原文: On growing old gracefully This desire to grow old and in any case to appear old is understandable when one understands the premium generally placed upon old age in China. In the first place, it is a privilege of the old people to talk, while the young must listen and hold their tongue. “A young man is supposed to have ears and no mouth,” as a Chinese saying goes. Men of twenty are supposed to listen when men of forty are talking. As the desire to talk and to be listened to is almost universal, it is evident that the further along one gets in years, the better chance he has to talk and to be listened to when he goes about in society. It is a game of life in which no one is favored, for everyone has a chance of becoming old in his time. Thus a father lecturing his son is obliged to stop suddenly and change his demeanor the moment the grandmother opens her mouth. Of course he wishes to be in the grandmother’s place. And it is quite fair, for what right have the young to open their mouth when the old men can say, “I have crossed more bridges than you have crossed streets!” What right have the young got to talk?