CHEN T' UNG-PE (陈通伯)

Thin, of medium height, with a sallow complexion, Mr. Chen is obviously made more for indoor, rather than for outdoor, work. Off the chair, he is not himself. On the chair, he is in his element, either for talking, reading, teaching, or (I am tempted to say) for fighting. His sedentary habit has moulded his body into a question mark. This is not noticeable when he sits down, but the moment he stands up, the weight of his head seems too much for his spinal chord to support: hence the pronounced stoop.

There seems to be nothing remarkable in Mr. Chen's appearance. But his is a face which, once seen, is not easily forgotten. There is something sinister about it, the more so when it is writhed into smiles. It always gives one the impression of a withdrawing of something somewhere. Is it the withdrawing of claws or of fangs? Or is the withdrawing more in the nature of the retreat of a tiger into its lair? I don't know, but somehow I would rather have Mr. Chen's scowl than his smile.

There is magic in Mr. Chen's large eyes. Well set in a sharply chiselled face, crowned by hair which is parted in the middle, his eyes eat their way through everything and everybody. Even when the eye-lids are droopy and tired, the eyes are always clear and bright. There seems to be every virtue in them, —penetration, intelligence, quickness, wit. But there is no kindness. Faults are only seen as faults. Accompanying the diagnosis, there may be laughter, but it is the derisive laughter of satire, not the kindly laughter of humour. So it is that, when Mr. Chen's eyes light on one, they make one uncomfortable and inexpansive: one feels that to unfold oneself in such company would be dangerous. Most often, therefore, one shuts oneself up before him; and one takes away from his presence only the memory of his clear and beautiful, but unkind, eyes.

Mr. Chen is most happy and at his best in the silent company of his books. And what a company. His catholicity of interest is reflected in the multitude and the variety of his books. There are books on all kinds of subjects under the sun. What is more, Mr. Chen reads them. Very few of his books are any good from the bibliophile's point of view. Mr. Chen is not interested in beautiful bindings and beautiful printing. This explains why it is that so many of his books are second-hand. He buys books to read, and not to look at. Although his wide reading shows the catholicity of his interest, it does not, however, give evidence of a catholic mind. Like his three favourite authors, —Jane Austen, H. G. Wells, and Anatole France, —Mr. Chen certainly has a good deal of "sense and sensibility" in what he does and says, but like them, too, there is also a good deal of "pride and prejudice" in his view of persons and things.

Besides reading, Mr. Chen finds his pleasure and ease in writing and translating. Most of his writings are in the nature of criticism. This is as one would expect. His forte is to analyse and satirize. With what ineffable lightness and clarity he does it! There is first the sinister smile, —the luring of the subject into the tiger's lair. And when he has sufficiently played with the subject, he gobbles it up, with a sneer or a laugh. To vary the figure, Mr. Chen's critical method always reminds me of a cat on a lawn playing about with a mouse on a cold, bright day in mid-winter. It's beautiful and cold to look at, and it always ends up in murder as a fine art.

Mr. Chen is, at present, Dean of the College of Arts of Wu-Han University. He runs the College with such good sense that it is now reputed to be the best of its kind in China. This should occasion no surprise, as in all those qualities of moderation, clear-headedness, and commonsense, which a good administrator ought to have, Mr. Chen is a shining example. For this reason, I should be happy to have Mr. Chen as my boss in any administrative work I have to do, but I should certainly not like to have him as my only companion in a desert island.

[No. 44; Nov. 1, 1934]

陈通伯¹

陈先生体形消瘦、中等身材、面色苍黄，显然天生不是户外工作的料，只适合做室内工作。一离开椅子，他就不是他了。一坐上椅子，他就百事可为，可以说话、读书、讲课，我甚至想说，还可以打上一架。他这种久坐不起的习惯已经把他的躯体塑造成了一个问号。他坐着的时候还不惹眼，但是，只要一站起来，他的头就显得太重，难以为脊柱所支持，于是便形成了明显的弯曲。

陈先生的相貌似乎没有什么特别之处，但是他的脸却叫人见过一次就终生难忘。脸上有点凶相，尤其是想笑的时候，给人的印象是要把什么东西收到什么地方去。是收缩利爪，还是收缩毒牙？或者本质上更像是老虎后退到洞穴中去？我不知道，但是我宁愿看见陈先生横眉怒目也不愿意看见他笑。

陈先生具有魔力的一双大眼睛，端正地镶嵌在见棱见角的脸上，头顶上的头发从中间分开，锐利的目光可以看透一切事物和一切人。甚至在眼皮疲倦下垂的时候，眼睛也总是清澈明亮依旧。眼神里好像各种优点都有——洞察力、理解力、敏捷、机智，但缺乏善意。缺点总是被看作缺点。有时，伴随着审视也会有笑声，不过，那是讥讽的嘲笑，不是出于幽默善意的笑。所以，陈先生的眼光落到一个人的身上，就会让人觉得不自在、不舒畅；让人觉得和陈先生这样的人在一起时敞开胸怀会有危险。因此，人们在他面前十有八九是把自己封闭起来，从他身边带走的，只是对于他那双眼睛的记忆：清澈、漂亮，却缺乏善意。

陈先生最开心的时候是和他的书默默相伴的时候。那是什么样一种相伴啊！他的兴趣之广反映在他的藏书数量之大、种类之多上：世间一切课题一应俱全。而且，陈先生是读书的。从藏书家的观点看来，他的那些书一概乏善可陈。陈先生对漂亮的装订和精致的印刷全都不感兴趣，这就是为什么他会有那么多二手书的原因。他买书是为了“读”，而不是为了“看”。虽然他的博览群书能够表明他兴趣的广泛，但是却不能表明他心胸宽阔。就像他喜爱的三位作家——简·奥斯汀²、威尔斯和阿纳托尔·法朗士³一样，陈先生在他的所言所行中也确实很有一些“理智与情感”。但是，在他对人对事的看法中，也像他们三位一样，也掺杂着不少“傲慢与偏见”。⁴

在读书之外，陈先生还从写文章和翻译的活动中找到乐趣和消遣。他的文章大多属于评论性质，这是人们可以料想得到的。他擅长于分析和讽刺，文笔是那么轻松明快，实在是语言所难以形容！首先是那阴险的微笑——把目标引进虎穴，玩弄够了之后，发出一阵冷笑或是狂笑，再把它一口吞掉。换一种说法，陈先生的评论方法总会使我想起严冬晴朗而寒冷的一天，一只猫在草地上跳来跳去戏耍一只老鼠的情景。看起来既有趣又冷酷，结果都不外乎是以艺术的形式完成一次凶杀。

陈先生目前是武汉大学文学院院长。他主持学院很有见地，这个学院现在已经成为中国同类院校之佼佼者。这并不出人意外，因为一个优秀管理人员应有的品质——稳健、清醒、常理——在陈先生这样一位光辉的典范身上无不具备。因此，在我必须做的任何行政工作中若能有陈先生这样的领导，我会非常高兴，但是我确实不希望在一个荒岛上只有他和我作伴。

［第44期，1934年11月1日］