In China, for Chinese accustomed to, it is not easy to feel its charm. Moreover, the boom is now learning English a wave after wave, parents are keen to take expensive remedial English for the children. If you hire a foreigner one practice spoken English, then a one-hour class fee to several hundred dollars.
In this national trend keen to learn English, everyone seems to think that English should be fine much more expensive than Chinese. Arrive in the US, for the convenience of living and working, once again actively learn a little rusty English. At this stage, I just English as a communication tool, never thought in English and Chinese should do some comparison.
Until I tried to interest a number of Chinese Culture American friends introduce some Chinese traditional culture classic books in Chapters, it found that Chinese characters are so beautiful beautiful, concise, symmetrical rhyme, short text can produce beautiful mood.
For example Tzu Chi's "immeasurable Yoshitsune," adapted the song Overture in the following piece of content:
the universe is long, life and death moment,
Showtime birth and death, no surprise.
Eternal sky, it seems true also false,
snail corner vanity, life is what price.
翻译成英文时，变成了这样：
Vast is the universe.
Life comes and goes.
Such is life's natural course.
No need to be astounded.
In this world, time and space are constantly changing.
Hence,they are empty in nature.
Reputation and status do not last.
Where does the true value of life lie?
English expression more than the original literal meaning, but the statement itself becomes huge long lost original rhyme streamlined, meaningful results.
I know two American Tzu Chi volunteers, they liked Chinese culture, and they realized that if you want to understand the connotation of Chinese classic books, it is better to read Chinese text instead of reading an English translation, so they started very seriously learn Chinese. For a while, I teach them to read the Chinese version of immeasurable Yoshitsune, and a word a word to explain it to them, they are so amazing concise words to create the image of a very profound mood. And through them I wonder, also re-acquainted with his beautiful mother tongue.
In China, when many parents spend original capital English tuition for their children, and my heart secretly think, if this child was born in the United States like, it need not be so laborious and costly to go to learn English. And to the United States, found in the United States first-generation Chinese are devoting to send their children to Chinese cram school, I hope they can master Chinese. Unfortunately, yes, right young children, under the general English-speaking environment, they lack the motivation to learn Chinese language, Chinese is difficult to improve the level of reading and writing.
Writing this article is not to show that senior Chinese than English. I believe English is also very beautiful, but I own the general level of English, but also those who can not enjoy the beauty of elegant English works. I just thought: I am honored their native language is Chinese, originally it was so elegant, the wisdom of thousands of years of Chinese culture are embedded in the text and the sound of their voice.