丘成桐先生在香港中文大学的演讲：我的数学经历

12Igrewupinthe(farming)countrysideofHongKong:YuenLongandShatin.Therewasnoelectricityandnopipewater.ItookbathintheriverwhenIwasveryyoung.Ihaveeightbrothersandsistersandfoodwasscarce.WhenIwasfiveyearsold,Itookanentranceexaminationtoagoodpublicschool.IfailedmathematicsbecauseImadethewrongconvention:Iwrote57tobe75,69tobe96.3SoIenteredaverysmallvillageschool.Thereweremanyroughkidsfromthefarm.Inamatterofhalfayear,Igotserioussickbecauseoftheintimidationoftheroughkidsandmistreatmentoftheteacher.Irestedathomeforhalfayear.Istartedtolearnhowtodealwithdifficultsituationwithclassmatesandteachers.BythetimewhenIenteredsixthgrade,Iwasaleaderofasmallgroupofstudentstowanderonthestreet.4Myfatherwasaprofessor.HetaughtmealotofChineseliteratureatthattime.However,hedidnotrealizethatIdidnotattendschoolforaperiodoftime.(PerhapsbecauseIdidwellathomeasIcanrecitemostoftheessaysthatheaskedmetodo.)5ThereasonthatIdidnotgotoschoolwasthattheteachersdidnotreallyteach.Igotboredinschool.ThenafterawhileIgotboredonthestreet,also.Therewasajointexaminationforallprimaryschools.Ididpoorly.However,Iwasexactlyontheborderlinecase.Thegovernmentallowedtheseborderlinekidstoapplyforprivateschoolandgavethemtuition.IgotintoPuiChingMiddleSchool.6校歌何安東編李竹侯詞培正培正何光榮，教育生涯慘淡營，培後進兮其素志，正軌道兮樹風聲，萬千氣象方蓬勃，鼓鑄群才備請纓，愛我培正謨謀遠，永為真理之干城，永為真理之干城！青年向上歌我要真誠，莫負人家信任深。我要潔淨，因為有人關心。我要剛強，人間痛苦才能當。我要膽壯，奮鬥才能得勝。我要膽壯，奮鬥才能得勝。我要愛人，愛敵人也愛淪落人。我要施贈，心誠、義重、財輕。我要虛懷，不忘我身多弱點。我要向上，學主榜樣做人。我要向上，學主榜樣做人。7Thisisprobablyoneofthebestmiddleschool.Nothingwasexcitinginthefirstyearofmiddleschool.Ididnotdotoowellthatyear.However,Ilearntmuchmoreathome:Chineseliterature,Novels(ChineseandWestern),Philosophy,history.Allfrommyfatherandhisconversationswithhisstudents.AlthoughIdidnotunderstandGreekPhilosophy.Itstartedtoimpressmeafterlisteningtomanyconversationofmyfatherwithhisstudents.8IstartedtoreadthefamousChinesehistorybooks:史記、左傳Iamespeciallyfascinatedby史記.Notonlybyitsbeautifulwritings,butalsobyitsoriginalandresponsiblewaytoreporttheancienthistory.Uptopresentdays,Ireadthisbook.Theglobalviewofhistoryfromagreatmasterresonantswiththethinkingofagreatscientist.9Thefollowingessaystrikesme:Thoughindulgedinreading,Idonotpursuitprecisemeanings.Nonetheless,everytimeIhitonsomethingIwassooverwhelmedwithjoythatIforgotmymeals.晉‧陶淵明好讀書，不求甚解，每有會意，便欣然忘食。Iamnotbitterforbeingpoorandobscure,noramIkeenonbeingrichandfamous.不戚戚於貧賤，不汲汲於富貴。10Infollowingyears,thishasbeentheguidingprincipleofmystudyofmanydifferentsubjects.Withmyfather’steaching,Istartedtosetthegoalofmylife.Animportantquotation:11Zuo'sBookofHistoryOnImmortality“Thefirstplaceistoreignbenevolently,thenexttogainvictory,andthelasttosayvaluablewords.Theseachievementswillstandforlongandnotbeabandoned.Thereaftertheyarecalledimmortal.”左傳叔孫豹論三不朽太上有立德，其次有立功，其次有立言，雖久不廢，此之謂不朽。Oneneedsbeinghumbleandsimpletoreachthesegoals.AformerstudentofminerecentlyrecitedthefollowinglinesfromaTangpoemduringaTVinterviewinChina:立德立功立言之道，必以謙讓質樸為主。「會當凌絕頂，一覽眾山小」，輕妄浮誇之言也。“Iwouldratherbeatthesummit,Soallmountainswillbecometinyunderme.”Ithinkhewasabittooarrogant.12SimaQian(司馬遷)onConfucius(孔子)Therearesoabundantlymanykingsandmenofvirtue!Widelyknownbytheircontemporaries,theirnamesfeelintooblivionsoonaftertheyperished.AndyetConfucius,amaninplaincloth,hasbeenheldingreatesteembyscholarsofmorethantengenerations.天下君王至於賢人，眾矣！當時則榮，沒則已焉，孔子布衣，傳十餘世，學者宗之。13Duringconversationsofmyfatherwithstudents,manyimportantpointsofhistoryofphilosophywerementioned.1.BasicprinciplesTherootoftheveryexistenceofmatter(basicaxioms,etc)GeneralphenomenaUnificationofallprinciples(unifiedfieldtheory)2.Methodsofunderstandingtruthbasedonlogicandreasoning3.Howtocombinedifferentknowledgeanddifferentphenomenaunderageneralprinciple4.Thegreatphilosophersdidnotsimplyfollowothersindevelopingtheirviews,notevenfromtheirteachers.Theycreatedtheirownthoughts(basedonpreviousworks.)14Thegoalofwritinghistoryofphilosophy1.(求因)Theoriginofaphilosophicalthinkingmustcomefromdifferentsources.Itisourgoaltofindoutsuchsources.2.(明變)Therearemanycomplicatedphilosophicalthoughtsinthehistory.Itisimportanttofigureoutthetreadsoftheirthoughts.3.(評論)Acorticalcommentsoftheoccurrenceofallphilosophiesandtheirconsequences.15Ialsolearntthewaytodoresearchwithlastingimportance.WangGuowei(王國維)TheThreeLevelsToAchieveBreakthroughinResearch(borrowingsomelinesfromSongCiorlyricpoemsfromtheSungdynasty)LevelOne...LastnightthewestwindwitheredthegreeneryofthetreesInloneliness,ImountedthetallbuildingCastingmyeyesightalongallroadstotheedgeoftheearth晏殊…昨夜西風凋碧樹，獨上高樓，望盡天涯路。16Leveltwo...FormylooseningwaistbeltIfeelnoregret,Forheritisworthbeinghaggardandthin.柳永…衣帶漸寬終不悔，為伊消得人憔悴。LevelThreeLookingforherathousandtimesInacrowdAllofasuddenAsIturnedmyheadThereshewasStandingintheshadesoffadinglights辛棄疾…眾裏尋他千百度，驀然回首，那人卻在，燈火闌珊處。17InmysecondyearofPuiChing,Igotintoaproblemwithmyteacher.Theteacherwasaverydevotedheadmasterofmyclassandclearlymeantwellforme.Shewasshockedtofindoutthatmyfatherwasaprofessorandpoorlypaid.Herpassionformyfuturechangedmybehaviorinclassroom.Istudiedplanegeometryinsecondyearofhighschool.18Mycla