er or not
it bear any nuts until you touch them.”
“That’s true,” we said in unison. Mother also nodded. “So you must take after
peanuts,” father continued, “because they’re useful though not great and nice- looking.”
“Then you mean one should be useful rather than great and nice-looking,” I said.
“That’s what I except of you,” father concluded.
We kept chatting until the party broke up late at night. Today, though nothing is left
of the goodies made of peanuts, father’s words remain engraved in my mind.
注释:
本文是许地山（1892-1941）的名篇。作者回忆自己童年时代一个小小片断，以朴实无华、
清新自然的笔调，从花生的平凡而有用，谈到做人的道理，富于哲理，反映他身处旧社会的污泥
浊流而洁身自好、不慕虚名的思想境界。
(1)原句也可译为why not have them planted here或why not make a peanut plot of it，但现译更
直截了当，且避免在同一句中重复peanuts一词。
(2)“几姊弟”在下文将涉及，为防累赘，译为children。
(3)“做一个收获节”不宜直译为hold a harvest festival，现取意译。
(4)“食品”也可译为food，但不如goodies 贴切；goodies指“好吃的东西”，常用于口语。
(5)“那晚上底天色不大好”译为It looked like rain that evening, 符合原意和英语习惯。
(6)“这小小的豆”译为tiny little peanuts。英语中常把tiny和little用在一起，有“小得可怜
（爱）”等含意。
(7)“鲜红嫩绿”不宜直译，译brilliant colours即可。
(8)“瑟缩”意即“蜷曲而不舒展”，故有现译。
(9)“你们要像花生”译为you must take after peanuts，其中take after 是成语，意即take……as an example（学习……的榜样）。
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，一定听说过别人谈起他。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；他有
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：“直隶省(3)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)里做伙计，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。 ^o^^o^網^o^文^o^檔^o^下^o^載^o^與^o^在^o^線^o^閱^o^讀^o^
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 name is Cha
and his given name, Buduo, which altogether mean “About the Same”. He is a native of
every province, every country 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. His brain is none too small, but he is weak in
memory and sloppy in thinking.
He often says: “whatever we do, it’s OK to be just about right. What’s the use of
being precise and accurate:”
One day, when he was a child, his mother sent him out to buy her some brown sugar,
but he returned with some white sugar instead. As his mother scolded him about it, he
shook his head and said, “Brown sugar or white sugar, aren’t they about the same?”
One day in school, the teacher asked him, “Which province borders Hebei on the
west?” He answered, “Shaanxi,” The teacher corrected him, “You are wrong. It’s Shanxi,
Not Shaanxi.” He retorted, “Shaanxi or Shanxi, aren’t they about the same?”
Later Mr. Cha Buduo served as an assistant at a money shop. He could write and
calculate all right, but his mathematics were/was often faulty. He would mistake the
Chinese character十（meaning 10）for 千（meaning 1000）or vice versa. The shop owner
was infuriated and often took him to task. But he would only