Song Yu was a student of Qu Yuan, the great poet of Chu. One day, King Xiang of Chu asked him: 'Many people criticize you - have you done something wrong?' Song Yu answered obliquely: 'A singer performed in our city square. When he sang popular tunes, thousands joined in. When he sang refined pieces like Spring Sunshine and White Snow, only a few dozen could follow. When he sang something more elevated still, only a handful could keep up. The higher the melody, the fewer the singers.' His message was clear: his own character and conduct were too refined for ordinary people to understand.
宋玉是楚国伟大诗人屈原的学生。有一天，楚襄王问宋玉：现在不少人对你有意见，你是不是有什么不对的地方？宋玉转弯抹角地回答说：有位歌唱家在我们都城的广场上演唱，唱《下里》《巴人》这些通俗歌曲时，有几千听众跟着唱起来；唱《阳春》《白雪》这类高深歌曲时，能跟着唱的只有几十人；到了唱更高级的歌曲时，跟着唱的只有几个人了。从这里可以看出，曲调越是高深，能跟着一起唱的人就越少。宋玉这段话的意思是说自己品行高超，一般的人不能了解，所以有人说三道四。
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
True excellence is often lonely. The idiom describes works or ideas so profound that few can appreciate them.
True excellence is often lonely. The idiom describes works or ideas so profound that few can appreciate them.