Translation of Manjing Travel Notes

Translation of "Manjing Travel Notes"

The climate in Beijing is cold. After the Flower Festival, the winter cold has not faded away. Cold winds often blow, and when the cold wind blows, it will raise all the clouds. The sky is dusty. (I) had to hide in the house and couldn't get out even if I wanted to go for a walk. Every time I go out in a car against the wind, I always turn back within a hundred steps.

On February 22nd, it was a little warmer. A few friends and I went out of Dongzhimen and arrived at Manjing. Rows of tall willow trees stood on both sides of the embankment. The fertile land was somewhat moist. Looking around is a vast landscape, (feeling) like a swan flying out of the cage (very relaxed). At this time, the ice on the river began to melt, and the water waves suddenly shone brightly, with layers of ripples like fish scales. The water was extremely clear, and you could see the bottom of the river. It was shiny, as if a mirror had just been opened, and cold light suddenly shone from the box. It's like flashing out. After the mountains have been washed by the melted snow, they are so beautiful, smooth and clean, showing a charming grace, as if a beautiful girl has just washed her face and combed her bun. The willow branches are about to stretch but have not yet stretched. The tender tips spread out in the wind, and the surface seedlings are unearthed, about an inch high. There are not many tourists yet, but you can often see people making tea with spring water, singing songs with wine, and people wearing colorful clothes and riding donkeys. Although the wind was still strong, I was sweating profusely while walking. The birds basking in the sun on the beach and the fish floating on the surface to absorb water all have a leisurely attitude, and their feathers and scaly fins are full of joy. (I) just now know that there is no spring outside in the countryside, but people living in the city don't know that.

The only official position is "professor", which allows you to wander leisurely among mountains, rocks and trees without delaying business due to sightseeing. And Manjing happens to be close to my residence. My travels will start from this place. How could there be no recorded articles! In February of Yihai year.

Appreciation

This article was written in the twenty-seventh year of Wanli (1599). Manjing is an ancient well located three miles east of Andingmen in Beijing. The well is filled with springs that flow continuously in winter and summer. The vines and grass beside the well cover the clear water of the canal, and the scattered pavilions and terraces create a beautiful scenery. It was a good place to explore the suburbs of Beijing at that time.

The beginning points out the time and place. Yandi refers to present-day Beijing and the northern part of Hebei Province, and belonged to the Yan Kingdom in ancient times. According to the old custom, the 15th day of the second lunar month (some say it is the twelfth day of the second lunar month or the second day of the second lunar month) is the birthday of hundreds of flowers, which is called the Flower Festival. On this day, people go out into the wild to enjoy the spring scenery. However, this year the Flower Festival has passed, there is no news about the flowers, and the lingering cold is still severe. It can be seen that the weather in the north is cold and spring is late.

The next few sentences follow the above text "The remaining cold is still severe" and emphasize the severity of the wind and sand. The wind is a "freezing wind" that feels like freezing ice; it blows frequently. When the wind blows, the sand and gravel fly up, making it impossible to go out. As soon as you go out, walk quickly in the wind, and you won't be able to stop yourself from turning back within a hundred steps. This is about the contradiction between the desire to travel and the inability to travel. The author is a person who loves to travel and enjoy activities. Now that the Flower Festival has passed, and I don’t know what the flowers are like, I can’t hold back my desire to go out in spring. However, I am blocked by the cold wind and gravel, and I have to "be cramped for a while" "Indoor", one can imagine his frustration and depression.

Below, the author describes the harmonious spring scenery he saw when he and his friends visited Manjing on the 22nd. "On the 22nd, the weather will be a little peaceful", a few sentences describe the weather and mood. The word "harmony" not only describes the warmth of the weather, but also reveals the thaw of the author's mood, so he immediately went out to Dongzhimen with several friends to Manjing. "Tall willows line the embankment, and the soil is slightly moist." This is what you see when you go out to the suburbs; a person who is "confined indoors and can't get out" suddenly comes to the wild, sees the tall willows on both sides of the embankment, and smells the aroma of moist soil. I can't help but feel the joy of spring in my heart. He looked around at the countryside and saw a vast expanse of space. He was as happy as a bird escaping from its cage, flying towards the vast spring wilderness. "If a swan escapes from its cage", the swan is a swan. This is a description of the joy of being freed from a cramped and trapped situation.

"The ice skin begins to unravel" describes the beauty of spring water. "The ice skin is melting, and the waves are shining brightly", using a dual sentence pattern, points out that the remaining cold has receded, the thin ice has begun to disappear, and the spring water has begun to show a clear color. The words "Shi" and "Zha" are very appropriate to express the scene of early spring. "The waves are layered upon layers, so clear that you can see the bottom. The crystals are like a newly opened mirror and the cold light suddenly emerges from the box." It means that the breeze blows across the water, causing ripples like fish scales. The clear water sparkles, as if just in the morning. Open the mirror box and it will reflect the clear light of a mirror. The "new opening" and "zhachu" of "mirror's new opening" and "cold light suddenly emerge" are the same as the "beginning of solution" and "zha Ming" of "ice begins to dissolve, and ripples of color become bright". One is to describe a day. The starting point, first, describes the starting point of a year. They echo each other, share the same motive, and have a sense of season, which shows the author's meticulous observation and craftsmanship in characterization. In addition, using a newly opened mirror to describe the bright spring water also looks beautiful and smooth; at the same time, it can also remind people of the beauty wearing morning makeup in the mirror, thus having two connotations related to the outside and the inside.

The lines "The mountains are washed by clear snow" describe the beauty of spring mountains. The snow on the mountains was melted by the sunny sun, and the green mountain color seemed to have been washed and looked particularly fresh and bright, as if a beauty who had just washed her face was combing her bun. The word "Shi" in "Shilu" indicates that the beauty has just put on her morning makeup. This metaphor is similar to the metaphor of the spring water in the open mirror above. Although they refer to mountains and water respectively, they are connected. The mirror brings out the beauty dressing in the mirror. This integrates the spring mountains and spring water into one, giving people a sense of mutual growth. Harmonious beauty.

After writing about water and mountains, I switched to writing about plants. Willow is a sensitive messenger of spring and a symbol of spring. "The willow branches will not be comfortable", it is written that the willow buds have just sprouted, and the branches are light yellow and tender green, just like blossoming buds, about to open and close, which has a unique charm. "Cloak of Soft Tips" expresses the dynamic beauty of willows. Although the soft willow tops have not yet hung down thousands of golden threads, they are already dancing low in the warm spring breeze. Use the word "soft" and "cover" to describe the grace of willows in early spring, which is very expressive. These few sentences about willows echo the previous sentence of "high willows and dikes", and provide further appreciation and appreciation. "The wheat field is shallow and wet by an inch" echoes the previous sentence "The soil is slightly moist." The line of sight goes from high to low: on the endless flat field, the light green wheat seedlings have poked their heads out of the fragrant soil, and they were only an inch long. The length of the handle is as neat as a short horse mane. The author uses extremely concise words to clearly express the characteristics of the scenery and his own aesthetic feelings. Every sentence is permeated with bright and joyful emotions.

The above paragraphs start from the first impression of arriving in the wild, and then show the beauty of spring water, spring mountains, willows and wheat seedlings layer by layer, forming a picture of the early spring scenery of the northern suburbs. It's dizzying and refreshing. This is the first level to describe the scenery of early spring.

Then I write about tourists in early spring. The remaining cold has just passed, the peak of spring has not yet arrived, and there are not many tourists yet. But spring has come after all, and with it the first outings. The author writes about several moods of tourists: "Those who drink from the spring and make tea", who drink spring water and make tea, appear elegant and leisurely; "those who sing with lei", who drink and sing at the same time, appear bold and happy; "those who dress in red and make tea" "Jianzhe" refers to a woman wearing gorgeous clothes, riding a donkey slowly, looking calm and comfortable. "Also always available" means that it can be seen often. This sentence is followed by the sentence "Although there are not many tourists yet", which shows that there are already many people visiting the spring. The author obviously admires and has a good impression of these tourists who were the first to come to the countryside to find spring. "Although the wind is not strong, I am sweating profusely when walking on foot." These two sentences express my feelings. Although the wind in Jiaoyuan is still quite strong, the sweat from my back when I swim on foot is still full of sweat. I can clearly feel the warmth of spring. This section begins with tourists writing about various moods of enjoying themselves, which is no different from a picture of a spring outing in the countryside. They not only appreciate the earliest spring, but also add a lot of vitality and warmth to the scene where the remaining cold is retreating and the earth is returning to spring. This flashback has become the second level in describing the scenery of early spring.

A few sentences of "Every bird exposed to the sand" describe creatures in nature. "Sandbirds" refers to birds basking in the sun on the beach; "Squawking Scales" refers to fish breathing in the waves. Exposure to sand depicts the leisure and tranquility of birds; sipping waves depicts the freedom and innocence of fish. The author summarizes the leisurely and contented feeling of all creatures in nature in the spring through the movement and stillness of fish and birds. He even discovered and felt that there was a sense of "joy" between the feathers of birds and the scales and fins of fish. This is really thoughtful and becomes the spokesperson of Yuniao. The so-called "portrait of mountains and rivers, conveying the spirit of fish and birds", the author uses the painter's skills and the poet's sensitivity to bring the early spring scenery to life. This section focuses on natural creatures and constitutes the third level of spring description.

Through the above three levels of description, an aesthetic conclusion is drawn: "It is known that outside the suburban fields, there is no spring before it begins, and those who live in the city do not know it." Spring is outside the suburban fields, and people living in People in the city don’t know yet. Wouldn’t it be a pity to live up to the spring glory! Comparing these few sentences with the beginning of "I am cramped in a room and can't get out", we can feel the author's sincere relief. Outside the suburban fields, he breathed in the breath of early spring and the vitality of nature, and the depression and coldness in his heart was swept away at this moment. In addition, this is in sharp contrast to the previous scene of "freezing wind and flying sand and gravel". "Beyond the countryside, there is no spring before it begins." This is the author's conclusion from his outing in the well. The word "beginning to know" comes from the deep feeling of meeting God with his eyes. In other words, when he stood outside the suburban fields and bathed in the beautiful spring light, he felt for those who had been hibernating in the city for a long time and could not feel the breath of early spring. Man, it's quite emotional. Xin Qiji's "Partridge Sky" said, "The peach and plum trees in the city are worried about the wind and rain, and the spring is in the shepherd's purse flowers at the head of the stream." Yuan Zhonglang's emotion is quite similar on this point, so its meaning does not seem to be limited to the perception of spring. , and contains the beautiful feelings that cause people to get rid of the secular world and yearn for nature.

The above describes the scene, depicts people, fish and birds nearby, and then captures the people themselves. "This is the only official who can wander freely among the mountains, rocks, grass and trees without getting into trouble while wandering around." Yes, it’s just me, an official. At that time, he was working as an instructor at Shuntian Prefecture, which was a casual position, so he had time to travel as much as he wanted without worrying about delaying his official duties. The word "wei" in "only this official" has a sense of pride and consolation. He is not upset because of his small official position. Instead, he is grateful that he does not have the vulgar feudal officialdom habits, which reveals Yuan Zhonglang's unique personality. Temperament and personality.

At the end, "This place is suitable and close" literally means that this place is just close to where I live, but the word "near" not only refers to the proximity in space, but also the similarity in temperament and character. Landscapes also have temperaments. Xin Qiji said: "I see how charming the green mountains are, and I expected that the green mountains should be like this when they see me" ("Congratulations to the Bridegroom"). This reflects the blending of things and myself, the feeling of meeting a close friend.

"The rest of the tour will start from here", which means that this tour of Manjing will become a memorable beginning. How can we not record this wonderful first impression? The purpose of turning feelings into words is to consolidate memory and review them from time to time, which fully reveals the author's affection and cherishment. In fact, the author had already swam through Manjing and written a poem one year before writing this travel note (the twenty-sixth year of Wanli); but he said here that "the rest of his journey will begin from here." This is probably because the feeling this time is particularly profound, so let's take it as a good beginning. Finally, it is pointed out that the time when this travel note was written was "February of Jihai", which was February of the twenty-seventh year of Wanli (1599). The last note is a common format in ancient travel notes.

This travel note describes the early spring weather in the North, which not only conveys the spirit of the mountains and rivers, but also is filled with the author's leisurely and fascinating emotions. The author begins with the narration of the absence of spring in the city, then writes about the exploration of spring in the suburbs, and writes layer by layer the alluring scenery of early spring in the suburbs, and finally concludes: "Beyond the suburbs, there is no spring before it begins, and those who live in the city have not yet seen it. That’s what I know.” In response to the cramped situation at the beginning, there is a huge difference between pain and joy, as well as the difference between heaven and earth. It shows the author’s rejection of the noisy and mundane city life and his unrestrained feelings about mountains, rivers and vegetation. This free and leisurely feeling is permeated throughout the description of the scene, giving the text a fresh and tranquil pastoral rhythm. The concise line drawings and appropriate metaphors add a lot of poetic charm to the writing.

(Excerpted from "Dictionary of Ancient Chinese Appreciation" by Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House, author: Wu Zhanlei)