金石錄後序（節選）
Tea in the Hall of Returning: From the Afterword to the Record of Bronze and Stone
Li Qingzhao 李清照 (1084–c. 1155)
Song · dated 1132 in the text; usually placed in 1134

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-008205 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/008205
Rights: Written in the 1130s; the author died about 1155. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Source: Wikisource (zh), 金石錄後序 (李清照), https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/金石錄後序_(李清照) (retrieved 2026-10-11)
English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/li-qingzhao-bronze-and-stone

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右《金石錄》三十卷者何？趙侯德父所著書也。取上自三代，下迄五季，鐘、鼎、甗、鬲、盤、匜、尊、敦之款識，豐碑大碣、顯人晦士之事蹟，凡見於金石刻者二千卷，皆是正偽謬，去取褒貶，上足以合聖人之道，下足以訂史氏之失者，皆載之，可謂多矣。

嗚呼！自王播、元載之禍，書畫與胡椒無異；長輿、元凱之病，錢癖與傳癖何殊？名雖不同，其惑一也。

余建中辛巳，始歸趙氏。時先君作禮部員外郎，丞相時作吏部侍郎，侯年二十一，在太學作學生。趙、李族寒，素貧儉，每朔望謁告出，質衣，取半千錢，步入相國寺，市碑文、果實歸；相對展玩咀嚼，自謂葛天氏之民也。後二年，出仕宦，便有飯蔬衣綀，窮遐方絕域，盡天下古文奇字之志。日就月將，漸益堆積。丞相居政府，親舊或在館閣，多有亡詩、逸史，魯壁、汲塚所未見之書，遂力傳寫；浸覺有味，不能自已。後或見古今名人書畫，一代奇器，亦復脫衣市易。嘗記崇寧間，有人持徐熙《牡丹圖》，求錢二十萬。當時雖貴家子弟，求二十萬錢豈易得耶？留信宿，計無所出而還之。夫婦相向惋悵者數日。

後屏居鄉里十年，仰取俯拾，衣食有餘。連守兩郡，竭其俸入，以事鉛槧。每獲一書，即同共勘校，整集簽題。得書畫、彝鼎，亦摩玩舒卷，指摘疵病，夜盡一燭為率。故能紙札精致，字畫完整，冠諸收書家。余性偶強記，每飯罷，坐歸來堂烹茶，指堆積書史，言某事在某書某卷第幾葉第幾行，以中否角勝負，為飲茶先後。中即舉杯大笑，至茶傾覆懷中，反不得飲而起。甘心老是鄉矣，故雖處憂患困窮，而志不屈。

收書既成，歸來堂起書庫大櫥，簿甲乙，置書冊。如要講讀，即請鑰上簿，關出卷帙，或少損污，必懲責揩完塗改，不復向時之坦夷也。是欲求適意而反取憀慄。余性不耐，始謀食去重肉，衣去重采，首無明珠翡翠之飾，室無塗金刺繡之具，遇書史百家字不刓缺，本不訛謬者，輒市之，儲作副本。自來家傳《周易》、《左氏傳》，故兩家者流，文字最備。於是几案羅列，枕席枕藉，意會心謀，目往神授，樂在聲色狗馬之上。

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嗚呼！余自少陸機作賦之二年，至過蘧瑗知非之兩歲，三十四年之間，憂患得失，何其多也！然有有必有無，有聚必有散，乃理之常。人亡弓，人得之，又胡足道？所以區區記其終始者，亦欲為後世好古博雅者之戒云。

紹興二年玄黓歲，壯月朔甲寅，易安室題。

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右《金石录》三十卷者何？赵侯德父所著书也。取上自三代，下迄五季，钟、鼎、甗、鬲、盘、匜、尊、敦之款识，丰碑大碣、显人晦士之事迹，凡见于金石刻者二千卷，皆是正伪谬，去取褒贬，上足以合圣人之道，下足以订史氏之失者，皆载之，可谓多矣。

呜呼！自王播、元载之祸，书画与胡椒无异；长舆、元凯之病，钱癖与传癖何殊？名虽不同，其惑一也。

余建中辛巳，始归赵氏。时先君作礼部员外郎，丞相时作吏部侍郎，侯年二十一，在太学作学生。赵、李族寒，素贫俭，每朔望谒告出，质衣，取半千钱，步入相国寺，市碑文、果实归；相对展玩咀嚼，自谓葛天氏之民也。后二年，出仕宦，便有饭蔬衣綀，穷遐方绝域，尽天下古文奇字之志。日就月将，渐益堆积。丞相居政府，亲旧或在馆阁，多有亡诗、逸史，鲁壁、汲冢所未见之书，遂力传写；浸觉有味，不能自已。后或见古今名人书画，一代奇器，亦复脱衣市易。尝记崇宁间，有人持徐熙《牡丹图》，求钱二十万。当时虽贵家子弟，求二十万钱岂易得耶？留信宿，计无所出而还之。夫妇相向惋怅者数日。

后屏居乡里十年，仰取俯拾，衣食有余。连守两郡，竭其俸入，以事铅椠。每获一书，即同共勘校，整集签题。得书画、彝鼎，亦摩玩舒卷，指摘疵病，夜尽一烛为率。故能纸札精致，字画完整，冠诸收书家。余性偶强记，每饭罢，坐归来堂烹茶，指堆积书史，言某事在某书某卷第几叶第几行，以中否角胜负，为饮茶先后。中即举杯大笑，至茶倾覆怀中，反不得饮而起。甘心老是乡矣，故虽处忧患困穷，而志不屈。

收书既成，归来堂起书库大橱，簿甲乙，置书册。如要讲读，即请钥上簿，关出卷帙，或少损污，必惩责揩完涂改，不复向时之坦夷也。是欲求适意而反取憀栗。余性不耐，始谋食去重肉，衣去重采，首无明珠翡翠之饰，室无涂金刺绣之具，遇书史百家字不刓缺，本不讹谬者，辄市之，储作副本。自来家传《周易》、《左氏传》，故两家者流，文字最备。于是几案罗列，枕席枕藉，意会心谋，目往神授，乐在声色狗马之上。

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呜呼！余自少陆机作赋之二年，至过蘧瑗知非之两岁，三十四年之间，忧患得失，何其多也！然有有必有无，有聚必有散，乃理之常。人亡弓，人得之，又胡足道？所以区区记其终始者，亦欲为后世好古博雅者之戒云。

绍兴二年玄黓岁，壮月朔甲寅，易安室题。

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

What are these thirty chapters of the Record of Bronze and Stone? They are the book written by my lord Zhao Defu. From the Three Dynasties down to the Five Dynasties, he took the inscriptions on bells, tripods, steamers, cauldrons, basins, ewers, wine vessels and grain bowls, and the deeds of famous and obscure men on great stelae and tablets: two thousand scrolls of everything carved on bronze and stone. In every case he corrected the errors and falsehoods, chose and rejected, praised and blamed; whatever was enough to accord with the way of the sages above, or to correct the mistakes of the historians below, he set down. It may be called a great deal.

Alas! Since the downfall of Wang Bo and Yuan Zai, calligraphy and painting have been no different from pepper; and the failings of Changyu and Yuankai, a passion for money and a passion for the Commentary, how do they differ? The names are not the same, but the folly is one.

In the xinsi year of Jianzhong I came as a bride to the Zhao family. My late father was then a vice-director in the Ministry of Rites, and the chief minister, my father-in-law, was at that time vice-minister of personnel; my lord was twenty-one and a student at the Imperial Academy. The Zhao and Li families were of modest standing and had always been poor and frugal. On the first and fifteenth of every month, when he had leave to go out, he would pawn some clothes for five hundred cash and walk to the Xiangguo Temple, and buy rubbings of inscriptions and fruit to bring home. We would sit facing each other, unrolling the rubbings and savouring them, and thought ourselves people of the age of Getian. Two years later he went out to take office, and from then on he resolved to live on vegetables and wear coarse cloth if need be, to search the farthest places and remotest regions, and to gather every ancient script and strange character in the world. Day by day and month by month the pile grew. While the chief minister was in the government, and relatives and old friends held posts in the court libraries, there were many lost poems and forgotten histories, books not seen even in the wall of Lu or the tomb at Ji; so he set to copying them with all his strength, and as he came to relish it he could not stop. Later, when he saw calligraphy or painting by famous hands old and new, or a remarkable vessel of some former age, he would take off his coat to buy it. I remember that in the Chongning years someone brought a painting of peonies by Xu Xi and asked two hundred thousand cash for it. Even for the sons of rich families in those days, how easy would it have been to find two hundred thousand? We kept it two nights, could think of no way to raise the money, and gave it back. Husband and wife sat facing each other, sorry about it, for days.

Afterwards we lived quietly in our home district for ten years, gathering what we could above and below, and had more than enough food and clothing. Then he governed two prefectures in turn and spent all his salary on lead and tablets. Whenever we got a book we collated it together, put it in order and wrote its label. When we got calligraphy, paintings or ritual bronzes we would also handle them and unroll them and point out their flaws, taking the burning of one candle as our limit for the night. So our paper was fine and our texts complete, the best of any collector's. I happen to have a good memory. After every meal we sat in the Hall of Returning and made tea; pointing at the piles of books, one of us would name a fact and say in which book, which chapter, which leaf and which line it was to be found, and whoever was right drank first. When I won I would raise my cup and laugh so hard that the tea spilled into my lap, and I got up without drinking any. I would gladly have grown old in that country; and so, though we lived through trouble and want, our spirit did not bend.

When the collection was complete we built a library in the Hall of Returning with great cupboards, numbered and listed the books, and shelved the volumes. Anyone who wanted to read had to ask for the key, enter it in the register and take out the volumes; and at the slightest damage or stain they had to make it good, wiping and correcting it. It was no longer the easy ways of before. Wanting ease, we had brought on anxiety instead. I could not bear it, so I began to do without a second dish of meat and a second colour in my clothes; I wore no bright pearls or kingfisher feathers in my hair and had no gilt or embroidery in my rooms; and whenever I came upon a book of history or of the hundred schools whose characters were neither worn nor missing and whose text was free of errors, I bought it at once and kept it as a second copy. Our families had long handed down the Book of Changes and the Zuo Commentary, so our texts in those two traditions were the most complete. Then tables were laid with books, pillows and mats lay among them; our minds met and our thoughts conferred, our eyes went out and our spirits received, and the pleasure of it was greater than music, beauty, dogs and horses.

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Alas! From eighteen, two years short of the age at which Lu Ji wrote his rhapsody, to fifty-two, two years past the age at which Qu Boyu knew his faults, in thirty-four years, how many troubles, gains and losses there have been! Yet where there is having there must be lack, and where there is gathering there must be scattering: that is the constant way of things. A man lost a bow and a man found it; what more is there to say? I have set down this small account from beginning to end only so that lovers of antiquity and learning in later ages may take it as a warning.

Written in the Yi'an Studio, on the first day of the eighth month, a jiayin day, in the second year of Shaoxing, a ren year.