此篇文章的核心是论“趣”。在宋人那里，“趣”本来是个艺术审美概念，通常用它来评说作品，而作者却用它来论说具有真美特质的事物，尤其是人的自然真率的生命形态与精神境界。他所谓的“趣”，就是人物的美或魅力。

袁宏道·《叙陈正甫会心集》

世人所难得者唯趣。趣如山上之色、水中之味、花中之光、女中之态，虽善说者不能下一语，唯会心者知之。今之人，慕趣之名，求趣之似，于是有辨说书画、涉猎古董，以为清；寄意玄虚，脱迹尘纷，以为远。又其下，则有如苏州之烧香煮茶者。此等皆趣之皮毛，何关神情！夫趣得之自然者深，得之学问者浅。当其为童子也，不知有趣，然无往而非趣也。面无端容，目无定睛；口喃喃而欲语，足跳跃而不定；人生之至乐，真无逾于此时者。孟子所谓不失赤子，老子所谓能婴儿，盖指此也，趣之正等正觉最上乘也。山林之人，无拘无缚，得自在度日，故虽不求趣而趣近之。愚不肖之近趣也，以无品也，品愈卑，故所求愈下。或为酒肉，或为声伎；率心而行，无所忌惮，自以为绝望于世，故举世非笑之不顾也，此又一趣也。迨夫年渐长，官渐高，品渐大，有身如梏，有心如棘，毛孔骨节，俱为闻见知识所缚，入理愈深，然其去趣愈远矣。[余友陈正甫，深于趣者也，故所述《会心集》若干卷，趣居其多，不然，虽介若伯夷，高若严光，不录也。噫，孰谓有品如君、官如君、年之壮如君、而能知如此者哉]

注：[…] 部分未有英文译文。

Preface to Hweishin Collection of Poems of Chen Chengfu

Yuan Chunglang

I find that zest is a rare gift in life. Zest is like hues on the mountains, taste in water, brilliance in flowers, and charm in women. It is appreciated only by those who have understanding, and is difficult to explain in words. True enough, it is common nowadays to find people who affect a taste in certain diversions. Some cultivate a love for painting, calligraphy, and antiques, and others are fascinated by the mystics and the recluses and the life of a hermit. Still others are like the people of Soochow who make a hobby of tea and incense, turning it almost into a cult. These are superficial, and have nothing to do with real zest and understanding of the flavor in living.

This zest for living is more born in us than cultivated. Children have most of it. They have probably never heard of the word “zest," but they show it everywhere. They find it hard to look solemn; they wink, they grimace, they mumble to themselves, they jump and skip and hop and romp. That is why childhood is the happiest period of a man's life, and why Mencius spoke of “recovering the heart of a child" and Laotse referred to it as a model of man's original nature. The peasants who live near the mountains and forests do not make a cult of these things; in their life of freedom and absence of social conventions, they enjoy the beauties of nature all as a part of their living. The more degenerate men become, the harder they find it to enjoy life. Some are fascinated by merely sensual enjoyments and call it “fun," and find their pleasure in meats and wines and sex and riotous living and defiance of social customs, saying they are thus liberating themselves. Often as one progresses in life, his official rank becomes higher and his social status grows bigger; his body and mind are fettered with a thousand cares and sober duties. Then knowledge, learning, and life experience stop up even his pores and seep down to his hardened joints. The more he knows, the more befuddled he becomes, and the more removed he is from understanding this zest in living.

（林语堂 译）

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