给大家介绍一部传世名作——袁了凡先生著述的家训《了凡四训》，这是改变命运的实例。共11600多字，由《立命之学》《改过之法》《积善之方》《谦德之效》四篇文章组成。
I would like to introduce you a famous writing handed down from ancient times, named “The Four Lessons of Liaofan”, written by Mr. Liaofan Yuan, which shows his living examples of changing fate. It consists of four articles, which are "The Study of Creating Destiny", "Ways to Reform", "How to Practice Good Deeds", "The Benefits of the Virtue of Humility", amounts to more than 11,600 characters in total.
记录了袁了凡先生被精于术数的孔老先生准确算命，之后凡事一一应验，连吃饭斗量、考试名次等都不出推算。
This writing recorded the story of Mr. Liaofan Yuan was told about his fortune by Mr. Kong who was proficient in fortune-telling, and all the prophecies came into reality, even including the amount of rice to be consumed and his test rankings.
因此，了凡先生相信一个人的命运、功名浮沉，都命中有定，连发生的时间、地点都丝毫无差。于是对一切心灰意冷，而淡然无求，也懒于读书求进。
Therefore, Mr. Liaofan Yuan believed that one’s destiny, including fame and fortune, as well as all the vicissitudes, was predestined, even the time and place of the occurrences had already been precisely foretold. So he felt dispirited and indifferent, desiring for nothing, and lost enthusiasm in reading books for further development.
后遇到南京栖霞寺的云谷禅师。云谷禅师告诉他，命运是可以改变的，多做好事，能改变命运。
Later he encountered Chan Master Yun Gu in Qixia Temple of Nanjing, there he was told that the fate could be changed if you do more good deeds.
云谷禅师说，命由己作，福自我求。人能从内心去作努力，力行仁义道德，广种福田，自然能改变自己的命运，得到好的结果。云谷禅师特别强调了“因果观”和“种善因”，使他明白积德的重要，知道要多作善事，才能改变自己的命运。
Master Yun Gu said that destiny is shaped by ourselves and fortunes count on us to cultivate. If you can make efforts from your heart, try your best to be righteous and virtuous, and practice good deeds as possible, then you will alter your fate automatically and reap the kind results. Master Yun Gu especially shed light on the significance of "Philosophy of causality" and "Sow good seeds for good results " to help Mr. Yuan understand the fact that only through practicing charity as often as possible can one changes the destiny.
从此了凡先生猛然觉悟，发心忏悔，力行云谷禅师所授《功过格》。立誓行善三千，并逐日记下，每日处事战战兢兢，不敢放任。并将别号学海改为了凡，以示不愿再像凡夫俗子一样愚庸。这是了凡一生中的又一个重大转折。
Thereafter, Mr. Liaofan Yuan suddenly awakened, decided to repent and live a life according to the ‘Form of Merits and Faults’. He promised to do three thousand good deeds and recorded them on a daily basis. He did everything cautiously and dared not to follow his own inclination. And he changed his name from Xuehai to Liaofan, which demonstrated his will to be different from ignorant and vulgar people. This is another major turning point in his life.
这种改变很快有了结果，到了第二年（1570年）礼部考科举，孔先生预算的应该得第三，竟然考中第一。
This change led to a result quickly. In the second year (1570), according to Mr. Kong, the fortune-teller, in the imperial examination was held by the Ministry of Rites in feudal China, he was supposed to be ranked the third place, but unexpectedly he ranked first in the exam.
孔先生给他算的命，第一次出现不应验。而秋闱考试了凡就中了举人，这也是他命里原先所没有的。这是改造命运效果非常明显的应验。到四十四岁时，经过十年（1569-1579）的不懈努力，三千善行才算完成。
It was the first time that his life varied from the prophecy made by Mr. Kong. And he even became a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level in the Ming and Qing dynasties in the town examination of autumn, which was not mentioned in the original prediction about his life. And it was very clear proof of changing his fate. Only when he had reached forty-four years old, after constant efforts for a decade (1569-1579), had he finished performing the three thousand benevolent acts.
第二年（1580年），了凡从北京回到南京，又许愿行三千善事，起了求子的愿心。
The next year, in 1580, Mr. Liaofan moved from Beijing to Nanjing. He promised to do another three thousand good deeds, and he wished for a son.
When Mr. Liaofan Yuan was 46 years old in 1581, he got a son, named Yan, worded Tian Qi. Yan Yuan was also very knowledgeable, and his essays were very famous at the time. He got the title of JinShi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) when he was forty-four years old in 1625. He was the magistrate of the Gaoyao county in Guangdong province, an eminent official of his great achievement and widespread public praise, and he remained in his office until his death.
When he was 53 years old, two years after he passed the imperial examination, that is, in 1588, when he was predicted to die, Mr. Yuan Liaofan was assigned to take office in the Baodi county, to be a magistrate. He held the post there until 1592. During the four years there, he got rid of maladministration, reduced taxes and corvee, dredged river channels, built embankment and promoted channelization, planted trees and reclaimed wasteland, constructed and repaired coastal defense facilities, improved saline and alkaline land, etc., which constituted his remarkable political achievements.
了凡先生晚年布衣还乡，开始专心研究天文、术数、水利、军政、医药、历法、律吕等等，闭户著书。《了凡四训》就是在这段时间里写的。归家十余年后（1609年）去世，享年七十四岁。
In his later years, Mr. Yuan went back to his hometown as a common citizen after he retired, and began to concentrate on the research in astronomy, prognostication, irrigation works, military and administration, medicine, calendar, music etc., and he refused to entertain guests but to write a lot of books. "The Four Lessons of Liaofan" was written at that time. Ten years later, he died at the age of seventy-four in 1609.
