弘明集 4.18

4.18

聖慮難原神應不測。中散所云。中人自竭。莫得其端。豈其淺岸所可探抽。徒以魏文火布見刊異世。滕循蝦鬚取愧當時。故於度外之事怯以意裁耳。足下已審其虛實。方書之不朽獨鑒堅精。難復疑間。聊寫餘懷依答條釋。事緯殃福義雜胡華。雖存簡章自至煩文。過此以往余欲無言。

The sagely deliberations are hard to fathom, and spiritual responses cannot be measured. As the Master of Central Scattering [Xi Kang] said, 'Those of middling capacity exhaust themselves, yet none can find their beginning.' How could shallow shores probe and draw from them? It is merely that Emperor Wen of Wei's asbestos cloth was recorded as an anomaly in another age, and Teng Xun's shrimp whiskers brought shame upon his contemporaries; hence with matters beyond regular measures, one is timorous about judging them arbitrarily. You have already examined their reality and falsehood, and are now recording them for immortality, uniquely discerning their firmness and refinement. It is hard to raise further doubts. I merely write down my remaining thoughts, resolving them point by point in accordance with your reply. The affairs intertwine misfortune and blessing; the concepts mingle the barbarian and the Huaxia. Although aiming for concise statements, it spontaneously amounts to a wordy text. Beyond this, I wish to say no more.