The translation is as follows:
I liked reading very much when I was young. My family is poor, so I can't get books to read. I often borrow books from people who collect books, make new books, and return them on time according to the date. Winter is very cold, the ink in the inkstone is frozen, fingers can't bend and straighten, and reading doesn't relax. After copying, uninstall. Running in the street to return books, dare not exceed the agreed time limit. So many people are willing to lend me books that I can read all the books.
As an adult, I admire the theory of ancient sages more, but I can't communicate with knowledgeable teachers and celebrities. Once I rushed hundreds of miles away, holding the scriptures and asking the elders with moral knowledge in the village. His predecessors were highly respected and his disciples crowded his room. His words and attitude have never been euphemistic. I stood beside him, asking questions, asking truth, bending down and listening respectfully; Sometimes when I meet his sounding cymbals, my expression is more respectful.
Etiquette is more thoughtful, dare not say a rebuttal; He was happy and went to consult again. So although I was stupid, I finally learned a lot. Go out for advice, carry a book box, drag shoes, and walk in the deep mountains and valleys. In the middle of winter, the cold wind blows hard and the snow is several feet deep. I don't know. The skin on my feet is cracked with cold. Back to school, my limbs were stiff and I couldn't move. The waiter gave me a hot bath and wrapped me in a quilt, which took me a long time to warm up.
Staying in a hotel, the innkeeper has two meals a day, and there is nothing fresh, fat and delicious to enjoy. Everyone in the classmate's family is dressed in gorgeous clothes, wearing a hat decorated with red hair bands and jewels, with a white jade ring hanging around the waist, a treasure knife on the left and a sachet on the right, which is bright and dazzling, just like a fairy; I am in rags among them, but I am not jealous. Because there are enough happy things in my heart, I don't feel that the enjoyment of food and clothing is not as good as others.
I just study hard. Although I am old now, I have achieved nothing, but fortunately, I am still among the gentlemen, bearing the honor of the son of heaven, following the emperor every day, waiting for inquiries, and praising my name inappropriately under the sun, not to mention anyone who can surpass me. Now students are studying in imperial academy, and the court provides meals every day. Parents give them leather clothes in winter and kudzu clothes in summer, so don't worry about freezing and hunger.
Sitting downstairs reading poetry books, there is no hard work; There are teachers like doctors, who ask for advice without asking themselves and get nothing; All the books you should have are concentrated here. You don't have to copy them by hand like me. You can borrow them from others before you can see them. If some of them are not proficient in their studies and their moral quality has not developed, if they are not talented and have low qualifications, they will not be as single-minded as I am. Can you say it's someone else's fault?
Dongyang Ma studied in imperial academy for two years, and his peers praised his virtue. When I went to the capital to see the emperor, Ma Sheng met me in the same town and wrote a long letter as a gift. He is fluent and approachable, arguing with him with gentle words and humble attitude. He himself said that he worked hard when he was a teenager, and he can be called a good learner! He was going home to meet his parents, so I specifically told him about my study difficulties.
If I encourage fellow villagers to study hard, that is my ambition; If you slander me, brag about my experience and be proud in front of my hometown, do you know me?
Appreciate:
This preface was written by Song Lian to fellow countryman Ma Junze. The author gave him this article to encourage him to study hard, but the meaning was not directly said, but extended from his own personal experience and understanding. It is tactfully implicit, cordial and friendly, and between the lines is full of a virtuous elder's ardent expectations for the younger generation, which is touching to read.