通過這些名人遺書，我們來聊聊中國人的生死觀

作者：雙語君

本文來源：中國日報網雙語新聞（chinadaily_mobile)

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前一陣，明星讀信節目《見字如面》（Letters Alive）幾乎刷屏朋友圈。

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從年輕演員林更新到張涵予、歸亞蕾等一眾老戲骨，他們或鏗鏘有力、或旖旎婉轉、或詼諧打趣的朗誦，彷彿將觀眾帶回書信傳情的那個年代，見證了不同時代的情愛、戰火、風骨和氣度。

這檔節目在豆瓣最火的時候，一度衝到過9.8分，目前跌下來，也差不多穩定在了9.0分。

Hailed as 「serious」 show in a field dominated by mainly entertainment programs,Letters Alivegot high marks. At one point, it scored 9.8 out of 10 on Douban.com, a popular Chinese platform, and is now sitting at nine.

據不完全統計，《見字如面》全部12期的全網總播放量已超過2億。

Letters Alive, a 12-episode culture program showcasing the enduring charm of written correspondence, included appearances from stars such as Lin Gengxin, Zhang Hanyu and Kuei Ya-lei. Eleven star performers reading 90 remarkable letters has been watched 200 million times on the major streaming sites. There』s a studio audience as well.

其實，《見字如面》節目里有好多遺書、絕命書、訣別書，很適合在清明時節雨紛紛的意境里，點一盞幽香，沏一壺清茶，細細咀嚼此生永別的滋味。

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通過聯繫節目組，小編獲悉，遺書在所有書信中能佔到14%的比例，而且幾乎期期節目多有。

連節目組的老大們，也忍不住開始通過這些書信，重新審視中國人的生死觀。

《見字如面》的總編劇張子選說，他們當時為了找到這些遺書，除了在網上四處搜羅，還買來了幾乎所有能買到的書。

Up to 14 percent of the letters read on air were written towards the end of the writer』s life. The majority are from Communist revolutionaries and military officers, with the rest penned by famous people who either committed suicide or suffered from serious diseases.

For producers, the overwhelming response to the program has not only been uplifting but has also highlighted a trend that they want to explore further.

張子選回憶說，在打響一場戰役前，遺書就會大規模成批量出現。尤其是在抗日戰爭和解放戰爭期間，每一場生死攸關的大戰前，上至軍隊將領，下至普通士兵，都會寫好遺書，這是上戰場前的「標配」。如果僥倖生還，下一場戰役前，還要接著寫。

重新聆聽那些寫於上戰場前的遺書，總覺得書寫者的語氣淡定從容，不僅僅像是置生死於度外，也似乎是面對命運無常的抽離之感。

張子選說，中國自《四書五經》以來的正統教育，大多避諱談論死亡。儒家所倡導的還是入世的積極人生。

Zhang Zixuan, the program』s chief editor who led the selection of letters from more than 10,000 entries, has read many wills and death-bed letters.

He said the crew selected the letters from online resources or handwritten copies, and the team discovered that military officers and soldiers regularly wrote final letters before big battles.

「China』s mainstream education actually avoids talking about death, with such clues seen clearly in ancient school texts influenced by Confucius philosophy. It values the meaning of life and urges people to optimistically strive for this life,」 Zhang said.

"Most Chinese would not prepare for death even after being seriously ill for a long time," he said.

「But wartime is an exceptional time and probably creates the largest number of wills in every era,」 Zhang said.

「Warriors were ordered to write the last letters to their families. And the survivors would write other 『last letters』 for the next battle if they didn』t die in the last.」

但他也提到一個很有意思的觀點，那就是廟堂之高與江湖之遠，對死亡的態度是不同的。

張子選長於西北農村，自小時，便見多了鄉野對於死亡的儀式感。

他說，當地的老太太會把棺材放在房間里，每年到陽光晴好時，拿出壽衣來晒晒。

所以，死亡之於鄉野，是人生，是日常；而於朝堂，是避諱，是模糊其辭。

而中國人鮮有留遺囑、或是登訃告的傳統，也是與這種死亡教育的缺失有關。

總導演關正文被小編問到這個話題時，覺得又新鮮又感慨。

在他眼裡，留遺書的人分兩種，一種是可以生而選擇死的，另一種是已到彌留之際或絕望中自行了斷的。

前一種，有戰鬥到最後的陳京瑩、有16歲以身殉國的夏完淳，這些革命烈士或古代義士，讓關正文更為動容。

陳京瑩留給父親的遺書，字裡行間都是家國的深沉感情。

夏完淳追隨父親，為反清復明捨身取義前，留下的鐵血文字中，也有著對母親、對懷孕妻子的內疚。

《見字如面》執行總導演劉宇，對「生死觀」有著更為入世的認識。

他認為，遺書是和你在世間所關心的人、所愛護的人說再見的一個莊嚴儀式。所以，即使沒有寫這個的習慣，也不妨提前有所準備，不要讓死亡來得太突然、太意外，讓周邊的人覺得措手不及。

提前留下對身後事的叮嚀，何嘗不是一種負責任的人生態度。

Liu Yu, executive director of the program, said a last letter is 「a solemn ceremony to say farewell」.

「For family and friends, a last letter is an important legacy,」 Liu added.

He said many Chinese don』t write wills or publish obituaries, and that they should write such letters to make sure that their children and loved ones follow their wishes after they are gone.

小編也聯繫到楊雨教授，嗯，就是《見字如面》來自中南大學的那位特別有氣質的美女拆信嘉賓。

楊雨對「中國人的生死觀」這個命題，有著高屋建瓴的概括。

她認為，中國人自古以來，還是畏懼死亡，哀痛在意之人的離世，但這種畏懼之心可以通過信仰的執著和堅守來抵禦，哀痛可以通過文化的傳承、物質的轉移來實現「子子孫孫無窮盡也」來化解。

她也提到，莊子在妻子死後，「擊鼓而歌」的典故，也說明了中國人在儒家正統之外，還有道家這樣一種面對生死的超然洒脫之態。

Yang Yu, a professor of ancient literature at the Changsha-based Central South University, as well as a guest commentator on the TV show, said Chinese mainly regard death as an inevitable end of life.

「Deeply influenced by Confucius philosophy, they can use faith to resist the fear of death, as well as the wish to pass on their knowledge and wealth to blood relations,」 she said.

Using the example of Zhuang Zi, an ancient philosopher who played a drum to laugh and sing after his wife』s death, Yang said Taoists take death as a natural process to see a return to life』s origin.

小編讀完夏完淳的《獄中上母書》，也是唏噓不已。

勤奮的小編通讀節目所選的遺書，還讀了這些遺書的古文原文，那質感、風采，實在比明星的白話通俗版好太多。

下面，小編特別挑選了幾份遺書，獻上獨家雙語版，和大家一起用心感受一下。

第一封：陳京瑩

一直拿著國家的俸祿，也就沒有了退路

陳京瑩寫給父親

1894年9月

茲接中堂來電，召全軍明日下午一點赴高。未知何故，然總存一死而已。兒幼蒙朝廷造就，授以守備。今年大閱，又保補用都司，並賞戴花翎。沐國恩不可謂之不厚矣。茲際國家有事，理應盡忠，此固人臣之本分也，況大丈夫得死戰場，幸事爾。父親大人年將古稀，若遭此事，格外悲傷，兒固知之詳矣。但盡忠不能盡孝。忠雖以移孝作忠為辭，而兒不孝之罪，總難逃於天壤矣。然秀官年雖尚少，久莫能待，而諸弟及泉官年將弱冠，可以立業，以供菽水也。伏望勿以兒為念，且家中上下和睦為貴，則免兒憂愁於地下矣。若叨鴻福，可以得勝，且可僥倖，自當再報喜信。幸此幸此。

We』ve just received a telegram from his excellency Li (Li Hongzhang, then supreme official of the navy), who has ordered the troops to sail to Korea at 1 pm tomorrow. We don』t know what we will do, but I』m ready for death. I have benefited from the motherland as a youngster. Now it』s my duty to fight for it. Besides, it will be a glorious moment if I die in the battlefield. I know you (his father) will be very sad if I die, which I can picture now. But if I choose to be loyal to the country, it means I cannot take the responsibility to be a dutiful son at the same time ... My son is still very young. But what comforts me is that my younger brothers will soon become adults and have their own families and take care of you and mother. Please don』t mourn me all the time, otherwise, I will not stop to worry about you under the earth.

第二封：夏完淳

母親，您不孝的兒子今天就要死了

夏完淳寫給母親

1647年（清順治四年）

不孝完淳今日死矣。以身殉父，不得以身報母矣……淳死之後，新婦遺腹得雄，便以為家門之幸；如其不然，萬勿置後。會稽大望，至今而零極矣。節義文章如我父子者幾人哉？立一不肖後，如西銘先生為人所詬笑，何如不立之為愈耶......新婦結褵二年，賢孝素著。武功甥好為我善待之，亦武功渭陽情也......人生孰無死，貴得死所耳。父得為忠臣，子得為孝子，含笑歸太虛，了我分內事。

I will soon die. As I』ve decided to devote my life to my father and the country, I cannot serve you, mothers (his father』s first wife and his biological mother). I married two years ago, my wife』s piety and virtuousness is known in the family. If she (at the time pregnant) delivers a boy, it will be a fortune for the family. But if not, please don』t adopt a son for me. Every man will die. If a man dies for what is right, he will become immortal. My father died as a man loyal to his country and I will die following him. I will smile to face it (execution). Let me just finish what I should do.

第三封：邱文周

這一次，爸爸決定要躲好久好久

邱文周寫給女兒

2001年

爸爸和你玩了好多次捉迷藏，每次都一下子就被你找出來。不過這一次，爸爸決定要躲好久好久。你先不要找，等你十六歲的時候，再問媽咪爸爸躲在哪裡，好不好? 爸爸要躲這麼久，你一定會想念爸爸，對不對？不過，爸爸不能隨便跑出來，不然就輸了。如果還是很想爸爸，爸爸就變魔法出現。爸爸的魔法是：趁你睡覺的時候，跑到你夢裡大玩遊戲。因為是魔法，不是真的出現，所以不犯規，爸爸不算輸……要記得，爸爸一直都在陪著你。

Every time daddy plays the hide-and-seek game with you, you are always the quick winner. But this time, daddy decides to hide for a long, long time. Please don t be eager to look for me... but you must miss daddy, right? But I cannot show up, otherwise I will lose. If you really miss daddy, I can use magic to appear. But my magic is to sneak into your dreams and play games with you. Just remember, daddy will be always there with you.

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黑龍江衛視 每周六 21:20

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