Tí Xīlín Bì
题西林壁
Sū Shì(Sòng )
苏 轼(宋)

Héng kàn chéng lǐng cè chéng fēng,
横看成岭侧成峰,
yuǎnjìn gāodī gè bù tóng.
远近高低各不同。
Bù shí Lúshān zhēn miànmù,
不识庐山真面目,
zhǐ yuán shēn zài cǐ shān zhōng.
只缘身在此山中。

Evaluation

西林,即庐山的西林寺;题,书写,题写;题西林壁,就是写在西林寺的墙壁上。横看,从正面看;山横在眼前,所以说横看侧,就是侧看,从侧面看。庐山,是中国的名山,在江西省九江市的南边。缘,因为。
“西林” refers to Xilin Temple of Lushan Mountain. “题”means “writing; inscription”. “题西林壁” means “writing an inscription on the wall of Xilin Temple”. “横看” means “looking at the mountain from the front”, and “侧” means “looking at the mountain from the side”. Lushan Mountain is a famous mountain in the south of Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province. “缘” is similar to the conjunction “because” or “since” in English.

从正面看庐山,它是一道连绵起伏的山岭;从侧面看庐山,它是一座高耸的山峰。远望、近观,高处俯视,低处仰望,无论从什么角度看庐山,它都呈现出各种不同的样子。之所以不能认清庐山的真实面貌,是因为我本人就身在这庐山之中啊。
Seen from the front, Lushan Mountain is a continuous and rolling range, while seen from the side, it turns into a single towering peak. It takes on different shapes as you see it from different perspectives – far or near, high or low. The reason why I can’t tell the true shape of Lushan Mountain is that I myself am standing on the mountain; I can’t see it as a whole.

这首诗是苏轼游览庐山后的感受,没有描写具体的景物,而是概括出总体印象。它的特点不在于形象或感情,而在于说理,它启迪人们认识为人处事的一个哲理——由于人们所处的地位不同,看问题的出发点不同,对事物的认识难免有一定的片面性;要认识事物的真相与全貌,必须超越狭小的范围,摆脱主观成见。这首诗富有哲理,充满智慧,读后能有所思考和领悟,让人回味无穷。
Su Shi wrote his feelings after he visited Lushan Mountain. He didn’t portray any specific scenery; instead, he wrote about his general impressions of the mountain. The poem aims not at depicting scenery or expressing the poet’s feelings;rather, it attempts to enlighten people with a philosophy on life – since people come from different backgrounds , it is inevitable that they see things from different viewpoints; therefore, their opinions are often one-sided and subjective. If we want to see things as they are, we should get rid of parochial opinions so that our judgments are untainted by personal prejudices. This is an edifying and thought-provoking poem, which leaves the reader with a lasting impression.

Explanation

连绵起伏 (liánmián qǐfú) adj. (mountain ranges) continuous and rolling
高耸 (gāosǒng) adj. towering
俯视 (fǔshì) v. to look down at
仰望 (yǎngwàng) v. to look up at
哲理 (zhélǐ) n. philosophic theory
片面 (piànmiàn) adj. one-sided
摆脱 (bǎituō) v. get rid of
主观 (zhǔguān) n./adj. subjective
成见 (chéngjiàn) n. prejudice
智慧 (zhìhuì) n. wisdom
领悟 (lǐngwù) n. understanding
回味无穷(huíwèi wúqióng) lead a person to endless aftertastes 

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