In the vast treasure house of Chinese culture, idioms, as a treasure of language, carry rich historical information and profound cultural heritage.
Today, we are going to discuss the idiom "槁Xiang Huang Yu", which is derived from the Zhuangzi Lie Yukou and describes a bleak scene of yellow skin and thin face and shriveled neck caused by living in poverty.
The "槁" in "槁襄黄馘" means dry, "xiang" refers to the neck, "huang" is the color of withered yellow, and "yu" is pronounced guó, which originally refers to the cutting off of the enemy's left ear in ancient warfare to count meritorious deeds, but in this idiom, it vividly describes the face that appears withered and yellow due to poverty.
The whole idiom vividly depicts a person with a haggard face and emaciated body due to the hardships of life.
"Zhuangzi Lie Yukou" mentions: "The husband is in a poor alley, embarrassed and weaving, and those who are yellow and surplus are short of business." ”
Here, Zhuangzi uses Cao Shang as an example to describe his predicament of living in a remote and narrow alley, and having to weave straw sandals for a living because of poverty, resulting in a yellow face and thin muscles and a shriveled neck. Cao Shang felt helpless about this and thought that this was his shortcoming.
However, Zhuangzi is not only describing Cao Shang's life of poverty, but also contrasting his views on material poverty and his deep thinking about the value and pursuit of human beings.
In Zhuangzi's view, although Cao Shang was materially poor, his spiritual world may have been richer and more fulfilling. He made a living by weaving straw sandals, which was hard but also a sign of self-reliance. In poverty, he may be able to appreciate the true meaning of life more and cherish every hard-won harvest more.
Such examples are not uncommon in history.
For example, the ancient poet Du Fu also experienced many poverty and ups and downs in his life. However, his poems are full of deep concern for the suffering of the people and profound revelation of social reality. His impoverished life did not prevent him from becoming a great poet, but made his poetry more infectious and powerful.
For example, many modern artists and writers often face poverty and creative hardships in the early stages of their creation.
But instead of being defeated by poverty, they turned this predicament into a creative motivation, creating many touching and profound works.
The value of human beings does not only depend on material wealth, but also on our spiritual world and our attitude and pursuit of life. No matter what situation we are in, we should maintain our love for life and the pursuit of ideals, because this is where our real wealth and value lie.