Wang Anshi's Translation of Classical Chinese

[Song] Wang Anshi

original text

In Wuli, Chu Shi, some people are good at telling the fate of the nobles and the poor, or inviting them and giving them a speech. He repeated his invitation day after day and said to him, "The husband is expensive, and the heaven is also good. I did what I had to do. I can know what I have done; What is heaven doing? Am I lonely? My saint? Can you be a secretary? Then there is something inherent in Wanzhong. Unfortunately, if you are poor and cheap, it's time. I am not virtuous? Can't you be a public official? There is nothing to apologize for eating bean soup. If you are lucky enough to be rich, you will be accused. I know this. There is no doubt that which one is better than the other? And fortune, the gentleman put it outside. A gentleman must be benevolent when he lives, righteous when he acts, and blessed when he opposes benevolence and righteousness. A gentleman does not have it. A gentleman disdains the evil of benevolence and righteousness. Therefore, King Wen was imprisoned, Confucius was afraid of Kuang, and the wisdom of saints was also doomed. The existence of the road is embarrassing. "

Confucius said, "Those who think they are cheap do it in heaven, while those who are cheap in the world do it in heaven." He said, "No, man can't be integrated with heaven. Being born in heaven enables saints to rule saints, so saints should be expensive, saints should be cheap, and heaven is also. People who choose to do things are called people. Heaven and man are one, the sage is expensive, and no one is cheap. If the way between heaven and man is contrary, the sage is cheap and unworthy. If the way between heaven and man is contrary, the sage will be corrupt or expensive or cheap. In the Yao and Shun era, Yuan Kai used it with the Four Fierces, which was the unity of heaven and man. In an unruly world, Fei Lian then retired from Sanren, which is a contradiction between heaven and man. From the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it was a contradiction between the way of heaven and man. God forbid, people can't be together. Therefore, in order to fulfill life, a gentleman takes keeping the Tao as his own responsibility and cultivates himself. When it comes to fortune, he cannot be depressed. The son is not good at benevolence and trust, and the crumbs refuse to talk about it, not to drown it! "

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Wu has a fortune teller who knows people's fate. I was asked to ask him this kind of question, but I refused. Later, someone asked me the same question, and I replied, "The nobility or inferiority of identity is something God does. Being talented and not being talented are all I can do. I can only know what I can do; Am I the only one who doesn't know what God has done? Am I virtuous? Do I have enough moral character to be a government official? If so, then you should enjoy ten thousand minutes' salary. If you are unfortunately poor and humble, it is luck. Am I not talented enough? Is my virtue not enough to be listed as a public official? If so, there will be a lot of benefits to enjoy. If you are lucky enough to be rich and honorable, it is a sin. These are undoubtedly what I can know. How can they be the same as other things? Besides, fortune and misfortune are things that gentlemen ignore. A gentleman should be benevolent at ordinary times and do things with justice. If it violates benevolence and righteousness, it will be rewarded, but the gentleman does not possess it. A gentleman doesn't worry about doing righteous things. So Zhou Wenwang was once jailed, and Confucius was once trapped in Kuang Di (but they all got out of trouble in the end). Can't the wisdom of saints get them out of trouble? This is probably because the avenue is working. "

The man asked, "Do you think the nobility or inferiority of status is something God does?". However, are those who are virtuous but humble, and those who are incompetent but noble, also arranged by God? " I replied, "No, it's just that what people do can't be consistent with what God arranged." It is God's arrangement that people like us are sent down to let talented people govern those who have no virtue. Therefore, talented people should have a noble position, and people without virtue should have a humble position. This is heaven. Choosing action is the so-called "humanity" (that is, doing your best). If "heaven" is consistent with "man", then there will be a situation in which the virtuous person has a lofty position and the immoral person has a humble position; If "heaven" deviates from "man", then there will be a situation in which people with virtue are humble and those without virtue are lofty; If "heaven" and "humanity" deviate from each other and are half-identical, then there will be a situation in which good and evil are divided or which is lighter. In the Yao-Shun era, Yuan Kai was reused and four murderers were killed, which was in line with "Heaven" and "Humanity". In the era of rebellion, Fei Lian was hired and Sanren was demoted, which was a departure from "Heaven" and "Man". Since the Han and Wei Dynasties, the status of sages and villains has been noble or humble, and the deviation and agreement between "heaven" and "man" has accounted for half. The fate arranged by God is certain and unchangeable, and people's fortune may not be completely consistent with it. Therefore, a gentleman cultivates himself to meet his destiny, and insists on "Heaven" to meet his destiny. The arrival of wealth and misfortune cannot be stopped by manpower. You are not committed to cultivating righteousness, but busy and willing to be so absurd. Is it too limited? "

2. The full-text translation of The History of Song Dynasty. Biography of Wang Anshi: Wang Anshi was born in Linchuan, Fuzhou. His father Wang Yi is a foreign official in the capital. Wang Anshi loved reading when he was a teenager, and once he wrote an article, he never forgot it. At first glance, he seems to be careless. After he finished writing, everyone he met praised his article as wonderful. His friend Ceng Gong brought his article to Ouyang Xiu. Ranked as the first class, he was appointed as the judge of Huainan. The previous system stipulated that after his term of office expired, he was allowed to submit articles asking for a review of cabinet positions, but Wang Anshi did not do so. Later, he was transferred to the magistrate of Yinxian County, built a dike to dredge the pond to facilitate land and water transportation, lent the official valley to the people, and the people paid some interest after the autumn, so that Chen Gu in the official warehouse could exchange food. People in Yinxian also find it convenient. Wen Yanbo was once again appointed as the prime minister, and recommended Wang Anshi to the emperor, saying that he was weaker than fame and fortune and asked for a leapfrog promotion in order to stop the struggle for fame and fortune. Soon, the court asked him to take the exam, but he refused to take it. Ouyang Xiu recommended him as an admonition officer. He told the court that Wang Anshi needed a salary to support his family because his grandmother was old. Therefore, he was appointed as a herdsman. He asked to be the magistrate of Changzhou. He was transferred to Jiangdong Criminal Prison and served as a judge in Beijing. At that time, it was three years of Injong Jiayou. Wang Anshi's argument is profound and novel, and he is good at refuting difficulties and quoting classics in debates and defending his theory. He dared to act according to his own opinions, and with great enthusiasm, he set up his ambition to transform the world and change traditional customs. So he told Injong a thousand words, thinking: "Nowadays, financial resources in the world are getting harder and harder." Customs are declining, and the crux lies in ignorance of the law and non-compliance with the decrees of the former king. Following the decrees of the former king means following the spirit of the decrees of the former king. As long as we follow the spirit of the laws of the former king, the changes and changes we have implemented will neither disturb the world's audio-visual nor cause the world's noise, but will certainly conform to the laws of the former king. We rely on the world's human and material resources to produce the world's wealth. Collecting the wealth of the world to supply the expenses of the world has never caused the worry of the country because it is not rich since ancient times. The worry is that the management of finance does not conform to its laws. Since there is a shortage of official talents, available talents in urban and rural areas, the country's trust, and territorial maintenance, can your majesty rely on natural fortune as an unchangeable rule for a long time, regardless of suffering? I hope your majesty can observe the disadvantages of North Korea's procrastination and write a letter to the minister, so that he can gradually get rid of these disadvantages in order to adapt to the changes in today's world. What I said was not said by people addicted to decadent customs, but by people who said that national affairs were unreasonable. "Later when Wang Anshi was in power, most of his policies and measures were based on this universal book. Soon Wang Anshi was appointed as a straight-line gathering place. Prior to this, Wang Anshi was appointed as a scholar. Scholar-officials thought he didn't intend to be famous for his career, and they all hated themselves for not knowing him. The imperial court repeatedly intended to appoint him as an American official with fame and fortune, but was afraid that he would not take office. The next year, he was appointed as a fellow initiate, and he refused for many days.