中國人大"女學霸"的國學情結
Yao Siyu reads books that are a bit different — the traditional Chinese characters are printed vertically on the page and there is no punctuation. But the 22-year-old Chinese classics major at Renmin University of China considers reading these ancient texts a form of recreation.
姚思宇讀的書略有不同——豎排版的繁體字、沒有標點符號。而這位22歲的人大古典文學系學生則把閱讀古文當作一種休閒娛樂。Many think that studying traditional Chinese literature is boring and useless, but Yao is full of passion for her subject.
在很多人眼中，學習古典文學是件無聊且無用的事情，但姚思宇卻對自己的專業充滿熱情。Fulfilling discovery
頗有成就感的發現
Yao acquired her interest in Chinese classics when she was in elementary school. She read a lot books, ranging from contemporary novels to ancient poems. “I like poems the most, especially poems of Bian Zhilin, Wen Yiduo and Xu Zhimo. They are full of emotion and romanticism,” she says.
上小學時，姚思宇便對古典文學產生了濃厚的興趣。她閱讀了大量書籍，從當代小說到古典詩詞。她說：“我最喜歡詩詞，尤其是卞之琳、聞一多和徐志摩三人的佳作。這些詩感情洋溢，充滿了浪漫主義情懷。”Yao started to write poems herself in middle school because she had “so many thoughts and feelings to express through the rhythm of language”, she says. But the more she wrote, the more disappointed she felt — she saw a huge gap between herself and her favorite authors.
姚思宇初中時便開始自己寫詩，她表示之所以這樣做是“想通過詩詞的韻律來抒發心中的想法和感受。”但她寫的越多、失望也越大——她察覺到自己和喜歡的作家之間存在着巨大的差異。Therefore, when it was time for the college entrance exams, Yao didn’t hesitate to apply for Chinese classics. “It’s the study of Chinese literature, history and philosophy. By studying it, I will gain a comprehensive understanding of traditional Chinese culture and a better understanding of my idols,” she says.
因此，高考時，姚思宇毅然選擇報考古典文學專業。“通過對中文、歷史與哲學的學習，我可以對中國古代文化有一個全面的瞭解，也對我心中的偶像有了更深入的認識。”Passion for the past
對於國學的熱情Thanks to her solid foundation in Chinese literature, Yao was accepted by the School of Chinese Classics at Renmin University of China. There she made friends who had similar interests to her. In their leisure time, Yao and her friends spend hours practicing calligraphy and inscriptive writings. Even on dates with her boyfriend, Yao prefers visiting places like the Hall of Martial Valor in the Forbidden City. While it is a less popular place for other visitors, it is full of treasures for Yao because many ancient Chinese paintings are displayed there, giving her an opportunity to learn about ancient civilization.
憑藉紮實的中文功底，姚思宇被人大國學院錄取。在那她結識了很多志同道合的朋友。課餘時間，姚思宇和朋友們常常一起練習書法和題跋（譯者注：寫在書籍、碑帖、字畫等前面的文字叫做題；寫在後面的，叫做跋，總稱題跋）。甚至和男友約會時，她也喜歡將地點定在像故宮武英殿這樣的地方。雖然那裏不是什麼熱門景觀，但是姚思宇眼中的寶地，因爲那裏展出了很多古代繪畫作品，爲她瞭解古代文明提供了一個好機會。Many students can’t understand why Yao and her peers want to learn about such old things. For Yao it’s merely a matter of interest. “People think I’m a nerd, but I just love Chinese classics so much that I want to devote myself to it,” she says. “How other students see me is similar to how I see finance students. I will never understand their fascination for mathematical modeling.”
有些學生不理解姚思宇和同伴們爲何如此癡迷這些“老古董”。對於姚思宇來說，這完全是興趣使然。她說：“人們認爲我是個書呆子，但我只是出於個人喜好想要研究古典文學。其他同學對我的看法就好比我看待金融系學生一樣。我永遠明白他們對於數學算式的癡迷。”Uncertain future
不確定的未來Despite her rich knowledge, Yao has less promising career prospects than her peers. According to data released by MyCOS Group, a consultancy, college students who major in science fields have better chances of earning a high income after graduation than students majoring in the arts. Science majorsaccount for 78 percent of the top 50 well-paid majors, while arts majors represent the bottom 10.
儘管知識淵博，但和同伴們相比，姚思宇的就業前景並不樂觀。根據諮詢機構麥可思公司發佈的一組數據顯示，理科生畢業後獲得高薪的機會要高於文科生。在“最有錢途”的五十個專業中，理科專業佔到了78%，而墊底的後十名則全部被文科專業拿下。But Yao takes a different view. “Many people judge job prospects by material success, yet my major can bring much more than that,” says Yao. “It perfected my personality, way of thinking and attitude toward life. I gained self-fulfillment on the way.”
而姚思宇則持不同的觀點。她說：“儘管很多人用物質上的成功來衡量職業前景，而我所學的專業讓我收穫更多。它可以完善我的人格、思維方式以及生活態度。在此過程中，我獲得了成就感。”
