After reading ten thousand books, writing flows like divine inspiration.

These two lines come from the great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu's "Twenty-Two Rhymes Presented to Vice-Minister Wei," specifically lines five and six of the poem. Written in 750 CE during the Tianbao era of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, this was a petition poem composed during Du Fu's difficult years in Chang'an. At this time, Du Fu was in his forties but had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, living in poverty and forced to use his literary talents to petition powerful officials for recommendation. "Having read ten thousand volumes" both summarizes his extensive scholarship and responds to the contemporary phenomenon of valuing literary knowledge while neglecting genuine talent; "one's writing flows as if guided by divine inspiration" expresses confidence in his literary abilities while serving as spiritual solace for unfulfilled ambitions. These lines serve as a crucial transition in the poem, responding to the earlier social criticism of "the rich and idle never starve, while scholars often ruin themselves" and preparing for the subsequent display of talent comparing himself to classical masters.

The core meaning of these lines reveals that through extensive reading and knowledge accumulation, one achieves mastery and natural fluency in writing. The character "破" (break through) in "having read ten thousand volumes" is masterfully used, suggesting both comprehensive reading and deep understanding, implying not merely quantitative accumulation but qualitative transformation. "One's writing flows as if guided by divine inspiration" describes an idealized state of writing where ideas flow freely and expression becomes effortlessly brilliant, as if assisted by supernatural forces. These lines profoundly illuminate the dialectical relationship between reading and writing: reading serves as the foundation and source of writing, while writing represents the application and sublimation of reading. They constitute not only a summary of personal learning experience but also profound insight into the relationship between knowledge accumulation and creativity, embodying the Chinese cultural wisdom of "thick accumulation leading to thin release."

The creation of these two lines carries a poignant background story. In 750 CE, the 48-year-old Du Fu had been struggling in Chang'an for ten years, repeatedly failing the imperial examinations and living in extreme poverty. He rode his donkey daily among the mansions of powerful officials, "knocking on rich men's doors in the morning, following behind fat horses' dust in the evening," receiving only leftover food to sustain himself. At that time, Wei Ji served as Vice-Minister of the Left Department and greatly appreciated Du Fu's poetic talent, once reciting Du Fu's new works among officials. Grateful for this recognition, Du Fu composed this lengthy petition poem of twenty-two rhymes. "Having read ten thousand volumes" was not exaggeration but Du Fu's genuine learning experience - born intelligent, under the strict education of his grandfather Du Shenyan, he thoroughly studied classics and extensively read books. It is said that at seven his thoughts were already profound, beginning to chant about phoenixes; at nine he wrote large characters, and his compositions always became complete works. "One's writing flows as if guided by divine inspiration" truly reflected Du Fu's literary talent - composing poetry at seven, his literary works already quite accomplished by fifteen, and famous throughout Luoyang by twenty. However, such talent remained unrecognized, forcing him to petition through literature. This stark contrast gives these lines their powerful emotional impact, serving both as confident declaration of personal talent and indignant protest against a society that buries gifted individuals.

Since their creation, these two lines have had epoch-making influence in Chinese educational history. After the Tang Dynasty, they became timeless maxims for encouraging study and inspiration, widely quoted by educators and scholars through generations. Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty incorporated them into elementary educational materials, making them important content for childhood enlightenment. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, these lines served as mottos for countless academies and private schools, inspiring students to study diligently. According to statistics, educational documents quoting these lines exceeded 300 varieties during the Ming-Qing period alone. In modern times, from Cai Yuanpei to Tao Xingzhi, from Ye Shengtao to Ji Xianlin, countless educators have used this poem to teach students. In contemporary society, these lines remain important content in Chinese language education, appearing in textbooks from elementary school through university. They have not only influenced Chinese people's understanding of reading and writing but also become common heritage of the East Asian cultural sphere using Chinese characters, with Japan, Korea, and Vietnam also adopting them as maxims for encouraging study. More importantly, the learning philosophy embodied in these lines - improving writing ability through extensive reading - has become fundamental consensus in modern language education.

To implement the philosophy of these two lines in modern learning and writing practice, a scientific methodological system needs to be established: First, create a "thematic reading" system: conduct deep reading around specific topics, reading at least 10 related works per topic to establish knowledge networks. Second, implement "reading-writing cycle" training: immediately write reading notes or book reviews after completing each book, transforming input into output. Third, apply "classic re-reading" strategy: conduct multiple readings of classic works, focusing on different aspects each time to achieve spiral understanding elevation. Fourth, establish a "material database" system: create categorized material collections while reading, including vocabulary, sentence structures, cases, viewpoints, etc., accumulating resources for writing. Fifth, practice "deliberate writing" training: set specific writing goals, such as imitating classic styles or applying newly learned vocabulary, for targeted practice. Sixth, create a "feedback mechanism": regularly invite experts or peers to review works, adjusting reading and writing strategies based on feedback. Seventh, apply "cross-media reading": combine various forms including books, articles, audio, video, etc., to enrich reading experiences. Eighth, implement "output-oriented" learning: conduct reading guided by writing needs, always considering "how does this help my writing" when reading.