The great river flows eastward, waves washing away, all the illustrious figures of a thousand years

This opening line from Su Shi's 'Nian Nu Jiao: Memories of the Red Cliffs' expresses the poet's emotions while facing the mighty Yangtze River. Su Shi had been exiled to Huangzhou for two years following the 'Wutai Poetry Case' at the age of 45, during his prime but frustrated politically. The ancient battlefield of Red Cliffs lay just outside Huangzhou city, and the poet stood at the intersection of history and reality, contemplating the rise and fall of heroes past and present.

This line uses the vast Yangtze River as a metaphor to express the profound philosophy of time's passage and history's ruthlessness. 'Great river' symbolizes the river of history, 'flows eastward' suggests the irreversibility of time, 'waves washing away' represents history's filtering process, and 'illustrious figures of a thousand years' refers to all heroes throughout history. Through natural imagery, the poet expresses deep recognition of historical laws: no matter how outstanding, all figures are eventually submerged by the river of time, reflecting Su Shi's profound understanding of life's impermanence and the vanity of fame.

According to Su Shi's collected works, on the 16th day of the 7th month in 1082, Su Shi visited Red Cliffs with friends. Under bright moonlight with the river surface like a mirror, Su composed this poem after drinking wine, completing it in one inspired moment. Legend says that when writing 'waves washing away, all the illustrious figures of a thousand years,' Su threw down his brush and sighed: 'Both Zhou Yu and I are men washed away by the river waves!' When friends asked about this line's meaning, Su pointed to the river and said: 'This water comes from Mount Min, having witnessed the Three Kingdoms, Six Dynasties, Sui and Tang, washing away how many heroes! Today's sorrows are hardly worth mentioning!' Though this dialogue may be apocryphal, it vividly captures the poet's historical sensibility.

This line pioneered a new realm in Chinese literature's 'nostalgia for the past' theme, with far-reaching influence. Famous later lines like Xin Qiji's 'Green mountains cannot block it, after all it flows eastward,' Li Qingzhao's 'Things remain but people change, all affairs end,' and Yang Shen's 'The mighty Yangtze flows eastward' all show its influence. During the Ming-Qing transition, this line was often used to express feelings about dynastic change. In modern times, thinkers like Liang Qichao and Lu Xun quoted it to illustrate historical development patterns. In contemporary education, it has become required material in middle school textbooks, shaping historical perspectives across generations of Chinese.

In practical life, this line offers guidance: 1. In career development, maintain awareness that 'the waves behind drive those ahead,' requiring continuous learning to avoid obsolescence; 2. When successful, remain humble recognizing any achievement as but a moment in history's river; 3. When facing failure, maintain the philosophical acceptance that 'how many matters ancient and modern, all become subjects for laughter,' trusting time will dilute everything; 4. When making decisions, employ historical perspective considering long-term impacts; 5. In interpersonal relations, understand each person's historical limitations, learning tolerance and transcendence.