Act when you should act, stop when you should stop.

Meaning:

Often it is to continue (in my writing) when I should continue, and to stop (in my writing) when I cannot stop.

Originally:

What can be known is that one always acts when one should act, and always stops when one cannot stop, and this is all, and I cannot know the rest.

Vernacular translation:

That which can be known is usually to go on when my thoughts should go on, and to stop when my thoughts cannot stop, and that is all! Others, even if they are as brilliant as I am, cannot know themselves as well as I do.

Origin: From Su Shi's Wen Shuo (文说), written in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Su Shi made extraordinary achievements in the composition of words, and in terms of the development of a genre itself, Su Shi's historical contribution to words surpassed that of Su Wen and Su Shi. After Liu Yong, Su Shi carried out a comprehensive reform of the word, and finally broke through the traditional pattern of the word as "Yankee", improved the literary status of the word, and transformed the word from an accessory to music to an independent lyric poetry, which fundamentally changed the direction of the development of the history of the word.

Expanded Information:

Author's Biography:

Author's Biography:

Su Shi (January 8, 1037 - August 24, 1101), the word Zizhan, and Zhong, the number of Ti Guan Taoist, Dongpo Jushi, world known as Su Dongpo, Su Xian, Han, Meishan, Meizhou (Meishan City, Sichuan Province), ancestral home in Hebei Luancheng, the Northern Song Dynasty, famous literati, calligrapher, painter.

Jiayou two years (1057), Su Shi Jinshi and the first. During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, he served in Fengxiang, Hangzhou, Mizhou, Xuzhou and Huzhou. In the third year of Yuanfeng's reign (1080), Su Shi was relegated to the position of deputy envoy of the Huangzhou regiment because of the "Wutai Poetry Case".

After the reign of Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty, he was appointed as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, and served in Hangzhou, Yingzhou, Yangzhou, Dingzhou, etc. In his later years, he was relegated to Huizhou and Danzhou because of the rule of the New Party. In his later years, he was deported to Huizhou and Danzhou because of the New Party's rule. He was awarded a posthumous title of "Wenzhong" by Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty.

Su Shi was the leader of the literary world in the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, and achieved great success in poetry, lyrics, prose, calligraphy and painting. Su Shi's poetry was broad in subject matter, fresh and bold, and made good use of hyperbole and metaphor, a unique style that made him and Huang Tingjian known as "Su and Huang".

The writer was a representative of the "bold and unrestrained" school of poetry, and was known as "Su Xin" together with Xin Qiji, who was also a representative of the "bold and unrestrained" school.

Su Shi was one of the eight great masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, and was known as "Ou Su" together with Ouyang Xiu. Su Shi is good at writing, one of the "Four Song Masters"; he is good at literati painting, especially good at ink bamboo, strange stones, dead wood, etc. He is also good at calligraphy.

Works have "Dongpo seven sets", "Dongpo Yi Zhuan", "Dongpo Lefu", "Wen said" and so on.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Su Shi