Ouyang Xiu(1007~1072), courtesy name Yongshu, literary name Zuiweng, or Liuyi Jushi, was a Chinese poet, historian, and statesman of the Song Dynasty who reintroduced the simple “ancient style" in Chinese literature and sought to reform Chinese political life through principles of classical Confucianism.

欧阳修(1oo7~1072），字永叔，号醉翁、六一居士，宋代诗人、历史学家、政治家。欧阳修重新把朴素的“古文”引人中国文学，并且试图通过传统的儒家思想原则改革政治生活。

In 1030, Ouyang Xiu placed first in the doctoral examinations and was appointed a judge at the western capital, Luoyang.

1030年，欧阳修考中进士，被任命为西京(今洛阳)留守推官。

He was already known as a brilliant young writer, and at Luoyang he befriended the renowned essayist Yin Zhu and the poet Mei Yaochen.

当时欧阳修已经是很有名的才子了，他在洛阳与著名散文家尹洙和诗人梅尧臣结为至交。

Not only did these friendships enhance Ouyang's status but, more important, they reinforced his strong preference for the simplicity and clarity of the "ancient style."

他们的友谊不但提高欧阳修的地位，而且更重要的是，他们巩固了欧阳修对“古文”简单明了特质的偏爱。

In 1034, he was appointed a collator of texts in the imperial library at the capital, Kaifeng. Two years later, Fan Zhongyan, a government official, was banished at the insistence of an imperial counselor for speaking out against certain official practices and institutions; Ouyang immediately defended Fan and attacked the counselor in writing. As a result, Ouyang, too, was banished and demoted to low judicial office in Hubei and Hunan Provinces.

1034年，欧阳修任都城开封皇室图书馆馆阁校勘两年后范仲淹因大胆上谏而在司谏的坚持下遭贬、欧阳修写信斥责司谏不主持正义，结果他自己也被贬到湖北湖南做小官。

There he wrote the Xin Wudai Shi (“New History of the Five Dynasties"), a history of a period of political chaos lasting through almost the entire 10th century.

欧阳修在那儿写了《新五代史》。在10世纪的五代时期，政乱几乎持续了整个世纪。

Ouyang's strong sense of fairness led him to devote separate sections to political outcasts such as martyrs, rebels, and traitors, a radical departure from previous dynastic histories.

欧阳修强烈的正直感使他在一些章节里记录了被政治所排斥的人，比如:烈士、叛乱者和叛国者。这与以前的王朝史是不同的。

Ouyang was recalled to the capital in 1040 and reinstated in his former office.

1040年，欧阳修被召回京城，官复原职。

Three years later, when Fan Zhongyan, who was also back at the capital, and other high officials began to carry out new political policies, Ouyang participated and put forward some propositions for reforming official institutions and military affairs.

三年后，同样业已回京的范仲淹还有其他一些高官开始执行新政，欧阳修参与了革新并提出改革吏治、军事等主张。

The reformation was aborted two years later;Fan and other reformers were dismissed.

两年后新政失败;范仲淹和其他的改革家被解职。

Ouyang was banished to Anhui Province, where he served as magistrate of one county after another.

欧阳修被贬到安徽各地做太守。

Living in the countryside, he often wrote about the beauty of nature and the pleasures of drinking wine.

在农村，欧阳修经常描写自然之美和饮酒的乐趣。

He called himself Zuiweng ("Old Drunkard"), built a pavilion of that name, and wrote an essay about it, Zuiwengting ji ("Old Drunkard Pavilion"), which has become one of the most celebrated works in Chinese literature.

欧阳修自称“醉翁”，建了座“醉翁亭”，还写了一篇《醉翁亭记》。《醉翁亭记》现在是最著名的中国文学作品之一。

After a term (1050) as defense commander of the southern capital of Shangqiu, in Henan Province, he was recalled to the capital in 1054 to become an academician of the Hanlin Academy.

1050年，欧阳修知应天府，任期过后，欧阳修于1054年奉诏人京，成为翰林学士。

In 1057 he was placed in charge of civil service examinations. He favoured those who wrote in the "ancient style" but failed those who employed literary embellishments.

1057年，欧阳修主持进士考试，他喜欢用“古文”风格行文的考生，放弃那些用辞华丽的考生。

For thus imposing his own ideas of literature on the traditional exami-nation system, he was physically attacked by disgruntled candidates.

因为欧阳修把自己的文学观强加给传统的考试制度，所以他遭到了不满考生的人身攻击。

He survived, however, and the literary style championed by him set a new course for Chinese literature. He praised and promoted brilliant young writers such as Su Dongpo, Su Zhe, and Zeng Gong.

然而，欧阳修活了下来，他所支持的文风也改变了中国文学的发展方向，欧阳修赞扬提拔了一些像苏东坡、苏辙和曾巩这样才华横溢的年轻作家。

When the Xin Tang shu was finished in 1060, Ouyang was rapidly promoted to the highest councils of state, leaving a remarkable record in social, financial, and military affairs.

1060年《新唐书》完成之后，欧阳修很快升任枢密副使，次年任参知政事，以后，又相继任刑部尚书、兵部尚书等职，在社会事务、财务、军事等方面留下了值得注意的记录。

Eventually his position at court became untenable, however, and at age 60 he was approaching the end of his political career.

然而，在欧阳修60岁即将结束自己的政治生涯时，他的政治地位最终发生了动摇。

He was falsely accused of having an affair with his daughter-in-law, a charge that injured his prestige and left him increasingly isolated in the capital.

欧阳修被人诬告与儿媳有染，这使他名声受到破坏，在京城越来孤立。

He repeatedly asked to be relieved of his duties, but instead the new emperor sent him to be magistrate successively in Anhui, Shandong and Henan.

欧阳修多次辞职均未获准，而且新君还接连派他到安徽、山东和河南做官。

In Shandong he opposed the reforms of his former protégé Wang Anshi, particularly a system of loans to farmers at a low interest rate, and he refused to carry them out in his districts.

欧阳修在山东时反对他的门生王安石的新法，特别是青苗法，并且在他的辖区没有执行新法。

In 1071 he was retired with the title of grand preceptor of the crown prince.

1071年，欧阳修以太子少师的身分辞职。

He intended to make his permanent home in beautiful Anhui, the place of his Old Drunkard Pavilion, but he died within months of his retirement.

欧阳修本来想永远住在美丽的安徽(他的醉翁亭所在之地)，但是辞职后没几个月他就去世了。

Ouyang's personal influence and many-faceted activity had a lasting effect.

欧阳修的个人势力和多方面的活动有着持久的影响。

As a statesman, he worked to regenerate political life through classical Confucian principles; he criticized fearlessly, and he recommended the promotion of able men who eventually led opposing parties.

作为政治家，欧阳修努力通过传统的儒家原则改革政治生活;他无畏的进行批判，推荐提拔有能力的人，但是他的门生最终又成了他的反对派。

He was early captivated by writings of Han Yu, whose opposition to Buddhism he shared, though in a more moderate form.

欧阳修很早就迷上了韩愈的著述，他与韩愈都反对佛教，当然没韩愈那么激烈。

As the leader of the literary reform movement in the Northern Song Dynasty, Ouyang established monumental prestige with his creative works and was esteemed as one of the “Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song".

作为北宋文学改良运动的领袖，欧阳修用他创造性的文学作品赢得了不朽的声望并被尊为唐宋八大家之一。

He believed that those who grasp the Dao are able to create excellent works.

欧阳修认为“道胜者，文不难而自至。”

Like Han Yu, Ouyang advocated a simpler, more direct prose to replace the mannered and excessively rhythmic style then popular, and his writings in the resultant guwen style established a model emulated thenceforth.

跟韩愈一样，欧阳修提倡简单、直率的散文风格，摒弃当时盛行的矫揉造作、过于讲究节奏的文风。欧阳修的“古文”风格的著述为后人确立了典范。

He emancipated the fu prose poems from strict conventions and left superb examples of these as well as of the newer ci (lyrics set to popular tunes) and other literary forms.

欧阳修把赋从严格的规矩里解放了出来，变“律体”为“散体”，给赋、词还有其它的文学形式留下了极好的范文。

In his Xin Wudai Shi and Xintangshu, Ouyang Xiu stretched the boundaries of the standard history and praised or censured men and institutions through terse but exact descriptions implying moral judgment, in supposed emulation of Confucius.

在《新五代史》和《新唐书》里，欧阳修延伸了正史的边界，他用简洁精确语言的描述(暗含了道德判断)对人和制度或褒或贬(应该是模仿孔子)。

As a scholar, Ouyang ignored later commentaries and instead sought a fresh and immediate understanding of early texts.

作为学者，欧阳修不看后加的注释，而是对早期的文本进行直接的理解。

He contributed to archaeological study and compiled Jigulu(“The Collection of Antiques”), which covers classical documents from the Zhou to the Tang dynasties.

欧阳修对考古研究也做了贡献，编辑了《集古录》，这本书涵盖了从周至唐的古典文献。

As a painter, he helped create the new wenrenhua (literati) style.

作为画家，欧阳修促进了“文人画”的产生。

His preserved writings include not only his histories but more than 150 chapters of poems, state papers, letters, and other smaller pieces.

欧阳修保存的著述不仅包括他的历史还包括150多章的诗、政府文件、信和其它的小文章。

His Iibrary consisted of 10,000 books and a large collection of literary artifacts and archaeological records from ancient times.

欧阳修的藏书室有1o,000册图书，还有大量的文学典藏和古代留下的考古学记录。

He was honoured posthumously with the title Wenzhong (“literary and loyal").

欧阳修的谥号是“文忠”。