"Young Life"
Original text: When life is young, the spirit is patented. When you grow up, your thoughts are scattered, so you must educate yourself early and don't miss the opportunity. When I was seven years old, I recited "Lingguang Palace Fu". To this day, I have not forgotten it every ten years. After twenty years, the scriptures I recited will become desolate after being discarded for a month. However, people have obstacles (an) and lose their prime years, just like studying late, so they should not give up. A scholar when young is like the light of the rising sun, and a scholar when old is like walking at night holding a candle, just like a wise man who closes his eyes and sees nothing. --Excerpt 4 of "Yan's Family Instructions"
Translation: When people are young, their minds are focused and sharp. When they grow up, their thoughts are scattered, so they need early education to avoid losing the opportunity to learn. When I was seven years old, I recited "Lingguang Palace Fu". Now, I review it every ten years and I still haven't forgotten it. After the age of 20, if the scriptures you recite are abandoned and put away for a month, they will become desolate. However, people are in trouble and have lost the opportunity to learn in their prime. They should still learn in their later years and not give up on themselves. Those who learn in childhood are like the rays of the rising sun, and those who learn in old age are like walking with torches at night. It is still better than closing your eyes and seeing nothing.
Key words:
15. Patent: dedicated and keen. 16. Already: the same as "with", in the future. 17. Si: Thought. 18. Dissipate: disperse
19. Solid: connect "so", so. 20. Early: as early as possible. 21. Opportunity: opportunity. 22. Chan: recite.
23. "Ode to the Lingguang Palace": written by Wang Yanshou, the son of the Eastern Han Dynasty writer Wang Yi. Lingguang Hall was built by King Lu Gong of the Western Han Dynasty.
24. As for: arriving. 25. Li: sort out, organize, this refers to review. 26. Ju: Still, still. 27. Abandoned: put aside
28. Desolate: abandoned. 29. Ran: However. 30. Hom (ln): Difficulty, hurdle. 31. Late: In old age
32. No: Can’t. 33. Give up on yourself: give up on yourself. 34.Young: In childhood. 35. Such as: like
36. Old: In old age. 37. Bingzhu: holding a torch for lighting. Candle, torch. Bing, hold
38. Night: at night. 39. Walk: Walk. 40. Xian: Better than