The Biography of Xi'an Weng Classical Chinese Translation

Xi'an Weng's name is Zhiqiu and his courtesy name is Wenjian. Xi'an is his nickname. His ancestors were from Qingjiang County, Jiangxi Province. Later, they arrived in Suzhou during the Hongwu Period of the Ming Dynasty and settled in Suzhou. Xi'an Weng's grandfather, Mr. Yi Ling, was famous in Wuzhong because he was good at calligraphy. When Xi'an Weng was still a child, he was sharpening ink beside his grandfather and waiting for his grandfather to write. He imitated his grandfather's handwriting and wrote with great spirit and vigor. His grandfather was very surprised and taught him how to write. Xi'an Weng is an honest and upright person, and he never says or does anything that is not in compliance with etiquette and laws. He is especially respected by his relatives and friends.

Xi'an Weng especially likes to read books. Once he knows that others have good ancient books, he will immediately borrow them. He decorated his hut and lived alone. He lit a burner of incense and a bottle of water on the table, and copied borrowed books in the morning and evening. However, Xi'an Weng was ambitious and felt ashamed that he could not make a difference in time. When he heard the autumn wind, he couldn't help but be affected by the desolation. He immediately threw away his pen and stood up, walking back and forth in the room. After he calmed down, he continued to copy books. In the end, he was depressed at home. He died in the fourth year of Yongzheng and was buried in Huangshan. Xi'an Weng had one son and three daughters. His descendants were very poor, so his tomb was not repaired and was dilapidated. There were few trees planted around the tomb, and descendants rarely went to worship. However, Xi'an The books copied by Weng throughout his life are all well preserved.