Zhang Hougan Tao Wenpeng I have been in contact with Mr. Zhang Zhongxing for many years, and I often listen to him talk about poetry, papers, society, and life.His tone is not high, but his strength of character and wisdom are always refreshing and enlightening for future students.He is easy-going by nature and likes to make friends with younger generations. He eats one or two pots, which makes us forget the years, and affectionately calls him "Xinggong". Xinggong was born in Wushen, Guangxu, Qing Dynasty, and he was eighty-two years old.The reasoning is clear, powerful, quick and quick, without any delay. The former is due to the imported methodology, and the latter is due to the localized Zen. ——Indifference to fame and fame, common clothes and shoes, less worry about coming and going; in my heart, under my pen, there is a small "private land", where I can work hard and be self-sufficient.

Society is progressing, and life is always getting better and better.Xinggong is a poor man, half his life is rough, but his evening scene is clear; it is still an old habit, neither humble nor overbearing, neither deceiving the world, nor kitsch.He lived a detached and full life, with gusto.Bow your head and study.When writing, look up at the stars, the moon and the wind and clouds.In my spare time, I practice calligraphy, play with the inkstone, and meet friends.The requirements for three meals a day are not high, and sometimes drinking a few sips of old wine is a joy.Daily life is orderly, the rhythm is not too fast or slow, which is not only beneficial to health preservation, but also sees results.In the past ten years, he has written more than ten books.His poems express his aspirations, and his writing also expresses his aspirations.

Composition is closely related to being a person. The ancients said that being a person is straight, and being gentle is expensive.This is how Xinggong practiced.He has the temperament of a poet and a philosopher, has a compassionate heart, pursues sincerity, values ​​friendship, distinguishes truth from falsehood, and has repeatedly said that "patriotism is not behind others."Watching TV, I like the animal world; when encountering a wonderful football game, even if it is played at midnight, I will be busy at that time.This, perhaps, is the character of Xinggong.He advocated a plain and natural style of writing, and opposed stereotyped, sermon, embroidery, and smoke.The flavor of his writing is like olives, chewed slowly, there should be endless aftertaste;In fact, he has used great efforts without being noticed by the readers: his feelings, intentions, and even a thorough understanding of life are deeply hidden in the roots.Reading Xinggong's books should not be like reading martial arts novels, just looking at ten lines at a glance, just for fun, otherwise you will be disappointed.

-------- ① Stereotyped air, using empty words, big words, and false words to promote established principles.The sermon is airy, the writing is upright, and "must be pointed out" or "should be kept in mind" comes out every few sentences, showing that I am the only one who is correct.Embroidery style, many adjectives, twists and turns, showing twists and turns, with colors but no bones.Smoky, infrequently used terms and words with unclear and specific meanings, first seek as many as possible, and then embed them in lengthy and uneven sentences. no clear meaning). (See "Dushu" magazine in November 1989: "Mr. Feng, the mountain is high and the water is long").

The world praises people's wealth of knowledge, and some people say that "the ones in the sky know half, and the ones on the earth know everything", that is a joke.Xinggong lived a long life and claimed to be "a citizen of the six generations". He fully enjoyed the gift of life, experienced the vicissitudes of society, and worked hard all his life.He has integrated the words of hundreds of schools of classics and history, read ancient and modern Chinese and foreign books, and has extensive knowledge in Jinshi calligraphy and painting.For example, he is very familiar with the inscriptions of the past dynasties; he has published articles on Zhouyi; He has read the multi-volume collections of Einstein's essays; Russell's philosophy, he has read the main English original works; foot binding, wearing high heels, he can connect with Allix's research on sexual psychology, and the analysis is so logical and serious, and so on.Known as miscellaneous.From a certain point of view, it may not be the case.However, he is more specialized in Chinese, Chinese classics, and philosophy of life, as evidenced by several monographs. "Poetry Reading and Writing Conghua" was printed, and another monograph came out.Xinggong said that "Poetry Reading and Writing Conghua" was written with reluctance to repay the debt.This is a humble word, but in fact he is more than capable.After reading it, I know that this new book embodies his long-term research on poetry.He "disclosed" his own experience and even tricks, making this introductory reading a masterpiece with rich connotations, unique insights, full of interest, both theoretical and practical, popularized and improved.

China is a great country of poetry, and Chinese people have been deeply influenced by poetry since ancient times.Tang poems and Song lyrics have been recited throughout the ages and are well-known to every household.However, if you want to ask what is poetry and what are the characteristics and functions of poetry, I am afraid that many people will find it hard to say.The opening chapter of this book, "If you have a broom at home, you can enjoy a thousand gold", starts from this most basic question.Xing Gong first discussed that language is a tool for people to express their emotions, and then analyzed layer by layer, and finally came to the conclusion naturally: Poetry is a skillful hand that "expresses subtle emotions" with refined and musical language.This definition is wonderful and captures the "soul" of poetry.So, what is the relationship between emotion and poetry?He said that the poetic landscape is "painted" to express subtle feelings.And once it is painted, the erratic and vague poetic scene is fixed, clear and pure.The realms experienced in life are mainly reality, dreams and poetic realms.The poetic realm is farther away from the real realm, and closer to the dream realm.But it is quite different from a dream. "First of all, the artistic conception of poetry is created by people, not dreams. Second, because it is created by people, it can do whatever you want, take what is comfortable, and let go of what is not. Dreams are not. For example, if you don't want to lose something you love, but But the dream was lost. Third, the artistic conception of the poem is organized after selection, so it is concise and clear; we don’t know how the dream is composed, we only know that it is often blurred. Fourth, we know the artistic conception of the poem Great role,... If there is no poetic artistic conception, life will at least be much more boring, right? Dreams also play a role, but we don’t feel it, so it’s dispensable. In this way, we are not trying to define the poetic artistic conception. It cannot be said to be a 'dream of reality'." Who said that poetry is difficult to interpret?Xinggong made it clear here.

Xinggong has such a superb ability.He analyzes difficult and profound issues, is good at turning difficult into easy, and turning deep into shallow, just like a butcher solving an ox. "Sound" gives people the pleasure of "it's almost as easy as it can be".The fourth lecture of this book, "The scope of poetry is broad, and the words of words are long", talks about the division of poetry in form and spirit.The problem is not simple.The proposition put forward by Wang Guowei in the book has been explained by many experts in poetry research, but it seems that they have not made it clear.Xinggong talked about the difference between poetry and Ci from the aspects of language, rhythm, mood, and artistic conception. He not only affirmed their respective characteristics and are suitable for division of labor, but also explained that the two can be transformed and how to treat this transformation.He used Peking Opera as a metaphor, saying: "Poetry comes from the mouth of Shengjiao, so the environment is wide, and it can be used in officialdom and battlefield; words come from the mouth of Danjiao (also limited to Zhengdan, Guimendan and Huadan), so It's a long story, always talking about worrying and powdering in and out of the boudoir." "Ci has the ability to express tenderness and resignation, but it's okay to be bold.... If you have great skills, it's like Mei Lanfang. Although she often plays the concubine Yu, she can also play the role of the overlord of Chu." "However, we have to admit that our job and cross-dressing are not the same thing after all. To put it bluntly, words, in terms of artistic conception, there are indeed positive and negative changes: seventeen or eighteen girls sing "Yangliuan Xiaofengwanyue" with red teeth 'It's positive, and the big man in Kansai singing 'The Great River is Going East' is a change." In the end, it can be summed up: Poetry is strong, Ci is soft; Wide, long words.Xinggong did not publish a long speech, but he explained the characteristics of the poems, the history of the same origin and different streams, and their intricate relationship, clearly, vividly and interestingly, which made people suddenly enlightened and comprehended.This ability to explain the profound things in simple terms comes from his in-depth research on poetry and his diligent creation practice.

-------- ②Xinggong has an idle seal, which is called "the people of the six generations".Six generations, that is, the late Qing period, the period of the Beiyang warlords, the period of the National Government, the period of Japanese occupation, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China.Indicates that it has been a long time. When it comes to reading poems and words, Xinggong patiently guides the way.For example, he carefully pointed out which writers' works and related poems and words should be read, what to read first, and what to read next, and taught reading methods, and carefully described the learning and practice procedures from understanding to in-depth and then to imitation.He said that when reading poetry, the most important thing is to arouse poetic emotions through the lines and their meanings, and to enter the poetic realm. "The highest requirement is to transform the realm." Skills, read poems as acrobatics, and avoid deliberately probing the subtleties and making mistakes.For some incomprehensible poems, Xing Gongzhu Zhang used Tao Yuanming's method of "not seeking a deep understanding" in order to obtain the context.It is not necessary to seek a deep understanding, at least it may not be helpful to the transformation of the environment.He cited Li Shangyin's "Jinse" as an example.This poem is the most difficult to understand, and it is recognized by people.There are no less than dozens of scholars who have interpreted this poem in ancient and modern times, but these scholars and experts have used the persistent method to find a solution and would rather drill down and attach it, resulting in different opinions in the form of guessing puzzles, and they cannot agree on what to do.Xing Gong's "do not ask for a deep understanding" method test explanation: "'Jinse has fifty strings for no reason, one string and one column think about the year of Huanian', it has been half a hundred years in a flash, and looking back at that year, it is hard to say. I used to have dreams, and lovesickness. "The bright moon in the sea has tears, and the sun in the blue sky is warm and the jade is full of smoke." But dreams and thoughts are all shattered, and the only thing left is tears and confusion. "This feeling can be remembered, but it was lost at the time.", Looking back now, the old love is unforgettable, but everything is like a lifetime away." This is a wonderful solution that melts the poetic realm, which is amazing.Xinggong feels the poet's poetic feelings with ordinary people's poetic feelings, and discovers the poet's poetic heart with his own poetic heart, so the explanation is so natural, kind and clear.In our opinion, this kind of "not seeking a deep understanding" is a hundred times more brilliant than all kinds of grand theories and profound discussions that fragment the artistic conception of the poem after vigorous research.He said: "Poetry takes 'emotion' as its bone marrow, so writing should be based on emotion, and reading should end with emotion; leaving emotion and wandering in other places, at least for the sake of saving, it is best not to write or read." It's the words of an insider.

In this book, Xing Gong gives a broad outline of the 3000-year history of poetry evolution.His evaluation of the works of ancient poets and poets is concise and to the point, sparkling with sparks of wisdom. A few words are like the finishing touch, full of air.Speaking, he said that the best works that can withstand repeated chanting are chapters such as "Qin Feng·Jian Jia".Indeed, such as "the so-called Iraqis are on the side of the water", "traveling back from it, they are in the middle of the water", where is the beauty?It is conceivable but unattainable, leaving people with imagination and aftertaste, which is the acme of poetry.Talking about "Chu Ci", he said that it uses "describing and exaggerating techniques to describe the imaginary blurred and imaginary state, and the poetic flavor is stronger", "In "Mrs. Yu, the autumn wind curls up, the waves of Dongting come under the leaves', it is so beautifully written, it cannot but be said to be a good poem." Talking about Yuefu poems, it is said that its feelings are sincere, the language is simple and natural, and it does not have the pretentiousness of literati poetry.Yes, Xinggong has the highest evaluation.It is said that it "writes the situation and various feelings of ordinary people, using a straightforward pen, deep and not exaggerated, but can see movement in the quiet, thick in the light, and eternity in the homely."He especially praised its "thickness", its affection, flavor and language.Considered a masterpiece.Because it is as gentle and gentle as Tao's poems, it still tastes of "knowledge" after reading it, but simple and honest to the realm of "ignorance", this is something that literati poetry can't catch up with anyway.Tao Yuanming's poems were placed in the highest position among literati poems by Xinggong.He said: "Tao poetry has a high artistic conception, such as Meng Haoran and Wang Wei tried hard to catch up, but they couldn't catch up...there is no simplicity and taste. It is an exaggeration to say that this is talent plus time, and you can't learn it. Positively speaking, Tao poetry is Written by people who do not lose their innocence, they are so simple, sincere, and natural, not only lacking in benefits, but also lacking in rhetorical skills. The so-called ingenuity is as clumsy as it is." He compared Li Du's poems and said: "Li, Du, Poetry styles are different, Li is elegant and Du is thick, elegant and difficult to learn, if the focus is on learning, you should read Du more. Also, Li is good at ancient style, Du is good at law, whether you appreciate or learn to write, each has its own emphasis." In the daily chat He admired Du's poems most, such as "a group of chickens are screaming, and the guests come to fight with the chickens", and "the candles are held at the end of the night, and relatives are like dreams", which are amazing strokes.Some people may not necessarily agree with these comments of Xinggong, but no one can deny that this is his unique understanding gained from long-term chanting and cultivation, which is enough to arouse people's interest in deep thinking and research.

This book uses more space to guide beginners to "write".Xinggong not only described in detail the rhythm of ancient style poems, modern style poems (modern style poems) and words, taught people how to rhyme, how to couple, how to use diction, but also told readers how to distinguish ancient and modern sounds, pay attention to the key "rhyme" word, how to Maintain and develop one's own "favorite" strengths, and so on.The book more quintessentially describes a series of relationships that must be correctly dealt with in the writing process: such as old rhyme and new rhyme, ancient style and modern style, obfuscated characters and obtrusive styles, rhyme and duality, affection and style selection, poetic language and allusions , keeping the law and adapting, catching shadows and drawing shadows, diligence and prudence, etc., Xinggong analyzes the above-mentioned contradictions, not only grasping the main aspects of the contradictions, but also not ignoring the secondary aspects of the contradictions, and speaking comprehensively and dialectically. There are theories and examples, one by one to teach people the method of specific operation.

In the section "Laying the Foundation", it is pointed out that "true, thick, and upright feelings (preferably ignorance) are the capital for trying to write poetry."What is "righteousness"?He explained that it is "attachment to the love of life".This persistence is manifested in loving one's own life, and also loving at least the lives of sympathizing with others.The general requirement is that the enrichment and improvement of life, the realistic and the ideal, all become something that conforms to the principle of goodness and beauty, or something that cannot be dreamed of.On the contrary, such as love of power, love of money, develops into jealousy, hatred, adding insult to injury, no family connection, is also love, because it is not righteous, it must be excluded from poetry.Here, Xinggong speaks upright, with bones and flesh, without ambiguity. In the section "Catching Shadows and Painting Shadows", he talked about the creation method of poetic images. He said that "poetry is the finalization of emotion".Affection is invisible, silent, and often blurred. If you want to preserve or pass it on to others, you must use language to shape it, that is, to make it tangible, vocal, and clear.He also said that there are various ways to write about love, you can write directly or indirectly: direct writing, you can speak out loudly, or you can understate; .No matter what method you use, you must "catch the shadow", that is, try to catch the affection.The result of the capture seems to be that the shape is uncertain and the volume is not enough, but I still want to write, so I have to add some or even not a little "painting".How to catch?Xinggong pointed out to readers the level of catching shadows from shallow to deep: "At the beginning, you can only catch it in your heart. Feeling, overweight, can't do it, what can be done can only be understanding, that is, identifying it, paying attention to it, hoping It: 1. Walk slowly. 2. Have a certain direction, that is, it is easy to enter poetry. This identification, this emphasis, this hope, is a shallow grasp. Deep is to use language and words, that is, to really enter poetry. When you step into it, it will not be fleeting. Strictly speaking, this is the real grasp.” He also told beginners that to capture shadows, you can use methods of confirmation and repair, or you can steal tricks from ancient works. The more common way is to use ethereal techniques to capture, which is to use the language of scenery and love, or first "determine the nature of love" and then find a suitable one. Fill the bottle."And "Huiying" is exaggeration, addition, modification, transformation, breaking the rules, in a word, it is a big make-up, in order to distance itself from reality and change the reality of life into the reality of art.Finally, he earnestly warned beginners that "painting" can get off the track and steal tricks, but they still have to "observe the great Buddhist precepts and not lie. If you are ruthless, you are lying, and you are lying when you are here."What's more rare is that most of the methods of catching shadows and painting shadows in Xinggong are based on personal experience, and they are explained in detail with examples of their own creation and modification.In the "make do" section, almost all of them take their own writing situations as examples, such as how to use "spiritual ideas" in various links such as rhyme, leveling, antithesis, allusion, subrhyme, collection of sentences, word selection, title, layout, etc. "And the tricks of "making do" into the article are all revealed, and the golden needle is used to save people, which really moves and respects people. The book "Poetry Reading and Writing Conghua" is written clearly, lightly, and simple Profound in the middle, wisdom in the humor, and meticulous in the free and easy, which shows that the public is insightful in the world, sophisticated in human feelings, and profound in knowledge.It can also be seen that he is good at setting examples.He often uses metaphors of ordinary things to express profound poetic principles vividly and kindly.For example, in the last lecture "Diligence and Caution", Xing Gong emphasized that when writing poems, we should pay attention to maintaining the old form and quality, saying: "For example, if you use a bottle to store drinks, if you get tired of the traditional sour plum soup, you can modify Coca-Cola. As for breaking the bottle , then there is no need.” Then, he quoted Mr. Yang Xianyi’s "Self-Title" poem and Mr. Qi Gong's "Qinyuanchun Self-report" poem, saying, "The artistic conception and language of the two poems are very different from those of the past. It was sour plum soup replaced by Coca-Cola; but the bottle has not been changed, and the rhythm is still strictly followed by the people of Tang and Song Dynasties, without any ambiguity. ... Poems, called the perfect rhythm, words, and marked with a certain tune, are of course all old. Old and old Shape and quality, such as Mencius's hair and crown, and his insatiable words of benevolence and righteousness, if it is replaced by a suit and leather shoes, and he is full of karaoke, is it still Mencius?" It can be said to be very clever and funny.It is a wonderful enjoyment to read such reasoning texts. "A man of benevolence and righteousness, his words are as kind as he is", so believable! There is also an appendix to this book, which is a self-selected poem "Speaking of Dream Grass".The name is "Shuomeng", which is quite intriguing.Xinggong explained: "This is derived from the idiom 'an idiot talks about dreams'. There are dreams and idiots in it. Ignorance is the root cause, and dreams are the manifestation." We are at home.Dreams are, of course, fantasies, unfulfilled hopes.But since there are dreams, there are also fantasies and hopes, so they are precious and worth preserving.We think that all those who have not completely lost their fantasy and hope will resonate with telepathy when they read such works expressing fantasy and hope.These works are almost all the sorrows and joys of Xinggong's own body, and his own feelings, "although they are trivial, they are not adulterated for the sake of timeliness."There is true love in the world, which is really precious.This inspires beginners to put their true feelings into poetry and have a pure heart.Otherwise, if you go home to bake sweet potatoes or sell watermelons in the alley, why bother writing poems and lyrics?Judging from the writing method, Xinggong has some subtle and complicated feelings in his heart. The way of writing.Resentment is not angry, sorrow is not hurt, and the foundation of "gentleness and honesty" is not lost. This is the traditional Confucian poetry teaching, but this style of poetry can avoid violent anger, perverseness and sentimentality in today's society. Society is beneficial but not harmful, and it seems necessary to inherit and develop it.Xinggong's works are rich and varied in genre and style.As far as poetry is concerned, there are ancient style poems (including five ancient and seven ancient poems), modern style poems (including five and seven rhymes), sub-rhymes, and collection of sentences; It is more of a graceful work: it can be used for beginners to learn and learn from various aspects.Generally speaking, when people write poetry today, they mostly write or only write modern style poems, rarely write ancient style poems, mostly bold and unrestrained words, and seldom write graceful words.If we want to talk about our preference, among Xinggong's various works, I secretly think that: poetry, the five ancients and five uniques are the best;Because of his profound knowledge, Xinggong's poems can use allusions freely in some works, which cannot be learned by beginners.We can taste those simple and unpretentious, eternal things in the daily life, and experience the true feelings, kindness, righteousness, and even infatuation.For example, "What do you want in the dying years, and you don't see burning books anymore." ("Ode to the End of 1979") "Old careers should be exhausted with the yellow leaves, leaving nothing but dreams and shadows in the green mountains." ) "Today, there are double couches hanging in the small room, and the conversation is open to two white heads." ("The new place to stay is the wall of the office building of the second courtyard of the alma mater and Xuan Weng's room in the same room") "Listen to the aunt who speaks nonsense. Who will get the idea of ​​coming from the West, when the candles are cold and fragrant to hide the tears." ("Feelings after the finished manuscript of Neg Xuan Trivia") "The Central Plains are often flooded with water and fire, and there is little rouge in the lower places. Feelings turn into tears, boring and poetry." ("" "Self-injury") "Thirsty to drink chicken crowing dew, hungry to eat medlar flowers." ("Four Poems of Fragrant Mountain Manxing" Part 4) "Most of the poems and books were plotted by Daoliang, ashamed of Yuanlong Baichilou." ("Ji Wei Fu" Yejian Nanxing Two Poems" Part 1) "The green box self-inspects and burns the rest of the books, and the white head will pity the posthumous name after death. I have searched for Uncle Bao several times in the country, and where is Tian Heng hanging in the end of the world." ("Two Poems in Ten Years" Part 2 ) "The crowing oriole in the distant tree moved the soul of the guests, and the peach root was sent to the ferry the month before. Knock on the window and cover the door alone." ("Partridge Sky·Farewell") and so on, some describe the joys and sorrows, and some describe the joys and sorrows, all of which express ordinary life, but there are blood and tears. , There is a skin-to-skin feeling, touching the heart.There is one more point that beginners should pay attention to. Xinggong has repeatedly emphasized that the vocation of poetry is to express emotions, and he has many criticisms about poems that emphasize theory and despise emotion, which is undoubtedly pertinent.But don't misunderstand that you don't need to be rational in order to write poetry.We think that if there is emotion, it is poetry; if there is reason and no emotion, it is not poetry;The ancients talked about the interest of poetry, including the interest of scenery, emotion and reason.For example, Tao Yuanming's "Drinking Wine" (Part 5): "The hut is in a human environment, and there are no cars and horses. Ask the king how can you, and the heart is far away from yourself. Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely see Nanshan. The mountain is getting better and better. The evening is beautiful, and the flying birds are returning. There is a true meaning in this, and if you want to distinguish it, you forget to say it.” It is a masterpiece of emotion, scenery, and reason, with profound meaning. It has always been popular and enduring.Another example is Su Shi's "Tixi Linbi", which should be said to be a good poem.As far as "Speaking of Dream Grass" is concerned, there are also many chapters full of reason and interest.In addition, the coordination of phonology and rhyme is an important factor in the art of poetry.This book advocates strict rhythm and old pronunciation, which should be an "easy" way for old gentlemen to familiarize themselves with.But it is more difficult to learn to write poetry for beginners.The old sound refers to the sound of the Middle Ages, using "flat water rhyme".Some of the rhymes are divided into different rhymes by the same readers, because the pronunciation was different at that time.The "thirteen rhymes" used in Peking Opera are divided into rhymes according to the modern tone, which is suitable for rhyming new poems.We thought, we might as well basically follow the old pronunciation, with a little freedom based on the general principle, such as "East Winter" and "Jiang Yuyang", etc., writing modern style poems roughly imitating the way of writing ancient style poems, reducing some restrictions and constraints , Shu can almost maintain the shape and quality of the old-style poems, and it is also conducive to expressing the expression.Is this the way? It's time to stop here.It suddenly occurred to me that the luck in life is nothing more than being able to display your talents.Intellectuals' hopes are only as big as this.Xinggong was lucky in his later years.Influenced by Mr. De Sai, he was born in the Red House on the beach, and graduated from the Chinese Department of Peking University in the 1930s.For example, according to the theory of Whampoa's period and period that is popular in the society, I don't know which period he belongs to Peking University. Thirty years later, the author studied in Yanyuan in the western suburbs, where he also studied Chinese, and Xinggong should be a senior teacher.It has been more than 10 years since he let go of his pen to write things, and he is far from finished writing.We feel sorry for him being "late".He was silent for a moment, and replied softly: "Can I write at that time?" I really don't know what to say, only relative sigh. "Poetry Reading and Writing Conghua" is finished, and it is close to the water. Let us have a sneak peek.Thinking of Xinggong's friendship as a teacher and friend and the book is full of pearls, I always want to say something, but I don't know where to start; now that Raza has said the above, I don't know where to go.What? 1991.10.Beijing