夫词,非寄托不入,专寄托不出。
(周济《宋四家词选目录序论》)
(作词,如果没有寄托,就很难深入;如果只专力于寄托,就不能意出词外。)
When writing ci poetry, one cannot effectively express one’s thoughts and sentiments without entrusting them to imagery. On the other hand, overreliance on imagery will make it hard for one to clearly express his idea.
(Zhou Ji: Preface to Contents of Selected Poems of the Four Poets of the Song Dynasty)