苏高文选 2019-2021 Selected Writings from Suzhou High School 2019–2021 第 02 篇 Section 02
杂文一览 Miscellaneous Essays
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6、论爱情 On Love
【想以此文洞见零零后对爱情的一般认识。——序】
[Preface: Through this essay I wish to glimpse the post-2000s generation’s general conception of love.]
前些日子，在父母的干预和我们思想的不合下，我持续三个月的恋爱终于画上句号。引发的思考，不胜枚举……
A few days ago, under parental intervention and ideological discord, my three-month romance reached its conclusion. The reflections it sparked are legion…
爱情大抵是天下种种情感中最特殊的一种。没有爱情，有的人怡然自乐，有的人却“没有你我不能活”(薛之谦语)，但无论是天生而来的亲情还是打小熟识的友情，都远无爱情被人称赞得多。
Love is perhaps the most idiosyncratic of all human sentiments. Without love, some dwell in self-contained delight, while others lament “I cannot live without you” (in Joker Xue’s phrasing). Yet neither innate kinship nor friendship formed from childhood has ever garnered half as much romanticized praise as love.
让我从自己说起。我发现，中国每代人对早恋的态度各不相同。古朴者如政治书所言：“勿摘青苹果”，开放者则以新媒体大肆歌颂爱情。初中钱老师说过一句话：”早恋之所以有’早’这个字，是因为它本身便不是我们应面对的问题。”早恋其实不是”青苹果”，而是对”红苹果”的幻想，一种对异性的好奇。正因为人们常为初恋扼腕叹息，就是因为这种”好奇”一生也只有一次。当两个人朦胧地轻抵对方舌尖时，所产生的快感足以一生回味。有人言，这种建立在两人幻想的恋爱是最美的恋爱，我对此持保留意见。
Let me begin with myself. Each Chinese generation regards puppy love differently: the traditionalist warns, as in civic textbooks, “do not pick the green apple,” while the liberal celebrates it across new media. My middle school teacher Mr. Qian once said: “Puppy love carries the prefix ‘early’ precisely because it is an issue we should not yet face.” Early romance is not a “green apple,” but a fantasy of the “red apple”—a raw curiosity about the opposite sex. People mourn first love precisely because such untainted curiosity occurs but once in a lifetime. When two souls hazily graze lips and tongue, the rush lingers in memory forever. Some argue love built upon mutual illusion is the most exquisite form of love; I maintain my reservations.
Heaven 的美妙固然令人陶醉，但这终究是空中楼阁，一吹即倒——这未来分手率几乎是 100%，以及陶醉于 Heaven 中学习成绩还会下滑，这都是现如今家长、老师共同反对高中生早恋的理由。
The sublime beauty of this “Heaven” is intoxicating, yet it remains a castle in the air, crumbling at the slightest gust—with a breakup rate approaching 100%, and academic performance plummeting amidst infatuation, which explains why parents and teachers unite in opposing high school romances.
理想的爱情应建立在坚实的基础上，而这便是大学生恋爱的优势：有共同的人生理想和方向，爱情才有落脚点。古人云：门当户对，这一理念时至今日仍焕发出勃勃生机。
Ideal love must be grounded upon solid rock, which is the advantage of collegiate relationships: with shared life aspirations and direction, affection finds footing. The ancient concept of matched socio-economic status remains surprisingly vigorous today.
人的一生是悲剧的，人类历史的发展便是人类不断尝试超越悲剧的结果。从这个角度看，一代代人用爱情试图抵挡悲剧，爱情于是乎带上了几分悲壮色彩。
Human life is inherently tragic, and history is the record of humanity striving to transcend tragedy. From this vantage point, successive generations employ love as a rampart against despair, imbuing love with a tragic nobility.
如果说在传宗接代的角度上讲，爱情绝对是一种奢侈。这一点上，旧时的政治联姻有足够大的话语权：你娶一房小姐，不为爱情，只为她老子的财产和地位。毕竟，从生理功能上分析，只要不是什么特殊情况，女子在生育上并没有什么分别。那么，我们苦苦追求的爱情在哪里？爱情又为什么存在？这些问题是问不得父母长辈的，他们不比我们懂了多少！费孝通在《乡土中国》中言：”浮士德式的恋情在乡土社会是不容存在的，社会的基本事业致使他们之间不能发生激烈的感情。”难怪俗谚道：”婚姻是爱情的坟墓。”此言可谓得之矣！
From the standpoint of procreation, love is an unadulterated luxury. Ancient political alliances hold supreme authority on this: you wed a young lady not for romance, but for her sire’s wealth and prestige. Biologically speaking, barring anomalies, women differ little in reproductive capacity. Where then lies the love we desperately seek? Why does love exist? One cannot consult parents on this, for they understand no more than we do! As Fei Xiaotong wrote in From the Soil: “Faustian passions find no quarter in rural society; communal enterprise precludes turbulent emotional entanglements.” Small wonder the adage goes: “Marriage is the graveyard of love”—a penetrating truth indeed!
社会本就容不下两性恋爱的，因为中国社会的要求是人们步入生育关系，而恋爱是一项对未知的摸索，是动态的，是对远方的追求。这对于强调稳定的社会而言，不但无用，而且有害！婚姻与恋爱的最大区别在于：婚姻是生活的重复，而恋爱才是对生活的创造。我不愿意把恋爱化为一纸空文，而这又不现实——那还是不如不恋爱了！
Society at large has little patience for authentic romantic love, because societal conventions demand entry into procreative bonds, whereas romance is an exploration of the unknown—dynamic, yearning for the distant. To a society fixated on stability, this is not merely useless, but disruptive! The supreme distinction between marriage and romance is that marriage is the repetition of life, while romance is the creation of life. Refusing to let romance wither into hollow routine yet facing harsh realities, it seems wiser not to engage in it at all!
纵观明代小说《三言二拍》和当代都市网文，足以洞见：人在变，时代也在变，但人们对于爱情的向往千百年来未曾改变。何故？爱情就像一座”围城”中的宫殿，又似镜花水月，具有两大特有的特点：对未来的向往，以及”家”的依靠。爱情的持久依赖于推陈出新，不断克服阻碍；同时爱也联系起两人的内心，互诉心肠，驶入”家”的港湾。
Surveying Ming dynasty vernacular fiction alongside contemporary web novels, one perceives: people change and eras shift, yet the longing for love has persisted unaltered across millennia. Why? Love is like a citadel within the “besieged city,” or flowers in a mirror and the moon upon water, bearing two hallmarks: yearning for the future, and anchoring in a “home.” The endurance of love demands constant renewal against obstacles, while linking two hearts to confide within the harbor of home.
有趣的是，爱情亦有巨大的黑暗面。在革命文学中，常有人描写：”将纯洁的革命友谊升华为爱情。”这其实只是可笑的物欲的膨胀。殊不见，情侣间你侬我侬的蜜语：”你是我的！”很明显，人类对异己的渴望在爱情处同样适用。不难了解为什么如此多哲学家终生不娶了：不必自取烦恼。郑好说：”我追求’刚刚好’，想着想着就可以忘却一切烦恼”，大概就是这样。
Curiously, love possesses a profound dark side. In revolutionary literature, writers often extolled: “sublimating pure comrade friendship into love.” In truth, this is merely the comical swelling of possessive desire. Witness the cooing of lovers: “You are mine!” Humanity’s impulse to possess the other applies equally to love. It is easy to grasp why so many philosophers remained bachelors: why borrow trouble? As Zheng Hao put it: “I seek what is ‘just right’—pondering it dissolves all fret.”
付诸现实的爱情，不但无用，更无谓。相反，”暗恋”则是一种游刃有余的状态，这大概才是我们高中生所必要的吧！既不用顾虑爱情的负面影响，也不用考虑社会的看法，坐享恋爱之乐，岂不快哉？如此看来，我对 zcy 的态度可谓十分高明了。
Love put into practice is not only useless, but pointless. By contrast, a “secret crush” represents an effortless, graceful state—perhaps the very posture befitting high schoolers! Savoring the sweetness of romantic reverie without suffering its fallout or societal scrutiny—how delightful! From this vantage, my disposition toward zcy appears remarkably astute.
以上。
That is all.
7、仰望星空：立论 Gazing at the Starry Sky: Argumentation
尊敬的老师同学们：
大家好！
反方的观点是：仰望星空比脚踏实地更重要。
Respected teachers and fellow classmates:
Greetings to you all!
The negative side’s stance is: Gazing at the starry sky is more important than keeping one’s feet firmly on the ground.
黑格尔曾言：“一个民族若只是关心脚下的事情，那是没有未来的。”正值建党百年，只有充满理想的年轻人，我们的党和国家才会有未来与希望。
Hegel once said: “A nation that only looks at what is beneath its feet has no future.” At the centenary of our Party’s founding, only when young minds burn with idealism can our Party and nation possess a future and hope.
那么，作为苏中的优秀学子，想必大家心中也一定有一片属于自己的天空。这片天空可能是你的理想大学，也可能是喜欢的明星偶像，如星星般点缀着十几岁的无数个夜晚。
As outstanding students of Suzhou High School, each of you surely holds a personal patch of sky within your heart. That sky might be your dream university, or a cherished idol, adorning countless nights of your teenage years like luminous stars.
当然，仰望星空绝不是每天躺在床上胡思乱想。当思想失去了行动，就变成了对万事的牢骚。于是我方认为，仰望星空是对自我边界的突破。
Of course, gazing at the stars is never about lying in bed indulging in idle reverie. When contemplation lacks action, it degenerates into mere grumbling. Hence, our side contends that gazing at the starry sky represents the transcendence of personal boundaries.
汪校长曾写下校训：“望星空，踏实地。”其意便是苏中学子要时时向已知以外的世界张望，用脚下的足迹丈量。盲人再脚踏实地也走不出盲道半分，只有抬头仰望远方的天空才能走出自己的道路。
Principal Wang once inscribed the school motto: “Gaze at the starry sky, tread solidly upon the earth.” It admonishes Suzhou High students to peer constantly beyond the horizon of the known and measure it with their footsteps. No matter how solidly a blind man steps, he cannot depart an inch from the tactile paving; only by lifting one’s head toward the distant heavens can one forge a unique path.
第二，我方认为：仰望星空为我们提供了一种不为环境转移之能力。这也是汪懋祖校长告诫我们的校训之一。这里的环境指什么？是北大清华的环境吗？当然不是。是吵闹的自习课的环境，是身边的同学课下都在打着游戏的环境，是同学早上飞速抄写作业的环境。
Secondly, our side maintains: Gazing at the starry sky grants us the resilience to remain untainted by adverse environments. What environment do we mean? The hallowed halls of Peking or Tsinghua University? By no means. It refers to clamorous study halls, peers immersed in video games during breaks, and the frenzied copying of homework at dawn.
面对理想与现实的落差，屈原选择了“正道直行，皭然泥而不滓者”去与心中的日月争光，成就一代宗师；毛姆笔下的斯特里克兰德在月亮与六便士间选择了头顶的那轮明月，谱写了光辉灿烂的一生。
Confronting the gap between ideal and reality, Qu Yuan chose to “stride straight along the righteous path, unstained amidst the mire,” rivaling the sun and moon to become an immortal sage; Maugham’s Strickland chose the shining moon above his head over the sixpence, orchestrating a dazzling life.
第三，我方认为，仰望星空方能不忘初心，寻找前行的方向。
Thirdly, our side posits: Only by gazing at the starry sky can we preserve our original aspiration and discover the direction forward.
人生必然要经历几次低谷的黑夜，我们会彷徨失落，不知往何处走。请不要忘了头顶的那颗北极星，它始终在我们头顶上空注视着我们，指引前行的方向，提醒着我们为何而出发。
Life must weather dark troughs of the night, where we wander in disorientation. Please never forget the North Star above: it watches over us constantly, guiding our course and reminding us why we set forth.
还记得小时许愿的那颗流星吗？还记得那颗一直陪伴你的最闪亮的星吗？它们一直都在，请不要忘记当初星空下，指着天空豪言壮志的我们。
Remember the shooting star upon which you wished in childhood? Remember the brightest star that accompanied your youth? They have always remained. Never forget our younger selves under that starry sky, pointing toward the heavens with bold declarations.
愿大家早日成为自己天空中那颗最闪亮的星。
May each of you become the brightest star in your own sky.
谢谢大家。
Thank you, everyone.
8、论社会阶级的固化 On the Entrenchment of Social Classes
高考制度下，富人们不得不和中产小产和无产阶级的孩子们一起面对一样的试卷。有的富人选择补课和一线名师一对一，用教育优势维持下一代的地位，有的富人选择用各种各样的“特长”、“奖项”、“科研发明”、“竞赛”、“社团”凿出一条越过高考的道路，还有的富人选择出国。
Under the Gaokao system, the wealthy must confront identical exam papers alongside children of the middle class, petty bourgeoisie, and proletariat. Some wealthy families hire one-on-one celebrity tutors to perpetuate generational advantage; others carve detours bypassing the Gaokao via “special talents,” “awards,” “patents,” “olympiads,” and “extracurriculars”; still others send their offspring abroad.
而那些小县城里的高中生，哪来的机会得奖状？哪来的钱出国？然而难道他们就笨吗？
Where would high schoolers in remote county seats find opportunities for such awards? Where would they obtain funds for study abroad? Yet are they any less intelligent?
这可谓富人的原罪似乎不为过。表面上他们什么非法的事也没有做，事实上他们在下一代上深深地划分了阶层的区别，就这样，富人的下一代不出所料还是富人，穷人的后代还是穷人，今日的美国就是一个好好的例子。而中国的阶级固化也愈发严重，实为悲哀。
Calling this the original sin of wealth seems hardly an exaggeration. Legally they commit no crime, yet they carve generational stratification into stone: the progeny of the rich predictably remain rich, while the children of the poor stay poor—modern America serves as an illustrative mirror. That class entrenchment is solidifying in China as well is deeply sorrowful.
所以说有的人抱怨上天，有时他真的是无奈。而我已经这样，那么那些小产无产者又如何呢？
When people curse the heavens, it often stems from genuine helplessness. If even I feel this pinch, what about the truly disenfranchised?
我似乎已经看到了，他们会相信上层阶级的价值观，努力十年寒窗，最后成为一名资本家的合格的韭菜（有的人韭菜都不如）。这就是我们这辈一半人的命运。
I foresee their path: embracing the elite’s dogma, grinding through a decade of bitter study, only to become compliant chives reaped by capital (some not even worthy of being chives). Such is the fate awaiting half our generation.
哪能怎么办呢？我不知道。
What can be done? I do not know.
只知道中国已经在世界范围内做得很好了。至少，还有高考。
I only know that China has done remarkably well in global comparison. At least, the Gaokao still exists.
自私点说，我已经有了90%同龄人艳羡的教育资源以及家庭背景，已经生活在至少目前而言最公平的国家，我还有什么理由不努力？
Selfishly speaking, endowed with educational resources and family support envied by 90% of peers in a nation offering relative fairness, what excuse do I have not to strive?
17年了，也许我离阶级跃迁只差临门一脚了吧。努力啊！抓住通向上层社会的最好的绳梯。但别忘了，不要活成自己讨厌的那种人，努力改变这个社会。
Seventeen years in, perhaps I stand a single kick away from social leapfrogging. Strive on! Grasp the rope ladder ascending to the upper crust. But remember: never become the person you once despised, and fight to change this society.
温室不再，吾辈已无退路。
The greenhouse is gone; for our generation, there is no retreat.
9、周记特别篇：学会在告别之中成长 Special Weekly Journal: Learning to Grow Through Goodbyes
“今天，花儿喜欢欢悦，明天，就会凋谢。我们希望长驻一切，诱惑你，然后飞逝。什么是人间的欢乐：那是戏弄黑夜的电火，像闪电一样短促。”——雪莱《无常》
“The flower that smiles today / Tomorrow dies; / All that we wish to stay / Tempts and then flies. / What is the world’s delight? / Lightning that mocks the night, / Brief even as bright.” — Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mutability
距离最后一次见到 Master，已经一年半了。
A year and a half has elapsed since I last saw Master.
Master 是我的初中同学，女。曾在我的生命中起着巨大影响。她初二时是我的前桌，也是班级副班长。当我只是年级40名的时候，她鼓励着我，她的三观感染着我，每每与她交谈后我总会因其超凡的人格魅力所折服，因而戏曰其为 Master of Me （我人生路上的大师、导师）。我能得以考上匡班也深受其影响。
Master was my junior high classmate, a girl who exerted a monumental influence upon my life. In eighth grade she sat directly before me, serving as vice-monitor. When I ranked only 40th in the grade, her encouragement and worldviews inspired me; after every conversation I fell under the sway of her extraordinary charisma, affectionately dubbing her “Master of Me” (the mentor of my life). My admission into the Kuang Yaming Honors Class was profoundly indebted to her influence.
中考后，我来到了苏高中，她则留在了原初中的高中国际部。虽然交流频率降到了一月一次，但我仍在心中将她放在了最高的位置。古人说：“佳人难再”，“曾经沧海难为水，除却巫山不是云”。我也有同感。初中能建立心对心的朋友关系，而在日益繁杂的高中社交中，再像初中那样真心交到这样一个异性朋友，几无可能。
After the high school entrance exam, I entered Suzhou High School, while she enrolled in the international department of our former school. Though our exchanges dwindled to once a month, I reserved the highest pedestal in my heart for her. The ancients sighed: “A fair maiden is scarcely found again,” and “No water compares to the vast sea; no clouds rival Mount Wu.” I feel the same. Middle school permitted heart-to-heart bonds; amidst the calculating complexities of high school socializing, forging such an authentic friendship with the opposite sex is nearly impossible.
说实话，上述的朦胧的情感对于初中生来说还是过于复杂了。一直以来我都自以为是自己“暗恋”着 Master，直到我读到了纪德的这句话：“离你越远，我爱你越深。现在我不禁叩问自己，我所期望的究竟是幸福，还是走向幸福的过程。”原来我对 Master 的情感一直是感佩与信任，不同于张爱玲所言的“蚊子血”，更像“白月光”，指引着我前进。入高中后所怀念的，一则是对友情的深切怀念，二则是对初中时那个“辉煌”的自己的怀念。
Truth be told, such nebulous sentiments were overly intricate for junior high students. I had long assumed I harbored a “secret crush” on Master, until I read André Gide: “The further I am from you, the more deeply I love you. Now I ask myself: is it happiness I yearn for, or the journey toward happiness?” In truth, my feelings for Master were ever reverence and trust—not Eileen Chang’s clotted “mosquito blood,” but the untainted “white moonlight” guiding my steps forward. What I missed upon entering high school was twofold: a profound nostalgia for friendship, and a yearning for the glorious self of junior high.
一年多了，我还依旧没有完成当初对她的承诺：“我会考到苏高中年级第二的！”（促进作用真好啊！）但我仍记得她对我最后的鼓励：“加油，你将来一定是一个干大事的人！”她也一直希望我可以继续努力，那么我不可继续沉湎于过往的荣华了。在沉稳中修炼自己，方可不辜负在乎我的人。她的精神将永远指引着我前进。
Over a year has passed, yet I haven’t fulfilled my promise: “I will rank second in the grade at Suzhou High!” (What a motivating spur!) Still, I remember her parting cheer: “Keep it up—you are destined to accomplish great things!” She always hoped I would persevere, so I must not wallow in bygone glories. Cultivating myself in quiet poise is how I honor those who care for me. Her spirit will forever guide my journey.
明年，她将远赴英国留学，“青山一道同风雨，明月何曾是两乡”，希望我们都能走出美好人生路。 最后，遥祝 Master 17岁生日快乐。
Next year, she departs for studies in the United Kingdom. “Green hills share the same wind and rain; under the bright moon, how could we be in separate lands?” May we both carve out magnificent life paths. Finally, wishing Master a happy 17th birthday from afar.
于苏州中学
20211211晚，万籁俱寂
At Suzhou High School
Night of December 11, 2021, all sounds silenced in the dark
袁老师： 友谊长存。☆☆☆☆☆ 优 12.15
Teacher Yuan: May friendship endure forever. ☆☆☆☆☆ Excellent, Dec 15