The words of a man who sells oranges

The words of a man who sells oranges

Liu Ji, Ming Dynasty

Solution to the problem

The end of the Yuan Dynasty , the court is corrupt, traitors are in power, thieves are everywhere, the people are poor, and the society is in turmoil. The author therefore wrote a number of allegorical essays. Judging from its function, this article is similar to current satirical sketches. The article uses the words of tangerine sellers to expose the civil and military ministers who were inactive in the late Yuan Dynasty, exposing and satirizing this dark social reality.

Original text

There is a fruit seller in Hangzhou who is good at hiding mandarin oranges. He can endure the cold and heat without breaking out [17], and the fruit comes out bright and clear [18]. The quality is golden, and when cut into pieces, the stems look like crumbs. I was surprised and asked: "If you sell it to others, will you use real beans[19] to offer sacrifices to the guests? Will you show off to fool the blind[20]? What's more, it's deception!" ”

Notes

[17] Involved: experience. Corruption: decay, decay.

[18] Ye (yè) Ran: a bright and radiant appearance.

[19]笾豆: A utensil for holding food or offerings during banquets and sacrifices. The one made of bamboo is called bamboo, and the one made of wood is called bean.

[20]Xuan (xuàn): Same as "Xuan", showing off. 罽(gǔ): blind man.

Translation

There is a fruit vendor in Hangzhou who is very good at preserving tangerines. Even after experiencing the cold winter and scorching heat, the tangerines will not rot and are still bright and shiny when taken out, with a jade-like texture. , golden luster. But when I cut it open, I found that the inside was as dry as old cotton wool. I felt strange and asked him: "Are the oranges you want to sell to others to be put on a plate to offer sacrifices or entertain guests? Or are you just showing off its appearance to confuse and deceive those fools or blind people?" It's too much for you to deceive people like this!"

Original text

The seller laughed and said, "I have been selling my business for a long time. , I haven’t heard anything about it, but I am not worthy of it. There are many deceivers in the world, but I am the only one who doesn’t think so. , The tools of the Qiancheng are as good as those of Qiancheng. Can they be passed down to Sun and Wu? But they don’t know how to control them, the people are trapped but they don’t know how to save them, the officials are traitors but they don’t know how to restrain them, the law is wrong but they don’t know the rules [23], they sit on the grass and have no sense of shame [24]. See him sitting in a high hall, riding a big horse, and being drunk. Those who are fat and fresh[25] are not so tall that they are awesome and illustrious.

Notes

[21] Gaibi (pí): This refers to tiger skin. Tiger skin chair.

[22]洸洸: Mighty appearance. Qiancheng: Defending the country.

[23]斁(dù): Destruction. p>

[24] 维: Tong "mi", consumption. Linsu: grain from the treasury, here refers to salary.

[25] Liquor: good food.

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Translation

But the man selling oranges smiled and said: "I have been engaged in this industry for many years, and I rely on it to support myself. I sell tangerines and people buy tangerines. I have never heard any gossip. Why is it not what you want? There are many people who practice deception in the world, am I the only one? You don't think about this. Nowadays, those who wear tiger charms and sit in tiger-skin positions are really like talents who defend the country. Do they really have the strategies like Sun Wu and Wu Qi? Those people wearing tall hats and long belts hanging from their waists look so impressive that they really look like the pillars of the imperial court. Can they really achieve the achievements of Yi Yin and Gao Tao? The thieves are rising but they don't know how to resist them, the people are in trouble but they don't know how to save them, the officials are cheating but they don't know how to stop them, the laws are corrupt but they don't know how to rectify them, they waste the country's salary in vain but they don't know how to be ashamed. Look at the way they sit in the high hall, ride big horses, drink fine wine, and eat plenty of fish and meat. Which one doesn't look dignified, awe-inspiring, majestic, and worthy of imitation?

Original text

Why not have gold and jade on the outside and ruins on the inside? Today, I don’t care about it, but I want to inspect it! "I was silent and had no response. I stood back and thought about what he said, which is similar to the comical people in the East. How can he be an angry and jealous person, and rely on Gan to satirize him?

Translation

< p> However, none of them look like gold and jade, but inside they are shabby cotton! Now you haven't seen this, but you are picking on my oranges!" I was silent and had no words to answer. Later, I carefully savored his words and felt that he was somewhat similar to Dongfang Shuo, a humorous and eloquent person. Could it be that he was really a cynical person, and was he using tangerines to satirize the current situation?

Comment

This is an allegorical prose, which revolves around the word "deception", caused by events, and metaphorized by tangerine. The article first tells about a fruit seller in Hangzhou who is good at collecting mandarin oranges. However, the author bought "jade and golden" mandarin oranges, but they were just fake and "ruined" inside. He was angry and scolded the mandarin seller. The tangerine seller "smiled" and retorted, using a series of parallels to outline that those "those who wear tiger charms, sit in competitions", "those with big crowns and long gentry" are the real people who deceive the world, although they are Although they are in high positions, they are some stupid people.

At the same time, it reveals the social reality of the time when thieves were on the rise, officials were corrupt, the legal system was corrupt, and the people were in dire straits. It effectively satirized the civil and military ministers who were in power, and expressed the author's clear understanding and incomparable hatred of the dark reality. The final touch of the article is that the person who sells tangerines is actually a "cynical person" who uses tangerines as a satire.

"There is gold and jade on the outside, but ruins on the inside" is a well-known aphorism. It educates us not to be fooled by their appearance when dealing with people or things, but to analyze them deeply and recognize their true colors.