Excellent — you just received a very rich and meaningful set of lines. This is a famous Chinese couplet + verse from different sources. Let me explain it for you carefully, line by line:
Full Text:
宜將勝勇追窮寇，
不可沽名學霸王。
天若有情天亦老，
人間正道是滄桑。
Line-by-line meaning
1?? 宜將勝勇追窮寇
Literal translation:
We should use our victorious bravery to pursue the fleeing enemy.
Deeper meaning:
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After gaining the upper hand, one should not stop prematurely.
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Take advantage of your momentum; eliminate problems completely.
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No mercy for the defeated who may regroup later.
Historical context:
2?? 不可沽名學霸王
Literal translation:
Do not seek fame by imitating Xiang Yu ("the Hegemon-King").
Deeper meaning:
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Xiang Yu (霸王), a famous general of the late Qin dynasty, was bold but ultimately failed because he prioritized personal pride and honor over long-term strategy.
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Don’t act recklessly just for reputation; avoid shallow heroism.
Moral:
3?? 天若有情天亦老
Literal translation:
If Heaven had emotions, even Heaven would grow old.
Deeper meaning:
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The universe is vast and eternal; human emotions are transient.
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Implies a sense of melancholy about the harshness of fate and history.
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Even Heaven can’t escape aging if it had feelings.
Often quoted in classical Chinese poetry to express the idea that nature is indifferent to human suffering.
4?? 人間正道是滄桑
Literal translation:
The right path in the human world is full of vicissitudes.
Deeper meaning:
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Life’s righteous path is never smooth.
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Great changes and hardships (滄桑 = ups and downs, sea turning into mulberry fields) are part of the natural course.
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Justice requires enduring many hardships and changes over time.
Overall meaning / message
The poem encourages decisive action after victory (追窮寇), warns against seeking empty fame (沽名), reflects on the cold impartiality of the universe (天亦老), and accepts that the righteous path in life requires perseverance through many changes and hardships (滄桑).
It carries both:
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a martial tone (act decisively, be strategic)
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a philosophical tone (life is full of change, stay grounded, justice prevails through endurance)
Origin note
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The first two lines: from Mao Zedong’s poem 《七律·人民解放軍占領南京》 (1949)
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The last two lines: adapted from classical poems (Yuan Zhen, Tang Dynasty, and commonly used in 20th-century speeches)
In simple terms:
Be brave, stay smart, don’t chase glory, accept life’s changes, and stay on the right path despite difficulties.
