行雲流水(Walking Clouds and Flowing Water)
蘇軾是中國的宋王朝的一個著名的政治家與美食家，他還是一名傑出的文學家與書法家。他更是中國歷史上最受人喜愛的詩人之一。
他的人生的最後幾年，他被派任到中國的最南端的一個海南省，海南省的面積涵蓋整座海南島。
西元1100年，他收到一條命令，他有了新的職務，再他到新的工作崗位的途中，他經過了中國南方最重要的一座城市，這座城市就是廣州市。
蘇軾在廣州待了幾天，就在這幾天中，他在這座城市中認識了一個年紀與他相差很多的年輕官員，他與這個官員成為了好朋友，這個好朋友的名字叫做謝民師。
由於蘇軾是當時代最著名的文學家，所以謝民師在兩個人認識後，他把握這個機會拿出自己寫的文章給蘇軾看，並且請教蘇軾對這些文章的意見，他們兩個人也討論了各自對於創作的理念與觀點。
蘇軾離開廣州後，寫了一封信給謝民師，蘇軾在這封信中表達了他對謝民師的感謝，另外這封信中有一段的意思如下。
你之前展示給我看你所寫的那些文章與詩詞，我這幾天都已經全部仔細地看完了。你寫的作品帶給我的感覺就像是行走的雲與流動的水。
雲與水都沒有固定的型態，風吹動雲雲就前進，風停止後雲也就跟著停止，水跟隨著地形從高處與低處流，流到土地的最低處沒有辦法前進時，水就累積成了湖泊。
我讀你寫的文章時，我感覺到你的文章結構非常的自然而且流暢，內容豐富而且富有變化。
孔子曾經說過兩句話。
第一句話的意思是沒有用豐富且華麗的詞彙表現出作者個人的才華的句子是無法被廣泛傳誦的。
第二句話的意思是我們在表達一件事情，應該把重點放在如何表達出我們的核心觀點。
要同時達到孔子所說的這兩種狀態是很困難的。
大多數人寫文章時，連如何表達出自己想要表達的意思都做不到。
我們寫文章時所要說明的核心觀點往往就像是風與影子一樣難以描述與傳達，要能夠清楚的知道自己想要表達的核心觀點的意思並且能夠用合適的詞彙表達出來，這種人已經是非常非常稀少的了。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是像是行走的雲與流動的水。
這句成語被引申用來形容一個人的行為與態度非常的自然且不受拘束。
這句成語被引申用來形容一個人所創作的作品或寫的文章非常的自然與順暢。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
你覺得哪個作家的作品你讀起來感覺最順暢呢?你是否擅長用合適的字眼表達出自己內心的想法與觀點呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為蘇軾-與謝民師推官書
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E8%88%87%E8%AC%9D%E6%B0%91%E5%B8%AB%E6%8E%A8%E5%AE%98%E6%9B%B8
Walking Clouds and Flowing Water(行雲流水)
Su Shi was a renowned statesman, gourmet
and writer of the Song dynasty in China, as well as an outstanding
calligrapher. He is also one of the most beloved poets in Chinese history.
In the final years of his life, he was
assigned to Hainan Province, China's southernmost province, which covers the
entire island of Hainan.
In 1100 AD, he received an order for a new
post. En route, he passed through Guangzhou, one of the most important cities
in southern China.
Su Shi spent a few days there. During this
time, he met a young official who was much younger than him, and they became
good friends. This official's name was Xie Minshi.
As Su Shi was the most famous writer of the
time, Xie Minshi seized the opportunity to show him his own writing and seek
his opinion after they had become acquainted. The two men also discussed their
creative philosophies and perspectives.
After leaving Guangzhou, Su Shi wrote a
letter to Xie Minshi to express his gratitude. One passage from the letter is
as follows:
'I have carefully read all the articles and
poems you showed me. Your writing evokes the image of walking clouds and
flowing water.
Clouds and water have no fixed form. The
wind blows the clouds forward and, when the wind stops, the clouds stop too.
Water flows with the terrain, from high places to low ones. When it reaches the
lowest point and cannot move any further, it collects in a lake.
Reading your articles, I felt that their
structure was very natural and fluent, and that their content was rich and
varied.
Confucius once said two things.
The first is that sentences that do not use
rich and ornate vocabulary to express the author's personal talent cannot be
widely recited.
The second is that, when we express
something, we should focus on conveying our core point.
It is very difficult to achieve both of
these states that Confucius spoke of simultaneously.
When writing, most people struggle to
express what they want to say.
The core idea that we want to convey in our
writing is often as difficult to describe and communicate as wind and shadow.
People who can clearly understand their core idea and express it using the
right vocabulary are extremely rare.
This idiom literally translates as 'Walking
clouds and flowing water'.
It is used to describe someone whose
behaviour and attitude are natural and unrestrained.
It is also used to describe someone whose
creative work or writing is very natural and fluent.
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
did you gain from this story?
Whose works do you find easiest to read? Do
you find it easy to express your inner thoughts and opinions in writing?
I hope this story will give you some new
insights.