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人生——之二十一
鳞虫中金鱼，羽虫中紫燕，可云物类神仙。正如东方曼倩避世金马门，人不得而害之。
含徵曰：金鱼之所以免汤镬者，以其色胜而味苦耳。昔人有以重价觅奇特者，以馈邑侯。
邑侯他日谓之曰：“贤所赠花鱼殊无味。”盖已烹之矣。世岂少削圆方竹杖者哉。
Be a goldfish among the fish and a swallow among the birds. There
are like Taoist fairies who go through life like the witty Tungfang
Manching, safe from harm from those in power.
Hanchen: The goldfish escapes from harm because its flesh is bitter
to the taste. Once there was a man who paid a high price for a
beautiful variety and sent it as a present to a magistrate. Later
the magistrate said to him, “The beautiful fish you sent me seemed
to be perfectly tasteless." He meant that he had cooked and tasted
it. There are such people in the world!
人生——之二十二
人须求可入诗，物须求可入画。
（龚）半千曰：物之不可入画者，猪也，阿堵物也，恶少年也。
竹坡曰：诗亦求可见得人，画亦求可像个物。
（石）天外曰：人须求可入画，物须求可入诗，亦妙。
So live that your life may be like a poem. Arrange things so that
they look like they are in a painting.
Panchien: There are things that will never look like they are in
a painting: pigs, dollar bills, and juvenile
delinquents.
Chupo: Poems, on the other hand, would also like to be like real
life, and paintings would like to be like
things.
Tienwai: It is also possible to say: "So live as to be like a
painting, and arrangefurniture so that the room looks like a
poem."
人生——之二十三
昔人云，若无花、月、美人，不愿生此世界。予益一语云，若无翰墨、棋、酒，不必定作人
身。
日戒曰：枉为人身生在世界，急宜猛省。
天石曰：海外诸国决无
墨棋酒，即有?亦不与吾同，一般有人，何也？
（胡）会来曰：若无豪杰文人，亦不需要此世界。
An ancient writer said, “Life would not be worth living if there
were no moon, no flowers, and no beautiful women.” I might add, “It
might not be important to be born a man, if there were no pen and
paper, and no chess and
wine."
Jihchieh: Beware of living in
vain!
Tienchih: I am sure that foreigners have no pen and paper and chess
and wine, or if they have, these things must be all different. Why,
then, are human beings also born
there?
Hueilai: Life would not be worth living without great heroes and
writers.
人生——之二十四
愿在木而为樗，愿在草而为蓍，愿在鸟而为鸥，愿在兽而为廌，愿在虫而为蝶，愿在鱼而为
鲲。
（郑）破水曰：我愿生生世世为顽石。
悔庵曰：愿在人而为梦。
慧珠曰：愿在梦而为影。
That I might be the shy among the trees (which is never cut down
because of its worthless timber), the shy among the grass (which
can foretell events), the sea gull among the birds (which merges
with the elements), the chih among animals (a kind of deer which
attacks the guilty one), the butterfly among insects (which flits
among flowers), and the kun among fish (which has the freedom of
the ocean).
Poshui: I wish to be a
rock!
Huei-an: I wish to be a
dream!
[Miss] Hueichu: I wish to be the shadow in a dream!
人生——之二十五
庄周梦为蝴蝶，庄周之幸也；蝴蝶梦为庄周，蝴蝶之不幸也。
（黄）九烟曰：惟庄周乃能梦为蝴蝶，惟蝴蝶乃能梦为庄周耳。若世之扰扰红尘者，其能有
此等梦乎？
（孙）恺似曰：君于梦之中，又占其梦耶？
含徵曰：周之喜梦为蝴蝶者，以其入花深也。若梦甫酣而乍醒，则又如嗜酒者梦赴席而为妻
惊醒，不得不加痛诟谇矣。
It was fortunate of Chuangtse to dream of being a butterfly, but a
misfortune for the butterfly to dream of being Chuangtse.
Chiuyuan: This is unfair to Chuangtse. Only he could have dreamed
of being a butterfly.
Kaisze: Are you dreaming of being a dream interpreter?
Hanchen: Chuangtse had that dream because he was deeply associated
with the flowers. Others
might begin such a dream only, and it would be like a man dreaming
of starting a wine dinner, to be rudely waked up by his wife!
人生——之二十六
假使梦能自主，虽千里无难命驾，可不羡长房之缩地；死者可以晤对，可不需少君之招魂；
五岳可以卧游，可不俟婚嫁之尽毕。
九烟曰：予尝谓鬼有时胜于人，正以其能自主耳。
含徵曰：吾恐上穷碧落下黄泉，两地茫茫皆不见也。
That one might control one's dreams! Then one could go anywhere one
likes, conjure up the spirits of the past, and set out on a world
trip without waiting for the sons and daughters to be married
first.
Chiuyuan: I sometimes think that ghosts have this advantage over
men because they can go where they like.
Hanchen: On the other hand, it is possible that ghosts go
everywhere in the upper and the nether world and see nothing at
all!
人生——之二十七
少年须有老成之识见，老成人须有少年之襟怀。
含徵曰：今之钟鸣漏尽，白发盈头者，若多收几斛麦，便欲置侧室，岂非有少年之襟怀耶？
独是少年老成者少耳。
竹坡曰：十七八岁便有妾，亦居然少年老成。
若金曰：老而腐板，定非豪杰。
（王）司直曰：如此方不使岁月弄人。
Young people should have the wisdom of the old,
and old people should have the heart of the
young.
Hanchen: I do see white-haired old men with one foot in the grave
take a concubine the moment they have a better harvest than usual.
Don’t they also have "the heart of the young”? But the young people
who have the wisdom of the old are rare.
Chupo: There are young men who take a concubine at the age of
seventeen or eighteen. So they, too, have the wisdom of the
old.
Jochin: A man who feels old cannot be a great soul.
Szechih: Living this way, one is not indeed just a plaything of
Father Time.
人生——之二十八
躬耕吾所不能，学灌园而已矣；樵薪吾所不能，学薙草而已矣。
释菌人曰：以灌园薙草自任自持，可谓不薄；然笔端隐隐有非其种者锄而去之之意。
司直曰：予自名为识字农夫，得毋妄甚？
I cannot hope to be a farmer, but will learn watering flowers;
cannot hope to become a woodcutter, but will be contented with
pulling out weeds.
[Monk] Chunjen: Watering and weeding the garden is after all not a
bad life. One feels here,
however, that the author has a hankering to weed out and cast off a
lot of things he does not like.
Szechih: I call myself a "literate farmer”. Is that
presumptuous?
人生——之二十九
高语山林者，辄不善谈市朝事、审若此则当并废《史》《汉》诸书而不读矣，盖诸书所载
皆古之市朝也。
竹坡曰：高语者，必是虚声处士。真入山者，方能经纶市朝。
Recluse scholars often disdain to discuss affairs of the
government. But history is full of affairs of the government.
Should one stop reading history, too? They cannot have meant
it.
Chupo: Sometimes, these things are affectations. A real recluse
scholar can also assume the helm of government if he is asked
to.
人生——之三十
凡事不宜刻，若读书则不可不刻；凡事不宜贪，若买书则不可不贪；凡事不宜痴，若行善则
不可不痴。
圣藻曰：行善不痴，是邀名矣。
A man must not be fastidious about other things, but he must be
about reading. He must not be greedy, except in buying books. He
should not be a confirmed addict, except in the habit of doing good
and helping others.
Shengtsao: One who helps others not as an instinctive habit may be
doing so to be talked
about.
人生——之三十一
文名可以当科第，俭德可以当货材，清闲可以当寿考。
（聂）晋人曰：若名人而登科第，富翁而不骄奢，寿翁而又清闲，便是蓬台三岛中人也。
（范）汝受曰：此亦是贫贱文人无所事事自为慰藉云耳，恐亦无实在受用处也。
（曾）青藜曰：无事此静坐，一日似两日。若活七十年，便是百四十。此是清闲当寿考注脚。
To enjoy literary fame can take the place of passing imperial
examinations; to manage to live within one's means can take the
place of wealth; to lead a life of leisure can well be the
equivalent of a long life.
Chinjen: But if a famous scholar also passes the examinations, is
rich and has learned to live simply without being a slave to
wealth, and reaches a venerable age and enjoys a life of
leisured--would not such a man be living the life of a fairy?
Jushou: I am afraid that poor scholars like to comfort themselves
with this thought. I do not think one can derive any benefit from
it.
Tsingli: It has been said that if a man will sit idly, he can make
a day as long as two days and therefore have a life span of a
hundred forty when he lives to seventy.
人生——之三十二
涉猎虽曰无用，犹胜于不通古今；清高固然可嘉，莫流于不识时务。
竹坡曰：不合时宜，则可；不达时务，奚其可？
Random reading and browsing are better than not being acquainted
with books at all; it is all right to be detached, but not to be
ignorant of the trend of the times.
Chupo: There is a distinction between resisting conventions and
fashions of thought, and being ignorant of them.
人生——之三十三
有山林隐逸之乐而不知享者，渔樵也，农圃也，缁黄也；有园亭姬妾之乐而不能享、不善享
者，富商也，大僚也。
弟木山曰：有山珍海错而不能享者，庖人也；有牙签玉轴而不能读者，蠹鱼也，书贾也。
There are those who have the beauties of forests and hills before
their eyes, but do not appreciate them—the fishermen, woodcutters,
peasants, and the black and yellow [Buddhist and Taoist monks]--and
others who have gardens, terraces and women, but often fail to
enjoy them for lack of time or of culture--the rich merchants and
high officials.
[Younger brother] Mushan: There are those who have good food and
cannot enjoy it--the
cooks--and those who are in daily touch with rare editions and fine
bindings but cannot read
them--the moths and book
dealers.
人生——之三十四
清宵独坐，邀月言愁；良夜孤眠，呼蛩语恨。
（黄）孔植曰：此逆旅无聊之况，心斋亦知之乎？
To sit alone at night and invite the moon to tell it one's sorrows;
to sleep alone at night and call to the crickets and pour out one's
regrets.
Kungchih: Shintsai really knows the heart of a lonely traveler
abroad.
人生——之三十五
官声采于舆论，豪右之口与寒乞之口俱不得其真；花案定于成心，艳媚之评与寝陋之评概恐
失其实。
永清曰：我谓众人唾骂者，其人必有可观。
若金曰：豪右而不讲分上，寒乞而不望推恩者，亦未尝无公论。
九烟曰：先师有言，不如乡人之善者好之，其不善者恶之。
An official's reputation comes from public opinion, but that of his
close associates and of beggars of office should be discounted. The
reputation of women should come from real knowledge; the views of
fans and superficial critics cannot be trusted.
Yungching: Sometimes when an official runs into a barrage of
opposition, we may be sure that
there is something in that man.
Jochin: This is not always true. When the close associates are not
making a point for their personal friends or when the beggars are
not trying to secure favors, they can be just also.
Chiuyuan: Confucius had something to say on this, “It is best to be
liked by the good men of the village and hated by the bad."
人生——之三十六
多情者不以生死易心，好饮者不以寒暑改量，喜读书者不以忙闲作辍。
A true lover does not change with the years; a good drinker does
not change with the seasons; a lover of books does not stop reading
because of business.
人生——之三十七
立品须发乎宋人之道学，涉世须参以晋代之风流。
（方）宝臣曰：真道学未有不风流者。
永清曰：等闲地位，却是个双料圣人。
云士曰：有不风流之道学，有风流之道学，有不道学之风流，有道学之风流，毫厘千里。
Build one's character on the foundation of the moral teachings of
the Sung Neo-Confucianists
[twelfth century]; but go through life in the spirit of the Chin
romanticists [third and fourth centuries].
Paochen: A real Confucianist can be quite romantic.
Yungching: That would make a double-strength saint.
Yunshih: Some puritans [Neo-Confucianists] are romantic, and some
are not. Romanticists are
sometimes Puritans in heart and others not at all. There is a very
fine difference.
人生——之三十八
豪杰易于圣贤，文人多于才子。
竹坡曰：豪杰不能为圣贤，圣贤未有不豪杰，文人才子亦然。
It is easier to be a hero than a sage, and easier to be a writer
than a real genius.
Chupo: A hero usually is not a sage, but a sage is always a true
hero. The same is true of writers and geniuese.
人生——之三十九
风流自赏，只容花鸟趋陪；真率谁知，合受烟霞供养。
含徵曰：东坡有云，当此之时，若有所思而无所思。
In self-contentment, a brilliant man takes his ease with birds and
flowers; careless of popular fame, he regards himself as being
served by the hilltop clouds.
Hanchen: Su Tungpo says,” At such a time, one seems to be thinking
of something, and yet is
thinking of nothing. ”
人生——之四十
痛可忍而痒不可忍；苦可耐而酸不可耐。
It is easier to stand pain than to stand an itch; bitter taste is
easier to bear than sour.
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