Sparse diet refers to poor diet, which may not be rich or even simple. Drinking water refers to drinking water without adding any drinks or spices. Here, eating and drinking water is a simple and natural attitude towards life, not pursuing luxury enjoyment, but focusing on simplicity and nature.
In some ancient documents, food and water are also used to describe a clean and simple way of life. This way of life represents a noble moral quality, indicating that people should keep their true colors, not be vain, live naturally and truly, and not pursue excessive luxury and enjoyment.
Food and water are often used to describe people who are unmoved by fame and fortune and keep their hearts clean. These people may not pursue material comforts, but pay attention to inner cultivation and moral improvement. Their lifestyle may be simple, but they are really rich because they have inner peace and freedom.
Sources of food and water:
This sentence comes from the Analects of Confucius, an ancient classic of China. Confucius said: Eat less and drink more, bend your arms and pillow it, and enjoy it. Unjust wealth is like a cloud to me. It means eating simple food and drinking clean water, and describes the attitude of living and working in peace and contentment and not coveting wealth.
In the chapter "Shuer", Confucius expounded his attitude and pursuit of life. He advocates that a gentleman with ideals and ambitions should not indulge in material comforts, but should put spiritual pursuit first. In this article, Confucius mentioned the phrase "frugality, drinking water and thinking of the source", expressing his admiration for simple living.
A bent arm pillow is to bend your arm into a pillow to describe the simplicity of life. And enjoying it means that there is happiness and satisfaction in this simple life. Confucius believes that true happiness lies not in the amount of material wealth, but in inner satisfaction and self-realization.
Injustice and wealth are like clouds to me. It means that if you get wealth and status through improper means, then these wealth and status are like floating clouds to me and have no practical significance. This sentence expresses Confucius' emphasis on morality and his contempt for ill-gotten gains.