What is the meaning of "Zhuo" that is "clear but not demon"?

The word "Zhuo" means washing.

Pronunciation: [zhuó]

Source: On Ailian by Zhou Dunyi.

The original text is as follows:

The flowers of land and water plants are very fragrant. Tao Jinyuan clearly loves chrysanthemums. Since Li Tang came, people all over the world have loved peonies. Love lotus alone, dirt-free, clear but not demon. Straight outside, not crawling, fragrant and clear. It is slim and elegant, so you can look at it from a distance without looking ridiculous.

Explanation:

There are many kinds of woody flowers of land and water herbs, which are worth loving. Tao Yuanming of Jin Dynasty only loved chrysanthemums. Since Li in Tang Dynasty, most people in the world like peony. I only love that the lotus grows from the accumulated silt and is not polluted, but it doesn't look enchanting after being washed with clear water.

(Its stem) runs through the middle, and it is straight, unbroken and unbranched, and the fragrance spreads more fragrant, standing upright and clean in water. People can look at (lotus) from a distance, but they can't play with it easily.

I think chrysanthemum is a hermit in flowers; Peony is a rich person in flowers; Lotus is a gentleman among flowers. Ah! Tao Yuanming seldom heard about the love of chrysanthemum. (Right) Lotus love, who else is like me? Of course, there are many people who love peony!

Appreciate:

This paper can be clearly divided into two parts: the first part tries to describe the noble image of lotus; The second part reveals the metaphorical meaning of the lotus, comments on three flowers and expresses the author's deep sigh for the lotus itself.

The author wrote at the beginning: "The flowers of land and water vegetation are lovely." The choice of the word "cute" includes all kinds of fragrances, which shows that it is not a deliberate job search, but a clever gesture. Then describe "Tao Jinyuan loves chrysanthemums alone". Tao Yuanming refused to bend over for those five buckets of rice. After he retired, he drank wine and wrote poems, enjoying the pastoral pleasure of "picking chrysanthemums under the hedge and seeing Nanshan leisurely".

"Love Chrysanthemum Alone" shows Tao Yuanming's elegant, fragrant and proud personality, and also makes the question clearer: Tao Yuanming can love chrysanthemums to express his feelings, why can't I love lotus flowers alone?

After writing "Since Li Tang came, the world has loved peonies", he wrote about the kindness of the people in the Tang Dynasty, especially the ruling class. These words seem to be repetitive, but in fact they deepen the meaning, and this sentence makes the sense of contrast stronger, paving the way for them to seek the nobility of lotus.

Zhou Dunyi's love for lotus flowers is different from Tao Jin Yuanming's love for chrysanthemums. In order to keep a noble and pure life, he would rather die in Nanshan. He wants to be a gentleman in the world.

This mentality of staying innocent in a dirty world and seeking truth alone is essentially different from the herd mentality that everyone envies wealth (peony). This paves the way for Ailian's theory of "getting out of the mud without being stained". Then the author put down the pen and said, let those people love what they love. "Love lotus is far from being stained, clear but not demon, straight through, not sloppy, fragrant and clear, graceful and pure, but far from being ridiculous."

This series of narratives has effectively rendered the lotus's tall and beautiful posture, elegant and superior virtue, especially its respectable but unobtrusive demeanor. The authors of these metaphors themselves have the noble character of "emerging from the mud without being stained, purifying the lotus without being demon"

In fact, what he means is that officialdom is dark, so it is as difficult for you to maintain a noble character in officialdom as it is for a lotus to emerge from the mud without being defiled. This is also a summary of his experience as an official, because he doesn't want to go along with it.

And "Zhuo Qing Lian has no demon" is just a good wish of the author. He was an honest official, washed unjust imprisonment several times and was the master of the people. In his later years, he settled in Lushan Mountain, wrote books about Ming Dow, led an honest and clean life, and cared about his life. This is the embodiment of his personal commitment and lofty aspirations. This is the key point that this essay can deeply infect people's ideological interest.

Next, the author compares and evaluates the different characters of the three flower symbols: (1) Chrysanthemum is also a hermit of flowers; Peony, blooming with wealth; Lotus, the gentleman of flowers. "Originally, flowers have no personality, but in the author's eyes, lotus flowers are close to chrysanthemums, but they are not lofty and aloof, and seem to be a hermit who escapes from reality;

It is not as enchanting and charming as peony. Lotus is not polluted because of the dirty reality, but washed with clear water without coquettish. What a gentleman in a hundred flowers.

In addition, lotus is sacred in Buddhism. Both Tathagata and Guanyin take lotus as their seats. Tang Buddhism's "Three Treasures of Respect for Buddha" says: "Therefore, all ten Buddhas are muddy; All three of them are awake and sitting on the lotus platform. " The author's poem entitled "Lotus" also said: "The Buddha loves me, I love it, and the butterfly does not steal. Generally clear and unsightly. " Refer to this passage, the interests complement each other.

Finally, the author comments on Hua and then comments on "love": "Hey! The love of chrysanthemum flowers is rarely heard after Tao; Who gave the lotus love? The love of peony is suitable for all ages! " Deeply sigh: there are few true hermits, few sages and many villains who follow the trend to poke the door of wealth in today's world;

In this world of mortals, how many like-minded people can go together to eradicate this social chronic disease? Let's use flowers as a metaphor first, so that we can compare the characteristics of flowers with people. Although plain-looking, it can be compared with people. Then, they can be used to describe Tao Yuanming's mentality of avoiding the world and pursuing wealth.

Although there is inevitably a kind of lonely sorrow between the lines, it is meaningful and mercilessly whips those unscrupulous people. Here, Zhou Dunyi is arrogant, and his mentality of seeking purity without conformity is commendable in the secular world. He lamented that because the world is getting worse and worse, most people are defiled by the world.

By praising the lotus, the author expresses his yearning for a beautiful ideal, his worship of noble sentiments and his hatred of the mediocre world.