Prose · LT505

Letters & Prefaces

Personal correspondence, anthology prefaces, and colophons.

166works

9dynasties

50authors

Han

13 works

202 BCE – 220 CE

  1. Letter in Reply to Ren AnSima QianEvery man must die once; a death may be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a goose feather, according to what it is used for.
  2. Letter of FarewellZhuo Wenjun (traditionally attributed)The vermilion string is snapped, the bright mirror cracked; the morning dew has dried, the fair face faded.
  3. Letter in Reply to Sun HuizongYang YunFarm families work hard; at the summer and winter festivals we boil a sheep and roast a lamb and cheer ourselves with a dipper of wine.
  4. Letter Admonishing Nephews Yan and DunMa YuanHearing others' faults as hearing your parents' names: ears may listen, mouths must never utter. Drawing a tiger imperfectly ends up like a dog.
  5. Admonitions for WomenBan ZhaoA woman has four kinds of conduct: womanly virtue, womanly speech, womanly bearing and womanly work.
  6. Preface to the Table of the Twelve Feudal LordsSima QianThe Grand Historian, reading the chronicles and genealogies of the Spring and Autumn period, came to King Li of Zhou and never failed to put down the book and sigh.
  7. Preface to the Table of the Six StatesSima QianScholars, bound by what they have heard, see that Qin held the imperial throne only briefly, do not examine its beginning and end, and so all join in laughing at it: this is no different from eating with one's ears.
  8. Preface to the Monthly Table of the Years Between Qin and ChuSima QianWithin five years, the power to command changed hands three times. Since the birth of the people there has never been a receiving of the Mandate so swift.
  9. Preface to the Table of the Feudal Lords Since the Rise of HanSima QianHan's eighty or ninety commanderies lay interlaced among the lords like a dog's teeth, holding the passes and strategic ground in a pattern of strong trunk and weak branches.
  10. Preface to the Table of Gaozu's Meritorious MinistersSima QianUntil the Yellow River is like a belt and Mount Tai like a whetstone, may your state be at peace for ever and pass to your descendants.
  11. Preface to the Table of Marquises Created Since the Jianyuan EraSima QianHow could he sit at ease and wage no wars on the frontiers?
  12. Preface to the Strategies of the Warring StatesLiu XiangThey produced rare plans and unusual wisdom, turning danger into safety and ruin into survival; they too are delightful.
  13. Preface to the Table of the Feudal Kings of HanBan GuThe great vassal states straddled provinces and joined commanderies, with dozens of walled towns, and palaces and officials on the pattern of the capital: this can be called bending the crooked past straight.

Three Kingdoms

7 works

220–280

  1. Letter Breaking Ties with Shan JuyuanJi KangMoreover I constantly disparage Tang and Wu and belittle the Duke of Zhou and Confucius.
  2. Letter to Wu Zhi · Remembering Past WanderingsCao Pi (Emperor Wen of Wei)In the old days when we went about together, we rode with carriages side by side and sat with mats touching.
  3. Letter to Yang DezuCao ZhiEveryone thought he held the pearl of the numinous snake and every family thought it had the jade of Mount Jing.
  4. Letter of Admonition to My SonZhuge LiangWithout living simply, one cannot clarify one's aspirations; without stillness, one cannot reach far horizons.
  5. Admonition to My NephewZhuge LiangOne's aims should be lofty and far-reaching: admire the worthies of the past, cut off sensual desires and cast away doubts and hesitations
  6. Letter to Wu Zhi, Prefect of ZhaogeCao Pifloated sweet melons in the clear spring and sank red plums in the cold water.
  7. Letter to Zhong Yao on the Ninth DayCao PiCao Pi sends chrysanthemums to Zhong Yao, noting that people prize the name of the Double Ninth.

Jin

3 works

265–420

  1. Preface to the Orchid Pavilion GatheringWang XizhiLooking up to gaze upon the vastness of the universe, looking down to survey the richness of all living things, allowing the eyes to wander and the heart to roam.
  2. Biography of Master Five WillowsTao YuanmingHe loved reading but did not seek exhaustive explanations; whenever something struck a chord, he was so delighted he forgot to eat.
  3. Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Poems of the Third Day of the Third Month (Later Preface)Sun ChuoThe ancients compared nature to water: how apt! Is it not that kept still it is clear, stirred up it is muddy?

Northern and Southern

6 works

420–589

  1. Reply to Secretary XieTao HongjingLofty peaks pierce the clouds; crystal streams reveal their beds. Rock cliffs on both shores shimmer in kaleidoscopic hues; emerald bamboo flourishes through all four seasons.
  2. Letter to Zhu YuansiWu JunThose who soar like ambitious hawks watching these peaks quiet their restless hearts; those entangled in worldly affairs gazing into these valleys forget to return.
  3. Letter to Attendant ShiWu JunSheer cliffs reach the sky and a lone peak enters the Milky Way.
  4. Letter to Chen BozhiQiu ChiIn the third month of late spring, south of the Yangzi the grasses grow tall, assorted flowers bloom on the trees and flocks of orioles fly about.
  5. Letter to the Prince of XiangdongXiao GangLately I see that the literary style of the capital is unusually feeble and dull, vying in loose and shallow writing, hasty yet slack.
  6. Admonition to Daxin, Duke of DangyangXiao GangThe way to conduct oneself is different from the way to write: in conducting oneself one must first be careful and grave; in writing one should be free and unrestrained.

Tang

57 works

618–907

  1. Postscript to the Biography of Censor ZhangHan YuHolding one city to shield the whole realm.
  2. Letter to Governor Han of JingzhouLi BaiIn life I need not be made a marquis of ten thousand households; I wish only to make the acquaintance of Han of Jingzhou.
  3. Letter to Wei Zhongli on the Way of the TeacherLiu ZongyuanQu Yuan's rhapsody says, 'The dogs of the town bark in packs; they bark at what they find strange.'
  4. Preface to the Sacred Teachings of the Tripitaka of the Great TangLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang)Wind in the pines and the moon on water cannot match his purity; immortal dew and bright pearls cannot equal his radiance.
  5. Testament Admonishing My Sons and GrandsonsYao ChongWealth and rank are what others resent.
  6. Preface to Poems on Enjoying the MoonOuyang ZhanArgues that autumn, and its fifteenth night, is the best time to enjoy the moon.
  7. Preface to a Spring Night Feast in the Peach and Plum GardenLi BaiHeaven and earth are an inn for all living things; time is a traveller passing through a hundred generations.
  8. Preface Seeing Off Meng DongyeHan YuAs a rule, things cry out when they lose their balance.
  9. Second Letter to the Chancellor, Nineteen Days LaterHan YuWhat are called the times are made by those in high places, not by Heaven.
  10. Third Letter to the Chancellor, Twenty-Nine Days LaterHan YuToday the realm has one ruler and is one state; to leave it is to go among strangers.
  11. Letter to Yu of XiangyangHan YuWith no one to go before him, a man's excellence is not made known; with no one to come after him, his splendour is not handed on.
  12. Letter to Supervising Secretary ChenHan YuNeglect the Way and the worthy turn away; grow famous for writing and peers grow jealous.
  13. Letter to Someone While Sitting for the ExaminationHan YuTo bow my head and droop my ears, wag my tail and beg for pity, is not my will.
  14. Preface Seeing Off Li Yuan on His Return to PanguHan YuFeet about to advance but faltering, mouth about to speak but stammering.
  15. Preface Seeing Off Dong ShaonanHan YuThe lands of Yan and Zhao were known of old for their many men of strong feeling who sang sad songs.
  16. Preface Seeing Off Vice Prefect YangHan YuThe village elder of old, worthy of sacrifice at the earth altar: is he not such a man?
  17. Preface Seeing Off Recluse ShiHan YuLike a team of four drawing a light carriage along a familiar road.
  18. Preface Seeing Off Recluse Wen to the Heyang ArmyHan YuOnce Bo Le passed through the plains north of Ji, the herds of horses were left empty.
  19. Letter Congratulating Wang Canyuan on the Fire at His HomeLiu ZongyuanWhen I first heard I was shocked, then I doubted, and in the end I was overjoyed.
  20. On Reading the Ceremonial RitesHan YuWhat a pity I did not live then, to move, bow and yield among those rites.
  21. Preface to Attendant Lecturer Wei's Twelve Poems on ShengshanHan YuHe takes misfortune in and dissolves it, as the sea takes water and the summer sun melts ice.
  22. Preface to the Exchanged Poems of Jing and TanHan YuThe sounds of harmony and peace are thin and bland, while the voices of sorrow and longing are subtle and fine; words of joy are hard to make well, while words of hardship and poverty are easily good.
  23. Preface to the Poems on Hearing the Zither at the Imperial Academy's Shangsi FeastHan YuTo rejoice without losing what is proper is the highest joy.
  24. Letter to Minister MengHan YuSince Han, the many Confucians have patched and mended in their small way, but there are a hundred holes and a thousand sores; as it is mended it is lost again, its peril like a single hair holding up a thousand jin, drawn ever thinner and fading toward extinction.
  25. Letter to Vice Censor-in-Chief Liu at EzhouHan YuEven the famous generals of old could not surpass this!
  26. Second Letter to Vice Censor-in-Chief Liu at EzhouHan YuConscripting a full ten thousand is not as good as recruiting a few thousand.
  27. Letter to Cui QunHan YuThe phoenix and the magic fungus are fine omens to worthy and foolish alike; the blue sky and white sun are known to be clear and bright even by slaves.
  28. Letter in Reply to Cui LizhiHan YuAnd write a classic of the Tang to hand down for ever, condemning the treacherous and flattering after their deaths and bringing out the hidden light of buried virtue.
  29. Letter in Reply to Chen ShangHan YuThe king loves the mouth organ and you play the zither; however skilled you are, what use is it if the king does not like it?
  30. Letter in Reply to Licentiate LiHan YuWhat I seek in the ancients is not only their fine words: I love their Way.
  31. Letter in Reply to Licentiate DouHan YuWith learning complete my way grew more blocked; with age my wits grew more straitened.
  32. Letter in Reply to Liu ZhengfuHan YuFollow their meaning, not their words.
  33. Letter in Reply to Student YuchiHan YuWhen the root is deep the branches flourish; when the form is large the sound is great.
  34. Letter to Feng Su on WritingHan YuIf it pleases me a little, they find it a little strange; if it pleases me greatly, they are sure to find it greatly strange.
  35. Letter to Wei ZhongxingHan YuWorth and unworthiness lie with oneself; high and low rank, misfortune and fortune lie with Heaven; a good or bad name lies with others.
  36. Letter to Meng DongyeHan YuSpeaking with no one to listen, singing with no one to join, walking alone without companions.
  37. Letter in Reply to Licentiate Liu on Writing HistoryHan YuThose who write history, if they do not meet with human disaster, meet with Heaven's punishment.
  38. Letter to Vice Minister Li of the Ministry of WarHan YuIt is not that words are hard to make, but that a hearer who knows them is hard to meet.
  39. Letter Seeking a Recommendation on Another's BehalfHan YuOne glance from Bo Le, and the horse's price tripled.
  40. First Letter to the ChancellorHan YuWho can nurture the talents of the realm, if not our ruler and our chancellor?
  41. Memorandum to Director Lu of Ruzhou Recommending Hou XiHan YuTo be poor and unknown, yet recognised by one great man alone: that is what is precious.
  42. Letter to Li Jian of the Hanlin AcademyLiu ZongyuanLike a prisoner who, on a fine day, rubs his back on the wall and stretches his limbs.
  43. Reply to Licentiate Wu, Thanking Him for His New WritingsLiu ZongyuanJudging writing should be like weighing on a hanging balance.
  44. Preface Seeing Off Scholar Wang XunHan YuSo whoever seeks to see the Way of the sages must begin with Mencius.
  45. Preface Seeing Off the Monk GaoxianHan YuJoy and anger, distress and poverty, sorrow and grief, pleasure and ease, resentment, longing, drunkenness, boredom and indignation: whatever stirred his heart he always let out in cursive script.
  46. Preface Seeing Off the Daoist LiaoHan YuSurely people of outstanding gifts must be born there, yet I have not seen them.
  47. Preface Seeing Off Aide DouHan YuSo people going to the South Sea go as if to a neighbouring prefecture.
  48. Preface Seeing Off Ou CeHan YuYangshan is the most remote place in the realm.
  49. Preface Seeing Off Minister ZhengHan YuHe may be called noble yet able to be poor, proof that the humane do not grow rich.
  50. Preface Seeing Off Vice Director YinHan YuA gentleman who does not master the classics is, after all, of no use.
  51. Preface Seeing Off Censor Li of YouzhouHan YuPeace is about to return, and it must begin from Youzhou, where the disorder came from.
  52. Preface Presented to the Boy ZhangHan YuThe boy should rest a while from what he has learned and work at what he has not.
  53. Preface Presented to Cui of FuzhouHan YuI see how hard it is to be a prefect.
  54. Preface Seeing Off Censor Han, Transport Commissioner, Back to His PostHan YuThis may be called combining soldiering and farming, one task gaining two ends.
  55. Preface Seeing Off Editor Li of HunanHan YuThis is Heaven, not the strength of men.
  56. Loving Uprightness: A Parting Gift to Li JunfangHan YuWhen all around are upright men, how could one's own person fail to be upright?
  57. Preface Seeing Off Collator Zheng the TenthHan YuHe has just begun his career and earned weighty praise, yet is humble as though not satisfied.

Song

12 works

960–1279

  1. Letter to Grand Commandant Han of the Bureau of Military AffairsSu ZheI hold that writing is the form taken by one's qi; writing cannot be acquired by study, but qi can be attained by nourishing it.
  2. Reply to Remonstrance Official SimaWang AnshiWhat scholars contend over above all is names and realities. When names and realities are clear, the principles of the world are grasped.
  3. Postscript on Wu Daozi's PaintingsSu ShiWith poetry reaching Du Zimei, prose reaching Han Tuizhi, calligraphy reaching Yan of Lu and painting reaching Wu Daozi, the changes of past and present and all the accomplishments under heaven were complete.
  4. Letter to Remonstrator GaoOuyang XiuYou can still show your face to the scholar-officials and go in and out of court calling yourself a remonstrance official. This means you no longer know there is such a thing as shame in the world!
  5. Letter in Reply to Xie MinshiSu Shi (Su Dongpo)In general they are like drifting clouds and flowing water, with no fixed form at the outset, but always moving where they should move and stopping where they cannot but stop; their patterns are natural and their postures abundant.
  6. On Frugality, for My Son KangSima GuangEveryone takes extravagance as glory; my heart alone takes frugality and plainness as beauty.
  7. Afterword to the Records of Metal and StoneLi QingzhaoI happened to have a good memory, and every day after dinner we sat in the Guilai Hall brewing tea; pointing to the piles of books and histories, we would say in which book, which juan, which page and line a certain matter was, and whoever was right won and drank first. When I won, I would raise my cup and laugh so hard that the tea spilled into my lap and I got up without drinking it.
  8. Afterword to the Records of Famous Gardens of LuoyangLi GefeiThe rise and fall of Luoyang is the sign of order and disorder in the realm.
  9. Preface to the Poems of the Monk MiyanOuyang XiuManqing hid in wine and Miyan in the Buddhist order; both were remarkable men.
  10. Preface to the Collected Poems of Mei ShengyuOuyang XiuIt is not, then, that poetry brings men to straits; rather, only those in straits come to write fine poetry.
  11. Preface Seeing Off Yang ZhiOuyang XiuIn joy, anger, sorrow and delight, it moves people deeply.
  12. Letter to Lecturer MeiSu Shi One must not grasp at wealth and rank by any means, nor sit idle in poverty.