Nicknamed Shelley. 1915165438+125 On October, the great poet Xu Zhimo was born 18 years later, in his hometown, Shixia Town, Haining City, Zhejiang Province, another great scholar who influenced China for generations was born.

This is a diligent student, a young man with the temperament of a poet. He left home at a young age and studied in Jiaxing, Suzhou and Shanghai. 1930 was admitted to the middle school affiliated to Soochow University (now Suzhou University). By the time he graduated from 1934 high school, his grades were the first in his class. According to the practice of Soochow at that time, the top three graduates of the three affiliated middle schools could enter the three colleges of arts, science and law of our school, and the tuition fees were reduced, while the first one was free. However, Xu Guozhang gave up this preferential treatment and insisted on being admitted to Nanyang Public College, majoring in management. Later on1September, 1936, he was transferred to the second grade of the Department of Foreign Languages in Tsinghua University, Beijing, where he worked with students such as Li Funing, Zhou Jueliang, Cha and Li Bo.

1937 More than three months after the outbreak of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Peking University, Tsinghua and Nankai successively moved south to establish the National Changsha Temporary University. The schools of science and engineering and law are all in Changsha, while the College of Liberal Arts moved to Nanyue Mountain and rented the Bible College as a school building. In Nanyue, there are a large number of first-class scholars and professors, such as Wu Mi, Liu Wuji, Zhu Ziqing, Wen Yiduo, Feng Youlan, Jin, Qian Zhongshu, Qian Mu, and William Thompson, an English poet and literary critic. At the beginning of 1938, the Temporary University moved westward to Kunming, Yunnan, and the College of Arts and Sciences was temporarily located in Mengzi, southwest of Kunming. School started on April 5, and the name of the school was changed to National Southwest Associated University.

Under the guidance of a famous teacher, Xu Guozhang is proficient in English and delves into business. In his later years, Xu Guozhang wrote in his autobiographical article Memories of Students: "From this time to the summer of 1939, I spent the last two years of my college life in Nanyue, Mengzi and Kunming. I listened to Yan Busun in the third grade and studied with Mr. Qian Zhongshu in the fourth grade. I have held a disciple ceremony so far. "

Xu Guozhang's English is authentic and unique. He likes reading18th century English essays, especially articles by Addison and samuel johnson. The former is pure and elegant. The latter is solemn and sonorous. Xu Guozhang is quite ignorant, and it is purely an artistic enjoyment for people to listen to his speech. However, the excerpts from Sima Qian's Biography of Xiang Yu were greatly appreciated by Professor Ye Gongchao, who was teaching Chinese-English translation for the fourth grade at that time. He thinks that Peng Ji's history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire has a style.

Xu Guozhang graduated from The National SouthWest Associated University Foreign Languages Department, 1939. He has taught at his alma mater, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Fudan Foreign Languages Department. 1947 65438+February, Xu Guozhang went to study in Britain, and studied English literature in London University and Oxford University successively17th century and18th century. Xu Guozhang, who loved Shelley and was nicknamed "Shelley", completed his dream of poetry in Shelley's hometown and pursued the romantic trace of his hometown Xu Zhimo in Cambridge.

Xu Guozhang is not only a famous English educator, but also an outstanding linguist and language philosopher. The world knows Xu Guozhang mainly through his four college English textbooks. Xu Guozhang's name has become a synonym for "English" and a household name. Xu Guozhang English edited by Lao Xu was published in 1963. It has been enduring for more than 30 years and is rare at home and abroad.

Professor Gui Shichun from the English Department of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies once joked with Lao Xu that "Xu Guozhang English" has become an English variety like British English and Australian English. Didn't you see the advertisements for "Xu Guozhang English Class" all over the street? Teacher Gui believes that the reason why the textbook can last for a long time is that it has two characteristics, one is the combination with China's reality, and the other is suitable for adults to learn by themselves.

Xu Guozhang English has benefited countless people. Mr. Li Liangyou of Shanghai Foreign Language Education Publishing House once wrote: "Since the reform and opening up, there has been an upsurge of going abroad in China. Or study, or work, or emigrate, people with different cultural and educational levels have gone abroad. When I was in the United States, I found many books taken out of China, including English textbooks edited by Xu Guozhang. Occasionally curious to ask, why not bring this set of teaching materials to Wan Li? A: It seems that it is still practical in Xu Guozhang. "

Unique writing style

Several famous foreign language professors in Beijing have their own academic attainments and are deeply loved by the public, but they have their own emphasis on personal character and article style. Some are loyal elders, kind and easy-going; Some are brilliant, but they are cautious in speaking and writing; Some are soft outside and hard inside, and their writing is sharp; Others deliberately innovate, and their speeches and writing are full of enthusiasm. Xu Guozhang should belong to the last category. He is well educated, knowledgeable and familiar with Chinese and western cultures. In addition to English education, English and American language and literature, he has made unique and pioneering contributions to the study of linguistics and philosophy of language, and has also made many achievements in translation, cultural history and Lu Xun studies.

Xu Guozhang was the earliest scholar in China who studied and commented on structuralist linguistics. His article "A Review of Structuralist Linguistics" was published in No.2, Volume 2 of Western Languages (1May, 958), which not only had great influence in China, but also was translated into Linguistic Problems in the Soviet Union, which was extremely valuable at that time.

In 1960s, Xu Guozhang's research tentacles completely changed from English literature to modern linguistics. He and Mr. Zhu discussed the structural linguistics together, which brought new information to foreign language teaching in China. Since the reform and opening-up, especially after being transferred to Beijing Foreign Studies University as the dean in the mid-1980s, Lao Xu's research on western linguistic theories has become more in-depth and systematic, and gradually formed his own philosophy of language.

The linguistic part of the Encyclopedia of China Language and Characters, edited by him, has a high academic level and is well received by experts and scholars. Xu Guozhang on Language was written in Lao Xu's old age between 63 and 75. From the perspective of modern linguistics, Lao Xu explored China's inherent philosophy of language, introduced Austin, commented on Saussure, reevaluated Ma Jianzhong, excavated Jin, annotated Xu Shen's Exegetical Preface, and interpreted Russell's History of Western Philosophy, which left us a rich ideological legacy. The insights of linguists, the profundity of philosophers, the accuracy of mathematicians, the rhyme of writers and the strength of great personality in the book are beyond the reach of future generations.

"South King and North Xu" is a popular phrase in foreign language teaching at that time, which contains people's love and admiration for Wang Zongyan and Xu Guozhang, who are full of wisdom, and shows their unswerving position in China linguistics.

The power of personality

During the Cultural Revolution, Lao Xu was isolated, censored and marginalized. He became a "reactionary academic authority", and his "one second old" (referring to Lao Xu, Wang Zuoliang and Zhou Jueliang) was greatly impacted. Lao Xu's book was sealed by the so-called rebels, but he suffered everything silently without complaint. He said that he was born and raised in old party member and joined the Party in June 1957, but the Party listened and obeyed.

1970, he went to school and came to Shayang, Hubei. Living in a bamboo shed first, then moving into a brick house, more than 20 people crowded into one room, making life inconvenient. According to Mr. Zhuang Yichuan from Beijing Foreign Studies University, "Lao Xu people are used to reading a book with a flashlight after lights out and before going to bed. A few days later, I told him that I hoped he would stop reading with a flashlight. Since then, he has never read a book with a flashlight. " "One day, it was windy. There seems to be a derrick blown down outside the window, and the curtain cloth around it seems to have been blown off. I said let's close the small window, and Lao Xu said yes. After I closed it, he said,' I sleep at home with the small window open all year round!' "For the sake of other comrades, Lao Xu changed his living habits for many years.

In the mid-1980s, an interesting story happened. Some people say it can be compiled into "A New World Tells a New Story": A cobbler who keeps a stall at the entrance of Beiwai all the year round sends a message to Lao Xu, saying that you are a well-known professor, but your monthly salary is not as good as my two or three days' income. what do you think? After listening to this, Lao Xu asked the teacher to answer that we both depend on our own labor to make a living, and there is no difference. If there is any difference, it is that the aesthetic objects are different. Hammer down, hit accurately, hit steadily, and there will be beauty. I read and write articles, get a good sentence, and I can be happy for several days. When you really concentrate on your work, what you and I pursue is the aesthetic enjoyment brought by success.

Professor Gu Yueguo, assistant president of Beijing Foreign Studies University, will never forget the philosopher Mr. Xu Guozhang: "The last time I talked to Lao Xu was a month before his death. I rode home from the classroom and saw many old friends walking in the garden accompanied by others, so I quickly stopped and walked past. When he saw me, it was difficult for him to laugh at me with his habitual clear voice, but it was obviously beyond his depth. I'm sad, but I try to look happy. I will always remember the last sentence he said to me:' Xiao Gu, I heard that they will train you to be a vice principal in the future. Don't shirk and don't get carried away. "Be careful." "

Beyond the bondage of material things, Xu Guozhang is a real scholar and an ordinary person. This wise and stubborn old man has a full and slightly bald forehead, a thin and slightly long face, a tall figure, well-dressed and thick glasses. In summer, white shirt and black tie. Wear a long scarf and a small fedora in winter. He is always full of energy, laughing and laughing, and laughing from time to time.

Professor Dai of Sun Yat-sen University called it "eloquent and well known". Mr. Xu has lived in an old two-bedroom apartment and hasn't moved since the 1950s. When you climb the oldest building in Beiwai, push open the crimson door and walk through the long hall, fortunately, you can see Lao Xu reading a book, reading a newspaper or writing an article on the wooden chair by the window in the study, and there is always a tall plum blossom basin in the room. ...

Ji Xianlin, who is over 80 years old, can still clearly recall: "He planted peas in his small garden, picked some of the fattest ones several times and delivered them to my home in person. As you can imagine, these rare peas tasted in my mouth at that time and contained mellow friendship. It is not enough to describe them as "delicious" and "crispy" in ordinary words. Only by using the word "Hehe" in myths and legends, and only by using Sanskrit words such as amra (the medicine of immortality), can it be expressed in case. "

Whenever guests visit, Mrs. Xu (Ms. Huang Huairen) always puts an alarm clock on the coffee table to remind them to stop talking regularly, for fear that the conversation will affect Mr. Xu's work and rest. After Mrs. Xu left the study, Mr. Xu secretly pressed the stop button of the alarm clock. Mrs. Xu felt something was wrong when she saw that the alarm clock didn't go off for a long time. At this time, Mr. Xu laughed and looked like an "old urchin".

Lao Xu has a dream: when the English Channel Tunnel between Britain and France is opened, he will take his wife, that is, his life-long soul mate, from Beijing to Cambridge by train! (Mrs. Xu has a principle: don't travel by plane, stand firm! )

Now, xu teacher has left with his poetic dream. It should be said that his persistence in life far exceeds the temptation of death. 1In late May, 1993, Lao Xu returned to Beijing to give lectures from Europe, and fell ill due to years of fatigue. In September of the following year, 1 1 died at home due to myocardial infarction at the age of 79.

With his wife gone, Ms. Huang Huairen still thinks about him day and night, about his rheumatic foot disease, about his nap after dinner, about his favorite lotus flower, and about his last tooth filling ... Lao Xu died, childless. And Lao Xu's students are full of peaches and plums, with more than 10 million, so Xu Guozhang's life flies over infinity. ...

From People, No.9, 2000, ISBN:10 [222222]13 [9782222224]

Press: Beijing Foreign Language Audio-visual Publishing House

Publication date: unknown

Pricing: ￥ 14.00 yuan