弘明集 6.83

6.83

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.