"Going Up the Mountain Love" Reading Notes

Highlights#

She is a living work of art, a model that Modigliani never encountered in his lifetime. If Modigliani had met her, encountered an Eastern beauty, a Chinese beauty, he would surely have revised his aesthetic views, the world of art would be rewritten, and Modigliani's biography would also be rewritten; I truly believe this.
Any student taught by schools and training classes carries a sense of craftsmanship and vulgarity, which is the fatal flaw of art.
I have already mentioned this in my book. Some people you meet too late, some you meet too early, and some you should never meet at all. What you mean now probably refers to the last type.
There are two blessings in life: the love of art and the art of love.
Any X-ray that can only penetrate soft materials like human flesh is called soft X-ray; if it can penetrate hard materials like human bones, it is called hard X-ray.
I have set a main axis for my life, and that axis is to be a great intellectual, knowledgeable and independent, and to be practically useful for the country and the people.
Break through the net with words.
Like a hermit, I prefer the mountains and despise the worldly dust below.
Although I am a fighter, I am weary of interpersonal relationships. I believe that the dominance of modern technology has made people increasingly weak, diminishing individuals' ability to resist government and environment, thus making individuals unreliable and unlovable.
The more people I know, the more I like dogs.
Those who grew up in a peaceful era will not understand the practical significance of this view.
I came with enthusiasm and left when it was exhausted; why bother to meet?
Those who mistakenly believe in the division of spirit and flesh seem to have an extra layer of 'moral diaphragm' in their physiological structure. Above the diaphragm is benevolence and morality, is God; below the diaphragm are thieves and prostitutes, are devils.
Worship the spirit and despise the flesh.
The metaphysical has spirit but no flesh, the physical has flesh but no spirit; the former overly enlightens the spirit, while the latter excessively indulges desires. The two reflect each other and ultimately become modern people who are neither spiritual nor fleshy.
Concentrate the heart and release the form.
As far as I know, among ten bachelors, nine have dog kennels at home. I look down on those who turn their homes into dog kennels; I think such people are unqualified.
The modern female ghost image is definitely not the kind that terrifies people; everything is beautiful in modern times, including female ghosts. Modern female ghosts are tall, fair, slim, elegant and talented, with a good mind, a pair of long and beautiful legs, wearing jeans, just like you.
There is no second way. The most perfect article has only one way to write, the most perfect sculpture has only one way to carve, the most perfect painting has only one way to paint, and the most perfect woman has only one way to grow. In ancient China, when describing beauties, it was said, 'Add one point and she is too fat, subtract one point and she is too thin'; this is just right. Beauties are like this, and so are articles, sculptures, and paintings. In fact, everything in the world is like this. The reason why masters are masters, and beauties are beauties, is that they can present themselves so exquisitely—neither excessive nor lacking. This kind of presentation is the most perfect, so there is only one way, no second way.
Fools only envy those who are higher than them, yet do not understand the insider's perspective.
At twenty and not beautiful, at thirty and not strong, at forty and not rich, at fifty and not wise, this person will forever be unbeautiful, unstrong, unrich, and unwise.
However, I do believe that a person should have a little money, especially in totalitarian countries. Totalitarian countries have no freedom, but having no money means even less freedom. One of the characteristics of such countries is that government power is directly linked to your stomach; it often directly controls your stomach. If you want to eat, you have to rely on it and obey. Or you might not rely on it, but you have to rely on a boss, yet it will threaten your boss, making you lose your job; it’s the same. Therefore, in totalitarian countries where private property is still recognized, having a little private property, not relying on the government for food, not relying on the boss for food, symbolizes that you can still grasp a portion of freedom. Since money symbolizes freedom, I have hidden a little money and presented an image of having some money to the outside world, so as not to appear so 'dilapidated', so poor and destitute.
Being bitten is broad; from interfering with you, attacking you, banning your books, to blocking you in the media while mobilizing court writers to defeat and disgrace you... all count as being bitten. The last step is to arrest you and send you to prison.
Speaking of which, there is a joke about Taipei citizens not obeying traffic rules. It says a person drives and runs a red light, unexpectedly a police officer hiding behind a tree on the safety island jumps out and stops him. The police officer asks him: 'Didn’t you see the red light?' He replies: 'I saw it.' 'Then why did you run the red light?' The answer is: 'I didn’t see the police.'
I believe that a first-class intellectual must take it as his duty not to go with the flow, not to flatter the powerful, and not to cooperate with those in power.
Flattering the world.
Those who are close to the soil with both hands must be far from the bank.
A first-class lover has no feelings of pain because he knows clearly that pain is a useless emotion, the most detestable emotion.
I believe that part of love is the relationship of spirit and flesh, and another part is a purely spiritual relationship. The relationship of spirit and flesh has its limits, but the purely spiritual relationship has none.
Thin but not bony.
In fact, the charm of enjoying the beauty of youthful women only exists under a few limited conditions, and eternally exists; that is, in time, it is short; in space, it is distant; in relationship, it is mysterious; in separation and reunion, it is impermanent.
You seem to be a happy person, but in fact, you are quite pessimistic about love.
The truly remarkable Tang Seng travels alone for thousands of miles; he is truly impressive.
Without desire, how can there be feelings? Without flesh, how can there be spirit? Between desire and spirit, between feelings and flesh, there are actually relationships of master and servant, of primary and secondary, of cause and effect; in fact, it is still fleshly desire in the light, and spiritual feelings in the back. It’s just that spirit follows flesh, and feelings follow desire, and even later, they take precedence, becoming 'spiritualism' and 'goddess theory'.
As far as I understand, happiness is not about finishing something; happiness is about having unfinished tasks. It is always about doing that task, seeming finished but not finished, almost finished but not quite.
Do you mean happiness is just the process, not the result?
Nature surpasses nurture.
Birds fly over the river, casting shadows on the water. The bird departs, the water flows long; does this shadow ever move? The wind passes over the calm lake, the lake surface creates light ripples. The lake is calm at times, yet it is still difficult to return to the old state. For him to have a thought, ten years will not change. When called, he will return, as if lost yet truly present.
Do you know that seawater can freeze? Do you know how it freezes? Do you know there are stories of resistance within it that do not freeze? Seawater, due to its salt content, freezes at a lower temperature than freshwater. When it begins to freeze, circular small spots form on the sea surface, soon crystallizing, but the frozen part remains freshwater, while the salt separates out, remaining in the unfrozen seawater, called brine. As the temperature continues to drop, the brine continues to freeze, but in the end, there is still a portion of salt crystals or highly concentrated brine that refuses to freeze.
Those who rely on fantasy for survival do not face reality, which is unhealthy for them.
The female protagonist in 'The Great Thief' is the most admirable. A woman will follow her man to the ends of the earth for love, willing to face death. Love is everything to a woman, as can be seen.
In fact, blind people are not worthy of talking about love because they do not know how to love. Blind people do not understand love; they merely believe in love.
Truth, goodness, beauty.
But when it comes to the realm of truth and falsehood, goodness and evil, one cannot be so carefree in life. Morally, we are compelled to seek truth amidst falsehood; in goodness and evil, we must promote goodness and suppress evil. If we take a beautiful perspective in the realm of truth and goodness, turning a blind eye to falsehood and evil, we will commit moral transgressions.
The essence of women is aesthetic.
I believe that all relationships between men and women are aesthetic relationships. Love should be like this, breaking up should be like this, marriage should be like this, divorce should be like this. Between men and women, there is nothing but beauty, nor should there be anything else. If anything else mixes in, the framework becomes chaotic.
Art is indeed a realm of escaping reality, fundamentally a realm of beauty.
Tyranny is lenient towards them because they deal with issues of beauty, not issues of truth and goodness.
'Strange feelings' are expressions that transcend 'mundane feelings'; 'mundane feelings' themselves are not necessarily to be avoided, but 'strange feelings' are even more desirable.
'Mundane feelings' themselves are not necessarily bad, but if one comes to 'strange feelings' instead of 'mundane feelings', that is even better.
In the north, there is a beautiful woman, unique and independent; with a single glance, she topples a city, with another glance, she topples a nation.
From the perspective of 'mundane feelings', seeing life and death parting is a natural and reasonable conclusion; how can one not meet for the last time? However, from the perspective of aestheticism, it is better not to meet; 'to meet is worse than not to meet' is better, not meeting is more beautiful, more desirable, more splendid; this is 'strange feelings'.
The value judgment of 'strange feelings' is unique and independent; its measurement and identification of gains and losses differ from the standards of 'mundane feelings'.
One of the standards of 'strange feelings' I just mentioned is the ability to 'let go'; there is also a situation that counts as a kind of 'letting go'. For example, a matter or a relationship should develop to its end, but you do not want it to develop to its end, deliberately leaving it unfinished.
Students do not need to fully affirm their teachers; half and half, not blindly following, is the way of life.
Those who do not know me like to read my articles. Those who know me like to listen to my speeches. Those who understand me like me as a person.
When the clouds pass, when the rain passes, when everything has passed, I take Xiao Yu to the bathroom.
'It doesn't matter' is a phrase that conveys indifference, rudeness, irresponsibility, and cleverness. I do not want to be friends with those who like to say 'it doesn't matter.' Only dancers like to say these three words.
I can hardly remember how many postures there are, I can hardly count how many times, and I can hardly count how many times we inserted and withdrew, inserted and withdrew, inserted and withdrew together, carefree and lingering together, entwined together, floating together. The time we spent without clothes is almost more than the time we spent with clothes; the time of taking off and putting on is almost enough to make the clothes protest.
In many ways, our lives do not necessarily surpass those of ancient people. Now, absorbing what ancient people 'first captured my heart' into our own lives for appreciation and enjoyment is truly worthwhile.
Dropping the book bag.
True erudition spans ancient and modern, encompassing both East and West.
Trust and pulse fish.
Daring to boast of skill with ten fingers, not painting long eyebrows. Bitterly regretting year after year, pressing needle and thread, making wedding clothes for others.
Excessive confrontation with reality makes it impossible to live, as it becomes too tense.
This experience of being banned from books makes me feel that when you spread the truth, the resistance is not only from tyrants but also from the ignorant! Further deducing, the resistance is not only from tyrants but also from the mob!”
Listen well, Xiao Yu, listen to me. Life will encounter various difficulties; how to face the easily scattered colorful clouds is one of them. After the colorful clouds, throughout history, negative emotions are often used as the tone, from lingering thoughts to sorrow, from painful memories to sentimentality, from 'sorrowful soul' to 'sighing with emotion'... all are a bit of sadness and three parts of desolation.
The relationship of love seems like climbing a mountain together; on the way up, you can be together.
Let us kiss to part!
I always feel that love should not be about one person waiting for another; love should not be an art of waiting too much. Love is somewhat like parallel vehicles; it always moves forward, and no one should wait for anyone. Everyone can meet back and forth, can stop briefly together, can pause in the woods, but all of this is accidental, without competition, without a race, without dragging feet in pity. Once one party experiences a delay, a malfunction, or an accident in moving forward, do not expect other vehicles to wait for you.
Greek god Zeus.
Forgetting feelings is to be quiet and unmoved, as if the one who forgets.
Forgetting feelings is the same. Forgetting feelings is not being unfeeling, but being affectionate; however, being affectionate does not get entangled or troubled by feelings, but rather handles feelings with openness and ease.
In the separation and reunion of love, especially during farewells and breakups, one can best see the level of a lover.
What passes transforms, what remains is spirit.
Poem titled 'Old Love'
- Good flowers should be picked, because flowers will age. Do not wait for them to bloom; pick flowers while it is early. Spring should be sought, because spring will age. Do not wait for winter to leave before finding spring. Love should be severed, because feelings will age; the laboring swallows fly first, which is for the good of both.
Poem titled 'Then Go on a Long Journey'
- When flowers bloom, they should be appreciated, then go on a long journey. Only by not waiting for the flowers to wither can one remember the flowers' redness. When there is wine, it should be fully drunk, then go on a long journey. Only by not waiting to be fully drunk can one feel slightly awake. When there is love, it should be loved, then go on a long journey. Only by loving briefly can one love eternally.
In love, pain is a sign of narrow vision, a sign of a narrow heart, a sign of a technical error. A truly first-class lover does not suffer for love, as a foreign poet said: Ah! 'Love'! They greatly misunderstand you; they say your sweetness is pain, when your abundant fruits are sweeter than any fruit.
Poem titled 'Love is Pure Joy'
- Love is not pain; love is pure joy. When you have pain, that is a mistake. Love is elusive; love is hard to measure. But those who love do not feel the slightest loss. Love is ever-changing; love is the east wind's malice. But those who love still find their harvest. Love is warm and cold; love is fleeting like clouds. But those who love do not feel the slightest regret. Love is not pain; love is pure joy. Whether it comes, goes, exists, or not, it is all sweet, with no bitterness.
Do not love too much; just love a little bit.
- Others' love is as deep as the sea; my love is shallow. Do not love too much; just love a little bit. Others' love is as long as the sky; my love is short. Do not love too much; just love a little bit. Others exchange glances; I only steal a glance at you.
They can only rearrange some abstract nouns without any meaningful output.
Facts are often credible but unlovable; legends are often lovable but incredible, even absurd.
In contrast, the vicissitudes of life seem lowly and sordid; the rise and fall of officials, the change of dynasties, the affairs of a century, the chess game of Chang'an, are truly not worth such pessimism. On the contrary, the myriad phenomena of the universe inspire optimism.
The method is to pause.
- Place her at a distance, enjoy a sense of ethereality. Love is a skill, and the skill is not intense. Place her at a distance, create a sense of haziness.
- Love is an aftertaste; the aftertaste is to forget feelings. Place her at a distance, never let her haunt your dreams. Love is effortless; effortlessness is eternity. Eternity does not see falling leaves, only sees two floating duckweeds.
First, I like to bring back the endpoint to the starting point, like I said to you that night by the lake: 'You will always cycle, and you will never get lost.' Second, I am now translating this song 'Danny Boy'; the famous singers who sing this song are numerous. The CD I have at hand, from Andy Williams to Roger Whittaker, actually only sings the first half, leaving out the essence of the latter half.
Words from the dead: Oh, Danny Boy, when the bagpipes call, the valleys line up; when summer is over, the roses are hard to hold. You, you are far away, while I! I am buried here. When the grasslands end summer, when the snow covers all white. Regardless of the clear sky, regardless of the gloom everywhere. Oh, Danny Boy, I love you so much, waiting for you to wander. Oh! Say you love me, and you will come; though the dead pass like this, the dead are first cut. Thank the heavens and the earth; on the desolate grave, please find me, find me, seek my remains.
In every season, there is always autumn; autumn is a kind of lament: precisely because you find it hard to seek spring, you cannot cut in line for summer. — Do not be sad about the yellow leaves falling, but cherish the only green. In life, there is always middle age; middle age is a kind of embarrassment. Precisely because you are no longer innocent, you do not belong to youth. — Do not look back at the old glory, but linger on the dreams that have not shattered. Approaching is the winter's delicate sun,
Approaching is the aging color, approaching is the fine wine everywhere; unfortunately, I can hardly get drunk.
I have forgotten those passionate days, also forgotten the sorrow of autumn and the pain of spring. I cannot remember the confused old dreams, nor can I warm the cold heart. Heating the wine in the cup, it is already midnight; the old dream flashes after the wine, indistinguishable between illusion and reality.
It is easy for the past to resurface, easy for drunken eyes to burn, easy for guests to bring old dreams, but difficult to relive old dreams.
For fifty years, on this island, on the eastern shore, I have strived to keep myself from the pollution of time and place, to maintain my individuality, to be an independent and unique man. To be a person who is never complacent, I feel I have not done well enough;
Just as T.S. Eliot said, the beginning is the end.
With a mysterious sigh, he took away the woman he loved; this is love, some words cannot be spoken.
Who knows the tomb on the plain, does not have me from that year.
There should only be two points: the first point is that nature itself is an infinitely spectacular change, whether it is the morning glow or the evening shade, whether it is the storm or the bright clouds, whether it is the flying catkins or the falling leaves... all kinds of wonders are worth appreciating in tranquility or joy. The second point is that nature should bring people a grand view of the universe; the changes of things, the passage of time... are all means for people to understand the truth of the universe.
The pure see it to become holy, the impure see it as lewd.
They cannot see far, nor can they see deep. But who can stop them from gazing at the vast sea?
Where lies the key to the distinction between purity and impurity?
The 'I Ching' says, "The metaphysical is called the Dao, the physical is called the vessel." 'Yellow novels' have always been merely the physical merging of organs, insufficient to discuss the metaphysical great way. 'Ascending the Mountain to Love' opens a unique wonder, with strange feelings and strange texts, reversing yin and yang, laughing at the 'I Ching', achieving its immortality.
In fact, the so-called good people in the world are truly bad enough to see. How can good people be bad? They can be bad; I will list three main points. The first bad thing about good people is: they do not dare to compete with bad people. They fear bad people, and because they fear, they do not dare to compete with them. The creation of bad deeds in the world has two causes: one is that bad people do bad things; the other is that good people tolerate, stand by, or even tacitly allow bad people to do bad things. What is the result? Capable or potentially capable good people, when they have the opportunity or possibility, give up the action of striking against bad people and stopping them from doing evil. Thus, the bad deeds in the world spread one by one. Therefore, to speak bluntly, bad deeds are not all done by bad people; in fact, good people also have a part. Tolerating, standing by, or even tacitly allowing bad people to do bad things is the final procedure that perfects bad deeds; the sins of good people cannot be exempted.
The third bad thing about good people is: they think that 'having good intentions' makes them good people. When 'self-cultivation' becomes prevalent, the ethical 'motivation school' becomes the protective talisman of good people. The obsession of the 'motivation school' is to judge a matter not by its essence, but by tracing the elusive and vague motivation, using motivation to determine everything. Mencius said: 'If it is in accordance with its feelings, it can be good; that is called goodness.' Yu Zhengxie directly points out that Mencius's 'feelings' are no different from 'the essence of the matter', which is to say that motivation is fact; everything depends on your intention: if your intention is good, even for evil, it is 'though evil, not punished'; if your intention is not good, even for good, it is 'though good, not rewarded'. Thus, not looking at the consequences, relying solely on the measurement of intentions, once it starts, it cannot be stopped.
The older I get, the more I believe there are only two types of people in the world: those who do things and those who talk nonsense, doing nothing themselves, even stopping others from doing things. I value anyone who does things and look down on anyone who talks nonsense.
I think napping is a waste; I never take naps.
When you first go to prison, some of them will visit you once, just once; after that, they are no longer curious. A person can go to the zoo to see a zebra once and not need to see a zebra again for ten years. So that visit was not to see you but to fulfill a wish, or to say goodbye forever. However, no matter how you say it, among timid friends, they hurt the least.
The problem of suffering in life is actually a philosophical problem of fortune and misfortune. As the saying goes: 'Fortune does not come in pairs, misfortune does not come alone.' This means misfortune comes in pairs.
The low-level response to unfavorable situations is to sigh and complain; the high-level response to unfavorable situations can turn them into advantages for oneself. One must practice to this level to be considered skilled. A skilled person, whether inside or outside the furnace, is the same in their demeanor. 'Turning misfortune into fortune, turning defeat into success' is what I admire most in a master.
Although life is what I want to maintain, if there is something more worth pursuing than life, I will sacrifice life for righteousness; although death is what I want to avoid, if 'what I hate is worse than death, then there are troubles I will not evade.'
These people are not all intentionally seeking death, but they are all those who pursue truth, who have troubles they will not evade. Since death is inevitable, in the end, apart from death, what else can they seek? Who made them encounter tyrannical rulers like Huang Zu?
Being in prison does not rely on physical strength; being in prison relies on spiritual strength.
I do not hate you, nor do I hate my right hand; I only hate the ballpoint pen.
'Beautiful Life.'
A true tyrant can imprison you, torture you, but cannot make you not smile, nor can he stop your son from smiling. When you are determined to protect your son's smile, he can play in the world, treating the tyrant's weapons as child's play.
Action philosopher.
A person who lives to this level is truly a free and high-minded person.
It is easy to be generous and become a martyr; it is difficult to be calm and sacrifice oneself.
I think the best way to die in life is either to die for love or to die at the moment of climax.