Classical Prose

兰亭集序

Lán tíng jí xù

王羲之

Wáng Xīzhī

Yǒnghé jiǔ nián, suì zài guǐchǒu, mù chūn zhī chū, huì yú Kuàijī Shānyīn zhī Lán Tíng, xiū xì shì yě.

永和九年,岁在癸丑,暮春之初,会于会稽山阴之兰亭,修禊事也。

Qún xián bì zhì, shǎo zhǎng xián jí.

群贤毕至,少长咸集。

Cǐ dì yǒu chóng shān jùn lǐng, mào lín xiū zhú;

此地有崇山峻岭,茂林修竹;

Yòu yǒu qīng liú jī tuān, yìng dài zuǒ yòu, yǐn yǐ wéi liú shāng qū shuǐ, liè zuò qí cì.

又有清流激湍,映带左右,引以为流觞曲水,列坐其次。

Suī wú sī zhú guǎn xián zhī shèng, yī shāng yī yǒng, yì zú yǐ chàng xù yōu qíng.

虽无丝竹管弦之盛,一觞一咏,亦足以畅叙幽情。

Shì rì yě, tiān lǎng qì qīng, huì fēng hé chàng.

是日也,天朗气清,惠风和畅。

Yǎng guān yǔ zhòu zhī dà, fǔ chá pǐn lèi zhī shèng,

仰观宇宙之大,俯察品类之盛,

Suǒ yǐ yóu mù chěng huái, zú yǐ jí shì tīng zhī yú, xìn kě lè yě.

所以游目骋怀,足以极视听之娱,信可乐也。

Fū rén zhī xiāng yǔ, fǔ yǎng yī shì.

夫人之相与,俯仰一世。

Huò qǔ zhū huái bào, wù yán yī shì zhī nèi;

或取诸怀抱,晤言一室之内;

Huò yīn jì suǒ tuō, fàng làng xíng hái zhī wài.

或因寄所托,放浪形骸之外。

Suī qù shě wàn shū, jìng zào bù tóng,

虽趣舍万殊,静躁不同,

Dāng qí xīn yú suǒ yù, zàn dé yú jǐ, kuài rán zì zú, bù zhī lǎo zhī jiāng zhì;

当其欣于所遇,暂得于己,快然自足,不知老之将至;

Jí qí suǒ zhī jì juàn, qíng suí shì qiān, gǎn kǎi xì zhī yǐ.

及其所之既倦,情随事迁,感慨系之矣。

Xiàng zhī suǒ xīn, fǔ yǎng zhī jiān, yǐ wéi chén jī, yóu bù néng bù yǐ zhī xīng huái;

向之所欣,俯仰之间,已为陈迹,犹不能不以之兴怀;

Kuàng xiū duǎn suí huà, zhōng qī yú jǐn!

况修短随化,终期于尽!

Gǔ rén yún: «Sǐ shēng yì dà yǐ.» Qǐ bù tòng zāi!

古人云:「死生亦大矣。」岂不痛哉!

Měi lǎn xī rén xīng gǎn zhī yóu, ruò hé yī qì, wèi cháng bù lín wén jiē dào, bù néng yù zhī yú huái.

每览昔人兴感之由,若合一契,未尝不临文嗟悼,不能喻之于怀。

Gù zhī yī sǐ shēng wéi xū dàn, qí Péng Shāng wéi wàng zuò.

固知一死生为虚诞,齐彭殇为妄作。

Hòu zhī shì jīn, yì yóu jīn zhī shì xī. Bēi fū!

后之视今,亦犹今之视昔。悲夫!

Gù liè xù shí rén, lù qí suǒ shù.

故列叙时人,录其所述。

Suī shì shū shì yì, suǒ yǐ xīng huái, qí zhì yī yě.

虽世殊事异,所以兴怀,其致一也。

Hòu zhī lǎn zhě, yì jiāng yǒu gǎn yú sī wén.

后之览者,亦将有感于斯文。


Translation

In the ninth year of Yonghe, the year Guichou, in early late spring, we gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in Shanyin, Kuaiji, to perform the Spring Purification Rite. All the worthy ones came, young and old assembled together. This place has lofty mountains and steep peaks, dense forests and tall bamboos; it also has clear, rapid streams that mirror and girdle the scene on both sides. We led the water to form a winding canal for floating wine cups, and we sat in order along its bank. Though there was no grand performance of strings and pipes, with one cup of wine and one poem, it was enough to fully express our deep feelings. That day, the sky was bright, the air was clear, and the gentle breeze was warm and smooth. Looking up, we contemplated the vastness of the cosmos; looking down, we surveyed the abundance of all things. With our eyes roaming and our hearts soaring, we fully enjoyed the pleasures of sight and sound — truly a joy! Now, in the way people relate to one another, in an instant they pass through a lifetime. Some pour out their hearts in a room of intimate conversation; others entrust their feelings to favorite pursuits and live freely beyond the bounds of convention. Though their choices differ and their temperaments — quiet or restless — are not the same, when they rejoice in what they encounter, momentarily gratified and complacent, they do not realize that old age is approaching. But when they grow weary of what they once pursued, and their feelings shift as circumstances change, then sighs arise. What once delighted them has, in an instant, become trace of the past. Even this cannot help but stir one's heart. How much more so, when the length of one's life is subject to transformation, and all must end! The ancients said, 'Death and life are a great matter indeed.' How painful this is! Whenever I read the reasons that moved the men of old, fitting perfectly with my own feelings like matching halves of a seal, I am always moved to sigh over their writings, unable to express it within my heart. I have always known that identifying life with death is false, and equating long life with early death is absurd. The future generation looking back on us will be just as we today look back on the past. How sad! So I have listed all those gathered here and recorded their poems. Though ages differ and events change, the reason for emotional response is the same. Future readers will also be moved by this writing.

Analysis

The Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection is Wang Xizhi's preface to the poems composed during the famous Orchid Pavilion gathering in 353 CE and one of the most celebrated prose pieces in Chinese literary history. The essay operates on three levels: narrative, lyrical, and philosophical. It begins simply — date, place, occasion, participants — and then describes the natural setting: high mountains, dense bamboo, clear streams, and the winding canal where wine cups floated. The description is vivid without being ornate, establishing the space for what follows. The opening emotional key is joy. Wang uses the phrase 'truly a joy' to conclude the first section — the delight of fine scenery, good company, wine, and poetry. But joy is only the prelude. The pivot comes with 'in an instant they pass through a lifetime.' Wang observes two types of people: those who converse earnestly indoors about their aspirations, and those who entrust their feelings to favorite pursuits, living freely outside conventions. Though their choices and temperaments differ, when they rejoice in what they encounter, they do not realize that old age is approaching. This is a universal human experience — losing oneself in the present moment and forgetting time. But joy is temporary. When the objects of pursuit grow tiresome, feelings shift and sighs arise. What once delighted has, in an instant, become the past. Wang confronts the fundamental problem of transience: all beauty passes. 'The length of one's life is subject to transformation, and all must end' pushes the reflection to its ultimate limit. From this comes the sigh: 'Death and life are a great matter indeed.' This is the emotional turning point. Importantly, Wang Xizhi rejects the Daoist philosophy of equating life with death and long life with early death (as Zhuangzi does). He calls this 'false' and 'absurd.' For Wang, precisely because life is finite and death is real, life is precious and mortality painful. The essay returns to the present at the end: 'So I have listed all those gathered here and recorded their poems.' Because life is so brief, this particular gathering and these poems deserve to be recorded. His message across time is this: though ages and events differ, the fundamental feelings that move people are the same. 'The future generation looking back on us will be just as we today look back on the past.' This is an awareness of resonance across time. Every age faces the same questions: joy, aging, change, death. Future readers will be moved just as Wang Xizhi was moved in his moment.

About the Author

Wang Xizhi, courtesy name Yishao, was an Eastern Jin calligrapher and writer from Langya in Linyi who later moved to Shanyin in Kuaiji. He served as General of the Right Army and governor of Kuaiji, earning the title 'Wang Youjun.' He is the most celebrated figure in Chinese calligraphy, honored as the 'Sage of Calligraphy.' His Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection is revered as the 'Best Running Script Under Heaven.' Wang's calligraphy spans clerical, cursive, standard, and running scripts, known for their natural, composed, and elegant style. His prose Preface is also an immortal literary masterpiece.