The 128 most classic philosophical essays in the world

Chapter 86 Talking
[China] Wang Li
Speaking is the easiest thing, but also the hardest thing.

Speaking is the easiest thing and the hardest thing.The easiest, because 3-year-olds can also speak; the hardest, because diplomats who are good at rhetoric sometimes say the wrong thing.

There are more than one kind of people who can talk: what they say has something to say, but it is actually the voice of their hearts, and every word has an effect, and it is full of emotion. This is the first type; It is the second type; scientific logic, careful consideration of every word, impeccable, well-organized, this is the third type; laughing and cursing, acting as if there is no one else around, full of arrogance and harmony, all four are spring, this is the fourth type; sitting silently, waiting for work at ease, occasionally speaking , as fast as a frost knife, this is the fifth type; Qiqi Ai Ai, implicitly implying the front of the word, seemingly slow and substantive, using defense as offense, this is the sixth type.Although the factions of these people are different, there are actually similarities in the same way but the same effect.It is generally liked to use the word "eloquent" to describe a person who can speak, but this is actually a very inappropriate adjective.Shrews are often eloquent when they swear in the street, and people who sell plasters in the rivers and lakes are even more eloquent. However, we do not admit that they can speak, because they set the standard for the word "will" differently from ordinary people.

There is another way of socializing, and some people are very good at it.Praise others with a sense of proportion, scold others with restraint, and boast like self-humility. These skills can be understood, but not conveyed in words.Although some people hate glib people, how many people can actually not be fooled by glib?The opposite of the glib is speaking without knowing how to advance or retreat, and not knowing the height of eyebrows and eyes.Wanting to raise one's self-worth, unknowingly lowers the status of others; wanting to flatter others, unknowingly using some offensive words.The problem with this kind of person is that they pretend to be able to speak, and finally suffer the loss of speaking.I once heard a gentleman compliment a bride and say: "People say that the bride is ugly, but I don't think it is ugly." This kind of person should study psychology for ten years before he compliments others!

Some people are too silent, probably because they are afraid of saying the wrong thing, and sometimes because they only choose useful words to say.In fact, although this kind of person is cautious, he may not be able to count.The less you speak, the less you can speak, so the mistakes in a few sentences may not be less than those in other people's high-spirited speeches.As for choosing useful words, this is also a wrong view.The wonderful thing about a person who can talk is to turn uselessness into usefulness and use some gossip to achieve his intentions.Those who can play chess are not idle, and those who can talk are not idle.

Some people are too talkative. Not only do they want to talk more, but they also don't allow others to talk too much.In this way, it becomes a rumor.People who like to rush to talk often ask others to let him finish speaking. In fact, judging from his eloquent appearance, if he waits for him to finish speaking, he will be waiting for He Zhiqing!This kind of person seems to regard speaking as a great right, and insists on monopolizing everything, and refuses to share everyone's interests.Occasionally, the person who meets the conversation also likes to rush to talk, which leads to a deadlock.As a result, no one would let anyone else go. Everyone just talked and refused to listen, so the meaning of speaking was completely lost.

Interrupting and going in circles is the art of speaking.Interruption is often a disguised form of ignorance or rejection. "Wang Gu talked about him from left to right", this is how King Hui of Liang hit Mencius once.Going around in circles is often used to make speech euphemistic, but sometimes it can also be used to swear in circles.Swearing in circles is "sarcasm"; people who say sarcasm think they are extremely smart, and they like to talk about it with others afterwards to show their art of speaking.However, people who like "sarcasm" are close to villains after all, because they are neither generous nor happy.

Another art of talking is playing tricks.Whatever someone said, just follow what he said to make your own arguments.This is called "Using the spear of the son, stabbing the shield of the son", and it often silences the other party.However, if taken out of context, or deliberately misinterpreted, it becomes boring.

The above-mentioned interrupting, going around in circles, and playing tricks are all applicable when scolding each other.To interrupt is to dodge, to go around in circles is to set up an array, and to catch something is to fight back.It's a pity: Most of the people who scold each other are angry, unwilling to interrupt, impatient to go around in circles, and forget to catch the handle.From this point of view, the condition for cursing to win is to keep a cool head.A shrew often wins when she quarrels with others, not necessarily because she is particularly good at talking, but because she treats swearing as a kind of entertainment, so she can "take time off" so that her usual speaking skills will not be reduced by anger.

Speaking is easier than writing, because there is no need to look up a dictionary, and there is no need to worry about writing white characters; at the same time, speaking is more difficult than writing, because there is no time for careful consideration and deliberation.Based on the latter reason, a person like me who is extremely unable to speak actually wrote an article about "talking".

Heart mark notes
It is often said that "speaking is better than singing", which shows that speaking is also an art.Speaking is a combination of various activities, including mental thinking and guessing, physical mouth movement, movements and facial expressions. To be a good speaker, these activities must be coordinated with each other, and the steps must be consistent. Go into each other's heart.The article makes a high-level summary of the characteristics of the six "talking" people. "Speaking" is not nonsense or nonsense, but just right.Talking a lot does not mean being able to speak, but talking too much is pleasant to the ears and makes sense, so one can be said to be able to speak.It's not that he can't speak much, but he hides it deeply, and often a word is worth a lot of money.

(End of this chapter)