Bi Shumin

The Three Leaves of Lies "is a prose written by Bi Shumin that explores the essence of lies. The article uses the metaphor of the" Three Leaves of Lies "to explain the three main reasons for the existence of lies: kindness, no harmful consequences, and maintaining self-esteem. 谎言三叶草 My Three-leafed Clover of Lying 毕淑敏 Bi Shumin 人总是要说谎的，谁要是说自己不说谎，这就是一个彻头彻尾的谎言。有的人一生都在说谎，他的存在就是一个谎言。有的人偶尔说谎，除了他自己，没有人知道这是一个谎言。谎言在某些时候只是说话人的善良愿望，只要不害人，说说也无妨。 Everybody lies. It wound be a barefaced lie if anybody claims that he or she has never told a lie. Some people have been lying since they learned to speak, their whole existence constituting a web of lies. Others occasionally tell a lie and keep it as a personal secret: no one else ever learns that it was false. And sometimes one tells a lie out of good will – white lie, as it were, which does no harm to people around and is therefore excusable. 在我心灵深处，生长着一棵“谎言三叶草”。当它的每一片叶子都被我毫不犹豫地摘下来时，我就开始说谎了。 Deep in my heart grows a three-leafed clover of lying. Whenever I begin to unhesitatingly pluck a leaf, I begin to lie. 它的第一片叶子是善良。不要以为所有的谎言都是恶意，善良更容易把我们载到谎言的彼岸。我当过许多年的医生，当那些身患绝症的病人殷殷地拉了我的手，眼巴巴地问：大夫你说我还能治好吗？我总是毫不踌躇地回答：能治好！我甚至不觉得这是一个谎言。它是我和病人心中共同的希望，在不远的微明处闪着光。当事情没有遭到一塌糊涂的时候，善良的谎言也是支撑我们前进的动力啊！ The first leaf is called good will. Do not make the mistake of thinking that all lies are malicious. Good intentions may be more likely to induce one to tell a lie. I…