弘明集 6.83

6.83

謝鎮之白。敬覽夷夏之論。辯搉一源詳據二典。清辭斐暐宮商有體。玄致亹亹其可味乎。吾不崖管昧竭闚幽宗。苦思探賾無階毫糩。但鏡復逾三未消鄙惑。聊述所懷庶聞後釋。

Xie Zhenzhi states: I respectfully perused the Treatise on the Barbarians and the Chinese. It examines one single source and cites the two canons in detail; its pure phrasing is brilliant and elegant, its musical tones possess structure, and its profound import flows ceaselessly—how delightful it is! Without a wide perspective, my dim sight is exhausted in peering at the obscure school; pondering bitterly to explore the subtle, I have no ladder even to a minute grain. Yet reflecting upon it more than three times, my humble doubts have not dissipated; I briefly set down my thoughts in the hope of hearing your subsequent explanation.