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1.Lin Yutang designated authorized commemorative collector's edition.
2.Have a fully licensed version.
3.A generation of masters of Chinese studies, a Chinese writer who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, and a humorous and wise pen in the Chinese literary world.
Introduction
This book is a biography, telling the story of Su Dongpo as an optimist with an unchangeable temperament, a compassionate moralist, a prose writer, a painter of the new school, a great calligrapher, an experimenter in winemaking, an engineer, an opponent of false Taoism, a practitioner of yoga, a Buddhist, a scholar, a secretary to the emperor, a drunkard, a compassionate judge, a political opinion, a rambler under the moon, a poet, and a witty and joking person. tells the whole story of Su Dongpo from all aspects. The content of this book is detailed and lush, and it is worth collecting by readers.
About the Author
Lin Yutang (1895-1976) was a master of Chinese studies and a Chinese writer who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature many times. He is the author of "The Art of Living", "My Country and My People", "Jinghua Smoke and Clouds", etc., and has translated the philosophy of Confucius and Mencius Laozhuang and the literary works of Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, Su Dongpo, Cao Xueqin and others overseas.
Wonderful book review
Su Dongpo was an optimist with an unchangeable temperament, a moralist who was compassionate to the heavens and people, a good friend of the Li people, a prose writer, a painter of the new school, a great calligrapher, an experimenter in winemaking, an engineer, an opponent of false Taoism, a practitioner of yoga, a Buddhist, a scholar, a secretary to the emperor, a drinker, a compassionate judge, a political opinion, a rambler under the moon, a poet, and a witty and joking by nature. But these may not be enough to paint a complete picture of Su Dongpo. If I say that the mention of Su Dongpo will always cause people to smile with affection and admiration in China, maybe this sentence can sum up everything about Su Dongpo. Su Dongpo's character has the profound, broad, and witty nature of a versatile genius, a high degree of intelligence, and an innocent heart - as Jesus said, with the wisdom of a snake and the gentleness and generosity of a dove, in these aspects of Su Dongpo, other poets cannot match. The combination of these qualities is rare and rare in heaven and earth. And Su Dongpo is such a person!
Lin Yutang. Table of Contents
Original order. Volume 1: Childhood and Youth.
Song Renzong Jingyu 3rd year to Jiayou 6th year.
1 36—1 61).
Chapter 1 Wen Zhonggong.
Chapter 2 Meishan.
Chapter 3: Childhood and Youth.
Chapter 4 Examination.
Chapter 5: The Father and the Son.
Volume 2 The Prime of Life.
Song Renzong Jiayou seven years to Shenzong Yuanfeng two years.
162—179).
Chapter 6: Gods, Ghosts, and Humans.
Chapter VII: Wang Anshi's Reform.
Chapter 8 Mischief.
Chapter 9: Man's Wicked Deeds.
Chapter 10: Two Brothers.
Chapter 11 Poets, Prostitutes, and Monks.
Chapter 12: Anti-Riot Poems.
Chapter 13: The Yellow Building.
Chapter XIV: Arrest and Trial.
Volume 3 Sophisticated.
The third year of Shenzong Yuanfeng to the eighth year of Zhezong Yuanyu.
18-193).
Chapter 15 The Dongpo Layman.
Chapter 16 Chibi Fu.
Chapter 17: Yoga and Alchemy.
Chapter 18: Wandering the World.
Chapter 19: The Queen Mother's Grace.
Chapter 20 Chinese Painting.
Chapter 21: The Way of Humility.
Chapter 22 Engineering and Disaster Relief.
Chapter 23: Friends of the People.
Volume 4 The Years of Exile.
Zhezong Shaosheng first year to Huizong Jianzhong Yasukuni first year.
194-111).
Chapter 24: The Second Degree**.
Chapter 25: The Lingnan Exile.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Immortal Dwelling.
Chapter XXVII.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The End.
Appendix I Chronology.
Appendix 2 Bibliography and Information**.
Wonderful book excerpts
It is not difficult to understand a person who has been dead for a thousand years. Think about it, it is usually too little to know about the people who live in the same city as us, or the life of a mayor, but it is not always easier to understand an ancient person. On the other hand, the life of a person who is still alive today is not over, and no one knows what he will do if a crisis comes. Drunkards quit drinking and reform themselves; The saints in the church will fall; The priest would elope with the choir maidens ......There are always many possible changes for those who are alive. Also, the living man always has some secrets, and the best of his secrets are often revealed long after he has been dead. That's why it's so hard to comment on our own contemporaries because their lives are so close to us. When it comes to a poet who has passed away, such as Su Dongpo, the situation is different. I have read his notes, his 700 poems, and his 800 personal letters. So knowing a person, or not knowing a person, has nothing to do with whether he is a contemporary. The main thing is whether or not there is a sympathetic understanding of him. At the end of the day, we can only know who we really know, and we can only know exactly who we really love. I think I know Su Dongpo completely, because I know him; I know him because I love him. Which poet I like is entirely out of a fetish. I think Li Bai is more sublime, and Du Fu is even greater—even greater in the freshness, naturalness, ingenuity, and compassion of his great poetry. But there is no need to apologize, with all due respect, my favorite poet is Su Dongpo.
Preface Preamble
Preface. I didn't write Su Dongpo's biography for any particular reason, I just took pleasure in it. The idea of writing a biography of him has been in my heart for years. When my family went to the United States in 1936, in addition to a few carefully printed basic Chinese reference books, I also brought some rare books about Su Dongpo and Su Dongpo's writings. At that time, I wanted to write a book about Su Dongpo or translate some of his poems, and even if I couldn't do that, I would like to have him by my side when I live abroad. Like Su Dongpo, who is so creative, so upright, so uninhibited, such a superlative and unattainable Coat, with his works on the shelves, it makes people feel that they have rich spiritual food. It would be a great pleasure for me to devote myself to writing this biography of him now, but what other reason is needed?
People who are full of vitality are always difficult to understand. A character like Su Dongpo is indispensable in the world. Explanations of the character of such a person are, in general, always futile. In a man of many talents and a colourful life, it is easy to pick out some of his beloved traits. We have to say that Su Dongpo was an optimist with an unchangeable temperament, a moralist who was compassionate to the heavens and people, a good friend of the Li people, a prose writer, a painter of the new school, a great calligrapher, an experimenter in winemaking, an engineer, an opponent of false Taoism, a practitioner of yoga, a Buddhist, a scholar, a secretary to the emperor, a drinker, a compassionate judge, a political opinionator, a rambler under the moon, a poet, and a witty person by nature. But these may not be enough to paint a complete picture of Su Dongpo. If I say that the mention of Su Dongpo will always cause people to smile with affection and admiration in China, perhaps this sentence best sums up everything about Su Dongpo. Su Dongpo's character has the profound, broad, and witty nature of a versatile genius, a high degree of intelligence, and an innocent heart - as Jesus said, with the wisdom of a snake and the gentleness and generosity of a dove, in these aspects of Su Dongpo, other poets cannot match. The combination of these qualities is rare and rare in heaven and earth. And Su Dongpo is such a person! He remained innocent and simple, and remained unswerving throughout his life. Political intrigue and scheming are incompatible with his character: his poems and articles, or improvisational works, or feelings from time to time when he is dissatisfied, are all naturally expressed, according to nature, fierce and intense, just as he said "the sound of spring birds and autumn insects": it is not impossible to compare with his poems: "The ape and crane have no intention, and they do not know that there are pedestrians below." "He has always been caught up in the political whirlpool, but he has risen above the politics of the dog and fly camp. He does not ask for anything, he recites poems anytime and anywhere, criticizes Zang or not, and purely expresses what he feels in his heart, and ignores all the consequences and what interests he has with himself. For this reason, to this day, readers still enjoy reading his works, because people like him are always concerned about the world, and they are always straightforward and not secretive. His works reveal his true nature, both solemn and harmonious, vivid and powerful, although it needs to be different depending on the situation, but it is all sincere and sincere, and completely from the heart. There is no other reason for his writing than to enjoy himself, and there is no other reason for us to read his poems today, just because he writes so beautifully, so vigorously and simply, and every word flows from a pure heart.
Su Dongpo's life experience is fundamentally a natural expression of his nature. Metaphysically, he was a Buddhist, and he knew that life was the instantaneous manifestation of something, the form in which the eternal spirit existed in the shell of an instant, but he refused to accept that life was a burden, a suffering—he thought it was not true. As for him, he enjoys every moment of his life. In metaphysics, he is a Hindu thinker: but in temperament, he is an authentic Chinese. From the negative life of Buddhism, the positive life of Confucianism, and the simplified life of Taoism, the poet produced his mixed outlook on life in spiritual insight. The longest life is only 36,000 days, but that is long enough: even if his pursuit of immortality elixir comes to naught, every moment of his life, as long as it continues, will be beautiful and gratifying. Although his body will die, his spirit will become a star in the sky and a river on the earth in the next life, which can shine and illuminate, nourish and nourish, and thus sustain all living beings. In this life, he is just a particle that appears eternally in an instant, which particle is he, and what does it matter? So life is immortal and beautiful after all, so he enjoys life to the fullest. This is the mysterious side of this ancient genius optimist.
There are no footnotes in the main body of the book, but the verifiable information has been carefully quoted and the original sentences have been used as much as possible, but the use of such information is not obvious on the surface. Since the footnotes are all in Chinese, the footnotes for reference are not practical for most American readers. Materials** Available in bibliography after book search. In order to avoid readers falling into the trouble of complicated Chinese names, I have tried to eliminate the names of unimportant people, sometimes using only surnames and omitting their names. In addition, only one name is used before and after the person, because the Chinese literati have four or five names. Some of the poems quoted in the original text are translated into English poems, and some are strange and not like poems after being translated into English poems because of allusions in the sentences.
Lin Yutang.