双语 | 吃亏是福Suffering a LossIs a Blessing

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吃亏是福

Suffering a LossIs a Blessing

郑荣升

前些日子,五弟和弟妹来城里看我,吃饭时提出要我给他们写一幅书法横幅,回去挂客厅里, 一是可以起装饰作用,二是能够反映他们的志趣,词呢, 要我看着写。五弟夫妇为人忠厚老实,与人交往,宁可自己吃亏,从不沾别人便宜。 据此,我当时就写了郑板桥的“吃亏是福”四个大字送给他们。五弟看了,连连说这词好, 很富有哲理,可弟妹不太赞成, 她笑着冲五弟说:好什么呀, 这些年咱们尽吃亏了,也没见福在哪里。屋里若再挂上这么几个字,咱们这一辈子还不光吃亏呀!五弟憨厚地一笑, 说你知道什么呀,还是这词好, 吃点亏不错。人和人相处,要都想沾便宜, 那还成个什么样子?

My fifth younger brother and his wife came to town to see me the other day. They asked me during the meal time to write them a script banner, which they could hang on the wall in their drawing room as an expression of their interest as well as a decoration. As to what characters should be on the banner, they left it to me. The couple were kind and simple-hearted. They would rather suffer than gain at other people's expense. According to this, I wrote them at once the famous saying by Zheng Banqiao that suffering a loss is a blessing. My younger brother praised it very much, saying it is philosophical, but his wife did not like it, saying with asmile that it was not right because they had suffered quite a lot for manyyears with little gain. With this banner hung in the room, they would suffer all their life. My brother, simple and honest, said, “You don't know much. Itis a good saying that teaches people how to behave. If everybody wanted to gain at other people's expense, then what would the world look like?”

这事过了没几天,我又从报纸上看到一篇文章的大标题:“不能让老实人吃亏”。报上呼吁“不能让老实人吃亏” , 说明现实中经常吃亏的正是老实人。老实人的特点是说老实话、办老实事, 与人交往赤诚相见,实实在在,对于名利, 从不挖空心思去争、去抢, 一切顺其自然。¼遗憾的是,这世界并不都是由老实人组成,不老实的人和老实人在一起,吃亏的当然是后者。½这样说来, 还是弟妹说得对。看看社会上“有福”的人,有几个人的福是因为老实而得?看看那些发了横财、飞黄腾达的人,考察一下他们的发达过程,你便会得出另一个结论:不老实的人也会有福。这样说来,“吃亏是福”难道真的错了?

A few days later, I noticed in a newspaper an article entitled “Do Not Let the Honest Suffer.” The appeal showed the honest always did suffer in reality. The honest tell the truth and do what should be done. They treat people with absolute sincerity, take everything as it is, and never rack their brains to strive for fame and gain. It is a pity that the world is not composed of only honest people.When the honest and dishonest are together, the former will suffer. So mysister-in-law is right. Look at those “wealthy” people, who get their wealth with honesty? Consider those people who get rapid promotions. If you make astudy of their development, you will reach a conclusion that the dishonest arealso blessed. So, is the saying really wrong that suffering a loss is ablessing?

其实,并不错的, 不吃亏的福,与吃亏的福, 虽同是“有福” , 含义却大大不同。二者的差别是:不吃亏的福, 福气浓烈,但“福兮祸所伏” ; 吃亏之福,福味清淡, 但福祚长久。福,没有固定和统一的标准,是在相互比较中的一种感受,和粗茶淡饭、平民布衣相比, 灯红酒绿、宝马香车的人就是福; 和坐牢枪毙的人相比,躬耕陇亩、好好活着就是福。¼从这个角度说,“吃亏是福”永远没有错。

In fact, it is not wrong. The blessings for the two kinds of people are completely different in meaning. Those who gain look so oppressive that they have danger behind the mand those who suffer seem dull but lead a peaceful life. There is not fixed and unified standard to what happiness is. It is a feeling in comparison. Incontrast with the average people who have simple food, those who live for wine,women and song are happy. In contrast with the people who are in prison or have been shot, those who are still alive

or are doing farm work are happy. From this point of view, the saying is always right thatsuffering a loss is a blessing.

Translated by 马秉义

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