Ancient text "The Story of Mochi"
Author: Zeng Gong
Original text:
To the east of the city of Linchuan, there is a hidden land It's high, because it's close to the stream, and it's called Xincheng. On top of the new city, there is a pool that is hollow but becomes longer. It is called Wang Xizhi's Mochi, as Xun Bozi's "Linchuan Ji" says. Xi Zhi admired Zhang Zhi and went to the pond to study calligraphy. The water in the pond was completely black. This is his old trace. How can you believe it is evil? Its meaning is between mountains and rivers; how can it be that it wanders wantonly and tries to rest on its own? Xi Zhi's calligraphy was good in the late period, but he could only do it by himself, and it was not natural. There is no one in the future who can reach it, how can it be wrong to learn less than that? How can there be less learning, not to mention that it is wrong to want to learn more about morality?
Above the Mochi, this is the state. School building. Professor Wang Junsheng was afraid that it would be incomplete, so he wrote the six characters "Mochi of the King of Jin Youjun" between the couplets to reveal it. He also told Yu Gong: "I hope there will be a record." How can the king's love for the goodness of others, even if he is able to do so, cause his deeds to be evil? He also wants to push his deeds to encourage his scholars to do evil? Madam, if you are capable, future generations will treat you like this, how about benevolent people? What if Zhuang Shi's legacy is left to the next life?
On September 12, the eighth year of Qingli, Zeng Gong recorded it.
Translation:
To the east of Linchuan County, there is a piece of land that is slightly elevated and close to a stream, called New City. Above the new city, there is a low-lying rectangular pool, which is said to be Wang Xizhi's Mochi. This is mentioned in Xun Bozi's "Linchuan Ji".
Xizhi once admired Zhang Zhi’s spirit of “learning from the pond, and the water was completely black”. (Now it is said) that this is the ruins of Xizhi’s (Mochi). Is it true? When Xizhi is unwilling to do it reluctantly When he was an official, he once traveled all over the East and the East China Sea. He felt happy among the mountains and rivers. Could it be that he once stopped here when he was enjoying his sightseeing? Xizhi's calligraphy became particularly good in his later years. So he was able to reach this stage probably because of his own spirit and perseverance, not because he was born with it. But there is no one in the future who can catch up with him. Does it mean that the efforts of future generations in learning are not as good as his? So can the effort in learning be reduced? What about those who want to further their studies in moral cultivation?
Next to the ink pool is now the school building of Fuzhou Prefectural School. The professor, Mr. Wang Sheng, was worried that the ink pool would not become famous, so he wrote the six words "Ink Pool of the Right Army of the Jin Dynasty" and hung it between the two pillars in front of the house. He also asked me to say: "I hope There is an article (Mochi). "It is speculated that Mr. Wang's intention is to like the merits of others and not let them be buried even if they are skills, so he promotes Wang Xizhi's legacy? Could it be that he also wants to promote Wang Xizhi's deeds to encourage those students? Right? A person with a skill can make future generations respect him like this; not to mention those people with noble moral character and dignified behavior who leave behind an admirable and beautiful style, not to mention the impact on future generations!
On September 12, the eighth year of Qingli, Zeng Gong made a note.
Notes:
(1) Linchuan: Linchuan: Linchuan County, Fuzhou (now Linchuan City, Jiangxi Province) in the Song Dynasty.
(2) Hidden but high: slightly raised. Hidden: not visible.
(3) Lin: Looking from high to low, it means "close".
(4)Waran: low and deep.
(5) Square and long: Square and long, it is a rectangle.
(6) Wang Xizhi (321-379): courtesy name Yishao, a native of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, an official to the general of the Youjun Army, an internal historian of Kuaiji, and known as Wang Youjun in the world. He is a famous calligrapher in ancient times and is known as the "Sage of Calligraphy" in the world. Gou Bozi: A native of the Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, he served as the internal historian of Linchuan. He wrote six volumes of "Linchuan Ji", which mentioned: "Wang Xizhi was the internal history of Linchuan. He built a house on a high slope in the southeast of the county town, which was named Xincheng. It is next to Hui River and specially occupied Laifu. The land is Shuanggai ( (kǎi, the terrain is high and dry), and the mountains and rivers are picturesque. The old wells and ink pools still exist."
(7) Zhang Zhi: a calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, who was good at cursive calligraphy and was known as the "Cao Sage".
Wang Xizhi "once wrote to someone: 'Zhang Zhi came to the pond to study calligraphy, and the water in the pond was completely black, which made people indulge (dān, love), and if he did, he might not follow.'" ("Book of Jin·Biography of Wang Xizhi")
(8) Xinran: It’s true.
(9)xie: eh, the same as "ye".
(10) Fang: When...