What kind of couplet? The second couplet is the same as the first couplet, and the result can be absolutely eternal

People who have made remarkable achievements in the cultural field are often called "talents". In the Ming Dynasty, such talents emerged one after another. Today, we would like to mention Xu Wei, who is unique and known as "ghost talent".

Xu Wei has a long character, so he is often called Xu Wenchang. He was born in 1521 and grew up in Shaoxing. He called himself "a man with a southern accent and a northern tune", while later generations respectfully called him "Taoist Green Vine", and named his painting school "Green Vine Painting School". Xu Wei was not only a famous litterateur, dramatist, calligrapher and painter in the Ming Dynasty, but also a strategist. At that time, he, together with Yang Shen and others, was praised as the "Three Talents of the Ming Dynasty".

Xu Wei has lived in a complex family environment since he was young. As the son of a side room, he was raised by his own mother. In his early years, he experienced the death of his father and expulsion of his mother. These experiences made him feel helpless under the influence of others. However, he was born intelligent, and he realized his own situation early, and was praised as a child prodigy by people around him. Under this background, Xu Wei has formed a complex personality that is both unhappy and arrogant.

In his youth, Xu Wei, though brilliant, failed in many attempts and stopped at the position of scholar. People around him began to question whether he could continue to show his talent like "Zhong Yong". Fortunately, in the 37th year of Jiajing (1558), he was appreciated by Hu Zongxian and became his staff. He began to dabble in current affairs and contribute his wisdom and strategies, and his military talents were gradually demonstrated.

However, Xu Wei's talent was gradually revealed at the time of his ill fated fate. In the 44th year of Jiajing (1565), Hu Zongxian's downfall brought him a heavy blow. This made his spirit close to collapse, and his behavior became more and more crazy and uninhibited. The next year (the 45th year of Jiajing, 1566), he was sentenced to prison because he saw his wife having a private meeting with a monk in a trance and killed her impulsively.

Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of his friends, Xu Wei was exempted from death penalty and granted amnesty. However, after he was released from prison, his spirit was more unstable, he was extremely disgusted with dignitaries and refused to associate with them. Although many dignitaries at that time longed for his calligraphy and paintings, he ignored them and was more willing to exchange them for a bowl of coarse rice for his neighbors.

Later, disputes often occurred between Xu Wei and his son. Xu Wei, with a strong personality, decided not to live with his son, but chose to live alone in the mountains and forests to seek peace. However, as a father, he still hoped that his son would have a good future, so he wrote a meaningful couplet to encourage his son: "Good reading is not good reading, good reading is not good reading."

But when his son saw the couplet, he misunderstood his father's intention and thought that his father was teasing him, so he became more angry. Seeing this, Xu Wei smiled coolly, then he threw his sleeves back to the mountains and continued his reclusive life.

Finally, in the 21st year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1593 AD), Xu Wei died in the mountains at the age of 73. When he died, the scene was just like his self mocking words: "A few rooms are upside down, and one is from the south to the north."

After Xu Wei's death, his mysterious couplets were once again taken out for careful study by the world. At first, everyone was puzzled. The two seemingly identical couplets, the upper couplets and the lower couplets, were exactly the same. What was the meaning of such couplets. However, after repeated deliberation and in-depth exploration of the sound and meaning of the words, people finally came to realize that this is indeed an eternal absolute!

It turns out that the secret of this couplet lies in the clever change of its pronunciation. The two words "good" are pronounced as three tones and four tones respectively in the upper couplet, and vice versa in the lower couplet, as four tones and three tones respectively. This change in pronunciation makes the meaning of the couplets completely different, which fully demonstrates the breadth and depth of Chinese culture. This couplet has been handed down till now, and is still regarded by many parents as a catchphrase for educating their children to read.