From: Song Lian's Preface to Sending Ma Sheng to Dongyang.
I liked studying when I was young. Because my family is poor, I can't get books to read. I often borrow money from the library, copy it myself, and send it back on the appointed day. When the weather is cold, the water in the salt pond freezes into ice and I can't stretch my fingers. I still don't relax reading. After copying, please go back to China, and dare not exceed the agreed time limit slightly. So most people will lend me books so that I can read all kinds of books. When he grew up, he admired the teachings of saints and suffered from being unable to associate with knowledgeable teachers and celebrities. He quickly walked out of the hundred miles and brought the scriptures to his fellow villagers.
Senior honorary person, Yemeni students crowded his room, and his words and attitude were never slightly euphemistic. Around Lishi, he assisted the suspect and leaned over to ask questions; Or the more respectful and polite you are when you meet, you dare not say a word; Please ask again as soon as it is happy. So I was stupid and finally learned a lot.
When I was looking for my master, I was walking in the mountains of Otani with my book box on my back and Tara shoes on. In winter, the wind was cold and the snow was several feet deep, and my feet and skin were frozen and cracked. After entering the room, my limbs were stiff and I couldn't move. The servant gave me hot water and covered me with a quilt. It took a long time to warm up. Stay in a hotel and eat two meals a day, without fresh fat and delicious enjoyment.
All the students are all embroidered, wearing hats decorated with treasures, white jade rings on their waists, swords on their left and smelly faces on their right. I am wearing a robe, but I am not sentimental at all. Because there are enough things in your heart to make you happy, don't feel that the enjoyment of food is not as good as others. My efforts and efforts are probably like this.
Although I am old and have no achievements, I am fortunate to be among the gentlemen. However, I have been blessed by the son of heaven. After I became a public official, I worked as a consultant every day, and the whole world misreported my last name. What else?
Now all the students are studying in imperial academy, and the county officials have a little support every day. Their parents have Qiu Ge's legacy at the age of 20, and there is no danger of being frozen and embarrassed. Sit downstairs and recite "poems" and "books" without running around; Some are teachers, some are teachers, some don't ask, don't tell, and some ask but don't; All the books should be kept here. There is no need to record them through other people's hands and read them later. If they are not proficient in their studies and their moral character is not cultivated, if they have no talent and qualifications, they will not be as single-minded as I am. Can you say it's someone else's fault?
Dongyang Ma, who studied in imperial academy for two years, was praised by his peers for his virtue. I went to the capital to appear before the emperor, who met me as a fellow villager and wrote a long letter as a gift. The words were fluent and accessible, and I argued with him with a gentle and polite attitude. He said that when he was young, he studied very hard and was a good learner. He was going home to visit his parents, and I told him about the difficulties in his studies. It is said that Yu Mian's fellow villagers are all scholars, and so is Yu. Those who despise me, brag about my wealth and prosperity, and be arrogant to my hometown know the rest!
Interpretation: I loved learning when I was young. Because my family is poor and I can't get books to read, I often borrow them from people who collect books, copy them myself and return them on an agreed date. When the weather is very cold, the water in the inkstone pool is frozen into hard ice, and my fingers can't bend and stretch. I still copy books without relaxation. Return it to others as soon as possible after copying, and dare not exceed the agreed time limit slightly.
So most people are willing to lend me books, so I can read all kinds of books. As an adult, I admire the theory of sages more, but I can't communicate with knowledgeable teachers and celebrities. Once I walked a hundred miles at a brisk pace and asked my compatriots for advice with a scripture in my hand. His predecessors were highly respected, and his master students crowded his room. His words and attitude have never been euphemistic.
I stood beside him, asking questions, asking truth, and bowed my head to him for advice; Sometimes I am reprimanded, my expression is more respectful, my manners are more thoughtful, and I dare not answer a word; Ask him when he is happy. So although I was stupid, I finally learned a lot.
When I was looking for a teacher, I walked in the deep mountain valley with my book box on my back and my heels on. In the severe winter, the wind was cold and the snow was several feet deep, and my feet and skin were frozen and cracked. When I arrived at the school house, my limbs were stiff and I couldn't move. The servant poured me hot water and covered me with a quilt. It took a long time to warm up. Staying in a hotel, eating two meals a day, no fresh, fat and delicious enjoyment.
The students' scholars are all well-dressed, wearing red scarves and jewels, with white jade rings around their waist, knives on the left and sachets on the right, which are as bright as gods; I'm wearing an old cotton gown and a rag, and I'm not jealous. Because there are enough things in my heart to make me happy, I don't feel that the enjoyment of food and clothing is inferior to others. My efforts and hardships are probably like this.
Although I am old now, I have achieved nothing, but fortunately, I am still among the gentlemen, bearing the honor of the son of heaven, following the emperor every day, waiting for inquiries, and praising my name inappropriately under the sun, not to mention anyone who can surpass me.
Now students are studying in imperial academy, and the court provides meals every day. Parents give them leather clothes in winter and kudzu clothes in summer, so don't worry about freezing and hunger. Sitting downstairs reading classics, there is no hard work; There are teachers like doctors, who ask for advice without asking themselves and get nothing;
All the books you should have are concentrated here. You don't have to copy them by hand like me. You can borrow them from others before you can see them. If some of them are not proficient in their studies and their moral quality has not developed, if they are not talented and have low qualifications, they will not be as single-minded as I am. Can you say it's someone else's fault?
Dongyang Ma studied in imperial academy for two years, and his peers praised his virtue. When I went to the capital to see the emperor, Ma Sheng greeted me as a younger compatriot and wrote a long letter as a gift. He is fluent and approachable, arguing with him with gentle words and humble attitude. He himself said that he worked hard when he was a teenager, and he can be called a good learner!
He was going home to meet his parents, so I specifically told him about my study difficulties. If I encourage fellow villagers to study hard, that is my ambition; If you slander me, brag about my experience and be proud in front of my hometown, do you know me?
Extended data:
Creation background
In the 11th year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (1378), Song Lian retired from his hometown Pujiang (Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province) to Yingtian (now Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province) in the second year. A junior fellow-townsman, Ma Jun, came to visit. Song Lian wrote this preface to introduce his learning experience and attitude, so as to encourage others to be diligent and eager to learn.
Song Lian is generous, sincere and humble. This article, like this man, is euphemistic and friendly. In fact, according to his prestige and status, he can put on airs of his elders, argue head-on, speak loudly and teach this young man a lesson.
However, he didn't do it. He never talks about what you young people should be like. He only talks about what "I" is like. He puts himself and the other person on an equal footing and talks with people with his own personal experience and personal experience.
Not only from the point of view, but also from the image and emotion, it inspires and influences readers, making people feel that there is a lofty personality appeal in the depth of the article. In the process of reading, readers will unconsciously shorten their ideological distance from the author, agree with his point of view and are willing to follow his point of view. Writing an article to achieve this step is not only a question of article skills, but also requires profound ideological cultivation as the foundation.
Secondly, in reasoning, the author is not talking about learning out of thin air, but is good at letting thoughts and truths emerge naturally in the narrative of facts. In the narrative of facts, he is good at organically combining general narrative with typical detail description, so that the article is only concrete, concise and vivid, and also has strong persuasiveness and appeal.
For example, when the author talks about the difficulty of reading, he usually describes the situation that he has to borrow books and copy books because his family is poor, saying, "It's freezing in the cold, the inkstone is hard, and his fingers can't bend and stretch, so he is lazy." Through such a typical detail description, people have vivid and concrete feelings about the author's diligence in reading and the hardship of learning conditions.
The reason lies in the matter, and the matter is quite touching. This is another internal reason why this article makes people happy to identify with and accept the author's point of view.
Song Lian (1310165438+1October 4th-13865438+June 20th), whose real name is Shou, whose real name is Jinglian, whose real name is Qianxi, whose real name is Longmenzi. Originally from Jinhua, he moved to the west (now Yiwu, Zhejiang) and later moved to Pujiang, Jinhua (now Pujiang, Zhejiang).
Famous politicians, writers, historians and thinkers in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty were called "the great poets in the third day of Ming Dynasty" with Gao Qi and Liu Ji, and "the four gentlemen in eastern Zhejiang" with Zhang Yi, Liu Ji and Ye Chen. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, praised him as "the head of the founding civil servants", and scholars called him Taishigong and Song Longmen.
Song Lian was ill since childhood, and his family was poor, but he was smart and studious, so he was known as a "child prodigy". He was employed by Ji Meng, Wu Lai, Liu Guan, Huang Cheng and others. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he resigned from the imperial court and ordered monks to write books. In the early Ming Dynasty, he was hired by Zhu Yuanzhang and was honored as a teacher of the Five Classics, giving lectures for Prince Zhu Biao. In the second year of Hongwu (1369), he was ordered to major in Yuan history.
Most of the court etiquette was formulated for him when he was tired of being an official and learned the imperial edict from the Hanlin bachelor. Hongwu ten years (1377), resigned as an old man and returned to his hometown. Later, because his eldest grandson was involved in the Hu case, he was demoted to Maozhou and died in Kuizhou at the age of 72. Ming Wuzong pursued "Wen Xian", so he called it "Song Wenxian".
Both Song Lian and Liu Ji are famous for their prose creation, and they are called "the Sect of a Generation". His prose is either concise or graceful and elegant, each with its own characteristics. He admired Taige literature, and his style was honest and elegant, which provided a model for the literary creation of later "Taige style" writers. Most of his works were carved into seventy-five volumes of The Complete Works of Song and Shi Xue.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Preface to Dongyang Ma Sheng