1. Translation:
I was very fond of reading when I was young. (Because) my family was poor, (so) I couldn't buy books to read. I often borrowed them from people who collected books, copied them myself, and calculated the dates to return them on time. It was very cold in winter, and the ink in the inkstone was as hard as ice. My fingers (too cold) could not bend or straighten, and I did not dare to slack off.
After copying, I immediately ran to return the book, not daring to exceed the agreed deadline. Therefore, many people are willing to lend me books, so I can read all the books. When I reached adulthood, I admired the teachings of ancient sages even more, but I was also worried that no talented and knowledgeable people would associate with me. I once ran hundreds of miles away and took scriptures to consult the moral and knowledgeable seniors in the village.
The senior had high moral character and reputation, and his room was crowded with disciples. He never used his words to be tactful and his face to be gentle. I stood and waited on him, asking questions and asking questions. I leaned down and asked him with my ear.
Sometimes when he scolds me loudly, my expression becomes more submissive, my etiquette becomes more thoughtful, and I dare not say a word to refute. When he is happy, I go to ask for advice again. So although I was stupid, I eventually gained knowledge.
When I went out to seek a teacher, I carried a bookcase on my back and dragged my shoes on my back, walking in the deep mountains and canyons. In the middle of winter, the wind was blowing fiercely, the snow was several feet deep, and the skin on my feet was cracked by the frost, but I didn't know it. When I got back to the hotel, my limbs were stiff and I couldn't move. The servant who served me washed me with hot water and wrapped me in a quilt. It took me a long time to warm me up.
I stayed in a hotel, and the hotel owner provided two meals a day, and there was nothing fresh and delicious to enjoy. The other classmates who lived with me were all dressed in gorgeous clothes, hats decorated with red hatbands and jewelry, and rings made of white jade around their waists. They wore swords on the left and sachets on the right. They looked as bright as gods.
I wore tattered clothes and lived with them, but I had no envy. 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. My hard work and hardship in studying are like this!
2. Original text:
I was addicted to learning when I was young. The family was poor and had no way to read the books, so every time they borrowed them from a book collector, they would write them down by hand and count the days to return them. The weather is extremely cold, the inkstone is hard, and the fingers cannot be flexed or stretched, so do not be lazy. After recording, I went to see him off, not daring to exceed the appointment.
Therefore, many people spend their spare time reading books, and I have to read all the books. Not only was he crowned with admiration for the teachings of sages, but he also worried that there were no masters, famous people, and travellers, so he tried to travel hundreds of miles away to study the sutras and ask questions from the elders in his hometown.
The first Dade Long Wangzun, whose disciples filled his room, did not even lose his words. Yu Li waited on the left and right, leaning over to ask questions and ask questions; or when he was yelling at someone, he would become more respectful and courteous, not daring to say a word; when he was pleased, he would ask again. Therefore, although I am stupid, I have learned something.
When I was a disciple, I carried my luggage and dragged my clothes on my back, walking in the deep mountains and huge valleys. There was strong wind in the cold winter, heavy snow several feet deep, and my skin was chapped but I didn’t know it. At the end of the house, the four limbs are stiff and unable to move. The nun holds the soup and fertilizes it, and covers it with a quilt. After a long time, it becomes harmonious. Living in the opposite direction, the host eats again and again every day, and does not enjoy the taste of fresh fat.
All the students in the same room are embroidered with silk, wearing hats decorated with red tassels, a white jade ring around the waist, a sword on the left, and a sword on the right, looking like a god. Those who have no motive for admiration and are content to enjoy themselves do not know that their verbal and physical worship is not as good as that of others. Gai Yu's diligence is as difficult as this.
Extended information:
1. Introduction to the theme
"Preface to Ma Sheng in Dongyang" is a gift preface. "Preface" is a kind of literary style, in which "preface" does not mean "preface", but means "gift". There are two types of "preface": book preface and gift preface. Prefaces to books are relatively early, and they mostly describe the author's interests, origins of writing, etc., such as "Preface to the Book of Changes" and "Taishi Gong's Preface".
2. Appreciation of the article
"Preface to Ma Sheng in Dongyang" is an article sent by Song Lian to Ma Junze, a young man from his hometown of Dongyang County, Zhejiang in the early Ming Dynasty. In this tribute, the author describes his personal experience of humbly seeking advice and studying diligently in his early years, and encourages young people to cherish a good reading environment and concentrate on their studies.
The article vividly and concretely describes the difficulty of borrowing books to seek teachers, and the suffering of running around in hunger and cold, and compares it with the superior conditions of Taipei students, which effectively illustrates that whether academic achievements can be achieved mainly depends on subjectivity. Effort does not depend on the quality of talent or conditions. This understanding still has reference significance today.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Preface to Dongyang Ma Sheng