謙虛，最具代表性的中國印象

文/金智（Jakub Ilczyszyn，波蘭） 譯/姜佳秀

如果要從我在中國工作生活的四年時光里總結(jié)出或者說選出最具代表性的中國印象，那毫無疑問是中國舉世矚目的成就和中國人謙遜的態(tài)度。

我想分享一下我個人的想法。這將會從一個人類學(xué)者的觀點出發(fā)來討論中國，同時也是一個波蘭人關(guān)于中國的看法。

直到我發(fā)現(xiàn)身處中國時我才了解到，在我整個受教育的過程中，甚至在我的成長和生活的環(huán)境下，謙虛一直扮演著不可或缺的角色。如果你碰巧成為稀少且稀有的一種人，這種人我們叫他們“人類學(xué)者”，那你肯定聽說過布羅尼斯拉夫·馬林諾夫斯基以及他的方法論，這是關(guān)于人類參與社會生活的一大創(chuàng)新理念。這種方法論提倡對世界上所有的文化都保持著一種理解和謙遜的態(tài)度，也把一個優(yōu)秀的人類學(xué)者定義為可以被描述出來的一個善于虛心觀察的人。

就像我剛才提到的，生活在一個充滿魅力的中國社會，作為一個見證者，和來自不同國家的朋友們交流互動，是一件非常有意義的事情。作為來自一個相對較小的國家的我，可以體會到一種難得的喜悅，因為大多數(shù)中國居民十分高興能遇見一個對他們的文化和歷史充滿友善和理解的西方人。正如我所經(jīng)歷的那樣，鑒于這個最基本的原因，許多中國人向我敞開了心扉。

為什么這個簡單的道理在中國格外令人印象深刻呢？我只能從和睦、和平而又謙遜的中國智慧和中國影響力里找到答案。這種中國智慧和中國影響力除了存在于人與人交往的人際關(guān)系中，還存在于各個領(lǐng)域之中。中國，是一個如此開放又擁有巨大包容性的國家，它是一個如此親切又熱情招待四方游客的禮儀之邦，它又是一個如此勤勉謙遜、孜孜不懈努力發(fā)展的大國，這是中國在我心上留下的最深刻的印象。

有好幾個刻骨銘心的瞬間都讓我感覺到我被中國人傳統(tǒng)的友善深深地吸引著，特別是盛大的慶祝儀式和日常的行為。我想給大家講述我的一個難忘的經(jīng)歷。我來中國的第一天，是2013年的中秋節(jié)。剛到北京的時候，我充分地感受到中國是一個如此講禮儀的國家。對于初來乍到的外國人來說，他們可能會被驚訝到，甚至?xí)徽`導(dǎo)。比如說下面這段不同尋常的對話，發(fā)生在一個波蘭人和一個生活在北京胡同的當(dāng)?shù)厝酥g。

Summing up or even choosing the most significant impressions from over four years long life and work period in dynamically transforming China is definitely an ambitious task and as such must be approached with a great doze of modesty.

I dare to share my humble view here. It is going to be a view of an anthropologist and a view of a Polishman.

It was not until I found myself in China when I realized how modesty plays an integral part in my education, and even broader, in my whole background. If it happened to you to become one of this rare and odd individuals calledanthropologists, you must have heard about Bronislaw Malinowski and his method of conducting research, which was a revolutionary concept of participating in life of the people you try to learn about. This approach is full of understanding and modesty towards all the cultures of the world, which also defines a good anthropologist as somebody who can be described as a humble observer.

As I mentioned living in fascinating Chinese society and being a witness of its interactions with guests from other nations,I could experience a rare joy of coming from a relatively small and humble country, because most of Chinese citizens were glad to meet westerner being truly friendly and understanding towards their culture and history. As I experienced, many hearts and doors have opened in front of me, because of this very basic approach.

Why did these simple truths become so striking here in China? I can only see the answer in the traditionally harmonious, peaceful and modest Chinese mindset and the influence that it has on the whole region including interpersonal relations between people. Some of the things I love most about China is how open and unjudgmental it can be, how politely and warmheartedly it welcomes its visitors, and how modestly and diligently it can learn and work.

一個高鼻梁、藍眼睛的外國人，他看起來完全搞不清楚方向，確確實實是迷路了。他問一個正站在四合院門口的男人：“Do you speak English?”（你會說英語嗎？）這個中國男人露出自信的微笑：“Yes!”（會?。┑玫交卮鸬牟ㄌm人喜出望外，看來自己是問對人了，波蘭人拿出寫著旅館名字的名片繼續(xù)問：“Do you know this place?”（你知道這個地方嗎？）得到了一個更自信的回答：“Yes!”（知道！）“How can I get there?”（我怎么去這里呢？）這個波蘭人問。但是這次的回答讓波蘭人困惑了，這個中國人說：“Yes!”（對?。酌胍院髢蓚€人哈哈大笑起來。

我后來才知道，這個中國人和成千上萬的中國人一樣，即使他們害怕開口說英語，但是他們熱情好客，不失禮貌，盡力幫助困境中的人。

在許多對話里，先是英語，然后是簡單的中文，我發(fā)現(xiàn)語言是相通的。語言為我們打開了一扇全新的、廣闊的大門，也有許多值得期待的驚喜在等著我們。由于我對語言學(xué)很感興趣，我很快就注意到了“可能”這個詞在中文里意義頗多。中國人無論是在說英語還是在說中文的時候，“可能”這類詞他們用得相當(dāng)頻繁。回想一下，在公交站點，我們經(jīng)常聽到的一句話：“56路公交車可能不在這停?！闭f這句話的人難道真的不知道56路公交車在不在這停嗎？在公交站點沒有可靠的信息告訴我們這里有沒有56路公交車嗎？很多情況下，答案都是肯定的，他們知道，他們也能找到公交車的具體信息，但是他們只是感覺非常抱歉，他們不想直接給別人一個否定的回答。所以，你才能得到一個非常特別的、非常有力的“可能”。

我想告訴我的“公交站點的朋友們”，這種情況對于外國人來說，是十分難以理解的，但是與此同時，我們也可以看到很多禮儀和謙遜和一個想做好主人的、做好向?qū)У闹袊?。簡單地說，所有的這些傳統(tǒng)仍然實際存在著，在日常生活中處處可見。

我相信，這些獨有的特色，毋庸置疑是中國變得繁榮富強的主要原因之一。幸運的是，這些特色并不是中國專屬的權(quán)利，對其他國家而言，并不是不可復(fù)制的，除此之外，還可以為建設(shè)一個和平穩(wěn)定的國際環(huán)境提供借鑒。

To give a little sample of these memorable moments when I felt totally charmed by traditional kindness of Chinese people I can recall both: splendid celebrations and little everyday gestures.From my very first day in China (which was the Mid Autumn Festival of 2013 in Bei Jing) I have experienced many examples of humble politeness. For a person who came from a foreign country they can be very surprising or even misleading. Such as this unusual conversation, which happened between one Polishman and a local from one of the Bei Jing Hu Tongs. Long-nosed,blue-eyed and completely lost foreigner asked a man standing in front of his Si He Yuan:Do you speak English?Chinese man’s face presented a wonderful smile and I could feel relieved after his confident response:Yes!So being sure I found the right person, I pointed the name of my hostel and asked again:Do you know this place?I heard another confidentYes. My last question was:How can I get there?This time the response left me puzzled. The man said:Yes. A few seconds after we were both laughing at our inability to communicate.

As I have learned later, this person, same as many other Chinese,put his sense of politeness and hospitality over his fear to speak English and was trying to help in this uneasy situation.

There were many other conversations when I could find a common language, first English and after some time also simple Chinese. Of course, it has opened a completely new and broad channel of communications, but there were many more surprises awaiting. Being interested in linguistics I quickly noticed how often the wordmaybeis used here. No matter if Chinese people speak English or Chinese you may find a great frequency of this kind of words and their original use. Think about this simple response at the bus stop:Maybe bus number 56 does not stop here. Does it mean that a speaker is not sure of his own words? There is no reliable information at the bus stop? ... It is very possible it is none of these. The speaker just feels very humble and does not want to give a negative answer, so you can hear this very special, powerfulmaybe.

To quote my bus stop friend, I could say that this kind situationsmaybeare difficult for foreigners, but at the same time you can clearly see lot of humility and politeness. A great will to be a proper host and a qualified guide. Simply saying all these very traditional virtues are still alive and commonly observed in daily life.

These distinctive features, as I believe, can be seen as one of the major reasons which made China so undoubtedly successful country. Luckily these virtues are not a subject of any exclusive rights and can be freely copied by other countries for their own prosperity, and what is more, for the peaceful and stable global environment.

當(dāng)我回顧中國和歐洲之間不同文化的交流時，我可以清楚地看到在過去的數(shù)十年間，在這段交流歷史中，中國占據(jù)了主導(dǎo)權(quán)。中國的發(fā)展要迅速得多，并且在不斷地縮小與歐洲發(fā)達國家之間的財富和生活水平的差距。這強大的能力背后，少不了向其他國家學(xué)習(xí)的謙虛態(tài)度。而與此同時，現(xiàn)代的歐洲已經(jīng)不像幾個世紀(jì)以前那樣受中國的影響了。在歐洲衰退的時期，這種觀察似乎是非常典型的，也是在復(fù)興歐洲社會時必不可少的。

Jakub Ilczyszyn, 中文名：金智，1984年生于波蘭，畢業(yè)于格但斯克大學(xué)，人類學(xué)和行政管理雙碩士學(xué)位。曾在波蘭、烏克蘭和中國任教。學(xué)術(shù)研究領(lǐng)域包括語言學(xué)、文化交流與溝通、飲食文化和教學(xué)方法論。自2013年開始，在中國工作和生活。目前任山東省濰坊學(xué)院外籍教師。喜歡旅行，領(lǐng)略中國的不同風(fēng)景和別樣韻味，把喝茶和下象棋作為日常消遣。

從這個觀點出發(fā)，改革開放不僅給中國帶來了翻天覆地的變化，對于世界其他國家來說，也提供了一個絕佳的向中國學(xué)習(xí)的機遇。然而這個過程，特別是對于世界上的一些大國來說，要求我們抱著尊重和虛心的態(tài)度。當(dāng)然，在國際關(guān)系中，已經(jīng)存在許多向中國學(xué)習(xí)的跡象，但我還是想給大家?guī)砦覀€人的一些觀察作為例子。

When I look at the intercultural exchange between Europe and China, I can clearly notice that in this very long history of mutual relations last decades belonged to China. It has been developing much faster than European countries shortening the distance in wealth and life standards. One of the reasons lies in a great ability to modestly learn from others which has been present in modern China. At the same time modern Europe has not been so much inspired by China as it used to be some centuries ago. This observation seems to be very significant in this period of weakening European identity and obvious need for revival in European societies.

From this point of view, the Reform and Opening is not only a great change for China, but also a wonderful opportunity for the rest of the world to learn from China. However this process requires a lot of respect and humbleness, especially among some of the powerful countries of the world. Obviously there are already many signs of this phenomenon in international relations,but I would rather bring some of my personal observations as an example.

Being a part of an academic subculture in China I also meet a lot of foreign teachers and exchange students. As people are different, their attitudes and personalities also differ a lot. After spending at least a few years in this social group you may find that some scholars or some students are getting more successful than others. Surprisingly sometimes these outstanding individuals were not that lucky in their home countries, at the same time some of these local stars are not that bright after coming to China. Why does it happen? Again, one of the reasons is modesty. The secret ingredient.

A lot of teachers after years of successful career gain a great deal of confidence that they have a right to educate others. Sometimes this conviction becomes slightly too strong, too offensive,and instead of teaching your subject you may end up asa great master of life. If you add subconscious believe that you came to the part of the world whichstill has to learn a lot, gradually you become incredibly arrogant, what is worse you do not even realize how devastating it can be for your relations with Chinese.

When it comes to foreign students, as I noticed, there is a very similar pattern. Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn for people from western countries, so it requires thousands of hours to learn it on the communicative level. Who can succeed? Only those who are fully dedicated, incredibly stubborn and humble, and even when you reached a considerable level you might be brutally brought down to reality by somebody who speaks one of the countless Chinese dialects or slang.

在中國，作為大學(xué)教師，我遇到了很多外籍教師和國際交換生。正因為人各不相同，他們的態(tài)度或性格上也存在著較大的差異。在這樣的社會團體中相處幾年下來，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)有一些老師或者學(xué)生變得明顯比其他人要出色許多。令人驚訝的是，有些優(yōu)秀的人在他們自己的家鄉(xiāng)里，并不那么地出類拔萃。而與此同時，也有一些在他們當(dāng)?shù)貙儆谫叩娜?，來到中國以后，卻變得平淡無奇。這是為什么呢？我再一次要提起，一個秘密的要素——謙遜，正是其中的一個重要原因。

許多教師，從多年的教學(xué)經(jīng)歷中獲得了大量的自信心，認(rèn)為他們有資格傳授別人知識。有時候，這種自信慢慢地變得太過于強烈，甚至令人不悅，如果這種自信變得過于強烈，甚至令人不悅，他們就成了所謂的“人生導(dǎo)師”，而不是去教授他們的專業(yè)了。如果你潛意識里認(rèn)為你來到的這個地方還有許多東西需要學(xué)習(xí)，漸漸地你會變得超乎想象地傲慢起來，最壞的是，你是落后的，甚至都意識不到這種傲慢，對你與中國人的關(guān)系來說，有時候會變成一個巨大的災(zāi)難。

我還注意到，當(dāng)這種情況發(fā)生在外國留學(xué)生的身上時，通常都有一個非常類似的模式。對西方人來說，中文是最難學(xué)習(xí)的語言之一，需要付出成百上千個小時的努力，才能達到正常交流的水平。什么樣的人能夠成功做到呢？只有那些對待學(xué)習(xí)堅持不懈、持之以恒、虛心請教的人才能做到。而甚至當(dāng)你覺得你的中文水平已經(jīng)相當(dāng)不錯了的時候，中國各地數(shù)不勝數(shù)的方言或者俗語就能立馬將你拉回現(xiàn)實。

你對自己的人際關(guān)系能力和語言技能已經(jīng)胸有成竹嗎？后面還有更多東西在等著你呢！光是走在車水馬龍的大街上，就足夠比任何地方都能讓你保持警醒和虛心。聽起來很奇怪吧？是我太夸張了嗎？面對著街上熙熙攘攘的人群，來來往往的車輛，你永遠不知道下一步他們會去往哪個方向。想想看，一個騎自行車或者步行的人，會在和一輛大卡車狹路相逢的時候感覺自己很厲害嗎？所以，無論你在中國選擇走哪一條路，每走一小步你都要記得，謙遜是至關(guān)重要的。

雖然我在這里短短的四年生活和中國源遠流長的歷史相比根本不值一提，但是這四年也足夠讓我了解到，當(dāng)代中國之轉(zhuǎn)變比我所知道的一些歐洲國家要迅猛得多。我是如何了解到的呢？鱗次櫛比的高樓大廈、遍地開花的高新科技、家喻戶曉的共享經(jīng)濟、意義非凡的工程成績不勝枚舉，聞名海外；高速鐵路、玻璃棧橋、環(huán)境友好型的新型發(fā)電站等等。這難道還不夠令人感到驚訝嗎？

這些成就不是簡單地靠復(fù)制其他國家采取過的方案政策就能獲得的，更多的是把外國的思想與中國實際國情相結(jié)合，轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楦哂袆?chuàng)造性的中國理念，從而得到的最優(yōu)結(jié)果。這就在極大程度上保證了包括謙遜在內(nèi)的中華傳統(tǒng)理念不會被外來文化所替代。

You feel confident with your relations and langue skills? There is a lot more waiting for you. It is just enough to take a walk in the streets to discover that traffic, which is busier and more unpredictable than anywhere else, keeps you alarmed and sort of humble. Does it sound odd? Do I exaggerate? Just think for a while, how a cyclist or a pedestrian can be proud in front of a truck while sharing the same road. So no matter which path you take in China, on every little step you will be reminded that modesty is the core of its values.

Although four years are nothing comparing to a long history of this place, it is enough to understand that contemporary China is transforming much faster than some of the European countries I know. How can I know this? A brief look is enough to be amazed how many new building sites are over here, how many new projects in the branch of new technology and sharing economy can be seen, and how many ambitious engineering achievements are spread all over the country; the high speed railway, glass bridges and new environmentally friendly power plants just to name some of them.

These most successful projects do not copy solutions already existing in other places, but rather transform foreign inspiration in very own and creative way to bring even better results in very specific Chinese environment. This hopefully guarantees that some of the traditional Chinese concepts, as the value of modesty among them, will not be replaced by purely foreign ideas.

That is why I happen to be amazed by some of my students blind fascination by western cultures. While there is nothing wrong with being curious or even very sympathetic towards foreign countries and their heritage, it may seem unreasonable to always put their achievements, influences and brands first.This is also where I see a great role for myself and other foreign scholars working in China to truly represent your country of origin rather than only advertise it. Honestly inform rather than always compare your own country with China. This kind of healthy and responsible paradigm of teaching results in better understanding between Chinese and foreigners and also helps students to foster their own culture. All this is possible under one crucial condition. It is the virtue of modesty ingrained in teacher’s moral standards.

Consequently, when I see Chinese college students wearing clothes with some ridiculous English slogan printed on them which they do not even understand or blindly following some sort of western fashion (for example by adding some unnecessary English words while speaking Chinese), I know there is still much more work to be done, so I try to show them that the world is a very diverse place and they certainly should not forget about their roots and traditions.

這就是為什么我被我的一些中國學(xué)生們驚到了，他們被外國文化蒙蔽了雙眼，他們是如此癡迷于外國文化。對外國的傳統(tǒng)和文化充滿好奇心，這很正常，沒什么不好的。但是，如果總是把外國文化的成就、影響、品牌等擺在第一位，這似乎有點不合常理。而我在這里最重要的作用，和其他外教一樣，是真正地、真實地介紹我們祖國的起源和文化，而不是給我們的國家打廣告；如實地展示我們的國家，而不是總拿中國與之相比較。這種健康又有擔(dān)當(dāng)?shù)慕逃浞赌軌蜃屩袊撕屯鈬烁玫叵嗷ダ斫?，也可以幫助同學(xué)們發(fā)揚他們本國的文化。所有的這一切，不是不可能，只是需要一個關(guān)鍵的條件——在教師的道德標(biāo)準(zhǔn)上，毫不動搖地保持謙虛。

所以，當(dāng)我看到一些中國大學(xué)的學(xué)生，身上穿著印有英文字樣的衣服，他們甚至不明白這些英文是什么意思，或者他們只是盲目地追隨國外的潮流（比如他們喜歡在說中文的時候突然蹦出幾個英文單詞）。每當(dāng)這個時候，我就深刻地感受到，還有更多的東西在等待著我去做。我想讓他們知道，固然世界是豐富多彩的，但是他們也絕對不應(yīng)該忽視自己的傳統(tǒng)，絕對不應(yīng)該遺忘自己的根。

我第一次來到中國的時候，我想盡可能多地了解關(guān)于中國的信息，汲取中國的文化。我去過名勝古跡、博物館和美術(shù)館，只為了經(jīng)歷和學(xué)習(xí)中國文化。雖然看過中國各地的青山秀水，美輪美奐的人造建筑，我還是難以想象在道教的起源地、中國功夫、傳統(tǒng)的手工藝和繁華的現(xiàn)代中國之間有如此多的關(guān)聯(lián)。甚至有幾次我覺得我在同時接觸兩個不一樣的世界，這真的太有趣了！

當(dāng)我看到一幅全景繪畫——《清明上河圖》，它描述著北宋時期的自然風(fēng)光和繁榮景象：寂靜的原野、浩瀚的河流、高聳的城郭、穿著各式各樣具有中國古代特色服飾的人物、街上攤販陳列的貨物，我在想為什么這種繪畫風(fēng)格在那個時候的中國是如此受歡迎？它和歐洲的人物畫或者風(fēng)景畫有多么不一樣？這樣一幅特別的畫作，我要如何才能真正體會到它的迷人之處？

當(dāng)然，對于中國古畫的賞鑒并不是一朝一夕的事，這需要與當(dāng)時的時代背景和具有代表性的時代特征結(jié)合起來。我遠不敢說我非常了解，但是那幾天，畫中的內(nèi)容、人物，以及反映出來的社會形態(tài)、社會合作分工等都在我的腦海中，揮之不去。在畫中，與高山河川相比，人們顯得如此渺小，在中國古代人們就已經(jīng)對大自然保持著一顆謙遜的心，也正是這種謙遜的態(tài)度與融洽和諧的社會氛圍、團結(jié)統(tǒng)一的精神共同延續(xù)下來，構(gòu)成了當(dāng)代的中國社會。

最后，我想說在中國，我學(xué)習(xí)并體會到了很多中國特色，令人回味無窮，這比我從西方國家社會所學(xué)到的東西還要多。這種經(jīng)歷不會只是三分鐘的熱度而已，更應(yīng)該被運用到實際的生活當(dāng)中。中國傳統(tǒng)的謙遜是增加個人成功的機會，豐富社會人際關(guān)系的重要秘訣。我希望這種近乎被遺忘的謙遜可以在西方社會重生，成為最好的中國舶來品之一。

謙受益，滿招損。這句充滿智慧的老話不需要任何的添加和修飾，如果非要添上點什么，我們能做的是，永遠銘記它！

The first time I came to China I tried to grasp as much information about its culture as possible. I followed the beaten tacks of tourist attractions, museums and galleries, in order to experience and learn. Although they were full of impressive views and ancient artifacts, it was quite difficult for me to imagine too many connections between this ancient land of Dao, Gong Fu and handcraft and modern, booming, incredibly dynamic place I witness everyday. There were times when I felt that I was learning about two complete different places. Was I right?

One of the hints came when I was looking at one of many panoramic paintings that illustrate scenes of life showing old architecture, landscapes and lots of miniature characters of people wearing their own specific clothes styles and presenting their typical occupationsRiverside Scene at Qing Ming Festival. I was wondering why these kind of paintings were so popular among people of that time, how different are they from European portraits and landscapes, finally how I could find any beauty in this very special images?

Of course appreciation of paintings from ancient China is not easy these days, because of its highly contextual and symbolic character and I am far from saying that I can understand it very well. However that day it came to my mind that all this figures are very small, focused on their deeply social and cooperative occupations, in a word they all very noticeably have a modest look. That was one of the links leading to a modern Chinese society. Moderation, harmony, unity.

Finally I need to say that China helped me to learn these beautiful traits, understand them and value much more than western societies tend to do. This experience is not only limited to this sympathy, but also has a very pragmatic use. Traditional Chinese humility is a great way to increase chances of personal success and enrich relations in a society. I can only hope that this nearly forgotten virtue of moderation can also recreate in the western world and be one of the many export goods for China.

As a perfect bridge for international communication modesty should be most valued where there are people from many cultures. Simply because it can bring benefits for all of us. Words of old wisdom saythat pride hurts, modesty benefits(滿招損,謙受益)and there is not much more we could add to this simple, moderate proverb. Actually, there is one thing we can add; we can follow it!