| Original |
Pinyin |
Translation |
| 蘭 亭 集 序 |
lán tíng jí xù |
Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion |
| (王羲之) |
Wáng Xīzhī |
(by Wang Xizhi) |
| 永和九年， |
Yǒnghé jiǔ nián |
It is the ninth year of Emperor Mu of Jin's Yonghe era (20 Feb 353 - 8 Feb 354), |
| 歲在癸丑， |
suì zài guǐ chǒu |
The year of the Yin Water Ox, |
| 暮春之初， |
mùchūn zhī chū |
At the beginning of the third lunar month (after April 20, 353), |
| 會于會稽山陰之蘭亭， |
huì yú Guìjī Shānyīn zhī lán tíng |
We are all gathered at the orchid pavilion in Shanyin County, Guiji Commandery, |
| 脩禊事也。 |
xiūxì shì yě |
For the Spring Purification Festival. |
| 群賢畢至， |
qún xián bì zhì |
All of the prominent people have arrived, |
| 少長咸集。 |
shào zhǎng xián jí |
From old to young. |
| 此地有崇山峻領， |
cǐdì yǒu chóngshānjùnlǐng |
This is an area of high mountains and lofty peaks, |
| 茂林修竹， |
màolínxiūzhú |
With an exuberant growth of trees and bamboos, |
| 又有清流激湍， |
yòu yǒu qīngliú jī tuān |
It also has clear rushing water, |
| 映帶左右。 |
yìng dài zuǒyòu |
Reflecting the sunlight as it flows past either side of the pavilion. |
| 引以為流觴曲水，列坐其次； |
yǐn yǐ wéi liú shāng qū shuǐ, lièzuò qícì |
The guests are seated side by side to play the drinking game where a wine cup is floated down the stream and the first person sitting in front of the cup when it stops must drink. |
| 雖無絲竹管弦之盛， |
suī wú sīzhú guǎnxián zhī shèng |
Although we lack the boisterousness of a live orchestra, |
| 一觴一詠，亦足以暢敘幽情。 |
yī shāng yī yǒng, yì zúyǐ chàngxù yōuqíng |
With a cup of wine here and a reciting of poetry there, it is sufficient to allow for a pleasant exchange of cordial conversations. |
| 是日也，天朗氣清， |
shì rì yě, tiān lǎng qì qīng |
Today, the sky is bright and the air is clear, |
| 惠風和暢，仰觀宇宙之大， |
huìfēnghéchàng, yǎng guān yǔzhòu zhī dà |
With a gentle breeze that is blowing freely. When looking up, one can see the vastness of the heavens, |
| 俯察品類之盛，所以遊目騁懷， |
fǔ chá pǐn lèi zhī shèng, suǒyǐ yóu mù chěnghuái |
And when looking down, one can observe the abundance of things. The contentment of allowing one’s eyes to wander, |
| 足以極視聽之娛，信可樂也。 |
zúyǐ jí shìtīng zhī yú, xìn kě lè yě |
Is enough to reach the heights of delight for the sight and sound. What a joy. |
| 夫人之相與俯仰一世， |
fú rén zhī xiāngyǔ fǔyǎng yī shì |
Now all people live in this world together, |
| 或取諸懷抱，晤言一室之內； |
huò qǔ zhū huáibào, wù yán yī shì zhī nèi |
Some will take all of their aspirations, and share them in private with a friend; |
| 或因寄所托，放浪形骸之外。 |
huò yīn jì suǒ tuō, fànglàngxínghái zhī wài |
Still others will abandon themselves to reckless pursuits. |
| 雖趣舍萬殊，靜躁不同， |
suī qǔshě wàn shū, jìng zào bùtóng |
Even though everyone makes different choices in life, some thoughtful and some rash, |
| 當其欣于所遇，暫得于己， |
dāng qí xīn yú suǒ yù, zàn dé yú jǐ |
When a person meets with joy, he will temporarily be pleased, |
| 快然自足，不知老之將至。 |
kuài rán zìzú, bùzhī lǎo zhī jiāng zhì |
And will feel content, but he is not mindful that old age will soon overtake him. |
| 及其所之既倦，情隨事遷， |
jí qí suǒ zhī jì juàn, qíng suí shì qiān |
Wait until that person becomes weary, or has a change of heart about something, |
| 感慨係之矣。 |
gǎnkǎi xì zhī yǐ |
And will thus be filled with regrets. |
| 向之所欣，俛仰之間， |
xiàng zhī suǒ xīn, fǔyǎng zhī jiān |
The happiness of the past, in the blink of an eye, |
| 已為陳迹，猶不能不以之興懷； |
yǐ wéi chén jī, yóu bùnéngbù yǐ zhī xìng huái |
Will have already become a distant memory, and this cannot but cause one to sigh; |
| 况修短隨化，終期于盡。 |
kuàng xiū duǎn suí huà, zhōng qí yú jìn |
In any case, the length of a man’s life is determined by the Creator, and we will all turn to dust in the end. |
| 古人云﹕「死生亦大矣。」 |
gǔrén yún: sǐ shēng yì dà yǐ |
The ancients have said, "Birth and Death are both momentous occasions." |
| 豈不痛哉！ |
qǐbù tòng zāi |
Isn’t that sad! |
| 每攬昔人興感之由， |
měi lǎn xí rén xìng gǎn zhī yóu |
Every time I consider the reasons for why the people of old had regrets, |
| 若合一契，未嘗不臨文嗟悼， |
ruò hé yī qì, wèicháng bù lín wén jiē dào |
I am always moved to sadness by their writings, |
| 不能喻之于懷。 |
bùnéng yù zhī yú huái |
And I can not explain why I am saddened. |
| 固知一死生為虛誕， |
gù zhī yī sǐ shēng wéi xūdàn |
I most certainly know that it is false and absurd to treat life and death as one and the same, |
| 齊彭殤為妄作。 |
qí péng shāng wéi wàngzuò |
And it is equally absurd to think of dying at an old age as being the same as dying at a young age. |
| 後之視今，亦由今之視昔。 |
hòu zhī shì jīn, yì yóu jīn zhī shì xí |
When future generations look back to my time, it will probably be similar to how I now think of the past. |
| 悲夫！故列敘時人， |
bēi fú! gù liè xù shí rén |
What a shame! Therefore, when I list out the people that were here, |
| 錄其所述，雖世殊事異， |
lù qí suǒ shù, suī shì shū shì yì |
And record their musings, even though times and circumstances will change, |
| 所以興懷，其致一也。 |
suǒ yǐ xìng huái, qí zhì yī yě |
As for the things that we regret, they are the same. |
| 後之攬者，亦將有感於斯文。 |
hòu zhī lǎn zhě, yì jiāng yǒu gǎn yú sī wén |
For the people who read this in future generations, perhaps you will likewise be moved by these words. |
