先看一棵树。《晋书·嵇康传》说：「性绝巧而好锻。宅中有一柳树甚茂，乃激水圜之，每夏月，居其下以锻。」——他手极巧，喜欢打铁；院里有一棵长得很盛的柳树，他引来水绕着树一圈，每到夏天，就在树下打铁。这一篇先写这个夏天的院子，再写有一天院门外来了一队人，最后写洛阳东市。
一、柳树与水：一个夏天的作坊
「激水圜之」是为了什么，注里说得更实在。《世说新语·简傲》刘孝标注引《文士传》：「康性绝巧，能锻铁。家有盛柳树，乃激水以圜之，夏天甚清凉，恒居其下傲戏，乃身自锻。」——引水绕树，夏天很清凉，他常待在树下，自己动手打铁。「激水圜之」的作用是取凉（注里说「甚清凉」），这一点注明；「傲戏」两个字也照录，不引申。
打铁是不是营生，两页说法不同，要并列。《晋书》：「初，康居贫，尝与向秀共锻于大树之下，以自赡给。」——家里穷，和向秀一起在大树下打铁，用来补贴生计。《世说》注引《文士传》：「家虽贫，有人说锻者，康不受直。唯亲旧以鸡酒往与共饮噉，清言而已。」——有人请他打铁，他不收工钱；只有亲戚旧友提着鸡和酒来，就一起吃喝、清谈。一说靠这个补贴生计，一说给人打铁不收钱——两说并列，本篇不裁断。至于打的是什么、卖给谁、一天打几件，两页都没有。
二、那一次来访
来的人排场不小。《世说》注引《魏氏春秋》：「钟会为大将军兄弟所昵，闻康名而造焉。会名公子，以才能贵幸，乘肥衣轻，宾从如云。」——《世说》正文写院里的情形：「钟要于时贤隽之士，俱往寻康。康方大树下锻，向子期為佐鼓排。康扬槌不辍，傍若无人，移时不交一言。」——向秀在替他拉风箱（「鼓排」一般认为就是鼓风），嵇康举锤不停，像旁边没人，好一阵子一句话也没说。《晋书》的写法是「康不为之礼，而锻不辍」；注引《魏氏春秋》又多一句「康方箕踞而锻」——「箕踞」这种失礼坐姿只见于注，正文没有。
两句话是这一段的核心。钟会起身要走，嵇康才开口：「何所闻而来？何所见而去？」钟会答：「闻所闻而来，见所闻而去。」——《晋书》与《世说》正文文字几乎全同，只作同文对照，不作互证；《世说》多出来的「移时不交一言」，也照录。一问一答，句式几乎一样：问的用「何所」，答的换成「所」；问的是「来」「去」，答的还是「来」「去」。这一次逐客，是靠句式说完的。
怨恨也就从这儿起。《晋书》：「会以此憾之。」《世说》注：「会深衔之。后因吕安事，而遂谮康焉。」后来那份谗言，《晋书》给了整段：「及是，言于文帝曰：『嵇康，卧龙也，不可起。公无忧天下，顾以康为虑耳。』因谮『康欲助毌丘俭，赖山涛不听。昔齐戮华士，鲁诛少正卯，诚以害时乱教，故圣贤去之。康、安等言论放荡，非毁典谟，帝王者所不宜容。宜因衅除之，以淳风俗』。帝既昵听信会，遂并害之。」——谗言是钟会说的，杀人的决定是「帝」下的，两个动作都在，本篇不压成一件私人恩怨（「文帝」一般认为指司马昭，两页未出注）。
三、吕安与那个「凤」字
吕安与嵇康的交情，两页都有一句。《世说·简傲》：「嵇康与吕安善，每一相思，千里命驾。」《晋书》：「东平吕安服康高致，每一相思，辄千里命驾，康友而善之。」——想他了，就驾车千里去见。后来吕安「为兄所枉诉，以事系狱，辞相证引，遂复收康」——吕安被兄长诬告，供辞牵连到嵇康，嵇康因此被抓。案情细节，两页都没有。
另有一条轻慢的记录，也在《简傲》：「安后来，值康不在，喜出户延之，不入。题门上作『凤』字而去。喜不觉，犹以为欣，故作『凤』字，凡鸟也。」——吕安再来，嵇康不在，嵇喜出门迎他，他不进门，在门上写了个「凤」字就走；嵇喜没看出来，还挺高兴。注引《说文》说：「凤，神鸟也。从鸟，凡声。」——「凡」本是声符，拆成「凡鸟」是拆字游戏。所以这不是当面骂人：被嘲的人高高兴兴了一场。
四、东市
最后一段只见于《晋书》，次序很紧：「康将刑东市，太学生三千人请以为师，弗许。康顾视日影，索琴弹之，曰：『昔袁孝尼尝从吾学《广陵散》，吾每靳固之，《广陵散》于今绝矣！』时年四十。」——先求情（三千太学生请他做老师），再被拒，再看日影，再要琴，弹完说这句话，年四十。四步都在一句话里，本篇不打乱；「三千人」是原文的数目，不当实数统计，也不当太学的在册人数。
这一段要标年代：《世说新语·简傲》这一门里没有临刑索琴，它只见于唐修《晋书》（648）。所以它是晚出的叙述，不能写成「当时的记载说」。至于《广陵散》的来历，原文紧接着就有一段夜宿华阳亭、「称是古人」传授的故事——那是志怪笔法，本篇不取；也不写「此曲因此失传」，只照录嵇康那一句话。
五、两页之外
三层材料要分开：《世说·简傲》正文约五世纪；刘孝标注约六世纪，注里引的《文士传》《魏氏春秋》《晋百官名》《干宝晋纪》《说文》反而更早；唐修《晋书》成书在 648 年，采的是晋代旧史，但成书晚不等于所记的事最晚成形——这一层要写清，不能笼统说「史书记载」。竹林七贤，本页只给名单与「竹林之游」，本篇不写团体、不称「七贤之首」、不写清谈玄学。 两页不给的列清：打铁的器物、买主与价钱，太学生的规模与请愿程序，钟会进谗之后的审问与狱辞，嵇康的出生年，都没有；七尺八寸不折厘米，「三千人」不当统计，纪年不折公历。也不写「魏晋风度」「名士风骨」这类通论。这一篇留下的，是一棵柳树、一圈水、一句问答、门上一个「凤」字，和东市上的一次看日影。
延伸阅读：司马相如：四壁、一张琴、一间酒舍 · 投壶：一场酒席上的礼与赌 · 亳社：亡国的社怎么处置
参考来源与延伸阅读
- 《晋书》卷四十九〈嵇康传〉（唐房玄龄等撰；维基文库本，页面白文无注，未与中华书局点校本复核） — The biography, compiled in 648, carrying the whole arc: Ji Kang, style Shuye, of Zhizhi in Qiao; the family, originally of Shangyu in Kuaiji, moved to avoid a feud, and took its surname from Mount Ji beside which they settled; his elder brother Xi; left fatherless early; 'seven chi eight cun tall, fine in voice and manner, with the bearing of a gentleman, but a body of earth and wood that he never adorned' (身長七尺八寸……土木形骸，不自藻飾); 'he studied without a formal teacher' (學不師受); 'married into the Wei imperial clan and was appointed Palace Grandee' (與魏宗室婚，拜中散大夫); 'of a most ingenious nature and fond of forging' (性絶巧而好鍛); the willow in his courtyard with water led round it, under which he forged every summer; Lü An, who 'would drive a thousand li at a single thought of him' (每一相思，輒千里命駕); the arrest after Lü An's brother's false accusation; the scene with Zhong Hui — 'Kang offered him no courtesy and did not stop hammering' (康不爲之禮，而鍛不輟) — the exchange 'what did you hear that brought you here? what did you see that takes you away?' (何所聞而來？何所見而去？), and Zhong's grudge; Zhong's long denunciation before Emperor Wen ('a crouching dragon', 'wanted to aid Guanqiu Jian', 'words loose and unbridled, defaming the statutes'), and 'the emperor, having listened to and trusted Hui, had them both killed' (帝既昵聽信會，遂并害之); the execution in the eastern market, 'three thousand students asked to have him as their teacher, and it was refused' (太學生三千人請以爲師，弗許), the look at the sun's shadow, the lute, 'the Guangling San is from today ended' (《廣陵散》於今絶矣), and 'aged forty' (時年四十). The page marks variant graphs with editorial -{…}- brackets, which are not quoted. The story of the night at Huayang Pavilion follows immediately and is not used here.
- 《世说新语·简傲》（南朝宋刘义庆撰，梁刘孝标注；维基文库本，正文与注同页，注以「注」标出，未与中华书局点校本复核） — The Anecdotes, chapter on arrogance, third and fourth entries, with Liu Xiaobiao's sixth-century notes. Main text: 'Zhong Shiji, refined and eloquent, had not known Ji Kang before. He invited the worthies of the time and went with them to seek Kang. Kang was forging under a great tree, with Xiang Ziqi working the bellows for him. Kang raised his hammer without pausing, as though no one were there, and for a long while did not exchange a word. Zhong rose to go; Kang said: What did you hear that brought you here? What did you see that takes you away? Zhong said: Hearing what I heard, I came; seeing what I saw, I go' (康揚槌不輟，傍若無人，移時不交一言……聞所聞而來，見所見而去). Note quoting the Wen Shi Zhuan: Kang could work iron; the willow with water led round it; in summer it was cool, and he stayed under it at his ease and forged himself; 'though his family was poor, when someone asked him to forge he took no payment; only old friends and relatives brought chickens and wine, and they drank and ate together and talked pure talk' (有人說鍛者，康不受直。唯親舊以雞酒往與共飲噉，清言而已). Note quoting the Wei Shi Chunqiu: Zhong Hui, favoured by the great general's brothers, 'came with fat horses and light furs and a following like clouds'; 'Kang was sitting with legs sprawled, forging, and when Hui arrived offered no courtesy; Hui bore it deeply, and later used the Lü An affair to slander him' (康方箕踞而鍛，會至不爲之禮，會深銜之). The fourth entry: Lü An's visit when Kang was out, his refusal to enter, and the character for phoenix written on the gate, which Xi took as a compliment; note quoting the Shuowen that 鳳 'follows 鳥, with 凡 as its sound'.
