As light as a cicada's wing and as white as snow, it trembles like fine silk and makes no sound.
The provincial examination is not comparable to the examination for students of higher learning. Even the draft paper is so excellent. Zhu Ping'an unfolded the draft paper on which he had just recorded the test questions and praised the quality of the draft paper.
This three-day and two-night exam required a total of seven eight-part essays, three from the Four Books and four from the Five Classics. The amount of questions varied from person to person, and some candidates could finish them in less than two days, but some could not finish them in three days and two nights. After Zhu Pingan read all the test questions, he felt that he could finish them at night without having to spend the night.
Zhu Ping'an dipped the brush in ink, spread out another piece of draft paper, and started working from the first step.
The first question was about the Four Books: "A gentleman is ashamed to die without leaving a good name behind him."
This is a very standard eight-part essay on the Four Books, from the Analects of Confucius. Duke Ling of Wei Chapter 15. The meaning of this sentence is that Confucius said: "The regret of a gentleman is that his reputation is not praised by others until his death."
This is a sincere statement from Confucius. Life is nothing but fame and fortune. The word "fame" has made many young people white-haired and many heroes shed tears! The wild geese leave their voices behind, but people worry about being unknown. Although Confucius himself repeatedly said "I am not angry when people don't know me", he also lamented "No one knows me!" ("Xian Wen") Not being known or understood is still a problem. Confucius also wrote "Spring and Autumn Annals" to "show himself to future generations" ("The Family of Confucius"). To put it bluntly, it is "a gentleman hates to die without a good name."
Therefore, Confucianism does not mean that it does not value reputation, nor does it dislike "making one's reputation widely known" (Mencius' words), but it simply opposes excessive fame, name-seeking, and deceiving the world and stealing fame.
This sentence is easy to understand and simple to do.
Zhu Ping'an dipped the brush in ink and began to write, as if a god was helping him.
“The lack of a good reputation in later generations is what the sages worry about.”
This sentence is the introduction, and it can be said to be a very standard introduction. The reputation cannot be spread to later generations, which is what the saints worry about.
After solving the problem, Zhu Ping'an dipped his brush into the inkstone and continued writing:
"It is not necessary to have fame for a certain period of time, but it is necessary to have fame for future generations. Therefore, a gentleman does not seek fame, but he cannot help but be anxious about it.
The Master said: "It is human nature to love fame. Therefore, if a lowly person seeks fame, people should not think him impatient. But I hate that he is anxious for fame for a short time, not for fame that will last for thousands of years. If you are a gentleman, you will know why you are so careful in this matter."
... ...
There are only those who are greater than this, and those who are longer than this. If you are busy every day, you are the one who wants to finish it quickly. Is it the same for those who love fame? "
In less than an incense stick of time, Zhu Pingan finished writing the first eight-part essay. After finishing the first eight-part essay, Zhu Pingan left the draft paper full of words on the table to dry for a while, so as to prevent the ink from flowing and staining the test paper.
While hanging the draft paper to dry, Zhu Ping'an moved on to the second question.
The second question is a bit similar to the last college entrance examination. But not exactly the same. The question is: A gentleman is not respected if he is not serious, and he is loyal if he is not solid in his studies. Do not make friends with people who are not as good as you, and do not be afraid to correct your mistakes.
Last time, the college entrance examination only tested the last sentence "If you make a mistake, don't hesitate to correct it", but this time the whole sentence was tested.
Don't underestimate this difference. The answering ideas are completely different. Last time, I only focused on "If you make a mistake, don't be afraid to correct it", but this time I will focus on this whole sentence. The meaning of this sentence is: If a gentleman does not behave solemnly, he will not have dignity. If his attitude is not solemn, the knowledge he has learned will not be consolidated. Being a person is mainly about being loyal and keeping your word. Don't make friends with people who are not as good as you. If you make a mistake, don't be afraid to correct it.
Zhu Pingan answered this question like this: "A gentleman's study is about having the right quality and must do his best."
While thinking and splashing ink, Zhu Ping'an finished this eight-part essay in one go without rushing or slowing down.
After finishing these two eight-part essays, it was only noon, Zhu Ping'an put away his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and pressed them down with a ruler to prevent the north wind from blowing them away.
Then he tidied up the cell and prepared it for a rest, ready to take a short break and have a nap.
But this cell was too cramped. He couldn't even stretch his legs when he was still fully erect, so he could only curl them up to rest. But just when Zhu Ping'an was about to close his eyes, he heard a miserable roar from next door, which shook Zhu Ping'an's newly brewing sleepiness to nothing.
"Fuck, I've written across pages!"
After this miserable roar, there was a series of banging sounds. If I was not mistaken, it should be that this guy was banging his head against the wall.
Then, another angry roar followed. It was the voice of another person, as if the owner of the first roar had a grudge against him for having his father killed and his wife stolen.
"Dear Lord, your mother, I was frightened by you and my pen fell down, staining the entire test paper!"
Well, one wrote the answers on the wrong page, and the other was frightened by his shout and dropped his brush on the test paper. The one who wrote the answers on the wrong page was definitely going to fail, so he was so miserable after finding out; but the second guy was worthy of sympathy, because he was frightened by the guy who wrote the answers on the wrong page and dropped his brush on the test paper, leaving a large blob of ink on the test paper, which was definitely treated as cheating, and he was also going to fail.
Fortunately, I was taking a break, otherwise I might have been scared by his sudden shout and contaminated the test paper.
Soon, an invigilator came with four soldiers. Without saying a word, they confiscated the test papers of the two men. Then, the four soldiers stuffed cloth into their mouths and dragged them out of the dormitory like wolves and tigers.
These two buddies have failed the exam this time, and it is still unclear whether they can take the exam in the future.
After this accident, Zhu Pingan was no longer sleepy. He restored the room to its original state with tables and chairs. He roasted some dried meat on the charcoal fire, and then took a piece of snack from the fire and had a simple lunch with boiled water.
After dinner, I packed up my things, put away my pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and continued to work on my draft.
The third eight-part essay was quite difficult. Zhu Ping'an spent more than an hour thinking about it before he started writing. He wrote much slower than the previous two essays and only finished this one in the afternoon.
The title of this article has only four words, "渊渊其渊", which comes from "The Doctrine of the Mean", meaning that the thoughts of a saint are as deep as a pool of water.
However, how do I write this sentence in an eight-part essay
The full text of this sentence is: Only the most sincere people in the world can manage the great principles of the world, establish the great foundation of the world, and understand the transformation and nurturing of heaven and earth. What can one rely on? His sincerity is sincere, his abyss is profound, and his heaven is vast.
After thinking for about an hour, Zhu Ping'an remembered that someone in modern times had explained "The Doctrine of the Mean". At that time, that person used the sentence "Heaven does not speak, the earth does not talk, and people establish the principles and norms in the middle" as the main idea.
After thinking for a while, Zhu Ping'an's frown relaxed and he began to write. He wrote as he thought, and he finished the eight-part essay until the sun was setting.
I wrote three eight-part essays in one day, and I could finish the remaining four with my eyes closed in two days. Zhu Pingan nodded with satisfaction, put away the draft paper, had dinner, spread out a blanket, covered himself with the blanket and went to sleep.
The rabbit fur blanket was very warm, blocking the wind and keeping warm, and Zhu Ping'an slept soundly all night. However, some people were not so lucky. The north wind was howling at night. Although it did not snow, it was unusually cold. Many people, especially the candidates who had laughed at Zhu Ping'an at the door, shivered with cold at night and regretted it so much that their intestines turned green. (To be continued)
ps: Happy Valentine's Day everyone