天下学问，惟夜航船中最难对付。盖村夫俗子，其学问皆预先备办，如瀛洲十八学士，云台二十八将之类，稍差其姓名，辄掩口笑之。彼盖不知十八学士、二十八将，虽失记其姓名，实无害于学问文理，而反谓错落一人，则可耻孰甚。故道听途说，只办口头数十个名氏，便为博学才子矣。余因想吾八越，惟余姚风俗，后生小子，无不读书，及至二十无成，然后习为手艺。故凡百工贱业，其《性理》、《纳鉴》，皆全部烂熟，偶问及一事，则人名、官爵、年号、地方枚举之，未尝不错。学问之富，真是两脚书厨，而其无益于文理考校，与彼目不识丁之人无以异也。或曰："信如此言，则古人姓名总不必记忆矣。"余曰："不然。姓名有不关于文理，不记不妨，如八元、八恺、厨、俊、顾、及之类是也。有关于文理者，不可不记，如四岳、三老、臧谷、徐夫人之类是也。"
昔有一僧人，与一士子同宿夜航船。士子高谈阔论，僧畏慑，拳足而寝。僧人听其语有破绽，乃曰："请问相公，澹台灭明是一个人、两个人？"士子曰："是两个人。"僧曰："这等尧舜是一个人、两个人？"士子曰："自然是一个人！"僧乃笑曰："这等说起来，且待小僧伸伸脚。"余所记载，皆眼前极肤浅之事，吾辈聊且记取，但勿使僧人伸脚则可已矣。故即命其名曰《夜航船》。
Of all questions in the world, those debated on night boats are the hardest to handle. Any village scholar will prepare his questions in advance, like the eighteen scholars of Yingzhou, or the twenty eight generals of Yuntai, for missing but one name or surname will cause him to be grinned and laughed at. For that person who did not know the eighteen scholars or the twenty eight generals, having forgotten a name or a surname does not harm his knowledge or culture, yet he will be called dissipated, to his very shame. Therefore, to make speeches along the roads, one just has to keep in mind and in mouth a score of names, and he will be held for a scholar and a talent.
This reminds me of my Eight Yue, and the traditions in Yutao. Since their youngest age, all little children would learn the classics. Should they not succeed by twenty, they would then be taught a craft. And so, any worker or merchant would know its Treatise of Emotions or its Mirror of Na by heart, and if asked about them, on some occasion, they would list names of people and positions and ranks and dates and places without any mistake. But their culture is that of a bookcase on legs, it was not enriched by studying the classics, and they are not really different from those who cannot even spell.
Now some will say: "If we go by your words, the names of ancient people should not be remembered." I would reply : "Not so. Some names have no relation to culture, and not remembering them does no harm, like the Eight Great Scholars, the Eight Triumphant, the Cases, the Talents, the Watchers, and the Accomplished. Other are related to culture, like the Four Peaks, the Three Ancients, the Hidden Valley, or Dame Xu.
There once was a monk, who shared with a scholar a bunk on a night boat. The scholar talked big and spoke wide, the monk was intimidated, and slept with his feet curled up. But the monk noticed a few mistakes in his speech, and asked : "may I ask your highness, is Tantai Mieming one, or two persons?" The scholar said : "They are two persons". "And this Yaoshun, one or two person?" "One person, of course!" The monk laughed and said : "Having said that, please let this novice extend his feet." I have recorded those things, all very obvious and superficial. Had my colleague known some of them, the little monk never could have extended his feet. So I have called this book "Night Boat"
Edited by fcharton, 18 May 2008 - 06:45 AM.
