In my young days，

I had tasted only gladness，

But loved to mount the top floor，

But loved to mount the top floor，

To write a song pretending sadness。

And now I've tasted

Sorrow's flavors，bitter and sour。

And can't find a word，

And can't find a word，

But merely say。

What a golden autumn hour！`

——林语堂翻译

少年不知道忧虑的滋味。

爱上层层。

爱上层楼，

为赋新词强说愁。

而今识尽愁滋味，

欲说还休。

欲说还休，

却道天凉好个秋。

——辛弃疾

幽默大师林语堂

在阅读一本书之前或者一篇文章前，先来了解下作者的相关信息~

【林语堂散文特点“闲适与幽默”】

一、闲适

即追求个体精神的逍遥自适和个人生活的雅致舒适。

1、"逍遥自适、不委曲而累己"的精神追求。

2、"闲淡舒适化俗为雅"的生活情趣。

二、幽默

1、幽默对人生必须报一种从容达观态度，它是温厚的，超脱的。

2、幽默是一位冷静超远的旁观者，常于笑中带泪，泪中带笑。

3、自然。幽默是客观的，幽默出于自然。

林语堂经典语录

文章要点解析

The End of Life

THE END OF LIFE, being the first section of the last chapter “Epilogue” of Lin Yutang's My Country and My People, published in New York by the John Day Publishing Company, 1935.

【原文节选】

In the general survey of Chinese art and Chinese life, the conviction must have been forced upon us that the Chinese are past masters in the art of living. There is a certain whole-hearted concentration on the material life, a certain zest in living, which is mellower, perhaps deeper, anyway just as intense as in the West. In China the spiritual values have not been separated from the material values, but rather help man in a keener enjoyment of life as it falls to our lot. This accounts for our joviality and our incorrigible humor. A heathen can have a heathenish devotion to the life of the present and envelop both spiritual and material values in one outlook, which it is difficult for a Christian to imagine. We live the life of the senses and the life of the spirit at the same moment, and see no necessary conflict. For the human spirit is used to beautify life, to extract its essence, perhaps to help it overcome ugliness and pain inevitable in the world of our senses, but never to escape from it and find its meaning in a life hereafter. When Confucius said in reply to a question by a disciple on death, “Don't know life—how know death?” he expressed there a somewhat bourgeois, unmetaphysical and practical attitude toward the problems of life and knowledge which has characterized our national life and thinking.

在概述了中国的艺术与生活之后，我们不得不承认中国人的确是精通生活艺术的大师。他们全心全意地致力于物质生活，其热忱决不下于西方，并且更为成熟，或许还更为深沉。在中国，精神的价值并未与物质的价值相分离，反而帮助了人们更好地享受自己命定的生活。这就解释了为什么我们具有一种快活的性情和根深蒂固的幽默。一个无宗教信仰的人会对现世的世俗生活抱有一种粗野的热忱，并且融物质与精神两种价值于一身，这在基督徒是难以想象的。我们能够同时生活在感官世界和精神世界之中，而不认为两者一定会有什么冲突。因为人类的精神是被用来美化生活，提炼生活的精华，或许还能帮助生活克服感官世界中不可避免的种种丑恶和痛苦，而不是用来逃避生活，或在来世找寻生活的意义。孔子在回答一位弟子关于死亡的问题时说：“未知生，焉知死？”这句话表达了一种对于生命和知识问题的庸俗、具体而实用的态度，而正是这种态度造就了我们现在国民生活及思维的特征。

【词汇加油站】

• end n.目的（an aim or a purpose）比如◇We are willing to make any concessions necessary to this end (= in order to achieve this). 我们愿意为此作出任何必要的让步。 end 在这里重新解读了“目的”，它不同于我们所知道的purpose，aim，goal ,此处用end 来表达所知的终极目标。
• survey n.概述，全面评述(a general study, view or description of something) 比如◇a comprehensive survey of modern music现代音乐的综合概览。
• conviction /kənˈvɪkʃn/ n.坚定的信念（a strong opinion or belief）比如◇We were sustained by the conviction that all would be well in the end. 我们坚信一切都会好起来，这种信念使我们得到了支持。
• force sth. upon sb. 把某种观念，责任等强加到某人身上。(to make sb. accept sth. that they do not want)
• past master 行家；能手（a person who is very good at something because they have a lot of experience in ）相当于expert。表示某人是做某事的高手，可以说： past master at（ doing） something 比如◇She's a past master at getting what she wants.她可是个精明的人,想要什么就能得到什么。
• zest /zest/ n.热情（pleasure and enthusiasm）惯用搭配为sb. have a great zest for sth.某人对......抱有巨大热情。比如◇He had a great zest for life.他对生活有极大的热情。
• mellow /ˈmeləʊ/ adj.成熟的，圆润的（of people) calm, gentle and reasonable because of age or experience）相当于mature。比如◇Dad's certainly grown mellower with age.随着年龄的增长，父亲变得更加成熟了。
• keen /kiːn/ adj.热切的(enthusiastic about an activity or idea, etc.) 惯用搭配为be keen on doing something 对做某事着迷。比如◇I wasn't too keen on going to the party.我不太喜欢去参加聚会。口语里有一个高频表达：as keen as mustard。mustard是“芥末”的意思，我们知道芥末的味道很刺激、很冲，这个短语被用来表示“极其渴望、特别感兴趣”。比如◇1. She is as keen as mustard about going to Paris. 她特别渴望去巴黎。2. His family is very poor, but he wants to go to school as keen as mustard. 他的家庭特别穷，但是他特别渴望去上学。表示“渴望”的词组还可以用be thirsty for something，或者be eager for something，例如：1. She is thirsty for success. 她非常渴望成功。2. I'm eager for my holiday. 我非常渴望我的假期。
• lot n.命运（a person's luck or situation in life）相当于destiny。比如◇She was feeling dissatisfied with her lot. 她对自己的命运感到不满。惯用搭配为fall to one's lot听天由命 ，近义短语：enjoy life as it is。
• enjoy /accept sth. as it is 不管什么情况，都去享受，承受，接纳
• whole-hearted adj.全心全意的（complete and enthusiastic）
• incorrigibe /ɪnˈkɒrɪdʒəbl/ adj.不可救药的（having bad habits that cannot be changed or improved）相当于incurable。比如◇I am an incorrigible idealist, and my expectations are often high. 我是一个病入膏肓的完美主义者，总是期望过高。
• heathen [ˈhiːðn] n. 异教徒；粗野的人（used by people who have a strong religious belief as a way of referring to a person who has no religion or who believes in a religion that is not one of the world’s main religions）比如◇He set out to convert the heathen.他开始使异教徒改变信仰。
• account for 解释，说明（to give an explanation of something），相当于 explain。比如◇He was unable to account for the error.他无法解释这个错误。account for在外刊中常见含义是:（比例）占,相当于make up,comprise（ to be a particular amount or part of something）。比如◇The Japanese market accounts for 35 per cent of the company's revenue.日本市场占该公司营收的35%。
• joviaity /ˌdʒəʊviˈæləti/ n.愉悦，幸福（the quality of being very cheerful and friendly）
• Confucius [kən'fju:ʃjəs] n.孔子
• Don't know life-how know death? 未知生，焉知死？词句翻译精妙，既保留了形式的准确，也精妙传达了中文的原意。
• bourgeois /ˌbʊəˈʒwɑː/ adj. 世俗的；中产阶级的 （a person who belongs to the middle class）
• unmetaphysical adj.不追求概念层面的，只重视具体问题的
• metaphysical /ˌmetəˈfɪzɪkl/ adj.形而上学的
• characterize /ˈkærəktəraɪz/ v.描绘......的特征（to describe or show the qualities of somebody/something in a particular way）比如◇Both companies have characterized the relationship as friendly.两家公司都认为彼此的关系是友好的。

【原文节选】

This standpoint establishes for us a certain scale of values. In every aspect of knowledge and of living, the test of life holds. It accounts for our pleasures and our antipathies. The test of life was with us a racial thought, wordless and needing no definition or giving of reasons. It was that test of life which, instinctively I think, guided us to distrust civic civilization and uphold the rural ideal in art, life and letters, to dislike religion in our rational moments, to play with Buddhism but never quite accept its logical conclusions, and to hate mechanical ingenuity. It was that instinctive trust in life that gave us a robust common sense in looking at life's kaleidoscopic changes and the myriad vexatious problems of the intellect which we rudely ignored. It enabled us to see life steadily and see life whole, with no great distortions of values. It taught us some simple wisdom, like respect for old age and the joys of domestic life, acceptance of life, of sex, and of sorrow. It made us lay emphasis on certain common virtues, like endurance, industry, thrift, moderation, and pacificism. It prevented the development of freakish extreme theories and the enslaving of man by the products of his own intelligence. It gave us a sense of values, and taught us to accept the material as well as the spiritual goods of life. It taught us that, after all is said and done, human happiness is the end of all knowledge. And we arrange ourselves to make our lives happy on this planet, under whatever vicissitudes of fortune.

这一立场为我们树立了多层级的价值尺度。这种生活标准适用于知识和人生的方方面面，解释了我们喜好与憎恶某一事物的原因。这种生活标准已经融入我们的民族意识，不需要任何文字上的说明、界定或阐释。我认为也正是这种生活标准促使我们在艺术、人生和文学中本能地怀疑城市文明，而崇尚田园理想；促使我们在理智的时刻厌恶宗教，涉猎佛学但从不完全接受其合乎逻辑的结论；促使我们憎恶机械发明。正是这种对于生活的本能信仰，赋予我们一种坚定的常识，面对生活的万千变化以及智慧的无数棘手问题，可以做到岿然不动。它使我们能够沉着地、完整地看待生活，并维系固有的价值观念。它也教会了我们一些简单的智慧，比如尊敬老人，享受家庭生活的乐趣，接受生活，接受性别差异，接受悲哀。它使我们注重这样几种寻常的美德：忍耐、勤劳、节俭、中庸与和平主义。它使我们不至于发展某些怪异极端的理论，不至于成为自己智慧产品的奴隶。它赋予我们一种价值观，教会我们同时接受生活给予我们的物质和精神财富。它告诉人们：归根结底，只有人类的幸福才是一切知识的最终目标。于是我们得以在命运的浮沉中调整自己，欣欣然生活在这个行星之上。

【词汇加油站】

• standpoint /ˈstændpɔɪnt/ n.立场观点（an opinion or a way of thinking about ideas or situations）相当于perspective。惯用搭配from a standpoint从......的立场出发。
• scale /skeɪl/ n. 标度，等级（the size or extent of something, especially when compared with something else）惯用搭配on a scale of 以......的尺度衡量。比如◇On a scale of 1 to 10, what do you rate the film?总分10分，你会给这家餐馆打几分？
• hold v.有效，持续（to have or offer something; to be going to bring something）
• antipathy /ænˈtɪpəθi/ n.反感（a strong feeling of dislike）相当于hostility。
• ingenuity /ˌɪndʒəˈnjuːəti/ n. 心灵手巧，独创性，足智多谋（the ability to invent things or solve problems in clever new ways）
• robust /rəʊˈbʌst/ adj.强大的；坚定的（strong and healthy）
• kaleidoscope /kəˈlaɪdəskəʊp/ n.万花筒（a situation, pattern, etc. containing a lot of different parts that are always changing）
• vexatious /vekˈseɪʃəs/ adj.造成麻烦的；痛苦的（making you feel upset or annoyed）
• vex /veks/ v.造成麻烦（to annoy or worry somebody）比如◇I was vexed by the noise.这噪音使我心烦意乱。
• myriad [ˈmɪriəd] adj.万千的（虚指很多的）（extremely large in number）比如◇the myriad problems of modern life现代生活的无数问题 惯用搭配 a myriad of 千千万万的。比如◇a myriad of stars 无数的星斗。
• industry [ˈɪndəstri] n. 勤劳（the quality of working hard）比如◇We were impressed by their industry.他们的勤奋给我们留下了深刻印象。
• thrift /θrɪft/ n.节俭（ the habit of saving money and spending it carefully so that none is wasted）
• thrifty /ˈθrɪfti/ adj.节俭的（careful about spending money and not wasting things）相当于frugal。常见搭配 thrifty store 廉价旧货店
• pacificism n.和平主义（the belief that war and violence are always wrong）
• endurance /ɪnˈdjʊərəns/ n.忍耐（the ability to continue doing something painful or difficult for a long period of time without giving up）
• moderation /ˌmɒdəˈreɪʃn/ n.中庸 （the quality of being reasonable and not being extreme）常见搭配moderation in (doing) something 适度(做)某事。比如◇Moderation in eating and drinking is the way to stay healthy.节制饮食是保持健康的方法。
• moderate /ˈmɒdərət/ adj.中庸的；温和的（staying within limits that are considered to be reasonable by most people）
• freakish /ˈfriːkɪʃ/ adj.怪异的；反常的（very strange, unusual or unexpected）freakish weather奇怪的天气；反常的天气
• freak /friːk/ n.怪胎（a person with a very strong interest in a particular subject）
• enslave /ɪnˈsleɪv/ n.奴役（to make somebody a slave）常见搭配 be enslaved (to something)被某事所奴役；受制于。比如◇If that master is sin, we will be enslaved to evil.如果那个主人是个罪犯，我们将会被奴役成恶魔。
• after all is said and done 归根结底。比如◇After all is said and done about what went wrong, the bottom line is simple: money. 说到底，我们的错误很简单，就是钱的问题。
• vicissitude [vɪˈsɪsɪtjuːd] n.变迁；人生的浮沉（one of the many changes and problems in a situation or in your life, that you have to deal with）比如◇the vicissitudes of life/fortune 人生的起起伏伏／命运的变化莫测

长难句分析

1. In the general survey of Chinese art and Chinese life, the conviction must haveforced upon us that Chinese are past masters in the art of living.

【结构分析】

• 这句话的主干为主谓宾结构：the conviction（主语） must have forced upon（谓语） us（宾语）。must have forced upon此处翻译为“不得不承认”，像极了林语堂的风格，风趣幽默。
• that Chinese are past masters in the art of living. 是定语从句，修饰限定conviction。此处进行语序的调整，定从放在句子最后而非先行词conviction的后面，是为了避免讲主谓宾结构拆分开。
• In the general survey of Chinese art and Chinese life, 这里是作状语。【句子大意】

在概述了中国的艺术与生活之后，我们不得不承认中国人的确是精通生活艺术的大师。

1. It was that test of life which, instinctively I think, guided us to distrust civic civilization and uphold the rural ideal in art, life and letter，to dislike religion in ourrational moments, to play with Buddhism but never quite accept its logical conclusions,and to hate mechanical ingenuity.

【结构分析】

• It was that test of life 这里是一个强调句。It was that翻译成“正是那种......”。
• instinctively I think作插入语，翻译成“我本能地认为......”。
• which guide us to...此处是which 引导的定语从句，修饰先行词the test of life(生活的考验)。
• to distrust civic civilization and uphold the rural ideal,to dislike religion in ourrational moments, to play with Buddhism but never quite accept its logical conclusions,and to hate mechanical ingenuity. 回到原句式guide sb. to do sth. 此处一系列不定式的排比句做宾补，对sb.进行补充说明。这个句子是整个段落排比句的一部分。整段话用词结构之讲究，体现了林语堂行文的韵律之美。
• in art, life and letter 此处是状语后置，语序也可为It was that test of life in art, life and letter。

【句子大意】

我认为也正是这种生活标准促使我们在艺术、人生和文学中本能地怀疑城市文明，而崇尚田园理想；促使我们在理智的时刻厌恶宗教，涉猎佛学但从不完全接受其合乎逻辑的结论；促使我们憎恶机械发明。

参考资料：

书籍：《西南联大英文课》《牛津高阶词典》

注：图片来源于网络（侵删）

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