profits and makes their life become a scramble for rights and profits. Nevertheless, the real value of life lies beyond righteousness and interests. As both righteousness and interests can hardly escape from calculation and consideration, the interpersonal relations are always strained no matter when a justice army suppresses a rebellion or when all flesh are dominated by an appetite for personal interests.
如果说“义”代表一种伦理的人生态度，“利”代表一种功利的人生态度，那么，我所说的“情”便代表一种审美的人生态度。它主张率性而行，适情而止，每个人都保持自己的真性情。你不是你所信奉的教义，也不是你所占有的物品，你之为你仅在于你的真实“自我”。生命的意义不在奉献或占有，而在创造，创造就是人的真性情的积极展开，是人在实现其本质力量时所获得的情感上的满足。创造不同于奉献，奉献只是完成外在的责任，创造却是实现真实的“自我”。至于创造和占有，其差别更是一目了然，譬如写作，占有注重的是作品所带来的名利地位，创造注重的只是创作本身的快乐。有真性情的人，与人相处唯求情感的沟通，与物相触独钟情趣的品味。更为可贵的是，在世人匆忙逐利又为利所逐的时代，他接人待物有一种闲适之情。我不是指中国士大夫式的闲情逸致，也不是指小农式的知足保守，而是指一种不为利驱、不为物役的淡泊的生活情怀。仍以写作为例，我想不通，一个人何必要著作等身呢？倘想流芳千古，一首不朽的小诗足矣。倘无此奢求，则只要活得自在即可，写作也不过是这活得自在的一种方式罢了。
If “righteousness” represents an ethical value of life and “interests”, a utilitarian attitude towards life, the “affection” that I have mentioned represents aesthetic attitude towards life. It claims that we should behave frankly and properly and all of us should maintain our real temperament. You are neither the teachings that you believe in nor the resources that you are possessed of, but your true “self”, which is the very reason why you are yourself. The value of life does not consist in dedication or possession, but creation. Creation is the outspread of one’s true temperament and the affectional satisfaction that one obtains when achieving his/her essential potence. Creation differs from dedication in that the former is the realization of the true “self” but the later, only the fulfillment of the exterior responsibilities. As for creation and possession, the difference between them is distinct at a glance. For instance, in writing possession means the concern for the fame and the status brought by works but creation means the concern for the happiness of writing itself. A person with true temperament only seeks for emotional communication when getting alone with others while he is only in deep love with the taste of sentiment when in contact with things. More importantly, he is always in a tranquil mood in such an era when others scramble for personal interests and are driven by material benefits. It is neither the leisurely and carefree mood of the Chinese scholar-bureaucrats nor the content and conservative mood of the petty farmers,
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but a quiet mood free from hollow fames and material interests. Still take writing as an instance. I can hardly figure out why one must produce as many famous works as he can. An enduring poem is enough to make one renowned forever. Without such an extravagant hope, one only needs to live to his content. Writing is just one means to such an end.
肖伯纳说：“人生有两大悲剧，一是没有得到你心爱的东西，另一是得到了你心爱的东西。”我曾经深以为然，并且佩服他把人生的可悲境遇，表述得如此轻松俏皮。但仔细玩味，发现这话的立足点仍是占有，所以才会有占有欲未得满足的痛苦和已得满足的无聊这双重悲剧。如果把立足点移到创造上，以审美的眼光看人生，我们岂不可以反其意而说：人生有两大快乐，一是没有得到你心爱的东西，于是你可以去寻求和创造；另一是得到了你心爱的东西，于是你可以去品味和体验？当然，人生总有其不可消除的痛苦，而重情轻利的人所体味到的辛酸悲哀，更为逐利之辈所梦想不到。但是，摆脱了占有欲，至少可以使人免除许多琐屑的烦恼和渺小的痛苦，活得有器度些。我无意以审美之情为救世良策，而只是表达了一个信念：在义与利之外，还有一种更值得一过的人生。这个信念将支撑我度过未来吉凶难卜的岁月。
George Bernard Shaw once said: “There are two tragedies in our life. One is that you have not obtained what you love while the other is that you have obtained what you love.” I took his remark for granted and admired him for his easy and witty expression of the lamentable plight in life. But when carefully relishing it, I discover that the stand of this remark is still possession, which is the very reason why there are two tragedies: the affliction of not satisfying one’s appetite for possession and the vacuity of satisfaction. If we regard creation as our stand and have an aesthetic vision for life, can’t we say that there are two enjoyments: one is that you have not attained what you love and you can continue your pursuit and creation while the other is that you have attained what you love and you can commence your appreciation and experience? Certainly, there are always some agonies in our life and the sufferings experienced by those who value affection but despise profits are out of the consideration of those who pursue interests. However, if we can get rid of the appetite for possession, we, at least, can avoid a great deal of inconsiderable vexations and trivial afflictions and live a life of more tolerance. Rather than intending to suggest the aesthetic affection as an excellent tactics of salvation, I merely express such a belief that there is a life more worthy of living beyond righteousness and interests. This faith will support me through the precarious and unpredictable future.
读书苦乐 杨绛
The Bitter-Sweetness of Reading Yang Jiang
读书钻研学问，当然得下苦功夫。为应考试、为写论文、为求学位，大概都得苦读。陶渊明好读书。如果他生于当今之世，要去考大学，或考研究院，或考什么“托福儿”，
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难免会有些困难吧？我只愁他政治经济学不能及格呢，这还不是因为他“不求甚解”。 Reading and studying regularly calls for a painstaking effort, whether it is meant for passing an exam, writing a thesis or pursuing an academic degree. T’ao Yuanming, a famous scholar in Jin Dynasty, who doted on reading, might probably feel baffled if he were living today and had to take exams for getting into universities or graduate programs or to score well in such tests as the TOEFL. I’m afraid he might fail the exam in Political Economics, as the result of his motto “staying content with superficial reading”.
我曾挨过几下“棍子”，说我读书“追求精神享受”。我当时只好低头认罪。我也承认自己确实不是苦读。不过“乐在其中”并不等于追求享受。这话可为知者言，不足为外人道也。
I was “cudgeled” for a couple of times, being reprimanded for reading “to seek spiritual indulgence.” At the time, I had to bow down my head and confess my sin, and I have to admit as well that I’ve never made any painstaking effort in reality. Nevertheless, “enjoying reading” doesn’t mean seeking indulgence, whose truth can only be shared with like-minded people, but goes beyond those without similar experiences
我觉得读书好比串门儿—“隐身”的串门儿。要参见钦佩的老师或拜谒有名的学者，不必事前打招呼求见，也不怕搅扰主人。翻开书面就闯进大门，翻过几页就升堂入室；而且可以经常去，时刻去，如果不得要领，还可以不辞而别，或者另找高明，和他对质。不问我们要拜见的主人住在国内国外，不问他属于现代古代，不问他什么专业，不问他讲正经大道理或聊天说笑，都可以挨近前去听个足够。我们可以恭恭敬敬旁听孔门弟子追述夫子遗言，也不妨淘气地笑问“言必称‘亦曰仁义而已矣’的孟夫子”，他如果生在我们同一个时代，会不会是一位马列主义老先生呀？我们可以在苏格拉底临刑前守在他身边，听他和一位朋友谈话；也可以对斯多葛派伊匹克悌忒斯的《金玉良言》思考怀疑。我们可以倾听前朝列代的遗闻逸事，也可以领教当代最奥妙的创新理论或有意惊人的故作高论。反正话不投机或言不入耳，不妨抽身退场，甚至砰一下推上大门—就是说，拍地合上书面—谁也不会嗔怪。这是书以外的世界里难得的自由！
I would compare reading to visiting friends — in the spiritual rather than physical sense. Visiting a well-respected teacher or paying homage to a renowned scholar doesn’t necessarily require appointment in advance and we won’t feel as if we were disturbing him. Opening the book is like getting into the door uninvited; and turning a few pages, we may find ourselves in his study. Besides, we can go visit him as frequently as we want and at any time we wish. If we fail to get the pith of his argument, we can just leave without saying “good-bye” or turn to someone else for help, and come back to challenge him. We can get close to the host and listen to every word he has to say, no matter where he resides, at home or abroad, what a person he was or is, a contemporary or a man of the past, whatever field he specializes in, or
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whether he is talking about a serious subject of importance or simply chatting plus cracking jokes. We can sit in, in due reverence, and listen as Confucius’ disciples recount their master’s legacy of teachings, or playfully ask Mencius, who likes to prattle about nothing but kindness and justice, whether or not he would become a pious Marxist preacher, should he live in our time. We can stay by the side of Socrates at his execution and listen to him talking to his friend, or harbor doubt as we ponder the truth of Discourse by Epictetus, a Stoic Philosopher. We can indulge ourselves in the anecdotes and amazing tales of the past, and appreciate the profound nouveau theories of our own age or hear sensational arguments meant to shock the world. In a nutshell, we can bang the door shut —closing the book that is —the minute we find anything disagreeable or distasteful, and leave forthwith. No one will blame us. This is the kind of freedom we can hardly expect other than from the books.
壶公悬挂的一把壶里，别有天地日月。每一本书—不论小说、戏剧、传记、游记、日记，以至散文诗词，都别有天地，别有日月星辰，而且还有生存其间的人物。我们很不必巴巴地赶赴某地，花钱买门票去看些仿造的赝品或“栩栩如生”的替身，只要翻开一页书，走人真境，遇见真人，就可以亲亲切切地观赏一番。
For Hu Gong (or Master Gourd), a master herbalist in ancient China, a magical gourd of his contains the entire world. Likewise, every book, be it a novel, a play, a biography, or a book of traveling notes, of journals, and of even essays or of poems, contains a world of its own, with its own sun, moon, and stars and its own live characters between heaven and earth. There is really no need trotting all the way to places and paying admission fees, merely to view imitations or vivid “substitutes”, when we can simply open a book and find ourselves in real situations and meet real characters for a close contact.
尽管古人把书说成“浩如烟海”，书的世界却真正的“天涯若比邻”，这话绝不是唯心的比拟。世界再大也没有阻隔。佛说“三千大千世界”，可算大极了。书的境地呢，“现在界”还加上“过去界”，也带上“未来界”，实在是包罗万象，贯穿三界。而我们却可以足不出户，在这里随意阅历，随时拜师求教。谁说读书人目光短浅，不通人情，不关心世事呢！这里可得到丰富的经历，可认识各时各地、多种多样的人。经常在书里“串门儿”，至少也可以脱去几分愚昧，多长几个心眼儿吧？
Despite the ancient saying about books being like a vast ocean, the distant world of books could be actually deemed as close as a next-door neighbour, which is not merely an idealistic metaphorical assertion. For in the world of books there are no longer any barriers. The Buddhist notion of “One Buddha- world” is extremely enormous. But what about the extremities of the world of books? It consists of “the present realm”, “the past realm”, and “the future realm”, encompassing everything in each of the three great realms, across whose borders we can go back and forth with great ease. We can read and experience all we care to
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read and experience, and learn from masters any time we want, without venturing outdoors at all. Who says that book-lovers are near-sighted, inflexible and indifferent to worldly affairs! In the world of books, we can enrich our experience and get to know all kinds of people from different times and places. Those who visit the world of books frequently can at least rid themselves of some ignorance and gain a certain degree of wisdom.
可惜我们“串门”时“隐”而犹存“身”，毕竟只是凡胎俗骨。我们没有如来佛的慧眼，把人世间几千年积累的智慧一览无余，只好时刻记住庄子“生也有涯而知也无涯”的名言。我们只是朝生暮死的虫豸（还不是孙大圣毫毛变成的虫儿），钻入书中世界，这边爬爬，那边停停，有时遇到心仪的人，听到惬意的话，或者心上悬挂的问题偶有所得，就好比开了心窍，乐以忘言。这“乐”和“追求享受”该不是一回事吧？
It is a pity that our physical body, invisible as we visit the world of books, is after all confined to this mundane world. Without the insight of Buddha, who takes in all the human wisdom accumulated over thousands of years at one glance, we have to comfort ourselves by what Zhuang Zi has said: “Human life-span is finite whereas knowledge is infinite.” We are but insects with a fleeting lifetime (not even the insects the Monkey King turned into with his hairs), crawling our way into the world of books, pausing hither and thither, becoming speechless with exultation when we accidentally bump into a much-admired person or hear a few soothing words or occasionally find an answer to a pending question. I wonder if this sense of “joy” can be called “seeking indulgence in pleasure”.（集体讨论 史志康 执笔）
想起清华种种 王佐良
Reminiscences of Tsinghua Wang Zuoliang
我只是清华几万校友中的一个，现已不在清华工作，然而一说起这所学校，至今仍像年轻时候一样兴奋，话也像说不完似的。
I am just one of the thousands of alumni of Tsinghua University, and although I am no longer working there, every time Tsinghua is mentioned, I would get as excited as when I was young, and can’t seem to stop talking about it.
清华吸引人的究竟是什么？它有很好的校园，设备，但这些别校也有；它的历史也不很长，世界大学中，成立已几百年的有的是；想来想去，还是由于清华的人，或者说清华人和中国历史的特殊关联。
What is it that makes Tsinghua so attractive? Its beautiful campus? Its advanced facilities? But all these are not lacking in other universities. Or its long history? But a good many universities in the world even boast histories of several hundred years. Having thought it over and over again, I come to the conclusion that it is the people of Tsinghua, or rather, the special relationship between its people and Chinese history, that makes it so attractive.
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