Translation of one sentence from the original text of "The Story of Climbing Mount Tai"

One sentence of the original text of "The Story of Climbing Mount Tai" is translated:

Original text: The yang of Mount Tai is that the Wen River flows to the west; its yin is that the Jishui River flows to the east. The Yang Valley all enters Wen, and the Yin Valley all enters Ji. When it is divided into north and south, it is the ancient Great Wall. The highest Sun View Peak is fifteen miles south of the Great Wall.

Translation: To the south of Mount Tai, the Wen River flows to the west; to the north of Mount Tai, the Jishui River flows to the east. The water in the sunny valley in the south flows into Wenhe River, and the water in the shady valley in the north flows into Jishui. At the boundary between the north and south valleys is the ancient Great Wall. The highest Riguan Peak is located fifteen miles south of the Great Wall.

Original text: In December of the 39th year of Qianlong's reign, I rode the wind and snow from the capital, traveled through Qihe and Changqing, passed through the northwest valley of Tai'an, and crossed the limit of the Great Wall to Tai'an. It was the end of the month, and I went up from the southern foot with the prefect Zhu Xiaochun and Ziying. For forty-five miles, the roads are all made of stones, with more than seven thousand levels. There are three valleys directly south of Mount Tai. The middle valley goes around the foot of Tai'an City, and the Li Dao is surrounded by water.

I started to follow it in, and the road was less than half way, crossed the middle ridge, followed the west valley again, and then reached its top. In ancient times, when climbing mountains, one would follow the east valley and there would be a Tianmen on the way. The east valley is called the Tianmen Stream in ancient times, and it cannot be reached by others. Nowadays, the cliffs in the middle ridges and mountain tops that pass by are limited to those on the road, and the world calls them Tianmenyun. The road is foggy and slippery, making it almost impossible to climb. As we go up, Cangshan Mountain is covered with snow, and the sky is bright with candles to the south. Looking at the city outline in the evening, Wenshui and Cuulai are picturesque, while half of the mountain is covered with mist.

Translation: In December of the 39th year of Qianlong's reign, I set out from the capital, braved the wind and snow, passed through Qihe County and Changqing County, crossed the northwest valley of Mount Tai, and crossed the boundary of the Great Wall. Arrive at Tai'an. On the last day of this month, Zhu Xiaochun, the prefect of Tai'an, and I climbed the mountain from the foot of the southern mountain. Walking forty-five miles, the road is made of stone steps, with more than 7,000 steps.

There are three valleys directly south of Mount Tai. The water in the middle valley surrounds Tai'an City. This is the ringed water mentioned in Li Daoyuan's book. I started walking along the middle valley. Less than halfway through the road, you cross the middle ridge and then follow the valley to the west to reach the top of Mount Tai. In ancient times, when climbing Mount Tai, one had to enter along the east valley. There was a Tianmen on the road.

The valley to the east was called "Tianmen Stream" in ancient times, which I have never been to. Now passing through the middle ridge and the top of the mountain, the cliff blocking the road like a threshold is called "Tianmen" by people in the world. The road was foggy, icy and slippery, and the stone steps were almost impossible to climb.

When we reached the top of the mountain, we saw that the dark green mountain was covered with white snow, and the bright snow light shone in the southern sky. Looking at the sunset reflecting on Tai'an City from a distance, Wenshui and Cuulai Mountains are like a beautiful landscape painting, and the clouds and mist staying halfway up the mountain are like a dancing ribbon.

Original text: Wushenhui, Wugu, and Ziying sat in the sungazing pavilion, waiting for the sunrise. The strong wind blew up the snow, which hit the face. To the east of the pavilion, it spread all over the ground. In the clouds, I could see dozens of tall white trees standing there, which looked like mountains. The clouds in the sky are of different colors, turning into five colors in a moment. Above the sun, it is as red as a pill, and below there is a red light. It shakes and bears it, and it may be said that this is the East China Sea. Looking back at the sun peak to the west, whether the sun is shining or not, the colors are bright and crimson, and they all look like hunchbacks.

Translation: Wushen day is the last day of December. At the fifth watch, Zhu Xiaochun and I were sitting on the sun viewing pavilion, waiting to watch the sunrise. At this time, the snow raised by the strong wind was blowing in my face. The east side of the Riguan Pavilion is covered with mist from the bottom down, and dozens of small white dots in the clouds can be vaguely seen standing there like "five wooden" dice, which are distant mountains.

There is a line of strange colors on the clouds on the horizon, and after a while it becomes colorful again. The sun has risen, its pure red color is like cinnabar, and there is a red light swaying underneath, supporting it. Some people say that it is the East China Sea. Looking back at the peaks to the west of Riguan Peak, some are illuminated by the sun, some are not, purple red, light white, various shades of colors, and they all look like they are hunched over.

To the west of the pavilion there is Dai Temple and Bixia Yuanjun Temple. The emperor's palace is in the east of Bixia Yuanjun Temple. On this day, the stone carvings in Guandao were lost. Since the Xianqing period of the Tang Dynasty, all the ancient carvings have been lost. If you are out of the way and don't follow the right path, you won't be able to go there. To the west of Riguan Pavilion, there is a Dongyue Emperor Temple and a Bixia Yuanjun Temple.

The emperor's palace is just east of Bixia Yuanjun Temple. That day I saw stone tablets carved on both sides of the road, dating from the Xianqing period of the Tang Dynasty; those older stone tablets have all been erased. As for the remote stone monuments that are not on the roadside, I didn’t even have time to look at them.

Original text: There are many rocks and little soil in the mountains. The stone is pale black, mostly square and less round. There are few miscellaneous trees, many pine trees, and stone fences, all with flat tops. Ice and snow, no waterfalls, no traces of birds and animals. On the solstice, there are no trees in the sky, and the snow is as deep as a person’s knees.

Translation: There are many rocks and little soil on the mountain. The rocks are all green and black, mostly flat and square, rarely round. There are very few miscellaneous trees, mostly pine trees. The pine trees all grow in the gaps between the stones, and the tops of the trees are flat. In the ice and snow, there are no waterfalls or streams, and there are no sounds or traces of birds and animals. There are no trees within a few miles of Riguan Peak, and the snow is as thick as a person's knees.

About the author of "Climbing Mount Tai":

"Climbing Mount Tai" was written by Yao Nai, a master of the Tongcheng School in the Qing Dynasty, and his close friend Tai'an in the 39th year of Qianlong's reign (1774). The prefect Zhu Xiaochun wrote his travel notes after going to Mount Tai and observing the sun. Known as Mr. Xibao, he was a Jinshi in the 28th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty. He was promoted to the rank of doctor in the Ministry of Punishment and was named as the censor. He has been in charge of academies in Jiangning, Yangzhou and other places for forty years and participated in the compilation of "Sikuquanshu".

Uncle Yao Fan taught him classics, and he also learned ancient Chinese from Liu Dakui, who became the main writer of the "Tongcheng School". It is advocated that articles must use "textual research" and "words and chapters" as means to express the "righteousness" of Confucianism, and distinguish the style of articles by masculinity and femininity.

The article begins with the geographical environment. In December of the 39th year of Qianlong's reign, he and Zhu Xiaochun climbed Mount Tai, specifying the date and weather conditions. This is the highlight of the article. They climbed to the top of the mountain and waited. Sunrise depicts the majestic sunrise wonders, and the full text describes the beauty of Mount Tai and the beauty of ancient culture.

This article is one of the best among travel notes. Because it describes travel in the cold winter, it is even more unique.