The Study Of Su Guo

Su Guo (1072——1123), zi is Shudang, the youngest son of Su Shi, is most following the family tradition and learning, and had been famous very early for literature, so that people call him "Xiao Po". Early years of his life, he always officially travelled with his father, and had taken care for his father for seven years long in the places south of five ridges. He lived in Ying Chang for a long time, tilling by himself for a living. During the last ten years of his life, he finally could be officer for three times off and on, but died at an inn. His collected works "Xie Chuan Collection" has been popular in the world. The studies of Su Guo and his works by scholars are very rich, but there are still many blanks about his life philosophy, value philosophy, and his inner word. There is no deep love of humanity and soul in these studies. This paper is trying to get more depth, supports, breakthrough about that.Government Service or Seclusion is most tough choice for Su Guo in all his life. The author's research is from mental angle. Conflict between Government Service and Seclusion makes Su Guo pretty sad or much fierce sometimes, and his feelings are very complicated. He is afraid, ashamed, lonely, and also excited and stormy encouraged by idealism. In the final harmony between Government Service and Seclusion, he is up to valuable official reclusion from temporary official reclusion, that is silent master based on combination of Confucianism and Taoism. At the same time, he pulls hermit from outside to inside of political orthodoxy, from folk to minister without official position, embodying the popular Confucian thought in the Song Dynasty. But serving the government or not, is not the ultimate proposition of life. The subject of his mindset being an official or Living as recluse can doubtfully make him fly from rootless pain to free happiness. Su Guo had been traveling homelessly all his life, so that he seems looks like a big tragedy. But his homesick is much dwindle, his life experience make himself feel free instead of being restrained by others. The mind changes, every thing becomes good. He summarizes the longtime farming and realizes that cultivation rewards harvest. The realization is used for all aspects of life by him, which turns into ultimate comfort during his wandering road. Wandering and its ultimate comfort is his life conversion. Su Guo's spirit and concept of life is somewhat different from his father Su Shi. There is inheritance, and features too, having to do with Song Dynasty's general mood. His poetry creating concept is closely related to Song's poetics, and also faithfully inherited Su Shi's literary thoughts. On the poet's self-cultivation, he emphasizes moral more than knowledge and skills; on the poet's respect, he worships literature chief and family tradition and school; loving and relying on civilian gatherings, reflect his requirement of the authoring environment; pleasure and inspiration caused by the natural wonders, highlight his favorite on natural scenery and related poems of impression; self enjoyment and desire for confidante, reveal his recognition of the role of poetry creation.All in all, we can see the "Xiao Po" who obviously inherit "Dong Po", and also feel his own unique life forms as "Xie Chuan Hermit", and embody the Song's cultural atmosphere filled with him.The author is mining the inner world of Su Guo, mainly through the poetry study and then the prose study.