原文

“廢話！”“別廢話！”“少說廢話！”都是些不客氣的語句，用來批評或阻止別人的話的。這可以是嚴厲的申斥，可以只是親密的玩笑，要看參加的人，說的話，和用這些語句的口氣?！皬U”和“費”兩個不同的字，一般好像表示同樣的意思，其實有分別。舊小說里似乎多用“費話”，現代才多用“廢話”。前者著重在啰嗦，啰嗦所以無用；后者著重在無用，無用就覺啰嗦。平常說“廢物”，“廢料”，都指斥無用，“廢話”正是一類?！百M”是“白費”，“浪費”，雖然指斥，還是就原說話人自己著想，好像還在給他打算似的。“廢”卻是聽話的人直截指斥，不再拐那個彎兒，細味起來該是更不客氣些。不過約定俗成，我們還是用“廢”為正字。

道家教人“得意而忘言”，言既該忘，到頭兒豈非廢話？佛家告人真如“不可說”，禪宗更指出“開口便錯”：所有言說，到頭兒全是廢話。他們說言不足以盡意，根本懷疑語言，所以有這種話。說這種話時雖然自己暫時超出人外言外，可是還得有這種話，還得用言來“忘言”，說那“不可說”的。這雖然可以不算矛盾，卻是不可解的連環。所有的話到頭來都是廢話，可是人活著得說些廢話，到頭來廢話還是不可廢的。道學家教人少作詩文，說是“玩物喪志”，說是“害道”，那么詩文成了廢話，這所謂詩文指表情的作品而言。但是詩文是否真是廢話呢？

跟著道家佛家站在高一層看，道學家一切的話也都不免廢話；讓他們自己在人內言內看，詩文也并不真是廢話。人有情有理，一般地看，理就在情中，所以俗話說“講情理”。俗話也可以說“講理”，“講道理”，其實講的還是“情理”；不然講死理或死講理怎么會叫做“不通人情”呢？道學家只看在理上，想要將情抹殺，詩文所以成了廢話。但誰能無情？誰不活在情里？人一輩子多半在表情的活著；人一輩子好像總在說理，敘事，其實很少同時不在不知不覺中表情的?！疤鞖夂茫　薄俺燥埩恕?？豈不都是廢話？可是老在人嘴里說著?？磦€朋友商量事兒，有時得閑閑說來：言歸正傳，寫信也常如此。外交辭令更是不著邊際的多?！獞饑鴷r觸謄說趙太后，也正仗著那一番廢話。再說人生是個動，行是動，言也是動；人一輩子一半是行，一半是言。一輩子說話作文，若是都說道理，哪有這么多道理？況且誰能老是那么矜持著？人生其實多一半在說廢話。詩文就是這種廢話。得有點廢話，我們才活得有意思。

有但詩文，就是兒歌，民謠，故事，笑話，甚至無意義的接字歌，繞口令等等，也都給人安慰，讓人活得有意思。所以兒童和民眾愛這些廢話，不但兒童和民眾、文人、讀書人也漸漸愛上了這些。英國吉士特頓曾經提倡“無意義的話”，并曾推薦那本《無意義的書》，正是兒歌等等的選本。這些其實就可以譯為“廢話”和“廢話書”，不過這些廢話是無意義的。吉士特頓大概覺得那些有意義的廢話還不夠“廢”的，所以百尺竿頭更進一步。在繁劇的現代生活里，這種無意義的廢話倒是可以慰情，可以給我們休息，讓我們暫時忘記一切。這是受用，也就是讓我們活得有意思。——就是說理，有時也用得著廢話，如邏輯家無意義的例句“張三是大于”，“人類是黑的”等。這些廢話最見出所謂無用之用；那些有意義的，其實也都以無用為用。有人曾稱一些學者為“有用的廢物”，我們也不妨如法炮制，稱這些有意義的和無意義的廢話為“有用的廢話”。廢是無用，到頭來不可廢，就又是有用了。

話說回來，廢話都有用么？也不然。漢代申公說，“為政不在多言，顧力行何如耳。”“多言”就是廢話。為政該表現于行事，空言不能起信；無論怎么好聽，怎么有道理，不能兌現的支票總是廢物，不能實踐的空言總是廢話。這種巧語花言到頭來只教人感到欺騙，生出怨望，我們無須“多言”，大家都明白這種廢話真是廢話。有些人說話愛跑野馬，鬧得“游騎無歸”。有些人作文“下筆千言，離題萬里”。但是離題萬里跑野馬，若能別開生面，倒也很有意思。只怕老在圈兒外兜圈子，兜來兜去老在圈兒外，那就千言萬語也是白饒，只教人又膩味又著急。這種才是“知難”；正為不知，所以總說不到緊要去處。這種也真是廢話。還有人愛重復別人的話。別人演說，他給提綱挈領；別人談話，他也給提綱挈領。若是那演說談話夠復雜的或者夠雜亂的，我們倒也樂意有人這么來一下?？墒莿e人說得清清楚楚的，他還要來一下，甚至你自己和他談話，他也要對你來一下——妙在絲毫不覺，老那么津津有味的，真教人啼笑皆非。其實誰能不重復別人的話，古人的，今人的？但是得變化，加上時代的色彩，境地的色彩，或者自我的色彩，總讓人覺著有點兒新鮮玩意兒才成。不然真是廢話，無用的廢話！

英譯

All the blunt statements“It is nonsense!”“No blather!”“Stop talking poppycock!”are used to criticize or stop someone. These statements can be severe reprimands or just jokes between confidants. It depends on the words, the tone and the people who participate in the conversation. The two words“waste”and“redundance”generally have same meaning, in fact, they are different. It seems that“redundant words”is in common use in the traditional novels while in modern times“superfluous words”is more used. The former is likely to describe that words are spoken too much, which gives people a sense of unnecessity. The latter emphasizes that words spoken are valueless, which gives people a sense of verboseness. In daily life, we are used to saying“waste”and“wastes”, which denounce their futility. And“superfluous words”belongs to this kind. The“redundance”conveys the meaning of“in vain”and“lavishness”. Though it also implies reprover, it stands by the speaker and considers for him. The word“waste”conveys the meaning that the listener reproves the speaker directly, and it must be blunter than the word“redundance”. But conventionally, we use the word“waste”in modern times.

Taoists advocate“mastering the meaning and then forgetting the words”. As words should be forgotten, so isn.t what we say all useless in the end? According to the Buddhist, Mani“can.t be interpreted”, Zen also said,“mouth opens, faults emerge”. In this way, what we say all becomes nonsense. The phenomenon indicates that they all doubt that language can fully express what they mean to convey. When they speak, for the moment they stand outside the world and deliver the sermon. However, they are still using language. They have to“forget the words”through words and convey“the meaning beyond words”through words. Though it isn.t contradictory, it is like an inscrutable interlink. In the end, all words become nonsense. However, people in the world intend to blather, in this way superfluous words are not superfluous. Moralists advise people not to compose poetic prose, because they think it can make us“lose ambitions and indulge in the secular pleasure”and“go against the doctrine”. According to their opinion, the poetic prose, especially the works expressing people.s emotions and feelings, also turns to rubbish. But, is the poetic prose really nonsense?

Standing at a higher level just like Taoists and Buddhists, you.ll find all of their words are also nonsense. When observing the secular world and dealing with trifles in daily life, they.ll probably realize the value of the poetic prose. People are both sentimental and rational. Generally, reason exists in emotion. And there.s an old saying that people are reasonable. Also, we usually say“reasoning with somebody”and“reasoning things out”. These emphasize“emotion”. In this way, you.ll understand why we call rigid rationalism or stubborn reasonalism as“impervious to emotion”. Moralists only pay attention to reason and ignore people.s feelings. So in their view, the poetic prose is nonsense. But who can be merciless? Who can live without feelings? Over half of our life is spent in emotion. It seems that our whole life is occupied by reasoning and narrating. In fact, it involves emotion unconsciously.“Good weather!”“Have you eaten yet”? Aren.t these nonsense? However, we greet people everyday with these superfluous words. When you consult your friends, you.ll lead them to the topic unconcernedly. And letters are written in the same way. The diplomatic parlance is more likely to go off subject. In the warring state period, with lots of superfluous words Chulong was able to persuade Queen Dowager of Zhao.Our life is in motion—when we move, we are in motion; when we speak, we are still in motion. We spend half our life on moving and the other half on speaking. If we try to reason things out both in speech and writing, I doubt whether there are enough reasons for us to interpret. Furthermore, who can be always serious and reserved? Actually, over half of our speech is nonsense, so is the poetic prose. Because of nonsense, our life become more colorful.

Besides the poetic prose, nursery rhymes, ballads, stories, jokes, even the meaningless socket songs and tongue twisters can comfort us and make us enjoy our lives. Therefore, children and the populace are fond of nonsense. In fact, not only children and the populace but also scholars and intellectuals gradually become keen on nonsense. Custard Trenton, a British scholar, once promoted“jabberwocky”and the book A Meaningless Book, which is an anthology of nursery rhymes and such kind. In such condition, the meaningless words and books can be interpreted into“nonsense”and“books of nonsense”. Maybe Custard thought the nonsense that make sense in some way wasn.t qualified for its name, hence, he promoted it further and suggested the absolute nonsense. In modern changeable and stressful society, these meaningless and superfluous words can comfort us and calm our nerves. From this point, we benefit from nonsense. Even for reasoning, nonsense is inevitable, for example, the pointless sentences from logicians,“Zhang San more than”,“The human race is dark”and so on. The above reveals how useless the nonsense is; however, the meaningful nonsense makes nonsense useful. Once some scholars were called“useful wastes”, we might as well follow suit and call these nonsense whether meaningful or meaningless as“the useful nonsense”. The waste is useless, however, it can.t be discarded. So it becomes useful again.

Are all the nonsenses useful, anyway? Of course not. Shen Pei, a famous Confucian scholar and scribe in Han dynasty (202BC-220AD) said,“the most important for an official is earnestly practicing his promise rather than indulging in empty talk.”“Empty talk”is exactly nonsense. Serving the government, you should talk less and do more practical things because empty talk can.t attain people.s trust. No matter how sweet the words are and how reasonable it sounds, a dishonored check always means a dud paper and empty talk always means nothing. The sweet words just make people disaffected and resentful at last. Needless to say, we all understand empty talk is absolute rubbish. Some people intend to talk so casually that their speeches are far away from the topic.“A thousand words from pen in a stream, but 10, 000 li (=5, 000 km) away from the subject”is a description of some articles. If there is something new in their speeches or articles, it.ll be interesting. If you just go around the circle, then thousands of words will still mean nothing. And it.ll give people an underwhelming and annoying feeling. This is“to know is difficult”. Because of ignorance, people always deviate from the core topic. These words are really meaningless and superfluous. Some people are ready to repeat what others have said. When others make a speech, he.d like to bring forward the chief points; when others have a talk, he.s willing to give the main points. If the speech or the conversation is complicated or tanglesome, then the summing-up is necessary. But if others have made it clear, then the summary will become unwanted.Even you talk to him, he.d like to repeat and tell you what you have told him. Without realizing his ridiculous behaviors, he makes summaries with great relish. How fantastic it is! But actually who can not repeat others.words, no matter the ancients.or the contemporaries.? But we should make a change, add times, circumstances or self marks, and make people feel some new and interesting flavor in our speeches.Otherwise, it.s really nonsense!