When studying literature or language arts, how to use first principles thinking to understand 'why this sentence is so moving'?

Hello, this is a very interesting question. I feel many people studying Chinese language arts share this confusion: teachers say "this is well-written," but then explain why it's good in vague, convoluted terms. Thinking about this with "first principles" means stripping the problem back to its core, asking the most fundamental questions.

I think we can approach this in three steps, like peeling an onion, to understand layer by layer "why we are moved."

Step One: Deconstruct, Treat Sentences as 'Lego Bricks'

When you encounter a sentence that truly moves you, don't rush to praise it. Instead, treat it like a precise machine or a pile of Lego bricks, and take it apart to examine its components.

• Look at the words: Which words did the author choose? Why "stumble" (蹒跚) instead of "walk" (走路)? Why "gaze" (凝视) instead of "look" (看)? Every word has its "factory settings" (dictionary meaning) and "social attributes" (emotional connotations, cultural background). The word "hometown" (故乡) evokes more complex emotions than "old home" (老家). Try replacing these key words with synonyms, and you'll immediately feel the meaning shift – that's the power of "word crafting."
• Look at the sentence structure: Are the sentences long or short? Are they neatly parallel, or deliberately inverted? Short sentences are like fists, powerful and direct. Long sentences are like streams, lingering and able to mimic the flow of thought. For example, "I came. I saw. I conquered." (Caesar) – three short, crisp sentences, full of power and confidence. If you changed it to "After I arrived there, I saw the situation, and eventually conquered it," all the momentum would be lost.
• Listen to the sound: Read it silently, or even aloud. Does the sentence flow smoothly, or is it awkward? Is it resonant, or subdued? The tones and rhythm of Chinese are a form of music in themselves. For instance, "Searching, seeking; cold, desolate; sorrowful, miserable, wretched" (寻寻觅觅，冷冷清清，凄凄惨惨戚戚) – just by reading these reduplicated words, the feeling of loneliness and desolation emerges, even without fully understanding the meaning.

This step is pure technical analysis, bringing the emotional back to the rational, examining which "parts" the author used and how they were "assembled."

Step Two: Connect, Ask 'What Does This Have to Do With Me?'

After analyzing the technical aspects, we turn to ourselves. The fundamental reason a sentence "moves" you isn't its masterful technique, but rather that it resonates with your own life experiences at some point.

• What memories did it evoke? Reading "The thread in the kind mother's hand, the clothes on the wanderer's body" (慈母手中线，游子身上衣), you might recall a moment when your own mother sewed a button for you or prepared your luggage. The sentence itself is merely a trigger; what truly moves you are the images and emotions that surface in your own mind.
• What longing did it trigger? For example, reading "Facing the sea, with spring blossoms warm" (面朝大海，春暖花开), you might be moved even if you've never seen the sea. This is because it touches upon humanity's deep-seated common longing for tranquility, warmth, and a beautiful life. It's an idealized projection.
• Did it articulate what you wanted to say but couldn't? Sometimes, we have complex, vague emotions within us that we can't express ourselves. Then you suddenly see a sentence, like "Turns out our relationship with most people is merely acquaintance," and you feel, "Yes! That's exactly it!" It helps you complete your self-expression, and this pleasure of "being understood" is itself a powerful emotional impact.

This step brings literature back to life, and you'll find that everything that moves you is essentially your own story.

Step Three: Attribute, Unearth the 'Humanity Code' Hidden Beneath

This is the most crucial step, and the core of first principles. Starting from your personal feelings, consider the underlying psychological mechanisms or existential dilemmas common to all humanity that correspond to it.

• Is it rooted in 'empathy'? Humans are social animals; we are inherently capable of perceiving the joys and sorrows of others. When a sentence depicts a specific, vivid suffering or joy, it activates the "mirror neurons" in our brains, making us feel as if we are experiencing it ourselves. For example, reading "The Little Match Girl," we feel heartache – that's the power of empathy.
• Is it rooted in a sensitivity to 'order' and 'disorder'? The human brain likes patterns and regularity, and also pays special attention to "surprises" that break the norm. Neat parallelism and antithesis satisfy our pursuit of aesthetic order. An unexpected metaphor, like "Time is a gentle hand hidden in the dark," breaks conventional understanding, creating a sense of "unfamiliarity." This small cognitive shock can bring aesthetic pleasure.
• Is it rooted in the ultimate fear and curiosity about 'life and death'? Many profound literary works ultimately touch upon this theme. For example, "Life is like a journey in reverse, and I am but a traveler" (人生如逆旅，我亦是行人) – it uses a simple metaphor to encapsulate the fleeting, wandering nature of life, touching upon each of our thoughts about the ultimate question of "where do we come from, and where are we going?"
• Is it rooted in the imaginative space created by 'information gaps'? Clever sentences often "end in words but are endless in meaning." They don't spell everything out, but leave blanks for you to fill in. For example, "The moonlight is beautiful tonight" (今夜月色真美) provides very little information, but depending on the context, you can imagine countless possibilities: a confession, longing, a farewell, etc. This "uncertainty" and "joy of imagination" is a significant reason why something is moving.

To summarize:

So, the next time you encounter a sentence that moves you, you can try this "three-step method":

1. Deconstruct: What words, sentence structures, and sounds did it use? (Technical analysis)
2. Connect: What did it remind me of? What emotions did it stir in me? (Self-resonance)
3. Attribute: What universal human psychology lies behind this resonance? Is it empathy, the pursuit of beauty, contemplation of life and death, or something else? (Unearthing humanity)

This way, you are no longer a passive admirer, but an active explorer. You'll not only know that it's good, but also why it's good, and what the foundation of that "goodness" is. Over time, your way of looking at literature and the world will become more insightful.