Writing That Runs Counter to Its Author's Aspirations Is Worthless
如果所写文章与自己内心的情志不一致，这样的文章有何价值呢？“言”指言辞、文章，“志”指作者的思想情感。出自南朝刘勰《文心雕龙·情采》。刘勰认为，在创作的时候，应当为情而造文、为志而发言，就像《诗经》的创作者们那样，心中有志向、有愁思、有欢欣，然后发为歌咏，形成诗篇，自然就是佳作。如果所写与所想所感不一样，或者内心苍白、无病呻吟，如此写出的作品就毫无意义。这一术语批评了崇尚浮华、忽视真情实感的现象。
If a piece of writing contradicts its author's aspirations, why bother to write it at all? Here, yan stands for either "speech" or "writing," and zhi refers to an author's feelings and aspirations. The term originates from The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons by Liu Xie of the Southern Dynasties. In Liu's view, a writer should write to express his feelings and aspirations in the same way the authors of The Book of Songs did, bursting into songs and verses to voice their aspirations, sorrows and joys. Only such writings can be truly good. If what they put down on paper does not accord with what they think or feel, or if they themselves are soulless and can only show an affected sentimentality, their writings will naturally prove meaningless. This term criticises writers who are pompous and flashy to the neglect of true feelings.
引例 Citation：
◎夫桃李不言而成蹊，有实存也；男子树兰而不芳，无其情也。夫以草木之微，依情待实；况乎文章，述志为本。言与志反，文岂足征？（刘勰《文心雕龙·情采》）
桃树、李树虽然不会说话，树下却被踩出了小路，那是因为它结出了甘甜的果实；从前有位男子种植兰花，开出的花却没有香气，那是因为没有相应的情感投入。像草木这样的细微之物，还得依赖情感投入（它才绽放香气）或者有待结出果实（树下才会踩出小路）；何况写作文章，就应该以抒写情志作为根本。如果所写的言辞与内心的情志不一致，这种文章还有何价值呢？
Trees bearing peaches and plums do not have to talk, yet the world, attracted by the sweet fruits they yield, beats a path to them. A man once planted an orchid but its flowers did not exude any fragrance. Why? Because he did not put his heart into his cultivation. Even trees and flowers rely on sincere care to bear fruit or to give off a sweet scent. So it is with the business of writing, which is essentially about voicing one's feelings and wishes. If what is written contradicts the author's aspirations, what's the point of writing at all? (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)
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供稿：北京外国语大学 外语教学与研究出版社
责任编辑：钱耐安
