Power Corrupts Through Emperor’s Favoritism | Generated by AI
This question tests the deep meaning of a line from Bai Juyi’s poem “Song of Everlasting Sorrow” (《长恨歌》).
Question Analysis:
The literal meaning of the line “遂令天下父母心，不重生男重生女” is: “This caused all parents under heaven to change their minds, no longer valuing sons but valuing daughters instead.”
Why did people “value daughters over sons”?
On the surface, it’s because Yang Guifei (Imperial Consort Yang) was favored, and “姊妹弟兄皆列土，可怜光彩生门户” — the Yang family rose to power because of her, so parents across the land hoped to have daughters who could climb the social ladder.
Analysis of Each Option:
- C. Satirizing worldly sycophancy and opportunism (Your answer)
- This is only the surface meaning
- It does indeed satirize people’s opportunistic mentality
- But this is not the author’s main target of criticism
- D. Implicitly criticizing Emperor Xuanzong for indulging in pleasure and neglecting state affairs (Correct answer)
- This is the deeper meaning and root cause
- Why were people opportunistic? The root lies in Xuanzong’s infatuation with Yang Guifei and neglect of governance
- “汉皇重色思倾国” (The Han emperor valued beauty and sought one to topple kingdoms), “从此君王不早朝” (From then on the emperor stopped attending morning court) — It was precisely Xuanzong’s indulgence that led to the Yang family’s overwhelming power, which in turn corrupted social values
Understanding the Deep Meaning:
When Bai Juyi wrote this line, superficially it describes worldly opportunism, but essentially:
- Through changes in social customs, it reflects the ruler’s moral failure
- Emperor favors one person → relatives gain excessive power → social morality deteriorates
- The criticism is aimed at Xuanzong, not ordinary people
As the explanation states: “The poem satirizes Li and Yang’s earlier indulgence in pleasure and neglect of state affairs” — this is the core of the author’s criticism.
Test-taking tip:
When encountering questions about “deep meaning,” look beyond the surface to find the root cause and the author’s real target of criticism.