The Origin of ‘Dongpo Fish’ “东坡鱼”的由来

“五柳鱼”是浙江杭州西湖的一道名菜，其味道鲜美，喷香诱人，深为人们所喜食。人们在享用时，又常把“五柳鱼”叫做“东坡鱼”，这是为什么呢？
“Wu Liu Fish”(Fish with five shredded ingredients) is a specialty of the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Its delicious flavor and fragrant aroma have attracted many people to have a taste. Why do people often call the fish with five shredded ingredients ‘Dongpo Fish’?
苏东坡是中国宋朝的一位美食家。相传，有一次，他让厨师做道鱼来尝尝鲜。厨师送来后，只见这菜热腾腾、香喷喷，鱼身上刀痕如柳。东坡食欲大开，正欲举筷子品尝忽见窗外闪过一人影，原来是好友佛印和尚来了。东坡心想：“好个赶饭的和尚，我偏不让你吃，看怎么办？”于是顺手将这盘鱼搁到书架上去了。
Su Dongpo was a gourmet who lived during the Song Dynasty. According to legend, once he let the chef do a course of fish. A few minutes later, he saw a piece of hot, fragrant fish with willow leaf shreds on the table. Suddenly, he was very hungry. When he was ready to raise his chopsticks to try the delicious food, he saw his friend, a monk named Fo Yin, passing by his window. Su thought: “I don’t want to share my food with him. What can I do?” Therefore, he sneakily put the plate of fish on the shelves.
佛印和尚其实早已看见，心想：“你藏得再好，我也要叫你拿出来。”东坡笑嘻嘻地招呼佛印坐下，问道：“大和尚不在寺院，到此有何见教？”佛印答道：“小弟今日特来请教一个字？”“何字？”“姓苏的‘苏’怎么写？”苏东坡知道佛印学问好，这里面一定有名堂，做出认真的样子回答：“‘苏’字上面是个草字头，下边左是‘鱼’，右是‘禾’字。”佛印又问：“草头下面左边是‘禾’右边是‘鱼’呢？”“那还念‘苏’啊。”“那么鱼搁在草头上边呢？”苏东坡急忙说：“那可不行。”佛印哈哈大笑说：“那就把鱼拿下来吧。”苏东坡这才恍然大悟，佛印说来说去还要吃他的那盘五柳鱼。
In fact, Fo Yin had seen the course of fish. He said to himself: “wherver you hide the fish, I will make you share with me.” Su Dongpo smiled, greeted Fo Yin, and asked: “You are a monk, but you aren’t in the temple. Is there something you want to see me about?” Fo Yin replied: “Today I have come to ask you about a word.” “What word?” Su continued. “Do you know how to write the surname SU?” Fo Yin asked. Su knew that Fo Yin was knowledgeable and that this must be some trick question. Then, he answered seriously: “there is a CAO-character-head above, a YU-character on the left and a HE-character on the right.” Fo Yin continued: “How about if you exchange the positions of the YU-character and the HE-character?” Su replied: “The same surname SU.” “And how about if you put the YU-character above the CAO-character?” Fo Yin pumped out another question. Su said hastily: “That will not be a character.” Fo Yin laughed and said: “So it is time to bring the fish down”. Su suddenly realized that Fo Yin was determined to eat his fish.
后来有一次，佛印听说苏东坡要来，就照样蒸了一盘五柳鱼，心想上次你开我玩笑，今日我也难难你。于是就顺手将鱼放在旁边的罄里。
Later, Fo Yin heard that Su would come to visit him. He steamed a course of fish with five shredded ingredients. Remembering the joking around in Su’s house, he planned to play a joke on Su and hid the dish away nearby in a cartridge.
不料苏东坡早已看见，只是装着不知道。说道：“有件事请教：我想写副对联，谁知写好了上联，下联一时想不出好句子。”佛印问：“不知上联是什么？”苏东坡回答说：“上联是‘向阳门第春常在’。”佛印不知道苏东坡葫芦里卖的是什么药，几乎不假思索地说：“下联乃‘积善人家庆有余’。”苏东坡听完，佯装惊叹道：“高才，高才！”原来你的罄（庆）里有鱼（余）呀！快拿出来一同分享吧。佛印这才恍然大悟，知道上了苏东坡的“当”。但他还想“戏弄”一下，苏东坡一看，一条清蒸的西湖鲜鱼，身上划了5刀。于是，他便笑咪咪地说：“五柳鱼呗。”佛印笑笑回答说：“这条‘五柳鱼’算给你‘钓’到了，不如叫‘东坡鱼’算了。”
Unexpectedly, Su had seen the food and pretended not to know. He said: “I have a question to ask. I want to write a couplet. I have the first line, but I don’t know how to match it with the second line.” Fo Yin asked: “What is the first line?” Su replied: “Xiangyang Mendi Chun Chang zai (The spring is always kept in the sun-facing area)”. Fo Yin didn’t realize that it was a trick and said almost without hesitation: “JiShan Renjia Qing You Yu (Charitable people celebrate they have more than enough to enjoy).” Su listened to his second line and pretended to exclaim: “Excellent, excellent! There is a course of fish (YU) in your cartridge (QING), why not take it out to share with me? ” Fo Yin came to understand that he was tricked by Su. But he still wanted to tease Su. He took the food out and Su found that it was a freshly steamed West Lake fish with the five shredded ingredients on the body. Su smiled and said: “The fish with five shredded ingredients.” Fo Yin laughed: “This fish rises to your bait today. How about calling it ‘Dongpo fish’?”
从此以后，人们把“五柳鱼”又叫“东坡鱼”，而且这道西湖名菜名气也越来越大，一直流传到今天。
Since then, the fish with five shredded ingredients is also called ‘Dongpo Fish’. This West Lake specialty has become more and more popular and is eaten even today.