Quick Perception世説新語 捷悟第十一
1Huo inside men makes the character kuo
楊德祖為魏武主簿，時作相國門，始搆榱桷，魏武自出看，使人題門，作「活」字，便去。楊見，即令壞之。既竟，曰：「門中『活』，『闊』字。王正嫌門大也。」
When Yang Dezu was Recorder to Emperor Wu of Wei, the gate of the chancellor's office was being built, and the rafters had only just been framed.
Emperor Wu of Wei came out himself to look. He had a man write the character huo (活) on the gate, and then he left.
Yang Xiu saw it and at once had the gate pulled down. When the work was finished he said, "Huo (活) inside men (門) is the character kuo (闊). The king simply found the gate too wide."
Interlinear notes 2
文士傳曰：「楊脩字德祖，弘農人，太尉彪子。少有才學思榦。魏武為丞相，辟為主簿。脩常白事，知必有反覆教，豫為答對數紙，以次牒之而行。敕守者曰：『向白事，必教出相反覆，若按此次第連答之。』已而風吹紙次亂，守者不別，而遂錯誤。公怒推問，脩慚懼，然以所白甚有理，終亦是脩。後為武帝所誅。」
The Wenshi zhuan says, "Yang Xiu's courtesy name was Dezu. He was a man of Hongnong, the son of Yang Biao, the Grand Commandant. In his youth he had talent, learning, thought, and ability. When Emperor Wu of Wei became chancellor, he summoned him and made him Recorder. Whenever Yang Xiu reported a matter, he knew that instructions would surely come back, so he wrote out several sheets of answers beforehand, put them in order, and went. He ordered the man on duty, 'The matter I have just reported will surely bring instructions back and forth. If so, answer them one after another in this order.' Then the wind blew and the order of the sheets was thrown into confusion. The man on duty could not tell them apart, and in the end they went wrong. The duke was angry and pressed him with questions, and Yang Xiu was ashamed and afraid. Yet what he had reported was very much to the point, so in the end Yang Xiu was right after all. Later he was put to death by Emperor Wu."
A play on splitting characters: huo (活) set inside men (門) gives kuo (闊). — translator
2The duke was telling each man to eat one mouthful
人餉魏武一桮酪，魏武噉少許，蓋頭上題「合」字以示眾。眾莫能解。次至楊脩，脩便噉，曰：「公教人噉一口也，復何疑？」
Someone sent Emperor Wu of Wei a cup of curds.
Emperor Wu of Wei ate a little, wrote the character he (合) on the lid, and showed it to the company. No one of them could make it out.
When the turn came to Yang Xiu, Yang Xiu ate at once and said, "The duke was telling each man to eat one mouthful. What is there still to doubt?"
3My talent falls short of yours by thirty li
魏武嘗過曹娥碑下，楊脩從，碑背上見題作「黃絹幼婦，外孫齏臼」八字。魏武謂脩曰：「解不？」答曰：「解。」魏武曰：「卿未可言，待我思之。」行三十里，魏武乃曰：「吾已得。」令脩別記所知。脩曰：「黃絹，色絲也，於字為絕。幼婦，少女也，於字為妙。外孫，女子也，於字為好。齏臼，受辛也，於字為辤。所謂『絕妙好辤』也。」魏武亦記之，與脩同，乃嘆曰：「我才不及卿，乃覺三十里。」
Emperor Wu of Wei once passed below the stele of Cao E, and Yang Xiu went with him.
On the back of the stele he saw eight characters written: "yellow silk, a young wife, an outside grandchild, a mortar (黃絹幼婦外孫齏臼)."
Emperor Wu of Wei said to Yang Xiu, "Can you solve it?"
He answered, "I can."
Emperor Wu of Wei said, "You are not to speak yet. Wait until I have thought it through."
After they had gone thirty li, Emperor Wu of Wei said, "I have it now."
He had Yang Xiu write down separately what he had worked out. Yang Xiu said, "Yellow silk is colored thread (色絲), and as a character that is jue (絕). A young wife is a young woman (少女), and as a character that is miao (妙). An outside grandchild is a daughter's child (女子), and as a character that is hao (好). A mortar is what receives the pungent (受辛), and as a character that is ci (辤). What it says is 'jue miao hao ci' (絕妙好辤), a surpassingly fine piece of writing."
Emperor Wu of Wei had written his down as well, and it was the same as Yang Xiu's. He sighed and said, "My talent falls short of yours by thirty li."
Interlinear notes 2
會稽典錄曰：「孝女曹娥者，上虞人。父盱，能撫節按歌，婆娑樂神。漢安二年，迎伍君神，泝濤而上，為水所淹，不得其尸。娥年十四，號慕思盱，乃投瓜于江，存其父尸曰：『父在此，瓜當沈。』旬有七日，瓜偶沈，遂自投於江而死。縣長度尚悲憐其義，為之改葬，命其弟子邯鄲子禮為之作碑。」按曹娥碑在會稽中，而魏武、楊修未嘗過江也。異苑曰：「陳留蔡邕避難過吳，讀碑文，以為詩人之作，無詭妄也。因刻石旁作八字。魏武見而不能了，以問群寮，莫有解者。有婦人浣於汾渚，曰：『第四車解。』既而，禰正平也。衡即以離合義解之。或謂此婦人即娥靈也。」
The Kuaiji dianlu says, "The filial daughter Cao E was a woman of Shangyu. Her father Xu could beat time and lead the singing, and dance to delight the spirits. In the second year of Han'an, while welcoming the spirit of Lord Wu, he went up against the waves, was drowned in the water, and his body was not recovered. Cao E was fourteen. She cried aloud in longing and grief for Xu, and threw a melon into the river to find where her father's body lay, saying, 'If my father is here, the melon will sink.' On the seventeenth day the melon happened to sink, and she threw herself into the river and died. Du Shang, the district chief, grieved and pitied her righteousness. He had her buried anew, and ordered his disciple Handan Zili to make a stele for her." On examination: the stele of Cao E stands within Kuaiji, and Emperor Wu of Wei and Yang Xiu never crossed the river. The Yiyuan says, "Cai Yong of Chenliu, fleeing the troubles, passed through Wu. He read the inscription and held it to be a poet's work, with nothing false or reckless in it. So he carved eight characters beside the stone. Emperor Wu of Wei saw them and could not make them out, and he asked his officials, but none could solve them. There was a woman washing at the islet of Fen who said, 'The fourth carriage will solve it.' Presently it proved to be Mi Zhengping. Heng solved it at once by the sense of splitting and joining. Some say that this woman was the spirit of Cao E."
A play on splitting characters: 黃絹 (yellow silk) is 色絲, and the two joined give 絕; 幼婦 (a young wife) is 少女, joined 妙; 外孫 (an outside grandchild) is 女子, joined 好; 齏臼 (a mortar) is 受辛, joined 辤 — that is, 絕妙好辤. — translator
4These could be made into bamboo shields
魏武征袁本初，治裝餘有數十斛竹片，咸長數寸，眾並謂不堪用，正令燒除。太祖甚惜，思所以用之。謂可為竹椑楯，而未顯其言。馳使問主簿楊德祖。應聲答之，與帝正同。眾伏其辯悟。
When Emperor Wu of Wei campaigned against Yuan Benchu, there were several tens of bushels of bamboo strips left over from fitting out the baggage, all of them a few inches long.
The company all said they were of no use and told him to burn them and be rid of them.
Taizu thought it a great pity and considered how they might be used. He judged that they could be made into bamboo shields, but he did not say so openly.
He sent a rider in haste to ask Yang Dezu, the Recorder. The answer came back on the instant, and it was exactly the emperor's own. The company bowed to his ready speech and his quick understanding.
5The awe of Heaven is in your face, and it has left Wen Qiao no room to apologize
王敦引軍垂至大桁，明帝自出中堂。溫嶠為丹陽尹，帝令斷大桁，故未斷，帝大怒，瞋目，左右莫不悚懼。召諸公來。嶠至不謝，但求酒炙。王導須臾至，徒跣下地，謝曰：「天威在顏，遂使溫嶠不容得謝。」嶠於是下謝，帝迺釋然。諸公共嘆王機悟名言。
Wang Dun led his army until it had almost reached the Daheng bridge, and Emperor Ming came out himself to the Central Hall.
Wen Qiao was prefect of Danyang. The emperor had ordered him to cut the Daheng bridge, but he had deliberately not cut it. The emperor was greatly angered and glared, and there was none of those about him who did not tremble with fear.
He had the lords summoned. Wen Qiao came and did not apologize, but asked only for wine and roast meat.
Wang Dao arrived a moment later, came down to the ground barefoot, and apologized. "The awe of Heaven is in your face, and it has left Wen Qiao no room to apologize."
At this Wen Qiao went down and apologized, and the emperor was appeased. The lords all admired Wang Dao's quick understanding and his famous words.
Interlinear notes 1
按晉陽秋、鄧紀皆云：敦將至，嶠燒朱雀橋以阻其兵。而云未斷大桁，致帝怒，大為訛謬。一本云「帝自勸嶠入」，一本作「噉飲帝怒」，此則近也。
On examination: the Jin yangqiu and Deng Can's Jin ji both say that when Wang Dun was about to arrive, Wen Qiao burned the Zhuque bridge to block his troops. To say that he did not cut the Daheng bridge and so angered the emperor is a great error. One text says, "The emperor himself urged Wen Qiao to come in," and one text has, "He ate and drank, and the emperor was angry." This last is the nearer.
6Xi Jiabin tore the letter to pieces
郗司空在北府，桓宣武惡其居兵權。郗於事機素暗，遣牋詣桓：「方欲共獎王室，脩復園陵。」世子嘉賓出行，於道上聞信至，急取牋，視竟，寸寸毀裂，便回。還更作牋，自陳老病，不堪人間，欲乞閑地自養。宣武得牋大喜，即詔轉公督五郡，會稽太守。
Xi, the Minister of Works, was at Beifu, and Huan Xuanwu hated his holding military power.
Xi was by nature dull about the springs of affairs, and meant to send a letter to Huan Wen: "I wish now to join you in upholding the royal house, and in restoring the gardens and the tombs."
His heir Jiabin was out on the road when he heard that a messenger had come. He took the letter in haste, read it to the end, tore it to pieces, and turned straight back.
He went back and wrote the letter again, stating of himself that he was old and ill and could not endure the world of men, and that he begged for a quiet place in which to nurse himself.
Xuanwu received the letter and was greatly pleased. At once by edict he moved the duke to be Governor of Kuaiji with command over five commanderies.
Interlinear notes 2
南徐州記曰：「徐州人多勁悍，號精兵，故桓溫常曰：『京口酒可飲，箕可用，兵可使。』」
The Nan Xuzhou ji says, "The people of Xuzhou were mostly hardy and fierce and were called crack troops. So Huan Wen used to say, 'At Jingkou the wine is worth drinking, the winnowing baskets are worth using, and the soldiers are worth employing.'"
晉陽秋曰：「大司馬將討慕容暐，表求申勸平北愔及袁真等嚴辦。愔以羸疾求退，詔大司馬領愔所任。」按中興書：愔辭此行，溫責其不從，轉授會稽。世說為謬。
The Jin yangqiu says, "The Grand Marshal was about to punish Murong Wei, and he sent up a memorial asking that Xi Yin, the General Who Pacifies the North, and Yuan Zhen and the rest be urged to make ready in earnest. Xi Yin pleaded wasting sickness and asked to retire, and by edict the Grand Marshal took over the charge Xi Yin had held." On examination, the Zhongxing shu says that Xi Yin declined this campaign, that Huan Wen reproached him for not complying, and that he was transferred to Kuaiji. The Shishuo is mistaken.
7Only Wang of Dongting was there in front, shining
王東亭作宣武主簿，嘗春月與石頭兄弟乘馬出郊野；時彥同遊者，連鑣俱進，唯東亭一人常在前，覺數十步，諸人莫之解。石頭等既疲倦。俄而乘輿向，諸人皆似從官，唯東亭奕奕在前。其悟捷如此。
When Wang of Dongting was Recorder to Xuanwu, he once went out into the country on horseback in the spring with the Shitou brothers.
The gentlemen of the day who rode out with them went forward together, bridle beside bridle, and only Wang of Dongting was always in front. They noticed that he was several tens of paces ahead, and none of them could account for it.
Shitou and the rest grew weary and worn.
Presently the imperial carriage came on, and all of them looked like officials in attendance; only Wang of Dongting was there in front, shining. So quick was his understanding.
Interlinear notes 1
石頭，桓遐小字。中興書曰：「遐字伯道，溫長子也。仕至豫州刺史。」
Shitou was Huan Xia's childhood name. The Zhongxing shu says, "Xia's courtesy name was Bodao; he was Huan Wen's eldest son. He rose in office to Inspector of Yuzhou."