I. Summary
II. The sentences
1. Forgetting the wild goose chase after immortality, one comes back always to the principles of moderations, simple living, enough work, enough rest, and above all, no worries and avoiding emotional disturbances of all kinds. In other words, one always comes back to common sense.
wild goose chase 徒劳无益的追求,劳而无功的事
不做无谓之争、适度知足、作息适意、安心少虑即是养生之道,最后一句one always comes back to common sense总结的极其精炼,“遵循常理”,不仅仅是外在的规律,还包含了自身的规律。
2. He was now to follow a zigzag course of wanderings and changes of plan before he ended up, much against his wish, in a position very close to the Empress.
follow a zigzag course of wanderings and changes of plan 道路崎岖坎坷、境遇瞬息万变
3. Chinese paintings unconsciously express the oneness of man with nature and the essential unity of the great mystic procession of life in which the human being occupies but a small and transitory part.
oneness a peaceful feeling of being part of a whole
the oneness of man with nature 天人合一
III. Thoughts
这一周的读书感受还是相当跌宕起伏的。在读第十七章时,险些读不下去,毕竟其中涉及佛教与道教的观点与史实相差太远,而且问题在于虽然能看出林语堂先生的一些错误,但完全想不出他是受了哪些观点和资料的误导才犯错的。于是乎,一方面根据自己的知识体系进行怀疑,另一方面因为无从得知林先生使用的文献,不禁怀疑自己,万一林先生看到的文献恰好是我忽略掉的呢?这个问题到目前为止依旧无解,看来还是需要进一步查证。“大胆怀疑,小心求证”,此言不虚。
非常喜欢的是第二十章,关于苏轼的书法与绘画,林语堂先生在选择传记素材时的眼光显然是非常独特的。我没有系统读过艺术史的书,并不太清楚苏轼的书法与绘画在艺术史上的地位,但是就文学史而言,苏轼的诗、书、画应当是三位一体,与王维的诗画一样,都是应当予以重视的。可惜,大多数文学史强调文学本位,并不看重书论、画论对诗歌创作的影响。而在这一章中,林语堂先生可以说是将文学、艺术和哲学打通,为我们呈现出了一位立体的苏东坡。