Hu Shih

Hu Shi's article "My Thoughts on the Sports Games" mainly describes his experience and feelings of watching football matches while studying abroad at Cornell University in the United States. The article first describes the scene of him watching a football game in the United States: admission tickets cost two dollars per person, but the number of viewers reached several thousand. Whenever the competition enters a critical moment, the audience will shout in unison, cheering and supporting the athletes of our school. Even if an athlete gets injured and leaves the field, the audience will congratulate and comfort them with cheers. 我对于运动会的感想 胡适 我到美国入大学校后，第一次去看我们大学和别的大学的足球竞争（Football，此系另一种很激烈的足球，与中国现行的不同）。入场券卖每人美金二元②，但看的人竟有几千人之多。每到紧要关头，几千人同声喊着本校的“呼声”（yell）以鼓励场中的武士③。有受伤的球员，扶下场时，大家也喊着“呼声”祝贺他④，安慰他。我第一次观场，看见那野蛮的奋斗，听着那震耳的“呼声”，实在不惯；心里常想：这真是罗马时代的角抵和斗兽的遗风，很不人道的⑤。 但是场中叫喊的人，不但是少年男女，还有许多白发的老教授，——我的植物教习罗里教授就坐在我的附近，——也拼命的喊着助威的“呼声”！我心里更不明白了⑥！ 但是我以后还去看过几次，看到第三次，我也不知不觉的站起来⑦，跟着我们的同学们拼命的喊那助威的“呼声”！ 难道我被那野蛮的遗风同化了吗？不是的；我渐渐把我从中国带去的“老人意态”丢开了；我也变少年了！ 我在北京大学住了五年，不知不觉的又被中国学生的“斯文样子”⑧同化了，我的“老人意态”又差不多全回来了。 今天忽然听说北京大学要开一个运动会，这个消息使我很高兴。我的记忆力使我回到十二年前跟着大家大呼大喊⑨的时候，我很想再有同样的机会使我弹去一点“老态”⑩。我希望许多同学都来这运动会场上尝尝少年的高兴，——把那斯文的老景暂时丢在讲堂上或寄宿舍里！ Reflections on the Sports Meet ◎ Hu Shih After entering an American University, I watched, for the first time, an intercollegiate football match on the campus. Unlike the football we now play in China, American football is a very tough game. Though admission cost as much as two US dollars per person, yet there was a large attendance of several thousand. At each critical moment, the stadium would be echoing with the spectators' chorus of wild yells for their own athletic heroes. Whenever a player of their side was injured and helped…

In 1930, Mr. Hu Shi gave a speech at a graduation ceremony.

"The Biography of Mr. Almost" is a biographical essay written by Mr. Hu Shi, satirizing those people in Chinese society at that time who were not serious about their work. From not being serious about their work to not being serious about the world, many people spent their lives in the trap of "almost". 差不多先生传 ◎胡适 你知道中国最有名的人是谁？ 提起此人，人人皆晓，处处闻名。他姓差，名不多 〔1〕  ，是各省各县各村人氏。你一定见过他，一定听过别人谈起他。差不多先生的名字天天挂在大家的口头，因为他是中国全国人的代表。 差不多先生的相貌和你和我都差不多。他有一双眼睛，但看的不很清楚；有两只耳朵，但听的不很分明；有鼻子和嘴，但他对于气味和口味都不很讲究。他的脑子也不小，但他的记性却不很精明，他的思想也不很细密 〔2〕  。 他常常说：“凡事只要差不多，就好了。何必太精明呢？” 他小的时候，他妈叫他去买红糖，他买了白糖回来。他妈骂他，他摇摇头说：“红糖白糖不是差不多吗？” 他在学堂的时候，先生问他：“直隶 〔3〕  省的西边是哪一省？”他说是陕西。先生说：“错了。是山西，不是陕西。”他说：“陕西同山西，不是差不多吗？” 后来他在一个钱铺 〔4〕  里作伙计；他也会写，也会算，只是总不会精细。十字常常写成千字，千字常常写成十字。掌柜的生气了，常常骂他。他只是笑嘻嘻地赔小心道：“千字比十字只多一小撇，不是差不多吗？” 有一天，他为了一件要紧的事，要搭火车到上海去。他从从容容地走到火车站，迟了两分钟，火车已经开走了。他白瞪着眼，望着远远的火车上的煤烟，摇摇头道：“只好明天再走了，今天走同明天走，也差不多。可是火车公司未免太认真了。8点30分开，同8点32分开，不是差不多吗？”他一面说，一面慢慢地走回家，心里总不明白为什么火车不肯等他两分钟。 有一天，他忽然得了急病，赶快叫家人去请东街的汪医生。那家人急急忙忙地跑去，一时寻不着东街的汪大夫，却把西街牛医王大夫请来了。差不多先生病在床上，知道寻错了人；但病急了，身上痛苦，心里焦急，等不得了，心里想道：“好在王大夫同汪大夫也差不多，让他试试看罢。”于是这位牛医王大夫走近床前，用医牛的法子给差不多先生治病。不上一点钟，差不多先生就一命呜呼了。 差不多先生差不多要死的时候，一口气断断续续地说道：“活人同死人也……差……差不多，……凡事只要……差……差……不多……就……好了，……何……何……必……太……太认真呢？”他说完了这句格言 〔5〕  ，方才绝气了。 他死后，大家都很称赞差不多先生样样事情看得破，想得通 〔6〕  ；大家都说他一生不肯认真，不肯算账，不肯计较，真是一位有德行的人。于是大家给他取个死后的法号，叫他做圆通大师。 他的名誉越传越远，越久越大。无数无数的人都学他的榜样。于是人人都成了一个差不多先生。——然而中国从此就成为一个懒人国了。 Mr. About-the-Same ◎　Hu Shih Do you know who is the most well-known person in China? The name of this person is a household word all over the country. His surname is Cha and his given name, Buduo, which altogether mean "About the Same". He is a native of every province, every county and every village in this country. You must have seen or heard about this person. His name is always on the lips of everybody because he is representative of the whole Chinese nation. Mr. Cha Buduo has the same physiognomy as you and I. He has a pair of eyes, but doesn't see clearly. He has a pair of ears, but doesn't hear well. He has a nose and a mouth, but lacks a keen sense of smell and taste.…