Thread Flood One: "All under heaven bustle for profit; all under heaven stir for gain."
"All under heaven bustle for profit; all under heaven stir for gain. This line is damn classic. A sentence like this could be passed down for a thousand years."
"I never expected 'Youth Literature' to produce such a master. Incredible."
"This 'all under heaven bustle' idea truly sums up human conflict and the entanglement of interests."
"One word: upvote. I'll remember the name Qiushui."
"I really wonder who this Qiushui is, to write something like this. Respect."
"I feel like I've seen Qiushui's work somewhere before, just can't remember where."
"Master Qiushui, your literary talent rivals that of the master who wrote 'The Way of Great Learning'."
"Hey, take a closer look. Who wrote 'The Way of Great Learning'?"
"Holy crap, I was blind! So Mr. Qiushui is the author of 'The Way of Great Learning'. Master, my apologies."
"Haha, I knew Qiushui couldn't be a nobody. Turns out that masterpiece that stunned us before was also written by him."
"May I ask who Master Qiushui is in real life?"
"I heard he's a retired professor from a famous university."
"Really? If I get the chance, I must go listen to his teachings."
Thread Flood Two: "Loose in form, unified in spirit."
"Everyone, doesn't 'lose in form, unified in spirit' sound insanely impressive?"
"More than impressive, I feel like it might overturn modern prose writing."
"No way, that's too exaggerated."
"Not exaggerated at all. Look at modern prose, everything is so scattered it's all over the place. Not only is the form scattered, but even the core meaning is also nowhere to be found. Yet some people take pride in this style, thinking this is what prose should be. Some even call it 'beautiful writing.'"
"I do agree prose can be considered 'beautiful writing,' but most works don't deserve that title."
"Exactly. Look at what those prose writers are producing these days, what's beautiful about that?"
"Agreed. What Mr. Qiushui said, 'loose in form, unified in spirit,' truly captures the essence of prose."
"Damn, this is getting deeper and deeper. Can someone explain what he meant?"
"I'll give it a shot, just my understanding, though. If I'm wrong, bear with me."
"No problem, hurry up!"
"Alright. 'Loose in form' is easier to understand. It matches our current idea of prose, meaning the subject matter is broad and unrestricted by time or space. The style is flexible: it can narrate events, describe characters, express emotions through objects, or present arguments. The author can freely adjust and change according to the content.
'Unified in spirit' is harder. I think 'spirit' refers to the central theme. No matter how free the form or how broad the content, there must be a clear core idea. The reader should understand what the piece is expressing. It's not about being scattered for the sake of being scattered."
"Damn, that's some expert-level analysis."
"That explanation is amazing. I also feel 'loose in form, unified in spirit' perfectly captures the soul of prose."
"Haha, now I finally understand how to write good prose. It's just a shame those who don't understand prose at all keep showing off their so-called talent, and with the help of certain media and publishers, they're poisoning countless young readers."
"I agree. That Nianhua guy is a perfect example. I think Mr. Qiushui didn't just criticize his character, but also his meaningless writing."
"Anyway, I fully support 'loose in form, unified in spirit.'"
Thread Flood Three: "The Master does not speak of strange forces and spirits."
"Guys, what do you think about Mr. Qiushui's interpretation of this line?"
"It feels very novel, beyond our previous understanding."
"Yeah, I always thought it meant exactly what it says. That's how teachers explained it, and even scholars and experts said the same. But now, after reading Mr. Qiushui's explanation, it really doesn't seem like it should be taken literally."
"I agree. As he said, if taken literally, Zengzi's words would be way too illogical. He was talking about studying hard, then suddenly jumped to avoiding ghosts and spirits?"
"Could it be that everything we've learned about Zengzi for decades is going to be overturned?"
"Very possible."
"I don't think it'll be completely overturned, but Mr. Qiushui's interpretation makes a lot of sense."
"Looks like we can't just read books blindly anymore. When I first read that line, I always felt something was off. Now I finally get it. Maybe we've been misunderstanding it all along."
"No matter what, reading Mr. Qiushui's article has been incredibly enlightening."
"Same here…"
"Hey, cut the English. This is a Chinese literature forum."
Thread Flood Four: "What one gains from books is always shallow; to truly understand, one must practice."
"Damn, a modern poet has appeared."
"This poem is incredible. I didn't expect someone today could write such a brilliant classical poem."
"I agree. This poem can stand alongside Tang poetry and Song lyrics."
"I think it's even more classic than many of them. It's deeply philosophical."
"Haha, to me, this poem is basically roasting Nianhua. Doesn't he always act like a great writer? Thinks he's so talented? He can't even quote properly, yet still talks big."
"I've disliked Nianhua for a long time. He doesn't have much real substance, just empty, pretentious writing. That might fool high school teachers, but in front of a true master, he gets exposed instantly. Honestly, I don't care about him. He won't last long. What matters is this poem is amazing. I'm going to memorize it and teach it to my kid."
"Great idea. I'll do the same. Let kids understand that after reading, they should practice in real life. Otherwise, the more they read, the more bookish and useless they become."
"I think this poem could even be used as a national slogan promoting learning through practice."
"Yeah, let's push it so more people can see it."
"No need. With 'Youth Literature's' influence, plenty of people will see it. I believe the authorities will also be impressed. This poem might spread across all of Huaguo in the future."
Thread Flood Five: Nianhua
This thread flood wasn't admiration for Nianhua, but pure contempt.
Yes, complete ridicule and condemnation.
"Nianhua, get out of the literary world. With your character…"
"Yeah, criticizing others' works? If someone writes supernatural fiction without ghosts, what are they supposed to write?"
"Nianhua, do you know why you'll never match Guo Cheng or Han Jin? Your character is trash."
"Mr. Qiushui roasted him so smoothly. Haha, can't even bother switching pen names when attacking others, zero skill."
"That line made me laugh, too."
"I'm convinced. Nianhua only made one attack, and Mr. Qiushui listed multiple charges against him. Low knowledge like a primary school student, bad character attacking competitors, and even calling him dumb for not using an alias. And that final poem as 'advice'? That was such a powerful flex."
"I'll give that flex a 97 out of 100. The remaining 3 points are so he doesn't get cocky."
"I've finally learned that the highest level of insulting someone is doing it without a single curse word."
"I really want to know how someone like Nianhua even became famous."
"I suggest everyone boycott Nianhua. Stop buying his books."
"Who would buy them anyway? Just some middle schoolers."
"After this public roasting, even they might stop."
"I think so too."
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