Chapter 17 Zhao Yuanren: Many "fun" languages ​​(2)

Zhao Yuanren once made up a very "fun" monophonic story to illustrate the relative independence of speech and writing.The story is called "The History of Shi Shi's Lion Eating", and there is only one sound "shi" in the whole story. Everyone can understand it when it is written, but if it is only spoken, no one can understand it: "Shi Shi Shishi Shi Shi, a lion lover, swore to eat ten lions. Shi Shi always sees lions when the market is right. At ten o'clock, ten lions are right for the market. At the right time, Shi Shi is right for the market. Shi sees ten lions, relying on the momentum, makes ten lions Passed away. Shi picked up the ten lion corpses, suitable for the stone chamber. The stone chamber was wet, and the servants wiped the stone chamber. The stone chamber was wiped, and Shi began to try to eat the ten lion corpses. .”

Linguist Chen Yuan wrote in his reminiscence article: "Zhao Yuanren, Zhao Yuanren, in my youth, Zhao Yuanren's shadow was everywhere." This is what Zhao Xingzhi did by accident, but it has become a classic translation of children's literature).When I grew up, I wanted to learn "Mandarin", so I used Zhao Yuanren's "Mandarin Phonograph Textbook" as my teacher.Later, I fell in love with music, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" introduced by Zhao Yuanren's music friend Xiao Youmei, and "Teach Me How Not to Miss Her" composed by Zhao Yuanren and sung by himself.

In the 1920s, Zhao Yuanren produced phonographs for the Commercial Press to promote "Guoyu" (that is, Putonghua).There is an anecdote, it is hard to tell whether it is true or false, but it can be seen that Zhao's glory in those days.When Zhao Yuanren and his wife went to Hong Kong, they preferred to use Mandarin when they went shopping.Hong Kong people are idiomatic in English and Cantonese, and not many are proficient in Mandarin.A clerk they met had a bad Mandarin, no matter what Zhao Yuanren said, he couldn't understand it.Zhao was helpless.Unexpectedly, before leaving the house, the old man gave him a sentence: "I suggest that you buy a Mandarin phonograph and listen to it. Your Mandarin is really bad."

Zhao Yuanren asked: "Then tell me, whose Mandarin phonograph is the best?" "Of course Zhao Yuanren's is the best." Mrs. Zhao pointed at her husband and said with a smile, "He is Zhao Yuanren." The clerk said angrily, "Stop joking! How could he be Zhao Yuanren because his Mandarin is so poor?"