Now provide a celebrity's reading notes:
Reading is a way of life.
Chen Pingyuan (famous writer and scholar)
In my opinion, reading itself has a special charm, which is worth enjoying again and again. In this sense, reading is both a means and an end. It's just that this kind of reading with both means and purpose is not available anytime and anywhere. In the postscript of Diary of the British Museum, I quoted the story of four princes who visited Diana Road at night in Liu Yiqing's Shi Shuo Xin Yu and Ren Dan Pian. I really hope that "reading" can also reach this state: "I left on impulse and came back after excitement", so what is there to test? Why do you want a degree? Why do you have to write? Of course, such carefree and free "reading" is an ideal realm, which is difficult to realize in real life. But although I can't do it, I yearn for it.
First, the definition of reading
What is "reading", a verb or a noun, broad or narrow? Is it "everything is inferior, only reading is high" or "learning well is better than growing well, and growing well is better than marrying well"? It seems that talking about "reading" really needs to be defined first.
Reading is a certain stage of life. Friends meet and say hello: "Are you still studying?" That means you are still enduring endless lectures, reviews and exams at school. However, if the idea of lifelong education is popular, you can answer frankly: it is never too old to learn, so it is not surprising that you still "carry that bag to school" at such a big age.
"Reading" is a profession in society. What does it mean to study as a profession? That is to say, you are not good at making gun sticks, and you are not "who pried open the money first and was careless about how he left her and went to Fuliang to buy tea a month ago". In the past, they were called readers and scholars, but now they are professors, writers and researchers, and many people make a living by reading, writing, thinking and expressing.
Reading is a certain moment in life. "What time is it, you still can't put it down?" During the Spring Festival holiday, you still indulge in books, don't go out for sightseeing, and don't go to karaoke bars and dance halls for fun.
Reading is a state of mind. In the long history of China and foreign countries, many intellectuals stubbornly believe that reading is not only related to action, but also affects the spirit. The Commercial Press published The History of Reading by Canadian scholar Mann Gouel (2002), which began with a sentence by French writer Flaubert: "Reading is to live." So, aren't people who haven't read books or have already bid farewell to them walking dead? This is terrible. People in China are more moderate. Not studying will only laugh at your vulgarity, laziness and lack of progress. Huang Tingjian, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote: "From ancient times to the present, if people don't need water to moisten their chests for a long time, they will feel disgusting in the mirror and tasteless to people." The problem is that many people feel good about themselves and never feel sick in front of the mirror. This is a big trouble.
All four definitions are meaningful, depending on the context and interest. It used to be said that "learning is the best way to be an official", but now it is "learning is the best way to be an official"-the latter "learning" is of course an act, and "officials ask big questions". The unique consumption of higher education in China makes people laugh and cry. If one day, even the janitor in the school has a doctorate, it will not be the pride of China people. Seeing many young people blindly "take exams", my heart is half cold. Of course, I know they are forced to find jobs. It is easy for you to understand that many doctoral students with poor economics will never get close to books once they leave school, which is also called "practice makes true knowledge"
With this in mind, I especially appreciate those who study for their own interests rather than diplomas. Teaching at Peking University naturally favors your students; But I dare not despise those "bystanders" of unknown origin. I always turn a blind eye. As long as the normal teaching order is not affected and there are seats in the classroom, you can sit down and listen. This kind of accommodation that does not conform to the school rules is actually more suitable for Confucius' thought of "teaching without distinction"
You must study to get a degree, but studying is not the same as getting a degree. Distance exceeds 108000 miles. 19 17, Cai Yuanpei went to Peking University to be the principal. When he made his opening speech, he specifically talked about this issue, hoping that the students would focus on learning and not regard the university as a diploma seller (as a speech by the president of Peking University). At the beginning of the second year, Mr. Cai once again stressed: "Universities are purely institutions that study knowledge and cannot be used as places to cultivate qualifications or sell knowledge." (Opening Speech of Peking University in 19 18) Looking back on the ten years of Peking University in the future, Teacher Cai is proud that she has changed the imagination of China people about universities (see my educational experience and my own chronicle). Now it seems that Mr. Cai is still too optimistic. Students who become "places to sell knowledge" and regard universities as "places to cultivate qualifications" are everywhere in China today.
The general feeling is that "doctors" are very popular in China today, but "scholars" are very lonely. The so-called "never put down the book" has become very outdated. As for your saying that reading can be "refined", there are not a few people; Not only do I not taboo "vulgarity", but I also regard vulgarity as elegance, even "who am I afraid of if I am a rogue".
Second, the cost of reading.
There is a popular saying, "economic imperialism", that economists are too confident in their knowledge, not only talking about the economy, but also talking about politics, culture, morality, aesthetics and so on. It seems that economic theory can solve all problems. Therefore, it has become the biggest fashion to talk about opportunities, efficiency and cost accounting. When you say "reading", well, first calculate the input-output ratio and see if it is worth it. I understand that when students choose a major, besides their personal interests, there are also cost considerations. That's not what I'm talking about, but "reading" as a way of life and mental state.
There is a subtle relationship between "book" as a material form and "reading" as a social behavior, which deserves careful cross-checking. The "reading cost" discussed here has parody elements, which can make you laugh.
That is a case-solving in the history of modern literature. Of all the poems that students are advised to learn, the most interesting is a sentence in Saturday: "It is happiness to buy laughter and spend money, get drunk and interfere with your health, and not scrimp on reading novels." In other words, reading is good, but it is cheap and hygienic. "If you edit it in your hand, you will forget all your troubles. After a hard week, it is also a pleasure to relax on this day! " (Wang Dungen) "The more you talk about Saturday, the more ridiculous it is. You even put an advertisement in the newspaper:" I would rather not marry my little grandmother than watch Saturday. " This angered the new writer. Ye Shengtao wrote "Insulting People" and said: "This is really an insult, a universal insult. They insult themselves, literature and others! "I would rather not marry a little wife, of course, it is a gimmick, which is not desirable; It can also be told the truth: with the development of publishing and printing industry, the price of books has dropped, and ordinary people can afford books and periodicals, so reading has become a kind of inexpensive consumption. At least compared with other more fashionable cultural entertainment in big cities, this is the case. I'm not talking about bad behaviors such as gambling, taking drugs or visiting brothels. Compared with watching movies, operas, ballets and symphonies, reading is the cheapest-although the price of books is getting more and more expensive.
Now, college students can surf the Internet for free on campus. There are so many famous works of literature, history and philosophy on the Internet that you can read or even download them for free. At least you have a higher education. What do you do after work? Can't go shopping? Listening to the grand opera and watching the ballet are elegant, but they are too expensive and can only be done occasionally. So going to the bookstore, entering the library and reading books online have become daily homework. But the problem is coming again. Reading takes time.
More than ten years ago, I traveled to Hong Kong and chatted with professors there, saying that you took so much money and didn't have much knowledge, which was really admirable. People say you are a layman, because you have a lot of money, you have to spend money, and you have no time to study. It makes sense to think about it. Everyone says that college students in grades 7, 7 and 8 study hard. The reason why they have no distractions and devote themselves to their studies is to recover the lost time. At that time, the temptation was less. Unlike children today, it's hard to resist. My experience is that children from poor families love reading, half of them are born with a strong desire to change their destiny; Half of them are helpless, because they are too fashionable and elegant for entertainment. However, it doesn't matter, this choice is sometimes limited, because everything has a good side. Reading, as a way of life, requires less financial resources, but has a higher mood and interest.
Third, reading attitude.
In the first issue of Reading magazine, which is quite famous in academic circles, there was a famous article "Reading without Forbidden Zone", which directly targeted at many rules and regulations at that time. It is not necessarily effective to artificially delimit the restricted area and say that these books can be read and those books cannot be read. Throughout the ages, so many books were banned, and none of them worked. The more books banned by the imperial court, the more interested readers are. Didn't you say "reading forbidden books behind closed doors on a snowy night"? That's very elegant. Let's say "Jin Ping Mei", which is often banned, can be edited by literati and not on the table.
There is no forbidden area for reading, but there is a path for reading. In other words, some people can read, others can't, or they can't read very well. It is not enough to say that "opening books is beneficial". Reading, what books to read and how to read them? There are two sentences worth recommending. First, it was written by the late scholar Sun Baoxuan. He said in the diary of forgetting the mountain that books are old and new, and there is no distinction between elegance and vulgarity. It depends on your eyes. Look at old books with new eyes, old books are new; On the other hand, if you look at a new book with an old eye, it is old.
What Lin Yutang said is more interesting: read only extremely advanced and extremely low-level books. Don't read books in the middle reaches, because those books have no self-image, and people follow suit. It goes without saying that the best books must be read, and everyone thinks so. But why read a very dirty book? In extremely dirty books, there is a mixture of sand and soil, so you can find gold in the sand-because of social prejudice, many works of prophets were initially banned. One more thing, few people read this kind of book. You can show off your erudition by quoting occasionally. Many people who write articles have this habit, that is, to avoid the main road and find a path to make themselves look different. This strategy is good and bad.
Jin Kemu wrote a book, which was included in Swallowing Spring Mud (People's Daily Press, 1987). It is said that the historian Chen Yinque once told people that he had seen Xia Zengyou when he was young, and Xia sighed with emotion: "It is good that you can read foreign books; I can only read China's books, and I have finished reading them, so I have nothing to read. " He was shocked and thought that Xia had a mental illness; When I get old, I think it makes sense: there are only dozens of ancient books in China to read. This is to teach people to read the original classics, not those second-hand or third-hand documents, cut off the crowd and start from scratch.
In fact, the so-called "classic" is not fixed; Different times, different nationalities, different classes and even different genders, the classic definition is moving. Talking about "classics" doesn't have to start with the Three Emperors and Five Emperors. People who are good at reading are not choosing the self-evident classics of Confucius, Mencius and Zhuangzi, but judging some potential classics that are still on the road and have not been recognized. By the way, I advocate "reading classics", but I don't advocate "reading classics"-the latter has a specific meaning and only points to the four books and five classics of Confucianism, which is too narrow.
When it comes to reading, you can't help but mention the posture when reading. Whether your book is put in the toilet, piled on the desk, put on your knee or held in your hand, sitting still or flipping through it casually, your reading attitude is different and the effect is different. Why? This involves the mentality when reading, and further, it also involves the interest and methods of reading. Give a familiar number and see how Lu Xun reads.
Lu Xun's "essays on the pavilion"? I have a reading habit of "flipping through": "No matter what book it is, I always flip through, or read the preface, or read a few pages"; I don't care. I don't work hard. I take this thing as a pastime. I know that books that disagree with me should be turned over, and outdated books should be turned over. If they are turned over, they will naturally broaden their horizons and are not easy to be deceived.
The meaning of "browsing casually" is close to what Tao Yuanming said in the biography of Mr. May 6th: "You study hard, but you don't want to know much". It must be remembered that Lu Xun said that this is not all about reading, but "reading for leisure" and "not doing well may harm people". This is the characteristic of Lu Xun's essays. I'm afraid you'll play the violin, laugh at yourself or even dispel yourself, so as to cultivate independent will and skepticism. Indeed, Lu Xun has another reading attitude.
Taking the history of novels as an example, Lu Xun said: "I have my own independent preparation" (not a letter). Comparing these three books, linking ancient novels, Tang and Song legends and old novel notes, it is not difficult to find that Lu Xun's writing attitude is rigorous in A Brief History of China's Novels. Compared with many of his contemporaries who wrote thousands of words, Wan Li and Lu Xun's academic works were too few. Many research projects have not been completed, which is related to their serious and cautious academic attitude. However, after decades, the dust has settled, and many "masterpieces" that were sensational at the beginning have vanished, while "A Brief History of Chinese Novels" still stands, which shows that seriousness also has serious benefits.
Go back to school, and you can be free and easy when you "flip"; But when it comes to "killing villages and fighting hard", we must not be careless. All those who talk about college campus or study life choose funny ones, and those who don't know the details think that reading is easy and effortless at all. If you think so, you are all wet. The real reading life is a combination of speaking easily and pressing heavily on the back of paper.
Fourth, the pleasure of reading.
In the modern society that attaches importance to academic qualifications, there is a certain connection between reading and occupation. In college, it is not enough to cultivate one's mind and cultivate one's nature. It is a pity to turn them into pure vocational training. The ideal state is not only to acquire exquisite "professional skills", but also to cultivate lofty "academic ambition" and mellow "reading interest"
Reading must be solved, but there are three possibilities for how to solve it: study hard and don't seek extraordinary solutions-that is, celebrity reading; Good at reading, seeking great solutions-that is, scholars; If you don't study, you are eager to learn-this is called reading a hero. The latter sentence is a parody of "hero translation" in the late Qing Dynasty. Free play and random misinterpretation, though unique, are not the right way to "read".
Tao Yuanming's "good reading, not seeking very much understanding" must be related to the following sentence: "Every time you know something, you will gladly forget to eat." What is concerned here is the mentality. How to explain the so-called "ancient scholars are for themselves, and today's scholars are human beings"? Studying for one's own fame, for one's parents, or for the prosperity of the motherland is a bit worrying. Reading for the sake of reading-according to Ye Shengtao, Zheng Zhenduo has a mantra "I like it very much" when talking about books (preface)-it is a book of true love, and I really love reading. The act of reading is meaningful in itself, and there is no need to use "Golden House hides Jiao" or "Yan Ruyu" as a drug introduction. It is a last resort to read books as a means of obtaining means of subsistence, or to "write books for the benefit of rice and rice" as Gong Zizhen ridiculed himself.
Ancient scholars, who were knowledgeable in reading, had no choice but to write; Today's scholars study for writing. In today's China, the academic evaluation system is becoming increasingly rigid, following the example of the United States, "publish it or give me death". Therefore, when we meet, we don't ask what good books we have read, but what new books we have published and what topics we have reported. I really don't know if I can continue studying if I don't apply for this subject. My feeling is that this habit of reading for the sake of writing can easily make reading lose its fun.
As a scholar, you can't stop writing books all day. If you just want to find information to write a paper, you will go to the other extreme and forget that reading is a very pleasant thing. I learned this lesson myself. More than ten years ago, I read many good and bad martial arts novels in order to write "Chivalrous Man". Reading hurt me, so that for a long time, I had a headache when I saw martial arts novels. I really hope that one day, I can completely remove the armor of scholars and study freely. I wrote two books and read the diaries of Japanese and British museums. I'm not bluffing, but I hope I can restore my curiosity about the unknown world and enjoy reading.
In my opinion, reading itself has a special charm, which is worth enjoying again and again. In this sense, reading is both a means and an end. It's just that this kind of reading with both means and purpose is not available anytime and anywhere. In the postscript of Diary of the British Museum, I quoted the story of four princes who visited Diana Road at night in Liu Yiqing's Shi Shuo Xin Yu and Ren Dan Pian. I really hope that "reading" can also reach this state: "I left on impulse and came back after excitement", so what is there to test? Why do you want a degree? Why do you have to write? Of course, such carefree and free "reading" is an ideal realm, which is difficult to realize in real life. But although I can't do it, I yearn for it.
Tao Yuanming said that "every time I know something, I forget to eat happily" is the same experience of many scholars; Not only "forgetting food", but also forgetting life and death. Among the "reading history" mentioned just now, there is a photo taken during the London bombing in 1940, which is very touching. In the collapsed library, the bookshelf against the wall did not fall down. In the ruins, three men were still reading happily. Of course, this is to fight against bad luck and strengthen our belief in the future, but it can also be interpreted as: "reading" has become a necessary daily life and a symbol of life. This book is interspersed with many historical images about books and reading, which is very beautiful; Unfortunately, there is only one16th century engraving about China, describing the scene of Qin Shihuang burning books.
V. Reading strategies
Reading, what book to read? Experts have different views on reading classics or fashions, hard or soft, elegant or vulgar. In addition, it involves different disciplines. My suggestion is reading literature books. Why? Because it's useless. I have never heard of anyone who made a fortune by reading poems and who became a big official by reading novels. Nowadays, people are too snobbish in reading and practical in everything, which is not good. The importance of professional books such as economics and law is self-evident, which is well known all over the world. What I want to say is that the cultivation of aesthetic interest and the significance of spiritual exploration cannot be ignored. Of course, for ambitious people, literature is too weak to save the world and help the people; But this is not right. Thinking about the significance of Lu Xun's existence.
Two years ago, Mr. Tsung i Jao, a Hong Kong scholar, gave a speech at Peking University and mentioned two words that French sinologist Demi did not tell him: China literature is the best in the world; The best way to study China is to start with literature. When published, these two sentences were deleted, probably for fear of causing unnecessary misunderstanding, thinking that foreigners were forced to respect themselves. But the last sentence is actually very reasonable. The study of China from literature can be profound. And I pay special attention to one point: starting from literary research, I am easy to understand and have good imagination and expressive ability. These are not dispensable, not decorations, but directly affect your learning realm and life interest. If you look at famous foreign philosophers and thinkers, who quote and play literary classics in their works, you will understand that scholars in China generally don't read too much literature, but too little and too shallow.
China's traditional culture is profound and should be carried forward. So I don't mind starting a research institute, compiling history, compiling Confucianism and Tibetan. I want to remind you that the "tradition" we are talking about today has two different meanings. Since the late Qing Dynasty, the new culture formed by the dialogue, struggle and integration between China people and western learning has become a new tradition that cannot be ignored. For example, in literature, can we just talk about Qu Yuan, Li Bai, Du Fu, Guan Hanqing, Cao Xueqin and not Lu Xun? Speaking of modern literature, because it is my old job, I can't help saying a few more words. It's not a job advertisement, it's a feeling Although I have criticized some behaviors of the May 4th New Culture School, I am opposed to blaming the madness of the Cultural Revolution on the anti-tradition of the May 4th Movement. With the rapid promotion of China's economic strength and international status, many people began to get hot heads and talk about "national self-confidence", but they didn't listen to any criticism. Looking back, I accused the May 4th new cultural people of rebellion and struggle, and laughed at Lu Xun's extreme and loneliness. I understand the change of this trend of thought, but I am also wary of possible "precipitation".
When it comes to reading strategies, my opinions are simple: first, read poems, novels, essays and plays that have no practical function; Second, pay attention to modern and contemporary literature closely related to people's lives today; Third, all reading should have their own life experience as the background, so as to avoid reading dead books and reading dead.
At all times and all over the world, "exhortation to learn" is overwhelming, and you and I have all heard it. What's the effect? So many people really "learn from the scriptures", but few really work. Here I recommend Zhang Taiyan's point of view as the conclusion of the speech. Teacher Zhang has repeatedly stressed that what you get from teachers in life is far less than what you get from social experience and life troubles. There is a sentence in the chronology 19 10 set by Mr. Tai Yan: "Although there are teachers and friends giving lectures, they benefit from worrying about illness." In 19 12 "Mr. Zhang Taiyan's Questions and Answers", there are two paragraphs: "Learning is just self-study, and everything needs the teacher to say, not much." "Mr. Qu Yuan, my teacher is not stereotyped writing. If you don't understand something in reading, just ask. " Together, it is three sentences: learning is based on self-study; Ask if you don't understand; Connect life troubles with book knowledge. This is what I understand as "the secret of reading".
Chen Pingyuan: Chen Pingyuan, 1987 Doctor of Peking University Literature, 1992 Professor of Chinese Department in Peking University. He has given lectures and conducted research in Tokyo University and Kyoto University (1993- 1994), Columbia University (1997), Heidelberg University (2000) and London University (200 1). The main research fields are as follows:1980s, focusing on China literature in the 20th century, and then gradually expanding to China's ancient novels and China's prose; From 65438 to the early 1990s, he began to pay attention to the modern academic history of China, and in recent years he also involved the modern educational history of China. He was awarded "China Doctoral Degree Winner with Outstanding Contributions" by the State Education Commission and the State Council Academic Degrees Committee (1991); Won the first and second national outstanding achievement awards in humanities and social sciences research (1995, 1998), the honorary award of the fourth national book award (1999, cooperation) and the nomination award of the fifth national book award (200/kloc-0, cooperation). His major works include The Collision of Eastern and Western Cultures (1987), The Change of Narrative Style in China's Novels (1988) and Three Talks on China Literature in the Twentieth Century (co-author, 1988), the first volume of China's novel history in the 20th century (1989), a study on the genre of chivalrous novels (1992), the history of novels: theory and practice (1999) and Selected Academic Works of Chen Pingyuan. Prose and Novel (1998), Formation and Construction of Literary History (1999), Touching History ―― The May 4th Movement Characters and Modern China (Editor-in-Chief, 1999), Peking University Spirit and Others (2000), Images in the Late Qing Dynasty (co-author, writing essays after learning to pay attention to real life, His works include Inside the Book and Outside the Book, Big Books and Small Books, Scholar's Spirit, Reading Japanese, Random Poems, Wandering Heart and Eyes, Collection of Water, Collection of cornucopia and so on. From 199 1-2000, he and his friends co-edited Scholar, a collection of humanities studies. He is now the editor-in-chief of Modern China, Academic History Series, 20th Century China Academic Literature Series and 20th Century China People's Spiritual Life Series.