Category: Chinese Classics

If someone were to ask you whether or not you’d read Trimalchio in West Egg, your first instinct might be to say ‘no’, and your second might be to marvel at the curious range of titles given to cookery books nowadays. Sorry to say, you’re possibly wrong on both counts – you might well have readTrimalchio in West Egg without realizing it, since that was an early title for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

Dēng Guànquè Lóu
登鹳雀楼
Wáng Zhīhuàn (Táng)
王之涣（唐）
Báirì yī shān jìn,
白日依山尽，
Huáng Hé rù hǎi liú.
黄河入海流。
Yù qióng qiān lǐ mù,
欲穷千里目，
gèng shàng yì céng lóu.
更上一层楼。
诗词评析：
鹳雀楼，旧址在今山西省永济县西南，因时有鹳雀栖息在上面而得名，楼高三层，在上面可以俯瞰黄河。“穷”是“穷尽”的意思。
落日向着一望无际、连绵起伏的群山冉冉落下，流经楼下的黄河奔腾咆哮、滚滚流归大海。想要放眼千里，还要再上一层楼。
这首诗的前两句写的是登楼望见的景色，画面宽广，意境悠远。最后两句诗由景生意，升华了全诗的境界，既反映了诗人向上进取的精神和高瞻远瞩的胸襟，也道出了一个哲理：站得高才能看得远。Evaluation
The Stork Tower, situated formerly in the southwest of Yongji County of today's Shanxi Province, was so named because once there were storks inhabiting on it. On the top of the three-story-tower, one could have a bird's eye view of the Yellow River. "穷(qióng )" means "endless".
The sun sets down slowly along the endless undulating mountains. The surging Yellow River running past the tower flows seaward. Climb to a higher floor, and you will enjoy a grander view.
The first two sentences of the poem depict the view seen from the top of the tower, a wide picture leaving people with a far-reaching imagination. The last two sentences after the description is the climax of the poem. They reflect not only the enterprising spirit and farsighted viewpoint of the poet, but also uncover a philosophy that only by climbing up to a new height, one can see further.
Explanation
栖息(qī xī)： to inhabit, perch(v.)
俯瞰(fǔ kàn)： to overlook (v. )
一望无际(yī wàng wú jì)： endless (adj. )
连绵起伏(lián mián qǐ fú)： undulating, rolling(hills) (adj. )
眼界(yǎn jiè)： viewpoint, horizon (n. )
景色(jǐng sè)： landscape, scenery (n. )
反映(fǎn yìng)： to reflect (v. )
哲理(zhé lǐ)： philosophy (n. ) 

The Mojing 墨经 "Book of inkstones" is a small book on the production and use of inkstones written by the Song period 宋 (960-1279) scholar Chao Guanzhi 晁贯之, courtesy name Chao Jiyi 晁季一. It is only known that he once occupied a position as examining editor (jiantaoguan 检讨官), and that he was a relative to the Song period bibliographer Chao Gongwu 晁公武 (author of the Junzhai dushu zhi 郡斋读书志). He dedicated his whole life to the study of inkstones. His book Mojing deals with 20 topics, from the right kind of pine tree to the production of the stones.

The Lunheng 论衡 "Discussive Weighing" is a philosophical treatise written by the Later Han period 后汉 (25-220) scholar Wang Chong 王充. It took himself thirty years to complete his book. Of the originally 85 chapters one is lost (Zhaozhi 招致). Wang Chong screened a vast amount of ancient literature to obtain a fundus of statements of the supernatural, which he wanted to engage in a scientific dispute. Wang Chong is highly esteemed both in China and in the West as one of the first philosophers who critically analysed histories and stories to eliminate superstitious elements. Especially two beliefs were attacked by Wang Chong, firstly the belief that human deeds were somehow redeemed by Heaven as a moral instance (ganying 感应), and secondly, the belief in magic and omina.

Exemplarious translation:
1. 上古天真论The universal truth
黄帝乃问于太师歧伯：「余闻上古之人，春秋皆度百岁，而动作不衰。今时之人，年半百而动作皆衰者，时世异耶？人将失之耶？」歧伯对曰：「今时之人不然也，以酒为浆，以妄为常，醉以入房，以欲竭其精，以耗散其真， 不知持满，不时御神，务决其心，逆于生乐，起居无节，故半百而衰也。」During his reign, the Yellow Emperor discoursed on medicine, health, lifestyle, nutrition, and Taoist cosmology with his ministers Qi Bo, Lei Gong, and others. Their first discussion began with the Yellow Emperor inquiring, "I have heard that in the days of old everyone lived one hundred years without showing the usual signs of aging. In our time, however, people age prematurely, living only fifty years. Is this due to a change in the environment, or is it because people have lost the correct way of life?" Qi Bo replied, "… These days, people have changed their way of life. They drink wine as though it were water, indulge excessively in destructive activities, drain their jing (the body's essence that is stored in the kidneys) and deplete their qi (energy). They do not know the secret of conserving their energy and vitality. Seeking emotional excitement and momentary pleasures, people disregard the natural rhythm and order of the universe. They fail to regulate their lifestyle and diet, and sleep improperly. So it is not surprising that they look old at fifty and die soon after…"