On Living in General

Passion holds up the bottom of the universe and genius paints up its roof.

Better be insulted by common people than be despised by gentlemen, better be flunked by an official examiner than be unknown to a famous scholar.

My regrets or things that exasperate me are ten, that books bags are easily eaten by moths, that summer nights are spoiled by mosquitoes, that a moon terrace easily leaks, that the leaves of chrysanthemums often wither, that pine trees are full of big ants, that bamboo leaves fall in great quantities upon the ground, that the cassia and lotus flowers easily wither, that the pilo plants often conceals snakes, that flowers on a trellis have thorns and, that porcupines are often poisonous to eat.

To be born in times of peace in a district will hills and lakes when the magistrate is just and upright and to live in a family of comfortable means, marry an undeserving wife and have intelligent sons, this is what I call a perfect life.

A monk needs to abstain from wine, abstain from vulgarity, a red petticoat need not understand literature, she need only understand what is artistically interesting.

Wine can take the place of tea but tea cannot take the place of wine, poems can take place of prose but prose cannot take the place of poems.  Moon can take place of lamps but lamps cannot take place of moon, the pen can take place of the mouth, but the mouth cannot take place of the pen, a maid servant can take the place of a man servant but a man servant cannot take the place of a maid.

A little injustice in the breast can be drowned by wine, but a great injustice in the world can be drowned only by the sword.

It is easy to stand a pain but difficult to stand an itch, it is easy to bear the bitter taste, but difficult to bear the sour taste.

The stork gives a man the romantic manner, the horse gives a man the heroic manner, the orchid gives a man the recluse’s manner and the pine gives a man the romantic manner, and the pine gives a man the grand manner of the ancients.

It is against the will of God to eat delicate food hastily, to pass gorgeous views humidly, to express deep sentiments superficially, to pass a beautiful day steeped in food and drinks, and to enjoy your wealth steeped in luxuries

On Books & Reading

Reading books in one’s youth is like looking at the moon through a crevice. Reading books in middle age is like looking at the moon in one’s courtyard and reading books in old age is like looking the moon on an open terrace. This is because the depth of benefits of reading varies in proportion to the depth of one’s own experience.

Reading is the greatest of all joys but there is more anger than joy in reading history.  But, after all, there is pleasure in such anger.  One should read classics in winter then one’s mind is more concentrated, read history in summer, because one has more time, read the ancient philosophers in autumn because they have such charming ideas and read the collected works of later authors in spring because then nature is coming book to life.

When literary men talk about military affairs it is mostly military science in the studio, literally discussing soldiers on papers and when military generals discuss literature, it is mostly rumors packed up on hearsay.

An ancient winter said that he would like to have ten years devoted to reading, ten years devoted to travel and ten years devoted to preservation and arrangement of what he had got.

Poetry becomes good only after one becomes poor or unsuccessful man usually has a lot of things to say and it is thus easy to show himself to advantage.  How can the poetry of rich and successful people be good when they neither sigh over their poverty nor complain about their being unprompted and when all they write about are the wind, the clouds, the moon and the dew?  Poetry acquires depth through sorrow.

On Leisure & Friendship

To talk with learned friends is like reading a rare books, to talk with poetic friends is like reading the poems and prose of distinguished writers, to talk with friends who are careful and proper in their conduct is like reading the classics of the sages and to talk with witty friends is like reading a novel or romance.

Every quite scholar is bound to have some bosom friends.  Bosom friends are those who, although separated by thousands of miles, still have implicit faith in us and refuse to believe rumors against us, those who on hearing a rumor try every means to explain it away, those who in given moments advise us to what to do and what not to do and those who at the critical hour come to our help, and sometimes without our knowing undertake of their own accord to settle a financial account, or make a decision, without for a moment questioning whether by doing so they are not making themselves open to criticism of perhaps injuring our interests.

A “remarkable book” is one which say things that have never been said before and a “bosom friend” is one who unburdens to us his family secrets.

On Hills & water

One dies without regret of there is one in the whole world a “bosom friend”, or one who “knows his heart”.

If there were no flowers and moon and beautiful women, I would not want to be born in the world.  If there were no pen and ink, poetry and horse, there is no purpose in being born a man.

The light of hills, the sound of water, the colour of moon, the fragrance of flowers, the charm of literary men and the expression of beautiful woman are all elusive and indescribable.

To see famous hills and rivers, one must have also predestined luck, unless the appointed time has come, one has no time to see them even though they are situated with in a dozen miles.

On Flowers and Flower's Arrangements

Flowers are always associated with the outward surroundings and seasons of their bloom.  The roses naturally associated in our minds with a bright sunny spring day, lotus is naturally associated with a cool summer morning on a pond, the cassia is associated with the harvest moon and mid-autumn festivities, the chrysanthemum is associated with the eating of crabs in late autumn, the plum is naturally associated with snow and together with the narcissus it forms a definite part of our enjoyment of the New Year.

The peony, being rich in colors and its petals, is rather regarded as the symbol of the rich and happy man, whereas, the plum flower is the poets flower, and symbol of the quiet, poor scholar and therefore the latter is spiritual as the former is materialistic.

The orchid stands as the symbol of secluded charm because it is often found in a deserted shady valley.  The orchid was prized most among all the flowers because of its subdued fragrance and graceful charm, but it was difficult to obtain really good classic varieties.

The chrysanthemum is the flower of the poet.

Flowers have their moods of happiness and sorrow and their time of sleep.

Certain flowers go with certain other flowers as their minors or “maids” in a vase.  As personal maids who attended to a lady for life were an institution developed the notion that beautiful ladies looked perfect when they had pretty maids by their side as their necessary adjustments.  Both ladies and maids should be beautiful.

Each maid is exquisite in its own way, and they in their voluptuous or elegant charms like their mistresses.

I have found that all the people in the world who are dull in their conversation and hateful to look at in their faces are those who have no hobbies.

On What is Proper

It is necessary that flowers should have butterflies, hills should have springs, rocks should have moss, water should have water-cress, tall trees should have entwining creepers, and human being should have hobbies.

One should enjoy flowers in the company of beauties, get drunk under the moon in the company of charming friends and enjoy the light of snow in the company of high-minded scholars.

One always gets a different feeling when looking at hills from the top of a tower, looking at snow from a city wall, looking at moon in the lamp light, looking at coloured clouds in a boat, and looking at beautiful women in the room.

When the mirror meets with an ugly woman, when a rare ink-stone finds a vulgar owner and when a good sword is in the hands of a common general, there is utterly nothing to be done about it.

On Flowers & Women

One should not see flowers wither, see the moon decline below the horizon or see beautiful women die in their youth.  One should see flowers when they are in bloom, after planting the flowers.  Should see the moon, when it is full, after waiting for the moon.  Should see a book completed after starting to write it.  Should see a beautiful woman when they are gay and happy.  Otherwise our purpose is defeated.

Beautiful women are better than flowers because they understand human language and flowers are better than women because they give off fragrance. But if one cannot have both at the same time, he should forsake the fragrant ones and take the talking ones.

If a beauty should have the face of flower, the voice of a bird, the soul of the moon, the expression of the willow, the charm of the autumn lake, bones of the jade and skin of snow, and a heart of poetry.  I should be perfectly satisfied.

If there are no books in this world, then nothing need to be said but since there are books, they must be read.  If there is no wine, then nothing need be said, but since there is wine, it must be drunk, if there are no famous hills, then nothing need be said but since there are, they must be visited.  If there are no flowers and no moon, then nothing need to be said, but since they are, they must be enjoyed and played.  If there are no talented men and beautiful women, then nothing need be said, but since there are, they must be loved and protected.

The reason why a looking glass doesn’t become the enemy of ugly looking women is because it has no feeling if it had, it certainly would have been smashed to pieces.

Without wine and poetry, hills and water would exists for no purpose, without the company of beautiful ladies, flowers and the moon would be wasted.  Talented men who at the same time handsome and beautiful ladies who at the same time can write, can never live a long life.  This is not only because the Gods are jealous of them, but because this type of person is not only the treasure of one generation, but the treasure of all ages so that the creator dissent want to leave them in this world too long, for fear of sacrilege.