy in the evening," show the changes of Dongting Lake from different scenery at different times. In the morning, the sun shines brightly, making Dongting Lake look like a mirror, just as Zhang Bi, a Tang Dynasty poet, said in his poem, "The endless expanse is paved with glass". At night, the fog hangs low, and the Dongting Lake is shrouded in darkness, just as Li Qi, a Song Dynasty person, wrote in a word: "Fog and rain sink clouds and dreams, and smoke and waves are misty." The above sentences capture the different scenery of Dongting Lake at different times, vividly rendering its myriad weather, and then sum up: "This is the grand view of Yueyang Tower, which was prepared by predecessors." Since the previous descriptions are complete and poems are engraved on Yueyang Tower, Fan Zhongyan will not repeat them. People know me a little, but people know me a little, so they write about the feelings of going upstairs to see things: "However, Wuxia in the north, Xiaoxiang in the south pole, and the poets who moved guests will be here, and the feelings of seeing things are not unusual?" Relocation refers to officials who are demoted to other places. Qu Yuan once wrote Li Sao, so later generations also called the poet a poet. Since Dongting Lake leads to Wuxia in the north and Xiaoxiang in the south pole, Yueyang Tower by the lake is a place where migrants and poets often gather. When they go upstairs to watch the scenery of Dongting Lake, can their moods not be different? These sentences are the hub of the full text, which naturally leads to the following two paragraphs. The above description of Dongting Lake is objective, and the following is the subjective feeling when imagining that the relocated poets view Dongting Lake; The text above is very simple, and the following is eloquent and incisive.

in the third paragraph, people who are sad when they read about things.

The main idea of this paragraph is: If it is in rainy season, it will not clear up for several months; The evil wind howled in the sky, and the turbid waves on the lake emptied; The sun and stars hide their brilliance, and the mountains also hide their bodies; Business travelers are afraid to travel, and the ships are all damaged; When everything is shrouded in darkness at dusk, only the sound of tigers whistling and apes crying keeps coming to our ears. At this time, when I boarded Yueyang Tower, I felt bleak and hurt, and I felt more sad about leaving the capital and missing my hometown. I was worried, afraid of the slander and ridicule of the villain, and I was sad to the extreme.

in the fourth paragraph, people who enjoy reading things are happy.

the general idea of this paragraph is that on a mild day in spring, the bright sunshine shines on the calm lake without a ripple. The sky is lined with the lake light, and the lake light reflects the sky, and it is green from top to bottom. The Sha Ou in the sky flies and stops, and the fish in the water swim around. The flowers and plants on the shore exude a strong fragrance and are refreshing. At night, you can also see the smoke clouds on the lake swept away, and the bright moonlight shines thousands of miles; Moonlight ripples with water waves, flashing golden light, and the reflection of the moon is immersed in the bottom of the water, just like a jade. The duet of fishing songs is filled with boundless joy. At this time, when you board Yueyang Tower, you will feel relaxed and forget all the honors and disgraces. Raise a glass and drink, and laugh at the breeze, you will only feel extremely gratified and happy.

these two paragraphs are written in contrast. One cloudy and one sunny, one sad and one happy, two contrast. Emotion follows the scene, blending with the scene, and has a poetic artistic conception. From these two paragraphs, the last fifth paragraph leads to the main idea of the article. In this paragraph, the two kinds of feelings about things written in the first two paragraphs are all denied, which shows a higher ideological realm.

"Jifu!" , is an interjection. The author said with great emotion, I have explored the hearts of people with noble morality in ancient times, which is different from the above two moods. Their joys and sorrows are not affected by the objective environment and scenery, nor do they change because of personal gains and losses. When you are an official above the temple, you are worried about the people, lest they be hungry and cold; When you retreat to the rivers and lakes and stay away from the state affairs, you are worried about the monarch, for fear that the monarch will be lost. So, they are worried whether they advance or retreat, so when will they be happy? They must answer this way: they are worried before the world is worried, and they will be happy after the world is happy; The author said with emotion: If there is no such person, who will I follow? Expressed the yearning and admiration for this kind of person. The last sentence of the article, "September 15, 1996", explains the time when this article was written.

Fan Zhongyan, the author of The Story of Yueyang Tower, was born in 989 and died in 152. The word Xiwen is from Wuxian, and Wuxian is Suzhou today. He was born in poverty and his father died at the age of two. When I was young, I stayed in a temple to study. I often didn't have enough to eat. I still insisted on studying hard day and night and never undressed and slept for five years. After that, Chinese scholars wrote to the emperor many times and put forward many suggestions to get rid of malpractice, which was repeatedly demoted by conservative forces. Later, he was responsible for the northwest frontier defense and made great achievements in defending the Xixia invasion. At one time, he was transferred back to the imperial court to serve as a deputy envoy of the Tang Dynasty and participate in political affairs. However, under the attack and exclusion of conservative forces, he was forced to leave the imperial court in Song Renzong for five years. When writing "Yueyang Tower", I was working as a magistrate in Dengzhou.

The Story of Yueyang Tower is famous firstly because of its lofty ideological realm. Ouyang Xiu, another famous writer at the same time, said in an inscription written for him that he was interested in the world since he was a child, and he often recited to himself: "A scholar worries about the world first, and then enjoys the world." It can be seen that "worrying about the world first, and enjoying the world later" mentioned at the end of Yueyang Tower is the criterion of Fan Zhongyan's life behavior. Mencius said: "If you are rich, you will be good at the world, and if you are poor, you will be good at it." This has become the creed of many literati in feudal times. When Fan Zhongyan wrote this article, he was demoted as an official and "far away from the rivers and lakes". He could have taken an independent attitude and ended up at leisure and happy. However, he refused to do so, and still took the world as his responsibility, encouraging himself and his friends with the words "Worry about the world first, and enjoy it later", which is commendable.

Third, the language of this article is also very distinctive. Although it is an essay, it is interspersed with many four-character antithetical sentences, such as "the sun and stars are hidden, and the mountains are hidden." "Sha Ou Xiangji, Jinli swimming." "The long smoke is sold out, and the moon is thousands of miles away; Float and shine, and the static shadow is heavy. " These parallel sentences add color to the article. The author's efforts to hone the words are also very deep, such as the word "title" and "swallow" in the two sentences, which exactly show the vast momentum of Dongting Lake. "Don't rejoice in things, don't grieve for yourself", a concise eight words, as enlightening as a motto. "Worry about the world first, and enjoy the world later", which melts rich meaning into just two sentences, and every word has a vital force.

Teng Zijing said in the letter asking Fan Zhongyan to write The Story of Yueyang Tower: "It's not obvious for visitors to have a view of the landscape, and it's not long for reporters to have a view of the building." Indeed, Yueyang Tower has become a scenic spot that people yearn for because of this wonderful essay. The Story of Yueyang Tower, like the landscape of Dongting, will always give people a good memory.

Fu Bi sent poems from Qingzhou, and he was filled with emotion. Fan Zhongyan's harmony works, however, spoke highly of him, and advised him to be humble and work hard: "The official residence praised Xiang every day, but it was a pillar in the hall;" "I don't want to be rich and prosperous, but I only want to help the light!" Teng Zongliang, a former good friend, sent someone to send a picture of Yueyang Tower, telling him that he had renovated the building, and also carved the poems of praise from previous dynasties, hoping that Fan Zhongyan would write a story about Yueyang Tower.

On the night of September 14th, the sixth year of the Qing Dynasty (146), the autumn wind was cool and the moonlight was bright. Fan Zhongyan hung up the map of Yueyang Tower and began to concentrate on the idea. In his early years, he studied in Anxiang, Lizhou (now an xiang, Hunan Province) with his stepfather, and has been to Yueyang area. Now, when I think about it, the beauty of Yueyang scenery lies in the endless Dongting Lake. Look at her, far away from the castle peak, near the Yangtze River, shining in the evening mist, full of weather. If you go upstairs and look at it from afar in cloudy weather, people often have the feeling of going to the country and homesickness, and they are worried and afraid of ridicule. It's really a full moon, and it's infinitely sad. If you climb Yueyang Tower on a sunny day in the spring, you will feel relaxed and happy, forget the honor and disgrace, and put your wine in the breeze and be beaming. These are the grand views of Yueyang Tower.

However, Zhong Yan doesn't want to express his feelings in general. Instead, he wants to put forward some profound philosophical opinions after sketching out the beauty of Dongting and the previous human feelings, so as to forge a lofty ideological realm, so as to inspire himself and his friends who have been demoted, and also inspire and educate future generations. Therefore, he wrote "The Story of Yueyang Tower", which has been told through the ages. The difference between ancient people with lofty ideals and common people is that their feelings do not easily move with the scene. On the day of promotion and wealth, they won't get carried away: they won't frown when they are in poverty. If they are in high positions, they can relieve their worries for the people: once they are displaced, they still worry about sharing their worries for the monarch. It's just that I'm worried about being in office and leaving office. If someone wants to ask: when will it be fun to be so carefree? Then, the answer he will get will be two sentences like this; "Worry about the world first, and enjoy the world later!"

The Story of Yueyang Tower was sent to Yuezhou, and I was greatly moved by it. He immediately ordered a stone to be carved. The two proverbs in my mind-"Worry about the world first, and then enjoy the world", spread like wildfire. Renzong heard this and could not help but praise it. The full text is as follows: Yueyang Tower: Fan Zhongyan celebrated the four-year spring, and Teng Zijing was appointed to guard Baling County. The next year, the government will be harmonious, and everything will flourish. It is to rebuild Yueyang Tower, add its old system, and engrave Tang Xian's poems on it, which belongs to the composition to remember it. /Yu Guanfu Baling wins, in Dongting Lake. Take a distant mountain, swallow the Yangtze River, and make a vast soup, which is boundless; It's sunny in the morning and cloudy in the evening, so this is the grand view of Yueyang Tower, which was prepared by predecessors. However, Wuxia in the north, Xiaoxiang in the South Pole, and the poets who moved to other places will be here, and they will have a good look at things. /If the husband is raining, he can't even open the month; Evil wind howling, turbid waves emptying; The sun and the stars are hidden, and the mountains are hidden: business travel is not good, and it is ruined; Twilight, tigers roar and apes crow; When you go to Dengsi Building, there are people who are homesick, sorrowful, sorrowful and sad. /If it is spring and Jingming, the waves are not shocking, and the sky is up and down, and it is a blue sky; Sha Ou Xiangji, Jin Li swimming, shore Zhi Ting Lan, gloomy and green. Or the long smoke runs out, the bright moon is thousands of miles away, the floating light jumps over the gold, the static shadow sinks the wall, and the fishing songs answer each other. What a joy! If you go to Dengsi Building, you will feel relaxed and happy, forget all your insults, and leave the wine in the wind, which will make you happy. /husband! What is it to taste the heart of the ancient benevolent, or to do something different from the two? Don't be happy with things, don't be sad for yourself, and live high in the temple, then worry about its people; If you are far away from the rivers and lakes, you will worry about your husband. It is also worrying about progress, and also worrying about retreat; But when will you be happy? It must be said: worry about the world first, and then enjoy the world! Hey! Weiss, who are we going home with! /September 15th, six years.

These two sentences, "Worry about the world first, and be happy about the world later", sum up Fan Zhongyan's life-long pursuit of the principle of being a man, which is a high summary of his thoughts of worrying about the country and the people. Since his youth, Fan Zhongyan has been determined to be a person who is beneficial to the world. After decades as an official, he made a face in the imperial court, and he was not afraid of being convicted. He launched the Qingli New Deal, a political reform that touched all aspects of the political, economic and military systems in the Northern Song Dynasty. Although the reform failed due to the opposition of conservative forces, the new deal presided over by Fan Zhongyan created the atmosphere of scholar-officials discussing politics in the Northern Song Dynasty, spread the reform ideas and became a prelude to Wang An and Shi Xining's political reform.

everywhere he went, he built water conservancy projects, trained talents, protected the land and the people, and achieved remarkable achievements, truly serving as an official and benefiting one party. In life, he is strict and very frugal. He usually doesn't eat two kinds of meat dishes at home, and his wife and children only want food and clothing.