Su Shi's "The Story of Stone Bell Mountain"

The Story of Shizhong Mountain

"Shui Jing" says: "There is Shizhong Mountain at the mouth of Pengli." Li Yuan thought that he was facing a deep pool, the breeze was blowing, the water and rocks were fighting each other, and the sound was like a loud bell. This is true, but people often doubt it. Now if a bell and chime are placed in the water, it will not make any sound despite the strong wind and waves, but it will be worse than a stone! In the Tang Dynasty, Li Bo began to visit his remains. He found two stones on the pool, clasped them and listened to them. The sound from the south was like Hu, and the sound from the north was clear and clear. I think I got it. However, I doubt it. The sound of a stone is everywhere, but this one is only named a bell. Why?

Ding Chou in the sixth month of the seventh year of Yuanfeng, Yu Ziqi'an came to you on a boat trip, and the eldest son Maijiang went to Raozhi Dexingwei and sent him to Hukou, because he could watch the so-called stone bell. The monk asked the boy to hold an ax and pick one or two of them among the rocks to buckle them. Yu Gu laughed and didn't believe it. At the end of the night, when the moon was bright, I took a small boat with Mai alone to the bottom of the cliff. The boulders stand thousands of feet sideways, like ferocious beasts and strange ghosts, eager to attack people; while the falcons sitting on the mountain will startle when hearing the sound of people, and they will roar in the sky; there is also an old man coughing and laughing in the valley, which may be called this stork. also. Yu Fang's heart was eager to return the favor, and he made loud noises on the water, like bells and drums. The boat people were terrified. If you look at it slowly, you will find that there are stone caves at the bottom of the mountain. I don't know how shallow or deep they are. Microwaves enter them, and they are light and surging. This is why. The boat returned between the two mountains and was about to enter the port. There was a large rock in the middle of the stream, which could seat a hundred people. There were many orifices in the air, which were in harmony with the Feng Shui. There was the sound of boring and boring mandarins, corresponding to those who were facing it, and it was like a piece of music. . Because of his laughter, he said to Mai, "You know what you know? Those who are squeaking are like King Jing of Zhou Dynasty who has no shot; those who are boring and boring mandarins are like the song of Wei Zhuangzi. The people of ancient times are not deceived!"

Is it okay to make assumptions about whether things exist without seeing them with eyes and ears? What Li Yuan saw and heard is almost the same as that of Yu, so it is unknown. The scholar-bureaucrats were unwilling to use their boats to anchor under the cliff at night, so they could not know. Although the fishermen and navy knew it, they could not tell it. This is why it is not passed down in this world. But those who are ignorant seek it by testing the impact with axes and pounds, thinking that they have achieved it. After I remembered it, Gai sighed at Li Yuan's simplicity and laughed at Li Bo's ugliness.

Notes

1. Selected from "The Complete Works of Su Dongpo".

2. Pengli: Another name for Poyang Lake. 3. Li Yuan: Li Daoyuan, a native of the Northern Wei Dynasty, a geographer and the author of "Shui Jing Zhu".

4. Drum: vibration.

5. Fight: hit, shoot.

6. Hong Zhong: Big bell.

7. It means: this statement.

8. Qing (qìng): An ancient percussion instrument, shaped like a ruler and made of jade or stone.

9. Li Bo: A native of Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty, he wrote an article "Discrimination of Stones and Zhongshan".

10. Traces: old site, old traces. This refers to the location.

11. Nan Sheng Han Hu: The sound from the south (that rock) is thick and vague. The letter to Hu is ambiguous.

12. Beiyin Qingyue: The sound from the north (the rock) is clear and loud. Yue, high.

13. 桴(fú)stops the sound: the drumstick stops (beating), but the sound is still spreading. Teng, spread.

14. The lingering sound slowly fades away: the lingering sound slowly disappears. Xu, slow.

15. Get it: Found this (reason). It refers to the reason why Shizhong Mountain was named.

16. Especially: more.

17. Keng (kēng) Ran: describes the loud sound made by striking gold and stone.

18. It is the same everywhere: It is like this everywhere. Yes, that's it.

19. Yuanfeng: The reign name of Song Shenzong.

20. June Ding Chou: the ninth day of the sixth lunar month. 21. Qi'an: In Huangzhou, Hubei Province now.

22. Come to you: Come to you. Suitable, go. Linru, that is, Ruzhou (today's Linru, Henan Province)

23. Go: This means going to take office or taking office.

24. Raozhi Dexingwei: The county lieutenant (an official in charge of public security in a county) of Dexing County, Raozhou (now Dexing, Jiangxi Province).

25. Hukou: Now Hukou, Jiangxi.

26. 硿硿 (kōng) Yan: 翡硿 (makes a sound).

27. Mo (mù) night: night. Mo, Tongmu.

28. Falcon (hú): an eagle nesting in its nest. Falcon, a type of eagle.

29. Zhé (zhé): the sound of birdsong.

30. Stork and Crane: The name of a water bird. It looks like a crane but has a less red crown. Its neck and beak are longer than that of a crane.

31. Heartbeat: This means frightened.

32. Chēng 吰 (hóng): This describes the loud sound of the bell.

33. Boatman: Boatman.

34. Xià: Crack.

35. Han is light and surging: the waves are surging.

36. For this reason: to form. This refers to the sound of squeaking.

37. Midstream: the center of the flow.

38. In the air: The middle is empty.

39. Aperture: hole. 40. 窾 (kuǎn) 啰 (kǎn) 镰 (tāng)鞳 (tà): 窾偾, the sound of hitting something. Boring mandarins, the sound of bells and drums.

41. Xiang: previously.

42. You know it: Do you remember those (allusions)? Know, remember. (The annotations in the book are incorrect. There is an ancient Chinese dictionary as evidence)

43. King Zhou Jingzhi Wushe (yì): "Guoyu" records that in the 23rd year of King Zhou Jing (522 BC) Cast into a "no shot" bell.

44. Wei Zhuangzi’s Singing Bell: "Zuo Zhuan" records that in the eleventh year of Lu Xianggong (561 BC), the Zheng people dedicated a singing bell and other musical instruments to the Marquis of Jin, and the Marquis of Jin gave half of it to Jin Doctor Wei Jiang. Zhuangzi, Wei Jiang’s posthumous name. Singing bell, ancient musical instrument.

45. The ancient people did not deceive me: The ancient people (called this mountain "Shizhong Mountain") did not deceive me! Not bullying others means "not bullying others".

46. Almost: Probably.

47. End: eventually.

48. Fisherman: Fisherman (and) boatman.

49. Words: refers to expressing and recording in words.

50. The reason why it is not passed down in this world: This (is) the reason why it has not been passed down in this world (the origin of the name of Shizhong Mountain).

51. Humble person: A humble person.

52. Use the ax to hit the stone to find out: Use the ax to hit the stone to find the reason (the reason why Shizhong Mountain got its name).

53. Reality: refers to the truth of the matter.

Translation

"Shui Jing" said: "There is Shizhong Mountain at the mouth of Poyang Lake." Li Daoyuan believed that near the deep pool below, the breeze vibrated the waves, and the water and stones collided with each other. , the sound is like a big bell. This statement is often doubted. If the chime is placed in the water now, even strong winds and waves cannot make it make any sound, let alone a stone! It was not until Li Bo in the Tang Dynasty that he went to explore its location. He found two rocks beside a deep pool. He knocked them and listened to their sounds. The sounds from the south were thick and fuzzy, while the sounds from the north were crisp and loud. The drumsticks stopped beating. The sound is still spreading, and the lingering sound slowly disappears. He himself thought he had found the reason why Shizhongshan was named. But I am more skeptical about this statement. There are rocks everywhere that can make sonorous sounds, but this mountain is the only one named after a bell. Why?

On the ninth day of the sixth lunar month in the seventh year of Yuanfeng, I took a boat from Qi'an to Linru. My eldest son Su Mai was about to take office as the county captain of Dexing County in Raozhou. I sent him to Hukou and took advantage of the opportunity. This enables you to observe the so-called "stone clock". The monk in the temple asked the boy to take an ax and hit one or two places among the rocks to make a ringing sound. I just laughed and didn't believe it. At night, the moonlight was bright, and Su Mai and I took a boat and came to the bottom of the cliff. Huge rocks stood erected, thousands of feet high, like ferocious beasts and strange ghosts, gloomily trying to pounce on people; the eagles nesting on the mountains were frightened by the sound of people and flew up, making a chirping sound high in the sky. There are sounds of birds chirping; there is also a sound like an old man coughing and laughing in the valley. Some people say it is a stork. I was frightened and wanted to go back, when suddenly a huge sound came from the water, the sound was loud and continuous like the sound of bells and drums. The boatman was frightened. I slowly observed that at the foot of the mountain there were large and small caves and cracks in the rocks. I didn’t know their depth. Subtle water waves poured into the caves and cracks, and the waves stirred up to form this sound. The boat went around between two mountains and was about to enter the mouth of a tributary. There was a big stone blocking the center of the water flow. There could be about a hundred people sitting on it. The middle was empty and there were many holes, which swallowed up the wind and waves and spit them out, making a roar. The sound of Kan Boring Mandarin echoes the previous noise, like music playing.

So I smiled and said to Su Mai: "Do you know those allusions? The clanking sound is the sound of King Zhou Jing's Wushe bell, and the sound of the boring mandarin is the sound of Wei Zhuangzi's singing bell. The ancients did not deceive. Me! ”

Is it okay to infer the presence or absence of everything based on subjective guesses without seeing it with your own eyes and hearing it with your own ears? What Li Daoyuan saw and heard was probably the same as mine, but he did not describe it in detail; after all, the scholar-bureaucrats were unwilling to use small boats to anchor under the cliffs at night, so they cannot know; but the fishermen and boatmen, although I know it but cannot express or record it in words. This is the reason why Shizhong Mountain got its name has not been handed down in the world. But the simple people even used an ax to hit the stone to find the reason why Shizhong Mountain got its name, thinking that they got the truth of the matter. Therefore, I wrote down the above story, lamenting Li Daoyuan's simplicity and laughing at Li Bo's shallowness.

Appreciation

"Shizhong Mountain Notes" is an investigative travel note. It was written in the summer of the seventh year of Yuanfeng (1084), the seventh year of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, when Su Shi was sending his eldest son Su Mai on his way to Ruzhou. By narrating the author's exploration of the origin of Shizhong Mountain's name, the article explains that in order to understand the truth of things, one must "see and hear" and avoid subjective assumptions.

This article uses the origin of Shizhongshan’s name as a clue, consisting of one to three paragraphs.

The first paragraph puts forward two theories about the origin of Shizhong Mountain’s name, as well as doubts about these two theories. Can be divided into three layers. The first level quotes the words from "Shui Jing Zhu" to explain the location of Shizhong Mountain. Following the title, it points out Shizhong Mountain and triggers the following. On the second level, Li Daoyuan, a man from the Six Dynasties, put forward the theory of how Shi Zhongshan got its name, pointing out people's skepticism about this statement. He questioned Li Daoyuan's theory by using the fact that the bell cannot make a sound when placed in the water, and explained the theory of "water and stone fighting against each other". Hard to win people's trust. It is precisely because Li said "people often doubt it" that it aroused the objections of later generations. This is how Li Daoyuan's statement was derived from the statement of Li Bo of the Tang Dynasty. On the third level, Li Bo’s statement was raised and questioned. Li Bo was also among the "people" who were "often suspected", so he launched an action to "find his whereabouts". There is no doubt that he personally "visited" the remains, personally "buttoned" the stones, and personally "listened" to his voices. The author expresses his doubts about Li Bo and refutes Li Bo's theory by saying that there are rocks everywhere and the rocks can make sounds by clasping them, indicating that it is unbelievable that the stones can make sounds.

These two statements seem to be equivalent, but in fact they are preceded and followed. There are also differences in the formulation of doubts about the two theories: "People often doubt it" explains people's doubts about Li's theory. Whether the "person" here includes the author is not stated clearly. This is an objective narrative. The author He did not rashly judge whether what Li said was right or wrong; he used "Yu You doubt it" to emphasize his denial of Li Shuo. The word "Yu" here clearly expresses the author's attitude towards Li Shuo. He said to Li, "People often doubt it" and to Li, "I especially doubt it." These two doubts led to the author's visit to Shizhongshan, which provided the basis for the "smiling but not believing" in the second paragraph, the night tour of Shizhongshan, and the final scene. "Sigh" and "laugh", "simple" and "crude" are the foreshadowing.

The second paragraph describes the on-the-spot investigation of Shizhong Mountain and the process of discovering the origin of its name. Can be divided into three layers. The first layer ("In the seventh year of Yuanfeng...those who can watch the so-called Stone Bell") points out the time, companions and reasons for visiting Stone Bell Mountain.

Because there were "doubts" about the origin of Shizhongshan's name, the author took the opportunity to inspect Shizhongshan while he was in Linru and sent his eldest son Su Mai to Dexing in Raozhou, which was a good opportunity to clear up the doubts. This layer follows closely from the above. The second level ("The monk made the boy hold an ax...Yu Gu laughed and didn't believe it"), written about visiting the monk. The monks "made the boy hold an ax" to press the stone and make a sound, which shows that they believe Li Bo's statement and also shows that Li Bo's statement has great influence. This paragraph responds to Li's words, "Choose one or two and buckle them", "I don't believe it because of laughter", which respectively corresponds to the first paragraph's "Buckle and listen to it", "I am particularly suspicious of it". Since the monk's approach was unsatisfactory, the author decided to investigate on a moonlit night. The third layer ("Until the moon shines brightly every night... the ancients will not deceive anyone"), writes about the process of inspecting Shizhong Mountain on a moonlit night. First, he explained that the time for visiting Shizhong Mountain was "moonlight", the eldest son Su Mai was traveling with him, the method was "by boat", and the location was "under the cliff". Then write about the scene under the cliff: what you see is a large stone that "stands thousands of feet sideways, like a beast and a strange ghost, and is so fierce that it is ready to attack people"; what you hear is the "Zhong Zhong" scream of the falcon "in the sky", and "In the valley" the stork screamed like an old man coughing and laughing.

It depicts an eerie night scene of Shizhong Mountain, which is far and near, high and low, moving and still, tangible and sound, and is very lifelike, making people feel as if they are actually there. This description vigorously exaggerates the eerie environment and atmosphere, highlighting the difficulty of visiting in person, and foreshadows the following criticism: "Scholar-officials were never willing to park their boats under the cliff at night." Instead, when the author was "feeling about to return", he suddenly "made a loud noise on the water, and the noise was like bells and drums", which "terrified the people in the boat", but the author was attracted. He "explored it slowly" and found that "there are stone caves under the mountain. I don't know how shallow or deep they are. Microwaves penetrate into them, and they are light and surging. That's why." He found out the cause of the "crack" sound. But things didn't end there, there were waves again. When the author was "returning to the two mountains in the boat", he discovered that there was "a flow among the big rocks at the entrance... There were many holes in the air, and they mixed with the sound of the wind, and there was the sound of boring and boring mandarins." It should be noted that "hui" here does not mean "return", but "turn around". "The boat returned between two mountains" does not mean that the boat returned to the middle of the two mountains, but that the boat turned around and sailed between the two mountains. If it is interpreted as the former, it will make people confused. Why didn't they find "flowing among the big rocks" when they went there? In addition, the original meaning of "Hui" is "rotation" and "whirlwind", and the common meaning in ancient Chinese is " "Turn around"; modern Chinese means "come back", while ancient Chinese generally used "hui" instead of "hui". The author's investigation of the two sounds is extremely detailed and in-depth, confirming Li's statement in the first paragraph: "Microwaves come in" and "In harmony with Feng Shui", which respectively correspond to "breeze and drumming waves"; "Under the mountain are all stone caves... "The water is light and surging because of this" and "The flow among the big rocks...there are many holes in the air" respectively correspond to "the water and rocks stimulate each other"; "the noise is like bells and drums incessantly" and "the sound of boring and boring mandarins" respectively correspond to "The sound is like a loud bell." This not only confirms Li's theory, but also supplements the "Jian" in detail, paving the way for the last paragraph to sigh about the "Jian" Li said. Finally, the author talks to Su Mai. The "laugh" in "because of laughter, we say that we are mai" is different from the "laugh" in "laughing but not believing". The former is a smile that expresses doubt and denial, but here is a relaxed and happy smile after the doubts are cleared, showing the author's pride and excitement after finding out the truth. In the conversation, the author connected the two sounds with "Zhou Jingwang's Wu She" and "Wei Zhuangzi's Song Zhong", affirmed his own investigation results, and pointed out the reason why Zhong Mingshan was named. He also affirmed Li Daoyuan's statement that "the ancients will not be deceived", and the author's conviction and joy were vividly displayed in his words. In this paragraph, the author confirms and supplements Li Daoyuan's statement with his own eyes and ears, further refutes Li Bo's statement, and provides factual basis for the discussion in the last paragraph.

In the third paragraph, write your thoughts on discovering the origin of Shi Zhongshan’s name and express your writing intention. Can be divided into three layers. The first level is, "Is it okay to make assumptions about the existence of things without seeing and hearing them?" This sentence has a strong tone and expresses a fully affirmative meaning in the form of a rhetorical question. It points out the main purpose of the whole article and is the author's exploration of the stone bell. The conclusion drawn and the principles summarized after the mountain got its name are the author's experience. The second level analyzes the reason why the world cannot accurately know the origin of Shizhong Mountain’s name, from two aspects. On the one hand, there are three reasons why the correct statement cannot be spread: First, "What Li Yuan saw and heard is almost the same as that of Yu, and it is unknown." It means that Li Daoyuan's statement is correct, but it is a pity that "it is unknown." ", resulting in "people often doubting it" and not being recognized by people; secondly, the scholar-bureaucrats did not conduct on-the-spot inspections and "will not use their boats to anchor under the cliff at night, so they cannot know"; thirdly, "fishermen and navymen" Even though I know it, I can’t say it.” "Can't speak" means that you can't write, not that you can't speak. Li's theory is lost because of the unknown. The scholar-bureaucrats could write about it but "no one knew it", and the "fisherman and navy" knew about it but could not write about it. This is why the origin of Shizhongshan's name has not been handed down in the world. Then use the word "er" to turn to another aspect: "The ugly people use axes and pounds to test and strike, and they think they have the truth." This means that the "humble people" like Li Bo make subjective assumptions and "think they have the truth." , this is the reason why Li Bo’s erroneous statement and subsequent generations spread rumors. The third layer inherits the two aspects mentioned above and points out the purpose of writing this travel note. "Sighing on Li Yuan's simplicity" affirms Li Daoyuan's point of view, but laments that it is too simple. "Laughing at Li Bo's humbleness" means denying Li Bo's views and ridiculing his shallowness. This shows that the purpose of writing this article is to spread his own opinions, confirm and supplement Li Daoyuan's views, and correct Li Bo's views.