Chinese Fun Chinese Language - [. Collectible Edition]

Author: Liu Yuan / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
A Scholar's Sacrifice to a Chicken In ancient times, there was a scholar who was not particular about trivial matters and had a grand and unrestrained spirit. One day, he picked up a copy of Essays on Ancient Literature to read. When he reached Han Yu's Eulogy for My Twelve Younger Brothers from the Tang Dynasty, his tone suddenly turned somber and mournful:
"Alas! Though words may be exhausted, emotions cannot end! Do you know this, or do you not? Alas, how lamentable! Here, let the spirits feast!"
Suddenly, a sound of rooster crowing came from afar, and he remembered that he hadn't fed the chickens at home yet. Usually, when tired while reading, he would take joy in feeding the chickens to enjoy the pleasures of life. So, he closed the book and stepped out of his study. He casually grabbed a handful of rice and went to the courtyard in front of the house. Calling out a few times, he saw no trace of the chickens. After searching everywhere, he finally discovered that the chickens had died in the coop.
He picked up the chicken and examined it for a long time but couldn't figure out the cause of death. Then he thought, "Since the chickens have now reached paradise, they should be well-fed. Why bother over their death?" He immediately called his wife and asked her to cook the chicken for a drink.
By noon, the chicken was cooked, and its rich aroma made his mouth water. The scholar happily poured himself a cup and was about to pick up the chopsticks when he suddenly remembered that the chicken's death was mysterious. He should perform a ritual in its honor. After a moment of thought, he murmured the following words:
"The sound of its crowing was so melodious,
Yet death cannot be without burial.
With my belly as your coffin,
Alas, how lamentable! Bring me soy sauce!"
In the Eulogy for the Chicken, "jiāojiā" refers to the sound of the chicken crowing that he had heard while feeding it, vividly expressing his special bond with the chicken. "Alas, how lamentable!" combines an exclamation and a lament, conveying deep sorrow! "Bring me soy sauce!" shows his sudden joy. The contrast between grief and happiness fully depicts his absurd psychological state.
Ode to Porridge
In the Ming Dynasty, Jie Jin served as an official. During a period of frequent floods and droughts, the country suffered from famine. Jie Jin willingly lived in poverty and ate porridge, composing an Ode titled Reflections on Porridge. The poem goes:
"Rice and millet have failed to yield this year,
Yet they are still thick enough to cook into porridge.
Some say sweet potatoes are planted upside down,
But I say rice flows back and forth.
The pestle stirs in the hall, stirring up waves of wind,
Bringing the moon down to the courtyard, heavy as a hook.
No need for the bronze mirror in the morning,
For your features are clear enough in the light."
Zheng Banqiao's Poem on the Copper Teapot
After resigning from his official post, Zheng Banqiao went to an art and calligraphy shop in Yangzhou one day, where some scholars were drinking and enjoying themselves. He was thirsty and hungry. Seeing a copper teapot boiling over on a charcoal stove inside the room, he reached out to pour tea. Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from the elders among the scholars. One of them said, "New scholar, listen up. If you want tea, you must first compose a poem. Write a poem about the copper teapot in your hand. If your poem is good, I will not only give you tea but also drink with you."
As soon as the elder finished speaking, Zheng Banqiao smiled slightly and recited the following lines:
"Small mouth, big belly, high nose and ears,
Burning in the fire, a hero of valor.
A small capacity cannot hold great things,
Two or three inches of water creates waves."
The scholars were stunned upon hearing this. When they learned that the speaker was Zheng Banqiao, they all bowed in respect.
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