E72 苏东坡：引经据典，尽陈得失

E72 苏东坡：引经据典，尽陈得失
2023.10.25
夏鹏
难度：CSE7
课程导读

上节课我们讲到，司马光将王安石比作“刚愎的蛮驴”，两人政见不同，势如水火。然而，在王安石去世之后，我们从司马光的态度转变可以看出，他真正反对的是新法，而非王安石本人。今天这节课，我们将目光转回至苏东坡，看看他给神宗皇帝的万言书里都写了什么？林语堂先生又为何对这篇文章评价如此之高？一起进入今天的课程。

英文原文

Su Tungpo's nine-thousand-word letter to the Emperor is important as embodying his political philosophy, and as indicative of his personal temperament and style, a mixture of wit, learning, and intrepid courage.

Angered polemics alternate with cool, lucid reasoning.

Now he was despondent, bitter, sharply critical and uncommonly forthright; now he was arguing, citing examples, quoting from Mencius, Confucius, and the histories to bolster his thesis.

Adroit, sincere, and convincing, it was written with profound emotion and sorrow at the state of affairs.

In his audience with the Emperor in January, His Majesty had praised a memorial by him on educational reforms and asked him for "straight criticism ... even of His Majesty himself."

Su Tungpo took him at this word. It was his last desperate effort to make the Emperor change his mind, when all high officials had left and all chances were against him.

He knew that he would be dismissed, if nothing worse happened.

生词好句

1.embody
英 [ɪmˈbɒdi]美 [ɪmˈbɑːdi]
v. 体现 （showcasing, showing）
拓展:
showcase n. 柜子

2.temperament
英 [ˈtempərəmənt]美 [ˈtempərəmənt]
n. 气宇

3.style
英 [staɪl]美 [staɪl]
n. 风骨

4.a mixture of
……集大成，集……于一体

5.wit
英 [wɪt]美 [wɪt]
n. 机敏
拓展:
辨析：wit vs. wisdom
区别：wisdom强调一种智慧，拙，朴实；而wit是一种巧，机敏。

6.intrepid courage
不怕的（fearless）
拓展:
intrepid adj. 无所畏惧的

7.polemic
英 [pəˈlemɪk]美 [pəˈlemɪk]
n. 评论激烈的文章

8.alternate with
与……相互交错

9.lucid
英 [ˈluːsɪd]美 [ˈluːsɪd]
adj. 清楚的

10.despondent
英 [dɪˈspɒndənt]美 [dɪˈspɑːndənt]
adj. 绝望的 （disheartened）

11.uncommonly
英 [ʌnˈkɒmənli]美 [ʌnˈkɑːmənli]
adv. 极其（very）

12.forthright
英 [ˈfɔːθraɪt]美 [ˈfɔːrθraɪt]
adj. 直接的（direct）

13.cite
英 [saɪt]美 [saɪt]
v. 举例

14.quote
英 [kwəʊt]美 [kwoʊt]
v. 引用

15.bolster
英 [ˈbəʊlstə]美 [ˈboʊlstər]
v. 支持（support）

16.thesis
英 [ˈθiːsɪs]美 [ˈθiːsɪs]
n. 论文；中心思想（point）
拓展:
theses （复数）论点

17.adroit
英 [əˈdrɔɪt]美 [əˈdrɔɪt]
adj. 灵动的

18.convincing
英 [kənˈvɪnsɪŋ]美 [kənˈvɪnsɪŋ]
adj. 令人信服的

19.profound
英 [prəˈfaʊnd]美 [prəˈfaʊnd]
adj. 深刻的

20.sorrow
英 [ˈsɒrəʊ]美 [ˈsɔːroʊ]
n. 悲伤

21.the state of affairs
事态（situation）
拓展:
The state of affairs between Palestinians and Israelis.
巴勒斯坦与以色列之间的事态。

22.take somebody at this word
某人信以为真

23.desperate
英 [ˈdesprət]美 [ˈdespərət]
adj. 绝望的

24.chance
英 [tʃɑːns]美 [tʃæns]
n. 情况（situation）