In Tang Bohu's unique and talented couplet, a philosophical picture unfolds in front of us: "Bamboo has no heart, but there are branches outside the festival." The next couplet of this couplet is even more sad. This concise and deep text seems to open a picture scroll full of Zen, outlining the impermanence of life and the twists and turns of fate.
In this contemplative topic, we will take a closer look at the artistic conception expressed in this couplet, and the philosophical implications of it. Bamboo has no heart, but there are branches, this simple description contains a profound philosophy of life, and people can't help but feel the impermanence of fate.
Perhaps, the picture presented by this couplet can trigger us to reflect on life, and let us feel a deep peace in the chaotic world. Follow me into this realm of reflection composed of bamboo shadows and mindlessness, and appreciate the Zen and philosophy in it.
At the age of 28, Tang Bohu won high school and became a popular figure at that time. This is undoubtedly a bright future for a young talent who has not yet reached the age of establishment. When he stood out in the examination room and ranked first, warm applause and congratulations rang out all around.
Compared with other candidates, Tang Bohu's articles are more fluent and his views are more broad, which shows that he has outstanding knowledge and cultivation. In that era of advocating the imperial examination, the champion undoubtedly represented a high degree of recognition of a person's knowledge, talent and future prospects.
For Tang Bohu, this is not only an honor, but also a responsibility. When he put on the posture of a champion in carbon black and stood at the top of the examination room to accept everyone's congratulations, he was excited and spontaneously had a sense of mission to share the country's worries. He thought that he would eventually have the opportunity to do something for the common people in the world through this honor. However, he is just an ordinary man after all, and after high school, Tang Bohu will also have his own troubles.
In the dead of night, he will also savor the shortness of life alone and grasp the unknown of the future. But every time he thought of the mountains and rivers of the motherland and the suffering of the people, he rekindled his determination to serve the country. It is with such belief and ambition that Tang Bohu went all out to prepare for the challenge of the examination in a year. He believes that the future will be brighter and broader.
When Tang Bohu came to the test site with confidence, he would not have thought that a sudden twist and turn would change his fate. On the eve of the examination, the Xu Jingke case broke out, which was a scandal that caused a sensation in the capital - there was collusion with the candidates to cheat.
At first, Tang Bohu was not directly involved. However, soon, it was pointed out that he had a close relationship with Xu Jing, the protagonist of the incident, and was an accomplice in the conspiracy to commit fraud. The appearance of this accusation made Tang Bohu realize that he was facing a grim situation. The fraud case involves a wide range of cases, and even if it is slightly implicated, it will face severe review and punishment.
What's more, his accusations are against the powerful, and it is not easy to get out. For a while, Tang Bohu only felt that his future was suddenly bleak, and he couldn't imagine that his career was ruined just because of an encounter with Xu Jing. In the ensuing investigation and interrogation, Tang Bohu repeatedly affirmed his innocence.
However, the rigid system of officialdom did not give him enough justice. In the end, although it could not be proved that he was indeed cheating, Tang Bohu still suffered imprisonment. In that cold and cramped cell, he began to reflect on life, officialdom and fate. He also gradually realizes that it is not easy to prove his innocence. In his life, I am afraid that there will be no chance of promotion.
After spending a long time in prison, Tang Bohu was finally released. At this time, he was already over thirty years old and in the prime of life. However, in the face of the destruction of his future, his heart is unusually calm. Perhaps because of a long period of solitude, he saw fame and fortune and things outside his body, and he lost his original vision and yearning for his career.
In life, how much can you get together? A poem written in prison expresses his thoughts when he left. Since his fate was already ill-fated, he was no longer limited to the imperial examination and officialdom, and decided to choose another path - to meet friends with literature and make a living by painting.
As a result, Tang Bohu began a long career of travel. He was far away from the Imperial City and came to the mountains and rivers, wanting to find another realm of life in the great rivers and mountains. More than 10 years have passed. Seeing him in a hurry, smiling and appearing among literati and writers from all over the world, who would have thought that he was the top high school champion who was once in the limelight.
During the long journey, Tang Bohu saw the beautiful scenery and thought of beautiful sentences, and saw beautiful women and thought of good words. He wrote a large number of poems and songs, which reveal his various perceptions of life, destiny and emotions. Some of his works realistically reflect what he sees and hears in front of him, and the scenery is flourishing; Some are integrated into the metaphors and sustenance of his personal fate, revealing helplessness and sighs between the lines.
These years of wandering life have made Tang Bohu see too many situations in the world. He has seen through power and glory, and he has forgotten about fame and fortune. Instead, there is an indifference, a yearning for the landscape and pastoral, and a heart that longs to find spiritual sustenance in art.
Although he no longer had any hope of ascending to the court, he found the satisfaction of being a spectator, recorder and even commentator. It is precisely because he has let go of fame and fortune that Tang Bohu has become more unrestrained and excited in writing and creation.
The scenery in his pen shows a purer beauty because it has shed the decadence and loss of fame; And his feelings also revealed a profound philosophy after purification. It can be said that it was during this period that Tang Bohu's poetry and writing reached a higher level.
If writing is where Tang Bohu's spiritual home lies, then the brush is the link between him and the world. In his travelling life, painting provided him with economic **, and also achieved his artistic attainments. His landscape sketches were highly sought after by literati and scholars, and this maintained his unworldly state of life.
However, his wandering life throughout his life also made Tang Bohu feel lonely. Although he has made some achievements in literature and painting, every time he is alone in a room, he still inevitably feels a little emotional. He had to admit that Qingyun was hopeless in the end, and his ambition was difficult to reward. "Takemoto has no heart, but there are extraneous branches", this poem expresses his lament for the impermanence of fate.
Life is like morning dew, fleeting. When Tang Bohu remembers the title of the gold list in that year's old age, he will inevitably recall the unruly study life of the year; When he was faced with the unfulfilled ambition of the white head, he could only sigh helplessly, and the impermanence of life and the tricks of fate were the same. A passion is nothing but a bookish spirit; The ups and downs of life are nothing more than the impermanence of fate.
After a long time, Tang Bohu is not alone. It's just that on the road of feelings, he also fluctuated, and in the end it was difficult to get his wish. During his travels, Tang Bohu met a talented woman with both talent and appearance, and the two fell in love at first sight and soon entered the auditorium.
However, the good times were short-lived. Due to the huge difference in family background and social status, the life of the two after marriage was not satisfactory, and their relationship eventually broke down. "The falling flowers are intentional, how can you know that they are as thin as water", this famous sentence expresses Tang Bohu's helplessness and sigh about the final direction of this relationship. The face is thin, the love in the world is as deep as the sea is dry and rotten, and it is just empty in the end.
This emotional frustration deepened Tang Bohu's loneliness and pessimism in his later years. Life is like a walking corpse, and he no longer has anything to seek. In front of a handful of bosom friends, he occasionally mentions this magnificent life of achievements and regrets. For most people, he's just a weird old man wandering the world.
In the long years, Tang Bohu has never stopped his writing and creation. Until he was old, in the face of the little time left, he still raised his pen every day and expressed what he thought, saw and felt. He no longer has ambitions, no longer has aspirations, he is just recording, reminiscing, and paying tribute to the old moon that has come and gone from south to north.
Hurry up and make life like a dream. When he came to the end of his life, looking back on the way he came, today's successful champion has been dimmed; Once-fervent marriages were shattered; The long years of writing and creation have also become water and moon in the mirror. Only the world in front of you, this floating cloud, is still truly reflected in the pupils. No matter what, the coming day is long, and there is no obstacle.
He was once a scholar, but he was involved by fate; He had no intention of planting flowers, but the flowers did not bear fruit. Qingyun is confused after all, and his ambition is difficult to pay for a lifetime. Is the high school champion of the year still there? The talented lovers of the year are looking forward to? He has no way of knowing, only the ups and downs of his life, and finally his life will be dull.