原文

刻印

陈乔生善篆刻，常为《四面石章赋》云："印章之便者，莫如四面矣。六则妨持，两则罕变，酌于行藏，四始尽善。若夫青田旧冻，美石胜玉，净比菜心，润同栗熟。磨之方正，角八面六，随手皆安，平心各足。罔事螭蟠，奚容斗覆。或方孔横通，或混沌不窍。贯组何伤，待铭亦妙。小匠既治，名公始制。逖访甘，何，迩推陈，魏。祖述秦汉，旁搜书契。龙信蠖屈，凤仪虎势。或虫籀以间斯冰，或斋堂以参名氏，或阴文而配阳字，或道号而隆私记。油朱璀璨，铁笔神丽。缓用勤拭。披文游艺。故足贵也。彼夫刻意龟駞，殚精绾纽，不解六书，徒作矫輮。玩物丧志，亦孔之丑。吾无取焉"。

白话

中文

陈乔生擅长篆刻，曾作《四面石章赋》说：“印章之中最方便使用的，没有比四面印更好的了。六面印不方便持握，两面印变化太少，衡量实用与收藏的需求，四面印才最为完善。说到那青田旧冻石，这种美石胜过宝玉，洁净得如同白菜心，温润得好似熟栗子。将它打磨得方方正正，有八个棱角六个面（指印体，不含印面），无论怎么拿都安稳，平放时各个面也都妥帖。不需要雕琢蟠龙作钮，也不用做成覆斗形状的钮。有的（在印钮处）钻通方形的孔，有的则保持浑然一体不开孔。穿上绶带也无妨，留待镌刻（边款）也很妙。普通工匠整治好石料，名家高手才开始雕刻。远的可追溯甘旸、何震，近的则推崇陈鸿寿、魏锡曾（此处指代前代名家或风格流派）。（篆刻要）师法秦汉古印，广泛搜集研究古代文字。笔画要如龙之蜿蜒、尺蠖之屈伸，体势要有凤凰的仪态、猛虎的气势。或者用虫书、籀文与李斯、李阳冰的风格相间，或者将斋馆名号与姓名结合，或者阴文与阳文相配，或者将道号与私人印记并列。印泥色彩鲜艳亮丽，刻刀技法神奇瑰丽。（印章要）小心使用、时常擦拭。通过文字来涵养艺术情操。这才是真正可贵的。至于那些人，刻意雕琢龟钮、驼钮，在印钮上费尽心思，却不懂得‘六书’（汉字造字原则），只是徒劳地扭捏作态。这种玩物丧志的行为，实在是非常鄙陋的。我是不取这种做法的。”

英文

Chen Qiaosheng excelled at seal carving and once wrote the "Rhapsody on Four-Sided Stone Seals," stating: "Among seals, none are more convenient to use than the four-sided ones. Six-sided seals are awkward to hold, while two-sided ones offer little variation. Balancing practical use and collection needs, the four-sided seal is the most perfect. As for old Qingtian 'frozen' stone, this beautiful stone surpasses jade; its clarity rivals the heart of a cabbage, its luster is like a ripe chestnut. Polished into a square shape, with eight edges and six faces (referring to the body, not the seal faces), it rests securely however held, and sits stably on any side. There's no need for carved coiling dragons as knobs, nor for knobs shaped like inverted measuring cups. Some have a square hole drilled through (the knob area), while others remain solid without an opening. Threading a cord through it is fine, and leaving space for inscriptions (side colophons) is also excellent. Basic artisans prepare the stone, and then the renowned masters begin to carve. Distantly, one seeks inspiration from Gan Yang and He Zhen; more recently, Chen Hongshou and Wei Xizeng (referring to past masters or stylistic schools) are esteemed. (Seal carving should) emulate the Qin and Han dynasty styles and broadly research ancient scripts. Strokes should possess the sinuousness of dragons and the flexion of inchworms; the structure should have the grace of a phoenix and the power of a tiger. Perhaps intersperse Bird-Worm script or Greater Seal script with the styles of Li Si and Li Yangbing, or combine studio names with personal names, or pair intaglio characters (yinwen) with relief characters (yangwen), or place Daoist names alongside private marks. The vermilion paste is brilliant, the 'iron brush' (carving knife) work is divinely beautiful. Use (the seal) gently, wipe it diligently. Cultivate artistic sentiment through literature. This is what is truly valuable. As for those who deliberately carve turtle or camel knobs, exhausting their efforts on elaborate knots (knobs), yet do not understand the 'Six Scripts' (principles of character formation), they merely engage in affected contortions. This 'losing one's aspiration by indulging in objects' is truly vulgar. I do not subscribe to such practices."

文化解读/分析

此篇《四面石章赋》由篆刻家陈乔生所作，集中体现了清代文人篆刻的审美观和价值观：

1. 实用与审美的结合：文章开篇强调四面印的实用便利性，反对过于复杂（六面）或过于简单（两面）的形式，体现了在追求艺术的同时不失器物本身的实用功能。
2. 材质的选择与品评：特别推崇青田石，并用“胜玉”、“净比菜心”、“润同栗熟”等生动比喻形容其质地，反映了印材在篆刻艺术中的重要地位及其审美标准。
3. 崇尚古朴，师法秦汉：“祖述秦汉，旁搜书契”是文人篆刻的核心思想，强调追溯秦汉古印的风格和文字学根源，追求古朴、典雅的艺术境界。
4. 篆法与章法并重：描述印文风格时，提及“龙信蠖屈，凤仪虎势”，以及虫籀、斯冰（小篆）等字体风格的运用，并论及阴阳文、斋馆名与姓氏的组合方式，体现了对文字线条美（篆法）和印面布局（章法）的高度重视。
5. 重“文”轻“饰”的价值观：赋中明确反对在印钮上过度雕饰（“刻意龟駞，殚精绾纽”），尤其是在不理解“六书”（汉字构造和使用法则）的情况下，认为这是舍本逐末、玩物丧志的行为。这反映了文人强调内在学养（文字学功底）高于外在装饰（繁复钮饰）的价值取向。
6. 篆刻的文人属性：“披文游艺”点明了篆刻不仅仅是一门技艺，更是文人涵养性情、寄托情怀的方式。提及甘、何、陈、魏等前代名家，也显示了篆刻艺术的传承脉络和文人圈内的相互推崇。
7. 印章的功用多样性：提到了印章的不同内容，如斋馆名、姓名、道号、私记等，反映了印章在当时社会生活中的多种用途。

总而言之，陈乔生的这篇短赋是研究清代文人篆刻思想、审美标准、技法要求及文化价值的重要文献，体现了实用、师古、重文、尚雅的特点。

关键词

陈乔生, 四面石章赋, 广东新语, 屈大均, 篆刻, 印章, 青田石, 秦汉印, 六书, 印钮, 篆法, 章法, 文人篆刻, 清代, 广东, 岭南文化, 甘旸, 何震, 陈鸿寿, 魏锡曾, 阴文, 阳文, 游艺