Chapter 9 In memory of Professor Lai Kam-hee

A few days ago, Comrade Li Zeyu, the daughter of the old professor Li Jinxi, sent me a copy of her father’s posthumous work "Detailed Explanation of Chinese Language and Law Examples" (illustration of "Laughing"), which was published by Zhonghua Bookstore in Beijing in 1926. A short essay "Laughter" written more than 50 years ago, with seventeen pages of illustrations.I have never studied linguistics and Chinese grammar, and I can't tell which characters are which. When writing articles, I can't give a clear explanation for my own words and sentences. I never thought that fifty-three years ago, old Professor Li Jinxi would put so much effort into an immature short essay written by a young man, which made me feel grateful and ashamed!

Professor Li Jinxi is a well-known linguist. For decades, he has made great contributions to the research work of modern Chinese grammar, character reform and dictionary compilation in my country.I am a junior of old Professor Li Jinxi, but I have never had the chance to meet him. Professor Li Lao passed away on March 27, 1978. On March 23, at the symposium on the planning of language disciplines in Beijing, he had a written speech.In the last paragraph of the speech, there are these words: "I am eighty-nine years old this year, and I am dying, but I want to live, learn, and work until I am old. As long as I am alive, I will devote all my energy to the motherland. Chinese language education."

We should all learn from him! March 8, 1979 (This article was originally published in "Mr. Li Jinxi's Fifth Anniversary Anthology" published in December 1983.)