择书如择偶

有句老话，叫“男怕选错行，女怕选错郎”。

There is an old saying that "men are afraid of choosing the wrong line, women are afraid of choosing the wrong man".

当然，这是从前。现在不怕了。选错行可以改行，选错郎也可以离婚么！不过，改行毕竟费事，离婚也很麻烦。能不改不离，最好。

Of course, this is the past. Now I'm not afraid. You can change your business if you choose the wrong line, or you can divorce if you choose the wrong Lang! However, after all, it's difficult to change careers, and divorce is also very troublesome. It's best not to change.

何况还有改不了离不掉的。就算改得了离得掉，那损失也无法追回，那影响也无法消除。夫妻双方是会相互影响的。康德甚至说一对夫妻相处日久，就连相貌都会变得接近起来，让人觉得对象对象，当真“一对就像”(其实是他们的言行举止神态表情都有了共同的情调)。面如此，而况乎心？遇人不淑，那可真是后患无穷，岂是含糊得的？

What's more, there is something that can't be changed. Even if we can get rid of it, we can't recover the loss and eliminate the influence. Husband and wife will influence each other. Kant even said that when a couple get along with each other for a long time, even their looks will become close, which makes people feel that the object is really "a pair of like" (in fact, their expressions and expressions have a common mood). Face so, but not mind? If people are not nice, it's a real afterthought. Isn't it vague?

读书也一样。

So is reading.

读书当然不等于娶妻嫁人，非得“从一而终”，一辈子厮守不可。换一种书或一类书来读，也不像离婚改行那么困难，更没有什么道德问题。但这决不等于说读什么书是无所谓的。书的意义，有时比配偶还重要。因为一个人一旦养成了读书的习惯，往往就终身爱读甚至只读某一类书。这些书会影响他一辈子，甚至决定他走什么样的道路，有什么样的思想等等。比如毛泽东，依我看就是线装书读多了。如果多读些翻译书，情况只怕就会两样。

Of course, reading is not equal to getting married. You have to "end up together" and stay together forever. It's not as difficult to change a book or a class of books to read as it is to divorce and change careers, and there's no moral problem. But it doesn't mean it doesn't matter what book you read. Sometimes the meaning of a book is more important than that of a spouse. Because once a person has formed the habit of reading, they often love reading or even read a certain kind of books for life. These books will affect his whole life, even decide what kind of road he takes, what kind of thoughts he has, and so on. For example, Mao Zedong read a lot of thread bound books in my opinion. If we read more translated books, we are afraid that the situation will be different.

即便书不等于偶，至少也近于友吧？读什么书，也就是交什么人。古人云：“不知其人而视其友”。依我看，也无妨说“不知其人而视其书”。要了解认识一个人(当然是指那些断文识字多少读点书的人)，只要看他平时都读些什么书，也就能猜个八九不离十，甚至能猜出他的朋友都是些什么人。如果架上多为有思想有品位有份量的著作，自然“谈笑有鸿儒，往来无白丁”。相反，如果终日里尽读些不三不四的玩艺，则其人也难免会有些不三不四。不是说他人品一定不好，至少其品位就很可疑。

Even if books are not equal to me, at least they are close to friends, right? Read what books, that is, to whom. As the ancients said, "you don't know who you are, but you see your friends.". In my opinion, it's OK to say that "I don't know who I am, but I see the book.". To know a person (of course, those who can read a few books in broken prose) can guess who his friends are as long as you look at what he usually reads. If there are many works with thoughts, taste and weight on the shelf, it is natural that "there are great scholars talking and laughing, and no white men in communication". On the contrary, if you read all kinds of games, you will inevitably get some of them. It's not that other people's products must be bad, at least their taste is very suspicious.

人总是愿意有些品位的。提高修养和品位，也是不少人读书的目的和动机之一。如果读来读去，品位没提高，反倒弄得俗气了，岂非南其辕而北其辙？

People are always willing to have some taste. It is also one of the aims and motives of many people to improve their accomplishment and taste. If you read it back and forth, and you don't improve your taste, but it's tacky, isn't it the same way to the South and the same way to the north?

这就要有所选择。

This requires a choice.

选择也不易。谁来选，怎么选，都是问题。按照导师和准导师们的选择照单全收是不行的。那个靠不住。媒体上的排行榜当然也靠不住。就算是什么“影响世界历史的××本书”，也未必就是最佳选择。过去影响了世界历史的，现在就一定还影响？再说影响世界历史，又关我们什么事？说到底，读书毕竟是每个人自己的事情。自己的事，怎么能让别人来包缆？岂非“包办婚姻”？《中华读书报》的记者在调查“名著导读”一类书籍的销售情况时，一位读者张先生就明确表示他不读，因为感觉像是“第三者插足”。“导读”之类的“循循善诱”尚不能接受，况乎“越俎代庖”的替人选书？

It's not easy to choose. Who will choose, how to choose, are all questions. According to the choice of tutors and potential tutors, it is not allowed to take all the orders. That can't be relied on. Of course, the rankings in the media are not reliable. Even the "XX books affecting world history" may not be the best choice. What has influenced world history in the past must still be affected now? What is it to do with us to influence world history? After all, reading is everyone's own business. How can I let others cover my own business? Is it not arranged marriage? When the reporter of Zhonghua reading daily investigated the sales of books such as "guide to famous works", one reader, Mr. Zhang, made it clear that he would not read them because he felt like "a third party's involvement". "Guidance" and other "good inducements" are not acceptable, let alone "acting on behalf of others" to select books?

那么，自己来选又如何？也很困难。一个人，如果从来就没读过书的，他怎么知道该挑哪类书、哪种书、哪本书？要想学会选择，而且选得不离谱，除非他读过很多。

So, how about choosing by yourself? It's also very difficult. If a person has never read a book, how does he know what kind of book, what kind of book and which book to choose? If you want to learn to choose, and choose not to go off the beaten track, unless he has read a lot.

其实答案也就在这里：要学会选书，必先多读书。观千剑而后识器。判断力和鉴赏力都是从实践中产生出来的，读书也不例外。因此，初读书时，最好什么书都读，就像结婚之前先广交朋友，然后再从容选择一样。不要才见了一个，便忙不迭地“定了终身”。树木后面是森林。一叶障目尚且不可，如果那“叶”还是败叶，岂不更糟？

In fact, the answer is here: to learn to choose books, you must read more first. Watch a thousand swords and then learn weapons. Judgment and appreciation come from practice, and reading is no exception. Therefore, it's better to read all the books at the beginning, just like making friends before marriage, and then choosing calmly. Don't just see one, then busy "set a lifetime.". Behind the trees is the forest. A leaf can't hide your eyes. If the "leaf" is still a dead leaf, isn't it worse?

书读得多了，就有了选择。这倒不是说从此就只读一种书或一类书了。周国平先生说：“读书犹如交友，再情投意合的朋友，在一块耽得太久也会腻味的”(《人与书之间》)。其实岂止是会腻味，只怕还会造成思想的偏颇和心胸的狭窄，大非所宜。所谓“有了选择”，只不过是有了品位；所谓“有了品位”，也不是说从此只读“雅”的，不读“俗”的，而是说有了判断力和鉴赏力，知道好歹了。好歹和通常所谓雅俗不一回事。自命风雅者，往往其实是“恶俗”；向为专家学者流不屑一顾的“俗物”，却没准反倒“大雅”。是雅是俗，全看你有没有品位。没有品位，便是《浮士德》或《红楼梦》，也能让他讲得俗不可耐。

When you read a lot, you have a choice. This is not to say that there is only one kind of book or one kind of book from now on. Mr. Zhou Guoping said: "reading is like making friends. No matter what kind of friends you like, you will be bored if you stay together for too long" (between people and books). In fact, it is not only disgusting, but also biased thinking and narrow mind. The so-called "having a choice" is just having a taste; the so-called "having a taste" is not to say that it is only "elegant" from now on, and that it does not read "vulgar", but rather that it has a sense of judgment and appreciation and knows whether it is good or bad. Good or bad, it's not the same as the so-called elegance and vulgarity. Those who think they are elegant are often "vulgar"; those who turn their noses to experts and scholars may turn their noses to "elegant". It depends on your taste. No taste, it is "Faust" or "a dream of Red Mansions", can also let him speak vulgar.

品位只能来自阅读的经验。读的多了，自然也就知道好歹。这就要博览群书。而且那“博览群书”的“博”，还不仅是数量的“多”，更是品种的“杂”。朱光潜先生说：“你玩索的作品愈多，种类愈复杂，风格愈纷歧，你的比较资料愈丰富，透视愈正确，你的鉴别力也就愈可靠”(《文学的趣味》)。所以，终身只读一种书或一类书是不妥的(哪怕这些书确实品位高雅)。它虽然能造成品位的纯正，却也难免趣味的偏狭。想想看吧，山间小溪固然清纯，却何如泥沙俱下的江河，广纳百川的大海？一个读书人，如能有此胸襟，大约也就不怕“选错行”或“选错郎”了。

Taste can only come from reading experience. If you read a lot, you'll know what's good or bad. It's about reading. And that "extensive reading" of "Bo" is not only the number of "more", but also the variety of "miscellaneous". Mr. Zhu Guangqian said: "the more works you play with, the more complex the types, the more different the styles, the richer your comparative data, the more correct the perspective, and the more reliable your discrimination" (literary interest). Therefore, it is inappropriate to read only one kind of book or one kind of book for life (even if these books are indeed of high taste). Although it can cause the purity of taste, it is also hard to avoid the narrow taste. Think about it. Although the mountain stream is pure, how can it be like a river full of mud and sand and a sea full of rivers? If a scholar has such a mind, he is not afraid of "choosing the wrong line" or "choosing the wrong Lang".

倘若无此可能，恐怕也只好挑那公认的经典名著来读。读经典名著，虽然没准会读成个“书呆子”，却肯定不会读成个“二皮脸”。此外，年轻人多读点古书，老年人多读点新书，也是办法之一。青年思想活跃。读点古书，并无碍其创新，反倒能增其厚重。老年最忌僵化。多读些新书，就能保证“生命之树常青”。即便弄得“老夫聊发少年狂”，也没什么不好。但无论老少，最好还是博览群书，什么都读一点。

If this is not possible, I'm afraid I'll have to choose the well-known classics to read. Reading classic works, although you may be able to read a "nerd", but certainly not a "two skin face". In addition, young people should read more ancient books and old people should read more new books. Young people are active in thinking. Reading some ancient books does not hinder its innovation, but can increase its massiness. Old people should not be rigid. Read more new books to ensure that the tree of life is evergreen. Even if you make me talk about being a teenager, there's nothing wrong. But no matter young or old, it's better to read a lot and read everything.

那么，就不怕看花了眼，或者变成“野狐禅”么？不怕。择书如择偶，又毕竟不是择偶，其实不妨寻花问柳，见异思迁，“阅尽人间春色”的。何况，“野狐禅”也是禅么！只要能悟得“无上正等正觉”，修成“正果”，管他什么禅呢！

So, are you not afraid to see the flowers, or become a "Fox Zen"? Be not afraid of. Choosing a book is like choosing a mate, but it's not, after all, choosing a mate. In fact, you might as well ask for flowers and willows, and think about moving in different ways, "reading all the spring colors of the world". Besides, "wild fox Zen" is also Zen! As long as you can realize "supreme and equal Zhengjue" and cultivate "Zhengguo", what kind of Zen do you care about him!

或许有人要问，如果我读了一辈子书，觉得读什么都好，并没有什么“最”喜欢或“最”合适的，又将如之何呢？当真这样，我就要说，你作了最好的选择。你想，一个人，一生中时时有爱情，处处有朋友，岂非幸福？

Maybe someone wants to ask, if I have read all my life and feel that I can read anything well, there is no "favorite" or "most suitable", what will it be like? In fact, I would say that you have made the best choice. Do you think it's not happiness for a person to have love and friends all his life?

当然，最好是，每个时期都有新朋友，却也有几个可以终身交往的老朋友。少年夫妻老来伴。人到晚年，能有几本心爱的书为伴，而且常读常新，该是多么值得欣慰的事？

Of course, it's better to have new friends in every period, but also a few old friends who can communicate for life. Young couples come together all the time. In old age, how gratifying is it to have a few beloved books as companions, and to read them often and often?

那可真是“幸甚至哉”！

That's really a "lucky thing"!