Challenging All Men in the World -- If I Lose, I Quit the Internet Immediately!
2006/2/19 9:11:18
Challenging All Men in the World -- If I Lose, I Quit the Internet Immediately!
A Girl Who Loves Mathematics
Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán http://blog.sina.com.cn/m/chzhshch
I have never met my match online. I've made men in the most popular corners of the Chinese internet thoroughly uncomfortable. Truth be told, I'm quite uncomfortable too -- how is it that there isn't a single formidable opponent in this world who could make me break a sweat? I know the men online resent me, concocting petty schemes left and right to prove the narrow-mindedness of the male heart. Fine. Today I'm giving all the men in the world a chance. I won't even pose a particularly difficult challenge -- just compose a ci poem matching the rhyme scheme of one I dashed off casually. If even a single one surpasses mine, I'll quit the internet immediately. This poem isn't even among my best, but it's more than enough to defeat men. Furthermore, I'll give men an extra handicap: if anyone can improve it by changing even a single character, I'll admit defeat and quit the internet for at least half a year. Men, stop being all mouth and bluster. If you want me gone, show me what you've got!
New residence completed, New Year approaching -- a casual "Linjiang Xian" to mark the occasion.
Note: "New residence completed" refers to the launch of my blog Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán http://blog.sina.com.cn/m/chzhshch
Turbid waters tilt in waves for thirty thousand li; solemn, I sit alone on a solitary peak. The dragon lies hidden, the lion asleep, awaiting the gale. The heartless are all mere upstarts; those with tears are heroes too.
A long sword leans against heaven, where stars and constellations blaze; past and present pass before the eyes into emptiness. Heaven and earth, looked up to and down upon, are left to fortune and hardship. Half a moon hangs above the blue sea; a single reed-skiff heads east on the great river.
All men of the world, it's your move!
Replies
缠中说禅 2006/2/19 15:46:36
A Poetry Lesson for Foolish Men, Regarding Responses to My "Challenge All Men" Post
A Girl Who Loves Mathematics http://blog.sina.com.cn/m/chzhshch
My post "Challenging All Men in the World -- If I Lose, I Quit the Internet Immediately!" has been circulating widely across major websites for three days now. Sadly, not a single person has been able to challenge me. What's even more laughable is that replies are as numerous as ox hairs, yet 99.99999% don't even have basic knowledge of classical poetry. The decline of traditional culture is truly heartbreaking!
First, I've seen virtually no one who can even understand the meaning of my ci poem, let alone the basic literary allusions and textual background. The simplest example is the character "zhuo" (turbid) in the first line "Turbid waters tilt in waves for thirty thousand li" -- why this character and not another? The title of this poem is "Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán." In Buddhism, there are the "five turbidities" (wu zhuo), and that's where it comes from. In fine poetry, every character must have its provenance. It needn't be in the manner of the Jiangxi School, but every character must have its root and must relate to the theme. Otherwise, it's a superfluous character. Whether a poem reaches a certain level of artistic achievement depends most fundamentally on having as few superfluous characters as possible -- ideally none at all. The reason I dare say not a single character can be changed is precisely this.
Furthermore, ci is a regulated-verse form and must follow tonal patterns. Some respondents don't even understand the basic tonal rules and just hack away blindly, accomplishing nothing but embarrassing themselves. Men trying to win by numbers and volume is useless. On this kind of matter, I'll say a word or two when I have time, but generally I don't bother. Those who understand will understand. As for those whose writing reads like slogans, that's a matter of basic artistic literacy, and I won't even address it.
Then there's the question of literary allusions, which is more complex -- essentially a matter of rhetorical significance. For example, the "yi wei" (a single reed) used in the poem: since the title is "Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán," anyone with a bit of knowledge would know this alludes to Bodhidharma's crossing. Bodhidharma of course used a raft or small boat to cross the river. "Yi wei" represents a small boat or raft. "Wei" refers to a reed, and also a reed leaf, metaphorically a small boat -- this usage already appears in the Book of Songs. This kind of rhetorical device is actually quite common. Just as we say "yi ye qing zhou" (a single-leaf light boat), in a poetic line you can simply use "yi ye" (a single leaf). Poetry demands conciseness. Only foolish men would take "yi ye" to mean a single tree leaf!
In short, learning is something that can't be faked. If you lack learning, that's fine -- go home and study, foolish men!
缠中说禅 2006/2/19 15:43:00
A Poetry Lesson for Foolish Men, Regarding Responses to My "Challenge All Men" Post
A Girl Who Loves Mathematics http://blog.sina.com.cn/m/chzhshch
My post "Challenging All Men in the World -- If I Lose, I Quit the Internet Immediately!" has been circulating widely across major websites for three days now. Sadly, not a single person has been able to challenge me. What's even more laughable is that replies are as numerous as ox hairs, yet 99.99999% don't even have basic knowledge of classical poetry. The decline of traditional culture is truly heartbreaking!
First, I've seen virtually no one who can even understand the meaning of my ci poem, let alone the basic literary allusions and textual background. The simplest example is the character "zhuo" (turbid) in the first line "Turbid waters tilt in waves for thirty thousand li" -- why this character and not another? The title of this poem is "Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán." In Buddhism, there are the "five turbidities" (wu zhuo), and that's where it comes from. In fine poetry, every character must have its provenance. It needn't be in the manner of the Jiangxi School, but every character must have its root and must relate to the theme. Otherwise, it's a superfluous character. Whether a poem reaches a certain level of artistic achievement depends most fundamentally on having as few superfluous characters as possible -- ideally none at all. The reason I dare say not a single character can be changed is precisely this.
Furthermore, ci is a regulated-verse form and must follow tonal patterns. Some respondents don't even understand the basic tonal rules and just hack away blindly, accomplishing nothing but embarrassing themselves. Men trying to win by numbers and volume is useless. On this kind of matter, I'll say a word or two when I have time, but generally I don't bother. Those who understand will understand. As for those whose writing reads like slogans, that's a matter of basic artistic literacy, and I won't even address it.
Then there's the question of literary allusions, which is more complex -- essentially a matter of rhetorical significance. For example, the "yi wei" (a single reed) used in the poem: since the title is "Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán," anyone with a bit of knowledge would know this alludes to Bodhidharma's crossing. Bodhidharma of course used a raft or small boat to cross the river. "Yi wei" represents a small boat or raft. "Wei" refers to a reed, and also a reed leaf, metaphorically a small boat -- this usage already appears in the Book of Songs. This kind of rhetorical device is actually quite common. Just as we say "yi ye qing zhou" (a single-leaf light boat), in a poetic line you can simply use "yi ye" (a single leaf). Poetry demands conciseness. Only foolish men would take "yi ye" to mean a single tree leaf!
In short, learning is something that can't be faked. If you lack learning, that's fine -- go home and study, foolish men!