HSK 5 · Article · 661 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/wang-xizhi-orchid-pavilion-preface

王羲之和《兰亭序》

Wang Xizhi and the Orchid Pavilion Preface

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公元gōngyuán353年nián春天chūntiān,农历nónglì三月sānyuè初三chūsān,在zài今天jīntiān浙江zhèjiāng绍兴shàoxīng附近fùjìn的de兰亭lántíng,四十多sìshíduō位wèi文人wénrén坐zuò在zài一yì条tiáo小河xiǎohé的de两边liǎngbiān。有人yǒurén把bǎ装满zhuāngmǎn酒jiǔ的de杯子bēizi放进fàngjìn水shuǐ里,让ràng它tā顺着shùnzhe河水héshuǐ慢慢mànmàn漂piāo下去xiàqu。杯子bēizi停tíng在zài谁shéi的de面前miànqián,谁shéi就要jiùyào马上mǎshàng写xiě一yì首shǒu诗shī;写不出来xiěbu-chūlái,就要jiùyào喝hē下xià这zhè杯bēi酒jiǔ。

那天nàtiān大家dàjiā一共yígòng写xiě了le三十七sānshíqī首shǒu诗shī。最后zuìhòu,大家dàjiā请qǐng这次zhècì聚会jùhuì的de主人zhǔren王羲之wángxīzhī给gěi这些zhèxiē诗shī写xiě一yì篇piān序言xùyán。据说jùshuō王羲之wángxīzhī当时dāngshí喝hē了le不少bùshǎo酒jiǔ,他tā拿起náqǐ笔bǐ,一下子yíxiàzi就jiù写xiě完wán了le。这zhè篇piān文章wénzhāng就是jiùshì后来hòulái大名鼎鼎dàmíng-díngdǐng的de《兰亭序lántíngxù》。

《兰亭序lántíngxù》一共yígòng只有zhíyǒu三百二十四sānbǎi’èrshísì个gè字zì,可是kěshì很hěn多duō人rén说shuō,它tā是shì历史lìshǐ上shàng最好zuìhǎo的de行书xíngshū作品zuòpǐn。最zuì让ràng人rén惊讶jīngyà的de是shì,文章wénzhāng里一yí共有gòngyǒu二十èrshí个gè“之zhī”字zì,王羲之wángxīzhī竟然jìngrán把bǎ每měi一个yígè都dōu写xiě得de不bù一样yíyàng。传说chuánshuō第二天dì’èrtiān酒醒jiúxǐng以后yǐhòu,他tā自己zìjǐ又yòu重新chóngxīn写xiě了le好几háojǐ遍biàn,却què怎么zěnme也yě写不出xiěbuchū那天nàtiān的de感觉gǎnjué了le。

王羲之wángxīzhī生活shēnghuó在zài一千六百多yìqiānliùbǎiduō年nián前qián的de东晋dōngjìn。后来hòulái,人们rénmen叫jiào他tā“书圣shūshèng”,意思yìsi是shì写字xiězì写xiě得de最好zuìhǎo的de人rén。关于guānyú他tā,还有háiyǒu一个yígè很hěn有意思yǒuyìsi的de故事gùshi。史书shǐshū上shàng记载jìzǎi,他tā特别tèbié喜欢xǐhuān鹅é。有yǒu一次yícì,他tā想xiǎng买mǎi一yí位wèi道士dàoshì养yǎng的de鹅é,可是kěshì道士dàoshì说shuō不bú卖mài,只要zhǐyào王羲之wángxīzhī帮bāng他tā抄chāo一yì本běn书shū,就jiù把bǎ鹅é全部quánbù送给sònggěi他tā。王羲之wángxīzhī毫不犹豫háobù-yóuyù地de答应dāying了le,抄chāo完wán以后yǐhòu,他tā带dài着zhe一yì群qún鹅é,开开心心kāikāi-xīnxīn地de回家huíjiā了le。

几百jíbǎi年nián以后yǐhòu,唐朝tángcháo的de皇帝huángdì唐太宗tángtàizōng也yě成chéng了le王羲之wángxīzhī的de“粉丝fěnsī”。他tā到处dàochù收集shōují王羲之wángxīzhī的de作品zuòpǐn,最zuì想要xiǎngyào的de就是jiùshì《兰亭序lántíngxù》。据说jùshuō,这zhè件jiàn作品zuòpǐn当时dāngshí在zài一yí位wèi老lǎo和尚héshang手里shǒuli,老lǎo和尚héshang怎么zěnme也yě不bú愿意yuànyì交jiāo出来chūlái。于是yúshì,唐太宗tángtàizōng派pài了le一个yígè聪明cōngming的de大臣dàchén,假装jiǎzhuāng成chéng普通pǔtōng的de读书人dúshūrén,去qù和hé那个nàge和尚héshang交朋友jiāopéngyou。两liǎng个gè人rén一起yìqǐ下棋xiàqí、谈tán书法shūfǎ,成chéng了le好hǎo朋友péngyǒu。有yǒu一天yìtiān,老lǎo和尚héshang终于zhōngyú把bǎ《兰亭序lántíngxù》拿ná了le出来chūlái,大臣dàchén就jiù趁机chènjī把bǎ它tā带回dàihuí了le皇宫huánggōng。

唐太宗tángtàizōng得到dédào《兰亭序lántíngxù》以后yǐhòu,非常fēicháng珍惜zhēnxī。据说jùshuō他tā死sǐ的de时候shíhou,让ràng人rén把bǎ它tā和hé自己zìjǐ一起yìqǐ放进fàngjìn了le坟墓fénmù。从cóng那nà以后yǐhòu,再也zàiyě没有méiyǒu人rén见jiàn过guò真正zhēnzhèng的de《兰亭序lántíngxù》。

那么nàme,我们wǒmen今天jīntiān看到kàndào的de是shì什么shénme呢ne?是shì唐朝tángcháo人rén照zhào着zhe原来yuánlái的de作品zuòpǐn认真rènzhēn复制fùzhì的de。其中qízhōng最zuì有名yǒumíng的de一yí件jiàn,今天jīntiān保存bǎocún在zài北京běijīng的de故宫博物院gùgōngbówùyuàn。虽然suīrán只是zhǐshì复制品fùzhìpǐn,人们rénmen看kàn了le,还是háishi会huì被bèi这些zhèxiē字zì的de美měi打动dǎdòng。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
首shǒufirst (as in 首次)
聚会jùhuìparty; gathering; to get together
篇piānpiece of writing; chapter
当时dāngshíthen; at that time
文章wénzhāngarticle; essay
作品zuòpǐnwork (of art or literature)
重新chóngxīnagain; anew; afresh
诗shīpoem; poetry; verse
主人zhǔrenhost; master; owner
据说jùshuōit is said; reportedly
传说chuánshuōlegend; folklore
记载jìzǎito record; to write down; record; account

English (for the teacher)

In the spring of 353 AD, on the third day of the third lunar month, at the Orchid Pavilion near today’s Shaoxing in Zhejiang, more than forty men of letters sat along both banks of a stream. Someone put cups full of wine into the water and let them drift slowly downstream. Whoever a cup stopped in front of had to write a poem on the spot; if he couldn’t, he had to drink the cup.

That day they wrote thirty-seven poems in all. At the end, everyone asked the host of the gathering, Wang Xizhi, to write a preface for the poems. It is said that Wang Xizhi had drunk quite a lot by then; he picked up his brush and wrote it straight off. That piece is the famous Orchid Pavilion Preface.

The Preface has only 324 characters, but many people call it the finest work of running script in history. Most surprising of all, the character 之 appears twenty times, and Wang Xizhi wrote every one of them differently. Legend says that the next day, sober again, he rewrote it several times himself but could never capture the feeling of that day.

Wang Xizhi lived more than 1,600 years ago, in the Eastern Jin. Later people called him the “Sage of Calligraphy”, the person who wrote characters better than anyone. There is another fun story about him. The histories record that he loved geese. Once he wanted to buy geese a Taoist priest kept, but the priest wouldn’t sell; if Wang Xizhi copied out a book for him, though, he could have all the geese for free. Wang Xizhi agreed without hesitation, and when he had finished copying he went home happily with a flock of geese.

A few hundred years later, Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty became a Wang Xizhi “fan” too. He collected Wang’s works everywhere, and the one he wanted most was the Orchid Pavilion Preface. It is said that the piece was then in the hands of an old monk, who would not give it up whatever happened. So Taizong sent a clever official, disguised as an ordinary scholar, to make friends with the monk. The two played go and talked about calligraphy together and became good friends. One day the old monk finally brought out the Preface, and the official seized the chance to carry it back to the palace.

Once Taizong had it, he treasured it. It is said that when he died, he had it placed in his tomb with him. Since then, no one has ever seen the real Orchid Pavilion Preface.

So what is it that we see today? Careful copies that Tang dynasty people made from the original. The most famous of them is kept today in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Even though they are only copies, people who see them are still moved by the beauty of the characters.