世界小史 第107期:礼仪

 　　He thought that everything in life ran more smoothly¹ if people did.

　　他认为如果人们这样做了什么事情就都好办了。

　　Almost by itself, as it were, without the need to think too hard about it.

　　它简直就是自动进行的，用不着许多思考。

　　Of course such behavior does not make people good, but it helps them stay good.

　　当然人们肯定不会因这些礼仪而变善良，但是人们比较容易保持良好。

　　For Confucius had a very good opinion of humanity.

　　因为孔子对人性有一种很好的看法。

　　He said that all people were born honest and good, and that, deep down, they remained so.

　　他说所有的人生来就善良、本分，其实在内心他们也全都是善良、本分的。

　　Anyone seeing a small child playing near the water's edge will worry lest it fall in, he said.

　　每一个人看见一个孩子在河边戏耍都会感到害怕，怕这孩子掉进河里，他如是说。

　　Concern for our fellow human beings and sympathy for the misfortunes of others are inborn² sentiments.

　　这种对旁人的关心，这种对旁人境遇不好的同情，所有这些都是我们与生俱有的情感。

　　All we need do is to make sure we do not lose them.

　　我们所要做的就是别失去他们。

　　And that, said Confucius, is why we have families.

　　在这方面，孔子说到这就是我们有家庭的原因。

　　Someone who is always good to his parents, who obeys them and cares for them – and this comes naturally to us – will treat others in the same way,谁总是对他的父母好，听父母的话并关心他们——这是我们与生俱有的——谁就会这样对待他人，and will obey the laws of the state in the same way that he obeys his father.

　　谁就也会遵守国家的法律，一如他习惯听从他父亲的话那样。

 

1 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

2 inborn   

adj.天生的，生来的，先天的

参考例句：

• He is a man with an inborn love of joke.他是一个生来就喜欢开玩笑的人。
• He had an inborn talent for languages.他有语言天分。