Chapter 121 anecdote

Chen Yinke's father, Chen Sanli, ran a school at home. In addition to teaching the Four Books and Five Classics, he also offered courses in mathematics, English, music, painting, etc., as well as stylistic equipment.This school is not only convenient for children at home, but also children of relatives and friends (such as Mao Yisheng, Mao Yinan brothers, etc.).Under such circumstances, Chen Yinke laid a good foundation of Chinese studies, and also made preparations for studying abroad in the future. Chen Yinke's elder brother, Chen Hengke's daughter, Chen Xiaocong, recalled her sixth uncle Chen Yinke: "My grandfather had a rich collection of books. When my sixth uncle was in his teens and when he came back from Japan, he devoted himself to reading all kinds of ancient and Buddhist books all day long. He also said: "My father and my sixth uncle's initial education before going abroad were all taught by teachers at home. The teachers successively hired were Wang Bohang (named Li), Liu Yimou (the master of Chinese studies Liu Yizheng), Xiao Zhiquan and so on. Xiao Jian is a painter and once taught three aunts to learn painting. When the teachers first arrived, his grandfather often made appointments with them: first, do not beat students, and second, do not endorse. This is very different from the general teacher norms at that time. So My father and several uncles spent their life in the Mongolian museum in this relaxed, lively and relatively free atmosphere."

About the pronunciation of "ke". The word "ke" of Chen Yinke is generally read as "que (true)". The basis is: Chen Yinke's ancestors originally lived in Shanghang, Fujian Province, and belonged to the Hakka system. The Hakka people pronounce "ke" as "que (true)".However, according to the textual research in Jin Wenming's "Guardian Yulin", this is a fallacy of spreading rumors.In the Hakka dialect of Shanghang, there is no initial consonant q at all, and the sound of q in Mandarin is often pronounced as "k" in Hakka dialect.In the early 1980s, Hong Kong Publishing House's "Li's Chinese Dictionary" used "课" to note the national pronunciation of "ke", and "que" to note the Cantonese pronunciation of "ke".According to Chen Yinke’s assistant teacher Wang Zhonghan’s recollection, the English signature used by Mr. Chen is Tschen Yinko (ko is koh). It can be seen that “ke” is never pronounced as “que”, but its Cantonese phonetic character “que” is pronounced as “que” in Mandarin, and Therefore, it is absurd to make up a new sound for "ke" by being clever.Chen Yinke himself also believes that when using Mandarin, "ke" should be read as "ke (class)", and this is the only pronunciation of the word "ke" in Mandarin.

It is said that Mr. Bi Shutang, the veteran of the Tsinghua Library, once asked Mr. Chen, and Mr. Chen told him that "ke" should be pronounced as ke. "is this necessary?" In Chen Yinke's hometown in Xiushui, Jiangxi Province, there are no less than a thousand people with the character "Ke", and there are 6 people named "Chen Yinke".These clansmen named after "ke", whether they themselves or their elders, all read "ke" as koh (ancient entering sound). From youth to old age, Chen Yinke never wrote "ke" as que.For example, the signatures of his studies and published papers in Switzerland, the United States, and Germany, as well as the pinyin of his name filled in the "School Expert Survey Form" of Sun Yat-sen University in 1956, are all ChenYinke or ChenYinKoh.The northern dialect has lost its tone, and the ancient tone koh has been transformed into ke in the Beiping Mandarin at that time. Chen Yinke and his brothers all use the ke sound in formal occasions.

According to Chen Yinke's life experience, it should be called Chen Yinque from Tsinghua Garden, and it has been a convention since the period of Southwest Associated University and Chengdu Yanda University.But Chen Yinke himself did not agree. When he was at Yanda University in Chengdu, he personally said to his graduate student Shi Quan: "My name is pronounced 'Ke'." It is said that after Chen Yinke arrived at Sun Yat-sen University, teachers, students and staff became Xi Nianque together, which was not unrelated to his wife Tang Yuan.Tang Yuan is the granddaughter of Tang Jingsong, governor of Taiwan. She grew up in Tianjin by her mother since she was a child, and her vowel is the pronunciation of Pingjin.She pronounces "ke" as que, and when students call Mr. Yinke, she often corrects them to pronounce que.

When Chen Yinke was a child in Hunan, he was only eight or nine years old.Grandfather Chen Baozhen received guests, and Chen Yinke listened quietly with his attendants.After the guest left, no one else could remember what they talked about, but Chen Yinke said it all.He has read books since he was a child, and he can recite them after reading them only once, and he is especially familiar with old and new Tang books. Let me tell you an interesting story about Chen Yinke's father.Chen Sanli (Chen Yinke's father) didn't know the difference between soybean and wheat. After visiting the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum once, he saw rows of rice seedlings beside the road, plump and green.

Harvard University sent Zhao Yuanren to invite Chen Yinke to teach, but Chen declined, saying: "My nostalgia for the United States is only the prawns in the Chinese restaurant Zuixianglou in Boston." When Chen Yinke was studying abroad, divorce among foreign students was prevalent at that time. Some foreign students had nothing to do to help one divorce and another. The first to bear the brunt were Chen Hansheng and his wife Gu Shuxing, and Xu Zhimo and his wife Zhang Youyi. Zhang was still pregnant at the time.Fu Sinian and Chen Yinke did not get involved in these matters.At that time, the jokes among the students studying in Germany were used to say that Fu and Chen were "a pair of stone lions at the gate of Ningguo Mansion, and they are the cleanest."

At that time, most of the researchers of the Institute of History and Philology were taking part-time courses in universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University to supplement their family expenses. Fu Sinian, the director known as the "big gun", was afraid of delaying research work, so he stipulated that all full-time researchers of the Institute of History and Philology must work in the institute. Part-time classes outside are not allowed.Chen Yinke was still living in Tsinghua University at that time and was concurrently a professor of Chinese and History Departments. Chen Yinke expressed his support for Fu Sinian's regulation but did not obey it. Zhao Yuanren also ignored Fu Sinian's rule.Fu Sinian had a headache but had nothing to do, so he had to compromise in the end.Li Fanggui, a researcher at the Institute of History and Philology, recalled: "He (Fu Sinian) had no choice but to give in a step in order to invite these two outstanding talents. He said, yes! Only you two can take part-time courses outside the home, and no one else is allowed! In order to take into account some special Due to the special situation of talents, he has no choice but to not stick to his principles.”

Zhao Yuanren and Yang Buwei went to Germany for a trip. Yu Dawei and Chen Yinke invited them to watch the German opera Freischutz, but they had to leave when they were delivered to the entrance of the theater. When asked why, Chen Yinke replied that the two of them only had this little money, not enough to buy their own Tickets, if the two brothers also go to the theater, they will have to eat dry bread for several days when they go back. When in Germany, Chen Yinke and a group of friends often got together, and when eating, everyone agreed to eat their own food, because everyone was a hard student.At that time, the international students in Germany were relatively poor. Yu Dawei was one of the most difficult people to meet, because he turned black and white upside down, day and night, night and day, sleeping during the day and reading at night. It is said that he did this to save relatively more expenses during the day.Chen Yinke always ate fried kidneys every time, and later he lived with Zhao Yuanren and his wife in Tsinghua Garden. Yang Buwei always asked the cook to make kidneys, but Chen Yinke didn't eat them at all.Yang Buwei asked him: "Didn't you always eat kidneys in Germany?" He replied because kidneys were the cheapest.

Chen Yinke is good at academics, but not good at financial management. Most of his income is used to buy books and medicines, so he has been very hard-pressed.His daughter Chen Meiyan recalled that when she was studying in Berlin, her father still insisted on studying due to "the lack of financial resources. He bought a small amount of the cheapest bread every morning, that is, went to the library to spend the day, and often did not eat formally all day." At that time, Liang Qichao recommended Chen Yinke to Cao Yunxiang, the president of Tsinghua University, as the tutor of Tsinghua Academy of Chinese Studies. Cao asked: "Which country is he a doctor?" Liang replied: "He is not a bachelor, nor is he a doctor." What works?" Liang replied: "There are no works." Cao said: "I am neither a Ph. But it is not as valuable as Mr. Chen’s few hundred words.” Liang Qichao’s words may be self-deprecating, but he then listed several famous professors at the University of Berlin and the University of Paris’s evaluation and praise of Chen Yinke. , Without further ado, issued a letter of appointment.Lan Wenzheng once said in the article "The History of the Academy of Chinese Studies of Tsinghua University": "Mr. Liang proposed to the school to hire Mr. Chen Yinke as a tutor because of his profound knowledge in European languages, Sanskrit, Pali, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Manchu. At that time, Mr. Chen was in Europe, and he will arrive at the school in May next year."

Chen Yinke said to Huang Xuan: "My research method is the one you are most familiar with. After I die, you can write an article for me about how I do scientific research." Huang Xuan said sadly: "Mr. Chen, I'm really sorry, I really haven't learned anything about you." Chen Yong said in a very low voice: "If I haven't learned it, that's fine, so as not to be poisoned by me." Jin Yuelin once recalled Chen Yinke: Mr. Chen Yinke, I met in New York and didn't talk about anything.Later in Berlin, I met several times.It seems that he is also afraid of the cold.I asked him how he kept out the cold.He said he had a mink vest and never took it off in winter.He told me that there was a very special incident the day before when a Dutchman came to him, but he didn’t speak when he came, and sat for a long time before saying, “Confucius is a great man.”Mr. Chen quickly said "Ja, ja, ja".The gentleman stood up, saluted, and left.

In addition to studying, Chen Yinke also likes Zhang Henshui's novels, so he can be called a fan of Zhang Henshui's novels.Due to his poor eyesight, he usually listens to Zhang Henshui's novels and is fascinated by them. In December 1948, the national government started the activity of "rescuing scholars".At that time, Beiping had been besieged by the People's Liberation Army.Even so, the national government sent a special plane to take Chen Yinke to Nanjing, because the Kuomintang regarded him (referring to Chen Yinke) as a national treasure.Before Chiang Kai-shek fled Taiwan, he personally visited the door to persuade Chen to go to Taiwan together.After Jiang left the mainland, he sent special planes to Nanjing to pick up Chen Yinke several times, but Chen refused.Jiang also persuaded Hu Shi, Fu Sinian, etc., and Mrs. Chen was stranded in Hong Kong for a while, but finally decided to stay in Guangzhou.In Taiwan, Chiang has always regretted that he failed to rescue the national treasure and let him fall into the hands of the CCP.