Translation:The Story of the Stone/Chapter 1

by Cao Xueqin

Prologue

第一回	Chapter 1
甄士隱夢幻識通靈　賈雨村風塵懷閨秀	Zhen Encountered the Magic Stone in a Dream, Jia had a Crush for an Outstanding Maiden in the World of Uncertainty[1]

---

列位看官，你道此書從何而來？說起根由雖近荒唐，細谙則深有趣味。待在下將此來歷註明，方使聞者了然不惑。

Dear readers, do you like to learn where this book came about? Though the root of it is nearly absurd, there is a taste of interest in it if you meticulously think about it. Wait for me to make it clear the origin of it so that you won't be confused.

2

原來，當年女媧氏煉石補天之時，於大荒山無稽崖煉成高經十二丈、方經二十四丈頑石三萬六千五百零一塊。媧皇氏只用了三萬六千五百塊，只單單的剩下了一塊未用，便弃在此山青埂峰下。誰知此石自經煅煉之後，靈性已通，因見衆石俱得補天，獨自己無材不堪入選，遂自怨自嗟，日夜悲號慚愧。

Originally, in those years, when Nüwa was smelting stones to repair the sky, she smelted and made thirty six thousand, five hundred and one cubes of stubborn stone of twelve-yard high and twenty-four-yard around at Unfounded Precipice, Great Absurd Mountain. Nüwa only used thirty six thousand, five hundred cubes, singly left one cube unused. She then abandoned it at the bottom of Green Geng Peak in this mountain.[2] Surprisingly this stone acquired sense after experienced smelting. It saw all various stones could be used to fix the sky but he himself alone had no talent and was discarded; therefore fill with self-imputes, self-sighs, he had been grievously wailing and feeling ashamed day and night.

3

一日，正當嗟悼之餘，俄見一僧一道遠遠而來，生得氣骨不凡，豐神迥異，說說笑笑來至峰下，坐於石邊高談快論。先是說些雲山霧海，神僊玄幻之事，後便說到紅塵中榮華富貴。此石聽了，不覺打動凡心，也想要到人間去享一享這榮華富貴，但自恨粗蠢，不得已，便口吐人言，向那僧道說道：「大師！弟子蠢物，不能見禮了。適聞二位談那人世間榮耀繁華，心切慕之。弟子質雖粗蠢，性却稍通，况見二師仙形道體，定非凡品，必有補天濟世之材，利物濟人之德。如蒙發一點慈心，携帶弟子得入紅塵，在那富貴場中、溫柔鄉裏受享幾年，自當永佩洪恩，萬劫不忘也。」二仙師聽畢，齊憨笑道：「善哉，善哉！那紅塵中有却有些樂事，但不能永遠依恃。况又有『美中不足，好事多魔』八個字緊相連屬，瞬息間則又樂極悲生，人非物換；究竟是到頭一夢，萬境歸空。倒不如不去的好。」這石凡心已熾，那裡聽得進這話去，乃復苦求再四。二仙知不可强制，乃嘆道：「此亦靜極思動，無中生有之數也。既如此，我們便携你去受享受享，只是到不得意時，切莫後悔。」石道：「自然，自然。」那僧又道：「若說你性靈，却又如此質蠢，並更無奇貴之處，如此也只好踮脚而已。也罷，我如今大施佛法助你助，待劫終之日，復還本質，以了此案。你道好否？」石頭聽了，感謝不盡。那僧便念咒書符，大展幻術，將一塊大石，登時變成一塊鮮明瑩潔的美玉，且又縮成扇墜大小的可佩可拿。那僧托於掌上，笑道：「形體倒也是個寶物了，還只沒有實在的好處，得再鐫上數字，使人一見便知是奇物方妙。然後好携你到那昌明隆盛之邦，詩禮簪纓之族，花錦繁華之地，溫柔富貴之鄉去安身樂業。」石頭聽了，喜不能禁，乃問：「不知弟子那幾件奇處，又不知携了弟子到何處？望乞明示，使弟子不惑。」那僧笑道：「你且莫問，日後自然明白的。」說着，便袖了那石，同那道人飄然而去，竟不知投奔何方何舍去了。

One day, just after tear dropping and sighing, he suddenly saw a monk and a Taoist coming at distance. They bore unusually in spirituality and had rich soul of completely different from ordinary. Laughing and chatting, they came to the bottom of the peak, then they sit by the side of the stone and talk about great issues. First they talked about some clouded mountains, fogged seas and illusory immortal lives, and later they mentioned the flourishness and luxury in the worldly world. This stone listened, could not help being attracted by temporal desire, wanted to go to world too, to enjoy the flourishness and luxury. However, he hated being silly and had no choice, so he uttered words and said to the monk and the Taoist: "Masters! I'm sorry I am a useless item and won't be able to perform courteous formality. I over-heard your conversation about the glory and prosperity in the world, and I am eager to admire it. Although my quality is rough and lacking knowledge, I am with a sense of nature. I can see your figures of Taoist immortality, and know you are certainly extraordinary. You must have the material to remedy the sky and the earth, and the virtue of benefiting the people. If you could be so kind as to bring me into the world, in the rich and honorable fairs and in the gentle and romantic towns, for me to enjoy it for a few years, I will never forget your great favor.” The two immortal masters listened, and chuckled: “Goodness, goodness! There is some pleasure in the red dust, but it won't last forever. In addition, there are the words -'the beauty is inadequate, the good things are accompanied by devil' -they are closely related to each other - in a flash, great happiness turns into deep sorrow, and people and things are no more as they were before. After all, it will be a dream in the end, and all realms are empty. It is better not to go at all." However Stone's heart was already burning - he was so eager to experience the life in the world; he won't listen to the warning words, and he begged them again and again to bring him to the world. The two immortals knew that they could not stop him, and they sighed: "This is because being idle for too long cultivates a tendency of motion - utterly unnecessary experiences are the fate. In this case, we will carry you to enjoy the life, but when you suffer, don't regret it." Stone said: "Certainly, certainly.” The monk said again, “If I say that you are spiritually sensible you are clumsy in nature in real life in the meantime; and you don't possess precious talent, so you have to stand on tiptoe. Not to mention, I am now doing great Buddhadharma to help you - until the end of the catastrophe, the essence will be restored, and the case will be settled. Are you agree with that?" Stone listened, thanking him endlessly. The monk chanted curses and amulets, displayed illusion skills, and instantly turned the large stone into a bright and clean jade, which was shrunk into the size of a fan-pendant. The monk put it in his palm, smiled and said, "The body is a treasure, but it has no real benefits. Words should be curved on it so that people will know that it is unusual at first sight. Then we can take it to the prosperous place, in a family of nobility of poetry and rituals, a prosperous land of flowers and brocades, a world of gentleness and wealth, to settle down and enjoy life." Stone heard that, he couldn’t help but asked, "I don’t know what strange things are to happen on me, and I don’t know to where you are to bring me? Would you please show that to me so that I will not be confused?" The monk smiled and said, "Don't ask, you will understand it in the future." After saying that, he put the stone inside his sleeve and drifted away with the Taoist. No one knows where they went.

1. a Chinese word figuring "uncertainties in an unstable society" Source
2. "Green Geng" is a homonym of "the root of emotion"