原文

金

　　或谓黄本日精，白本月华，故近赤道之地多金。吾粤阳明之国，天地盛德，寄旺于火。火之奂，丹砂之精，黄澒父之，黄土母之，以故往往产金。金生于丹砂穴者为上，其屑多在黑沙及逆流漩澓之所，没水取之。或掘地丈余，见有磊砢粉子石，石褐色，一端黑焦，是为伴金之石，必有马蹄块金。盖丹砂之旁有水晶床，金之旁有粉子石，物不孤生，天地之道则尔，其粉子石所在，土色如血，或如熟杏，烧作脂苏气香，其沙甚重而苦，鹅鸭啖其沙者，从膍胵内淘之，亦有金屑。开建有金庄水焉，其源出金鸡涌，二百里间为大泷小泷者二，皆有瓜子金、麸金。越一山有金楼水，流声清激，亦产生金。土人淘其沙，日得麸金分许，不能多，或有得一金龟，则其地数日无金矣。崖州黎田，其水潆洄清彻，浮光跃金，有商人以百金贸而淘之，阳江木蓢白石山涧中。及广宁溪峒，亦有金坑，而生金甚微，色亦低劣，民竭一日之力，仅足糊口。英德之金山迳溪东西田脚亦有金，河源之蓝田濑，蒸煮其沙，日得生银钱许，若得三四钱，则三日不能复得，高明矿脉亦微。万历间，中使募民认税开采，寻以无利而寝，大抵晋康以掘铁为生，开建、河源以淘金银为业。一铁炉可养千人，一金潭银濑可活数百室，皆天之所以惠贫民也。许浑诗云："洞丁多斫石，蛮女半淘金。"若上官开采，则所得不足以偿所失，未有不因而生乱者也。盖岭南虽有金而无金，其金皆自吴门买归，□□者以银易之，以便致远。故贾人以金为货，利常数倍。民谣有云："黄金自吴来，精者十三倒。□□争卖时，白银不言好。"

白话

中文

有人说黄金是太阳的精华，白银是月亮的精华，所以靠近赤道的地方多产黄金。我们广东是阳光充足的地方，天地间旺盛的德行，主要体现在火（南方属火）上。火的光彩，是丹砂的精华，黄澒（可能指某种矿物或地质现象）是它的父，黄土是它的母，因此常常产金。生在丹砂矿穴中的金是上等的，金屑大多在黑沙以及水流回旋的地方，需要潜入水中去捞取。有时挖掘土地一丈多深，会看到有成堆的粉子石，石头呈褐色，一端像被烧黑烧焦了，这就是伴生金矿的石头，（有这种石头的地方）一定会有马蹄形状的金块。大概丹砂旁边有水晶床，金矿旁边有粉子石，万物都不是孤立存在的，这是天地自然的规律。粉子石所在的地方，土壤颜色像血一样红，或者像熟透的杏子，燃烧时有油脂和紫苏的香气，那里的沙子很重而且味道苦。鹅和鸭吃了那里的沙子，从它们的膍胵（砂囊）里也能淘出金屑。

开建县（今属肇庆）有条叫金庄水的河流，它的源头出自金鸡涌，在二百里的范围内有两个大瀑布和小瀑布，都产瓜子金（形状像瓜子）和麸金（形状像麦麸）。翻过一座山有条叫金楼水的河流，水流声清澈激越，也产金。当地人淘洗那里的沙子，每天能得到一分（重量单位）左右的麸金，不能更多。如果有人得到一个金龟（较大的金块），那么那个地方好几天都淘不到金了。崖州（今海南三亚）黎族的田地里，水流回旋清澈，水面波光闪烁如同跳跃的金子。有商人用一百金（可能是指一百两银子或金子）买下开采权来淘金。阳江的木蓢、白石山的山涧中，以及广宁县（今属肇庆）的溪流山洞，也有金矿，但是产出的金很少，成色也差，老百姓花一整天的力气，仅仅够维持生计。英德县（今属清远）的金山迳溪东西两侧的田边也有金。河源县（今属河源）的蓝田濑，把那里的沙子蒸煮后，每天能得到一钱左右的生银（可能是含银矿石或粗银），如果一天得到三四钱，那么接下来三天就再也得不到了。高明县（今属佛山）的矿脉也很微弱。万历年间，朝廷派来的太监招募百姓缴纳税款后开采金矿，不久因为无利可图而停止了。总的来说，晋康（疑为地名，或泛指某地）的人以挖铁为生，开建、河源的人以淘金、淘银为职业。一个炼铁炉可以养活上千人，一个产金的深潭或产银的浅滩可以养活几百户人家，这都是上天用来救济贫民的方式。唐代诗人许浑的诗说：“山洞里的丁男多是砍凿石头，南方的妇女半数从事淘金。”如果由官府来开采，那么得到的收益往往抵不上损失，没有不因此而引发动乱的。

大概岭南虽然产金，但（市场上流通的）好像没有金一样，那些金都是从苏州（吴门）买回来的。（原文有缺字）富人用银子换取黄金，是为了方便携带到远方。所以商人把黄金作为商品，利润常常是成本的好几倍。民间有歌谣说：“黄金都是从苏州来的，成色好的（十三倒，指成色极高）。（原文有缺字）大家争着卖黄金的时候，白银就不那么受欢迎了（价格下跌）。”

英文

Some say that gold is the essence of the sun, and silver is the essence of the moon, thus gold is abundant near the equator. Our Guangdong is a land of ample sunshine; the flourishing virtue between Heaven and Earth manifests primarily through Fire (as the south corresponds to Fire in the Five Elements theory). The brilliance of fire is the essence of cinnabar; yellow hong (possibly a type of mineral or geological phenomenon) is its father, and yellow earth is its mother, hence gold is often produced. Gold found in cinnabar deposits is considered superior. Gold dust is mostly found in black sand and in swirling eddies of counter-currents, requiring diving into the water to retrieve it. Sometimes, digging more than ten feet deep reveals piles of "fenzi shi" (powder stones). These stones are brownish, with one end appearing black and scorched; they are the stones that accompany gold deposits, and where they are found, there will surely be horseshoe-shaped gold nuggets. Just as there are crystal beds beside cinnabar, there are "fenzi shi" beside gold; things do not exist in isolation, such is the way of Heaven and Earth. Where these "fenzi shi" are located, the soil is blood-red or resembles ripe apricots. When burned, it emits a fragrant smell like grease and perilla. The sand there is very heavy and tastes bitter. Geese and ducks that eat this sand will have gold flakes that can be panned from their gizzards.

In Kaijian County (now part of Zhaoqing), there is a river called Jinzhuang Shui, originating from Jinji Yong. Within a two-hundred-li stretch, there are two waterfalls, one large and one small, both yielding "guazi jin" (melon-seed shaped gold) and "fu jin" (bran-like gold flakes). Across a mountain lies Jinlou Shui, a river with a clear and rapid current, which also produces gold. Locals pan its sand, obtaining about one fen (a unit of weight) of "fu jin" per day, no more. If someone finds a "jin gui" (a larger gold nugget, literally 'golden turtle'), then no gold can be found in that spot for several days. In the Li fields of Yazhou (now Sanya, Hainan), the water flows clear and meandering, its surface shimmering like leaping gold. A merchant once paid a hundred jin (possibly referring to one hundred taels of silver or gold) for the rights to pan for gold there. Gold is also found in the mountain streams of Mulang and Baishi Mountain in Yangjiang, as well as in the streams and caves of Guangning County (now part of Zhaoqing). However, the gold produced there is scarce and of poor quality; the locals toil all day merely to make a bare living. Gold can also be found along the field edges east and west of Jinshan Jingxi stream in Yingde County (now part of Qingyuan). In Lantian Lai of Heyuan County (now part of Heyuan), steaming and boiling the sand yields about one qian (a unit of weight) of raw silver (possibly silver-bearing ore or crude silver) per day. If one obtains three or four qian in a day, nothing more can be found for the next three days. The mineral veins in Gaoming County (now part of Foshan) are also meager. During the Wanli era (Ming Dynasty), court eunuchs recruited people to pay taxes for mining rights, but this was soon abandoned due to lack of profit. Generally, people in Jinkang (possibly a place name or a general reference) make a living by digging iron, while those in Kaijian and Heyuan engage in panning for gold and silver. One iron furnace can support a thousand people, and one gold-producing pool or silver-yielding shoal can sustain several hundred households; these are Heaven's ways of providing for the poor. The Tang poet Xu Hun wrote: "The Dong men mostly quarry stone, the Man women half pan for gold." If officials were to manage the mining, the gains would often not cover the losses, and it invariably leads to unrest.

Although Lingnan produces gold, it seems as if there is no gold (in circulation in the market); the gold available is mostly bought from Suzhou (Wumen). (Missing text in original) The wealthy exchange silver for gold for ease of transport over long distances. Therefore, merchants treat gold as merchandise, often making profits several times the cost. A folk rhyme says: "Gold comes from Wu (Suzhou), the finest is 'thirteen dao' (indicating very high purity). (Missing text in original) When everyone rushes to sell gold, silver is not spoken of highly (its price falls)."

文化解读/分析

1. 自然哲学与资源观：屈大均将金的生成与“日精”、“火”、“丹砂”相联系，反映了中国古代基于阴阳五行学说的自然观，认为广东地处南方（属火），阳气旺盛，故利于产金。同时，描述了金矿与其他矿物（如粉子石、水晶床）的伴生关系，体现了“物不孤生”的整体观念。
2. 地理与矿产分布：详细记述了清初广东多个地区的金矿（及少量银矿）分布点，如开建、崖州、阳江、广宁、英德、河源、高明等地，为研究广东地方史、经济史和矿产资源史提供了宝贵线索。同时也指出了各地矿藏品位和开采难度的差异。
3. 古代采金技术与民俗：描述了多种采金方法，包括水中淘沙（针对砂金）、掘地寻找伴生矿石（脉金）、甚至从吞食含金沙的鹅鸭嗉囊中获取金屑，以及蒸煮矿沙提取金银的方法。提及“金龟”的说法，反映了民间对大块天然金的稀有和珍视。引用许浑诗句“蛮女半淘金”，印证了特定人群（南方少数民族女性）参与淘金活动的普遍性。
4. 经济民生与社会问题：指出淘金、掘铁是部分地区贫民的重要生计来源（“天之所以惠贫民也”），一个矿点可以养活数百乃至上千人。但同时也尖锐地指出，官府开采往往效率低下、耗费巨大（“所得不足以偿所失”），且容易因利益分配不均或管理不善而引发社会动乱，体现了作者对民生疾苦的关怀和对官方矿业政策的批判性思考。
5. 区域贸易与货币观念：揭示了一个有趣的现象：尽管岭南本地产金，但市场上流通的高品质黄金多是从经济发达的江南地区（苏州）输入的。黄金因其价值高、体积小、便于携带的特性，成为富商进行远距离贸易或财富储藏的重要媒介（“以银易之，以便致远”）。民间歌谣反映了当时社会对黄金（尤其是高纯度黄金，如“十三倒”）的追捧及其作为硬通货的地位，甚至影响到白银的相对价值。

关键词

广东新语, 屈大均, 金, 黄金, 矿产, 采矿, 淘金, 砂金, 脉金, 丹砂, 粉子石, 广东, 岭南, 开建, 崖州, 阳江, 广宁, 英德, 河源, 高明, 清代, 民俗, 经济史, 矿业史, 地方史, 贸易, 货币, 五行, 自然观, 许浑