Part of the original text:
Yonghe nine years, aged in Guichou, will gather in Lanting to repair things in late spring and early spring. A group of smart people never miss, but some of them are long and salty. There are mountains, lush forests and bamboo forests, as well as clear water and turbulent water, which set each other off. Take it for granted that water is flowing, ranking second. Although it is not as prosperous as the string of silk and bamboo, it is enough to love.
Today is a sunny day, sunny and sunny. Looking up at the size of the universe and overlooking the richness of categories is enough to be extremely entertaining. I believe in cola.
Related translation:
In the ninth year of Yonghe, in early March, we will meet in Lanting, Yin Shan, Huiji County, in order to handle affairs. Many talented people gather here, young and old. Lanting Group has towering peaks, lush trees and tall bamboo forests. There is also a clear and swift stream, shining around the pavilion.
We painted the stream as winding water and sat next to it in rows. Although there is no grand occasion of playing music, drinking some wine and writing some poems is enough to describe that hidden feeling.
On this day, the weather is fine, the air is fresh and the weather is sunny. Look up at the vastness of the universe, look down at many things on the earth, broaden your horizons and broaden your mind. It's really happy.
Notes and appreciation of preface to Lanting;
Some comments:
(1) Yonghe: year number of Sima Dan (Jin Mudi) in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, 345-356 * * * 12. In the ninth year of Yonghe, there were 4 1 person such as Wang Xizhi, Xie An and Sun Chuo. Wang Xizhi wrote this preface to summarize his works after holding ceremonies and drinking and writing poems.
(2) Late spring: March of the lunar calendar. Good evening. Good evening.
(3) meeting: assembly.
④ Kuaiji (kuài jī): County name, now Shaoxing, Zhejiang.
⑤ Yin Shan: Yuecheng District of Shaoxing today.
(6) It is also a matter of ceremony. According to ancient customs, people gather at the water's edge to play and wash their hands on the fourth day of the third month of the lunar calendar (the third day of the third month after Wei Dynasty) in order to eliminate ominous and seek happiness. In fact, this is a kind of spring outing of the ancients.
Appreciate:
This preface is concise, elegant and meaningful, which represents Wang Xizhi's prose style. And its words are exquisite and catchy. It is a masterpiece of ancient parallel prose. Preface to Lanting Collection has its own merits in several aspects of parallel prose. Syntactically, the antithesis is neat, the sentence meaning is juxtaposed, the two are opposite, the phonology is harmonious, there is no trace of axe chisel, and the language is fresh, simple and natural.