Chapter 85 On affectation

On affectation Pretentiousness is "pretentious", that is, "Joe", that is, "pretend".There is a word "pretend" in Subei dialect, and "disguise" is well known by everyone.In old novels, a woman disguised as a man is a disguise, which requires a lot of artificiality.It's hard to pretend.Just look at Kun Jiaoer playing Xu Sheng, how many of them look like them?What's more, when acting, you only pretend to be on the stage, and you can look like yourself as soon as you get backstage, but women who disguise themselves as men have to look around all day long!Detectives in detective novels are often disguised, and it is not easy to pretend, but they are much more comfortable.But—whether it is difficult or easy, people sometimes have to pretend anyway.In fact, if you look closely, not only "sometimes", people simply like to pretend. "Three-point appearance and seven-point attire" means that women and men can't be short of attire, but it's not so much about appearance.It's hard to pretend, but it's even harder to pretend to be cute; after a lot of effort, it often ends up as "pretentious!" So "pretending" is often not a good name.

"One does a good job and the other does a bad job." The small one forces you to pay some port money, while the big one forces you to do those embarrassing and embarrassing things.This has become a cliché and can be seen everywhere.Those who do well pretend to be good, and those who do evil also pretend to be especially evil; if they hold you loose and tight, they will make you laugh and cry.This set of affectation is enough.Poor and rich can also be pretended.Poor people are afraid that people will look down on them. Even though they have a good meal at home, they still have to wear good clothes and walk on the street, and they talk richly, as if they don’t care about anything. ——The so-called "Su Kongtou".In fact, "short positions" are not limited to Suzhou. ——The rich man is afraid that people will think about him, so he keeps talking about being poor, so he can pawn something specially and show them the pawn ticket.It's all pitiful.There are also some people who always like to discuss poetry and knowledge in front of others, as if they were born with elegant bones.Pretending to be gentle can't be considered bad, it's just that it's "so vulgar".

Capable people and powerful people sometimes inevitably "put on airs" and "put on airs."You can agree immediately, but you have to "consider it"; you can agree directly, but you have to make a few detours.In terms of status, it is only "the sky is not in the sky, and the field is not in the bottom", and when you see a guest, you don't get up, you just nod your head, and you only hum once or twice in your throat when you answer.Who taught you to beg him, that's what he does! ——"Let him laugh and scold, I will do it myself for being a good official!" Having said that, it is not completely unreasonable to use status and put on airs sometimes.It's not very decent for the master and wife to flirt in front of the servants, don't you have to put on a little bit?However, it is just right, "too much is not enough".Anyway, don't forget who you are!Don't just pick high branches to climb, you will fall if you slip.I always think about myself, everyone pretends to be a little bit, so I don't feel that anyone is pretending.The so-called "pretentiousness" and "posture".But she is especially pretending to be someone else, with someone else's accent and momentum!In order to promote oneself, pretending to be others; pretending not to be like others, but not to be oneself, is also pitiful.

"Don't be stupid or deaf, don't be a aunt." In some things, it's better to pretend to be deaf and dumb.It's not that I'm afraid of taking responsibility, and it's not that I have any bad intentions.There are some things that aunts should ask, and those that are worth asking should be asked naturally; some things don’t need to be asked by them, or are not worth asking. It will not be a aunt.I remember it was said there that the manager of a large company in the United States had eight calls in front of him and was extremely busy every day. Another manager had no phone in the room and was calm and unhurried.This latter manager should be someone who can pretend to be deaf and dumb. "Don't listen and don't ask", sometimes it should be a good word; "turn a deaf ear" and "close your eyes and see", maybe it can be used as a footnote of "governing by doing nothing".In fact, inaction is mostly faked.As for pretending not to know, that is a habit of modern politicians and diplomats, which can be seen in newspapers at any time. ——They still have to intrigue and "posture", maybe they don't pretend to be politicians and diplomats?

It is very difficult to pretend to be laughing, weeping, anger, hatred, panic, and calm; although it is difficult to look like, sometimes it is difficult to look like and not lose nature. "Be careful with laughing" It may be favored by the authorities, but the bystanders are disgusting.But "to make a happy face", those with a heart can understand the bitterness in that happy face.False crying, like the prostitute in old novels to her guests, despite tears and snot, can only make the reader smile. ——It's the "enduring tears and pretending to lower your face" that makes people feel unbearable.Pretending to be angry and less angry is a woman's "posture", and it happens to be coquettish, so "Joe Vinegar" is a good show.Extreme love turns into hate. Although "hate is itchy", it is still love to the extreme. "False panic" seems to be a common phrase in old novels, but in fact that "fake panic" often reveals its flaws.It was even more difficult to remain calm. Qin Wuyang's face turned livid when he was angry.Xie was calm enough in the battle of Feishui, but he didn't feel carried away and broke the teeth of his clogs.Therefore, a person who can't express his emotions or anger is really enough to pretend for half a lifetime. "Joe Vinegar" is a play, but in fact, all the pretense and pretensions are more or less theatrical -- there is comedy and there is tragedy.Children love to say "pretend" this and "pretend" that, which is the most dramatic.They earnestly "pretend", but in the end they do nothing.Adults are also serious about pretending, but the taste of drama is much weaker; drama is inaction, at least those who pretend to be people in the drama can be said to be inaction, and people's pretentiousness is often doing something.Therefore, there is more pretending on the stage, but less pretending in the world.On the stage, if you pretend to be like someone, you will be applauded. In the world, even if you pretend to be like it, it is difficult to be cute.The cute ones are probably the ones who do little or only negative things.The previous examples are worthy of our praise, and pretending to be stupid may be an example worth mentioning again.

To be an aunt, you have to pretend to be a little crazy, which is a passive act; "Golden Temple pretends to be crazy" also acts, which is positive.Talented people, celebrities and scholars have always been a bit stupid.That foolishness is a bit of a pretense, but from one perspective, that pretense doesn't seem to do much, at most it's just passive.Tao Yuanming's "I'm drunk and want to sleep, let me go" is straightforward and natural; but looking at the behavior of people in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, can you say that he doesn't put on a bit of pretense?But it's just pretending to be natural.Ruan Sizong was drunk for sixty days and escaped to be in-laws with Sima Zhao, so he was half drunk and half pretending?He is just the kind of person who "expresses his emotions and anger without showing any signs of expression", and people at the time often said that he was crazy, so maybe he was quite pretentious?

Pretending to be asleep or drunk is just pretending to be confused.Naturally he doesn't talk when he's asleep, and most of the time he doesn't talk when he's drunk—even if he talks, he can pretend to be crazy and stupid as much as possible, so as to make him feel wrong.Zheng Banqiao is the best at pretending to be confused, and his epigram of "rarely confused" really broke the secret of wise people through the ages.Also forgetful is often pretending to be stupid and confused; the best way to save trouble is to forget more, and "forgetting" is just an elegant thing.So far, pretending to be stupid and confused seems to be cute; the reason why talented people and scholars become talented people and scholars is at least partly due to their pretending that they don't care much. cute.But these people are also good and bad, Wei Jin celebrities are quite selfish by pretending to be confused.This "cares" and has something to do, which is no longer cute.In Sichuan dialect, pretending to be confused is called "pretending to be crazy", but in Peking dialect, they say "pretending to be garlic" and "pretending to be a grandson" with a smile and scolding. with children.

Made from October 31 to November 2, 1942. (Originally published in "Literary Creation", Volume 1, Issue 4, January 15, 1943)