The Story of Xiaoshitan
Walk a hundred and twenty paces west from Xiaoqiu, across a bamboo field, hear the sound of water, like the sound of a pierced ring, and feel very happy. After cutting bamboo, we took the road and saw a small pool at the bottom. The water was particularly clear. The whole stone is used as the bottom, and when it is near the shore, it is rolled up from the bottom to form a dike, an islet, a ridge, and a rock. Green trees and green vines are covered with swaying nets and are scattered and scattered.
There are hundreds of fish in the pond, but they all seem to be swimming in the air and have nothing to rely on. The sun is shining brightly, and the shadows are spread on the rocks, but they don't move; they are far away, and they come and go. It seems to be enjoying itself with tourists.
Looking southwest of the pond, you can see the twists and turns of snakes, and you can see the light and death. Its shores are so different from each other that its origin cannot be known.
Sitting on the pool, surrounded by bamboo trees, it is so lonely and desolate, I feel desolate and desolate. Because the place was too clear to live in for a long time, I remembered it and left.
Travelers: Wu Wuling, Gong Gu, Yu Di Zongxuan. Those who followed were Cui's Erxiaosheng: "Forgive yourself" and "Fengyi".
Translation
Walk one hundred and twenty steps west from the hill, you can hear the sound of water through a bamboo forest, like jade pendants and jade rings clinking against each other. The sound made me very happy. So I cut the bamboo and opened a path. Walking down, you can see a small pool with particularly clear water. The entire bottom of the pool is a stone, close to the shore. Some parts of the bottom of the stone roll up out of the water, forming various shapes such as dikes, islets, ridges, and rocks. Green trees and green vines cover and wrap around, swaying and hanging low, uneven, and fluttering in the wind.
There are about a hundred fish swimming in the pond, all of them seem to be swimming in the air with nothing to rely on. The sun shines directly on the bottom of the pool, casting the shadow of the fish on the stone surface of the water, motionless; suddenly it swims away again. They come and go briskly and quickly, as if they are entertaining the tourists.
Looking toward the southwest along the pool, the stream is as winding as the Big Dipper, and as curved as a crawling snake. It can be seen clearly whether it is hidden or visible. The situation on the stream bank is as jagged as a canine tooth, and the source of the water cannot be seen.
I sat on ShiTan glanced bamboo trees, surrounded by silent no one else, I feel mind and desolate, bloom fragrantly, silent pole, deep gaultheria. Since this place was too deserted to stay for a long time, I wrote down the scene and left.
The people who traveled with me include Wu Wuling, Gong Gu, and my younger brother Zongxuan. Following us as our entourage were two young men named Cui, one named Shuji and the other named Fengyi.
Appreciation of "The Story of Little Rock Pond"
Liu Zongyuan's landscape travel notes are the most highly artistic and original part of his prose creation. Among his few landscape travel notes, "Little Rock Pond" can be said to be a very representative work.
"The Story of Xiaoshitan" is one of the "Eight Stories of Yongzhou". This prose vividly describes the beauty and tranquility of Xiaoshitan's environment and expresses the author's loneliness after being demoted and frustrated. The language is concise and vivid, the scenery is described delicately and realistically, and the whole article is full of poetry and painting, showing the author's outstanding writing skills. Therefore, it has become a famous prose piece that has been passed down through the ages.
This travel note can be divided into five paragraphs.
In the first paragraph, the author uses the technique of "changing scenery step by step" to guide us to appreciate various different scenery during the movement and transformation, which has a strong sense of dynamic picture.
"We walked a hundred and twenty steps west of the hill, across a bamboo field, and heard the sound of water, like a ring, and felt very happy." The beginning of the article guides us to walk a hundred and twenty steps to the west of the hill. Twenty steps. When we came to a bamboo forest, we could hear the sound of water flowing through the bamboo forest. "Huangzhu" refers to the bamboos that form a forest; "Ruming Peihuan" describes the clear and sweet sound of running water, just like the sound made when jade pendants and jade rings collide with each other. The article is composed of scenes and emotions, and is written very naturally. "Take a road to cut bamboo, and you will see a small pool at the bottom." In the dense bamboo forest, a trail was cut, and finally a small pool was seen. At this point, the entire face of Xiaoshitan is presented to us. This journey from the hill to the bamboos, from the bamboos to the sound of water, and then to the small pool through the sound of water not only tells the story of discovering the small pool, but is also full of intriguing suspense and the interest of exploration. Gradually a wonderful picture unfolds before people's eyes. From then on, the author focused on the careful description of the pool. "The water is particularly cool. The bottom is made of stone. Close to the shore, you can roll up the bottom of the stone to emerge. It is a dip, an islet, and a rock." The water in Xiaoshitan is particularly cool, and the entire small pool is made of stone.
The whole bottom of the pool is a big stone. Near the bank of the pool, the stone on the bottom of the water rolls up and emerges from the water. These stones come in all shapes and forms. "Di" refers to the high ground in the water; "yu" refers to the small island; "偁" refers to uneven rocks; "yan" refers to various forms of rocks. In short, this is a pool surrounded by stones of various shapes, so the author named it Xiaoshitan. "Green trees and green vines, swaying and swaying, scattered and scattered." This is the author's description of the scenery on the pool. There are green trees and green vines, which are intertwined to form a green network, dotted around the small pool, and the uneven branches sway in the wind. The description on this pool only contains 12 characters, and it shows us the extremely beautiful scenery around Xiaoshitan, making us more aware of the beauty of Xiaotan.
In the second paragraph, the author describes the pool and swimming fish. In this paragraph, the author uses a different technique from the first paragraph, changing from "moving and changing form" to "fixed-point close-up". This is an extremely exciting paragraph in the whole article. Especially the description of fish swimming in the water is even more lifelike. "There are hundreds of fish in the pond, and they all seem to be swimming in the sky with no support. The sun is shining brightly, and the shadows are spread on the rocks, but they don't move; they are far away, coming and going. They seem to be enjoying themselves with the tourists." This is a very beautiful picture. Beautiful picture. The fish swimming in the water don't seem to be in the water, but like they are swimming in the air. When the sun shines down, the shadow of the fish falls on the rocks at the bottom of the pool. Literally, the author is writing about fish, but through the literal meaning, we cannot help but be deeply impressed by the clear water. This writing method of swimming fish and pond water reflecting each other has achieved a very good artistic effect. Below, the author further describes the fish. At first, the fish remained motionless. Suddenly, some fish quickly scurried away, swimming here and there again, as if they were enjoying the happiness with the tourists. After reading this, we can't help but associate it with the author's joyful mood from the swimming fish. This writing method of moving from emotion to scene and from scene to emotion is a prominent feature of this prose.
The third paragraph is to explore the water source of Xiaoshitan and the scenery on the lake. "Looking to the southwest of the pond, you can see the twists and turns of snakes, and they can be seen bright and dark. The shape of its shores is different from each other, and its source is unknown." Looking to the southwest, a small stream is meandering, with a shape like the twists and turns of the Big Dipper, and also like a stream. The snake is swimming, some places are bright and some places are dark. The banks of the creek are high and low, uneven and interlocking. Here, the author very successfully uses metaphors, using the twists and turns of the Big Dipper and the crawling of snakes to describe the shape of the creek, and using the teeth of dogs to describe the two sides of the creek, making us feel more realistic.
The fourth paragraph describes the author’s impression and feelings about Xiaoshitan. "Sitting on the pool, surrounded by bamboo trees on all sides, it was so lonely and desolate that I feel desolate and desolate. It's too clear a place to stay here for a long time, so I just left it in mind." Sitting on a small stone pool, surrounded by dense trees. The dense bamboos and trees are very quiet, and there are no people in sight. It makes people look desolate, chill to the bones, and feel sad and desolate mentally. Because its situation was too secluded and unsuitable for people to stay for a long time, they left after writing the inscription. In this paragraph, the author prominently wrote the word "quiet", and penetrated the quietness of the environment into his mind. The scenes blended together, and he wrote a miserable and lonely state of mind. This is undoubtedly a tortuous reflection of the author's mood after being demoted.
The last paragraph, "The Story of Xiaoshitan" is an excellent landscape travelogue with exquisite language, rich meaning and vivid images. It shows the author's profound observation and unique experience of things, as well as the author's profound artistic skills. The meticulous techniques and clever, vivid metaphors used in the article to describe the scenery are worthy of our reference.
Original text
More than a hundred paces [1] west of Daozhou City, there is a small stream. It flows south for dozens of steps and joins Yingxi River [2]. When the water reaches (3) both sides of the bank, there are (4) strange rocks, inlaid with twists and turns, which are indescribable. The clear stream touches the stone, and the water hangs and stirs. Beautiful trees and different bamboos provide shade to each other [5]. If this stream is in the mountains and fields, it can be a place for wandering people and retired scholars. [6] But the state has come (9), and no one appreciates it; I wander on the stream, feeling sad for it (10)! The dirt was cut out to make a pavilion, and pine and osmanthus were planted, as well as herbs (11) to enhance the shape. Because the stream is on the right side of the state, it was named "Youxi" (12). The inscription on the stone indicates who is coming (13).
Notes
[1] Youxi: a small stream in the west of Tangdaozhou. The administrative seat of Daozhou is now Daoxian County, Hunan Province.
"You" refers to the east as the left and the west as the right in ancient times. This stream is in the west of the city, so the author named it "Youxi".
[2] Yingxi: Yingshui originates from Ningyuan, Hunan, flows northwest through Daoxian, reaches Lingling in the north and enters the Xiangshui River. It is a larger tributary of the upper reaches of the Xiangjiang River
[ 3] Arrival: hit and shoot, describing a stream full of water. The author of "Youxi Youxi Encourage Scholars": "It is especially suitable for spring water to be full, and the water and rocks are even more strange."
[4] Xijie: It means that it is on both sides.
[5]欹管(qīqiàn): The way stones are inserted into the stream bank at an angle; "欹" means "沔". Panqu: The way the strange rocks bend along the stream bank.
[6] Name: state their status.
[7]洴(huí): whirlpool. Hanging: describes the waves splashing when touching a rock. Ji: Describes the rapids contained by rocks and formed by rocks. Note: Describes the urgency of water, such as pouring.
[8] Chuiyin: Cast a shadow. To shade each other: to shelter and protect each other.
[9] Yimin retired scholars: refers to hermits who are not serving as officials and officials who have retired to seclusion.
[10] Human world: refers to secular society, mainly relative to seclusion, and refers to officials in the dynasty; Ji Kang's "Answers to Shan Juyuan's Book of Severance of Friendship": "And every time it is not Tang, Wu, but Bo Zhou, Kong , it will not stop in the human world, it will be revealed, and it will not be tolerated by the world's religion." The meaning is the same.
[11]City: urban town. Scenic Area: A beautiful environment. A copy of "Kewei" has the word "Ze" on it.
[12] Quiet person: refers to a benevolent person; "The Analects of Confucius·Yong Ye" records Confucius saying: "The wise person enjoys water, the benevolent person enjoys mountains. The wise person is active, and the benevolent person is quiet."
[13] Jizhou: It means that the Tang Dynasty established Daozhou. In the fourth year of Wude (612), Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, Nanying Prefecture was established. In the eighth year of Emperor Zhenguan (634), it was renamed Daozhou. In the first year of Xuanzong Tianbao (742), it was renamed Jianghua County. In the first year of Emperor Suzong's Qianyuan (758), it was renamed Daozhou. . 来来: Same as "since".
[14]: refers to "no one appreciates love". Xuanran: A look of melancholy and regret.
[15] Dredging: It refers to dredging waterways, digging out rocks, and removing weeds and trees.
[16] Bi (bì): in order to prepare. For: construction. Tingyu: pavilion house.
[17]Jianzhi: And planted here.
[18] PI: Supplement, add benefits. Shape wins: beautiful scenery.
[19] is: because.
[20]Fate: Naming.
[21] Inscription: Inscription refers to the inscription made by the author for Youxi. According to the author's "Yanghua Zhi Ming", "Wuru Shi Ming", "Wu Ru Shi Ming" and other similar works, most of them are mainly inscriptions, preceded by a small preface. Then this article should be the same as its example and should have an inscription, which belongs to the preface. However, the inscription has been lost, and later generations made a "note" to prepare the title.
[22] Manifest: publicize, announce. Comers: travelers who come later.
Translation
More than a hundred steps west of Daozhou City [1], there is a small stream. It flows dozens of steps southward and merges into Camp Creek (2). Both sides of the stream are full of strange rocks. They are tilted and stacked, twisting and turning, with strange postures that cannot be described in words (3). When the clear stream hits the rocks, it stirs up flying waves and migratory currents. There are also beautiful trees and rare green bamboos (4) on the shore, which shade each other (5). If this stream is in the open mountains, it is very suitable for hermits to visit and live (6); if it is in a crowded place (7), it can also become a tourist attraction for city residents and a garden for those who love tranquility to rest ( 8). However, since Daozhou City became the capital of the state (9), no one has come to appreciate it and love it. I wandered by the stream, and I felt sad for this (10)! So we carried out dredging and opening, cleared away the messy vegetation, built pavilions, planted pine trees, laurel trees, and planted lemongrass (11) to protect the slope bank, to enhance its beautiful scenery. Because the stream is on the right (i.e. west) of the state city, it is named "Youxi" (12). Now these words are carved on the stone to let future generations know (13).