Introduction to Literary Chinese - Lesson 32, Text 2
Adapted from the 1927 book by J. Brandt
賀女壽函
某某仁兄大人閣下敬啟者。接展華翰。敬知本月某日爲伯母大人六旬慶辰。恭維
壽齊王母。德比太美[a]。
符五福之疇[b]。當
九如[c]
之頌。弟蒙惠召。屆時自當登堂進頌。叩祝。慈輝至爲榮幸。茲呈壽禮六色。少紓賀忱。祈呈伯母大人笑納。是禱。此布順頌。近祉。
弟某某拜月日
Notes
[a] 壽齊王母。德比太美
[b] 符五福之疇
"to be worthy of the five blessings"
In the 12th century B.C. the viscount of 箕 Chi explained to 武王 Wu-wang, the first sovereign of the Chou dynasty, the great plan (洪範) of the emperor 禹 Yü which consisted of "nine divisions"(九疇). One of those divisions represented five blessings, viz.
- 壽
- old age
- 富
- wealth
- 康寧
- health
- 攸好德
- love of virtue
- 考終命
- a long life
[c] 九如
the Nine Similitudes which the Chinese very often use when expressing good wishes:
- 如山
- like a mountain
- 如阜
- like a mount
- 如岡
- like a hill
- 如陵
- like a mound
- 如川
- like a stream
- 如月之恒
- as constant as the moon
- 如日之升
- as high as the sun
- 如南山之壽
- as durable as the Southern Mountain
- 如松柏之茂
- as luxuriant as pine and cypress leaves