Lu Shi knew Zheng Guanying,

But this kind of knowledge is only heard of, and I don't know much about Zheng Guanying's specific life.

He ushered the two into the house.

Unexpectedly, Natsume Soseki spoke first: "Mr. Zheng, are you the author of "Yi Yan" and "The Danger of the Prosperous Age"? ”

Zheng Guanying was surprised,

"Who is this?"

Lu Shi introduced the two.

Zheng Guanying's face was a little wrong,

He wrote "The Danger of the Prosperous Age" through the two major themes of prosperity and national salvation, and put forward plans for political, economic, military, diplomatic, and cultural reforms.

And the background of creation is the defeat of the First Sino-Japanese War.

When I saw the Japanese, it was strange to have a good face.

Natsume Soseki also realized that he had just said the wrong thing, and hurriedly stepped forward, as if he wanted to "make a sensation in your private Marseille!" ”。

The head is big when it comes to land,

"Natsume, don't mess around."

Natsume Soseki was embarrassed and honestly shut up.

Lu Shi turned to Zheng Guanying and said, "Mr. Zheng, can you show me the newspaper?" ”

Zheng Guan should hand out the Times.

After flipping through a few pages, you can see an open letter from Cambridge University, inviting Lu Shi to become a professor at King's College, lecturing on Chinese literature, translation, and linguistics.

The letter was signed by a number of Cambridge literary bigwigs.

After that, there was an open letter from the University of Oxford, which was about the same.

Natsume Soseki muttered in a low voice, "Sir Wardhouse and Mr. Xiao are going to have a headache. ”

Lu Shi chuckled and put the newspaper aside,

It's not surprising that things are going this way.

Zheng Guanying looked at Lu Shi so calmly, and couldn't help but be surprised in his heart,

Far overseas, it is really heartening that there are Chinese who can be sought after by white people, or open invitations from top universities such as Cambridge and Oxford.

Gu Hongming said in a low voice: "What? Is it the same as I said? ”

Zheng Guanying let out a shallow "um",

"Yes, a real young talent...... Young, too young! ”

This emotion is exactly the same as when Gu Hongming first met Lu.

The two whispered,

Lu Shi was not in a hurry, and waited quietly.

After a while, Gu Hongming said: "When we were on land, we came to London by train and heard the students discuss your speech...... By the way, "I Have a Dream" has also been reported in the newspaper, do you know? Right here in The Daily Telegraph. ”

Lu Shi asked: "The Daily Telegraph? ”

Because he was aware of the tendencies of the three major newspapers, he was a little surprised, and he did not know what the conservative "Daily Telegraph" thought.

The plausible explanation is that Cambridge exerted its influence.

Lu Shi diverted the topic: "What is the so-called matter of this visit?" ”

Gu Hongming replied with a smile: "Hear his voice and see his person." I was so encouraged by your speech that I didn't think much about it, and I thought I would be in a good mood if I could talk to you. ”

There are not so many reasons for literati to communicate.

Lu Shi could also understand, so he turned his gaze to Zheng Guanying and asked, "Mr. Zheng, what about you?" ”

Zheng Guan should be silent.

In fact, he wanted to persuade Lu Shi to serve the Qing court,

However, Gu Hongming clearly said that it was impossible for Lu Shi to accept it, so he could only retreat to the next best.

He said, "Lu ...... Forehead...... Mr. Lu doesn't have a word yet, so I'll call you that. Mr. Lu, you are quite popular in London, and your plays and speeches have also attracted great attention, and now you are a guest lecturer in London politics and economics, and have even been ...... by Cambridge and Oxford."

Lu Shi raised his hand,

"Mr. Zheng, what is the situation in London, don't you know yourself?"

The implication is to let the other party have something to say.

Gu Hongming laughed,

"Zhengxiang, I told you before, Lu Shi is not a person who 'respects the old and loves the young', you don't need to add so much praise and promotion in front."

Zheng Guan should have been vaccinated, and he is not embarrassed,

He said: "I already know that Mr. Lu is not going to return to China for the time being, but even so, have you ever thought about writing textbooks for the Beijing Normal University Hall? I believe that the people openly invited by the two universities of Cambridge and Oxford must be talented. ”

This request really caught Lu Shi a little off guard.

He doesn't look down on the Qing government and won't work for it.

However, the compilation of textbooks enlightens the wisdom of the people, and the two must not be confused.

Lu Shi asked, "The university hall has opened again?" ”

Founded in July 1898, Beijing Normal University is the first national university in modern China, marking the beginning of modern national higher education in China.

However, the Boxer Rebellion and the invasion and occupation of the capital by the Eight-Nation Coalition Army caused the university hall to be repeatedly destroyed, so that it was suspended.

Zheng Guanying sighed and said, "The university hall is indeed closed now. There was no way, the German and Russian invading forces occupied the school as a barracks, and the school buildings, books, and equipment were seriously damaged, and classes could not be opened for the time being. ”

Lu Shi: "......"

Gu Hongming: "......"

Natsume Soseki: "......"

The three of them didn't know what to say.

Silence permeated the room.

After a while, Gu Hongming said: "Lu Shi, I know and understand the reason why you don't return to China. However, 'the wisdom of the youth is the wisdom of the country, the wealth of the youth is the wealth of the country, and the strength of the youth is the strength of the country', if you can write textbooks for the university hall, it will be very good. ”

Lu Shi listened to the other party's words and laughed,

"Mr. Gu, don't you look down on the reformers the most? How can you quote Liang Rengong's "Young China Says". ”

Gu Hongming twisted his beard and replied: "What I don't like is the surname Kang." ”

After saying that, he couldn't help but laugh himself.

Lu Shi pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "I'm afraid it won't work." ”

Gu Hongming and Zheng Guanying looked at each other,

"Why?"

The two spoke almost in unison.

Lu Shi smiled bitterly,

"It's not that I don't want to write a textbook, it's ...... It's ......"

I'm not good at writing in classical Chinese.,It's really a bit unspeakable.。

Zheng Guanying asked, "But what is unspeakable?" ”

Lu Shi had no choice but to admit frankly: "Mr. Zheng, one of the reasons why I came to London to study but did not gain fame in China is that my classical Chinese writing is extremely poor. If I were to speak in English or the vernacular, that would be fine. ”

Zheng Guanying: ???

"This ......"

He couldn't have imagined that it would be such a reason.

Gu Hongming nodded again and again,

"I see."

He understands Lu Shi because he was born in Penang, British Malaysia, and even if he has been studying classical classics, he sometimes finds it difficult.

This is also the reason why although he is translated as equal to the body, he is always ridiculed for his inability to learn.

Gu Hongming pondered for a moment, and remembered that the theme of Lu Shi's speech at Cambridge was "Letter, Reach, and Elegance", so he said: "Then you write a book and talk about the problem of translation, such as grammar and gender, which is easy to write." ”

This kind of explanatory text is really easy to write in classical Chinese.

Lu Shi frowned,

"Mr. Gu just mentioned Liang Rengong's "Young China Says", do you remember the first sentence?"

Gu Hongming nodded,

"If I'm not mistaken, the first sentence of "Juvenile China Says" should be 'The Japanese call me China'."

Lu Shi asked: "Why is the grammatical gender of the word 'China' feminine in French, masculine in Russian, and neuter in German?" ”

These words stopped Gu Hongming,

When he looked at Lu in a daze,

"Why?"

Lu Shi said: "From the perspective of linguistics, yin, yang, and neutral belong to the lexical formation under grammar, which are the characteristics of known words, and the laws summarized by studying the common characteristics of a class of word groups. In short, it is the nature of words that come first and then words. ”

Gu Hongming understood,

"So you can't ask the other way around, why is the word a certain grammatical gender?"

Lu Shi nodded,

"Yes, because this is the characteristic of the word itself, it is prescribed by the linguist. Therefore, talking about translation to investigate the grammatical gender belongs to staring at the details. ”

Gu Hongming is also a translator himself, of course he understands this,

It's like why the decimal system is used in mathematics and why addition is represented by "+", there is no reason to say.

Natsume Soseki on the side nodded,

"It's really useless to stare at the details."

He was sent to study abroad, but the Japanese Ministry of Education gave him an ambiguous goal of "studying English", so I was deeply impressed.

For countries in crisis, school materials are also based on pragmatism.

Lu Shi said: "English is 'the origin of Western learning', not 'the end of Western learning', learning foreign languages is necessary, but to translate as a specialty, the pursuit of faith, attainment, if the pursuit of elegance, is really putting the cart before the horse." ”

That's the final word.

Zheng Guanying sighed,

"Alas......"

The country is weak, and it is so difficult to compile teaching materials.

Lu Shi thought for a moment and said: "'Guns, Germs and Steel' is a work of liberal arts, and if it is translated into Chinese, it may be used as a teaching material. ”

As soon as the words fell, they were vetoed by Gu Hongming and Zheng Guanying,

"No!" ×2。

The two spoke in unison.

Lu Shi asked, "Why?" ”

Gu Hongming showed a helpless expression and replied, "It's not suitable." ”

It is true that "Guns, Germs and Steel" is a monumental work, but there are too many disciplines involved in it, and it is too comprehensive.

Because he was going to visit Lu, Zheng Guanying also read "Guns, Germs and Steel" all night,

He said in a deep voice: "This book is very strange, but when I read it, I can't help but think, which subject does it belong to? Mr. Lu just talked about liberal arts, but politics, geography, history, health, biology...... It seems that any subject is fine, and no one is accurate. ”

Gu Hongming echoed: "It can be used as extended reading, but the textbook is really inappropriate. ”

Lu Shi couldn't refute this.

He asked, "What are the subjects?" ”

Gu Hongming replied: "There are two categories: general disciplines and specialized disciplines, and the specific subjects need to be seen in the "Regulations of Beijing Normal University". My impression includes historiography, arithmetic, Gezhi, geography, literature, and, of course, classics and science. ”

Zheng Guanying on the side added: "You forgot about gymnastics. ”

Gu Hongming's head is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

"yes, and that weird gymnastics."

Everyone else felt that Mr. Gu seemed to have something to do with gymnastics, and tried to hold back their curiosity and didn't ask.

Zheng Guanying said: "Then, can you write a literary textbook?" I read the article "A Brief Discussion of Narrative Trickery and Reasoning" and was deeply struck. ”

Lu Shi shook his head,

"Reasoning is small, inappropriate."

Gu Hongming took over the conversation: "That article "I Have a Dream" can definitely be selected. ”

Lu Shi: "......"

It was indeed a text, and it had to be partially memorized.

Zheng Guanying disagreed,

"I don't think so. "I Have a Dream" is great, but don't forget that it was born when Mr. Lu was giving a lecture at King's College, Cambridge. This alone is difficult to use as a text. ”

Gu Hongming nodded,

"So, "One Generation"? Answer? Both poems are very good. ”

Zheng Guanying sighed when he heard this,

"How can two English poems be used as literary textbooks?"

Lu Shi coughed lightly and inserted the topic: "These two poems have far more charm in Chinese than in English. ”

He chanted in Chinese:

“

'Meanness is the pass of the mean,

Noble is the epitaph of the noble.

Behold, in that gilded sky,

Floating with the crooked reflection of the dead. ’

”

In an instant, silence swept through.

The rest of the people all looked at Lu Shi with incredulous eyes.

After a while, Zheng Guanying said: "I now understand why Mr. Lu said that he is not good at classical Chinese writing. ”

As a native of the Qing Dynasty, he always believed that poetry had a strict rhythm.

Only then can it be considered poetry.

But after listening to the first paragraph of "Answer", he had to admit that writing poetry in the vernacular also has a special impact.

It is more straightforward, and the feelings conveyed are naturally more direct.

Gu Hongming said in a low voice: "This poem is indeed qualified. ”

Zheng Guanying glanced at him,

"It's good to say that writing articles in the vernacular has long been a sign of the people, and the kind of white and unwritten "Stone Records" has also been written for a long time. But writing poetry and songs in the vernacular is a big disapproval in the world, do you dare? ”

Gu Hongming shook his head,

"Don't dare."

Don't talk about him, Zhang Baixi, Wu Rulun, Yan Fu, Lin Shu......

These famous figures don't dare to add up.

Gu Hongming thought for a moment, and then said: "It's okay, there is also "Yes! Prime Minister", "Roman Holiday". In many great powers, such as Britain, France, Germany, and Russia, there are special drama courses to train professionals. ”

Lu Shi coughed lightly,

"I can see it, Mr. Gu, you are desperate to lift me up......"

Gu Hongming was embarrassed, and even his old face was slightly red.

Zheng Guanying on the side said: "Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu, you have great talent, Hongming will naturally try everything to write textbooks when he hears that you are willing to write textbooks." ”

Gu Hongming said "um",

"Zhengxiang knows me."

The last time I met with Lu Shi, especially when Lu Shi predicted that Cixi ordered Guangxu to prepare for the position to bully the world, Gu Hongming was already very disappointed in the Qing government.

The Qing government is rotten, so what?

Education must not rot!

Gu Hongming said: "Lu Shi, I am still full of enthusiasm for study, education, and translation. You...... You're not going to laugh at me, are you? ”

Lu Shi shook his head,

"No, it won't."

Gu Hongming let out a sigh of relief,

He himself doesn't know why, in front of Lu Shi, a junior, there is always an indescribable sense of oppression.

Lu Shi said: "I want to find a way." Literature, historiography, maybe ......"

The first thing he thought of was "The Fifteenth Year of Wanli",

Because of "Guns, Germs and Steel", he put forward a modern historiographical view of London Politics and Economics, but there is no book as an example.

"The Fifteenth Year of Wanli" is undoubtedly qualified.

Moreover, the original work of "The Fifteenth Year of Wanli" itself is written in English, and after it was written, it was cited as a textbook by many American universities, and as long as the translation is in place, it can be used.

Of course, there are many problems with this book, and even if you copy it, you can't take it all.

Lu Shi was thinking,

Gu Hongming on the other side could not suppress his excitement,

"I knew it, I knew ......"

He clasped his hands over his chest and looked like he was about to turn his back on his breath.

Lu Shi hurriedly supported the other party, patted his back and pinched the middle of the person, and said: "Mr. Gu, the Beijing Normal University Hall has not resumed classes until now, there is nothing to do, can you be a little more sensible!" ”

(End of chapter)