Joy fades; sorrow follows.(樂往哀來)
Throughout China's long history, there have
been several notable father-son duos. Cao Cao, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi are among the
most notable of these.
All three were highly accomplished in
literature. Cao Cao was a brilliant leader and commander. Cao Pi continued his
father's legacy by establishing the Cao Wei kingdom. Cao Zhi's wisdom was
considered to be among the greatest of his time. Their friends were some of the
most famous and outstanding figures of their era.
Cao Pi had a close friend named Wu Zhi. Cao
Pi once wrote a letter to Wu Zhi, the gist of which is as follows:
'My dear friend Wu Zhi, it has been a long
time since we last saw each other. I miss you dearly and wonder how you are
doing.
I miss you very much. Lately, I have often
been thinking about the days we lived together in Nanpi a few years ago. Those
happy times remain in my heart, and I think about them from time to time.'
I remember when we were full of dreams for
the future. We would gather together and discuss our hopes and dreams with
passion, and our hearts were filled with joy every day.
We were also at an age where we were easily
sentimental and liked listening to sad music.
I remember we would often ride in
horse-drawn carriages together after sunset, playing until we were completely
satisfied, before returning home.
Even now, when I close my eyes, I can
almost relive those moments.
I can feel the vibration of the carriages
moving slowly forward. We all fall silent when we're tired. I can feel the cool
wind on my skin and hear a friend playing a traditional northern instrument
that evokes sadness.
I feel that poignant emotion — joy fades;
sorrow follows.
I remember once saying to you and some of
our other friends:
'We're very happy now, but there's no such
thing as eternal happiness in life.'
After hearing this, you all nodded in
agreement.
Not long ago, one of our friends, Ruan Yu,
passed away. The distance between us is vast, and I don't know when we'll be
able to meet again. Whenever I think about this, I feel so overwhelmed that I
can't speak.
This idiom translates as "Joy fades;
sorrow follows".
Dear friend, what are your thoughts or
feelings after hearing this story?
When were you happiest in your life? Has
anyone consistently stayed by your side throughout your life?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
樂往哀來(Joy fades; sorrow follows.)
中國漫長的歷史中，有好幾組相當著名的父子檔，這些父子檔中，曹操與曹丕與曹植是無法被忽視的其中一組父子檔。
曹操與曹丕和曹植三個人的文學素養都非常的高，曹操有著傑出的領導統御能力，曹丕延續他的父權力基礎創建了曹魏王國，曹植的智慧被認為是同時代中最高的，他們三個人的朋友都是當時代最著名與最傑出的一些名人
曹丕有一個好朋友的名字叫做吳質，曹丕曾經寫過一封信給吳質，這封信的部分內容的大概意思如下。
我的好朋友吳質，我們好久不見了，我非常的牽掛你，不知道你最近過得好不好。
我非常的想念你，我最近常常想到我們幾年前一起住在(南皮)的那段日子，那段快樂時光一直存在我的心裡，而且我時不時地會想起來。
我還記得那個時候的我們對未來充滿夢想，我們會聚在一起熱烈的討論我們對於未來的想像，那個時候，我們的心靈每天都感到非常的愉悅。
我們那個時候也正處在一個很容易傷感的年紀，我們那個時候還喜歡聽一些感覺到悲傷的音樂。
我還記得，我們那個時候常常會在太陽下山明亮的月亮出現後一起搭著馬車到處玩樂直到盡興才回家。
直到現在，當我閉上眼睛時，我彷彿都還能夠感受到那個時候的情境。
我的身體感受到車輪慢慢向前行的震動感，我們大家玩累了都靜默不說話，冰涼的風吹在我的身上，我的耳朵聽到一個朋友正在吹奏著令人感受到悲傷的北方民族的傳統樂器。
我感受到歡樂離去後悲哀就接著來臨的一種令人感傷的情緒。
我還記得有一次，我對你與我們的另外一些朋友們說。
我們現在感到非常的快樂，但是人生中終究沒有永遠的快樂啊。
你們聽到我說的這句話後，你們每個人都點頭表示認同我的這個觀點。
我們那群朋友中的那一個名字叫(阮瑀)已經在不久前離世了，我與你之間距離如此遙遠，我不知道我們到底何時才能夠再次相見，每次想到這些，我就心情低落到無法言語。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是歡樂離去後悲哀就接著來臨。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的感受或有怎樣的想法呢。
你人生中最歡樂的時光是在你幾歲的時候呢?你的人生中，有誰持續一直陪伴在你身邊呢嗎?
我希望這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為三國志-卷21-吳質傳https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E4%B8%89%E5%9C%8B%E5%BF%97/%E5%8D%B721