Weiqi（1）

围棋（1）

In China’s ancient board games, the most influential one is Weiqi.It is not only the fad that its complicated development and its changeable situations rouse people’s keen interest,but it contains philosophy as well.

在中国古代的棋类运动中，围棋的影响是最大的。这不光是因为围棋棋局纷繁复杂，棋势变化无穷，能引起人们浓厚的兴趣，还在于它所蕴含的深刻的哲理。

Both the theory of yin and yang by Chinese and the politics of the kingly way are contained in a small board.

小小的棋盘之中，既包含阴阳之理，又蕴有王道政治。

The Birth of Weiqi

围棋的出现

It’s normally said that the birth of weiqi dates back to the Yao-Shun-Yu times,and that is more than 4,000 years ago.

人们通常认为，围棋出现在距今4000多年前的尧舜禹时代。

According to what “A Survey of Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, and Physiology etc.”,by Zhang Hua in the Jin dynasty says “Yao invented Weiqi, and Danzhu was good at it”.

据晋朝张华的《博物志》称:“尧造围棋，而丹朱善围棋。”

This saying is adopted in the two books “The Great Britain Encyclopedia” and “The US Encyclopedia”.

《大英百科全书》和《美国百科全书》也采用这种说法。

In the Warring States period, there appeared the first Weiqi ace named Yi Qiu in Chinese written history.Mencius once used the incident of Yi Qiu to prove the importance of concentration on study, but he also used“the master of Weiqi throughout the whole nation” to praise Yi Qiu,which shows Weiqi might have been rather popular then.

战国时期出现了中国历史上有文字记载的第一位围棋高手，名叫弈秋。孟子曾借用弈秋教徒之事来说明专心致志对于学习的重要性，但他用“通国之善弈者”来评价弈秋，证明战国时期的围棋活动应该已经相当普及了。

Dark-learning’s deep influence on Weiqi Games in Wei and Jin dynasties.

魏晋时期有围棋活动倍受玄风影响

In Qin and Han dynasties, due to the influence of the event-to Burn the Books and Bury the Confucian Scholars Alive by Qin Shihuang (the first emperor of the Qin dynasty), Weiqi was silent for quite a while.

秦汉时期，由于秦始皇焚书坑儒，围棋活动曾一度沉寂。

However,until the end of Han coincident with Wei and Jin dynasties,Weiqi had its first peak in its development history.

但是，到了汉末魏晋时期，中国的围棋活动则迎来了它发展历史上的第一个高峰。

At the end of Han coincident with Wei and Jin dynasties,the conspicuous characteristic was the joining in of a lot of celebrities.

其围棋活动发展的一个突出表现是众多名人的参与。

According to the history record, Cao Cao,Sun Ce,Lu Xun,and Zhuge Jin and so on in the Period of the Three Kingdoms were addicted to Weiqi.

据史载，曹操、孙策、陆逊、诸葛瑾等人均酷爱围棋。

The famous story about Guan Yunchang that he was playing Weiqi with his General Ma Liang while he received operation on his leg with no anaesthetic at all from the miracle-making doctor Hua Tuo also happened in the Three Kingdoms.

而著名的关云长一边与手下大将马良下棋，一边让神医华佗为其刮骨疗毒的故事，也发生在三国时期。

Moreover, influenced by the dark-(earning to surpass the worldly life advocated in Wei and Jin period, some scholars even considered addiction to Weiqi as an expression of unconventional and unrestrained behaviors and a way of forgetting sorrows.

而且，受魏晋时期提倡超越尘世、生活的玄学的影响，一些文人还把沉溺于围棋看作是一种行为放荡的表现和忘忧的手段。

The long-lasting well-known story “Rotten Ax-shaft” in China’s Weiqi history also happened in this era.

魏晋时期中国围棋史上久负盛名的“烂柯”故事。

According to “Stories about the Unusual”in the period of Liang of The Southern dynasty,there was a chopper,Wang Zhi,in Xin’an state in the Jin dynasty.

据南朝梁时《述异记》载，晋朝时，信安郡打柴人王质，

One day,he went to the remote mountains to chop with an ax When he saw two lads were playing Weiqi in the mountains,he stood aside and watched.

有一天，进山打柴，看到有两个童子在山中下棋，他便站在一旁观看。

One of them gave Wang Zhi a Chinese date, and he did not feel thirsty and hungry after eating it.

其中的一个童子递给王质一枚枣，王质吃了后便不觉得饥渴。

Before one game was finished,one of them said to Wang Zhi “you have been here so long that the ax-shaft has already been rotten,and why do not you go home”,

一局棋还未下完，一位童子对王质说，你来了这么久，连斧子柄都烂了，为什么还不回家。

he looked back and found it was really rotten,So he hurried down the mountains for home.

王质回头一看，斧子柄果然烂了，便急忙下山往家赶。

When he got to the village,all had changed except the stone bridge at the entrance to the village.He even did not know where his home was,and he himself had already changed into a hundred-year-old man from youth.

但等他回到居住的村庄一看，除了村头的小石桥，面貌全变了，连自己的家都不知道在哪里，而王质自己也已从一个年轻人变成了百岁老人。