Gazing at the Sea
曹操
东临碣石
以观沧海
水何澹澹
山岛竦峙
dōng lín jié shí
yǐ guān cāng hǎi
shuǐ hé dàn dàn
shān dǎo sǒng zhì
东临碣石，以观沧海；水何澹澹，山岛竦峙。
Cao Cao faces the sea—cosmic scale ambition.
曹操《观沧海》：东临碣石，以海写胸襟——山岛竦峙，洪波涌起，是野心与视野同框。可与《短歌行》并读：一杯酒与一片海，都是格局。今日：大事当前，先抬眼看边界在哪里。
Cao Cao’s Viewing the Ocean: east to Jieshi, the sea as chest—islands rise, waves surge; ambition and horizon share one frame. Pair with Short Song: a cup and a sea both measure scale. Today: before a hard year, lift your eyes and name the true perimeter.
做大事前，先扩大视野——看海，也看自己的格局。
Before a big move, widen the view—see the sea, see your scale.
Read first, then practice — fill in lines and write a character.
Fill in the blanks
Practice calligraphy
This poem belongs to a place on the map—open the landscape to read both together.
This poem is linked from a city essay—open the place to read the name and the verse together.