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2011-05-18
Reading: "A Bridge Too Far"
Reading "A Bridge Too Far" by Cornelius Ryan. Far more complex and poignant than the star-studded 1977 film. Powerful evocation of, in some, the cynicism of "Murphy's Law", and in others, a semi-religious humility of human limitations.
Peopl... -
Pretty pleasant. Interesting beginning that doesn't get followed through. The Preston Sturges screenplay doesn't have the bite of film he later directed. Basically it's a Lubitsch without the verbal and visual wit (the camera has not sense of humor), o...
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2009-08-19
“多识于鸟兽草木之名”
在豆瓣上建立这个帖子，为了分享交流中文“鸟兽草木之名”的英文和/或拉丁文对应。
Gooseberry:醋栗。记得第一次知道有这种果子，是小时候读汝龙翻译的契诃夫短篇，《醋栗》。至今凄然。
第一次真的吃到这个宝贝，是2002年夏在德国西部的Dusseldorf的一个街角农产品市场---摊主好像是吉普赛人后裔。当时记下他告诉我的德文名字，Stachelbeere；回去一查，原来就是 gooseberry。果肉粘粘的，面面的，甜... -
2009-07-28
好言好语 又一则
先秦诸子的说话，常常令我愉快地诧异；不要说老子的精准赅洽，韩非子的痛快，即使比较一本正经的荀子，在不那么知名的《大略篇》，也能令人眼镜落地成千万碎片，暗叹“今夕何夕，遇此良人”，低徊不已。
譬如我做了父亲以后，才深深感动于这个话的难得：“君子之于子，爱之而勿面，使之而勿视，道之以道而勿强。”何等的通达。“行”之难且不论，即“知”已不易。
又如：“礼以顺人心为本，故亡于礼经而... -
2009-07-24
Xinjiang
There is much criticism about China's minority policies. To the extent that Chinese government and its bureaucrats have often been inept, the criticism is quite justified. But when the reader tries to pinpoint precisely what is wrong with the policy, i... -
As a belated new father a couple of years ago, I came to recognize what a sympathetic soul Charles Dickens was to the psyche of children, from this quote in "Great Expectations":
"In the little world in which children have t... -
2008-09-01
Personal note on art appreciation
Note on contemporary art (incl. Chinese art): Art Appreciation = Pathology of the Artist.
The 20th Century has seen the reduction of art appreciation to "getting the message".
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2008-06-27
好言好语一则
钱振镍《名山小言》卷七：
“文章有为我兼爱之不同。为我者只取我自家明白，虽无第二人解，亦何伤哉，老
子古简，庄生诡诞，皆是也。兼爱者必使我一人之心共喻于天下，语不尽不止，孟子洋
明，墨子重复，是也。《论语》多弟子所记，故语意亦简，孔子诲人不倦，其语必不止
此。或怪孔明文采不艳而过于丁宁周至，陈寿以为亮所与言尽众人凡士云云，要之皆文
之近于兼爱者也。诗亦有之，王盂闲适，意取含蓄，乐天讽喻，不妨尽言。&r... -
2008-06-27
读旧书之随感一则
最近再读《文心雕龙》。这是一本文笔华赡而且大耐咀嚼的书。一句“庄老告退，而山水方滋”，蕴含其中的那种多层次的思想和文学的复杂的因果关系，就值得细细品味。多被选家误读。
周振甫先生的各种注评著作中，我以为《文心雕龙》是最好的。有趣的是人民文学本竟然是“大学生必读书”......日美教授在书店看到，不知回去要怎样撰文感慨中国大学生文化素养水准之高呢。
说句题外话：中国的经典很有些耐读的，但... -
2008-05-13
愤青请进
http://www.npr.org/blogs/chengdu/2008/05/caught_in_the_earthquake_1.html
To those who think the whole Western world is against China: please see this link for some of the early response of largely Democratic Americans to the Sichuan earthqua...
Orpheus in Shanghai
旧精魂《自判 》：隔靴搔痒赞何益；入木三分骂也精。
偈子： “梵志翻著袜。人皆谓是错。宁可刺你眼。不可隐我脚。”
“礼以顺人心为本，故亡于礼经而顺于人心者，皆礼也。 ”
- 荀子
