In that era of prosperity and simplicity, some people rode mighty high-headed horses and galloped on the thoroughfare, showing their majesty and heroism. Some people choose to ride a donkey and stroll leisurely on the country road, enjoying the tranquility and indifference. This is not only a life choice, but also an inner orientation.
Those who ride tall horses may be those who chase fame and fortune, who desire to be distinguished in front of others, and who are eager to be praised and envied by others. And donkey riders are those who understand the true meaning of life, and they do not pursue external glitz, but inner peace and contentment.
In this world, everyone has their own choices and their own path to follow. Some people choose bustling avenues, others choose quiet paths. But in any case, we must understand that the value of life is not how much you have, but whether you really know how to cherish it.
Looking back at those Danchai Han, although they are at the bottom, their lives are full of truth and meaning. They exchange their hard work for the necessities of life, and they water the fields of life with their sweat. Their lives are hard, but they are full of hopes and dreams.
And those who ride tall horses, although they are glamorous on the outside, may be full of emptiness and confusion on the inside. They may have the prosperity of the world, but they have lost their inner peace and truth.
No matter what lifestyle we choose, keep a grateful heart. Be grateful for everything in life and cherish what you have. Don't be fooled by the external prosperity, and always keep your inner peace and sobriety. Because the true meaning of life is not how much you have, but whether you really know how to cherish and be grateful.
Others ride big horses,
I rode alone on a donkey.
Looking back on Dan Chai Han,
The heart is more subordinate.
This poem from the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Fanzhi's "Others Ride a Big Horse" depicts a different philosophy of life.
First of all, the poem "others ride big horses, I ride donkeys alone" conveys a life attitude of no quarrel with the world and self-satisfaction. Here, the poet does not envy others riding mighty horses, but is content with his own life, even if it is only on an ordinary donkey. This shows that true happiness does not lie in external recognition or material abundance, but in inner peace and recognition of self-worth.
Secondly, "Looking back on Dan Chai Han, my heart is more serious" shows the poet's sense of balance. He saw that the people who carried firewood, although their lives were hard, did not feel hopeless or self-pity because of it. On the contrary, he found a balance between the fact that although he was riding a donkey, at least he had a donkey to ride, and that he was in better condition than those who carried firewood. What is conveyed here is a state of mind of contentment, more than what is lacking than what is below.
Overall, the poem embodies the importance of self-awareness, inner peace, and contentment in life. Everyone has their own way of life and values, and it is not necessary to envy others too much, but to cherish what they have and find inner peace and contentment. At the same time, it is also necessary to have a sense of balance, not to despair because of the hardships of life, but to find the positive side in it and see the good side of life. Such a life is a truly meaningful and happy life.
Wang Fanzhi was a vernacular poet monk in the early Tang Dynasty, formerly known as Brahma, whose year of birth and death, character, number, and family history are unknown, and it is speculated that he lived from the end of the sixth century to the middle and late seventh century, and died at the age of more than 80. He was a living person from the end of the Sui Dynasty to the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, and according to the records of "Guiyuan Cong Tan" and "Taiping Guangji", he was born in the Sui Dynasty and was discovered and adopted by Wang Dezu, a native of the east of Liyang City, from a dead tree.
When he was young, he had slaves and maids in his family, lived a rich and leisurely life, and read Confucian classics and poetry books. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the war was chaotic, and the family road was in decline, and only 10 acres of thin fields remained. In order to make a living for his family, he was busy farming, and he went out to do business in his spare time. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, heavy taxes and natural disasters forced Fanzhi's family property to ruin, so that he was impoverished and forced to work as a hired hand and helper.
Wang Fanzhi's poems are mainly reasoning and argumentation, mostly based on Buddhist teachings to exhort people to do good and stop evil, to satirize and ridicule the world and human feelings, and to occasionally involve social problems. Most of the works are negative in thought and not high in style. The language is shallow, popular and humorous, and often alludes to the philosophy of life between ridicule and banter. It is relatively rough in art, but it has certain reference value for understanding the society of the early Tang Dynasty and studying the development of vernacular poetry. His poems had a certain impact on the elegant and beautiful poetic style that prevailed in the early Tang Dynasty.
Wang Fanzhi's original collection is gone. There is a compilation of "Wang Fanzhi's Poetry Proofreading", which contains 348 poems.