人生識字憂患始

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Chinese

life
to know characters; to learn to read; to know how to read
to know characters; to learn to read; to know how to read; to be literate
 
suffering; hardship; misery begin
trad. (人生識字憂患始) 人生 識字 憂患
simp. (人生识字忧患始) 人生 识字 忧患

Etymology

From 石蒼舒醉墨堂 by Su Shi (蘇軾):

人生識字憂患姓名可以草書神速開卷戃怳令人 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
人生识字忧患姓名可以草书神速开卷𰑿怳令人 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Rénshēng shízì yōuhuàn shǐ, xìngmíng cū jì kěyǐ xiū. Hé yòng cǎoshū kuā shénsù, kāijuǎn chǎnghuǎng lìngrén chóu.
Misery of life starts at literacy. Knowing roughly the name is more than necessary. Why bother using cursive calligraphy to flaunt swiftness? I opened a book, whose incomprehensibility brings me sadness.

Note that Su Shi is actually a famous scholar-official as well as a calligrapher. This poem was written for Shi Cangshu (石蒼舒) who shared the same interest in calligraphy with Su Shi and exceedingly appreciated Su Shi's calligraphy.

Pronunciation


Idiom

人生識字憂患始

  1. misery of life starts at literacy; ignorance is bliss

Descendants

See also