Chapter 3 On Laity Should Avoid Elegant People

This is what I came across by chance after reading some magazines—“elegant people” are rare in troubled times, and “love affairs” are rare.However, when it is not completely dirty, there are not all elegant people, but because there are many people who "hurt elegance", they are too tired to be "elegant" thoroughly. Mr. Daoxue practices "benevolence and forgiveness", but he cannot forgive people who are unforgiving.So Zhu Zi is a great sage, and when he was an official, he had to give a board to unsuspecting official prostitutes.The writers of the New Moon Society hate swearing the most, but when they meet someone who swears, they are forced to swear [3].Mr. Lin Yutang admired "Fairplay"[4], but when admiring chrysanthemums in Hangzhou, he met a young man with "a Soviet Russian cigarette in his mouth and a translation of Hesky in his hand", he had to "" Pretending to be listless, frowning, worrying about the country and family” (see Issue 55 for details)[5], completely changed.

Excellent characters sometimes have to be compared and set off by other kinds of people, such as superior and inferior, good and bad, elegant and vulgar, petty and magnanimous, and so on.Without others, there is no way to show the advantages of this aspect. The so-called "opposite and reality complete" (6) is this.But it must be entertained by others, at least to know the interest. Even if they can't help, at least they can't tell the truth, so that good people can't get better anymore.For example, Cao Mengde was a "Shang Tong Tong" [7], but you Zhengping came to scold him every day, so he had no choice but to get angry and sent Huang Zu to "kill people with a borrowed knife". 〔8〕You Zhengping is really "to blame yourself".The so-called "elegant people" are not elegant all the time. Even if they sleep in pearl tents and eat fragrant rice, the basic sleeping and eating are not much different from ordinary people; Naturally, the method of money retention cannot be ignored.But what makes him outstanding is that he can suddenly be "elegant" sometimes.If the answer to this mystery is revealed, it is the so-called "killing scenery", that is, ordinary people, and it has brought down the refined people, making them unrefined, and "not exempt from the vulgar".If there is no such generation, why come here?So the fault is always on the side of the laity.

For example, there are two county magistrates here, they are of course working all day and trying cases, but if one of them can go to see plum blossoms by chance, then he is regarded as an elegant official and should be complimented, Only then will there be elegant people and romantic affairs between heaven and earth.If you don't compliment, it's okay; if you frown, it's vulgar; if you dare to make a joke, you will ruin all the good things.However, there are also crazy people in the world; I remember that in an ancient Chinese "humor" book [9], there was a "frivolous son" chanting the seven unique skills of Yu Tanmei, the magistrate's grandfather-red hat humming black hat, The Merry Taishou looks at plum blossoms.

Plum Blossom bowed her head and said: "Plum Blossom at the bottom will meet the master." This is really a prank, and the affair is messed up.What's more, what he said on behalf of the plum blossom is not appropriate, it should be silent at this time, and if it says it, it will "disrespect the elegance", and it will make the "master" inconvenient to be elegant, so he has to return to vulgarity immediately and reward the board, at least Give a kind of crime.why?Just because you are vulgar, you can no longer get along with elegance. Careful people, when they happen to meet a gentleman or a scholar, if they don't know how to make fun of them, they should stay far away, the farther the better.If not, it is inevitable to encounter faces and methods that are quite different from theirs.When they are unlucky, they will also get the old-fashioned ruble theory [10] and suffer a lot.Just giving you "a Soviet cigarette in your mouth and a translation of Hesky in your hand" is not a big deal, but it is dangerous.

Everyone knows that "sages avoid the world" [11], but I think the lay people nowadays want to avoid elegance, which is also a kind of "being wise and protecting one's life". December twenty-sixth. CC [1] This article was originally published in the first issue of the second volume of the "Taibai" semi-monthly magazine on March 20, 1935, signed and. [2] Zhu Zi is Zhu Xi.He gave boards to official prostitutes, see Song Dynasty Zhou Mi's "Qi Dong Ye Yu" Volume 20: "Yan Rui, a prostitute in the rooftop camp... was the best in color and art for a while... Tang Yuzheng watched the sun on the terrace, and tasted his life while drinking. Red and white peach blossoms... ...and Zhengshang's double... Later, Zhu Hui'an (according to Zhu Xi) brought the Jiexing Department to Taiwan, wanting to punish Zhengzheng's crime, so he accused him of having abusive tastes with pistils, and he was imprisoned for more than a month. , but a word is not as good as Tang, but he still can't help but move to Shaoxing, and he will be imprisoned for a long time. stick, almost dead."

〔3〕Referring to Liang Shiqiu and others' abuse and attack on the author.Liang Shiqiu said in his article ("What to do if you are dissatisfied with the status quo" published in "New Moon" Vol. Because of the status quo, today it is said that there is a problem here, and tomorrow there is a problem there. There are countless problems, so there are endless miscellaneous feelings. When the medicine is too hot, this medicine is too strong, and that medicine is too slow. All the prescriptions are worthless, and they are all sarcasm, as if they are afraid that once the status quo satisfies him, he will have no mixed feelings. What you want to do." He also said: "What about 'dissatisfied with the status quo'? What we want is a positive diagnosis that makes the status quo gradually (or mutated) towards good. The status quo is so unsatisfactory that people with a heart I’m afraid I can’t bear to devote myself to mocking and scolding any more, just trying to speak quickly and write quickly?” See "Three Idle Collections: The Tasks of Critics of the New Moon Society".

[4] Lin Yutang (1895-1976) was born in Longxi, Fujian, a writer.He studied in the United States and Germany in his early years. After returning to China, he served as a professor at Peking University and other schools. In the 1930s, he edited magazines such as "Human World" and "Cosmic Wind" in Shanghai, advocating so-called spiritual humor literature. "Fairplay", the transliteration of English Fairplay, free translation is a fair game, originally a term used in sports games and other competitions, which means fair games, do not use unfair means.Some people in the British bourgeoisie once advocated the use of this spirit in social life and party struggle.In December 1925, Lin Yutang published the article "Introduction to the Style of Yusi—Soundness, Cursing, and Fairplay" in the fifty-seventh issue of "Yusi", advocating the so-called "Fairplay" spirit.See "Grave · On "Fairplay" should be delayed" and its related notes. 〔5〕 Lin Yutang said in the fifty-fifth issue (December 16, 1934) of "Traveling in Hangzhou": "I saw two young people with a Soviet cigarette in their mouth and a cigarette in their hand. A translation of Whatski's, in case they saw that I was "leisurely" admiring chrysanthemums, and added a crime of national subjugation, pretending to be listless, frowning, worrying about the country and family, as if I was just going the wrong way instead of admiring chrysanthemums come out like that."

〔6〕The phrase "opposite to each other and reality to each other" comes from "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi": "Although the words are different, they are like water and fire, and they are also born together when they are destroyed; benevolence and righteousness, respect and harmony, are opposite but they all complement each other. "[7] Cao Mengde (155-220) Cao Cao, courtesy name Mengde, was born in Qiao County, Peiguo (now Bo County, Anhui).At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, from official to prime minister, he was granted the title of king of Wei, and his son Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor, and later he was honored as Emperor Wu.He treats people in the world, generally more open-minded, informal.Tong 侻, that is to say. [8] You Zhengping (173-198) is Mi Heng, styled Zhengping, from Pingyuan Ban (now Linyi, Shandong), a writer in the late Han Dynasty.According to the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Mi Heng", Mi Heng insulted Cao Cao many times. Cao Cao wanted to kill him but had some scruples, so he sent him to Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou. Zu killed.

[9] The ancient "humor" book "Tongyin Qinghua" written by Ni Hong in the Qing Dynasty contains this poem in Volume 1, in which "lower the head" is "suddenly". [10] The ruble theory refers to the rumors that the reactionaries slandered progressive cultural workers who were bribed by the Soviet Union and received ruble subsidies.See "Two Hearts Collection Preface". 〔11〕For the words of Confucius that "the sages avoid the world", see "The Analects of Confucius Xianwen".According to Zhu Xi's "Ji Zhu", "avoiding the world" means "there is no way in the world to hide".

212 The Complete Works of Lu Xun Qie Jieting Essays