The gay of genius-chapter 26

1.Central Question

Q: What did he mean that Su Tungpo named his studio for “Studio of Clean Thinking”?

A: “Clean Thinking” comes from the Analects of Confucius. It is a famous viewpoint of Confucius, a great thinker and educator, who evaluates the poetry collection of the Book of Songs. In the Book of Songs, “Clean Thinking” is meant to praise the horse, namely, the heart is innocent, the heart is pure. There are two main contents in “Clean Thinking”, one is literature creation theory, Confucius emphasizes the author's attitude and creation motive. One is to say from the thought, “Clean Thinking” is to be true to sincerity. In China, the choice of the name for a studio by a scholar is usually intended to express or sum up on one or two words a philosophy of life. Su Tungpo had arrived at a point where he believed not only in simple living. The idea of achieving control of the mind as the basis for long life and the road to immortality was his way of uniting the truths taught by Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. It may have something to do with his later pursuit of immortality.

2.Sentences

（1）The choice of the name for a studio by a scholar is usually intended to express or sum up in one or two words a philosophy of life.

中国读书人给书斋起名字，总是用几个字表示他的人生哲学。

（2）He was still uncertain of his future.他对来日如何，全然没有把握。

这句话和25章中的一句话的表达相类似。25章原话如下：

Nevertheless, he had no real inkling of what was coming.

可是来日如何，他并不真知道。

（3）This comes from a saying by Confucius that a moral man is never without good neighbors wherever he goes.

孔子在论语里说，“德不孤，必有邻”，这个名堂便是由此而来。