The original text and translation of "Yong Xue" are as follows:
1. Original text:
Xie Taifu Hanxue gathered in Beijing to talk about the meaning of the book with his children. Suddenly it snowed suddenly, and Gong Xinran said: "What does the white snow look like?" Brother Hu'er said: Spreading salt can make a difference in the air. The brother and daughter said, "It's not like catkins blowing up due to the wind." The public laughed. That is to say, the eldest brother Gong has no daughter, and she is the wife of General Wang Ning of the left.
2. Translation:
On a snowy winter day, Mr. Xie gathered his nephews and nephews together and talked about poetry with them. After a while, it snowed heavily, and the Taifu said happily: "What does this flying white snow look like?" Xie Lang, his brother's eldest son, said: It is almost comparable to spreading salt in the air. His other brother's daughter said: It is better to compare it to catkins rising by the wind. Mr. Xie laughed happily after hearing this. She (Xie Daoyun) is the daughter of Xie Wuyi, the eldest brother of Xie Taifu, and the wife of General Wang Ningzhi of Zuo.
Appreciation of the work "Song of Snow":
This is an eternal story, which shows the outstanding poetic talent, meticulous observation of things and flexible imagination of the talented woman Xie Daoyun.
The first sentence of the article explains Yongxue’s background. In just fifteen words, it covers a lot of content. The Xie family in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was a famous family of poetry, etiquette and hairpins, headed by Taifu Xie, that is, Xie An. In such a family, when it is snowy and unable to go out, only the spirit of giving lectures can be cultivated. The convener and speaker is naturally Xie An, and the audience is the children. The time, place, people, and events are all mentioned.
Then write the main event Yongxue. In fact, the speaker sets the questions to test the audience. Why is the speaker so excited? It turned out that the weather had changed: it snowed suddenly. There was snow earlier, but not heavy, but now it turned into heavy and falling snow. This made the speaker very happy, so he said happily: "What does the white snow look like?" Brother Hu'er said: "You can make a difference by spreading salt in the air." The brother and daughter said, "It's not like catkins blowing up due to the wind."
There may be many answers, but the author only recorded two: one is what Xie Lang said about spreading salt in the air; the other is what Xie Daoyun said about catkins blowing up due to the wind. The speaker did not evaluate the merits of the two answers, he just laughed and laughed, which was very thought-provoking. The author did not express his position, but at the end he added the identity of Xie Daoyun, that is, the eldest brother Wuyi's daughter, and the wife of General Wang Ning of the left. This is a strong hint that he appreciates Xie Daoyun's talent.
This short story shows Xie Daoyun's literary talent and intelligence through the story of Yongxue, the daughter of the Xie family. It also reveals the elegance of family life and the inheritance of culture.