"Yong Meng Ying Surrounded by the Hearth at Night"

Author: (Qing) Zhang Chao, Zhu Xishou, Wang Yongbin / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Flowers cannot be seen falling, the moon cannot be seen sinking, beautiful women cannot be seen in their natural state. To plant flowers, one must see them bloom; to wait for the moon, one must see it full; to write books, one must see them completed; to appreciate a beautiful woman, one must see her at ease—only then is there substance; otherwise, it is all futile. Hui Shi had many skills and his books filled five carts, but Yu Qing wrote books out of hardship, yet none of them survive today. I do not know what they truly said. I have not seen the ancients, how can I not be resentful. To live on pine flowers as food, on pine nuts as fragrance, on pine branches as fly whisks, on pine shadows as screens, on pine wind as music—living in the mountains with over a hundred pine trees, truly an inexhaustible joy. The way to enjoy the moon: when it is bright, look up; when it is hazy, look down. Children, knowing nothing, cannot distinguish beauty or ugliness, cannot judge clarity or obscurity, cannot distinguish fragrance or stench. As for sweetness and bitterness in taste, not only do they know it, but they can also take it or discard it. Gao Zi said that the nature of a person is to enjoy sweet food and pleasant colors—perhaps this is what he meant? Things should not be rushed, but when reading, one must be diligent; things should not be greedy for, but when buying books, one must be greedy; things should not be foolish, but when doing good, one must be foolish. Wine can be enjoyed but not used to abuse the seat; beauty can be appreciated but not at the cost of life; wealth can be loved but not at the expense of conscience; anger can be controlled but not by going beyond reason. Literary fame can replace official rank, frugality can replace wealth, and tranquility can replace longevity. It is not only by reading their poetry and books that one becomes a friend of the ancients; even by admiring their calligraphy and paintings, one becomes a friend of the ancients. The most useless charity is feeding monks; the most useless poetry is writing birthday wishes. A beautiful concubine is not as good as a virtuous wife; wealth is not as good as a smooth life. To build a new temple is not as good as repairing an old one; to read new books is not as good as reviewing old ones.
P40-41