hsk 6 lesson 8 with pinyin and English translation

Lesson 8   遇见原来的我   

Meeting the old me  

Yùjiàn yuánlái de wǒ

遇见原来的我  

Meeting the old me

Rúguǒ yǒu yītiān, 

如果有一天，

If one day, 

nǐ kàn dào zìjǐ yīng'ér shíqí de yī zhāng zhàopiàn, 

你看到自己婴儿时期的一张照片，

you see a photo of yourself as a baby, 

nǐ néng rèn chū zìjǐ ma?

你能认出自己吗？

can you recognize yourself?

Yěxǔ nǐ huì yīxià zǐ rèn chū zìjǐ, 

也许你会一下子认出自己，

Maybe you will recognize yourself all of a sudden, 

yīnwèi nǐ juédé nǐ yīzhí dōu shì nǐ, 

因为你觉得你一直都是你，

because you feel that you have always been you, 

dàn shíjì shàng, 

但实际上，

but in fact, 

cóng pāi zhàopiàn de nà yīkè qǐ, 

从拍照片的那一刻起，

from the moment you took the photo, 

nǐ de shēnshang yǐjīng fāshēngle fāntiānfùdì de biànhuà.

你的身上已经发生了翻天覆地的变化。

you have undergone earth-shaking changes.

Bǐrú shuō, 

比如说，

For example, 

nǐ de pífū zì nǐ chūshēng yǐlái yǐjīng bèi gēngxīn 130 duō cìle.

你的皮肤自你出生以来已经被更新130多次了。

your skin has been updated more than 130 times since you were born.

Nǐ de jiǔwō bùjiànle,

你的酒窝不见了，

Your dimple is gone,

5 suì nà nián, 

5岁那年，

When you were 5 years old, 

nǐ cóng gāo chù wǎng xià bèng, 

你从高处往下蹦，

you jumped down from a height 

diédǎole, 

跌倒了，

and fell down,

liǎn shàng liú xià de bāhén yǎngàile tā.

脸上留下的疤痕掩盖了它。

the scar on your face covered it.

Nǐ de dànǎo yǐjīng bǐ pāi zhào shí zēngjiāle 2~3 bèi de zhòngliàng.

你的大脑已经比拍照时增加了2~3倍的重量。

Your brain has increased its weight by 2 to 3 times compared to when it was taken.

Rúguǒ nǐ quèxìn nǐ jiùshì nǐ, 

如果你确信你就是你，

If you are sure that you are you, 

bùguǎn zěnyàng biànhuà, 

不管怎样变化，

no matter how you change, 

nàme, zhàopiàn shàng de yīng'ér dàodǐ shì bùshì nǐ?

那么，照片上的婴儿到底是不是你？

so, is the baby on the photo?

Shì xiànzài de nǐ, 

是现在的你，

Is it you now, 

háishì yīgè bùtóng de guòqù de nǐ?

还是一个不同的过去的你？

or a different you in the past?

Rúguǒ shì guòqù de nǐ, 

如果是过去的你，

If it is the past you, 

nàme, yǒu duōshǎo gè guòqù de nǐ?

那么，有多少个过去的你？

then, how many of you are there in the past?

Shì bùshì hái huì yǒu gèng duō de bùtóng de nǐ?

是不是还会有更多的不同的你？

Is there going to be more different from you?

Nǐ yòng diànnǎo shēngchéngle yī zhāng nǐ 50 suì shí de túpiàn, 

你用电脑生成了一张你50岁时的图片，

You used a computer to generate a picture of you when you were 50 years old. 

duì nǐ ér yán, jiù xiàng kàn yīgè mòshēng rén.

对你而言，就像看一个陌生人。

to you, it's like seeing a stranger.

Yǒuguān běntǐ de wèntí, kùnrǎole zhéxué jiā 2500 duōnián.

有关本体的问题，困扰了哲学家2500多年。

The question of ontology has plagued philosophers for more than 2500 years.

Shénme shì běntǐ?

什么是本体？

What is ontology?

Zhèlǐ shuō de běntǐ jiùshì wǒmen de sīxiǎng huò shēntǐ.

这里说的本体就是我们的思想或身体。

The main part mentioned here is our mind or body.

Hèlākèlì tè bǎ zìwǒ bǐyù wéi yītiáo hé, 

赫拉克利特把自我比喻为一条河，

Heraclitus compares the self to a river, 

héliú liúdòng shí huì chéngxiàn chū bùtóng de zhuàngtài, 

河流流动时会呈现出不同的状态，

which takes on different states when it flows, 

dàn tā shǐzhōng shì gùyǒu de nà tiáo hé.

但它始终是固有的那条河。

but it is always the inherent river.

Tā jiāng zìjǐ de guāndiǎn chǎnshù wèi: 

他将自己的观点阐述为：

He expounded his point of view as: 

bùguǎn nǐ biànhuàle duōshǎo, 

不管你变化了多少，

No matter how much you change, 

shǐzhōng zhǐyǒu yīgè nǐ.

始终只有一个你。

there is always only one you.

Dàwèi·Xiūmó bù tóngyì “liánxù de zìwǒ” de guāndiǎn.

大卫·休谟2不同意 “连续的自我” 的观点。

David Hume disagrees with the "continuous self" view.

Tā shì zhèyàng chénshù zìjǐ de.

他是这样陈述自己的。

This is how he stated himself.

Jiànjiě de: “Wǒmen de sīxiǎng, shì liánxù bùduàn de rèn zhī zǔchéng de yǎnbiàn guòchéng”.

见解的：“我们的思想，是连续不断的认知组成的演变过程”。

Insightful: "Our thoughts are a continuous evolutionary process of cognitive composition."

Ér nǐ kěyǐ tuīcè, 

而你可以推测，

And you can speculate that, 

pìrú, 

譬如，

for example, 

yīng'ér Dàwèi de yóuhuà chéngxiàn de shì yīgè yǔ chéngnián Dàwèi lèisì de rén, 

婴儿大卫的油画呈现的是一个与成年大卫类似的人，

the oil painting of Baby David shows a person similar to the adult David, 

bìngfēi wánquán xiāngtóng.

并非完全相同。

but not exactly the same.

Zhéxué jiāmen duì běntǐ de wèntí gèshūjǐjiàn, 

哲学家们对本体的问题各抒己见，

The philosophers have expressed their opinions on the issue of ontology, 

wǒmen què zài xiǎng yīxiē gèng wèi shíjì de wèntí,

我们却在想一些更为实际的问题，

but we are thinking about some more practical issues. 

 jiǎrú Xiūmó shì duì de, 

假如休谟是对的，

If Hume is right, 

nàme cóng xiànzài kāishǐ,

那么从现在开始，

then from now on, 

10 nián hòu nǐ jiù huì chéngwéi lìng yīgè rén, 

10年后你就会成为另一个人，

10 years later you will become another person, 

nǐ hái xūyào zūnshǒu xiànzài de nǐ zuò chū de chéngnuò ma?

你还需要遵守现在的你做出的承诺吗？

do you need to follow the promises you made now?

Huòzhě shuō, 

或者说，

In other words, 

yīgè bèi tōngjīle 15 nián de zuìfàn, 

一个被通缉了15年的罪犯，

a criminal who has been wanted for 15 years 

jīntiān hái yīnggāi wèi dāngchū chùfàn fǎlǜ de xíngwéi shòudào chéngfá ma?

今天还应该为当初触犯法律的行为受到惩罚吗？

should still be punished today for his violation of the law?

Wǒmen měi gèrén dōu huì fāshēng biànhuà.

我们每个人都会发生变化。

Each of us will change.

Pìrú, 

譬如，

For example, 

nǐ qù zhěngxíng, 

你去整形，

if you go for plastic surgery, 

nǐ yīn wéi guòyú yōuyù ér chī yào, 

你因为过于忧郁而吃药，

you take medicine because you are too depressed, 

nǐ zuò xīn, fèi huòzhě qítā qìguān yízhí shǒushù, 

你做心、肺或者其他器官移植手术，

and you undergo heart, lung or other organ transplants, 

zhèxiē dōu huì zhújiàn gǎibiàn nǐ de miànmào, qíngxù hé xíngwéi, 

这些都会逐渐改变你的面貌、情绪和行为，

these will gradually change your appearance, mood, and behavior. 

nǐ háishì nǐ ma?

你还是你吗？

Are you still you?

Délǐ kè·pàfēitè yǒu yīgè jíduān dé kòng qián jué hòu de jiǎshè, 

德里克·帕菲特有一个极端得空前绝后的假设，

Derek Parfet has an extreme assumption that is unmatched. 

lìrú jiāng tā de dànǎo yī fēn wéi èr, 

例如将他的大脑一分为二，

For example, if he divides his brain into two 

yízhí jìn lìngwài liǎng gè shēntǐ zhōng, 

移植进另外两个身体中，

and transplants it into two other bodies, 

liǎng gèrén shù hòu cóng hūnmí zhōng qīngxǐng guòlái, 

两个人术后从昏迷中清醒过来，

two people wake up from a coma after the operation, 

dōu huì rènwéi:

都会认为：

and they will think: 

“Wǒ shì Délǐkè.”

“我是德里克。”

"I am Derek."

Dànshì, Délǐkè bù kěnéng shì liǎng gèrén, 

但是，德里克不可能是两个人，

However, Derek cannot be two people, 

tā yě bù kěnéng zhǐshì qízhōng de yīgè.

他也不可能只是其中的一个。

nor can he be just one of them.

Yóu cǐ, tā dé chū jiélùn:

由此，他得出结论：

From this, he concluded: 

“Gèrén de běntǐ bìng bùshì zhēnzhèng zhòngyào de shìqíng.”

“个人的本体并不是真正重要的事情。”

"The identity of the individual is not really important."

Bù mán nǐ shuō, 

不瞒你说，

To tell you the truth, 

duì zhège wèntí, wǒ shì zhèyàng xiǎng de: 

对这个问题，我是这样想的：

I think about this issue like this: 

Zhéxué jiāmen de yánlùn, xuéshuō lí wǒmen shífēn yáoyuǎn, 

哲学家们的言论、学说离我们十分遥远，

the words and doctrines of philosophers are very far away from us, 

wǒmen bù huì xiànrù běntǐ de sīsuǒ, 

我们不会陷入本体的思索，

we will not fall into ontological thinking, 

wǒmen yě bù huì shèxiǎng jiāng dànǎo yízhí gěi liǎng gèrén, 

我们也不会设想将大脑移植给两个人，

and we will not imagine transplanting the brain to two people. 

nà jiǎnzhí jiùshì ná zìjǐ de xìngmìng kāiwánxiào, 

那简直就是拿自己的性命开玩笑，

that is simply Joking about our lives, 

wǒmen zhǐ xiǎng wú yōu wú lǜ de guòrìzi.

我们只想无忧无虑地过日子。

we just want to live carefree.

Kěshì, huì bù huì yǒu yītiān, 

可是，会不会有一天，

But, will you wake up one day 

nǐ xǐng lái, gǎnjué jīntiān de wǒ bù xiàng yuánlái de wǒ, 

你醒来，感觉今天的我不像原来的我，

and feel that today's me is not like the original me, 

ér xiàng shì yīgè zhǎnxīn de wǒle ne?

而像是一个崭新的我了呢？

but like a brand new me?

Gǎibiān zì “tónglíng niǎo·wèn nǐ wèn wǒ” tóngmíng wénzhāng, zuòzhě: Xīnxīyà·lái wén sēn (Cynthia Levinson), fānyì: Kǎi xī

改编自《同龄鸟·问你问我》同名文章，作者：辛西娅·莱文森（Cynthia Levinson),翻译：凯西

Adapted from the article of the same name in "Birds of the Same Age: Ask You Ask Me", author: Cynthia Levinson, translation: Casey

Full Translation:

Meeting the old me

If one day, you see a photo of yourself as a baby, can you recognize yourself? Maybe you will recognize yourself all of a sudden, because you feel that you have always been you, but in fact, from the moment you took the photo, you have undergone earth-shaking changes.

For example, your skin has been updated more than 130 times since you were born. Your dimple is gone, when you were 5 years old, you jumped down from a height and fell down, the scar on your face covered it. Your brain has increased its weight by 2 to 3 times compared to when it was taken.

If you are sure that you are you, no matter how you change, so, is the baby on the photo? Is it you now, or a different you in the past? If it is the past you, then, how many of you are there in the past? Is there going to be more different from you?

You used a computer to generate a picture of you when you were 50 years old, to you, it's like seeing a stranger. The question of ontology has plagued philosophers for more than 2500 years. What is ontology?

The main part mentioned here is our mind or body. Heraclitus compares the self to a river, 

which takes on different states when it flows, but it is always the inherent river. He expounded his point of view as: No matter how much you change, there is always only one you.

David Hume disagrees with the "continuous self" view. This is how he stated himself. Insightful: "Our thoughts are a continuous evolutionary process of cognitive composition." And you can speculate that, for example, the oil painting of Baby David shows a person similar to the adult David, but not exactly the same.

The philosophers have expressed their opinions on the issue of ontology, but we are thinking about some more practical issues. If Hume is right, then from now on, 10 years later you will become another person, do you need to follow the promises you made now?

In other words, a criminal who has been wanted for 15 years should still be punished today for his violation of the law? Each of us will change. For example, if you go for plastic surgery, you take medicine because you are too depressed, and you undergo heart, lung or other organ transplants, these will gradually change your appearance, mood, and behavior. Are you still you?

Derek Parfet has an extreme assumption that is unmatched. For example, if he divides his brain into two and transplants it into two other bodies, two people wake up from a coma after the operation, and they will think: "I am Derek." However, Derek cannot be two people, nor can he be just one of them.

From this, he concluded: "The identity of the individual is not really important." To tell you the truth, I think about this issue like this: the words and doctrines of philosophers are very far away from us, we will not fall into ontological thinking, and we will not imagine transplanting the brain to two people. That is simply Joking about our lives, we just want to live carefree.

But, will you wake up one day and feel that today's me is not like the original me, but like a brand new me?

HSK 6 lesson 8 audio with pinyin and English translation 👇

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