Xiao Xiongjun's foreword: Yu Yingshi was a master figure who went out in Qianshan Guanzhuang Town . He was born in Tianjin in 1930. After the Anti-Japanese War broke out in 1937, the situation was critical. His father sent him back to his hometown in Jincheng Village when he was seven years old. He spent eight wonderful years here. Yu Yingshi holds 6 doctorate titles on his head. In 2006, he won the Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities and Social Sciences from the Library of Congress, known as the "Nobel Prize for the Humanities", establishing his lofty international academic status. In 2014, he won the first Tang Prize Sinology Award. The award recognizes his contribution to studying and paying attention to Chinese history, thought, culture, and promoting Confucianism for more than half a century. The eulogy refers to him as “an in-depth study of Chinese history, thought, politics and culture, engaged in the interpretation of Chinese ideological traditions as a modern intellectual, elucidating the modern significance of Chinese culture, with broad expositions and profound insights. He has long been praised by academic circles at home and abroad as A leading figure in the history of Chinese thought and culture. "Studying the relationship between heaven and man, and understanding the changes in the past and the present" is the purpose of traditional scholars in studying history. Mr. Yu has given the best modern interpretation of this phrase with his research, writing and life practice. "Yu Yingshi's most famous book "History and Thought" was published in 1976 and has been published for the 34th time. It is a rare best-seller among historical works.
But even a great historian with amazing works, sometimes he writes something that is not right? Yu Yingshi, an academician of Academia Sinica, revealed in an exclusive interview with Tianxia Magazine that he once couldn't write a word for half a year because of quitting smoking, but he knew it was a matter of time and he would overcome it sooner or later. Don't worry, and he later wrote several big books.
University scholars will also encounter bottlenecks. Yu Yingshi pointed out that for some problems that are difficult to break through, it is best to give up instead of persisting. When it comes to learning, you cannot have the idea of a blockbuster, which often leads to problems. "A blockbuster is achieved by accident." Yu Yingshi did not deny that he was an "encyclopedic scholar". He emphasized that he "considered himself a fool" and was willing to put in the effort. Once practice makes perfect, his reading speed will naturally be very fast.
As for feelings in life, Yu Yingshi considers herself "calm and comfortable". There is neither the happiest nor the saddest thing. The following is the summary of an interview with Yu Yingshi talking about academic attitudes and philosophy of life:
Question: You have been reading, writing, chatting with students all night long, and teaching in the morning, but you hardly exercise, and you rely on willpower to support you?
answer: I have not done any formal exercise, but moving books, reading books, and moving books again is a kind of exercise, just like Tao Kan transporting bricks. It cannot be said that I have not exercised at all, right? (Laughs) Tao Kan's brick transport is not a joke, he is serious. I go to the library and look for books everywhere, and I look for books at home. It’s impossible to sit still.
I originally thought (exercise) was secondary. After I became ill 6 years ago, I walked for half an hour every day and started exercising. I don’t think staying healthy is the only thing. You can’t accomplish anything by staying healthy. What’s the point of being healthy? The main thing is to do, because there is always a conflict in time. If you think too much about the body, it will be bad. There is another side of exercise, which is to think about the body.
Question: You once said with a smile, even if Exercising every day only adds a few years to your life?
answer: The time you spend on may be more, which is not cost-effective. But it’s not okay to be completely inactive, especially as you get older. Everyone's physique is different and cannot be generalized. I probably have better genetics. That is not my fault. It is my parents or previous generations who just happened to pass it on to me. The good ones were passed on, but the bad ones were not.
asked: You have been playing Go for many years and even won the New England regional championship?
answer: I like Go very much. Lin Haifeng played a game of chess at my house. He went to New York. Shen Junshan asked me to take care of him, so he came and played a game of chess with me and I beat him. However, I recently went to his house to play a game of chess. I lost to him and he took revenge. .
I haven't played chess for a long time. I'm rusty and won't play now. The Analects of Confucius said that "playing in art", for example, my teachers Qian Mu and Yang Liansheng both played chess, and their chess skills were almost the same.Yang Liansheng was in the same year as Wu Qingyuan , and he also wrote an article on the history of Go. Wu Qingyuan translated it into Japanese and published it in "The Way of Chess". They are very close.
I returned to the East in 1971. When I passed through Tokyo, Japan, the Central News Agency's special correspondent for Japan was called Huang Tiancai. He treated me to a treat. I met Wu Qingyuan and had a meal. Later The Chinese University of Hong Kong presented Wu Qingyuan with an honorary doctorate. I wrote especially An article was published in Ming Pao about the issue of Wu Qingyuan. Later, the article was taken seriously in mainland China. Not long ago this year, Wu Qingyuan celebrated his 100th birthday. A man called me and gave me a fan with an inscription. I don’t have a deep relationship with Wu Qingyuan. At least he knows that I don’t admire him, but admire him.
asked: You have been smoking pipes for a long time. This is a deep impression on many students. It is said that you were forced to quit smoking because of the ban on smoking in American universities?
Answer: This is related to illness. I went to National Taiwan University (Hospital) for medical treatment and saw a doctor. I decided not to smoke. I have not smoked for six years.
I started smoking in 1949. There was a teacher in a small class. This teacher was very good to the students. He asked us to smoke in class. Smoking like this affected me. Smoking has a strong smell. (Later) The pipe was a bit inconvenient, as it required a cover and washing. I also smoked incense sticks, and I smoked both. Now I have given up smoking them for 6 years. But for the first half year I couldn't write, not even a single word, because my smoking habit was connected with my thinking habit. I couldn't remember without cigarettes, and I didn't know how to write. It was strange. I finally got over it, and now I have no problem. Later, You can also write several big books.
asked: What should I do during those days when I couldn’t write in ?
answer: Forget about , just wait patiently. I know this is a matter of time, and I will overcome it sooner or later. Don’t worry.
I had a lot to write before, but after retirement there is nothing I have to write. In the end I can still write, but it takes several months of psychological adjustment. In fact, seeing people like us, some people say that quitting smoking is the easiest. I have quit smoking countless times, for three or four weeks (laughing). Because of my illness this time, I stopped smoking. There is nothing a doctor can do. The doctor will make trouble for you. He will examine you and (smoking) especially require surgery, which is very inconvenient.
asked: It is said that you rarely lose your temper. Only at a meeting of academicians of Academia Sinica and a seminar did you once have a conflict with another academician He Bingdi and refute his opinions on the spot?
answer: does not have it either. Probably when it comes to a certain person, Mr. He may have unreasonable objections. I think the objections are unreasonable. Generally speaking, he speaks a little more fiercely and there is no quarrel. He is more than ten years older than me, so I won't be too rude to him.
asked: Apart from this, have you never been angry in public?
Answer: I don’t have any enemies with , there won’t be any.
asked: But you are very serious when you have a pen battle with others. You often quote scriptures and refute each other one by one. Which pen battle left the deepest impression on you?
Answer: If I think something is reasonable, I should help you speak out. Many (writing works) have been in mainland China for several years. I wrote "Fang Yizhi's Late Examination" and "The Two Worlds of a Dream of Red Mansions". Now I don’t fight anymore, and I don’t continue to do it. Later, as the evidence became more and more abundant, there was nothing to argue about. In the end, history talks about evidence. If the evidence is not presented, it is useless to argue with others.
doesn't have the most exciting pen battle. I can't say that I can win. I don't have any exciting ones. Everything is there, you can see for yourself, I won’t judge this matter.
asked: Many people describe you as an "encyclopedic scholar" with a strong memory. Is your photographic memory innate?
Answer: My memory is very average. Like everyone else, everyone exaggerates. I don't have any special skills.
I read a lot, but there are people who read more than me. Among the Chinese people I know, the one who reads the most and has the strongest memory is Qian Zhongshu. No one can compare with him. He memorizes so many things, and He can speak English, French, , Italian, , Spanish, and Latin. He writes them down diligently. You should take note of Qian Zhongshu's profound knowledge.After his death, his wife helped him sort out his notes. Three large volumes were published in Taiwan, each with a thousand pages. I haven’t read them just yet. They are in Spanish. When foreign scholars read it, they were amazed. It is a truly profound encyclopedia. , I am definitely not, I am not this type, I do not have to remember many things.
asked: But you read books very quickly. Is it okay to read hundreds of pages of ancient books on a plane?
answer: I can read books quickly with without any problem. Some people don't want to put in the effort. I consider myself a fool. I can't guess randomly. I have to read every word one by one and explain it correctly. Ancient books often have many explanations. Maybe this requires some common sense and some training. (I'm very good at reading books.) (Quick) is not something you can get right away, it just takes time. This is called practice makes perfect, and you need to see a lot of things.
Yu Yingshi's calligraphy
Question: readers will be very curious. After years of research and creation, do you always have any inspiration, or how do you break through when you encounter a bottleneck?
answer: There are some problems in that are difficult to break through. It is best to give up. If you made the wrong choice, don't keep going. You can't force it. If you choose the right topic, it will be very logical and effortless. In other words, if you find the right path, everything can be put together. Some people are too curious and want to succeed by surprise or make a blockbuster success, which often leads to problems. Therefore, when doing knowledge, you cannot have the idea of a blockbuster. There are blockbuster successes, but they are not common. They are obtained by accident.
asked: Along the way to , what are the happiest and saddest things in your life?
answer: There is no such thing as . If you ask me what is the happiest thing or the saddest thing, there is none. It is calm and comfortable, and there is no feeling of going to heaven or going to hell.
asked: How do you feel about winning the "Tang Prize" Sinology Award this time?
answer: There is no difference in . It is impossible to speak differently from before. I don’t think receiving a prize can change one’s life. Those who win the Nobel Prize should go back to the laboratory to do research. It definitely does not mean that they change as a person. There is no such thing. The Tang Prize itself is very meaningful, because it will not be raised in other places, and there will probably not be a Tang Prize in Sinology in the United States. This is meaningful, and it is not awarded by an individual, but by luck, and I deserve it.
