How books can open your mind | Lisa Bu

Transcriber: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: Lisa Bu 校对人员: Ziyue Luo

So I was trained to become a gymnast

七十年代时我在中国湖南练过两年体操。

for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s.

七十年代时我在中国湖南练过两年体操。

When I was in the first grade, the government

当我上小学一年级时，政府想让我转学去体校，

wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes,

当我上小学一年级时，政府想让我转学去体校，

all expenses paid.

一切免费。

But my tiger mother said, "No."

我那位虎妈说“不行”。

My parents wanted me to become

我父母希望我长大象他们一样当工程师。

an engineer like them.

我父母希望我长大象他们一样当工程师。

After surviving the Cultural Revolution,

作为文革的幸存者，

they firmly believed there's only one sure way to happiness:

他们坚定认为获得幸福的唯一可靠途径

a safe and well-paid job.

是一个安定高薪的工作，

It is not important if I like the job or not.

至于我喜不喜欢那个工作并不重要。

But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer.

但我的梦想是成为黄梅戏演员。

That is me playing my imaginary piano.

那是我在弹假想的钢琴。

An opera singer must start training young

戏曲演员必须从小开始学身段功夫，

to learn acrobatics,

戏曲演员必须从小开始学身段功夫，

so I tried everything I could to go to opera school.

我想尽了一切办法想去黄梅戏学校，

I even wrote to the school principal

甚至写信给戏校校长

and the host of a radio show.

和一个电台节目主持人。

But no adults liked the idea.

但没有一个大人喜欢那个主意，

No adults believed I was serious.

没有一个大人相信我是认真的。

Only my friends supported me, but they were kids,

只有我的小伙伴们支持我，但他们也是小孩，

just as powerless as I was.

和我一样无能为力。

So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained.

十五岁时，我知道自己要学戏已经年纪太大，

My dream would never come true.

我的梦想已不再可能实现。

I was afraid that for the rest of my life

我担心在余下的一生里，

some second-class happiness

自己的命就是得到些二流幸福而已。

would be the best I could hope for.

自己的命就是得到些二流幸福而已。

But that's so unfair.

老天不公啊！

So I was determined to find another calling.

我暗下决心要为自己寻找另一个使命 。

Nobody around to teach me? Fine.

周围无人赐教？没什么大不了，

I turned to books.

我从书中学习。

I satisfied my hunger for parental advice

《傅雷家书》满足了我对长辈教诲的期盼，

from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]

写书的傅家是一个作家、音乐家荟萃的家庭。

I found my role model of an independent woman

我从《简爱》这本书中找到了独立女性的榜样，

when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"]

尽管儒家传统教人听话顺从。

And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]

我从《效率专家爸爸》这本书中学会高效率。

And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.

这几本书燃起了我对出国深造的渴望。

["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin]

（《三毛全集》、南怀瑾的《历史的经验》）

I came to the U.S. in 1995,

我1995年来美国，

so which books did I read here first?

在美国我首先读什么书呢？

Books banned in China, of course.

当然是中国的禁书。

"The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life.

《大地》讲的是中国农民的故事，

That's just not convenient for propaganda. Got it.

真实得不方便宣传。懂了。

The Bible is interesting, but strange.

《圣经》很有趣但也很奇怪，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

That's a topic for a different day.

那个话题他日再聊。

But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany:

但十诫中的第五诫给了我灵感：

"You shall honor your father and mother."

“你应荣耀你的父母”。

"Honor," I said. "That's so different,

我心里一动，“荣耀”不等于

and better, than obey."

而且远胜于“服从”！

So it becomes my tool to climb out

它成为我爬出儒家负罪感的工具，

of this Confucian guilt trap

它成为我爬出儒家负罪感的工具，

and to restart my relationship with my parents.

让我重建与父母的关系。

Encountering a new culture also started my habit

来到一个新文化环境也促成我比较阅读的习惯，

of comparative reading.

来到一个新文化环境也促成我比较阅读的习惯，

It offers many insights.

它让人读得更深刻。

For example, I found this map out of place at first

举个例子，第一次看到这幅地图时我觉得它有些怪,

because this is what Chinese students grew up with.

因为这才是中国大陆学生从小到大使用的世界地图。

It had never occurred to me,

我之前从未意识到

China doesn't have to be at the center of the world.

原来中国不一定非要位于世界地图中央，

A map actually carries somebody's view.

原来地图带着某种视角。

Comparative reading actually is nothing new.

比较阅读并不新鲜，

It's a standard practice in the academic world.

它是学术界里的标准做法，

There are even research fields

比较文学、比较宗教甚至成为专门研究领域。

such as comparative religion and comparative literature.

比较文学、比较宗教甚至成为专门研究领域。

Compare and contrast gives scholars

对比对照让学者们对一个课题有更全面的了解。

a more complete understanding of a topic.

对比对照让学者们对一个课题有更全面的了解。

So I thought, well, if comparative reading

我琢磨着，既然比较阅读对研究有用，

works for research, why not do it in daily life too?

为什么不把它用在日常生活中呢？

So I started reading books in pairs.

因此我开始把书成对来读。

So they can be about people --

它们可以是关于同一事件的不同当事人，

["Benjamin Franklin" by Walter Isaacson]["John Adams" by David McCullough] --

它们可以是关于同一事件的不同当事人，

who are involved in the same event,

（《本杰明·富兰克林》、《约翰·亚当斯》）

or friends with shared experiences.

或两个有共同经历的朋友。

["Personal History" by Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," by Alice Schroeder]

（凯瑟琳·格雷厄姆的《个人历史》、巴菲特传记《雪球》）

I also compare the same stories in different genres -- (Laughter)

我还把故事相同但文体不同的书做对比,

[Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" by Chrisopher Moore] --

（《圣经》、小说《羔羊》）

or similar stories from different cultures,

或对比那些来自不同文化的相似故事，

as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book.["The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell]

象约瑟夫·坎贝尔在其杰作《神话的力量》中所做的那样。

For example, both the Christ and the Buddha

举个例子，耶稣和佛祖都经历了三大诱惑，

went through three temptations.

举个例子，耶稣和佛祖都经历了三大诱惑，

For the Christ, the temptations

耶稣经历的是经济、政治和精神诱惑，

are economic, political and spiritual.

耶稣经历的是经济、政治和精神诱惑，

For the Buddha, they are all psychological:

佛祖经历的则都是心理诱惑：

lust, fear and social duty -- interesting.

欲望、恐惧和社会责任 －－ 有意思。

So if you know a foreign language, it's also fun

如果你懂外语，

to read your favorite books in two languages.

把你喜欢的书的两个语言版本对比读也很有意思。

["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts]

（托马斯·默顿翻译的《庄子》、阿伦·瓦特翻译的《道德经》）

Instead of lost in translation, I found there is much to gain.

人们常说翻译总有缺失，我却发现翻译也可以带来收获。

For example, it's through translation that I realized

举个例子，是翻译使我意识到

"happiness" in Chinese literally means "fast joy." Huh!

原来中文“快乐”一词的字面意思可解为“快速欢乐”，呃...

"Bride" in Chinese literally means "new mother." Uh-oh.

中文“新娘”一词的字面意思可解为“新妈妈”，天啊！

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people

书已成为我与古人今人沟通的一个神奇门户，

of the past and the present.

书已成为我与古人今人沟通的一个神奇门户，

I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again.

让我再不会觉得孤单无助。

Having a dream shattered really is nothing

与其他人的苦难相比，梦想破灭算不了什么。

compared to what many others have suffered.

与其他人的苦难相比，梦想破灭算不了什么。

I have come to believe that coming true

我渐渐意识到成真并非梦想的唯一目的，

is not the only purpose of a dream.

我渐渐意识到成真并非梦想的唯一目的，

Its most important purpose is to get us in touch

它的最重要目的是让我们触摸到

with where dreams come from,

梦想来源的地方、

where passion comes from, where happiness comes from.

热情来源的地方、快乐来源的地方，

Even a shattered dream can do that for you.

哪怕一个破灭的梦想也可以让你经历那种触摸。

So because of books, I'm here today,

因为书，我今天得以在此，

happy, living again with a purpose and a clarity,

快乐地活着，生活的目标和意义重新变得明确，

most of the time.

在大部分时候。

So may books be always with you.

希望书也永远与你相伴！

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you. (Applause)

谢谢。（掌声）

Thank you. (Applause)

谢谢。（掌声）