核舟记

魏学洢 〔明代〕

明有奇巧人曰王叔远，能以径寸之木，为宫室、器皿、人物，以至鸟兽、木石，罔不因势象形，各具情态。尝贻余核舟一，盖大苏泛赤壁云。

舟首尾长约八分有奇，高可二黍许。中轩敞者为舱，箬篷覆之。旁开小窗，左右各四，共八扇。启窗而观，雕栏相望焉。闭之，则右刻“山高月小，水落石出”，左刻“清风徐来，水波不兴”，石青糁之。(箬篷 一作：篛篷)

船头坐三人，中峨冠而多髯者为东坡，佛印居右，鲁直居左。苏、黄共阅一手卷。东坡右手执卷端，左手抚鲁直背。鲁直左手执卷末，右手指卷，如有所语。东坡现右足，鲁直现左足，各微侧，其两膝相比者，各隐卷底衣褶中。佛印绝类弥勒，袒胸露乳，矫首昂视，神情与苏、黄不属。卧右膝，诎右臂支船，而竖其左膝，左臂挂念珠倚之——珠可历历数也。

舟尾横卧一楫。楫左右舟子各一人。居右者椎髻仰面，左手倚一衡木，右手攀右趾，若啸呼状。居左者右手执蒲葵扇，左手抚炉，炉上有壶，其人视端容寂，若听茶声然。

其船背稍夷，则题名其上，文曰“天启壬戌秋日，虞山王毅叔远甫刻”，细若蚊足，钩画了了，其色墨。又用篆章一，文曰“初平山人”，其色丹。

通计一舟，为人五；为窗八；为箬篷，为楫，为炉，为壶，为手卷，为念珠各一；对联、题名并篆文，为字共三十有四。而计其长曾不盈寸。盖简桃核修狭者为之。嘻，技亦灵怪矣哉！

明朝有一个技艺精巧的人名字叫王叔远，他能用直径一寸的木头，雕刻出宫殿、器具、人物，还有飞鸟、走兽、树木、石头，没有一件不是根据木头原来的样子雕刻成各种形状的，各有各的神情姿态。他曾经送给我一个用桃核雕刻成的小船，刻的是苏轼乘船游赤壁的图案。

核舟的船头到船尾大约长八分多一点，有两个黄米粒那么高。中间高起而宽敞的部分是船舱，用箬竹叶做的船篷覆盖着它。旁边开设有小窗，左右各四扇，一共八扇。打开窗户，可以看到雕刻着花纹的栏杆左右相对。关上窗户，就看到一副对联，右边刻着“山高月小，水落石出”，左边刻着“清风徐来，水波不兴”，都涂成了石青色。

船头坐着三个人，中间戴着高高的帽子、胡须浓密的人是苏东坡，佛印位于右边，鲁直位于左边。苏东坡、黄庭坚共同看着一幅书画长卷。东坡右手拿着卷的右端，左手轻按在鲁直的背上。鲁直左手拿着卷的左端，右手指着手卷，好像在说些什么。苏东坡露出右脚，鲁直露出左脚，身子都略微侧斜，他们互相靠近的两膝，都被遮蔽在手卷下边的衣褶里。佛印像极了佛教的弥勒菩萨，袒胸露乳，抬头仰望，神情和苏东坡、鲁直不相类似。他平放右膝，曲着右臂支撑在船板上，左腿曲膝竖起，左臂上挂着一串念珠，靠在左膝上——念珠简直可以清清楚楚地数出来。

船尾横放着一支船桨。船桨的左右两边各有一名撑船的人。位于右边的撑船者梳着椎形发髻，仰着脸，左手倚在一根横木上，右手扳着右脚趾头，好像在大声呼喊的样子。左边撑船的人右手拿着一把蒲葵扇，左手轻按着火炉，炉上有一水壶，那个人的眼光正视着茶炉，神色平静，好像在凝神倾听茶水烧煮的声音。

船的背面较平，作者的名字题写在上面，刻的是“天启壬戌秋日，虞山王毅叔远甫刻”，字像蚊子的脚一样细小，笔画清楚明白，字体的颜色是黑色。还刻着一枚篆字图章，文字是：“初平山人”，字的颜色是红的。

计算这一条船上统共刻了五个人；八扇窗户；用箬竹叶做的船篷，做的船桨，做的炉子，做的茶壶，做的手卷，做的念珠各一件；对联、题名和篆文，刻的字共计三十四个。可是计算它的长度，竟然还不满一寸。原来是挑选长而窄的桃核雕刻而成的。嘻，技艺也真灵巧奇妙啊！

Nuclear boatdown

Wei Xue 洢(Ming dynasty)

Ming has KitQiao people say Wang Shuyuan, to diameter inch of wood, for the palace,vessels, figures, even birds and beasts, wood and stone, because of potentialpictographs, each has modal. Taste Yi Yu nuclear boat one, cover big SupanChibi cloud.

Boat head andtail long about eight odd, high two shu Xu. Medium Xuan Chang for the cabin,ruo cover. There were eight small Windows, four on each side. Open the windowand view, the bar looks at each other. Closed, the right engraved"mountain high month small," left engraved "wind Xu, water waveis not xing", grits. (Reed or other tools: primarily)

The bow sitsthree people, in the e crown and many beard for Dongpo, Fo Yin right, Lu Zhileft. Sue and Huang read a hand roll together. Dongpo right hand roll end, lefthand stroke Lu straight back. Lu Zhi held the end of the book in his left handand pointed to the book in his right hand. Dongpo shows the right foot, Luzhishows the left foot, each side, its two knees compared, each hidden roll bottompleats. Buddha Yin absolute type of Maitreya, bare-breared, upright head, lookand Sue, Huang do not belong to. Lying on his right knee, he twisted his rightarm to support his boat, while upright on his left knee, he hung a rosary onhis left arm -- beads can be counted.

The boat isfully oiled. There is one person on each side of the boat. On the right side ofthe bun, the left hand leans on a balance wood, the right hand up the righttoe, if loud call shape. In the left right hand holding Pu Kui fan, left handstroke the furnace, there is a pot on the furnace, the person looks at the endof the silent, if listen to the sound of tea however.

The back of theship is slightly yi, then the title on it, the text said "Tianqi Ren Xuautumn, Yushan Wang Yi Shu Yuan Fu engraved", fine if the mosquito foot,hook painting, the color ink. Also use seal seal one, Wen said, "earlyPingshan people", its color Dan.

Tong Ji a boat,five; Eight for Windows; For the tent, for the furnace, for the pot, for thehand roll, for a rosary; Couplets, inscriptions and seal characters, for atotal of 30 have four. And its long had not profit inch. Cover simple peach pitrepair narrow for it. Hey, the skill is also strange zai!

In the MingDynasty, there was a skillful man named Wang Shuyuan. He could carve palaces,utensils, figures, birds, animals, trees and stones out of wood with a diameterof one inch. There was not one piece of wood that was not carved into variousshapes, each with its own expression and gesture. He once gave me a boat carvedout of peach stones, engraved with the design of Su Shi sailing to Chibi.

The ship was alittle over eight points long from bow to stern, and as high as two grains ofyellow rice. The high and spacious part in the middle was the cabin, which wascovered with a canopy made of indocalamus leaves. There were eight Windows,four on each side. Open the window and you can see the carved balustradesfacing side to side. Close the window, you see a pair of couplets, engraved onthe right side of the "mountain high on the small," the left side ofthe engraved "wind Xu, water wave is not xing", painted a stone blue.

At the bow satthree men. The man in the middle, with his tall hat and bushy beard, was SuDongpo. Foyin was on the right and Luzhi was on the left. Su Dongpo and HuangTingjian looked at a long scroll of calligraphy and painting together. Dongpois holding the right end of the roll in his right hand, and his left hand islightly pressed on Lu Zhi's back. Lu Zhi held the left end of the roll in hisleft hand and pointed to the roll with his right hand, as if to say something.Su Dongpo showed his right foot, Lu Zhi showed his left, and their bodies wereboth slightly sideways. Their knees, which were close to each other, werehidden in the folds of their clothes under the hand rolls. The Buddha imprintsare very much like Maitreya Bodhisattva of Buddhism, bare-breasted, looking up,and the expression of Su Dongpo, Luzhi is not similar. He rested his right kneeflat, his right arm bent over the plank, his left knee bent up, and on his leftarm hung a rosary, leaning against it -- the rosaries could be counted quiteclearly.

An oar layacross the stern. There is a punter on each side of the oar. The punter on theright, with his hair in a vertebral bun and his face upturned, leaned his lefthand against a crossbar and pulled his right toe in his right hand, as ifShouting. The man on the left side of the boat is holding a Pukui fan in hisright hand, and his left hand is gently pressing the stove on which there is akettle. The man's eyes are facing the tea stove with a calm look, as if he islistening intently to the sound of tea boiling.

The back of theship was flat, and the author's name was inscribed on it. It was engraved withthe words "Tianqi Ren Xu Autumn Day, Yushan Wang Yishu Yuanfu". Thecharacters were as small as mosquito feet, the strokes were clear, and the fontcolor was black. Also engraved with a seal, the text is: "Chuping mountainpeople", the color of the word is red.

It wascalculated that five men had been carved on the ship; Eight Windows; There wasa boat canopy, a boat oar, a stove, a teapot, a hand roll and a rosary made ofindocalamus leaves. A total of 34 characters are engraved in couplets,inscriptions and seal characters. But when its length was calculated, it wasless than an inch. It was carved from long and narrow peach stones. Hey, howclever and wonderful the skill is!