Smoke Locks the Willows in the Pond?
Such a simple couplet?
Zheng Anbang could not help but laugh, "Just this?"
"The concept is not bad, but …" Big Thunder also said.
A youth from the Writers' Association said confidently, "What's so difficult about this? I'll match the falling rain … "
Before he could finish, Zhang Ye had already written his couplet on the computer board in front of him.
Immediately, with a staff member's help, the couplet was displayed on a large screen. Everyone could see it clearly!
The youth from the Writers' Association also saw the couplet. Then, the second half of "falling rain" was swallowed back by him. He coughed and did not say another word. Only then did he realize how humorous his words of "what's so difficult about this" were. When the surrounding people saw this, they were also stunned!
Smoke Locks the Willows in the Pond?
Fire, Metal, Water, Earth, Wood!
Every word contained the side of the five elements!
Your grandma! You can even think of such a tricky couplet? And the side of the five elements were matched so well? Who said that Zhang Ye did not know how to come up with a question!?
Big Thunder lowered his head in deep thought. He was constantly mumbling something, clearly matching the second half.
Zheng Anbang and many people from the Writers' Association and Couplet Federation also began to silently match it in their hearts.
Seeing them working so hard, Zhang Ye was delighted. He crossed his shoulders and watched the bustle. Yes, this couplet only had the side of the five elements, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. It was difficult, but it did not look too difficult. Anyone who knew a little about couplet culture would feel that they could match it when they saw this couplet. As long as they had the time, they would be able to find the right word. From the expressions of everyone present, it was clear that they were thinking the same thing.
But only Zhang Ye knew that no one could match this couplet!
In Zhang Ye's world, reality had proven this point. Some couplets might look difficult, but matching them was not as difficult as one might imagine. For example, couplets that used the side radicals, "Lotus Stem, Lotus Root, Lotus Moss". At first glance, it looked very complicated. It all started with the word 'grass', but on careful thought, they were all plants. Hence, matching 'Lotus Root, Peony Stamen' was not a problem. There were many others that could be matched. But some couplets only had a little bit of mystery. They looked similar to other couplets, allowing you to understand them at a glance. However, even if you spent your entire life trying, you would still not be able to match it!
Smoke Locks the Willows over the Pond — This was a couplet that no one could match no matter how many lifetimes they lived!
The history of this couplet could be said to be very long. In Zhang Ye's world, it had always been passed down as an absolute. For hundreds and thousands of years, countless literati had been defeated by it. As for the people of this world, they would definitely not have heard of it.
Someone had fired a cannon at the Sea Suppressing Fortress.
"The Iron Teeth, Copper Teeth Ji Xiaolan" had also quoted this verse. Many people thought that this couplet was a pair, but in fact, that was not the case. The Cannon Suppressing the Sea's Citadel could at most be considered a "pair", but it did not match. The second half of the couplet was not only reflected in the artistic conception, but also in the rhythm. First of all, in terms of rhyme, the first, third, and fifth lines are not considered, but the second, fourth, and sixth lines are clearly defined. The second and fourth lines of the first and last couplets are in the same tone (lock, zhen, tang, cheng), and so they do not match well. Secondly, in terms of artistic conception, the first half of the couplet was light and elegant, while the second half was rough and forceful. Although one was literary and the other martial, they were not harmonious and lacked overall harmony.
So many people thought that this was a standard couplet, but it was not standard.
There were also people who matched the "Lantern Deep in the Village Temple Bell" and "The Beacon Extinguishes the Great Flood". It was a pity that the artistic conception was flat and tonal, but it was lacking in the five elements.
He recognized that the best matching couplet should be "Tao Ran Jin Jiang Dike". However, even this second half had a problem. Its advantage was that the tonal was neat, and the artistic conception was profound. In particular, the word "Ran" was perfectly matched, and the order of the five elements was just right. However, the disadvantage was that the Jin River Dike was not a common term. Jin River was not a common term compared to a pond, so there was still a certain gap between the Jin River Dike and the pond willow. From the perspective of the tonal, the first half of the couplet was flat and tonal. In order not to make a mistake, the second half of the couplet had to be flat and tonal, or flat and tonal. Among them, the flat and tonal was the best. The most unfortunate thing about this couplet was that the "jiang" in Jin River was flat, so it could not match the tonal of the "tang" in the first half of the couplet.
Therefore, this first half of the couplet had no solution, and thus it was called an eternal absolute!
"Dalei, have you matched it?"
"I'm still lacking a little. Soon, soon."
"I also feel that I'm lacking a little. I already have an idea."
"There's still time, right? I should be able to give it a try too. I'm just lacking two words, 'fire' … 'fire' … "
As the winner was already decided, the competition was considered over. As such, some of them started discussing in whispers and did not pay too much attention to it.
The judges did not bother with them either. Instead, they began writing and drawing on the table, trying to match Zhang Ye's first half of the couplet.
Zhang Ye looked at them frowning or thinking hard. He chuckled to himself. If any of you can really match it, this bro will twist my head off and give it to you. This first half of the couplet has been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years in my previous world, but no one has been able to do it. Do you think you can match it in just a few minutes or so? Even if you were given a hundred years, no, even if this world was given a hundred or a thousand years, no one would be able to perfectly answer this first half of the couplet. Forget it, I'm not going to remind you. Think about it yourselves. I'm going to take a break.
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes passed.
This was a live broadcast, so they definitely could not just sit around and wait. The two hosts were trying to adjust the atmosphere.
"This first half of the couplet doesn't seem simple?" The male host said as he looked at the screen.
The female host smiled and said, "It's not only not simple. It looks ordinary, but the threshold is actually within. Just the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth radicals are enough to stop a lot of people. Besides, there's also the flat tone. These two have to be connected together for it to be considered neat. The most important thing is the concept. Teacher Zhang's first half of the couplet has a distant concept, with a faintly discernible image. It also has a vibrant vitality to it.
She knew a little about it.
However, she only knew a little.
The second judge felt a headache coming on. He threw down his pen and said, "I can't do it anymore. You guys do it. It looks like there's a solution, but I can't match it no matter what. It's not neat!"
The third judge threw up his hands. He had also given up.
The male host blinked and thought to himself, no one can match it? Even the judges can't? That can't be! It's just a couplet! After all, there were so many famous experts present! This is strength in numbers! He looked at the people from the Couplet Organization and the Writers' Association who were not participating in the competition. Those people were also silently trying. Looking at the audience again, everyone was immersed in the first half of the couplet. They did not believe in heresy and were trying to solve it!
But after a long while, no one said a word!
Finally, Elder Qian put down the pen in his hand and gently raised his head, "Let's end it here."
Big Thunder did not admit defeat. He hurriedly said, "Elder Qian, give us a little more time. It'll be done soon."
"That's right. I'm just short of a word. I just haven't thought of a word." Another person from the Beijing Writers' Association said.
Elder Qian interrupted them and gave the most authoritative opinion, "There's no need to think about it. There's also no need to match it. No matter how much time is given, no one will be able to match the second half!"
Zhang Ye looked at Elder Qian in surprise. Eh? There were really smart people?
"No matter how much time is given?" Big Thunder did not believe it, "Why?"
Elder Qian smiled bitterly and said something shocking, "Because this is an Eternal Absolute!"
"What?"
"Absolute?"
"Eternal Absolute?"
"Impossible! There must be a solution! "
"Yes, how can it be absolute!"
"Old Qian, did you make a mistake?"
Many of the contestants were puzzled and refused to admit it.
What was an Eternal Impossibility? To put it bluntly, it was a couplet that no one could match!
The question that Old Qian had set for the preliminaries, "The seawater rises and falls," was already considered absolute in the eyes of many people. In fact, this could only be considered a miraculous couplet. At most, it could be considered a miraculous couplet, but it definitely could not be considered a miraculous couplet. This was because this miraculous couplet had been neatly matched by Zhang Ye. Furthermore, Elder Qian himself probably had a decent second half. He could match it himself, so he had some understanding of it. No matter what, it could not be considered a miraculous couplet!
Big Thunder's couplet? Not really! This was not even a miraculous couplet. At most, it was a clever couplet! And it had even been matched by Zhang Ye! Get it over with!
None of that counted!
The Smoke Sealing the Pond Willow was?
No one was convinced. They were all waiting for Old Qian to explain!
Only Old Qian said, "I know what all of you are thinking. I was just like all of you. I thought that as long as I had the time, I would be able to solve this couplet, but after trying a few times, I realized that this couplet was unsolvable. The five elements, the order of the radicals, the flat tone, the mood, the matching of the first and last words, all five points cannot be missing. Matching one point is easy, matching two points isn't difficult, but matching three points is nearly impossible, much less matching all five points perfectly. The Smoke Sealing the Pond Willow — even if this couplet was placed in ancient times, it would definitely be a famous Eternal Impossibility. I can tell everyone with absolute certainty that this couplet will not be solved within a hundred years! It can only be left for future generations! "Saying that, Old Qian sighed regretfully.
Unsolvable within a hundred years?
Was it really a Eternal Impossibility?
Old Qian's reputation in the circle was very high. He was also recognized as one of the most accomplished people in the Chinese couplet culture. Since he had said so, everyone had no choice but to believe him! And even if there were people who were unwilling to agree, what could they do? They really could not match it!
The second judge was stunned, "Is it really an Eternal Impossibility?"
"I'm very sure." Old Qian's tone was very firm.
The third judge looked at Zhang Ye, who was not far away, and said with a wry smile, "What kind of person has come to our Couplet Competition this time? This is no longer the case of the new replacing the old! This kid is going to smack all the old seniors in the industry to death on the beach! It's really an old man like me who is ill-informed. When did such a genius appear in our country? "
The little granny laughed, "Later, read his' Shuidiao Getou '. No, it's best if you listen to his live version. Then, you won't be surprised by his performance today. That is also a poem that can be passed down through the ages!"
What was the concept of a Eternal Impossibility?
It might not be easy to understand, but an example would make it very clear. A Eternal Impossibility was equivalent to a few mathematical conjectures in the mathematics world. It was also the world's biggest problem in mathematics. Everyone knew that there was a solution. Everyone knew that it could be deduced and solved, but no one could solve it!
There were only a few major conjectures in the mathematics world.
And in the literary world, there were only five or six Eternal Impossibilities!
But from today onwards, there was another Eternal Impossibility in this world. This Eternal Impossibility's couplet was — Smoke Locks the Willows over the Pond!
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