桃花源记 The Peach Blossom Spring

晋太元中，武陵人捕鱼为业。 jìn tài yuán zhōng, wǔ líng rén bǔ yú wéi yè.
In the Taiyuan years of the Jin, a man of Wuling made his living by catching fish.

缘溪行，忘路之远近。 yuán xī xíng, wàng lù zhī yuǎn jìn.
He followed a stream and lost track of how far he had come.

忽逢桃花林，夹岸数百步，中无杂树，芳草鲜美，落英缤纷。 hū féng táo huā lín, jiā àn shù bǎi bù, zhōng wú zá shù, fāng cǎo xiān měi, luò yīng bīn fēn.
Suddenly he came upon a wood of peach trees in bloom. It lined both banks for several hundred paces, with no other kind of tree among them; the grass was fresh and lovely, and fallen petals lay thick and bright.

渔人甚异之，复前行，欲穷其林。 yú rén shèn yì zhī, fù qián xíng, yù qióng qí lín.
The fisherman thought this very strange. He went on, wanting to reach the end of the wood.

林尽水源，便得一山，山有小口，仿佛若有光。 lín jìn shuǐ yuán, biàn dé yī shān, shān yǒu xiǎo kǒu, fǎng fú ruò yǒu guāng.
The wood ended where the stream began, and there he found a hill. In the hill was a small opening, and there seemed to be light inside.

便舍船，从口入。 biàn shě chuán, cóng kǒu rù.
So he left his boat and went in through the opening.

初极狭，才通人。 chū jí xiá, cái tōng rén.
At first it was very narrow, just wide enough for one person.

复行数十步，豁然开朗。 fù xíng shù shí bù, huò rán kāi lǎng.
After a few dozen more paces it suddenly opened out into the light.

土地平旷，屋舍俨然，有良田、美池、桑竹之属。 tǔ dì píng kuàng, wū shè yǎn rán, yǒu liáng tián, měi chí, sāng zhú zhī shǔ.
The land was flat and wide, the houses neatly set out, with good fields, fine ponds, mulberry trees, bamboo and the like.

阡陌交通，鸡犬相闻。 qiān mò jiāo tōng, jī quǎn xiāng wén.
Paths ran between the fields in every direction, and the sounds of chickens and dogs carried from house to house.

其中往来种作，男女衣着，悉如外人。 qí zhōng wǎng lái zhòng zuò, nán nǚ yī zhuó, xī rú wài rén.
People came and went, planting and working, and the men and women dressed just like people outside.

黄发垂髫，并怡然自乐。 huáng fà chuí tiáo, bìng yí rán zì lè.
Old people with yellowed hair and children with their hair hanging loose were all content and happy.

见渔人，乃大惊，问所从来。 jiàn yú rén, nǎi dà jīng, wèn suǒ cóng lái.
When they saw the fisherman they were astonished and asked where he had come from.

具答之。 jù dá zhī.
He answered them in full.

便要还家，设酒杀鸡作食。 biàn yāo huán jiā, shè jiǔ shā jī zuò shí.
They invited him home, set out wine, killed a chicken and made a meal.

村中闻有此人，咸来问讯。 cūn zhōng wén yǒu cǐ rén, xián lái wèn xùn.
When the village heard there was such a man, everyone came to ask him for news.

自云先世避秦时乱，率妻子邑人来此绝境，不复出焉，遂与外人间隔。 zì yún xiān shì bì qín shí luàn, shuài qī zǐ yì rén lái cǐ jué jìng, bù fù chū yān, suì yǔ wài rén jiàn gé.
They said that their ancestors had fled the turmoil of the Qin, bringing their wives, children and neighbours to this cut-off place, and had never gone out again, so they had lost all contact with people outside.

问今是何世，乃不知有汉，无论魏晋。 wèn jīn shì hé shì, nǎi bù zhī yǒu hàn, wú lùn wèi jìn.
They asked what dynasty it was now. They did not know there had been a Han, let alone a Wei or a Jin.

此人一一为具言所闻，皆叹惋。 cǐ rén yī yī wèi jù yán suǒ wén, jiē tàn wǎn.
The fisherman told them one thing after another, everything he knew, and they all sighed in wonder and regret.

余人各复延至其家，皆出酒食。 yú rén gè fù yán zhì qí jiā, jiē chū jiǔ shí.
The others each in turn invited him to their homes, and all brought out wine and food.

停数日，辞去。 tíng shù rì, cí qù.
He stayed several days, then took his leave.

此中人语云：“不足为外人道也。” cǐ zhōng rén yù yún: “bù zú wèi wài rén dào yě.”
The people there told him, “This is not worth mentioning to anyone outside.”

既出，得其船，便扶向路，处处志之。 jì chū, dé qí chuán, biàn fú xiàng lù, chù chù zhì zhī.
Once outside, he found his boat and went back the way he had come, marking the route at every point.

及郡下，诣太守，说如此。 jí jùn xià, yì tài shǒu, shuō rú cǐ.
When he reached the seat of the commandery he went to the governor and told him what had happened.

太守即遣人随其往，寻向所志，遂迷，不复得路。 tài shǒu jí qiǎn rén suí qí wǎng, xún xiàng suǒ zhì, suì mí, bù fù dé lù.
The governor at once sent men to go with him and look for the marks he had made, but they lost their way and never found the road again.

南阳刘子骥，高尚士也，闻之，欣然规往。 nán yáng liú zǐ jì, gāo shàng shì yě, wén zhī, xīn rán guī wǎng.
Liu Ziji of Nanyang, a gentleman of high principles, heard of it and gladly planned to go.

未果，寻病终。 wèi guǒ, xún bìng zhōng.
Nothing came of it; soon afterwards he fell ill and died.

后遂无问津者。 hòu suì wú wèn jīn zhě.
After that no one asked the way there again.