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人生——之一
情之一字，所以维持世界；才之一字，所以粉饰乾坤。
*（吴）雨若曰：世界原从情字生出。有夫妇然后有父子，有父子然后有兄弟，有兄弟然后
有朋友，有朋友然后有君臣。
*批注者于书中初见，即加注姓氏，以便读者。
Passion holds up the bottom of the universe, and the poet gives it
a new dress.
Yujo: All human life begins with love between man and woman, from
which the other human
relationships such as between father and son and between brothers
follow.
人生——之二
情必近于痴而始真，才必兼乎趣而始化。
（陆）云士曰：真情种，真才子，能为此言。
（顾）天石曰：才兼乎趣，非心斋不足当之。
（尤）慧珠曰：余情而痴则有之，才而趣则未能也。
Love is not true love without a form of madness. A literary artist
must have zest in life to enter into nature's
spirit.
Yunshih: Here speaks a born lover and
artist.
Tienshih: Shintsai really understands the zest of life besides
being a literary artist.
[Miss] Hueichu: I think I know the passion of love, but I have
not the zest combined with talent.
人生——之三
律己宜带秋气，处世宜带春气。
One should discipline oneself in the spirit of autumn and live with
others in the spirit of
spring.
人生——之四
能闲世人之所忙者，方能忙世人之所闲。
Only those who take leisurely what the people of the world are busy
about can be busy about what the people of the world take
leisurely.
人生——之五
人莫乐于闲，非无所事事之谓也。闲则能读书，闲则能游名胜，闲则能交益友，闲则能饮酒，
闲则能著书。天下之乐，孰大于是？
（陈）隺山曰：然则正是极忙处。
（尤）悔庵曰：昔人云，忙里偷闲，闲则而偷，盗亦有道矣。
（李）若金曰：闲固难得，有此五者，方不负闲字。
Of all things one enjoys leisure most, not because one does
nothing. Leisure confers upon one the freedom to read, to travel,
to make friends, to drink, and to write. Where is there a greater
pleasure than this?
Hoshan: Then you are really
busy.
Huei-an: The proverb says, “Steal leisure from business.” It can be
stolen methodically.
Jochin: Those five things make leisure really
worthwhile.
人生——之六
妾美不如妻贤，钱多不如境顺。
（张）竹坡曰：此所谓竿头欲进步者。然妻不贤安用妾美，钱不多那得境顺。
（张）迂庵曰：此盖谓两者不可得兼，舍一而取一者也。又曰：世固有钱多而境不顺者。
I think it is better to have an understanding wife than a pretty
concubine, and better to have peace of mind than
wealth.
[Nephew] Chupo: There is no limit to desires. How can one expect
to have a pretty concubine
without first having an understanding wife? And how can one have
peace of mind without plenty of
money?
Yu-an: He means a choice of alternatives. And there are indeed
people with plenty of money but no peace of mind.
人生——之七
值太平世，生湖山郡，官长廉静，家道优裕，娶妻贤淑，生子聪慧，人生如此，可云全福。
（许）筱林曰：若以 直
愚蠢之?当之，则负却造物。
（江）含噅曰：此是黑面老子，要思量做鬼处。
（吴）岱观曰：过屠门而大嚼，虽不得肉，亦觉快意。
（李）荔园曰：贤淑聪慧，尤贵永年，否则福不全。
The perfect life: to live in a world of peace in a lake district
where the magistrate is good and honest, and to have an
understanding wife and bright
children.
Shiaolin: It would be a pity to have a vulgarian enjoy all
this.
Hanchen: Here is a black-faced Laotse thinking of becoming a
devil.
Taikuan: Yes, and rather like imagining eating a juicy steak before
a butcher's shop window!
Liyuan: An understanding wife, yes, but also a long life. Otherwise
the blessing is not complete.
人生——之八
有功夫读书，谓之福；有力量济人，谓之福；有学问著述，谓之福；无是非到耳，谓之福；
有多闻直谅之友，谓之福。
（杨）圣藻曰：在我者可必，在人者不能必。
（王）丹麓曰：备此福者，惟我心斋。
（李）水樵曰：五福骈臻固佳，苟得其半者，亦不得谓之无福。
（倪）永清曰：直谅之友，富贵人久拒之矣，何心斋反求之也？
Blessed are those who have time for reading, money to help others,
the learning and ability to write, who are not bothered with gossip
and disputes, and who have learned friends frank with
advice.
Shengtsao: We can take care of those things which depend on
ourselves, but not those which
depend on others.
Tanlu: Shintsai has them
all.
Shuichiao: I would be satisfied with half of these
five.
Yungching: I thought successful men never wanted friends with frank
advice. Shintsai asks for them instead!
人生——之九
不治生产，其后必致累人；专务交游，其后必致累己。
圣藻曰：晨钟夕磬，发人深省。
（冒）巢民曰：若在我，虽累己累人，亦所不悔。
（宗）子发曰：累己犹可，若累人则不可矣。
含徵曰：今之人未必肯受你累，还是自家隐些的好。
Those who despise money end up by sponging on their friends; those
who mix freely with all sorts of people will eventually hurt
themselves.
Shengtsao: What a profound
warning!
Tsaomin: For myself, I do not regret it one way or the
other.
Tsefa: It does make a difference, though, whether you hurt others
or only yourself.
Hanchen: Nowadays people do not welcome being sponged up on. So it
is better to be careful.
人生——之十
胸中小不平，可以酒消之；世间大不平，非剑不能消也。
（周）星远曰：看剑饮杯长，一切不平皆破除矣。
迂庵曰：苍苍者未必肯以太阿假人，似不能代作空空儿也。
悔庵曰：龙泉太阿，汝知我者，岂止苏子美以一斗读《汉书》耶？
A small injustice can be drowned by a cup of wine; a great
injustice can be vanquished only by the sword.
Shingyuan: So you drown all sorrows by holding a cup of wine with a
sword in sight.
Yu-an:I do not think the Blessed Lord would easily give such a
sword to men. It might raise more trouble than it can settle.
Huei-an: O, Lungchuan [famous wine] and Tai-o [famous sword], trust
me! I can handle both!
人生——之十一
多情者必好色，而好色者未必尽属多情；红颜者必薄命，而薄命者未必尽属红颜；能诗者必
好酒，而好酒者未必尽属能诗。
竹坡曰：情起于色者，则好色也，非情也。祸起于颜色者，则薄命在红颜，否则，亦止曰命
而已矣。
（洪）秋士曰：世亦有能诗而不好酒者。
A great lover loves women, but one who loves women is not
necessarily a great lover. A beautiful woman often has a tragic
life, but not all those who have tragic lives are beautiful. A good
poet can always drink, but being a great drinker does not make one
a poet.
Chupo: Passion which is based on sex must after all be
distinguished from true love. Tragedy
sometimes comes from being a great beauty, but sometimes has to
connection with it, but is just fate.
Chiushih: There are poets who cannot drink.
人生——之十二
有青山方有绿水，水惟借色于山；有美酒便有佳诗，诗亦乞灵于酒。
（李）圣许曰：有青山绿水，乃可酌美酒而咏佳诗，是诗酒亦发端于山水也。
Green hills come with blue waters which borrow their blueness from
the hills; good wine produces beautiful poems, which draw
sustenance from the
spirits.
Shengshu: Green hills and blue waters make it possible to enjoy
wine and poetry. So everything goes back to the hills and
waters.
人生——之十三
酒可好不可骂座，色可好不可伤生，财可好不可昧心，气可好不可越理。
（袁）中江曰：如灌夫使酒，文园病肺，昨夜南塘一出，马上挟章台柳归，亦自无妨，觉愈
见英雄本色也。
Drink by all means, but do not make drunken scenes; have women by
all means, but do not
destroy your health; work for money by all means, but do not let it
blot out your conscience; get mad about something but do not go
beyond reason.
Chungchiang: There are some who go to excess and seem the more
genuinely great for it.
人生——之十四
天下无书则已，有则必当读；无酒则已，有则必当饮；无名山则已，有则必当赏玩；无才子
佳人则已，有则必当爱慕怜惜。
弟木山曰：谈何容易，即我家黄山，几能得一到耶？
If there were no books, then nothing need be said about it, but
since there are books, they must be read; if there were no wine,
then nothing need be said. But since there is, it must be drunk;
since there are famous mountains, they must be visited; since there
are flowers and the moon, they must be enjoyed; and since there are
poets and beauties they must be loved and
protected.
[Younger brother] Mushan: Easier said than done. There is the
famous Yellow Mountain right in our district. But how many have
visited it?
人生——之十五
不得已而谀之者，宁以口，毋以笔；不可耐而骂人者，亦宁以口，毋以笔。
（张）豹人曰：但恐未必能自主耳。
竹坡曰：上句立品，下句立德。
迂庵曰：匪惟立德，亦以免祸。
天石曰：今人笔不谀人，更无用笔之处矣。心斋不知此苦，还是唐宋以上人耳。
云士曰：古笔铭曰：“毫毛茂茂，陷水可脱，陷文不活。”正此谓也。亦有谄以笔而实讥之者，
亦有以笔而若誉之者，总以不笔为高。
If one has to praise someone, rather do it by word of mouth than by
pen; if there are persons that must be castigated, also do it by
word of mouth rather than in
writing.
Paojen: You have no control over it
sometimes.
Chupo: The first half of the sentence helps one's integrity, the
second half one's
character.
Yu-an: It not only helps character, but saves one from getting into
trouble.
Tienshih: There are writers today who find no other use for their
pen except writing eulogies. Shintsai is not aware of the
circumstances which force them to do it. He lives mentally in the
Golden Age.
Yunshih: An ancient inscription on a pen says, “The little
hair-brush. You can get out when dipped in water, but when you get
into writing, you may be crushed.” There are eulogies with
tongue-in-check sarcasms and apparent denunciations which cover
real praise. But the best thing is not to commit it to paper at
all.
人生——之十六
万事可忘，难忘者名心一段；千般易淡，未淡者美酒三杯。
竹坡曰：是闻鸡起舞，酒后耳热气象。
丹麓曰：予性不耐饮，美酒亦易淡，所最难忘者，名耳。
云士曰：惟恐不好名，丹麓此言，具见真处。
One can forget everything except the thought of fame, and learn to
be cool toward everything
except three cups of
wine.
Chupo: Now I hear someone who is feeling hot behind the ears and
who wants to get up at dawn
and practice fencing.
Tanlu: I can't drink, but I cannot forget the thought of
fame.
Yunshih: It is not a bad occupation, this thought about fame. Tanlu
is sincere.
人生——之十七
物之能感人者，在天莫如月，在乐莫如琴，在动物莫如鹃，在植物莫如柳。
2
Of all things in the universe, those that move men most deeply are
the moon in heaven, the chin in
music, the cuckoo among birds, and the willow among plants.
人生——之十八
阅《水浒传》，至鲁达打镇关西，武松打虎，因思人生必有一桩极快意事，方不枉在生一场。
即不能有其事，亦须著得一种得意之书，庶几无憾耳。
竹坡曰：此等事必须无意中方做得来。
弟木山曰：兄若打中山狼更极快意。
When you read the Shuihu and come to the passage where Luta smashes
Chenkuanshi or where
Wusung kills the tiger with his bare hands, you feel good. A man
must have such moments of
supreme satisfaction in his life. Then he will not have lived in
vain. If he cannot, he can hope to make up for it by writing a fine
book.
Chupo: Such moments of supreme satisfaction have to happen
naturally. They cannot be striven
for.
[Younger brother] Mushan: If elder brother could kill the
Ungrateful Wolf [in a story], it would be one of those
moments.
人生——之十九
胸藏丘壑，城市不异山林；兴寄烟霞，阎浮有如蓬岛。梧桐为植物中清品，而形家独忌之甚，
且谓梧桐大如斗，主人往外走……俗言之不足据，类如此夫。
含徵曰：爱碧桐者遂艰于白镪。造物盖忌之，如靳之也，有何吉凶休咎之可关。只是打秋风
时，光棍样可厌耳。
In possession of a lively imagination, one can live in the cities
and feel like one is in the mountains, and following one's fancies
with the clouds, one can convert the dark continent of the south
into fairy isles. A great wrong has been committed on the plane
tree by the necromancers who regard it as bringing bad luck, saying
that when a plane tree grows in the yard, its owner will live
abroad...Most superstitions are like
that.
Hanchen: Those who love the plane tree are often poor. But that is
because the Lord does not want us to have all the blessings at the
same time. It is true, however, that in autumn its bare-knuckled
and knobbed branches are difficult to look at.
人生——之二十
有地上之山水，有画上之山水，有梦中之山水，有胸中之山水。地上者妙在邱壑深邃，画上
者妙在笔墨淋漓，梦中者妙在景象变幻，胸中者妙在位置自如。
星远曰：心斋《幽梦影》中文字，其妙亦在景象变幻。
（殷）日戒曰：若诗文中之山水，其幽深变幻，更不可以名状。
含徵曰：但不可有面上之山水。
（余）香祖曰：余境况不佳，水穷山尽矣。
There are hills and waters on the earth, in paintings, in dreams,
and in one's imagination. The beauty of such hills and waters on
the earth is in their grace and variety; that in paintings,
richness of ink and freedom of the brush; that in dreams, their
changefulness; and that in one's imagination, good
composition.
Shingyuan: The writing of this book has grace and variety
also.
Jihchieh: In literature, the changes and surprises are even more
exciting and difficult to
describe.
Hanchen: But please not those changes of expression_r on the face (of
snobbery, etc.)!
Shiangtsu: But sometimes when one meets hardships, the hills seem
blocked and the waters come to a dead end, as in my
case.
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