In Part II of this two-part series, we’ll read acclaimed author Ba Jin’s reply to the 10 elementary school students who wrote him a letter asking him for moral guidance in 1987. I’m not a super weepy person, but I legit cried reading this. This is a noble, elevating piece of writing, and reading it, I’m reminded that in all societies, there are those who struggle with the materialism that engulfs us.
亲爱的同学们:
你们的信使我感到为难。我是一个有病的老人,最近虽然去北京开过会,可是回到上海就仿佛生了一场大病似的,一点力气也没有,讲话上气不接下气,写字手指不听指挥,因此要“以最快的速度”给你们一个回答,我很难办到。我只能跟在你们背后慢慢地前进,即使远远地落在后面,我还可以努力追赶。但要带着你们朝前飞奔,不是我不愿意,而是力不能及了。这就说明我不但并无“神奇的力量”,而且连你们有的那种朝气我也没有,更不用说什么“神秘钥匙”了。
不过我看你们也不必这样急,“寻求理想”不是一天两天的事。理想是存在的。可是有的人追求了一生只得到幻灭;有的人找到了它一直坚持到生命的最后一息。各人有各人的目标,对理想当然也有不同的理解。我听广播、看报纸,仿佛人们随时随地都在谈论“理想”,仿佛理想在前面等待人,只要你一伸手就可以把它抓住。那么你们为什么还那样着急地向我“呼救”呢?你们不是都有了理想吗?你们在“向钱看”的社会风气中感觉到窒息,不正是说明你们的理想起了作用吗?我不能不问,你们是不是感到了孤独,因此才把自己比做“迷途的羔羊”?可是照我看,你们并没有“迷途”,“迷途”的倒是你们四周的一些人。
我常常想,我们生活在其中的社会有时会是十分古怪,叫人难以理解。人们喜欢说,形势大好,我也这样说过。这种说法不是没有道理,我也有自己的经验:根据我耳闻目睹,舍身救人、一心为公的英雄事迹和一人有难、八方支援的好人好事,每天都在远近发生。从好的方面看,当然一切都好;但要是专找不好的方面看,人就觉得好像被坏的东西包围了。尽管形势大好,总是困难很多;尽管遍地理想,偏偏有人惟利是图。你们说这是“新的现象”,我看风并不是一天两天刮起来的。
面对着这种现象,有人毫不在乎,他们说这是支流,支流敌不过主流,正如邪不胜正。即使出现这样的情况,譬如说钞票变成了发光的“明珠”,大家追求一个目标:发财,人人争当“能赚会花”的英雄;又譬如说从喜欢空话、爱听假话,发展到贩卖假药、推销劣货,发展到以权谋私、见利忘义……也不要紧,因为邪不胜正。还有人说:“你不要看风越刮越厉害,不久就会过去的。我们有定风珠嘛!”同他们交谈,我也感到放心,我也是相信邪不胜正的人,我始终乐观。
同学们,请原谅,我不是在这里讲空话。束手等待是盼不到美好的明天的。我说邪不胜正,因为在任何社会里都存在着是与非、光明与阴暗的斗争。最后的胜利当然属于正义、属于光明。但是在某一个时期甚至在较长的一段时期,是也会败于非,光明也会被阴暗掩盖,支流也会超过主流,在这里斗争双方力量的强弱会起大的作用。在这一场理想与金钱的斗争中我们决不是旁观者,斗争的胜败关系到我们每个人的命运。我们是这个社会的成员,是这个国家的公民,要是我们大家不献出自己的汗水和才智,那么社会的发展和国家的腾飞,也不过是一句空话。我常常想为什么宣传了几十年的崇高理想和大好形势,却无法防止黄金瘟疫的传播?为什么用理想教育人们几十年,那么多的课本,那么多的学习资料,那么多的报刊,那么多的文章!到今天年轻的学生还彷徨无主、四处寻求呢?
小朋友们,不瞒你们说,对着眼前五光十色的景象,就连我有时也感到迷惑不解了。我要问,理想究竟是什么?难道它是虚无缥缈的东西?难道它是没有具体内容的空话?这几十年来我们哪一天中断过关于理想的宣传?那么传播黄金疫的病毒究竟来自何处、哪方?今天到处在揭发有人贩卖霉烂的食品,推销冒牌的假货,办无聊小报,印盗版书,做各种空头生意,为了带头致富,不惜损公肥私、祸国害人。这些人,他们也谈理想,也讲豪言壮语,他们说一套,做另外一套。对他们,理想不过是招牌、是装饰、是工具。他们口里越是讲得天花乱坠,做的事情越是见不得人。“向前看”一下子就变为“向钱看”,定风珠也会变成风信鸡。在所谓“不正之风”刮得最厉害、是非难分、真假难辨的时候,我也曾几次疑惑地问自己:理想究竟在什么地方?它是不是已经被狂风巨浪吹打得无踪无影?我仿佛看见支流压倒了主流,它气势汹汹地滚滚向前。然而即使在这个时候我也没有理由灰心绝望,因为理想明明还在我前面闪光。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 亲爱 | qīn ài | dear; beloved; darling |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 同学 | tóng xué | to study at the same school; fellow student; classmate; CL:位[wei4],個|个[ge4] |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail; CL:封[feng1]; to trust; to believe; to profess faith in; truthful; confidence; trust; at will; at random |
| 使 | shǐ | to make; to cause; to enable; to use; to employ; to send; to instruct sb to do sth; envoy; messenger |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 为难 | wéi nán | to feel embarrassed or awkward; to make things difficult (for someone); to find things difficult (to do or manage) |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 有病 | yǒu bìng | to be ill; (coll.) to be not right in the head |
| 老人 | lǎo rén | old man or woman; the elderly; one's aged parents or grandparents |
| 最近 | zuì jìn | recently; soon; nearest |
| 虽然 | suī rán | although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是[ke3 shi4] or 但是[dan4 shi4] etc) |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 北京 | Běi jīng | Beijing municipality, capital of the People's Republic of China (short name 京[Jing1]) |
| 开 | kāi | to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start; to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run; to boil; to write out (a prescription, check, … |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 回到 | huí dào | to return to |
| 上海 | Shàng hǎi | Shanghai municipality (short name 滬|沪[Hu4]) |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 仿 | fǎng | to imitate; to copy; variant of 仿[fang3] |
| 佛 | fū | Buddha; Buddhism (abbr. for 佛陀[Fo2 tuo2]) |
| 生 | shēng | to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born; to arise; to occur; to light (a fire); to live; to be alive; life; raw; uncooked; unprocessed; unfamiliar; strange; (bound form) stu… |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 场 | cháng | threshing floor; classifier for events and happenings: spell, episode, bout; variant of 場|场[chang2] |
| 大病 | dà bìng | serious illness |
| 似 | shǐ | used in 似的[shi4 de5] |
| 一点 | yī diǎn | a bit; a little bit; (used in negative expressions) (not) the least bit; (after an adjective, used to form the comparative) a bit more, -er; a point (in a discussion etc); (calligr… |
| 力气 | lì qi | physical strength |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 讲 | jiǎng | to speak; to explain; to negotiate; to emphasize; to be particular about; as far as sth is concerned; speech; lecture |
| 话 | huà | dialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; words; conversation; what sb said; CL:種|种[zhong3],席[xi2],句[ju4],口[kou3],番[fan1]; old variant of 話|话[hua4] |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 气 | qì | gas; air; smell; weather; to make angry; to annoy; to get angry; vital energy; qi |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 接下 | jiē xià | to take on (a responsibility) |
| 写字 | xiě zì | to write (by hand); to practice calligraphy |
| 手指 | shǒu zhǐ | finger; CL:個|个[ge4],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 听 | yǐn | smile (archaic); to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages; to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. [ting4]); (literary) to administer; t… |
| 指 | zhǐ | finger; to point at or to; to indicate or refer to; to depend on; to count on; (of hair) to stand on end |
| 挥 | hui | to wave; to command; to scatter |
| 因此 | yīn cǐ | thus; consequently; as a result |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 以 | yǐ | old variant of 以[yi3]; abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] |
| 最 | zuì | variant of 最[zui4]; old variant of 最[zui4]; (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world") |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 速 | sǔ | fast; quick |
| 度 | dù | to pass; to spend (time); measure; limit; extent; degree of intensity; degree (angles, temperature etc); kilowatt-hour; classifier for events and occurrences |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give; to allow; to do sth (for sb); (grammatical equivalent of 被); (grammatical equivalent of 把); (sentence intensifier) |
| 回答 | huí dá | to reply; to answer; reply; answer |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 难 | nán | difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good |
| 办到 | bàn dào | to accomplish; to get (sth) done |
| 只 | zhī | variant of 隻|只[zhi1]; variant of 只[zhi3]; grain that has begun to ripen; classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 跟 | gēn | heel; to follow closely; to go with; (of a woman) to marry sb; with; compared with; to; towards; and (joining two nouns) |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 背 | běi | the back; behind (bei4); to recite from memory (bei4); to carry on the back (bei1) |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 前进 | qián jìn | to go forward; to forge ahead; to advance; onward |
| 即 | jí | namely; that is; i.e.; prompt; at once; at present; even if; prompted (by the occasion); to approach; to come into contact; to assume (office); to draw near |
| 远远 | yuǎn yuǎn | distant; by far |
| 落 | là | to leave out; to be missing; to leave behind or forget to bring; to lag or fall behind |
| 面 | miàn | face; side; surface; aspect; top; classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc; variant of 麵|面[mian4]; flour; noodles; (of food) soft (not crunchy); (slang) (of a person) ineffectual; spineless |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good |
| 努力 | nǔ lì | to make an effort; to try hard; to strive; hard-working; conscientious |
| 追 | zhui | to sculpt; musical instrument (old) |
| 赶 | gǎn | to overtake; to catch up with; to hurry; to rush; to try to catch (the bus etc); to drive (cattle etc) forward; to drive (sb) away; to avail oneself of (an opportunity); until; by … |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 带 | dài | band; belt; girdle; ribbon; tire; area; zone; region; CL:條|条[tiao2]; to wear; to carry; to take along; to bear (i.e. to have); to lead; to bring; to look after; to raise |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 朝前 | cháo qián | facing forwards |
| 飞奔 | fēi bēn | to dash (run fast); to rush; to dart |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 愿 | yuàn | honest and prudent; variant of 願|愿[yuan4]; (bound form) wish; hope; desire; to be willing; to wish (that sth may happen); may ...; vow; pledge |
| 意 | yì | (bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense; (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination; state of mind; (bound form) Italy (abbr. for 意大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 而是 | ér shì | rather |
| 力 | Lì | surname Li |
| 及 | jí | and; to reach; up to; in time for |
| 这就 | zhè jìu | immediately; at once |
| 说明 | shuō míng | to explain; to illustrate; to indicate; to show; to prove; explanation; directions; caption; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 并 | bìng | and; furthermore; also; together with; (not) at all; simultaneously; to combine; to join; to merge; to combine; to amalgamate; short name for Taiyuan 太原[Tai4 yuan2]; variant of 並|并[bing4] |
| 无 | mó | used in 南無|南无[na1 mo2] |
| 神奇 | shén qí | magical; mystical; miraculous |
| 力量 | lì liang | power; force; strength |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 且 | qiě | and; moreover; yet; for the time being; to be about to; both (... and...) |
| 连 | Lián | surname Lian |
| 有的 | yǒu de | (there are) some (who are...); some (exist) |
| 那种 | nà zhǒng | that kind of |
| 朝气 | zhāo qì | vitality; dynamism |
| 更 | gēng | to change or replace; to experience; one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was formerly divided; watch (e.g. of a sentry or guard) |
| 不用说 | bù yòng shuō | needless to say; it goes without saying |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 神 | Shén | God |
| 秘 | mǐ | secret; mysterious; confidential (mi4); Peru (in 秘鲁, bi4) |
| 钥 | yǎo | key |
| 匙 | chí | spoon |
| 不过 | bù guò | only; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway (to get back to a previous topic); cannot be more (after adjectival) |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 不必 | bù bì | need not; does not have to; not necessarily |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 急 | jí | urgent; pressing; rapid; hurried; worried; to make (sb) anxious |
| 寻 | xún | to search; to look for; to seek |
| 求 | qíu | to seek; to look for; to request; to demand; to beseech |
| 理想 | lǐ xiǎng | an ideal; a dream; ideal; perfect |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some; a few; tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old) |
| 事 | shì | matter; thing; item; work; affair; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1],回[hui2] |
| 存 | cún | to exist; to deposit; to store; to keep; to survive |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 一生 | yī shēng | all one's life; throughout one's life |
| 只得 | zhǐ dé | to have no alternative but to; to be obliged to |
| 幻灭 | huàn miè | (of dreams, hopes etc) to vanish; to evaporate; (of a person) to become disillusioned; disillusionment |
| 找到 | zhǎo dào | to find |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 坚持 | jiān chí | to persevere with; to persist in; to insist on |
| 命 | mǐng | life; order or command |
| 息 | xī | breath; news; interest (on an investment or loan); to cease; to stop; to rest; Taiwan pr. [xi2] |
| 各人 | gè rén | each one; everyone |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 目 | mù | eye; (literary) to look; to regard; eye (of a net); mesh; mesh size; grit size (abbr. for 目數|目数[mu4 shu4]); item; section; list; catalogue; (taxonomy) order; name; title |
| 标 | biao | mark; label; to bear (a brand name, registration number etc); award; target; (old) the topmost branches of a tree; classifier for military units |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 当然 | dāng rán | only natural; as it should be; certainly; of course; without doubt |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct; not the same; not alike |
| 理解 | lǐ jiě | to comprehend; to understand |
| 广 | yǎn | "house on a cliff" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 53), occurring in 店, 序, 底 etc; surname Guang |
| 播 | bō | (bound form) to sow (seeds); to spread (ideas, rumors etc); to broadcast (radio signals etc); Taiwan pr. [bo4] |
| 报 | bào | to report; to inform; to announce; to respond; to reply; to sign up for; to register for (abbr. for 報名|报名[bao4 ming2]); to reward; to recompense; to take revenge; to retaliate; new… |
| 纸 | zhǐ | variant of 紙|纸[zhi3]; paper (CL:張|张[zhang1],沓[da2]); classifier for documents, letters etc |
| 随时 | suí shí | at any time; at all times; at the right time; whenever necessary |
| 随地 | suí dì | according to the location; everywhere; any place; from any location; from wherever you like |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 谈论 | tán lùn | to discuss; to talk about |
| 前面 | qián miàn | ahead; in front; preceding; above; also pr. [qian2 mian5] |
| 等 | děng | to wait for; to await; by the time; when; till; and so on; etc.; et al.; (bound form) class; rank; grade; (bound form) equal to; same as; (used to end an enumeration); (literary) (… |
| 待 | dǎi | to stay; to remain |
| 只要 | zhǐ yào | so long as; provided; if |
| 伸 | shen | to stretch |
| 手 | shǒu | hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly); convenient; classifier for skill; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 抓 | zhua | to grab; to arrest; to scratch |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 那么 | nà me | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ...; then; in that case |
| 为 | wéi | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice); variant of 為|为[wei2] |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 着急 | zháo jí | to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry; Taiwan pr. [zhao1ji2] |
| 向 | Xiàng | surname Xiang; to tend toward; to guide; variant of 向[xiang4]; variant of 向[xiang4]; direction; orientation; to face; to turn toward; to; towards; shortly before; formerly |
| 呼 | hu | to call; to shout; to exhale |
| 救 | jìu | variant of 救[jiu4]; to save; to assist; to rescue |
| 呢 | ne | (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?"); (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation… |
| 有了 | yǒu le | I've got a solution!; to have a bun in the oven (abbr. for 有了胎[you3 le5 tai1]) |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 钱 | Qián | surname Qian |
| 社会 | shè huì | society |
| 风气 | fēng qì | general mood; atmosphere; common practice |
| 中 | Zhōng | (bound form) China; Chinese; surname Zhong |
| 觉 | jiào | a nap; a sleep; CL:場|场[chang2] |
| 窒 | ||
| 正是 | zhèng shì | is precisely |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 作用 | zuò yòng | to act on; to affect; action; function; activity; impact; result; effect; purpose; intent; (suffix) -ation, -tion etc, as in 抑制作用[yi4 zhi4 zuo4 yong4], inhibition |
| 不问 | bù wèn | to pay no attention to; to disregard; to ignore; to let go unpunished; to let off |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 孤独 | gū dú | lonely; solitary |
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only; (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) reall…; (variant of 才[cai2]) just now; (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 比 | Bǐ | Belgium; Belgian; abbr. for 比利時|比利时[Bi3 li4 shi2] |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 迷 | mī | to bewilder; fan; lost |
| 途 | tū | way; road |
| 羔 | ||
| 羊 | Yáng | surname Yang |
| 照 | zhào | variant of 照[zhao4]; to shine; to illuminate; according to; in accordance with; to shine; to illuminate; to reflect; to look at (one's reflection); to take (a photo); photo; as requested; as before |
| 倒 | dǎo | to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally; to fail; to go bankrupt; to overthrow; to change (trains or buses); to move around; to resell at a profit |
| 四周 | sì zhōu | all around |
| 一些 | yī xiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 常常 | cháng cháng | frequently; often |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to); to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 其中 | qí zhōng | among; in; included among these |
| 有时 | yǒu shí | sometimes; now and then |
| 十分 | shí fēn | very; completely; utterly; extremely; absolutely; hundred percent; to divide into ten equal parts |
| 古 | Gǔ | surname Gu |
| 怪 | guǎi | odd; strange; uncanny; to find strange; to regard as odd; (coll.) somewhat; rather |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 难以 | nán yǐ | hard to (predict, imagine etc) |
| 喜欢 | xǐ huan | to like; to be fond of |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 形势 | xíng shì | circumstances; situation; terrain; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 大 | dà | big; large; great; older (than another person); eldest (as in 大姐[da4 jie3]); greatly; freely; fully; (dialect) father; (dialect) uncle (father's brother) |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 这种 | zhè zhǒng | this kind of |
| 法 | fǎ | variant of 法[fa3]; France; French; abbr. for 法國|法国[Fa3 guo2]; Taiwan pr. [Fa4]; old variant of 法[fa3]; law |
| 道理 | dào li | reason; argument; sense; principle; basis; justification; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 经验 | jīng yàn | experience; to go through; to experience |
| 根 | gēn | root; basis; classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings; CL:條|条[tiao2]; radical (chemistry) |
| 据 | jǔ | according to; based on; evidence |
| 耳闻 | ěr wén | to hear of; to hear about |
| 睹 | dú | to observe |
| 舍身 | shě shēn | to give one's life |
| 一心 | yī xīn | wholeheartedly; heart and soul |
| 公 | gōng | public; collectively owned; common; international (e.g. high seas, metric system, calendar); make public; fair; just; Duke, highest of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wu3 deng3 jue2 w… |
| 英雄 | yīng xíong | hero; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 迹 | jǐ | (bound form) trace; mark; vestige; clue |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 八方 | bā fāng | the eight points of the compass; all directions |
| 支 | Zhī | surname Zhi |
| 援 | ||
| 好人 | hǎo rén | good person; healthy person; person who tries not to offend anyone, even at the expense of principle |
| 好事 | hǎo shì | good action, deed, thing or work (also sarcastic, "a fine thing indeed"); charity; happy occasion; Daoist or Buddhist ceremony for the souls of the dead |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 远近 | yuǎn jìn | far and near; distance |
| 发生 | fā shēng | to happen; to occur; to take place; to break out |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 方面 | fāng miàn | respect; aspect; field; side; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 一切 | yī qiè | everything; every; all |
| 要是 | yào shi | (coll.) if |
| 专 | zhuan | for a particular person, occasion, purpose; special; particular (to sth); specialized |
| 找 | zhǎo | to try to find; to look for; to call on sb; to find; to seek; to return; to give change |
| 不好 | bù hǎo | no good |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune); used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, … |
| 坏 | huài | bad; spoiled; broken; to break down; (suffix) to the utmost |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 包围 | bāo wéi | to surround; to encircle; to hem in |
| 尽管 | jǐn guǎn | despite; although; even though; in spite of; unhesitatingly; do not hesitate (to ask, complain etc); (go ahead and do it) without hesitating |
| 总 | zǒng | (bound form) general; overall; to sum up; in every case; always; invariably; anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later; surely; (after a person's name) abbr. for 總經理|总经理[zong3… |
| 困难 | kùn nan | difficult; challenging; straitened circumstances; difficult situation |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 遍 | biàn | variant of 遍[bian4]; everywhere; all over; classifier for actions: one time |
| 地理 | dì lǐ | geography |
| 偏 | pian | to lean; oblique; to deviate from average; stubbornly |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people; anyone; there is someone there; occupied (as in restroom) |
| 惟 | ||
| 利是 | lì shì | variant of 利事[li4 shi4] |
| 图 | tú | diagram; picture; drawing; chart; map; CL:張|张[zhang1]; to plan; to scheme; to attempt; to pursue; to seek |
| 新 | Xīn | abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆[Xin1 jiang1]; abbr. for Singapore 新加坡[Xin1 jia1 po1]; surname Xin |
| 现象 | xiàn xiàng | phenomenon; CL:個|个[ge4],種|种[zhong3]; appearance |
| 风 | fēng | wind; news; style; custom; manner; CL:陣|阵[zhen4],絲|丝[si1] |
| 刮 | guā | to scrape; to blow; to shave; to plunder; to extort; to blow (of the wind) |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 面对 | miàn duì | to face; to confront |
| 毫不 | háo bù | hardly; not in the least; not at all |
| 乎 | hu | (classical particle similar to 於|于[yu2]) in; from; than |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 流 | líu | to flow; to disseminate; to circulate or spread; to move or drift; to degenerate; to banish or send into exile; stream of water or sth resembling one; class, rate or grade |
| 敌 | dí | (bound form) enemy; (bound form) to be a match for; to rival; (bound form) to resist; to withstand |
| 主 | zhǔ | owner; master; host; individual or party concerned; God; Lord; main; to indicate or signify; trump card (in card games) |
| 正如 | zhèng rú | just as; precisely as |
| 邪 | xié | old variant of 邪[xie2]; demonic; iniquitous; nefarious; evil; unhealthy influences that cause disease (Chinese medicine); (coll.) strange; abnormal |
| 不胜 | bù shèng | cannot bear or stand; be unequal to; very; extremely |
| 正 | zhēng | first month of the lunar year |
| 出现 | chū xiàn | to appear; to arise; to emerge; to show up |
| 情况 | qíng kuàng | circumstances; state of affairs; situation; CL:種|种[zhong3] |
| 譬 | pǐ | to give an example |
| 如 | rú | as; as if; such as |
| 钞 | chao | money |
| 票 | piào | ticket; ballot; banknote; CL:張|张[zhang1]; person held for ransom; amateur performance of Chinese opera; classifier for groups, batches, business transactions |
| 变成 | biàn chéng | to change into; to turn into; to become |
| 发光 | fā guāng | to emit light; to shine; to glow; to glisten; to be luminous |
| 明珠 | míng zhū | pearl; jewel (of great value) |
| 大家 | dà jiā | everyone; influential family; great expert |
| 发财 | fā cái | to get rich |
| 人人 | rén rén | everyone; every person |
| 争 | zhēng | to strive for; to vie for; to argue or debate; deficient or lacking (dialect); how or what (literary) |
| 当 | dāng | (onom.) dong; ding dong (bell); to be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; during; ought; should; match equally; equal; same; obstruct; just at (a time or place); on the spot; right; just at |
| 赚 | zhuàn | to earn; to make a profit |
| 花 | Huā | surname Hua; old variant of 花[hua1]; variant of 花[hua1]; flower; blossom; also pr. [wei3] |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 空话 | kōng huà | empty talk; bunk; malicious gossip |
| 爱 | ài | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection; to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) |
| 假 | gēi | used in 假掰[gei1 bai1]; to borrow (variant of 假[jia3]) |
| 发展 | fā zhǎn | development; growth; to develop; to grow; to expand |
| 贩 | fǎn | to deal in; to trade in; to peddle |
| 卖 | mài | to sell; to betray; to spare no effort; to show off or flaunt |
| 药 | yào | leaf of the iris; variant of 藥|药[yao4]; medicine; drug; substance used for a specific purpose (e.g. poisoning, explosion, fermenting); CL:種|种[zhong3],服[fu4],味[wei4]; to poison |
| 推 | tuī | to push; to cut; to refuse; to reject; to decline; to shirk (responsibility); to put off; to delay; to push forward; to nominate; to elect; massage |
| 销 | xiao | to melt (metal); to sell; pin; bolt |
| 劣 | liě | inferior |
| 货 | huò | goods; money; commodity; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 权 | Quán | surname Quan |
| 谋 | mōu | to plan; scheme |
| 私 | sī | personal; private; selfish |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet; to appear (to be sth); to interview; opinion; view |
| 利 | Lì | surname Li |
| 忘 | wàng | to forget; to overlook; to neglect |
| 义 | Yì | surname Yi; (Tw) Italy (abbr. for 義大利|义大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 不要 | bù yào | don't!; must not |
| 紧 | jǐn | tight; strict; close at hand; near; urgent; tense; hard up; short of money; to tighten |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 还有 | hái yǒu | there still remain(s); there is (or are) still; in addition |
| 越 | Yuè | generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods; abbr. for Vietnam 越南 |
| 厉 | lǐ | strict; severe; fierce; to sharpen; surname Li |
| 害 | hài | to do harm to; to cause trouble to; harm; evil; calamity |
| 不久 | bù jǐu | not long (after); before too long; soon; soon after |
| 过去 | guò qù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
| 定 | dìng | to fix; to set; to make definite; to subscribe to (a newspaper etc); to book (tickets etc); to order (goods etc); to congeal; to coagulate; (literary) definitely |
| 珠 | zhū | bead; pearl; CL:粒[li4],顆|颗[ke1] |
| 嘛 | má | used in 唵嘛呢叭咪吽[an3 ma2 ni2 ba1 mi1 hong1]; (Tw) (coll.) what? |
| 同 | tóng | like; same; similar; together; alike; with; used in 衚衕|胡同[hu2 tong4] |
| 交 | jiāo | to hand over; to deliver; to pay (money); to turn over; to make friends; (of lines) to intersect; variant of 跤[jiao1] |
| 谈 | Tán | surname Tan |
| 放心 | fàng xīn | to feel relieved; to feel reassured; to be at ease |
| 相 | Xiāng | surname Xiang |
| 始 | shǐ | to begin; to start; then; only then |
| 终 | zhong | end |
| 乐 | Lè | surname Le |
| 观 | Guàn | surname Guan |
| 请 | qǐng | to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal etc); to request |
| 原 | Yuán | surname Yuan; (Japanese surname) Hara |
| 谅 | liàng | to show understanding; to excuse; to presume; to expect |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 束 | Shù | surname Shu |
| 盼 | pǎn | to hope for; to expect |
| 不到 | bù dào | not to arrive; not reaching; insufficient; less than |
| 美好 | měi hǎo | beautiful; fine |
| 明天 | míng tiān | tomorrow |
| 任 | Rén | surname Ren |
| 何 | Hé | surname He |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 与 | yú | variant of 歟|欤[yu2] |
| 非 | Fēi | abbr. for 非洲[Fei1 zhou1], Africa |
| 光明 | guāng míng | light; radiance; (fig.) bright (prospects etc); openhearted |
| 阴暗 | yīn àn | dim; dark; overcast; darkness; shadow; (fig.) dismal; gloomy; somber; murky; shadowy (side) |
| 斗争 | dòu zhēng | a struggle; fight; battle |
| 胜利 | shèng lì | victory; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 属于 | shǔ yú | to belong to; to fall under (a category) |
| 正义 | zhèng yì | justice; righteousness; just; righteous; (in the titles of traditional commentaries) correct interpretation |
| 某 | mǒu | some; a certain; sb or sth indefinite; such-and-such |
| 时期 | shí qī | period; phase; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 甚至 | shèn zhì | even; so much so that |
| 较 | jiào | (bound form) to compare; (literary) to dispute; compared to; (before an adjective) relatively; comparatively; rather; also pr. [jiao3] |
| 长 | cháng | long; (bound form) length; (bound form) strong point; forte; (bound form) to be good at; (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. [zhang4]) |
| 段 | Duàn | surname Duan |
| 败 | bǎi | to defeat; to lose (to an opponent); to wither |
| 于 | Yú | surname Yu; (of time or place) in; at; on; (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for; (indicating a source) from; out of; (used in comparison) than; (used i… |
| 掩 | yán | to cover up; to conceal; (coll.) to get (one's fingers etc) caught when closing a door or lid |
| 盖 | gǎi | to cover; to build; a lid; since; approximately; surname Gai |
| 超 | chao | to exceed; to surpass; to pass; ultra- |
| 双方 | shuāng fāng | bilateral; both sides; both parties involved |
| 强 | qiāng | strong; powerful; vigorous; better; to force (qiang3); stubborn (jiang4); surname Qiang |
| 弱 | ruǒ | weak; feeble; inferior; not as good as |
| 金钱 | jīn qián | money; currency |
| 决不 | jué bù | not at all; simply (can) not |
| 旁观者 | páng guān zhě | observer; spectator |
| 胜 | shèng | victory; success; to beat; to defeat; to surpass; victorious; superior to; to get the better of; better than; surpassing; superb (of vista); beautiful (scenery); wonderful (view); … |
| 关 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 系 | xì | to connect; to relate to; to tie up; to bind; to be (literary); system; department; faculty; to tie; to fasten; to button up |
| 每个人 | měi ge rén | everybody; everyone |
| 运 | yùn | to move; to transport; to use; to apply; fortune; luck; fate |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 成员 | chéng yuán | member |
| 国家 | guó jiā | country; nation; state |
| 公民 | gōng mín | citizen |
| 献 | xiǎn | to offer; to dedicate; to show; worthy person (old) |
| 出自 | chū zì | to come from |
| 己 | jǐ | self; oneself; sixth of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1]; sixth in order; letter "F" or Roman "VI" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc; hexa |
| 汗水 | hàn shuǐ | sweat; perspiration |
| 才智 | cái zhì | ability and wisdom |
| 腾飞 | téng fēi | lit. to fly upwards swiftly; fig. rapid advance; rapidly developing (situation) |
| 一句 | yī jù | a line of verse; a sentence |
| 宣 | xuan | to declare; to announce; to publicize; to spread |
| 传 | chuān | to pass on; to transmit; to transfer; to conduct (electricity) |
| 几 | jī | small table; (literary) almost |
| 十 | shí | ten; 10 |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 崇高 | chóng gāo | majestic; sublime |
| 却 | què | old variant of 卻|却[que4]; but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline; to retreat; nevertheless; even though |
| 防 | fāng | to protect; to guard against |
| 止 | zhǐ | to stop; to prohibit; until; only |
| 黄金 | huáng jīn | gold; golden (opportunity); prime (time) |
| 瘟 | ||
| 疫 | yǐ | (bound form) epidemic; plague |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using; to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions); usefulness; utility; (bound form) expense; outlay; (courte… |
| 教 | Jiào | surname Jiao |
| 育 | yù | to have children; to raise or bring up; to educate |
| 课本 | kè běn | textbook; CL:本[ben3] |
| 学习 | xué xí | to learn; to study |
| 资料 | zī liào | material; resources; data; information; profile (Internet); CL:份[fen4],個|个[ge4] |
| 刊 | kān | to print; to publish; publication; periodical; to peel with a knife; to carve; to amend; old variant of 刊[kan1]; to peel with a knife; to carve; to amend |
| 文章 | wén zhāng | article; essay; literary works; writings; hidden meaning; CL:篇[pian1],段[duan4],頁|页[ye4] |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 年轻 | nián qīng | young |
| 学生 | xué sheng | student; schoolchild |
| 彷 | pāng | used in 彷徨[pang2 huang2] and 彷徉[pang2 yang2] |
| 徨 | ||
| 四处 | sì chù | all over the place; everywhere and all directions |
| 小朋友 | xiǎo péng yǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to refer to sb's own child) |
| 瞒 | mān | to conceal from |
| 着眼 | zhuó yǎn | to have one's eyes on (a goal); having sth in mind; to concentrate |
| 前 | qián | front; forward; ahead; first; top (followed by a number); future; ago; before; BC (e.g. 前293年); former; formerly |
| 五 | wǔ | five; 5 |
| 光 | guāng | light; ray (CL:道[dao4]); bright; shiny; only; merely; used up; finished; to leave (a part of the body) uncovered |
| 色 | sè | color; CL:種|种[zhong3]; look; appearance; sex |
| 景 | Jǐng | surname Jing |
| 象 | xiàng | elephant; CL:隻|只[zhi1]; shape; form; appearance; to imitate |
| 惑 | huǒ | to confuse |
| 不解 | bù jiě | to not understand; to be puzzled by; indissoluble |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 究 | jīu | after all; to investigate; to study carefully; Taiwan pr. [jiu4] |
| 竟 | jǐng | unexpectedly; to go so far as to |
| 难道 | nán dào | don't tell me ...; could it be that...? |
| 虚无 | xū wú | nothingness |
| 缥 | ||
| 缈 | ||
| 具体 | jù tǐ | concrete; specific; detailed |
| 内容 | nèi róng | content; substance; details; CL:項|项[xiang4] |
| 哪 | nǎ | how; which |
| 中断 | zhōng duàn | to cut short; to break off; to discontinue; to interrupt |
| 病毒 | bìng dú | virus |
| 自 | zì | (bound form) self; oneself; from; since; naturally; as a matter of course |
| 何处 | hé chù | whence; where |
| 方 | Fāng | surname Fang |
| 到处 | dào chù | everywhere |
| 揭 | jie | to uncover; to lift up; to expose; to announce |
| 发 | fā | to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; to make a bundle of money; classifier for gunshots (rounds); hair; Taiwan pr. [fa3] |
| 霉 | mēi | mold; to become moldy |
| 烂 | lǎn | soft; mushy; to rot; to decompose; worn out; utterly; thoroughly |
| 食品 | shí pǐn | foodstuff; food; provisions |
| 冒牌 | mào pái | fake; impostor; quack (doctor); imitation brand |
| 办 | bàn | to take care of (a matter); to deal with (a task, procedure etc); to organize (an event); to establish; to set up; to manage; to run (an enterprise); (law) to handle; to investigat… |
| 聊 | liāo | (coll.) to chat; (literary) somewhat; slightly |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 印 | Yìn | surname Yin; abbr. for 印度[Yin4 du4], India |
| 盗版 | dào bǎn | pirated; illegal; see also 正版[zheng4 ban3] |
| 书 | Shū | abbr. for 書經|书经[Shu1 jing1] |
| 各种 | gè zhǒng | every kind of; all kinds of; various |
| 空 | kōng | empty; air; sky; in vain |
| 头 | tóu | head; hair style; the top; end; beginning or end; a stub; remnant; chief; boss; side; aspect; first; leading; classifier for pigs or livestock; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 生意 | shēng yì | life force; vitality |
| 为了 | wèi le | for; for the purpose of; in order to |
| 致富 | zhì fù | to become rich |
| 惜 | xi | to cherish; to pity |
| 损 | sún | (bound form) to decrease; to diminish; (coll.) to ridicule; to deride |
| 肥 | fēi | fat; loose-fitting or large; to become rich by illegal means; manure |
| 祸 | huǒ | disaster; misfortune; trouble |
| 国 | Guó | surname Guo |
| 害人 | hài rén | to harm sb; to inflict suffering; to victimize; pernicious |
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 豪 | háo | grand; heroic |
| 言 | yán | words; speech; to say; to talk |
| 壮语 | Zhuàng yǔ | Zhuang language; language of the Zhuang ethnic group 壯族|壮族[Zhuang4 zu2] of Guangxi |
| 一套 | yī tào | suit; a set; a collection; of the same kind; the same old stuff; set pattern of behavior |
| 另 | lìng | other; another; separate; separately |
| 外 | wài | outside; in addition; foreign; external |
| 招 | zhao | to recruit; to beckon; to infect; a move (chess); device; to confess |
| 牌 | pái | signboard; plaque; plate; tablet (CL:塊|块[kuai4]); brand; trademark; mahjong tile; domino; playing card (CL:張|张[zhang1]); (bound form) fixed pattern for lyrics or set melody in clas… |
| 装 | zhuāng | adornment; to adorn; dress; clothing; costume (of an actor in a play); to play a role; to pretend; to install; to fix; to wrap (sth in a bag); to load; to pack |
| 饰 | shǐ | decoration; to decorate; to hide; excuse (to hide a fault); to impersonate |
| 工具 | gōng jù | tool; instrument; utensil; means (to achieve a goal etc) |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth; classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc); classifier for bites or mouthfuls |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 天花 | tiān huā | smallpox; ceiling; stamen of corn; (old) snow; (dialect) sesame oil |
| 乱 | luàn | in confusion or disorder; in a confused state of mind; disorder; upheaval; riot; illicit sexual relations; to throw into disorder; to mix up; indiscriminate; random; arbitrary |
| 坠 | zhuǐ | to fall; to weigh down |
| 事情 | shì qing | affair; matter; thing; business; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1] |
| 见不得 | jiàn bu dé | not fit to be seen by; should not be exposed to; can't bear to see |
| 向前 | xiàng qián | forward; onward |
| 一下子 | yī xià zi | once; one time; (following a verb) for a moment; briefly; for a little while; in no time; almost immediately; all at once; all of a sudden |
| 变为 | biàn wéi | to change into |
| 鸡 | jī | fowl; chicken; CL:隻|只[zhi1]; (slang) prostitute; variant of 雞|鸡[ji1] |
| 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 谓 | wěi | to say; to call; to be called; meaning; so-called |
| 之 | zhī | (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]); him; her; it |
| 是非 | shì fēi | right and wrong; quarrel |
| 分 | fēn | to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad); (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局[fen1 ju2]); fraction; one tenth (of cert… |
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 辨 | biàn | to distinguish; to recognize |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 曾 | Zēng | surname Zeng |
| 几次 | jǐ cì | several times |
| 疑 | yí | (bound form) to doubt; to suspect |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 狂风 | kuáng fēng | gale; squall; whole gale (meteorology) |
| 巨 | jù | very large; huge; tremendous; gigantic; (coll.) very; extremely; variant of 巨[ju4] |
| 浪 | lǎng | wave; unrestrained; to stroll |
| 吹 | chuī | to blow; to play a wind instrument; to blast; to puff; to boast; to brag; to end in failure; to fall through |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 得无 | dé wú | (literary) isn't it that...? |
| 踪 | zōng | variant of 蹤|踪[zong1]; (bound form) footprint; trace; tracks |
| 影 | yǐng | picture; image; film; movie; photograph; reflection; shadow; trace |
| 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 压 | yā | to press; to push down; to keep under (control); pressure |
| 气势 | qì shì | imposing manner; loftiness; grandeur; energetic looks; vigor |
| 汹 | xiong | torrential rush |
| 滚 | gún | to boil; to take a hike |
| 然而 | rán ér | however; but; yet |
| 理由 | lǐ yóu | reason; grounds; justification; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 灰心 | huī xīn | to lose heart; to be discouraged |
| 绝望 | jué wàng | to despair; to give up all hope; desperate; desperation |
| 明明 | míng míng | obviously; plainly; undoubtedly; definitely |
| 闪 | shán | to flash; to dodge; to sidestep; to sprain; a lightning flash |
Dear students:
Your letter embarrassed me. I’m a sick old man, and though I recently attended a conference in Beijing, when I returned to Shanghai it was as if I had contracted a serious illness, I had not even the slightest bit of energy, it was hard to catch my breath when I spoke, when I wrote my fingers wouldn’t heed my commands, and because of this replying “as quickly as possible” [which the students asked him to do in Part I] was difficult for me to accomplish. I can only slowly forge ahead at your back, and though I lag far behind, I can still diligently pursue you. So as for dashing forward with you, it’s not that I’m not willing, but rather that I don’t have the strength. This only shows that not only do I not have “mystical powers” [which students attributed to him in Part I], but that I don’t even have your dynamism, and even less do I have any “mysterious key” [reference to Part I].
But as I see it you also needn’t be in such a rush, [because] “seeking ideals” is not a matter of a day or two. Ideals exist. But some people seek them all their lives and all they find is disillusionment, some people find them by persevering until their last breath. Everyone has their own goals, and of course everyone has a different understanding of ideals. I listen to broadcasts, read newspapers, and it seems like people are all casually discussing “ideals”, as if an ideal is [always] waiting just ahead, and all you must do is reach out your hand and you can grasp it. So, why do you so anxiously “call for my aid”? Do you not already have ideals? [The fact that] you feel so stifled in a social atmosphere that looks only to money, does that not precisely show your ideals are already playing a role? I can’t not ask, is it [perhaps] that you feel lonely, and because of this compare yourselves to “lost lambs”? But as I see it, you haven’t “lost your way”, on the contrary, those who have “lost their way” are the people all around you.
I often think, our life in society is sometimes so odd, and [can be] hard for us to comprehend. People like to say, “life [literally: circumstances] is pretty good”, I’ve also said this. This isn’t without logic, as I’ve experienced myself: from what I’ve witnessed personally, [acts of] sacrificing one’s life to save others, heroic deeds of wholehearted [dedication] to the public, and when one person is in trouble, good people [appear from] all directions to offer assistance, these things happen near and far every day. From a positive perspective, of course everything looks great; but if you flip it around and look from a negative perspective, you may feel you are surrounded by bad things. Although life is largely good, there are [still] always many troubles; although there are [grand] ideals everywhere, there is also always someone bent solely on profit. You say this is a “new phenomenon”, but as I see it, this wind didn’t blow in over the last couple of days.
Faced with this phenomenon, some people pay it no mind, they say [the people who behave this way] are just a tributary [of the river], and a tributary can’t overwhelm the mainstream, just like evil cannot triumph over good. Although [bad] situations [make frequent] appearances – for example [when] cash becomes [seen as] a shining “treasure”, everyone chasing after one goal: to get rich, and everyone vying to be a hero of “earning and spending”; or for another example, when the love of speaking empty words and listening to falsehoods develops into the selling of fake medicine and poor-quality goods, which develops into using power for personal gain and forgetting what is right as soon as there is profit to be made – [even when this happens,] you still needn’t be anxious, because evil cannot triumph over good. Still others say: “You needn’t pay attention to the wind blowing ever more violently, it will pass in a while. We have a Wind Stopping Pearl!” As they talk, I also feel reassured, I’m also someone who believes evil cannot triumph over good, I’m ever the optimist.
Students, please forgive me, I don’t mean to speak empty words here. [Simply] waiting with our hands tied, we cannot look forward to a beautiful tomorrow. I say evil can’t triumph over good, because in any society there exists a struggle between right and wrong, light and darkness. Final victory of course belongs to justice, belongs to light. But in any age, [perhaps] even for long periods of time, right can lose to wrong, light can also be covered by darkness, the tributary can engulf the mainstream, and in this fight the weakness and strength of both sides will matter greatly. In this struggle between ideals and money we are certainly not spectators, which side wins and which loses the struggle is dependent upon our own destinies. We are the members of this society, we are the citizens of this country, if we do not offer our sweat and wise ability, then “social development” and “national advancement” are nothing but empty words. I often wonder why the noble ideals and general positivity propagandized over the last few decades have not been able to prevent the sickness of gold from spreading? Why is it that we have used ideals to educate people for decades, so many textbooks, so many study materials, so many newspapers, so many articles! And [yet] today’s young students pace about without [moral] guidance, seeking everywhere?
Young friends, I won’t lie to you, facing all the multifarious scenes [that unfold] before my eyes, I also sometimes feel befuddled. I want to ask, what are ideals, really? Could it be that they are illusionary things? Could it be that they are empty words without substance? On what day over the last few decades did we stop propagandizing ideals? And then from which direction, which place, did the spreading plague of gold sickness come? These days, everywhere we uncover people selling rotten food, pushing imitation goods, making boring tabloids, printing pirated books, doing all kinds of phoney business, to be the first to get rich, not hesitating to make personal gain at public expense, bringing calamity on the country and harming the people. These people, they also talk about ideals, they speak in grand language, they say one thing, but they do another. To them, ideals are shop signs, ornaments, tools. The more they speak of flowers cascading from the sky, the more their actions are unfit for the world of men. “Looking ahead” in an instant becomes “looking towards money”, and the Wind Stopping Pearl becomes [nothing but] a weathervane. In all times when the so-called “winds of injustice” blow strongest, when right and wrong are hard to distinguish, when true and false are hard to recognize, I have also doubtfully asked myself: where are [our] ideals? Have they already been blown away without a trace by the violent winds and mighty waves? It’s as if I can see the tributary overwhelming the mainstream, its momentum roaring tumultuously forward. But even in these times I have no reason to despair, because an ideal is still clearly sparkling just ahead of us.