Birthday poem · November 12Start of Winter, the 19th solar term: winter begins.
Birth character
高 gāo · high
高 is a picture of a tall building; it means high.
遠近高低各不同
“Assuming different shapes viewed from far and wide.” — Su Shi, ‘Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple’
Other dates with this poem: January 11
The poem
“Reading on a Winter Night” 冬夜讀書示子聿
- 古人學問無遺力The ancients spared no effort in their learning;
- 少壯工夫老始成what you work at when young bears fruit only when old.
- 紙上得來終覺淺What you learn from paper always stays shallow —
- 絶知此事要躬行to truly know a thing, you must do it yourself.
Why this poem
Lu You to his son: what you learn from books stays shallow until you practise it.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Start of Winter.