Classics of Ancient Chinese - 100 Classic Sentences

Author: Wenxin Studio
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The Birth of Famous Quotes
Here are towering mountains and rugged hills, dense forests and tall bamboos; there are also clear, swift streams flowing and reflecting around, forming a winding stream for floating cups. People sit in a row beside it. Though there is no grand music, a cup of wine and a verse are enough to express our deep emotions.
— Wang Xizhi, "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" (Eastern Jin Dynasty)
Fully Understanding the Famous Quotes
1. (mào): Dense.
2. (xiū): Tall, long.
3. (tuān): Referring to water with strong current.
4. (yìng dài): Reflecting and encircling.
5. (shāng): Ancient drinking vessel.
6. (liè zuò): Sitting in a row.
7. (qí cì): Beside (the winding stream).
8. (yǒng): Composing poems.
Here are high and steep mountains and hills, dense forests and tall bamboos, as well as clear, swift streams reflecting and encircling around the pavilions. The water is led into a circular channel in the pavilion, where cups float for people to take. People sit in a row beside the winding stream. Though there is no grand music, drinking wine while composing poems is enough to express our deep emotions.
Background Knowledge of the Article
Wang Xizhi (321–379 or 303–361), styled Yishao, was also known as Danzhai. Originally from Langya Linyi (now part of Shandong), he later moved to Shanyin (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang) and served as the Right Military General and the Interior History of Kuaiji. He was renowned for his excellent calligraphy and is considered one of China's greatest calligraphers, revered as the "Sage of Calligraphy."
Wang Xizhi came from a family of calligraphers. His father, uncles, and cousins were all famous calligraphers of his time. His best works include the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection." The creation of the "Preface" was inspired by a custom from ancient times that continued into the Eastern Jin Dynasty. During the Eastern Jin period, on the third day of the third lunar month, people were required to visit riversides to ward off bad luck—a practice called "Xiuwei."
Living in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi naturally followed this custom. On the third day of the third lunar month in the ninth year of the Yonghe era, he gathered with famous scholars such as Xie An, Sun Chuo, and the young scions of the Xie and Wang families, totaling forty-one people, for a gathering at the Orchid Pavilion. They drank wine, composed poems, and expressed their hearts freely. Afterward, these impromptu poems were compiled into the "Orchid Pavilion Collection," and Wang Xizhi wrote the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" to express his sentiments. This is the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" that has been celebrated through the ages.
This preface not only records the beauty of the landscape around the Orchid Pavilion, the grandeur and joy of the gathering but also expresses Wang Xizhi's reflections on the fleeting nature of beauty and the impermanence of life. Although the preface contains parallel sentences, it does not feel rigid or stiff.
Literally meaning a preface, the term "preface" is also shortened to "preface" and is also called "foreword." It belongs to practical writing, similar to an epilogue, but is placed at the beginning of a book and called a "preface," while one attached at the end is called an "epilogue." The main purpose of a preface is to recommend and introduce someone's work or certain materials, explain the writing process, purpose, main content, or provide information related to the book to help readers better understand it. However, in terms of content and form, the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" is not just a typical book preface. It can be said to be a beautiful prose in the history of Chinese literature, with profound meaning and fresh, natural writing.
The Story Behind the Famous Quotes
In the past, Wang Xizhi and his friends gathered at the Orchid Pavilion with forty-two famous scholars