Translation:
Mr. Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio is concise, without any implication. His brushwork was born out of hundred schools of thought's articles, and he didn't just learn from Zuo Qiuming and Sima Qian.
It is said that Mr. Pu Songling lives in the countryside, has no companions, and has a particularly eccentric personality. Being a teacher of children in the village (that is, a private school teacher), the family is poor and self-sufficient, and no one else is wanted.
When I was writing this book, I took a jar with bitter tea and a pack of cut tobacco every morning, and put it on the sidewalk with a reed lining below, sitting on it with cigarettes and tea next to it.
When you see passers-by, you must force them to talk to themselves, collect wonderful stories and some strange legends, and know these wonderful stories when chatting with people; If you are thirsty, give pedestrians tea or cigarettes, and be sure to let them talk. Every time I hear an interesting thing, I will go back and write it down and do some embellishment. This book took more than twenty years to complete.
So his brushwork is great. After hearing Mr. Wang's name, Wang Ruanting came to visit him specially, but he avoided it. He went to see him three times. Mr. Wang once said: "Although this man (referring to Wang Ruanting) is romantic and elegant, he is rich and magnificent after all. I am a farmer and it is not convenient to associate with him. "
It can be seen how noble Mr. Wang's character is. Later, Wang Ruanting (a native of Yuyang Mountain) wanted to spend 3,000 yuan to buy Mr. Wang's manuscript for publication, but he refused. Wang Ruanting invited Mr. Wang several times. Mr. Wang thanked him for his sincerity, so he told the messenger to go quickly and deliver the manuscript to him.
Ruan Ting spent an evening reading the manuscript, with a little annotation, but the messenger still brought back the annotated manuscript. At that time, people admired Mr. Wang's refined character and thought that he was particularly outstanding and difficult to get along with the world.
Basic considerations:
(1) Zuo and Longmen refer to Zuo Qiuming and Sima Qian. Zuo Qiuming wrote Zuo Zhuan, and Sima Qian was born in Longmen.
(2) in particular: unusually, extremely.
(3) Poppy: a bottle or jar with a big belly and a small mouth.
(4) Tampa: the old transliteration name of tobacco.
(5) or: sometimes.
(6) stop, stop.
(7) (ch ǐ n): Done.
(8) Therefore: Therefore, therefore.
(9) No lovers: I am aloof because I don't follow the secular view.
(10) Pro: Whenever.
(1 1) storage: storage and loading.
(12) Tools: Prepare.
(13) Placement: Placement.
(14) Wang Ruanting: Also known as Yuyang Mountain. "Yu Yang" hereinafter refers to him.
(15) periodical: publishing.
(16) Jian: Understand the feelings.
(17) Anxious feet; A person who delivers letters in a hurry.