"A Journey to Baochan Mountain" is a travel diary written by Wang Anshi, a politician and thinker in the Northern Song Dynasty, in the form of a reminiscence after visiting Baochan Mountain on his way home from his resignation. The travel notes are based on the facts and are mixed with narratives and discussions. Many of the ideas elaborated in it were not only valuable at the time, but also have extremely far-reaching practical significance in today's society. "The wonders, weirdness, and extraordinary views of the world are always in danger and distance" has become a commonly used saying. Below is the classical Chinese translation of "Traveling to Baochan Mountain" that I collected and compiled. I hope it will be helpful to you!

Notes on a Visit to Baochan Mountain

Wang Anshi

Baochan Mountain is also called Huashan. The Tang Futu Hui Bao Shi left it at its site and was buried there; Therefore, it was later named "Praise Zen". Today’s so-called Huikong Zen Temple is also called Luzhong. Five miles east of the courtyard, the so-called Huashan Cave is named after it is the Yangtze River of Huashan Mountain. More than a hundred steps away from the cave, there is a stele serving the road. The inscriptions are lost, but the only inscription is still recognizable and is called "Huashan". Nowadays, the word "hua" is like the "hua" in "huashi", which is a false pronunciation.

It is flat and open below, with a spring coming out from the side. There are many people who record travels, so it is called the front cave. Five or six miles above the mountain, there is a cave that is slim and very cold when you enter it. If you ask about its depth, you will find that it is impossible for those who like to swim. It is called the back cave. Yu and four others held fire to get in. The deeper they went in, the harder it was to get in, and the more amazing they saw. If someone is lazy and wants to come out, he will say: "If you don't come out, the fire will be gone." Then he will come out with him. The rest of my journey is not as good as that of a good traveler. However, looking at the left and right, there are very few people who come and remember it. If the cover is deep, the height will be reduced. At this time, the remaining strength is still enough to penetrate, and the fire is still enough to illuminate. Now that it has come out, I may blame the person who wanted to come out, and I also regret that it followed him, and I will not be able to enjoy the joy of wandering.

So I sighed. The ancients often gained something when they looked at the heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, vegetation, insects, fish, birds and beasts, because they were so profound in their thinking that they were omnipresent. If the enemy is close, there will be many tourists; if the danger is far, there will be few tourists. The majesty, weirdness, and extraordinaryness of the world often lie in the dangers and distances, and they are rarely accessible to people, so only those who are determined cannot reach them. If you have ambition, you won't be able to achieve it if you don't follow it, but if you don't have enough strength, you won't be able to achieve it. If you have ambition and strength, but don't be lazy, you won't be able to reach it even if it is dark and confusing and there is nothing to show it. However, if you are strong enough to achieve something, you can ridicule others, but you have regrets for yourself. If you try your best and fail to achieve your goal, you can have no regrets. Who can ridicule you? The rest is earned!

I am sorry for the absence of the ancient book and the failure of later generations to pass it on, so how can it be said that there is no way to succeed! Therefore, scholars should not take it carefully without thinking deeply.

The four are: Luling Xiaojun Guijunyu, Changle King Huishenfu, my younger brothers Anguopingfu and Anshangchunfu.

On a certain day in July of the first year of Zhihe, Wang Mou of Linchuan wrote.

Translation:

Baochan Mountain is also called Huashan Mountain. The monk Huibao of the Tang Dynasty originally built his house and lived here, and was buried there after his death. For this reason, later generations called this mountain Baochan Mountain. What people call Huikong Zen Temple today is the tomb of monk Huibao. Five miles east of the monastery is what people call Huashan Cave, so named because it is south of Huashan. More than a hundred steps away from the cave, there is a stone tablet lying on the roadside. The words on it have been eroded, damaged and almost obliterated. Only the words "Huashan" can be made out from a barely recognizable place. Nowadays, "Hua" is pronounced as "Huashi", which is a pronunciation error (due to the same character).

The cave going down from here is flat and spacious, with a mountain spring gushing out from the side. There are many people visiting and writing inscriptions here, (this is) called the "front cave". Five or six miles up the mountain road, there is a cave that looks deep and deep. When you go in, you feel the chill. Asking how deep it is, even those who like adventure have not been able to reach the end. This is what people say. Said "back hole". Four people and I walked in with torches. The deeper we went, the more difficult it was to move forward, and the more wonderful the sights we saw. A friend who was slacking off and wanted to quit said, "If you don't go out, the torch will be extinguished." So, everyone had to quit with him. The depth we walked in is probably less than one-tenth of that of those who like to take risks. However, looking at the stone walls on the left and right, there are very few people who come here to write inscriptions. There are probably fewer tourists going deeper into the cave. When I decided to exit the cave, I still had enough strength to move forward and the torch could continue to illuminate. After we came out of the cave, some people complained about the person who advocated quitting. I also regretted going out with him and not being able to fully enjoy the fun of visiting the cave.

I have some feelings about this matter. The ancients often benefited from observing the heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, vegetation, insects, fish, birds and beasts, because they explored and thought deeply and extensively. A flat and close place attracts more people to visit; a dangerous and far place attracts fewer people to visit. However, the wonderful, majestic, rare and extraordinary landscapes in the world are often in dangerous, remote places where few people go. Therefore, people who are not determined cannot reach them. (Although) if you have ambition, you won't blindly follow others and stop, but if you don't have enough physical strength, you won't be able to reach it. If you have ambition and physical strength, you will not blindly follow others or slack off, but when you reach that deep, dark place that makes people feel confused and confused, you can't reach it without the necessary objects to support it.

However, if you have enough strength to achieve your goal (but fail to achieve it), you can laugh at it from the perspective of others, and you will feel regretful for yourself; if you fail to achieve it despite your own subjective efforts, you can do nothing. Regret, who can laugh at this? This is what I gained from this trip to the mountains.

How can I say enough about the fallen stone tablet and how I lament that the documents written in ancient times have not survived and that they have been passed down by later generations and no one has figured out the truth? This is why scholars must cite information carefully without thinking deeply.

The four people traveling with me are: Xiao Jungui from Luling, whose courtesy name is Junyu; Wang Hui from Changle, whose courtesy name is Shenfu; my younger brother Wang Anguo, whose courtesy name is Pingfu; Wang Anshang, whose courtesy name is Chunfu. In July of the first year of Zhihe, Wang Anshi from Linchuan recorded it.

Notes

1. Futu: a transliteration of Sanskrit (fàn) language (ancient Indian), also written as "Buddha" or "Buddha", the original meaning is Buddha or Buddhist, This refers to monks. Hui Bao: eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty. House: noun used as a verb to build a house and settle down. Site: foundation, base, base, here refers to the foot of the mountain.

2. And: conjunction, and. Death: Eventually. It: refers to the foothills of Baochan Mountain.

3. Because of (this) reason, translated as "therefore". Noun: naming, verb. Zen: The abbreviation of Sanskrit transliteration "Zhana", which means "quiet meditation" and refers to a state pursued by Buddhism. Later, it generally refers to people and things related to Buddhism, such as Zen master, Zen disciple, zazen, Zen room, Zen sect, Zen forest, Zen staff, etc. Bao Zen, Hui Bao Zen Master.

4. Huikong Zen Temple: the name of the temple. Luzhong (zhǒng): In ancient times, in order to show filial piety to parents or respect for teachers, and to guard the tombs during the mourning period after their death, it was also called "Luzhong". This refers to the house built by Hui Bao's disciples next to Hui Bao's tomb. Lu: house. (One theory refers to the house where Huibao lived during his lifetime.) Tomb: grave. Zenyuan: Buddhist temple.

5. Huashan Cave: Wang Xiangsheng of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote "Huayang Cave" in "Yu Di Ji Sheng". It should be written as "Huayang Cave" at the bottom of the text. To: because. Nai: expresses judgment, meaning "for" or "is". Yang: South side of the mountain. In ancient times, the south side of the mountain and the north side of the water were called "Yang", and the back side of the mountain and the south side of the water were called "Yin". Noun: naming, verb.

6. Servant Road: The omission of "Servant (Yu) Road" means falling by the roadside.

7. Text: The inscription on the stele is different from the "text" mentioned below as "the only text (the remaining text on the stele)". Diffuse: refers to blurring due to weathering and peeling.

8. Du: only, only. It: refers to the stone tablet. Wen: text, here refers to the remaining words on the stele. Yu: Still, still.

9. Nowadays, the word "hua" (huā) is like the "hua (huá)" in "华 (huá) Shi", which is a phonetic error: at first, the Chinese character only had the word "华 (huā)". There was no word "花", but later the word "花" came into being. "华" and "花" separated into different families, and "华" was pronounced as huá. (Wang Anshi believes that the word "花" on the inscription is a modern character written according to the ancient pronunciation of "华", and should still be read as huā instead of huá, which means "华 (huá luxury, vanity) real". Press, that is not what I am talking about here. "Hua Mountain" among the Five Mountains). Yan: speak. Gai: Continuing from the above, explaining the reason means "probably because of". Fallacy: error.

10. Side out: pour out from the side, travel notes: refers to inscribing poems and essays on the cave wall as a souvenir.

11. Up: The noun is used as a verb to go up. Yaoran (yǎo): deep and dark appearance.

12. Question: Explore, investigate. Deep, an adjective can be used as a noun, depth. Then: adverb, used in judgment sentences to express affirmation, equivalent to "just". Poor: exhausted.

13. Hold a fire: hold a torch. Hold, hold, take. Use: conjunction to connect the adverbial and the central word.

14. See: the verb is used as a noun to see the scene.

15. Lazy: slack. And: adverb, will, will.

16. Gai: A word expressing guess, roughly. Shang: Still. Not eleven: less than one-tenth. Can't: less than, less than.

17. And: a conjunction indicating progression, and, and.

18. Then: A conjunction expressing hypothesis, then. To: verb used as noun, the person arriving. Add: more, more.

19. It’s the right time: It’s this time. Fang: Dang, being. It’s time: refers to the time when you decide to exit from the hole.

20. With: equivalent to "er", a conjunction, connecting the adverbial and the central word. Ming: adjective or used as a verb, lighting.

21. Both: already,...after. Its: particle.

22. Rule: Adverb, "jiu", "ben", means that the two things before and after are closely related or very close in time. Or: Someone. Jiu (jiù): blame. Its: That, those.

23. Its: first-person pronoun, referring to oneself. And: Conjunctions express results, so that, so that. Not: can't, Ji: do everything, here it means to enjoy to the fullest, and the adjective can be used as a verb. Husband: This, that, demonstrative pronouns.

24. So: For this situation, therefore. Yan: Modal particle at the end of the sentence.

25. It is used between subject and predicate to cancel the independence of the sentence. It does not need to be translated. Get: experience, gain.

26. With: because. Qiusi: to explore and think. And: conjunction, indicating progression, and. Omnipresent: omnipresent, there is nothing that is not explored and thought about, which refers to thinking about issues broadly and comprehensively.

27. Husband: A word used to express discussion. Yi: flat. With: conjunction, table of juxtaposition, and, and. Then: A conjunction expressing hypothesis, then.

28. And: But. View: scene, landscape. Dangerous and far away, the adjective can be used as a noun, a dangerous and far away place.

29. Er: Therefore. Yan: also a word, equivalent to "here".

30. Sui: follow (others), omit the word "zhi" after the word "sui". Use: conjunction to express the result, so that, so that.

31. As for: here it means arriving, arriving, which is different from modern Chinese used at the beginning of the following to indicate raising another topic. Dark and dim: deep and dark, confusing (place). Confusion: confusion. To: conjunction, table of contents. Phase (xiàng): help, assistance.

32. With: equivalent to "er", a conjunction, connecting the adverbial and the central word. Yan: also a word, equivalent to "here". This sentence omits "erzhi" after "yan".

33. In others: in the eyes of others. For: Yes.

34. Its: an adverb that strengthens the mood of a rhetorical question, can it? Which: Who.

35. Gain: experience, harvest.

36. Misconceptions: Make mistakes about those (related) legends. Fallacy, to make... Fallacy, to make... wrong. Mo Nengming: Can't tell the truth (one tells his real name).

37. He Kesheng said: How can I finish talking. Win, finish.

38. So: means "the reason for...". Choose with caution: Choose with caution.

39. Yi: with (it), therefore. Sadness: Sigh

40. Luling: Today's Ji'an, Jiangxi. Xiao Jungui, also known as Junyu.

41. Changle: Today’s Changle, Fujian. Wang Hui, whose courtesy name is Shenfu. Father: Tong "Fu", the "father" of "Pingfu" and "Chunfu" below are the same.

42. Anguo Pingfu, Anshang Chunfu: Wang Anguo, named Pingfu. Wang Anshang, courtesy name Chunfu.

43. The first year of Zhihe: AD 1054. Zhihe: The reign name of Song Renzong. Linchuan: Today's Linchuan, Jiangxi Province. Wang: Wang Anshi. When the ancients drafted a composition, they often wrote their own names as "someone" or added their surname to "someone", and then wrote their names when they were transcribing. Anthologies compiled based on manuscripts often retain the word "someone".