He gave incense to his loved ones and told
them to try starting small businesses.(分香賣履)
Li Qingzhao is the most famous female poet
in China's long history.
The Northern Song Dynasty of China lasted
from 960 AD to 1127 AD, and the Southern Song Dynasty from 1127 AD to 1279 AD.
Li Qingzhao was born in 1084 and died in 1155, living through a turbulent era.
She was married twice. Her first husband,
Zhao Mingcheng, was three years her senior. They were close in age, both loved
literature and art, and had a very good relationship.
Zhao Mingcheng had a particular interest in
studying inscriptions on ancient Chinese bronzes and stone carvings. He also
loved Chinese calligraphy. He wrote a series of books to document his research
findings, with the help of Li Qingzhao, and the 30-volume set was finally
published in 1142 AD.
In 1132 AD, the books were finally
published, and Li Qingzhao wrote a preface for them.
A passage from this preface translates as
follows:
'In May 1129, my husband received an order
from the central government requiring him to take up the position of mayor of
Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province, China.
After discussing it with him, we made a
decision: he would go to Huzhou alone to take up his post, while I would stay
in Chiyang to wait for the situation to calm down.
However, in July of that year, I received a
letter from my husband. He wrote that he had fallen ill with malaria and was
returning to the wartime provisional capital. Seeing this letter, I immediately
packed a few belongings and left Chiyang City for the provisional capital to
care for him.
When I arrived, I found that his illness
was worse than I had imagined. Not only did he have malaria, but he was also
suffering from persistent diarrhoea, which filled me with both distress and
panic.
Due to the turbulent external situation at
the time, my husband was unable to obtain the necessary traditional Chinese
medicine and treatment. His condition worsened day by day and I didn't know
what to do. I didn't know how to talk to him about what would happen if he died.
All I could do was cry.
On 18 August that year, while lying in bed,
my husband said to me, 'I feel my life is coming to an end. Give me a Chinese
brush and a piece of paper — I want to write a poem to express how I feel.'
After I gave him the brush and paper, he
managed to sit up in bed. He wrote his final poem, and then he died. He left no
last words.
After his death, I suddenly remembered
reading about a famous Chinese statesman named Cao Cao in a history book.
Before he died, Cao Cao distributed the incense from his house among his loved
ones, instructing them to try to conduct some small business.
Before he died, my husband didn't think of
me. He was only thinking about the chaotic state of the country and his regret
at being unable to serve it. While I am proud of his concern for the nation as
a whole, I am still heartbroken that he didn't tell me 'I love you' before he
died.
After my husband's death, I also fell ill.
In December of that year, the Jin Dynasty's army attacked the area around my
city again, and I fled once more. During this escape, I lost many of the
ancient documents and antiques that my husband and I had collected.
Once I had settled down again, I took stock
of my belongings and found that I only had a few collections of poems by my
favourite Tang dynasty poets, several books from the Han and Jin dynasties, a
dozen or so ancient bronze artefacts, dozens of ancient stone inscriptions and
several boxes of books from the Southern Tang dynasty.
The idiom literally translates as follows: He distributed incense to his loved ones and instructed them to start small businesses.
It is used to describe someone who, on
their deathbed, is deeply concerned about their beloved wife and family.
Dear friend, what have you learned from
this story?
If you were to die today, who would you
miss most? What would you want to leave behind in your final moments?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
分香賣履(He gave incense to his loved ones and
told them to try starting small businesses.)
中國漫長的歷史上最著名的女詞人的名字是李清照
西元960年到西元1127年的這段期間是中國的北宋王朝，西元1127年到西元1279年是中國的南宋王朝，李清照出生於西元1084年死於西元1155年，她生活在一個非常動亂的時代。
李清照結過兩次婚，她第一任丈夫的名字叫做(趙明誠)，趙明誠比李清照大3歲，他們兩個人年齡相近而且都很喜歡文學與藝術，他們兩個人的感情很好。
(趙明誠)有一個很特殊的愛好，他喜歡研究中國古代的青銅器與石刻上面的文字，他也很喜歡中國的書法，他曾經寫過一套書籍來記錄他的研究心得，李清照協助趙明誠一起完成了這部多達30本的套書。
西元1132年，這本書終於有機會出版，李清照為這本書寫了一篇序文。
這篇序文中間有一段的大概意思如下。
西元1129年的5月，我的丈夫收到了一條來自中央政府的命令，他被要求要到中國的浙江省的湖州市擔任市長。
我與我的丈夫討論之後，我們做出了一個決定，我的丈夫獨自去湖州市就任，我留在池陽市等候混亂的情勢緩和一點。
但是那年的7月，我收到我的丈夫的信，他在信中寫說。他生了病，他感染了瘧疾，他現在回到戰時的臨時首都。我看到這封信後就立刻收拾了一些簡單的物品，我離開池陽市前往臨時首都去照顧他。
我到了臨時首都之後，我看到我的丈夫的病比我想像中的更加嚴重，他不只感染瘧疾，而且還一直腹瀉，這個事實讓我的心情很糟又很慌亂。
由於當時的外在情勢仍然非常動亂，我的丈夫沒有辦法得到必需的中藥與中醫診治，我的丈夫的病況一天比一天嚴重，我不知道該怎麼辦，我也知道該如何跟他談論如果他死了之後我該怎麼辦的問題，我只能不停地哭泣。
那一年的8月18日，躺臥在床上的我的丈夫對我說，我感覺我的生命即將走到盡頭，你拿一隻中國毛筆與一張紙給我，我想要寫一首詩來記錄下我現在的感受。
我把中國毛筆與紙拿給我的丈夫後，他勉強坐在床上，他寫下一首他生命中的最後詩後，他就斷氣了。他完全沒有交代遺言。
在他死後我突然想到我在歷史書上看過中國歷史上一個著名的叫做(曹操)的政治家的傳記，曹操臨終之前，他把他家中的香分給他所愛的人，他吩咐所愛的人們可以想辦法去做一些小買賣。
我的丈夫在死前竟然沒有想到我，他只想到國家的情勢混亂而他無法報效國家的遺憾，我為他能夠胸懷整個國家與民族而驕傲，但我的內心還是為了他在死前沒有對我說我愛你感到傷心。
我的丈夫死後，我也生了一場病，直到那年的12月，金王國的軍隊再度進攻到我所住的城市附近，我又再度逃難，這一次逃難的過程中，我又再一次地丟失了很多我與我丈夫之前蒐藏的古代文書與古董文物。
等我再度安頓下來，我清點的我隨身的物品，我發現只剩下幾本我最喜歡的唐朝的詩人的詩集還有幾漢朝的書和晉王朝的書，另外還有十幾件古代的青銅器與幾十篇古代的石刻拓本，另外還有幾箱南唐王朝的書籍。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是把香分給所愛的人，並且吩咐所愛的人們可以想辦法去做一些小買賣。
這句成語被用來形容一個人在臨終之前非常的掛念自己所愛的妻子與親人。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有什麼樣的或有什麼樣的啟發
你如果今天會死，你會最掛念誰呢?你在臨終前你會想要留下那些遺言呢?
我期待這個故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為李清照-金石錄後序