贾元春：贾元春出身显贵，其父母是贾政和王夫人。她是贾家姊妹中最大的，因生于正月初一，故名“元春”，余者都从了“春”字。因贾母（史氏）极爱孙女，都跟在祖母这边，一处读书，听说个个都不错。元春因贤孝才德，选入宫做女史去了。
Jia Yuanchun： Jia Yuanchun was born in the purple. Her father is Jia Zheng and her mother is LadyWang. She’s the eldest girl among her sisters in the Jia family and born on New Year’s Day. That’s why she’snamed Yuanchun， and so the others have“chun”in their names too. The Lady Dowager (nee Shi)is soattached to these grand-daughters that she makes them study in the Rong Mansion near her， and it’s heardgood reports of them all. Yuanchun was chosen to be a Lady-Clerk in the palace of the heir apparent becauseof her goodness， filial piety and talents.
贾元春在秦可卿死后不久就被封为凤藻宫尚书，加封贤德妃。天子同意了贾政的请求，允许贵妃于第二年正月十五日上元之日省亲。只因当日这贾妃未入宫时，自幼亦系贾母教养。后来添了宝玉，贾妃乃长姊，宝玉为幼弟，贾妃念母年将迈，始得此弟，是以独爱怜之。且同侍贾母，刻不相离。那宝玉未入学之先，三四岁时，已得元妃口传教授了几本书，识了数千字在腹中。虽为姊弟，有如母子。自入宫后，时时带信出来与父兄说：“千万好生扶养：不严不能成器；过严恐生不虞，且致祖母之忧。”眷念之心，刻刻不忘。正月十五日，元妃省亲，尽骨肉私情，共享天伦之乐。当贾政报告元春：“园中所有亭台轩馆，皆系宝玉所题”时，她便含笑说道：“果进益了。”作为无职男子，宝玉不敢擅入。元妃即命引进。小太监引宝玉进来，先行国礼毕，命他近前，携手揽于怀内，又抚其头颈笑道：“比先长了好些——”一语未终，泪如雨下。元妃叫宝玉导引，遂同诸人步入园中，她题其园为“大观园”，并笑道：“我素乏捷才，且不长于吟咏，姐妹辈素所深知；今夜聊以塞责，不负斯景而已，异日少暇，必补撰‘大观园记’并‘省亲颂’等文，以记今日之事。妹等亦各题一匾一诗，随意发挥，不可为我微才所缚。且知宝玉竟能题咏，一发可喜。前所题之联虽佳，如今再各赋五言律一首，使我当面试过，方不负我自幼教授之苦心。”贾妃挨次看过姊妹们和宝玉的题咏，喜之不尽。刚做完了诗，演戏就开始。至众人谢恩毕，时已丑正三刻，执事太监启道：“请驾回銮。”元妃虽不忍别，奈皇家规矩，违错不得的，只得忍心上舆去了。
Jia Yuanchun was promoted to Chief Secretary of the Phoenix Palace with the title of Worthy andVirtuous Consort soon after Qin Keqing’s death. The son of Heaven acceded to Jia Zheng’s request. TheImperial Consort would be permitted to visit her parents for the Feast of Lanterns on the fifteenth of the firstmonth the following year. The Imperial Consort， before she entered the Palace， had been brought up fromchildhood by the Lady Dowager. And after Baoyu was born， as Yuanchun was his elder sister and Baoyuyounger brother， bearing in mind that their mother had given birth to him late in life， she loved him morethan her other brothers and lavished all her care on him. They both stayed with their grandmother and wereinseparable. Even before Baoyu started school， when he was hardly four years old， she taught him to reciteseveral texts and to recognize several thousand characters. She was more like a mother to him than an eldersister. After she entered the palace she often wrote letters home reminding her parents to educate him well，for unless strictly disciplined he would not amount to much， but if treated too sternly he might also givethem cause for anxiety. Her loving concern for him had never ceased. On the fifteenth of the first month theImperial Consort visited her family， showed her affection and enjoyed a reunion with her dear ones. When JiaZheng informed Yuanchun，“All the inions on the pavilions and lodges in the Garden were composedby Baoyu，”she exclaimed with delight，“So he’s making progress！”As a young man without official rankBaoyu dared not presume. The Imperial Consort sent for him at once and a young eunuch ushered Baoyu in topay homage according to Palace etiquette. His sister called him to her and took his hand. Drawing him closeto her bosom， she stroked his neck and commented with a smile，“How you have grown！”But even as shespoke her tears fell like rain. Yuanchun told Baoyu to lead the way. Accompanied by all the rest she walkedinto the Garden， which she named the Grand View Garden， and said with a smile：“I have never had a readywit or any skill in versifying， as all of you know， but tonight I had to try my hand at a verse in honor of thesepleasure grounds. Some day when I have more time， I promise to write a Deion of Grand View Gardenand a panegyric called The Family Reunion to commemorate this occasion. Now I want each of you to writean inion and a poem to go with it. Do your best， and don’t feel restricted by my lame attempt. It was sucha delightful surprise to me to find that Baoyu can compose inions and poems. Although Baoyu’s coupletscomposed earlier are charming， I want him now in my presence to write verse poems in five-characterlines on each of these places. That will repay the efforts I made to teach him when he was a little boy.”TheImperial Consort looked at her sisters and Baoyu’s attempts in turn， delighted with their verses and poems.
No sooner had they finished their poems than a stage performance began. It was nearly three in the morningby the time all had expressed their thanks， and the eunuch in charge announced that it was time to leave.
Although Yuanchun could hardly bear to leave， she could not disobey the Imperial regulations and had noalternative but to re-enter her palanquin which carried her away.
根据高鹗后续的第九十五回，元春自选入凤藻宫后，圣眷隆重，身体发福，未免举动费力。每日起居劳乏，时发痰疾。一日因侍宴回宫，偶沾寒气，勾起旧病。不料此回甚属利害，竟至痰气壅塞，四肢厥冷。一面奏明，即召太医调治。岂知汤药不进，连用通关之剂，并不见效。内官忧虑，奏请预办后事，所以传旨命贾氏椒房进见。是年甲寅年十二月十八日立春；元妃薨日，是十二月十九日，已交卯年寅月，存年四十三岁。但元妃并无所出，惟谥曰贤淑贵妃。
According to Chapter 95 of Gao E’s sequel， Yuanchun， highly favored by the sagacious sovereign sinceher installation as Imperial Concubine in Phoenix Palace， had grown too plump to exert herself—the leastfatigue made her liable to apoplexy. One day， on her way back from waiting on the Emperor at a feast， shehad caught a chill which had brought on her former trouble. And this time it was serious： phlegm blockedher wind-pipe， her limbs were numb and cold. This was reported to the Emperor， and Imperial physicianswere summoned. However， she was unable to take any medicine， nor could they clear up the congestion. Intheir anxiety the Palace officials asked permission to prepare for her death， which was why the Lady Dowagerhad been sent for. As the Beginning of Spring fell on the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month that year， andYuanchun had died on the nineteenth， it was already the first solar month of the next year and so her age wasreckoned a forty-three. Because Yuanchun had borne no son， her posthumous title was Virtuous and NobleImperial Concubine.
但根据曹雪芹的原文，贾元春并非死于痰封气管，而死于“虎兕相逢大梦归”。在《红楼梦》的第五回，在《金陵十二钗正册》中，只见画着一张弓，弓上挂着一个香橼。也有一首歌词云：
二十年来辨是非，榴花开处照宫闱；三春争及初春景，虎兕相逢大梦归。
还有《红楼梦》的第四首歌《恨无常》也是有关元春人生的：
喜荣华正好，恨无常又到。眼睁睁，把万事全抛。荡悠悠，芳魂销耗。望家乡，路远山高。故向爹娘梦里寻告：儿命已入黄泉，天伦呵，须要退步抽身早！
上述判词和歌曲都表示贾元春是“在虎兕相逢时必须从人生的大梦中死去”，而且她“眼睁睁”死不瞑目，不得不“把万事全抛”，并且，她死得很惨，“荡悠悠，芳魂销耗”。况且，客死他乡，“望家乡，路远山高”，结果，她孤魂无依，“故向爹娘梦里寻告”。
But based on Cao Xueqin’s text， Jia Yuanchun did not die of phlegm blocking her wind-pipe but diedof that“she must depart from this Great Dream of life when Rhinoceros and Tiger meet”. In Chapter 5 ofA Dream of Red Mansions， in First Register of Twelve Beauties of Jinling， next comes a painting of a bowfrom which is suspended a citron. With the verdict：
For twenty years she arbitratesWhere pomegranates blaze by palace gates.
How can the late spring equal the spring’s start？
When Rhinoceros and Tiger meet，From this Great Dream of life she must depart.
Besides， the Fourth Song： The Transience of Life of A Dream of Red Mansions is also aboutYuanchun’s life：
The Transience of LifeAt the height of honour and splendourDeath comes for her；Open-eyed， she has to leave everything behindAnd her gentle soul passes away.
So far her home beyond the distant mountainsThat in a dream she finds and tells her parents：
“Your child has gone now to the the Yellow Spring；You must find a retreat before it is too late.”
Both the verdict and song indicate that Jia Yuanchun“must depart from this Great Dream of life whenRhinoceros and Tiger meet”. Furthermore， she’s“open-eyed”—died with everlasting regret and“has toleave everything behind.”Meanwhile， she died miserably，“her gentle soul passes away.”Moreover， shedied in a strange land—“so far her home beyond the distant mountains”， consequently， she has becomesuch a solitary soul with no one to depend upon“that in a dream she finds and tells her parents”.
众所周知，虎和兕是两种巨大凶猛的野兽。每当它们相逢，便会相互斗争得非常凶残。
这儿作者借用了“虎兕”来暗指两种明争暗斗的政治势力。在第四十回，作者又借用酒令“双悬日月照乾坤”中的“日”和“月”来暗指“皇帝”和“废太子”。在第二十二回，作者再借用元春写的灯谜：“能使妖魔胆尽摧，身如束帛气如雷。一声震得人方恐，回首相看已化灰”来暗示她的死亡。在《红楼梦》原文的前八十回中有许多有关元春之死的暗示。总结起来并综合分析，就不难得出与第五回有关贾元春人生的判词和歌曲相同的结论：元春花了二十年才搞清秦可卿的真实出身。她向皇帝揭发可卿的秘密以表忠心，又乞求皇帝原谅她父母以表孝心，从而使皇帝认为她忠孝两全，封她为凤藻宫尚书，加封贤德妃，并准她正月十五日上元之日省亲。同时，她已怀孕，圣眷隆重，那真是“榴花开处照宫闱”。但“喜荣华正好，恨无常又到”。在敌对的两种势力的残酷斗争中，元春悲惨地死于“望家乡，路远山高”之地，享年仅二十多一点儿。
It’s well known that“rhinoceroses”and“tigers”are two sorts of large and ferocious animals.
Whenever they meet， they fight against each other very ferociously and cruelly. Here the writer has borrowedthe rhinoceros and tigers to indicate the two political forces fighting both with open and secret means. InChapter 40， the writer has also borrowed the“sun”and“moon”used in the drinking game“The sun andmoon on earth and heaven shine”to indicate the“Emperor”and“discrowned prince”. In Chapter 22， toindicate Yuanchun’s death the writer has again borrowed the riddle written by her：
Monsters I can affright and put to flight；A roll of silk my form； my thunderous crashStrikes dread into the hearts of all，Yet when they look around I’ve turned to ash.
In the text of the first eighty chapters of A Dream of Red Mansions there are many indications aboutYuanchun’s death. By summing up all the indications and using a comprehensive analysis of them it’s notdifficult to draw a conclusion： It took Yuanchun 20 years to make sure of Qin Keqing’s real origin. Shedisclosed Keqing’s secret to the Emperor to show her loyalty and begged the Emperor to pardon her parentsto show her filial piety. Thus the Emperor thinks she has the qualities of both loyalty and filial piety. As aresult she’s promoted to Chief Secretary of the Phoenix Palace with the title of Worthy and Virtuous Consortand she’s permitted to visit her parents for the Feast of Lanterns on the fifteenth of the first month. At thesame time she’s pregnant and highly favoured by the sagacious sovereign. It’s really“where pomegranatesblaze by palace gates”. But“At the height of honour and splendour Death comes for her”. Yuanchun diedmiserably“so far her home beyond the distant mountains”in the cruel fight of two opponent political forces，at the age of a little more than twenty.
贾迎春：迎春是贾赦和他一个妾所生的女儿。她从小没有娘，也缺父兄之爱。迎春肌肤微丰，身材合中，腮凝新荔，鼻腻鹅脂，温柔沉默，观之可亲。她浑名儿是“二木头”，戳一针也不知道嗳哟的。
Jia Yingchun： Yingchun is the daughter of Jia She and one of his concubines. She lost her mother whenshe was a child. She also lacks love from her father and brother. She is somewhat plump and of mediumheight. Her cheeks are the texture of newly ripened lichees， her nose as sleek as goose fat. Gentle anddemure， she looks very approachable. She’s nicknamed Dumbbell. She won’t let out a peep even if she’spricked with a needle.
迎春心活面软。因素日懦弱，仆人们都不怕她。如今柱儿媳妇和她婆婆，仗着是嬷嬷，又瞅着迎春好性儿，私自拿了首饰去赌钱，而且还捏造假账，逼着去讨情。柱儿媳妇明欺迎春素日好性儿，乃向她的丫头发火，并和两丫头在卧房里大嚷大叫，迎春竟不能辖制。劝止不住，迎春自拿了一本《太上感应篇》去看。当平儿问她：“若论此事，本好处的；但只她是姑娘的奶嫂，姑娘怎么样呢？”迎春答道：“问我，我也没什么法子。他们的不是，自作自受，我也不能讨情，我也不去加责，就是了。至于私拿去的东西，送来我收下，不送来，我也不要了。太太们要来问我，可以隐瞒遮饰的过去，是他的造化；要瞒不住，我也没法儿；没有个为他们反欺枉太太的理，少不得直说。你们要说我好性儿，没个决断，有好主意可以八面周全，不叫太太们生气，任凭你们处置，我也不管。”众人听了，都好笑起来。黛玉笑道：“真是‘虎狼屯于阶陛，尚谈因果’。要是二姐姐是个男人，一家上下这些人，又如何裁制他们？”迎春笑道：“正是，多少男人，及至事到临头，尚且如此。何况我呢？”
Yingchun is soft and spineless. She is so weak that none of the servants are afraid of her. Now Zhu’swife and her mother-in-law， because Yingchun’s so sweet-tempered and she’s her nanny， smuggled out hertrinkets so that she could gamble and then cooked up a false account to blackmail Yingchun into getting heroff. Zhu’ wife took advantage of Yingchun’s good temper to round on her maids and had a big row with thesetwo maids in the bedroom. But Yingchun couldn’t control her. Unable to stop their dispute， Yingchun pickedup Retribution for Good and Evil and started reading it. When Ping’er asked her，“What’s your opinion，miss？ A little business like this is easy to handle， but she’s your nanny’s daughter-in-law after all”，“Whyask me？”she replied.“There’s nothing I can do. They brought this on themselves. I can’t get them off butI shan’t blame them either. If they bring back the tiara I’ll take it； if not I won’t demand it. If the mistressesask about it and I’m able to cover up for them， they’ll be in luck； if I can’t， there’s no more I can do. I can’t lieto the mistresses for their sake—I have to tell the truth. If you say I’m too soft and can’t make up my mind，while you have a good plan to please all parties without annoying the mistresses， just go ahead with it—I don’tneed to know it.”This answer amused them all. Daiyu chuckled，“This is really a case of‘descanting uponreligion while tigers and wolves gather at one’s gate.’What would happen to this household if you were aman and had to keep it in order？”“Many men are the same， so why laugh at me？”answered Yingchun.
原来贾赦已将迎春许与孙家了。这孙家乃是大同府人氏，祖上系军官出身，乃当日宁荣府中之门生，算来亦系世交。如今孙家只有一人在京，现袭指挥之职。此人名唤孙绍祖，生得相貌魁梧，体格健壮，弓马娴熟，应酬权变，年纪未满三十，且又家资饶富，现在兵部候缺题升。因未有室，贾赦见是世交之孙，且人品家当都相称合，遂青目择为东床娇婿。亦曾回明贾母，贾母心中却不十分称意。但想儿女之事，自有天意前因，况且他亲父主张，何必出头多事？为此只说“知道了”三字，余不多及。贾政又深恶孙家，虽是世交，当年不过是彼祖父希慕荣宁之势，有不能了结之事，才拜在门下的，并非诗礼名族之裔。因此，倒劝谏过两次，无奈贾赦不听，也只得罢了。迎春嫁给孙绍祖的婚姻是父母之命，媒妁之言。迎春婚后回府在王夫人房中哭哭啼啼地诉委屈说：“孙绍祖一味好色，好赌酗酒，家中所有的媳妇、丫头将及淫遍。略劝过两三次，便骂我是‘醋汁子老婆拧出来的’。又说老爷曾收着五千银子，不该使了他的。如今他来要了两三次不得，便指着我的脸说道：‘你别和我充夫人娘子！你老子使了我五千银子，把你准折卖给我的。好不好，打你一顿，撵到下房里睡去！当时有你爷爷在时，希冀上我们的富贵，赶着相与的。论理，我和你父亲是一辈，如今压着我的头，晚了一辈，不该做了这门亲。倒没的叫人看着赶势利似的’。”一行说，一行哭的呜呜咽咽，连王夫人并众姊妹无不落泪。王夫人只得用言解劝：“我的儿，这也是你的命。”迎春哭道：“我不信我的命就这么苦？从小儿没有娘，幸儿过婶娘这边来，过了几年心净日子；如今偏又是这么个结果！”王夫人一面劝，一面问她随意要在哪里安歇。迎春道：“乍乍的离了姊妹们，只是眠思梦想；二则还惦记着我的屋子。还得在园里住个三五天，死也甘心了。——不知下次来还得住不得住了呢！”一连住了三日，才往邢夫人那边去。又在邢夫人处住了两日，就有孙家的人来接去。迎春虽不愿去，无奈孙绍祖之恶，勉强忍情作辞去了。
Jia She had promised Yingchun to a family named Sun from Datong Prefecture， one of whose ancestors，a military officer， had been taken as a pupil by the Jias； thus both families could be considered as friends oflong standing. The only Sun now in the capital was a police commissioner named Sun Shaozu， not yet thirty. Abig man with a powerful physique， he was a good archer and horseman and well versed in the ways of society.
His family was rich， and he was now waiting for some better appointment when some vacancy should occur inthe Ministry of War. As he was not yet married and the Suns were old friends， and as moreover his appearanceand estate were suitable， She approved of him and had chosen him to be his son- in-law. When he reportedthis to the Lady Dowager， she was not too pleased. However， she felt that if she raised objections he mightnot listen， and that young people’s marriages were decreed by Heaven； besides， as this was Yingchun’s ownfather’s decision， why should she be officious？ So she just said，“I see，”with no further comment. Jia Zheng，however， had a deep aversion to the Suns， for although their families had long been connected this was simplybecause Sun’s grandfather， wanting to make use of the Jias’ influence to settle some private troubles， hadformally acknowledged them as his teachers. They were not a family of well-known literati. Hence Jia Zhengadvised against the match once or twice， but desisted when Jia She paid no attention. Yingchun’s marriageto Sun Shaozu was arranged by go-betweens according to the wishes of her parents. After her marriageYingchun returned home and described her wretchedness， shedding tears in Lady Wang’s room.“SunShaozu cares for nothing but women， gambling and drinking，”she sobbed.“He’s had affairs with practicallyall our maids and young servants’ wives. When I remonstrated mildly two or three times， he cursed me forbeing jealous， saying I must have been steeped in vinegar. He also says he put five thousand taels in Father’ssafe-keeping and he shouldn’t have spent it. He’s come here several times to ask for it back， and when hefails to get it he points at me and scolds，‘Don’t put on those ladified airs with me！ Your old man has spentfive thousand taels of mine； so he’s sold you to me. If you don’t behave yourself， I’ll beat you up and sendyou to sleep with the servants. When your grandfather was alive， seeing how rich and influential our familywas， he went to great trouble to get connected with us. Actually， I belong to your father’s generation. It was amistake my marrying you because that’s made me step down one generation as if I were the one chasing afterpower and profit.’”She wept as she spoke， and Lady Wang and all the girls shed tears too. Lady Wang saidsoothingly，“Well， child， this is fate.“I can’t believe I was fated to suffer like this，”sobbed Yingchun.“Ilost my mother when I was a child， and was lucky to have a few peaceful years here with you， auntie. But nowsee what’s become of me！”Lady Wang， trying to console her， asked where she would like to stay.“Beingsnatched away so suddenly from my cousins， I dream of them all the time，”Yingchun replied.“I long formy old rooms too. If I can spend a few more days in my old quarters in the Garden， then I shall die content.
Who knows if I’ll ever have such a chance again.”After three days she had to go to stay with Lady Xing， withwhom she spent only a couple of days. Then Sun Shaozu sent to fetch her back and， though Yingchun dreadedreturning， for fear of her cruel husband she had to hold back her grief and take her leave.
一天，一个陪迎春到孙家去的老婆子来说：“姑娘不好了，前儿闹了一场，姑娘哭了一夜，昨日痰堵住了。他们又不请大夫，今日更利害了！”岂知贾母病中心静，偏偏听见，便悲伤起来，说道：“我三个孙女儿；一个享尽了福死了，三丫头远嫁不得见面；迎丫头虽苦，或者熬出来，不打量他年轻轻儿的就要死了！留着我这么大年纪的活着做什么！”那老婆子刚到邢夫人那里，外头的人已传进来说：“二姑奶奶死了。”可怜一位如花似月之女，结婚年余，不料被孙家揉搓，以致身亡，又值贾母病笃，众人不便离开，竟容孙家草草完结。
One day， one of the serving- women who had accompanied Yingchun to the Sun family came tosay，“My young lady’s dying！ The day before yesterday they had a row and she cried all night long. Yesterdayshe was choking， her throat blocked up with phlegm， yet they wouldn’t get a doctor. Today she’s worse！”Butthe Lady Dowager lying there quietly had overheard them too， and lamented，“Of my three grand-daughters，one died after enjoying great good fortune； the third has married so far from home that I shan’t be able tosee her again； Yingchun had a hard time but I thought she might pull through， never dreaming she’d die soyoung！ What is there for an old woman like me to live for？”Just as the serving-woman reached Lady Xing’sapartments， word came that Yingchun was dead. Alas， that this girl fair as a flower or the moon should behounded to death by the Sun family after little more than a year of marriage！ As the old lady was at death’sdoor the others could not leave her， but had to let the Sun family arrange the funeral in perfunctory fashion.