(22)It was believed that on the outskirts of Guangzhou there was the Spring of Avarice. People became avaricious after drinking its water.
(23)Meng Chang was an upright official during the Eastern Han Dynasty, but he never got a high position.
(24)Ruan Ji was a scholar in the Wei and the Jin dynasties. He was angry with the rotten politics of his time and often went out in his carriage. When the road was blocked, he would cry and turn back.
(25)Zhong Jun was a young man living in the Western Han Dynasty. He made up his mind to capture the king of the enemy when he was about twenty years of age.
(26)Ban Chao was a scribe during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He later performed military exploits and was rewarded.
(27)Zong Que was a young man during the Southern Dynasty (420-589). When asked what he would do in the future, he answered that he would go to the front and ―brave the wind and waves‖. Later he became a general.
(28)Xie Xuan, a young man during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His uncle praised him as ―the treasure tree of the Xie family.‖
(29)Kong Li was the son of Confucius.
(30)The Dragon‘s Gate is a narrow pass in the shape of a gate in the Longmen Mountain where the Yellow River flows through. It was believed that if a carp leaped over the gate, it would turn into a dragon.
(31)Yang Deyi recommends Sima Xiangru, a great poet, to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. (32)Zhong Ziqi, a man living the Spring and Autumn Period. It was said that he was a master in playing the qin, a seven-stringed plucked musical instrument. Bo Ya regarded him as his bosom friend because he understood the music Bo Ya played.
(33)See ―Prologue to the Collection of Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion‖. (34)See ―Entertainment Given in the Peach and Plum Garden on a Spring Evening‖.
(35)In old times people wore a jade pendant to the body and it gave a tinkling sound when the person moved.
4、《前赤壁赋》 （宋）苏轼
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壬戌之秋，七月既望，苏子与客泛舟游于赤壁之下。清风徐来，水波不兴。举酒属客，诵明月之诗，歌窈窕之章。少焉，月出于东山之上，徘徊于斗牛之间。白露横江，水光接天。纵一苇之所如，凌万顷之茫然。浩浩乎如凭虚御风，而不知其所止；飘飘乎如遗世独立，羽化而登仙。
于是饮酒乐甚，扣舷而歌之。歌曰：“桂棹兮兰桨，击空明兮溯流光。渺渺兮予怀，望美人兮天一方。”客有吹洞箫者，倚歌而和之。其声呜呜然，如怨如慕，如泣如诉；余音袅袅，不绝如缕。舞幽壑之潜蛟，泣孤舟之嫠妇。
苏子愀然，正襟危坐而问客曰：“何为其然也？”客曰：“月明星稀，乌鹊南飞，此非曹孟德之诗乎？西望夏口，东望武昌，山川相缪，郁乎苍苍，此非孟德之困于周郎者乎？方其破荆州，下江陵，顺流而东也，舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空，酾酒临江，横槊赋诗，固一世之雄也；而今安在哉！况吾与子渔樵于江渚之上，侣鱼虾而友麋鹿，驾一叶之扁舟，举匏樽以相属。寄蜉蝣于天地，渺沧海之一粟。哀吾生之须臾，羡长江之无穷。挟飞仙以遨游，抱明月而长终。知不可乎骤得，托遗响于悲风。”
苏子曰：“客亦知夫水与月乎？逝者如斯，而未尝往也；盈虚者如彼，而卒莫消长也。盖将自其变者而观之，则天地曾不能以一瞬；自其不变者而观之，则物与我皆无尽也，而又何羡乎？且夫天地之间，物各有主，苟非吾之所有，虽一毫而莫取。惟江之清风，与山间之明月，耳得之而为声，目遇之而成色，取之无禁，用之不竭。是造物者之无尽藏也，而吾与子之所共适。”
客喜而笑，洗盏更酌。肴核既尽，杯盘狼藉。相与枕藉乎舟中，不知东方之既白。 译文：
First Visit to the Red Cliff
Su Shi
In the autumn of the year Renxu, at the time of the full moon in the seventh month, I went by boat with some friends to the Red Cliff. There was a fresh, gentle breeze, but the water was unruffled. I raised my winecup to drink to my friends, and we chanted the poem on the bright moon, singing the stanza about the fair maid. Soon the moon rose above the eastern mountain, hovering between the Dipper and the Cowherd. The river stretched white, sparkling as if with dew, its glimmering water merging with the sky. We let our craft drift over the boundless expanse of water, feeling as free as if we were riding the wind bound for some unknown destination, as light as if we had left the human world and become winged immortals. Drinking, we became very merry; and we sang a song, beating time on the side of the boat. This was the song:
Our rudder and oars, redolent of cassia and orchids;
Strike the moon‘s reflection, cleaving the glimmering water; But my heart is far away,
Longing for my dear one under a different sky.
One friend, who was a good flutist, played an accompaniment to this song. The notes rang out nostalgic, mournful and plaintive, trailing on and on like a thread of gossamer, arousing the serpents lurking in dark caverns, drawing tears from a widow in her lonely boat. Sad at heart, I sat up straight to ask my friend why the music was so mournful.
He replied, ―Didn‘t Cao Cao describe a scent like this in his poem: ?The moon is bright, the stars are scattered, the crows fly south…?‘ And isn‘t this the place where he was defeated by Zhou
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Yu？ See how the mountains and streams intertwine, and how darkly imposing they are with Xiaokou to the west and Wuchang to the east. When Cao Cao took Jingzhou by storm and conquered Jiangling, then advanced eastward along the river, his battleships stretched for a thousand li, his armies‘ pennons and banners filled the sky. When he offered a libation of wine on the river and lance in hand chanted his poem, he was the hero of his times. But where is he now? We are mere fishermen and woodcutters, keeping company with fish and prawns and befriending deer. We sail our skiff, frail as a leaf, and toast each other by drinking wine from a gourd. We are nothing but insects who live in this world but one day, mere specks of grain in the vastness of the ocean. I am grieved because our life is so transient, and envy the mighty river which flows on forever. I long to clasp winged fairies and roam freely, or to embrace the bright moon for all eternity. But knowing that this cannot be attained at once, I give vent to my feelings in these notes which pass with the sad breeze. ‖
Then I asked him, ―Have you considered the water and the moon? Water flows away but is never lost; the moon waxes and wanes, but neither increases nor diminishes. If you look at its changing aspect, the universe passes in the twinkling of an eye; but if you look at its changeless aspect, all creatures including ourselves are imperishable. What reason have you to envy other things? Besides, everything in this universe has its owner; and if it does not belong to me not a tiny speck can I take. The sole exceptions are the cool breeze on the river, the bright moon over the hills. These serve as music to our ears, as colour to our eyes; these we can take freely and enjoy forever; these are inexhaustible treasures supplied by the Creator, and things in which we can delight together.‖
My friend was pleased and laughed. Then we rinsed our cups and filled them with wine again. When we had finished the dishes, and cups and plates lay about us in disorder, we stretched out in the boat and did not notice the coming of dawn in the east. 5、《桃花源记》
晋太元中，武陵人捕鱼为业；缘溪行，忘路之远近。忽逢桃花林。夹岸数百步，中无杂树，芳草鲜美，落英缤纷，渔人甚异之。复前行，欲穷其林。 林尽水源，便得一山。山有小口，仿佛若有光，便舍船从口入。初极狭，才通人。复行数十步，豁然开朗。土地平旷，屋舍俨然，有良田、美池、桑竹之属，阡陌交通，鸡犬相闻。其中往来种作，男女衣着，悉如外人；黄发垂髫，并怡然自乐。 见渔人，乃大惊，问所从来，具答之。便要还家，设酒杀鸡作食。村中闻有其人，咸来问讯。自云先世避秦时乱，率妻、子、邑人来此绝境，不复出焉，遂与外人间隔。问今是何世，乃不知有汉，无论魏晋。此人一一为具言所闻，皆叹惋。余人各复延至其家，皆出酒食。停数日，辞去。此中人语云：“不足为外人道也。” 既出，得其船，便扶向路，处处志之。及郡下，诣太守说如此。太守即遣人随其往，寻向所志，遂迷不复得路。 南阳刘子骥，高尚士也。闻之，欣然规往，未果，寻病终。后遂无问津者。 A Tale of the Fountain of the Peach Blossom Spring In the year of Taiyuan of the Jin Dynasty, there lived a man in Wuling jun who earned his living by fishing. One day, he rowed his boat along a stream, unaware of how far he had gone when all of a sudden, he found himself in the midst of a wood full of peach blossoms. The wood extended several hundred footsteps along both banks of the stream. There were no trees of other kinds. The lush grass was fresh and beautiful and peach petals fell in riotous profusion. The fisherman was so curious that he rowed on, in hopes of discovering where the trees ended. At the end of the wood was the fountainhead of the stream.
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The fisherman beheld a hill, with a small opening from which issued a glimmer of light. He stepped ashore to explore the crevice. His first steps took him into a passage that accommodated only the width of one person. After he progressed about scores of paces, it suddenly widened into an open field. The land was flat and spacious. There were houses arranged in good order with fertile fields, beautiful ponds, bamboo groves, mulberry trees and paths crisscrossing the fields in all directions. The crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs were within everyone's earshot. In the fields the villagers were busy with farm work. Men and women were dressed like people outside. They all, old and young, appeared happy. They were surprised at seeing the fisherman, who, being asked where he came from, answered their every question. Then they invited him to visit their homes, killed chickens, and served wine to entertain him. As the words of his arrival spread, the entire village turned out to greet him. They told him that their ancestors had come to this isolated haven, bringing their families and the village people, to escape from the turmoil during the Qin Dynasty and that from then onwards, they had been cut off from the outside world. They were curious to know what dynasty it was now. They did not know the Han Dynasty, not to mention the Wei and the Jin dynasties. The fisherman told them all the things they wanted to know. They sighed. The villagers offered him one feast after another. They entertained him with wine and delicious food. After several days, the fisherman took his leave. The village people entreated him not to let others know of their existence. Once out, the fisherman found his boat and rowed
homeward, leaving marks all the way. When he came back to the jun, he reported his adventure to the prefect, who immediately sent people to look for the place, with the fisherman as a guide. However, the marks he had left could no longer be found. They got lost and could not find the way. Liu Ziji of Nanyang jun, a learned scholar of high repute, was excited when he heard the fisherman's story. He devised a plan to find the village, but it was not carried out. Liu died soon afterwards, and after his death, no one else made any attempt to find it. Notes: 1. Taiyuan was the title of the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (376－396). . Wuling is today's Changde City, Hunan Province. Nanyang is today's Nanyang City, Henan Province. About the author: Tao Yuanming (365－427) was a great poet during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and was born in Jiujiang County, Jiangxi Province. Dissatisfied with the politics of his time, he resigned from his post as magistrate of Pengze County. He retired to his home village and lived there for the next twenty-three years till his death. This piece of writing is regarded as one of the earliest pieces about Utopianism in Chinese literature.
6. 醉翁亭记 The Roadside Hut of the Old Drunkard
环滁皆山也。其西南诸峰，林壑尤美。望之蔚然而深秀者，琅琊也。山行六七里，渐闻水声潺潺，而泄出于两峰之间者，酿泉也。峰回路转，有亭翼然临于泉上者，醉翁亭也。坐亭者谁？山之僧曰智仙也。名之者谁？太守自谓也。太守与客来饮于此，饮少辄醉，而年又最高，故自号曰醉翁也。醉翁之意不在酒，在乎山水之间也。山水之乐，得之心而寓寓酒也。 The District of Chu is enclosed all around by hills, of which those in the southwest boast the most lovely forests and dales. In the distance, densely wooded and possessed of a rugged beauty, is Mt. Langya. When you penetrate a mile or two into this mountain you begin to hear the gurgling of a stream, and presently the stream -------the Brewer's Spring-------comes into sight cascating
between two peaks. Rounding a bend you see a hut with a spreading roof by the stream, and this is the Roadside Hut of the Old Drunkard. This hut was built by the monk zhixian. It was given its
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name by the governor, referring to himself. The governor, coming here with his friends, often gets tipsy after a little drinking; And since he is the most advanced in years, he calls himself the Old Drunkard. He delights less in drinking than in the hills and streams, taking pleasure in them and expressing the feeling in his heart through drinking.
若夫日出而林霏开，云归而岩穴冥，晦明变化者，山间之朝暮也。野芳发而幽香佳木秀而繁阴，风霜高洁，水落而石出者，山间之四时也。朝而往，暮而归，四十之景不同，而乐亦无穷野。 Now at dawn and dusk in this mountain come the changes between lights and darkness: when the sun emerges, the misty woods become clear; when the clouds hang low, the grottoes are wrapped in gloom. Then in the course of the four seasons. You find wild flowers burgeoning and blooming with a secret fragrance, the stately trees put on their mantle of leaves and give a goodly shade, until wind and frost touch all with austerity, the water sinks low and the rocks at the bottom of the stream emerge. A man going there in the morning and returning in the evening during the changing pageant of the seasons can derive endless pleasure from the place. 至于负者歌于途，行者休于树，前者呼，后者英，伛偻提携，往来而不绝者，滁人游也。临溪而鱼， 溪深而鱼肥；酿泉为酒，泉香而酒洌 (亦作:泉洌而酒香)；山肴野蔌，杂然而前趁者，太守宴也。宴酣之乐，非丝非竹，射者中，弈者胜，觥筹交错，起坐而喧哗者，众宾欢也。苍颜白发，颓然乎其间者，太守醉也。 And the local people may be seen making their way there and back in an endless stream, the old and infirm as well as infants in arms, men carrying burdens who sing as they go, passersby stopping to rest beneath the trees, those in front calling out and those behind answering. There the governor gives a feast with a variety of dishes before him, mostly wild vegetables and mountain produce. The fish are freshly caught from the stream, and since the stream is deep and the fish are fat; the wine is brewed with spring water, and since the spring is sweet the wine is superb. There they feast and drink merrily with no
accompaniment of strings or flutes; when someone wins a game of touhu or chess, when they mark up their scores in drinking games together, or raise a cheerful din sitting or standing, it can be seen that the guests are enjoying themselves. The elderly man with white hair in the middle, who sits utterly relaxed and at his ease, is the governor, already half drunk.
已而夕阳在山，人影散乱，太守归而宾客从也。树林阴翳，鸣声上下，游人去而禽鸟乐也。然而禽鸟知山林之乐，而不知游人之乐；人之从太守游而乐，而不知太守乐其乐也。醉能同其乐，醒能述以文者，太守也。太守谓谁？庐陵欧阳修也。 Then the sun sinks towards the hills, men's shadows begins to flit about and scatter; and now the governor leaves, followed by his guests. In the shade of the woods birds chirp above and below, showing that the men have gone and the birds are at peace. But although the birds enjoy the hills and forests, they cannot understand the men's pleasure in them; and although men enjoy accompanying the governor there, they cannot understand his pleasure either. The governor is able to share his
enjoyment with others when he is in his cups, and sober again can write an essay about it. Who is this governor? Ouyangxiu of Luling. 7. 屈原·《渔夫》
屈原既放，游于江潭，行吟泽畔，颜色憔悴，形容枯槁。
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