【刻骨銘心】 [Engraved in the Bone and Unforgettable]

 

【刻骨銘心】 

[Engraved in the Bone and Unforgettable]

"A Letter to Li Changshi of Anzhou" was written by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai while traveling in Anzhou, recommending himself to Li (Jingzhi) Changshi, hoping to be recognized and appointed.

 

Previously, Li Bai had offended Li Changshi, but Li Changshi(李長史) had forgiven him.

 

In the letter, Li Bai quoted from "Shishuo Xinyu. Zhengshi"(世說新語．政事》):

 

During the Jin Dynasty, when Wang Cheng was the prefect of Donghai County(東海郡),

 

a man stayed up too late studying at his teacher's house and broke curfew when returning home.

 

Wang Cheng said, "To whip a diligent student like Ning Yue(甯越) to establish a reputation is probably not the fundamental way to govern."

 

So he sent someone to escort the man home.

 

Li Bai used this story to praise Li Changshi's magnanimity and to express his determination to engrave Li Changshi's kindness in his bones and heart.

This later gave rise to the idiom "engraved in the bone and unforgettable," which is used to describe a profound and unforgettable feeling.

 

(Ministry of Education, Idiom Dictionary)

 

【刻骨銘心】

 

這篇〈上安州李長史書〉是唐代詩人李白，在安州遊歷時寫給李（京之）長史自我推薦的書信，期望得到賞識而受到任用。

 

在這之前，李白曾經得罪李長史，但李長史原諒了他，所以在書信中，他引用《世說新語．政事》：

 

晉代王承任東海郡太守時，有一個人因為在老師家讀書讀到太晚，

 

回家時犯了宵禁，王承就說：「鞭打像甯越一樣勤學的人來樹立威名，恐怕不是治理政事的根本之道。」於是派人送他回家。

 

李白以這則故事來讚揚李長史的寬宏大量，並且表明會將李長史的恩德刻在骨頭，記在心上。

 

後來「刻骨銘心」這句成語就從這裡演變而出，用來形容感受深刻，難以忘懷。   (教育部 成語典)