There are some people who love books in ancient and modern times, and I am willing to join this ranks.
Books can give people knowledge, wisdom, happiness, and hope. But it can also bring trouble to people and bring disaster. In the era of the "Great Revolution and Cultural Life", I was criticized for the crime of collecting and repairing ancient books of the ocean. When the earthquake struck in 1976, I was warned that I was sitting in a book city, and if something happened at night, the book city would block my way out.
The criticism has become a cloud for me, and that kind of situation has not happened, I "die without repentance", and I love books as before, and the book collection has grown to fill several houses. In addition to buying them themselves, more and more books are being given away. I can't tell you how many books I have. Comparatively, it's probably quite a lot. A master worker who is engaged in earthquake resistance and reinforcement has told me many times that he has never seen such a large number of books before. The school leaders took extra care of me, and now I have a few real study nests, the trinity of bedrooms, studies, and reception rooms, and the situation of the peach blossom paradise of "being extremely narrow at the beginning, and only then can I get through" has become a historical relic.
When some young people saw my books, their eyes widened in surprise and they asked me, "Have you read all these books?" "I'll honestly admit that I've only seen a tiny, very small amount." So, why do you want so many books? "That's really a tough question to answer. I haven't studied the psychology of bibliophiles, so I can't speak clearly. I believe that people who love books in ancient and modern times may not be able to explain clearly, and even if they say the reasons, I am afraid that they are varied.
To really do scientific research, my own book is far from enough. Maybe I'm a little weird in this line of work. I have not found any library in the country that can meet, even the minimum, my needs. Some topics sometimes can't be carried out due to a lack of books, so they have to be put on hold. I have a backlog of these stranded manuscripts in my drawer. I sometimes joke to my friends: "In our business, it is even more difficult to have a satisfactory library than to engage in the four modernizations." When the national income quadruples, we may not be able to turn around. "This is by no means sensational, it is exactly what it is. There are quite a few people in the country who have similar difficulties in this line of work that I have engaged in. This is all due to the fact that our foundation was too thin in the past, and although we have done a lot of work after liberation, it is difficult to return for a while. I can only hope for the future and appeal to my peers. All of us work together, and over time, one day we will completely change the current situation. The ancients said, "The predecessors planted trees, and the descendants enjoyed the shade." "Let's all be tree planters.
Recently, I haven't been in good health. Attacking inside and outside, there are many clues, and my nerves in my old age are a little unbearable. So I made up my mind to close the pen for the time being. Comrade Qiao Fushan called and asked me to write something. I followed my determination and politely refused. But as soon as I heard that the title was "My Study", I felt a lot of kinship, and I immediately lifted my spirits, suspended my determination, and picked up the pen.
I do have a study, and I love my study very much. This study is quite large, with large and small rooms, plus a hall, kitchen, and a covered balcony, large and small, with a total of eight units. The number of books in the collection has never been counted, but there are always tens of thousands. Among the professors of Peking University, I am afraid that I deserve to be the "champion of book collection". Moreover, among the Sanskrit and Western books, some can be called the only ones in China. I've never pretended to be a bibliophile, but can I not be complacent about sitting in such a big book city?
My book collection is like a friend of mine, and a close friend. I don't know every single one of them, but every one of them knows me. Every time I walked into my study, the books immediately came alive, I could hear them greeting me, I seemed to see them waving to me. If someone asks me, where is the mouth of a book? And where are the hands? All I can say is, "Your roots are too shallow, so practice hard." Someday, you'll understand. ”
I sat in the book city, forgetting all the unpleasant things of the world, and being content. With the vastness of the world and the vastness of the universe, it seems that only me and my book friends exist at this time. The sparkling blue water outside the window, the weeping willows, and the sun shining on the fat green leaves of the magnolia flowers are all things that I usually love the most, but now I have turned a blind eye. Even the birdsong that I usually like to listen to is "It's better to be single" is not heard.
Each of my book friends contains immeasurable wisdom. I've only read a small part of them. I can feel this wisdom deeply. Those who have not read it seem to be not far behind, and they do not know what mysterious power they have exerted, and their wisdom has been released, and they have come to me like waves. It's a pity that I haven't cultivated to the level of being able to have "Heavenly Eye Communication" and "Heavenly Ear Communication", and I still can't accept these streams of wisdom. If I could accept it, I would be the smartest person in the world ever seen. I'm going to try to practice it myself.
My book friends sometimes make me embarrassed. I'm not a person who doesn't like cleanliness and order, but because I have so many things on my head, I have a lot of academic and writing problems on my mind, and I receive a lot of books, newspapers, magazines, and letters every day, which are stacked in an instant. In such a situation, if I need a book, I often can't find it. "Only in this room, the book is deep and I don't know where to go", so anxious that he sweated profusely, and it was also in vain. I had to go to the library to borrow it, and when I finished writing the article and returned the book to the library, I accidentally found the book I was looking for in a stack of books. I laughed and couldn't do anything. Wait until another book is used to re-enact the comedy. I know that the book friend I'm looking for will greet me loudly when he sees me in such a hurry, but shouting out at a broken throat won't help. I haven't practiced to the level where I can understand the language of the book. I have to work harder to practice. I am confident that in the future, I will be able to obtain the real "Tianyantong" and "Tianertong", as long as I want a book, that book will report its own location, as soon as I stretch out my hand, I can get it, such as digging for things. In this way, the literary thoughts will gush like a spring, my pen will become a wonderful pen, and the articles I write will become the best in the world. At that time, my study will be filled with voiceless voices and images without images. My book friends and I were able to exchange ideas and feelings freely. My study will become the first magical study in the universe. Wouldn't it be a rest!
I look forward to having such a study.
I'm one of the most boring people, so boring that I don't have any hobbies. I think of myself as a tree with no branches, no leaves, and no flowers.
If reading is a hobby, my only hobby is reading.
I read a lot of books can be described as a lot of miscellaneous, classics, history, children, and collections have dabbled a little, but very superficial, primary and secondary school, the most favorite to read is "idle books" (useless books), such as "Peng Gong Case", "Shi Gong Case", "Hong Gong Biography", "Three Heroes and Five Righteousness", "Little Five Righteousness", "Eastern Zhou Dynasty Chronicles", "Say Yue", "Say Tang" and so on, read like a drunken idiot. Classical novels such as "Dream of the Red Chamber" were read later. Is it good or bad to read such a book? In my uncle's eyes, it was bad. However, I think it's good, at least in terms of writing.
As for which books have had the greatest influence on me, I have for decades always considered them to be the works of two masters: in ·Germany Heinrich Lüders, the teacher of my teacher; In China, it is Mr. Chen Yinke. Both of them are masters of evidence, and their methods are so meticulous that they are magical. It also shows where my personal interests lie. I don't like the philosophy of the mysterious. I like things that I can touch and see, and the evidence is exactly what I want.
Lüders is a world-recognized master of Sanskrit. The research scope is quite extensive, and there is a unique and in-depth study of ancient inscriptions in India. Every time a new inscription is discovered in India and it is impossible to read it, everyone says: "Go to Germany and find Lüdes!" It can be seen that Lüdders has a high authority. The Mahabharata, one of the two great epics of India, snowballed from the core to the later big book, which has gone through a total of seven or eight hundred years. Everyone knows that there are many levels, but no one can say clearly. It was Lüders who figured out the hierarchy again. In the study of Buddhism, he argues that there is a "primitive Buddhist text" (Mrkanm), written in the ancient half-Magadha language, which I personally think is true. Some scholars in Europe and the United States disagree, but they have not been able to produce any credible evidence. Lüders wrote extensively. The collection of short and medium-length essays is a book entitled "Essays on Ancient India", which is one of the most influential works of my life. This book may be extremely boring to others, but for me, it is a very interesting and inspiring book, and it is like drinking it.
In China, the books that have influenced me the most are the works of Mr. Chen Yinke, especially the Hanliutang Collection and the Jinmingguan Manuscripts. Mr. Yin Ke's method of examination is basically the same as that of Mr. Lüdes, and he does not speak empty words and does not believe without evidence. The two have the same thing. I often think that Mr. Yin Ke starts from a small entry point, such as peeling spring bamboo shoots, each layer is a sign of faith, so that you have to follow him, peel to the end, expose the core, that is, get a conclusion, let you suddenly realize: I see, you have no way not to be convinced. Mr. Yin Ke's research does not shy away from trivialities, but it is by no means a research for the sake of research, and there are often great problems in it. For example, he examined whether Yang Yuhuan entered the palace as a virgin. This question is indeed extremely obscene, and it is not elegant. No wonder one scholar said: This is too trivial. Yan Zhiyin Ke first wanted to study the family style of the Li Tang royal family. On this issue, the Han Chinese and the ethnic minorities have different views. Mr. Yin Ke started from the seemingly small issues to discuss ethnic and cultural issues, from small to large, so that his arguments were solid and reliable. It seems that this scholar who said that did not understand history at all.
During a casual conversation, Mr. Yin Ke asked me: "The Biography of the High Monk of Liang", Volume 2, "The Biography of Buddha Tucheng", which language contains the sound of the bell: "Xiuzhi for Zhou, Fugu Qiaoqiao"? The original text says it's a dialect, but I don't know what it means? I can't answer to this day. It can be seen that Mr. Yin Ke is careful in reading and pays attention to a wide range of things. He was a strict scholar, and his writings are full of inspiration. Reading his articles is simply the highest pleasure. When I read about the Xinghui, I really wanted to "float a big white" float, and I was punished for drinking alcohol for violating the alcohol order; White, penalty wine with a wine glass. Originally, it meant drinking a large glass of wine, but later it meant drinking a large glass of wine. Liu Xiang said "Saying that Yuan · is good at saying": "Wei Wenhou and the doctor drank alcohol, so that the public passenger was unkind to the government, and said: 'Those who can't drink will float to the white.'" The twenty-fourth episode of "The Flower of the Sea of Evil" has "floating a big white".
The two masters of China and Germany have a master-apprentice relationship, and Mr. Yin Ke was trained by Mr. Lüders. Both of these masters suffered from the same war, and Lüdes devoted his life to the study of Molānavarga, which he continued to annotate for decades. Manuscripts were destroyed during World War II. Yin Ke devoted his life to reading "The New Language of the World", and he has been paying attention to it for decades. The Japanese invaded and fled to Yunnan, where the book was lost in Viet Nam. If these two books can be handed down, they will be extremely important contributions to Sanskrit and Chinese studies. However, it was destroyed one after another, and there was nothing to be done about it!
What I will introduce below is limited to Chinese literature. Foreign literary works are not among them. My professional books are also not included because they are too remote.
1. Sima Qian's "Historical Records"
Many people consider the book "Historical Records" to be both a great historical book and a great literary work. Personally, I agree with that. In the so-called "Twenty-four History", although the level is uneven, none of them can be compared to the "Historical Records".
The reason why "Historical Records" can reach this level is of course an important reason for Sima Qian's genius; But what happened to him seems to play a bigger role. He was tortured by the palace for no reason, so that depression and anger overflowed in his chest, and he wrote it, and every sentence was full of grief and indignation. He has fully expressed it in the "Book of Reporting to the Shaoqing".
2. "The World Speaks New Words"
This is not a history book, nor is it a collection of writers and poets, but a strange book made up of many rather short stories. Some of them are only a few sentences, and they are not even short stories. Almost every article has a few sentences or a sentence, which is simple and simple on the surface, but the content is profound and abnormal, which is endlessly evocative. During the Six Dynasties and a period a little earlier, there was social turmoil, and there were many characters who seemed to have a rather eccentric temper, who seemed to be unrestrained on the outside and worried on the inside. They behave differently than ordinary people. This book is a record of their words and deeds, in just a few sentences, and it is vivid and unforgettable.
3. Tao Yuanming's poems
Some people call Tao Yuanming a "pastoral poet". Broadly speaking, this title is appropriate. His poems are indeed related to the pastoral. "Picking chrysanthemums under the east fence, leisurely seeing Nanshan", such a famous sentence is almost a household name. From the perspective of ideological content, Tao Yuanming is quite close to Taoism, and the center is pure nature. From a stylistic point of view, his poems are simple and simple, without any carvings, which are very different from the popular gilded and intricately colored prose at that time. Therefore, at that time and for some time afterward, his poems were not highly evaluated, and in the "Poems", they were only listed as medium-grade. However, the more time passed, the higher the evaluation, and eventually he became one of the great poets of China.
Fourth, Li Bai's poems
Li Bai is one of the greatest geniuses in the history of Chinese literature, and everyone admits this. Du Fu gave the highest praise to his poems: "Bai Ye's poetry is invincible, and he thinks unexpectedly. Fresh Yu Kaifu, Junyi Bao joined the army. "Li Bai's poetic style is elegant and bold. According to my personal feelings, reading his poems, as soon as you start it, it is difficult to stop, you have to read it. The reason I think is that Li Bai's poems are circulating, and this "qi" is irresistible, so you can't read the poems to the end. This is a phenomenon that is difficult to encounter in the works of other poets. In the Tang Dynasty, and for more than a thousand years thereafter, Li Bai's poems were almost only praised, not criticized.
5. Du Fu's poems
Du Fu is also a great poet, for more than a thousand years, Li Du and said. But their creative styles are very different: Li is ethereal and bold, while Du is depressed and frustrated. From the rhythm used, it can also be seen that the two are different. The Seven Laws are relatively rare in Li Bai's collection, but quite many in Du Fu's collection. Getting rid of the shackles of the seven laws, Li Bai dances without shackles; Du Fu is good at using the seven rules, but he dances with shackles, and both of them have reached a very high level of dancing. In the history of literary criticism, Du Fu has been criticized by some people, but Li Bai is unique.
Sixth, the words of Li Yu, the queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty
There are only more than 30 poems left by Li Yu, the queen of the Southern Tang Dynasty, which can be divided into two periods: in the early stage, he was still a little emperor in Jiangnan, and in the later period, he had descended to the Song Dynasty. There are not many words in the later period, but they are all masterpieces, purely in white, not carved, not a single allusion, and the words are almost all ordinary vernacular, which the old woman can understand; However, the artistic conception is sad and desolate, and has touched the hearts of millions of people for thousands of years. It has become a great family in the history of words and has been appreciated by literary critics. However, I still can't understand Wang Guowei's praise for the Buddha's mind in "Words of the World".
7. Su Shi's poems and lyrics
In ancient China, there were three unique sayings for the praise of literati. The three uniques, poetry, calligraphy, and painting can all reach a very high level, and Su Shi can at least be said to have reached the five uniques: poetry, calligraphy, painting, writing, and words. Therefore, we can say that Su Shi is the most comprehensive great genius in the history of Chinese literature and art. On poetry, he was a big family in the Song Dynasty. thesis, he is one of the eight masters of the Tang and Song dynasties. The pen and ink are dignified and majestic. In terms of books, he was the head of the four families of Su, Huang, Mi, and Cai in the Song Dynasty. On words, he got rid of the tradition of the graceful school, created the bold school, and said it together with Xin Qiji.
8. The word of Nalan sexuality
After the Song Dynasty, the creation of Chinese words set off a new climax in the Qing Dynasty. There are many famous artists, different styles, and they can all be extremely wonderful, which is really valuable. Among these star-studded lyricists, I love Nalan Virtue alone. He is the son of Mingzhu, a scholar, who grew up in glory and wealth, but he has a melancholy heart and overflows between the ink. I have not been able to explain this satisfactorily. From an artistic point of view, his words can be said to have reached a state of perfection.
9. Wu Jingzi's "The Outer History of Confucianism"
Mr. Hu Shizhi gave a very high evaluation to "The Outer History of Confucianism". The poet Feng Zhi also loved this book. I myself am a great fan of "The Outer History of Confucianism".
The ideological content of this book is against the imperial examination system, which is clearly visible, and there is no need to elaborate on it, and its characteristics are artistic. Wu Jingzi cherishes ink like gold and never makes lengthy descriptions. There are many characters in the book, each with its own characteristics, the author only tells a short story, or uses just a few sentences, and a person seems to be standing in front of our eyes, lifelike. This stunt is extremely rare.
10. Cao Xueqin's "Dream of Red Mansions"
Among the many novels in ancient and modern China and abroad, "Dream of Red Mansions" is a bright pearl and a champion. None of the other Chinese novels have been able to become "learning", while "Hongxue" is a manifestation of learning. "Dream of Red Mansions" depicts the decline of a large family. The peculiarity of this book is also its artistry. There are many characters in the book, men, women and children, masters and slaves, all kinds of things. The author sometimes uses only a few words and the characters come to life, making the reader unforgettable. The main thing to read such a book is to appreciate its superb artistic technique. Nonsense that politicizes it is not desirable.
德国E.Sieg(西克)、W.Siegling(西克灵)和W.Schulze(舒尔茨)的TocharianGrammar(《吐火罗语法》)
Tocharian is an unknown ancient ethnic language in Xinjiang. Archaeologists have unearthed fragments of scrolls in which the alphabet is basically recognizable, but the structure of the language is unknown. The three German scholars worked together, and after twenty or thirty years of days and nights, they finally read it through, and wrote a 518-page imperial masterpiece with the famous "thoroughness" of German scholars, which became a miracle in the world academic circle.
More than 70 years of life passed away like a spring dream. Such dreams are not always as light and beautiful as "a moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold". Sometimes it is inevitable that there will be stormy waves, dragons and snakes dancing. Either way, my life passed away like a dream.
Do you have a sense of nostalgia for these dreams? It should be said that there is. When people reach old age, they often like to reminisce about the past. Ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, no exception. I'm certainly not an exception. The United Kingdom often say "the lovely old days", and it really remembers to me. When I look back on the old days, I really feel wonderful and cute. "At that time, it was just ordinary", but once I recall it, I often feel that it is wonderful and has an endless aftertaste. I often get caught up in the memories of the past now.
However, it never occurred to me to move these light dreams or nightmares from my memories to paper. I never felt that there was such a need. I was just a person in the dead of night, lying on my pillow, letting the scenes of my lost life replay in front of my eyes intermittently, as if I had become a spectator, taking care of it. Lost lives cannot be restored, nor do they need to be restored. However, recalling such a life, realizing that I was alive in this way, Yangguan Avenue and the single-plank bridge have all come over, and the ups and downs have passed, until today, I can still live in the world and recall the past, isn't this still a great happiness?
It's just that in the last year or two, some friends younger than me have repeatedly suggested to me to write a little autobiography or something. They believe that intellectuals like me have lived to the end of their lives, and that they have long been left behind, and they have gone through several eras; In Chinese history, it is also a rare opportunity; I am afraid that there are not too many intellectuals who have experienced this kind of experience in the past. My experience of the vicissitudes of the world and my experience of human conditions and the state of the world may have a lot to learn from others. Most of today's young intellectuals, and even many middle-aged intellectuals, cannot understand it. Sometimes when I talk to them about the past, their eyes often widen, as if they are listening to "Arabian Nights". Therefore, their opinion is that I should write about these experiences, not be too "selfish" and keep them in my own mind for my own enjoyment. This should be said to be the responsibility of my generation, and it cannot be shirked.
I considered their opinion and felt that it was correct. Personally, I was born at the turn of the summer and autumn of the year of the Xinhai Revolution, just over a month before October 10. During this period of time, I was a subject of the Qing Emperor, and I was probably a "widow". When I was very young, I heard the word "imperial court", which means the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. In my fantasy, the "court" is a thing that is neither human, nor god, neither dragon nor snake, but also a man is a god, a dragon and a snake. As soon as the last "imperial court" abdicated, Yuan Shikai immediately came, followed by a warlord scuffle. Chixian Shenzhou, a group of demons danced. When I was three years old, World War I broke out. I don't know anything about it. I don't know much about the May Fourth Movement, but I just think it's new to change the vernacular. When I was in elementary school and junior high school, I was in a crazy mood when I was following the older children in demonstrations and burning Japanese and British goods. When I was in high school, the rule of the Kuomintang began, and it was another kind of demon dance, a group of demons within the Kuomintang. When I was in college, Japan militarists were ready to move. After the September 18 Incident, I went on a hunger strike with my Tsinghua classmates and went to Nanjing to petition. The first and last time I saw Chiang Kai-shek in my life. During the period of studying abroad, the 77 Incident occurred, and half of the rivers and mountains fell under the iron hooves of foreign invaders. My hometown was occupied by foreign invaders long ago, so I couldn't return to China. "When there is a home to return to, the cuckoo cries into his ear." I was adrift in a foreign land, and I could not hear the cuckoos, but I heard the sound of bombers in the sky, accompanied by the sound of hunger in my stomach. Sometimes Hitler's mad dog barking was heard on the radio. Eight years have been spent like this. "Fenghuo is even eight years old, and his family letter is worth 100 million gold." I didn't receive a letter from home worth 100 million dollars. The Great War is finally over. I spent almost half a year in Switzerland and returned to my homeland via France and Viet Nam. In addition to the carnival, the disaster star did not retreat, and spent three years in the crazy inflation of currency, and finally ushered in liberation. In addition to the bigger carnival, I know that the road is not always paved with roses, and sometimes there are inevitably strong winds and waves. In this way, the ups and downs, ups and downs, have lived to this day, dying of old age.
Such a rich and complex experience is not available to everyone. And in a sense, these experiences are also very valuable. Experience and lessons can be learned from it, and it will be of some benefit to others and oneself. If I keep it a secret, I will indeed be suspected of "selfishness". Therefore, I was determined to follow the advice of others, change my previous thinking, and write about my life experiences in a matter-of-fact manner. I particularly emphasize the word "seeking truth from facts", because writing an autobiography is not about engaging in literary creation, allowing one's fantasies to run wild. I write autobiography and only the facts. Whether or not this can also be written as a literary work, I don't care about it here. In ancient and modern times, there are quite a few great writers at home and abroad who have written autobiographies as literary creations. Goethe, Germany's greatest poet, was one of them. His Dichtungund Wahrheit (Creation and Truth) can be attested. Personally, I think that great writers can, but I can't. I have only Wahrheit here, not Dichtung.
Excerpt from: Ji Xianlin's "One Hundred Years of Ups and Downs"
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