原文

“废话！”“别废话！”“少说废话！”都是些不客气的语句，用来批评或阻止别人的话的。这可以是严厉的申斥，可以只是亲密的玩笑，要看参加的人，说的话，和用这些语句的口气。“废”和“费”两个不同的字，一般好像表示同样的意思，其实有分别。旧小说里似乎多用“费话”，现代才多用“废话”。前者着重在啰嗦，啰嗦所以无用；后者着重在无用，无用就觉啰嗦。平常说“废物”，“废料”，都指斥无用，“废话”正是一类。“费”是“白费”，“浪费”，虽然指斥，还是就原说话人自己着想，好像还在给他打算似的。“废”却是听话的人直截指斥，不再拐那个弯儿，细味起来该是更不客气些。不过约定俗成，我们还是用“废”为正字。

道家教人“得意而忘言”，言既该忘，到头儿岂非废话？佛家告人真如“不可说”，禅宗更指出“开口便错”：所有言说，到头儿全是废话。他们说言不足以尽意，根本怀疑语言，所以有这种话。说这种话时虽然自己暂时超出人外言外，可是还得有这种话，还得用言来“忘言”，说那“不可说”的。这虽然可以不算矛盾，却是不可解的连环。所有的话到头来都是废话，可是人活着得说些废话，到头来废话还是不可废的。道学家教人少作诗文，说是“玩物丧志”，说是“害道”，那么诗文成了废话，这所谓诗文指表情的作品而言。但是诗文是否真是废话呢？

跟着道家佛家站在高一层看，道学家一切的话也都不免废话；让他们自己在人内言内看，诗文也并不真是废话。人有情有理，一般地看，理就在情中，所以俗话说“讲情理”。俗话也可以说“讲理”，“讲道理”，其实讲的还是“情理”；不然讲死理或死讲理怎么会叫做“不通人情”呢？道学家只看在理上，想要将情抹杀，诗文所以成了废话。但谁能无情？谁不活在情里？人一辈子多半在表情的活着；人一辈子好像总在说理，叙事，其实很少同时不在不知不觉中表情的。“天气好！”“吃饭了”？岂不都是废话？可是老在人嘴里说着。看个朋友商量事儿，有时得闲闲说来：言归正传，写信也常如此。外交辞令更是不着边际的多。——战国时触誊说赵太后，也正仗着那一番废话。再说人生是个动，行是动，言也是动；人一辈子一半是行，一半是言。一辈子说话作文，若是都说道理，哪有这么多道理？况且谁能老是那么矜持着？人生其实多一半在说废话。诗文就是这种废话。得有点废话，我们才活得有意思。

有但诗文，就是儿歌，民谣，故事，笑话，甚至无意义的接字歌，绕口令等等，也都给人安慰，让人活得有意思。所以儿童和民众爱这些废话，不但儿童和民众、文人、读书人也渐渐爱上了这些。英国吉士特顿曾经提倡“无意义的话”，并曾推荐那本《无意义的书》，正是儿歌等等的选本。这些其实就可以译为“废话”和“废话书”，不过这些废话是无意义的。吉士特顿大概觉得那些有意义的废话还不够“废”的，所以百尺竿头更进一步。在繁剧的现代生活里，这种无意义的废话倒是可以慰情，可以给我们休息，让我们暂时忘记一切。这是受用，也就是让我们活得有意思。——就是说理，有时也用得着废话，如逻辑家无意义的例句“张三是大于”，“人类是黑的”等。这些废话最见出所谓无用之用；那些有意义的，其实也都以无用为用。有人曾称一些学者为“有用的废物”，我们也不妨如法炮制，称这些有意义的和无意义的废话为“有用的废话”。废是无用，到头来不可废，就又是有用了。

话说回来，废话都有用么？也不然。汉代申公说，“为政不在多言，顾力行何如耳。”“多言”就是废话。为政该表现于行事，空言不能起信；无论怎么好听，怎么有道理，不能兑现的支票总是废物，不能实践的空言总是废话。这种巧语花言到头来只教人感到欺骗，生出怨望，我们无须“多言”，大家都明白这种废话真是废话。有些人说话爱跑野马，闹得“游骑无归”。有些人作文“下笔千言，离题万里”。但是离题万里跑野马，若能别开生面，倒也很有意思。只怕老在圈儿外兜圈子，兜来兜去老在圈儿外，那就千言万语也是白饶，只教人又腻味又着急。这种才是“知难”；正为不知，所以总说不到紧要去处。这种也真是废话。还有人爱重复别人的话。别人演说，他给提纲挈领；别人谈话，他也给提纲挈领。若是那演说谈话够复杂的或者够杂乱的，我们倒也乐意有人这么来一下。可是别人说得清清楚楚的，他还要来一下，甚至你自己和他谈话，他也要对你来一下——妙在丝毫不觉，老那么津津有味的，真教人啼笑皆非。其实谁能不重复别人的话，古人的，今人的？但是得变化，加上时代的色彩，境地的色彩，或者自我的色彩，总让人觉着有点儿新鲜玩意儿才成。不然真是废话，无用的废话！

英译

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!