Ode to Snow is a classical prose written by Liu Yiqing, a litterateur in the Southern Dynasties, which begins with an impromptu conversation between Xie An and his sons and nephews in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The work concisely outlines the snowy scene and Xie's children's singing poems and chanting snow on the spot, showing the relaxed and harmonious picture of ancient family cultural life. The article appreciates Xie Daowen's literary talent through expression description and identity supplement, which has been passed down through the ages and become a much-told story.

"Mrs. Xie got together on a cold snowy day and told the children the meaning of the paper." The first sentence of the article explains the background of chanting snow. Just fifteen words, covering a lot. The Xie family in the Eastern Jin Dynasty is a well-known home of poetry, ceremony and tassels, and its leader is Xie Taifu, that is, Xie An. In such a family, if you can't go out on a snowy day, you can "talk about the meaning of paper." The convener and spokesman are naturally Xie An, and the audience is "children". Time, place, people and events are all mentioned. Then write the main event and sing the snow. In fact, it is the speaker who tests the audience. Why does the speaker have such an interest? It turns out that the weather has changed: "Suddenly it snows". There was snow earlier, but it was not big, and now it has become a vortex of goose feather and heavy snow. This made the speaker feel very happy, so "Gong Xinran said:' What is snow like?' Brother Hu said,' The difference between sprinkling salt and air can be simulated.' Brother and daughter said,' If catkins are not caused by the wind.' There may be many answers, but the author only recorded two: one is "sprinkling salt in the air" as Xie Lang said; The other is what Xie Daowen said: "Catkin is due to the wind". The speaker did not evaluate the pros and cons of these two answers, but just smiled, which was very intriguing. The author did not show his position, but at the end he added the identity of Xie Daowen, "that is, the eldest brother has no concubine and the wife of the left general Wang Ningzhi." This is a powerful hint that he appreciates and praises Xie Daowen's talent and writes that Xie Daowen is "praising talents".

Why is Xie Daowen's ci better? Metaphor pays attention to shape: large groups of snowflakes fall rustling, and the wind flies all over the sky. A mass of catkins, similar to goose feather and heavy snow, will also fly all over the sky because of the wind. There is a saying in the ancient poem that "the catkin pond is a faint wind". The flying snow and catkins caused by the wind give people a feeling of lightness, elegance and elegance. Using the metaphor of "catkins because of the wind" to describe "abundant snow" can be described as similar in shape but similar in spirit. Salt and snowflakes are different in shape and weight, so "salt scattered in the air" can't fly with the wind even when the wind is light. It is not appropriate to use it as a metaphor for "sending charcoal in the snow". Metaphor is more spiritual: salt is scattered in the air, falling heavily, and it is too late to hide. What about appreciation? No sense of beauty. Compared with catkins, the sense of stagnation is swept away, and the wind is flying all over the sky. It's nature. Moreover, the season when catkins fly is the time when spring blooms, so it is more poetic to write the cold scenery in winter in the warm scenery in spring.