Translation of Cao Pi's "Classic Treatise"
Literati despise each other, and this has been the case since ancient times. Fu Yi and Ban Gu were equally talented in literature, but Ban Gu despised Fu Yi. He wrote in a letter to his younger brother Ban Chao: "Fu Wuzhong got the official position of Lantai Lingshi because he could write articles, (but he did not ) Write a thousand words without knowing what to say. Most people are always good at seeing their own advantages. However, there is not only one genre of writing, and few people are good at all genres. Therefore, everyone always despises what others are good at. For those who are not good at it, as the saying goes: "If you have a broken broom at home, you will consider it worth a thousand gold." "This is a problem of not being able to see oneself clearly.
The only literati today are Kong Rong and Kong Wenju from Lu, Chen Lin and Chen Kongzhang from Guangling, Wang Can and Wang Zhongxuan from Shanyang, and Xu Qian from Beihai. Xu Weichang, Ruan Yu and Ruan Wenyu from Chenliu, Ying Yang from Runan and Ying Delian from Dongping, Liu Zhen and Liu Gongqian from Dongping. These "seven sons" are (can be said to be) eclectic in terms of learning and have nothing left out. I have not borrowed the works of others (in the literary world), they are all galloping thousands of miles apart, keeping pace with each other. It is really difficult for them to admire each other. I examine my own talents and think I have the ability. Measuring others, I was able to avoid the drag of being a literati and writing this paper. Wang Can was good at poetry and poetry, and Xu Qian (article) had Qi people's (soothing) habits from time to time, but he was also comparable to Wang Can. For example, Wang Can's "Chu Zheng Fu", "Denglou Fu", "Huai Fu", "Zheng Si Fu", Xu Qian's "Xuan Yuan Fu", "Luo Xie Fu", "Yuan Fan Fu", "Orange Fu" ", even Zhang Heng and Cai Yong cannot surpass it. However, other articles cannot match this. Chen Lin and Ruan Yu's chapters, tables, books, and notes (articles in several genres) are outstanding today. Ying Yang's (articles) were gentle but not powerful enough, Liu Zhen's (articles' momentum) was powerful but not detailed enough (arts and sciences). Kong Rong's style was elegant and transcendent, and he was outstanding, but he was not good at making arguments and his eloquence was better than reasoning. It is even mixed with jokes and teasing remarks. As for the (genre) he is good at, it can be classified into the first class of Yang Xiong and Ban Gu. Most people value the ancients and despise the modern people. They value reputation and do not pay attention to reality. I always think that I am virtuous when I know my shortcomings.
Generally speaking, the essence of the articles (the content expressed in words) is different, but the specific details (genre and form) are different, so the memorials are different. , Refutations are suitable for elegance, letters and expositions are suitable for reasoning, inscriptions and edicts advocate facts, poems and poems should be gorgeous. The styles of these four subjects are different, so those who can write (often) have preferences; only those who are versatile. You can be good at articles of various genres. Articles are dominated by "qi", and there are two types of qi: clear qi and turbid qi. It cannot be obtained by exerting effort. Using music as an analogy, the melody and rhythm of music have the same meaning. The standard of measurement, but luck will not be uniform, and daily skills will also vary. Even if they are fathers and elder brothers, they cannot be taught to sons and younger brothers.
The article is related to governing the country. Great achievements are grand undertakings that can be passed on to future generations and will last forever. There is a time limit to a person's age and longevity, and honor and joy can only last for one life. Both of them end in a certain period of time and cannot be circulated forever like articles. There is no end. . Therefore, ancient authors who devoted themselves to writing and expressed their thoughts and opinions in articles and books did not need to rely on the words of historians or the power of high officials, and their reputation would naturally be passed down to future generations. Therefore, King Wen of Zhou was imprisoned. The "Book of Changes" was deduced, and the "Li" was produced when Zhou Gong became famous. (King Wen) did not stop doing business because of difficulties, and (Zhou Gong) did not change his ambition because of his prosperity. Therefore, the ancients despised a foot of jasper but valued an inch of time. , this is just a fear that time has passed. Most people are unwilling to work hard. The poor are afraid of hunger and cold, while the rich are indulging in the pleasures of ease. So they only know how to manage the affairs in front of them, and give up the achievements that can be passed down for thousands of years. The sun and moon move in the sky, and The human body is aging underground day by day, and suddenly it changes and dies like all other things. This is a sad thing for people with lofty ideals!
Kong Rong and others have passed away, and only Xu Qian authored "Zhonglun", which became a family name.