The road to Shu is difficult, the pipa is played, the few people are in the country, encouraging learning, the theory of passing the Qin Dynasty, the teacher's theory, the original text and translatio

The road to Shu is difficult, the pipa is played, the few people are in the country, encouraging learning, the theory of passing the Qin Dynasty, the teacher's theory, the original text and translation

"The Road to Shu is Difficult"

Translation:

Ah! How steep and high! The road to Shu is difficult, even more difficult than going to heaven.

The two kings of Shu, Cancong and Yufu, were so unclear about the founding of the country.

It took forty-eight thousand years from then on before we had any communication with the people of Qin. Taibai Mountain is blocked to the west, and only bird paths allow high-flying birds to cross the top of Mount Emei.

Until the earth collapsed and the mountains collapsed, the heroes were crushed to death, and then there were ladders and stone stacks connecting each other.

Above is the highest peak that even the six dragons pulling the cart have to turn around, and below there is a whirlpool where waves surge and splash.

The high-flying yellow crane can't fly over, but the ape wants to get over, worrying that there is no place to climb.

Qingni Mountain is winding and winding, with many turns in a short distance, winding around the peak.

Hold your breath and reach out to touch the stars. Touch your chest with your hands and sigh. When will you come back from your journey to the west? Horrible road, steep rocks difficult to climb.

I saw birds chirping sadly on the ancient trees, and the males and females were flying around in the forest.

I heard the cuckoo crow again in the moonlit night, filling the empty mountain with sadness.

The road to Shu is difficult, even more difficult than going to heaven. People's beauty fades after hearing these words.

The continuous mountain peaks are less than a foot away from the sky, and withered pines hang upside down against the steep cliffs.

The rapids and waterfalls rush down in a noisy manner, hitting the cliff and causing the rocks to roll and make a thunderous sound.

It’s so dangerous. Why do you, a person from afar, come here?

The Jiange is high, rugged and abrupt. If one person holds the pass, ten thousand people cannot open it.

If the gatekeeper is unreliable, he will become a jackal in power.

Beware of tigers in the morning and beware of long snakes at night.

They grind their teeth to suck human blood and kill countless people.

Although Jincheng is a peaceful place, it is still better to go home.

The road to Shu is difficult, even harder than going to heaven. I turned sideways and looked to the west, sighing deeply

"Pipa Travel"

Translation:

In the tenth year of Yuanhe, I was demoted to Sima of Jiujiang County. In the autumn of the second year, I went to see off a guest at Penpukou. At night, I heard someone playing the pipa on the boat. I heard the pipa tunes, which sounded like the tunes of the capital city. The person who asked about playing the pipa turned out to be a singer from Chang'an. She once learned the pipa from two masters, Mu and Cao. She was old and beautiful, and married a businessman. I ordered my men to serve wine and let her play a few tunes. After she finished playing, she looked sad. She recounted the joyful life of her youth, and said that now she was wandering and degenerate, miserable and miserable, wandering around. I had been working as an official in Beijing for two years, and I felt peaceful and comfortable. I was touched by her words and felt the pain of being demoted that night. So I wrote this seven-character poem, chanted it to her, and gave it to her as a gift. The whole poem has a total of 616 words and is titled "Pipa Xing".

One night in autumn, I sent my friend to the Xunyang River.

The maple leaves and reed flowers were rustling in the autumn wind.

My friends and I dismounted and boarded the boat that was about to sail away.

We raised our glasses and drank, but we lamented that there were no singing girls playing pizzicatos around us.

Even though I was drunk, I still had no fun. The parting was so miserable.

I saw the rising moon immersed in the vast river.

Suddenly, bursts of pipa sound came from the river.

I forgot to return, and my friend had no intention of sailing.

The two of us searched for where the sound of the pipa came from, and asked in a low voice who was playing the pipa.

The sound of the pipa stopped, but the player wanted to say something but did not answer.

The two of us hurriedly rowed over to invite the pipa player to meet us.

We filled the glasses with wine, turned on the lights, and started the banquet again.

After calling for a long time, the Pipa girl came over timidly,

Holding the Pipa in her arms, half of her face was covered.

She turned the spindle and played it gently three or two times.

Before it could form any tune, she showed infinite affection.

She used her restrained fingering to play a low and melancholy tone.

The sound was sad and thoughtful, as if she was telling the misfortune of her life.

She played gracefully and freely, playing continuously,

as if she wanted to express the infinite pain buried deep in her soul.

She struck the strings gently, played the strings slowly, wiped and picked them skillfully,

First she played the famous song "Nishang Yuyi Song", and then played the dance song "Six Yao".

The big strings are noisy, and the sound is heavy and long, like a gust of rain.

The small strings are choppy, and the sound is urgent and fine, like a whisper.

It was noisy, it was she who plucked the big strings and the small strings alternately.

The sound was round and crisp, just like beads falling on a jade plate.

The tone is light and smooth, like an oriole singing in the flowers.

Suddenly it becomes heavy and choked, like a stagnant little spring under the ice.

The tone became lower and lower, and the strings seemed to be condensed and cut off.

The surroundings were cold and quiet, and all sounds temporarily stopped.

The lute girl once again felt resentment hidden in her heart.

At this time, although there was no sound, it was better than the sound.

Suddenly the strings played rapidly, making a crisp and majestic sound,

Like a broken silver vase, water splashing, like a galloping cavalry, and the sound of swords and guns.

When the song is over, use the plectrum to strike the center of the pipa groove suddenly.

The four strings sound in unison, as sharp and clear as tearing silk.

The people in the surrounding boats were silent, and they were all fascinated.

Only the autumn moon on the river was particularly bright and white.

The pipa girl was full of thoughts, but hesitated to speak. She inserted the plectrum into the string,

straightened her clothes, stood up and calmed down the excited expression on her face.

She said, I was originally a singer in the capital city.

My family lived in Xia Tongling near Qujiang River in Chang'an.

I learned to play the pipa at the age of thirteen.

My name was in the first part of the teaching workshop.

After playing a song, the pipa master often admires her.

When she dresses up, she will inevitably be jealous of beautiful women.

Princes and grandsons rushed to give me financial gifts.

One piece of music won countless red silk ribbons.

The hair grate inlaid with gold and jade is often broken due to singing and beating time.

The red skirt is often stained by spilling wine during banquets and teasing.

Year after year, time passes quietly in laughter,

The beautiful years pass away casually like this.

Later, my brother joined the army and my sister died unfortunately.

As time passed, I became older and less beautiful than before.

From then on, the door was deserted, and princes and grandsons rarely came.

When I got old, I had no choice but to marry a merchant's wife.

Businessmen love money as much as their lives, but they don’t know the pain of separation.

Last month, I went to Fuliang to buy tea.

He left, leaving me alone to guard the empty bow.

Only the bright moon covered the hull, and the cold river water was accompanied by sorrow.

Late at night, I suddenly dreamed of the romantic events of that year.

I cried in the dream, and my tears washed away my makeup and powder.

Listening to her playing the pipa made me sigh.

Listening to her talk about her life experience made me even more emotional.

She and I are both strangers wandering at the end of the world.

We can talk about our concerns when we meet by chance, so there is no need to have known each other for a long time.

I left Chang'an Imperial Capital last year.

After being demoted and falling ill, I lived in the ancient city of Xunyang.

Xunyang is a remote place and there is no music appreciation.

I haven’t heard the sound of orchestral music all year round.

My house is next to the Fanjiang River, and the ground is damp.

Reeds and bitter bamboos grow everywhere around the house.

What did I hear there morning and evening?

There is only the mournful cry of the bloody cuckoo and the cry of the ape.

Whenever there are beautiful mornings and good nights on the river in spring and moonlit nights in autumn,

I often take out the wine and pour it myself.

From time to time, the sound of folk songs and reed pipes could be heard,

but they were too messy and too complicated to be heard.

Tonight I heard the pipa music you played,

It was like listening to fairy music, and my ears suddenly became bright.

Please don't refuse, sit down and play another song for me.

I will write the lyrics "Pipa Xing" for you according to the melody.

She was deeply moved after hearing my words, and stood for a long time without speaking.

She sat back down, tightened the strings, and the melody became more urgent.

The mood was desolate and sad, completely different from what was played just now.

Everyone around them was so sad that they covered their faces and cried.

If you ask who among them sheds the most tears,

Sima Jiangzhou, his blue shirt was all wet with his tears.

"What a Few People Do to a Country"

Translation:

The gentleman said: Learning cannot stop.

Indigo is extracted from indigo grass, but it is greener than the color of indigo grass; ice is made of water solidified, but it is colder than water. The wood is straight and conforms to the ink line. (If) it is baked and bent into a wheel, (then) the curvature of the wood (then) conforms to the standard of a circle. Even if it is dry, (the wood) will not be straight again, because it has been Process it to make it look like this. Therefore, wood can be straightened by measuring it with the ink line. Swords and other metal products can become sharp by grinding them on a whetstone. A gentleman studies extensively and checks and reflects on himself every day. Then he will be smart and wise, but his behavior will not be the same. Something was wrong.

I used to think all day long, (but) it was not as good as the knowledge (as much) I learned in a moment; I once stood on tiptoe and looked far away, (but) (but) it was not as broad as climbing to a high place to see.

When you climb to a high place and wave, your arms are not longer than before, but others can see you from a distance; when you call along the wind, your voice is not louder than before, but the listeners can hear you clearly. People who use cars and horses cannot walk fast, but they can travel thousands of miles; people who use boats cannot swim, but they can cross rivers. The nature of a gentleman is no different from that of ordinary people, except that he is good at using external things.

Pile up earth and rocks to form a high mountain, and wind and rain will rise from here; accumulate water and form an abyss, and dragons will emerge from here; accumulate good deeds and develop noble character, then you will reach a high level of wisdom. It also has the spiritual realm of a saint. Therefore, without accumulating one and a half steps, there is no way to reach a thousand miles; without accumulating small flows, there is no way to form rivers and seas. A good horse can only travel less than ten steps in one leap; a bad horse can go far in a carriage for ten days. Its success lies in keeping moving. (If) it stops after a few carvings, (then) the rotten wood will continue to carve. (If) you keep carving, (then) you can carve gold and stone successfully. Earthworms don't have sharp claws or teeth, but they have strong muscles and bones, but they can eat soil upwards and drink spring water from downwards. This is because they are single-minded. The crab has eight legs and two big claws. (But) it has nowhere to hide if there are no caves for snakes and snakes. This is because it is impetuous.

"On the Passage of Qin"

Translation: Qin Xiaogong occupies the dangerous terrain of Xiaoshan Mountain and Hangu Pass, owns the land of Yongzhou, and the monarchs and ministers firmly guard it, seeking to seize the royal family of Zhou. Power has the will to sweep the world, control the world, conquer the world, and the ambition to annex all countries. At that time, Shang Yang assisted him, established laws and regulations internally, devoted himself to farming and weaving, and built defensive and offensive equipment; externally, he implemented the strategy of alliance and horizontal war, causing the princes east of Mount Laoshan to fight against each other. As a result, the Qin people easily captured the land beyond the west of the Yellow River.

After the death of Duke Xiao, King Huiwen, King Wu, and King Zhaoxiang successively inherited the existing foundation and followed the strategies of the previous dynasties, seizing Hanzhong to the south, Ba and Shu to the west, and cutting off the fertile areas to the east. area, occupying very important areas to the north. The princes were frightened and gathered to form alliances to seek ways to weaken Qin. They do not skimp on rare and precious artifacts and fertile and fertile land to recruit outstanding talents from all over the world. They use the strategy of cooperation to form alliances, help each other, and become one. At this time, the state of Qi had Lord Mengchang, the state of Zhao had Lord Pingyuan, the state of Chu had Lord Chunshen, and the state of Wei had Lord Xinling. These four princes were all sensible, resourceful, sincere and loyal, generous to others, and respectful of capable people. They defeated Qin's strategy of joining forces and conquered Han, Wei, and Yan by agreeing to follow each other. The troops of , Chu, Qi, Zhao, Song, Wei, and Zhongshan formed a coalition. At this time, the scholars of the Six Kingdoms including Ning Yue, Xu Shang, Su Qin, Du He and others made suggestions for them, and Qi Ming, Zhou Zui, Chen Zhen, Zhao Hua, Lou Su, Zhai Jing, Su Li, Le Yi and others communicated with them. , Wu Qi, Sun Bin, Dai Tuo, Ni Liang, Wang Liao, Tian Ji, Lian Po, Zhao She and others led their army. They used ten times the land of Qin and millions of troops to attack Qin's passes. The people of Qin opened and closed the gates to lure the enemy deeper, but the armies of the nine kingdoms hesitated and did not dare to enter the pass. The Qin people did not waste a single soldier, and the princes of the world were already in a desperate situation. In this way, the agreement failed, and the various princes fought to cede territory to bribe Qin. Qin had enough power to subdue them when they were tired, and chased the defeated soldiers of the nine kingdoms. Millions of defeated soldiers lay dead on the road, blood flowed into rivers, and the big shield could float. Qin State relied on this favorable situation to seize the land of the world and re-divided the mountains and rivers. Strong countries voluntarily surrendered, and weak countries visited Qin on time to pay homage.

When King Xiaowen and King Zhuang Xiang succeeded to the throne, their reign was not long, and nothing major happened in Qin. As far as the first emperor, he vigorously pursued the legacy of the sixth generation, governed all other countries by force, wiped out the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and Western Zhou Dynasty and other princely states, acted as the throne to control the world, used cruel punishments to enslave the people of the world, and frightened and frightened the world. All over the world.

Taking the land of Baiyue to the south, they divided it into Guilin County and Xiang County. The king of Baiyue lowered his head, tied a rope around his neck, and left his life to the control of Qin's lower-level officials. So he sent Meng Tian to the north to build the Great Wall and guard the border, so that the Huns retreated more than 700 miles. The Hu people did not dare to come to the south to graze their cattle, and the warriors did not dare to draw their bows and shoot arrows in revenge. Then he abolished the governance of the ancient emperors and burned the works of various schools of thought to make the people stupid; he destroyed the tall city walls and killed the heroes; he collected all the weapons from the world and concentrated them in Xianyang, destroying the blades and arrows. , used to cast twelve bronze figures to weaken the resistance of the people. Then use Huashan Mountain as the city, and the Yellow River as a moat, occupying Huashan Mountain, facing the Yellow River, thinking that the terrain is dangerous and solid. Good generals armed with powerful crossbows guarded key places, reliable officials and elite soldiers armed with sharp weapons questioned passers-by. The world has been stabilized, and the First Emperor thought that relying on the dangerous terrain in the pass and the solid city defenses with a radius of thousands of miles, he could establish the emperor's legacy for generations to come.

After the death of Qin Shihuang, his remaining power still shocked remote areas. However, Chen She was just a boy from a poor family who used broken urns as windows and tied the door panels with straw ropes. He was a member of the lower class. Later, he was relegated to serve as a soldier guarding the border. His talents were not as good as those of ordinary people, and he was not as talented as Confucius or Confucius. A man as virtuous as Mozi was not as wealthy as Tao Zhugong and Yidun. He joined the ranks of the garrison soldiers, suddenly rose up from the fields, led the exhausted soldiers, commanded a team of several hundred people, turned around and attacked Qin, broke branches as weapons, and raised bamboo poles as flags. Heroes from all over the world gathered in response, many carrying food on their backs and following him like a shadow. The heroes east of Mount Laoshan then revolted together and wiped out the Qin Dynasty.

Besides, the Qin Dynasty that dominated the world has not been weakened. The terrain of Yongzhou and the dangers of Xiaoshan Mountain and Hangu Pass are still the same as before. Chen She's status is no more noble than that of the kings of Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei, Song, Wei, and Zhongshan; the hoe stick is no sharper than the hook, halberd, and spear; the combat ability of the pawn who was relegated to guard the border is no more noble. It was not comparable to the troops of the Nine Kingdoms; Chen She's strategy of marching and using troops was not comparable to the previous generals and advisers of the Nine Kingdoms. But those with good conditions fail and those with poor conditions succeed. Their achievements are completely opposite. Why? If we compare the Eastern countries with Chen She in terms of size and power, there is simply a world of difference. However, Qin relied on its small place to develop into a powerful country with thousands of troops and chariots, attracting eight states to come and return, and making the princes of the six countries come to visit. It has a history of more than a hundred years. After that, the world was owned by Xiaoshan and Hangu Pass serve as one's inner palace; the country is destroyed when the garrison attacks, and the princes, princes, and grandsons all die at the hands of others and are ridiculed by the world. What is the reason? Without benevolence and righteousness, the offensive and defensive situations will be different.

"Shi Shuo"

Translation

People who studied in ancient times must have teachers. A teacher is a person who teaches principles, teaches academics, and solves difficult problems. People are not born knowing the truth, so who can be without doubts? If he has doubts but does not learn from the teacher, his doubts will never be solved. If a person born before me understands the truth before me, I will follow him and regard him as a teacher. If a person born after me understands the truth before me, I will also learn from him and regard him as a teacher. As a teacher, what I study is principles. Who cares whether he is older or younger than me? Therefore, no matter whether you are high-ranking or low-ranking, whether you are old or young, where the truth exists, there is a teacher.

Alas! The custom of learning from a teacher has not spread for a long time. It is difficult for people not to have doubts! The saints in ancient times were far ahead of ordinary people, and they still followed their teachers and asked for advice; the ordinary people of today, who are far behind the saints, are ashamed to learn from their teachers. Therefore, the sage becomes more sage and the fool becomes more ignorant.

The reason why saints become saints and the reasons why fools become fools are probably caused by this reason!

Everyone loves their children and choose teachers to educate them; but they themselves are ashamed of learning from teachers. This is really confusing! The child's teacher teaches them to read and learn the sentences in the book. He is not what I call a teacher who teaches people principles and explains their doubts. If they don’t understand the sentences, their doubts cannot be solved. Some people learn from the teacher, but some don’t ask the teacher for advice (meaning those who don’t know how to read the sentences should learn from their teachers, and those who can’t solve their doubts should not learn from their teachers). They learn small things but don’t learn big things. But they gave up. I couldn't see what was wise about them. Doctors, musicians and various craftsmen are not ashamed to learn from each other. Among the scholar-bureaucrats, if someone calls others a teacher and calls himself a student, these people will gather together to laugh at him. Ask those who mocked (the reason for mocking him), they said: "That person is similar in age to someone, and his accomplishments and studies are similar. (How can you call him a teacher?) It is enough to feel ashamed to have someone with a low status as a teacher. , calling someone with a high official position a teacher is close to flattery. You can know from this that the trend of learning from teachers cannot be restored. Doctors, musicians, and various craftsmen were disdainful of being associated with scholar-officials, but now the wisdom of the scholar-officials is not as good as theirs. Is it surprising?

A sage does not have a fixed teacher. Confucius once had Tan Zi, Chang Hong, Shi Xiang and Lao Dan as his teachers. People like Tan Zi were (of course) inferior to Confucius in moral ability. Confucius said: "If several people walk together, there must be my teacher among them." Therefore, students are not necessarily inferior to teachers, and teachers are not necessarily better than disciples. Hearing principles comes first, and each has its own focus on knowledge and skills. Direction, just like this.

Li Pan, seventeen years old, loves ancient Chinese literature. He has generally studied the scriptures and passages of the Six Classics. He is not limited by the world and learns from me. I commended him for following the ancient custom of learning from a teacher, and specially wrote this "Teacher's Statement" as a gift to him.