Liang Shih-ch'iu: A Sudden Shock, Life Half-Way Through
Author | Liang Shih-ch'iu
- 01 -
The pendulum of the clock on the wall is moving slowly, moving so slowly that you hardly notice its movement.
A person's age is like this, year after year, one day you will suddenly realize that you have reached middle age.
At this time, about two things cannot help but attract your attention: the constant arrival of obituaries, and the ceaseless coming of news. Some hasty friends have already gone ahead, which is quite frustrating. At the same time, you will suddenly find a large number of young men appearing before you, all in a flurry, bumping into each other and eager to attend a wedding.
It seems that the companions, one by one, have entered a state of hibernation, handing over the world to the young people.
'Hearing of the death of old acquaintances, seeing young men in abundance' – this is the true image of a middle-aged person's life.- 02 -
Young people don't need to look in a mirror too often; they can see themselves clearly in the large glass windows of shops, and generally, they look quite decent.
This habit of self-consolation gradually disappears, so that one day, when looking in a mirror, you suddenly discover that horizontal lines are etched on your forehead. These lines are clearly defined and powerful, like Wu Tao-jun's depiction of 'Persimmon Leaves'. It's a sign of wrinkles, but even when you look down, they are still there.
If you look closely, you'll notice that the hair at the top of your head is starting to migrate to the sides of your temples and towards your jawline; and the most alarming thing is that you can see several white hairs appearing on your forehead. This is a surprising discovery, and even a person who was previously unwilling to spend a single copper coin is now willing to pluck these hairs out. Pulling out hair is like pulling out a piece of fresh, vibrant meat – the hair roots still carry a bright, fresh morsel.
But it's useless! Time does not stop.
Generally, women become even more anxious when they reach middle age. Which young woman doesn't look plump and juicy, like a milk grape, ready to burst at the slightest touch? Which young woman isn't so delicate and nimble, like a swallow, able to flutter and dance so gracefully?
By middle age, everything changes. Curves remain, but they are no longer the same; the parts that should be concave have become convex, and the parts that should be convex have become concave. Milk grapes will turn into golden honey dates, and swallows will turn into (quǎn -quǎn is a kind of quail).
The most exposed part is the face. From 'fish tail' to wrinkles, a net is drawn out, weaving back and forth, tight and yet not revealing. It gradually turns the face into a map of the most developed railway lines. The wrinkles on the face are no longer able to be smoothed out with a comb, and it seems that they also add a lot of 'flies' outside the wrinkles.
Therefore, a woman must have lipstick. Unless the walls are made of earth, there is nothing that cannot be stained. It's the simplest way to add a face to an existing one. However, before and after applying makeup, it's easy to recall the story of 'Painted Skin'.
- 03 -
A woman's flesh seems to be the most vulnerable to the pull of the earth's core; once she reaches middle age, she simply relaxes downwards, accumulating flesh, hanging it on her face, her waist, and her ankles.
I've heard that many Western women spend their evenings rubbing their faces vigorously with a wooden stick to flatten their fat. Some simply avoid eating fat and starch, tying their waists tightly, and trying to 'starve' themselves back to their youthful appearance. I don't know whether these methods work or not.
Don't think that when a man reaches middle age, he's finished. No. Just as ascending the highest peak is like climbing to middle age, looking back, a string of young men are still 'not turning their heads to refuse'.
If you look closely, there are many stumbling blocks on the road; they have knocked them down and bruised their noses and faces. There are many traps that have kept them as frogs in the bottom of a well! It's only from the highest peak that you can see all these things.
Recalling the past, when I was a young monk, I used to light lamps and burn incense, trying to brighten the night; I used to chase flies that stuck to the pasted paper, wanting to go on a journey. These observations are only possible when you stand at the highest peak.
(Shī Nài'ān) in *Water Margin* says, 'A man who has not married by thirty should not marry; and he who is forty should not seek office.' But 'marriage' and 'seeking office' are just minor matters. If you don't marry and don't seek office, it's no use. It's just a kind of premature giving up.
- 04 -
As the saying goes, 'A man's life begins at forty.' It seems that before forty, it's just a few plays, and the good plays are still to come. I think this has something to do with health.
People who grew up eating millet and sticky rice have difficulty reaching middle age. A life like that has exhausted their vitality. How can such people marry or seek office? They would be too anxious to take 'Vita-C for Life'!
I have seen some men and women who were fortunate from the beginning. When they were young, they were dull and stiff, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and they looked as if they were made of sticky rice. They were unpolished stones.
But by middle age, they have become more supple and radiant, with a spring in their step, and it's clear that they are full of substance. Their lives are like aged wine—rich and fragrant. For people in their middle years, there is no sadness in middle age.
Forty is the beginning of life, it's not late, the problem is how to interpret the word 'life.' If you're in your twenties and thirties, and you then start learning to skate, kick a shuttlecock, and fly kites—'Learn in youth', then it's like a journey through spring and autumn, a kind of (miǎnqián - forcefulness).
Half-old Ms. Xu, with her 'bangs' hidden in a latrine, wearing high heels and practicing walking on tiptoes—that's a sad thing.
The charm of middle age lies in the recognition of life and oneself, and then doing what one can do, and enjoying what one can enjoy.
Actors who are capable of playing the full-length *Water Margin* play should be middle-aged, because only then can they truly understand the content of the play, as they are able to take on the role of the main character of the play.
(Liang Shih-ch'iu), originally named Liang Zhihua, with the pen name Shi Qiu, Jiu Lang, and Cheng Shu (a nickname), was born on January 6, 1903, in Beijing; he is from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. He was a renowned writer, scholar, literary critic, and translator. His representative works include 'The Complete Works of Shakespeare' (Translation).
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