How Easy Can It Be?

   

This was inspired by A Humble Dwelling.

峯不在高焉得擎天興雨 If peaks care not for heights, how can it support the sky and cause rains to fall? 
底非渊深安能游鯤潛閑 If bottoms are not abyss deep, how can the Leviathan¹ dive in leisure? 

鵬之廣翔乃空無疆限也 The roc² can soar far and wide is because heaven is unconstrained by boundaries. 

鰲頭獨佔何易之有? Alone upon the Dragon Fish’s head stood³… How easy can it be? 

寒窗十年桂折機茂 Ten years by the wintry window⁴, chances of breaking the osmanthus bough⁵ be greater.

琴樂醉生難翻丁身 A life of music and job can hardly turn a life of a mundane around. 
聖人之聖莫過萬卷之道 The wisdom of sages is no more than those of ten-thousand scrolls. 
以舟水石秤象賽為尊To weigh the elephant by boat, stone and water⁶ is the utmost wisdom. 

治國策非紙上兵 To govern a country, is not the same as soldiers on paper⁷. 

何易之談矣? Alas, how easy is it to talk of such things?

1. In Carefree Wanderings 逍遙遊 Chuang Tzu, mentioned a mythical fish of gigantic proportion that can be turned into a giant roc that can fly thousands of miles.  

2. The transformed mythical fish.

3. In imperial sculptures, this is a fish with a dragon's fish.  The Number One Scholar will stand before it before receiving imperial favours for passing first in the imperial examinations.  Hence, the extended meaning of being successful from scholastic endeavors.

4. A poor student studying so diligently that he had forgotten to close the window in winter.

5. It is believed that an immortal osmanthus grows by the lunar palace.  Whenever, a branch is chopped, it will immediately be replaced by another branch.  And when the entire tree is chopped down, the universe will end.  To break an osmanthus bough has the same meaning as 3.

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Chong

7.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Kuo

Wednesday, July 08, 2020