[Night Reading] Your problem is that you read too little and think too much.

 

  Cctv news: the Sri Lankan people have passed away, and the character still exists. In 2016, many people left us. He or she devoted all his life to filling and warming each of us, even a country. On the 24th, the night reading column launched the series "2016: The Far Back".

  All the way to the wind, dust, rain and snow, a long river of years, she has always been flexible and clear. Countless wisdom has been deposited in a hundred years of life. She once said, "Your main problem lies in reading too little and thinking too much." Tonight’s story is about Yang Jiang, a famous female writer and literary translator, and about "reading".

  She is the most virtuous wife.

  When Yang Jiang first met in Tsinghua University and Qian Zhongshu at the age of 21, she felt that his brow was "beautiful and beautiful". He described her as "smiling and remembering the first time, the new petals of roses were soaked". He won the Geng Scholarship, and she didn’t hesitate to interrupt her studies, accompany him to Europe to study, do chores outside of study, cook and dress, climb over walls and windows, and do everything.

 

  Many years later, Yang Jiang read a passage describing marriage: "I never thought of getting married before I met her;" I have been married to her for decades, and I have never regretted marrying her, nor have I thought about marrying another woman. " Qian Zhongshu immediately replied, "I am the same as him", and Yang Jiang replied, "Me too."

  She is the most talented woman.

  In 1943, Yang Jiang’s first play "Satisfied" was a blockbuster as soon as it was staged. She became famous before Qian Zhongshu. When Fortress Besieged was published, people all said "Who is Qian Zhongshu" — — Yang Jiang’s husband. Out of that famous narration — — "Those who want to escape from the city want to rush in. For marriage and career. Most of the wishes of life are like this. " Quoted by countless people, it actually came from Yang Jiang’s hand.

  Later, she wrote Six Chapters of Cadre School, Taking a Bath, The Three of us and other works. Even Qian Zhongshu said, "Yang Jiang’s prose is better than mine. Her prose is naturally good, and no one can learn it."

  Even in turbulent years, Yang Jiang did not give up academic research. She is fluent in English and French. When she was nearly 60 years old, she began to learn Spanish from scratch and translated Don Quixote. When the Chinese version of Don Quixote translated by Yang Jiang was published in 1978, it happened that the Spanish king was visiting China, and Deng Xiaoping gave it to the Spanish king as a gift. Her translation has been recognized as a masterpiece so far, and nearly one million copies have been issued, which is the largest number of translations of this book.

 

Reading for pleasure

Text/Yang Jiang

  Reading is like visiting a teacher you admire or visiting a famous scholar.

  Of course, you have to work hard to study and study. You probably have to study hard to take exams, write papers and get a degree. Tao Yuanming is fond of reading. If he was born in today’s world, it would be difficult to go to college, graduate school or TOEFL. I’m only worried that he can’t pass the political economy, and it’s not because he "doesn’t want to know much." I have been hit with a "stick" several times, saying that I "pursue spiritual enjoyment" in reading. I had to bow my head and confess. I also admit that I am not really studying hard. However, "having fun" does not mean pursuing enjoyment. This can be said by those who know it, but not by others.

  I think reading is like dropping in — — The "invisible" string of doors. If you want to see an admired teacher or a famous scholar, you don’t have to say hello beforehand, and you are not afraid to disturb your host. Open the book and break into the door, turn over a few pages and enter the room; And you can go often, always, and if you can’t get to the point, you can leave without saying goodbye, or you can find another clever man and confront him. Don’t ask the host we want to visit whether he lives at home or abroad, whether he belongs to modern ancient times, what his major is, whether he talks seriously or chats and jokes, we can get close enough. We can listen respectfully to Confucius’ disciples recounting the master’s last words, or we may as well ask with a mischievous smile, "You must say what you say ‘ It is also called benevolence and righteousness ’ "Master Meng", if he was born in our same era, would he be an old Marxist-Leninist gentleman? We can stay with Socrates before his death and listen to him talking with a friend; You can also think about the stoic Epictetus’ Golden Jade and Good Words. We can listen to the anecdotes of the previous dynasties, and we can also learn the most mysterious innovation theory of the contemporary era or the deliberately amazing pretentious remark. Anyway, if the words are not speculative or hard to hear, you might as well pull out and even slam the door — — That is to say, the ground is in writing — — No one will blame. This is a rare freedom in the world outside books!

 

  Books are all-encompassing, so that you can know all kinds of people at all times and places without leaving home.

  In a pot hung by Hu Gong, there is no heaven, earth, sun and moon. Every book — — No matter novels, plays, biographies, travel notes, diaries, or even prose poems, there are different worlds, the sun, the moon and the stars, and there are people who live in them. We don’t have to rush to a certain place, spend money on tickets to see some fake products or "lifelike" body double. Just open a page, walk into the real world, and meet the real person, and we can enjoy it earnestly. Say "but you widen your view three hundred miles, by going up one flight of stairs"! We can even see the side of the earth under our feet, and we can reach it in an instant. Although the ancients described books as "vast", the world of books is really "and heaven remains our neighbourhood", which is by no means an idealistic comparison. No matter how big the world is, there is no barrier. The Buddha said "three thousand worlds", which is extremely large. As for the situation of the book, the "present world" is combined with "the past" and "the future world", which is really all-encompassing and runs through the three worlds. But we can stay at home, experience here at will, and ask for advice at any time. Who says that scholars are short-sighted, unreasonable and indifferent to the world? You can get rich experiences here and meet all kinds of people at all times and places.

 

  Life is limited and knowledge is limited. In the world of books, we are all tiny worms.

  Often "drop in" in the book, at least you can get rid of some ignorance and gain more attention. We don’t have to be discouraged and timid when we see people who are hypocritical and full of rhetoric, because although their own homes are not open and people are not allowed to break in, we have always been to their relatives and friends’ homes, and we will know their true faces behind their empty shelves. Once I drove across the grand bridge on the Seine River in Paris, and I saw the poor people who lived under the bridge, collecting garbage for a living and covering newspapers to keep warm. It’s not that my eyes can turn, just because I’ve been to that area to cross the door. It’s a pity that the "body" that "hides" when we "visit" is just a common bone after all. We don’t have the insight of the Tathagata, and we can take a glance at the wisdom accumulated in the world for thousands of years, so we have to always remember Zhuangzi’s famous saying that "life is limited and knowledge is limited." We are just insects in ephemerality (not just insects turned by Sun Dasheng’s hairs). We crawl into the world of books, crawl here and stop there. Sometimes we meet the right person, hear the pleasant words, or occasionally get something from the problems hanging on our hearts, just like we are obsessed with it and are happy to forget the words. This "joy" and "pursuit of enjoyment" are not the same thing, are they?

 

Review ● Yang Jiang’s words

  Everything is born, and man is the spirit of everything. The purpose of heaven and earth to give birth to people should be a person who can be called the spirit of all things. Although people are small and life is short, people can learn, cultivate themselves and improve themselves. The value of people lies in themselves.

  — — Miscellaneous Memories and Miscellaneous Writing

 

  If we say that people are animals with spirituality and conscience, then life is nothing more than knowing yourself, training yourself, and voluntarily transforming yourself unless you are willing to be an animal.

  — — Take a bath

  I grew up in a harmonious and affluent environment, and I know nothing about the world. But I seriously consider what I should learn. The so-called "should" means that it is most beneficial to people, and I have not lived my life in vain. I know this "should" is very exaggerated, so I am ashamed to explain it. Father said, there is nothing that should be done. You should learn what you like best. I’m not at ease. Just ask what you like, right? I like literature. Learn literature? Love reading novels, learn novels? My father said that what I like is the closeness of sex, which is the most suitable for me.

  — — Will drink tea

 

  People have excellent qualities, but there are many evils mixed together, just like a stubborn iron that is burned in the fire and quenched in the water. It is burned and quenched again and again, and then tempered with a lot of tempering, so that the stubborn iron can be turned into steel for casting swords. Gold also needs to be burned to remove impurities before it becomes pure gold. The same is true for people. We learn wisdom from worry and refine virtue from pain.

  — — Walking on the edge of life

 

  The human feelings of the world are more delicious than the bright moon and the breeze; Can be used as a book to read, but as a play. The description in the book and the play, even if lifelike, are just literary works; The world of human feelings is a naive and natural expression, which is often beyond reason, shocking and surprising, giving people more profound benefits and wonderful entertainment. Only the humble people have the best chance to see the truth of the world and human feelings, not the artistic performance in front of the audience.

  — — Invisibility cloak

 

I don’t argue with anyone,

I don’t care who I fight with;

I love nature,

Secondly, art;

My hands are roasting the fire of life to keep warm;

The fire has died down, and I’m ready to go. "

— — Yang Jiang