Do you konw who is the most well-known person in China?
The name of this person is a household word all over the country. His surname is Cha and his given name Buduo, which altogether means About the Same. He is a native of every province, every county and every village. You must have seen or heard about him. His name is always on the clips of everybody, because he is a representative of the whole Chinese nation.
Mr. Cha Buduo has the same physiognomy as you and I. He has a pair of eyes, but doesn't see clearly. He has a pair of ears, but doesn't hear well. He has a nose and a mouth, but lacks a keen sense of smell and taste. His brain is none too small, but he is weak in memory and sloppy in thinking.
He often says." Whatever we do, it's OK to be just about right. What's the use of being precise and accurate?"
One day, when he was a child, his mother sent him out to buy her some brown sugar. He returned with some white sugar instead. As his mother scolded him about it, he shook his head and said," Brown sugar or white sugar aren't they about the same?"
One day in school, the teacher asked him," Which province borders Hebei on the west?" He answered," Shaanxi." The teacher corrected him," You are wrong. It's Shanxi, not Shaanxi." He retorted," Shaanxi or Shanxi aren't they about the same?"
Later he served as an assistant in a money shop. He could write and calculate all right, but his mathematics were often faulty. He would mistake the Chinese character 十(meaning 10) for 千(meaning 1,000) or vice versa. The shop owner was infuriated and often took him to task. He would only explain apologetically with a grin," The character 千 differs from 十 in merely having one additional short stroke. Aren't they about the same?"
One day, he wanted to go to Shanghai by train on urgent business. But he arrived at the railway station unhurriedly, only to find the train already gone, because he was two minutes late. He stood staring helplessly at the smoke belching from the diminishing train, and shook his head," Well, all I can do is to leave tomorrow. After all. today and tomorrow are about the same. But isn't the railway company taking it too seriously? What's the difference between departing at 8:30 and 8:32?" He walked home slowly while talking to himself and kept puzzling over why the train hadn't waited him for another 2 minutes.
One day, he suddenly fell ill and told one of his family to fetch Dr. Wāng on East Street. The latter went in a hurry and couldn't find the physician on East Street. So he fetched instead Veterinarian Wáng of West Street. Mr. Cha Buduo lying on his sickbed, knew that a wrong person had been brought back home. But what with pain and worry, he could not afford to wait any longer. So he said to himself," Luckily, Dr. Wāng is about the same as Vet Wáng. Why not let Vet Wáng have a try?" Thereupon Vet Wáng walked up to his bed to work on him as if he were a cow. Consequently, Mr. Cha Buduo kicked the bucket before one hour was out.
When Mr. Cha Buduo was about to breathe his last, he uttered intermittently in one mouth," Live or die, it's about...about...the same...whatever we do...it's ok...to be just...just all right...why...why...take it...so seriously?" As soon as he finished this pet phrase of his, he stopped breathing.
After Mr. Cha Buduo's death, people all praised him for his way of seeing through things and his philosophical approach to life. They said that he refused to take things seriously and never calculate or particular about personal gains and losses. They called him a virtuous man and honored him with the posthumous reverent title of Master of Easy-Going.
His name has spread far and wide and become more and more celebrated with passing of time. Innumerable people has come to follow his example and everybody has become a Mr. Cha Buduo. But China will hence be a nation of lazybones!
——张培基 译
【原文】：《差不多先生传》——胡适
你知道中国有名的人是谁？
提起此人，人人皆晓，处处闻名，他姓差，名不多，是各省各县各村人氏。你一定见过他，一定听别人谈起他。差不多先生的名字天天挂在大家的口头上，因为他是中国全国人的代表。
差不多先生的相貌和你我都差不多。他有一双眼睛，但看的不很清楚；有两只耳朵，但听的不很分明；有鼻子和嘴，但他对于气味和口味都不很讲究；他的脑子也不小，但他的记书性却不很精明，他的思想也不很细密。
他常常说：“凡事只要差不多，就好了。何必太精明呢？”
他小的时候，他妈叫他去买红糖，他买了白糖回来，他妈骂他，他摇摇头道：“红糖白糖不是差不多吗？” ——他在学堂的时候，先生问他：“直隶省的西边是哪一省？”他说是陕西。先生说：“错了。是山西，不是陕西。”他说：“陕西同山西不是差不多吗？”
后来他在一个钱铺里做伙计，他也会写，也会算，只是总不精细，十字常常写成千字，千字常常写成十字。掌柜的生气了，常常骂他，他只是笑嘻嘻地赔小心道：“千字比十字只多一小撇，不是差不多吗？”
有一天，他为了一件要紧的事，要搭火车到上海去。他从从容容地走到火车站，迟了两分钟，火车已开走了。他白瞪着眼，望着远远的火车上的煤烟，摇摇头道：“只好明天再走了，今天走同明天走，也还差不多。可是火车公司，未免太认真了。8点30分开，同8点32分开，不是差不多吗？”他一面说，一面慢慢地走回家，心里总不很明白为什么火车不肯等他两分钟。
有一天，他忽然得一急病，赶快叫家人去请东街的汪先生。那家人急急忙忙地跑去，一时寻不着东街汪大夫，却把西街的牛医王大夫请来了。差不多先生病在床上，知道寻错了人，但病急了，身上痛苦，心里焦急，等不得了，心里想到：“好在王大夫同汪大夫也差不多，让他试试看吧。”于是这位牛医王大夫走近床前，用医牛的法子给差不多先生治病。不上一点钟，差不多先生就一命呜呼了。差不多先生差不多要死的时候，一口气断断续续地说道：“活人同死人也差……差……差……不多……凡是只要……差……差……不多……就……好了……何……何……必……太……太认真呢？”他说完这句格言，方才绝气了。
他死后，大家都很称赞差不多先生样样事情看得破，想得通，大家都说他一生不肯认真，不肯算帐，不肯计较，真是一位有德行的人，于是大家给他取个死后的法号，叫他做圆通大师。
他的名誉越传越远，越久越大。无数无数都学他的榜样。于是人人都成了一个差不多先生——然而中国从此就成了一个懒人国了。
The name of this person is a household word all over the country. His surname is Cha and his given name Buduo, which altogether means About the Same. He is a native of every province, every county and every village. You must have seen or heard about him. His name is always on the clips of everybody, because he is a representative of the whole Chinese nation.
Mr. Cha Buduo has the same physiognomy as you and I. He has a pair of eyes, but doesn't see clearly. He has a pair of ears, but doesn't hear well. He has a nose and a mouth, but lacks a keen sense of smell and taste. His brain is none too small, but he is weak in memory and sloppy in thinking.
He often says." Whatever we do, it's OK to be just about right. What's the use of being precise and accurate?"
One day, when he was a child, his mother sent him out to buy her some brown sugar. He returned with some white sugar instead. As his mother scolded him about it, he shook his head and said," Brown sugar or white sugar aren't they about the same?"
One day in school, the teacher asked him," Which province borders Hebei on the west?" He answered," Shaanxi." The teacher corrected him," You are wrong. It's Shanxi, not Shaanxi." He retorted," Shaanxi or Shanxi aren't they about the same?"
Later he served as an assistant in a money shop. He could write and calculate all right, but his mathematics were often faulty. He would mistake the Chinese character 十(meaning 10) for 千(meaning 1,000) or vice versa. The shop owner was infuriated and often took him to task. He would only explain apologetically with a grin," The character 千 differs from 十 in merely having one additional short stroke. Aren't they about the same?"
One day, he wanted to go to Shanghai by train on urgent business. But he arrived at the railway station unhurriedly, only to find the train already gone, because he was two minutes late. He stood staring helplessly at the smoke belching from the diminishing train, and shook his head," Well, all I can do is to leave tomorrow. After all. today and tomorrow are about the same. But isn't the railway company taking it too seriously? What's the difference between departing at 8:30 and 8:32?" He walked home slowly while talking to himself and kept puzzling over why the train hadn't waited him for another 2 minutes.
One day, he suddenly fell ill and told one of his family to fetch Dr. Wāng on East Street. The latter went in a hurry and couldn't find the physician on East Street. So he fetched instead Veterinarian Wáng of West Street. Mr. Cha Buduo lying on his sickbed, knew that a wrong person had been brought back home. But what with pain and worry, he could not afford to wait any longer. So he said to himself," Luckily, Dr. Wāng is about the same as Vet Wáng. Why not let Vet Wáng have a try?" Thereupon Vet Wáng walked up to his bed to work on him as if he were a cow. Consequently, Mr. Cha Buduo kicked the bucket before one hour was out.
When Mr. Cha Buduo was about to breathe his last, he uttered intermittently in one mouth," Live or die, it's about...about...the same...whatever we do...it's ok...to be just...just all right...why...why...take it...so seriously?" As soon as he finished this pet phrase of his, he stopped breathing.
After Mr. Cha Buduo's death, people all praised him for his way of seeing through things and his philosophical approach to life. They said that he refused to take things seriously and never calculate or particular about personal gains and losses. They called him a virtuous man and honored him with the posthumous reverent title of Master of Easy-Going.
His name has spread far and wide and become more and more celebrated with passing of time. Innumerable people has come to follow his example and everybody has become a Mr. Cha Buduo. But China will hence be a nation of lazybones!
——张培基 译
【原文】：《差不多先生传》——胡适
你知道中国有名的人是谁？
提起此人，人人皆晓，处处闻名，他姓差，名不多，是各省各县各村人氏。你一定见过他，一定听别人谈起他。差不多先生的名字天天挂在大家的口头上，因为他是中国全国人的代表。
差不多先生的相貌和你我都差不多。他有一双眼睛，但看的不很清楚；有两只耳朵，但听的不很分明；有鼻子和嘴，但他对于气味和口味都不很讲究；他的脑子也不小，但他的记书性却不很精明，他的思想也不很细密。
他常常说：“凡事只要差不多，就好了。何必太精明呢？”
他小的时候，他妈叫他去买红糖，他买了白糖回来，他妈骂他，他摇摇头道：“红糖白糖不是差不多吗？” ——他在学堂的时候，先生问他：“直隶省的西边是哪一省？”他说是陕西。先生说：“错了。是山西，不是陕西。”他说：“陕西同山西不是差不多吗？”
后来他在一个钱铺里做伙计，他也会写，也会算，只是总不精细，十字常常写成千字，千字常常写成十字。掌柜的生气了，常常骂他，他只是笑嘻嘻地赔小心道：“千字比十字只多一小撇，不是差不多吗？”
有一天，他为了一件要紧的事，要搭火车到上海去。他从从容容地走到火车站，迟了两分钟，火车已开走了。他白瞪着眼，望着远远的火车上的煤烟，摇摇头道：“只好明天再走了，今天走同明天走，也还差不多。可是火车公司，未免太认真了。8点30分开，同8点32分开，不是差不多吗？”他一面说，一面慢慢地走回家，心里总不很明白为什么火车不肯等他两分钟。
有一天，他忽然得一急病，赶快叫家人去请东街的汪先生。那家人急急忙忙地跑去，一时寻不着东街汪大夫，却把西街的牛医王大夫请来了。差不多先生病在床上，知道寻错了人，但病急了，身上痛苦，心里焦急，等不得了，心里想到：“好在王大夫同汪大夫也差不多，让他试试看吧。”于是这位牛医王大夫走近床前，用医牛的法子给差不多先生治病。不上一点钟，差不多先生就一命呜呼了。差不多先生差不多要死的时候，一口气断断续续地说道：“活人同死人也差……差……差……不多……凡是只要……差……差……不多……就……好了……何……何……必……太……太认真呢？”他说完这句格言，方才绝气了。
他死后，大家都很称赞差不多先生样样事情看得破，想得通，大家都说他一生不肯认真，不肯算帐，不肯计较，真是一位有德行的人，于是大家给他取个死后的法号，叫他做圆通大师。
他的名誉越传越远，越久越大。无数无数都学他的榜样。于是人人都成了一个差不多先生——然而中国从此就成了一个懒人国了。
