1966年我剛進入政戰學校時，在新聞館內見到了這位「怪才」，當時我就知道，他跟別人不太一樣。他在一年級時，就展現非常標準的英文發音，可以跟來訪的美國西點軍校學生用流利的英文溝通，讓我覺得他彷彿就是美國人一樣，那時候我非常納悶，為什麼外表跟我們一樣都是黃種人，英文卻可以好到連當時的英文老師也不及。後來在跟近曦進一步交談之後，才知道原來他從十二、三歲起就開始苦讀英文、勤作筆記。他整天聽美軍電臺；時不常跑到位於臺南空軍眷村水交社裡的美軍俱樂部與美軍人員及眷屬一起打籃球並交流。他在這樣的環境裡相對自然地學英文，難怪英文學得這麼好，甚至大學聯考還考了98分！要知道在1966年也就是民國55年時，大學聯考能考到98分簡直就是奇葩，是少數中的少數。我問近曦說，像我這樣的程度有沒有機會把英文學好？他說當然可以！但若你是按照死背文法、單字這樣的方法學英文的話，不可能有學好的一天。你必須先把發音矯正好，再往下繼續學英文。我才知道原來學英文是這樣的。於是在他的伴隨下，我慢慢地跟著唱片學英文發音。然後接下來就要「亂講」⸺ 他說要開口把英文文章唸出來，絕對不要用默讀的；就算找不到老外對話，也要 Talk to yourself。自己跟自己講英文，這個方法造就我四年之後英文程度突飛猛進，全校 400 多個同學裡頭，第一名是近曦，第二名就是我了。
後來我們借用《英文中國郵報》（The China Post）的平版印刷機，接手學長們創辦的《先鋒報》（The Herald）。我跟近曦自己排版，做出第一份報紙時，我們簡直是喜極而泣；那時候奠定我一定要好好學英文的決心、永不放棄。也造就我後來一直在學習英語的環境裡頭，沒有退縮，甚至考取公費留學，在考研究所的過程中拿了全A的佳績；最後考取美國明尼蘇達大學的大眾傳播博士班。而此時的近曦間接受到我的鼓舞，他自費到美國深造，在南伊利諾大學（Southern Illinois University）拿了博士學位，後來在美國各大學擔任教職。他教的可不是《紅樓夢》、《西遊記》這類的文學，而是 Speech Communication。
近曦在我心目中永遠是師父的地位，他的英文造詣高深，中文更棒；他會作詩、吟詞。想當年我們還在政戰學校時，近曦會投稿到當時受到知識青年歡迎的《大學雜誌》與《幼獅月刋》；當他把發表的文章拿給我看時，我非常佩服；他笑笑說：「老子的中文絕對是棒的。賴狗聽好，以後我們在吃東西大快朵頤時，你一定要講『大快耳朵』哦。」當然這只是玩笑話，但由此可知，他是一個作風平易近人卻非常有深度的人。近曦平時的嗜好就是看書，某日出了
近曦在大學任教多年，深受學生愛戴。大家都知道美國的學生上課時常提出尖銳的問題，因此近曦的職涯必定充滿挑戰，但以他深厚的英文底子與高深的知識，必定皆能迎刃而解，更能引發學生們深層的思考。
對我來說，近曦是我一輩子的恩師與學習的對象。知道他要出書，常春藤絕對是義不容辭地支持他。這本書的內容反映出近曦個人的英語造詣與世界觀，必能帶給讀者閱讀的喜樂、啟發。
自序
A sea voyage depends on a compass to stay on course, and so does a life journey. For the latter, the said compass is just an analogy for folk wisdom. This is how this book of folk wisdom got its name―Compass of Life ―simple and pure.
海上航行要靠羅盤始能行駛在正確的航道，人生亦復如是。對後者而言，這所謂的羅盤只是民間智慧的一個比喻。這本論述民間智慧的書因此而得名 ——《生命羅盤》—— 就這麼簡單。
Proverbs, sayings, adages, mottos and family precepts are key elements of folk wisdom, which in turn is a grassroots embodiment of the behavioral norms in a given society. Collectively, they constitute a huge repository of time-honored cultural values (e.g., peace, kindness, fortitude) that have enabled humans to survive through the past millennia.
俗諺、箴言、格言、座右銘與家訓是民間智慧的要素，而民間智慧又是一個社會裡行為規範的草根性體現。這些元素集體構成了一座儲存久經考驗並幫助人類安然度過數千年歲月的文化價值觀（譬如和平、仁慈、毅力）的巨大寶庫。
My life is divided in half―half in Taiwan, and half in the United States―and an extended sojourn in both has left indelible prints on me. In recent years, I have become interested in the folk wisdom lodged in both cultures and have wished to further explore its mother lode. Of course, I would never seek to single-handedly accomplish this task―I know my limits. Rather, I just want this book to be a humble invitation for further, and worthier, discussions.
吾生也一分為二 —— 半生在臺，半生在美 —— 兩地長期逗留之經歴在心頭留下難以磨滅的印跡。近年來，本人又對雙方文化中的民間智慧皆感興趣，期望進一步探索其主脈。當然，我從不指望獨自達成這項使命 —— 我有自知之明。但求拋磚引玉，請出更多的賢達高論。
A few words here about how this book was written. To begin with, each chapter broke ground with one or more Chinese proverbs or sayings, coupled with a brief interpretation of them. This was followed by a three-pronged approach: (1) a critical analysis to see if they could stand the test of science (i.e., findings of the empirical studies), (2) a temporal check to see if they needed to be updated with modern-day circumstances, and (3) a comparative perspective to see if equivalents or counterparts in Western cultures could be found.
本書撰寫過程簡述如下。首先，每一篇章均由一或一句以上的華文俗諺或箴言來破土，並佐以簡短的闡釋。隨即，筆者採用三管齊下的做法來發揮該篇主題：(1) 批判分析，看看這些俗諺能否經得起科學（亦即實證研究發現）之考驗，(2) 時間檢測，看看它們是否需要依據當今世界的各種情況作一些更新，以及(3) 比較觀點，看看它們是否能在西方文化裡找到對等或對應。
Most of the examples cited in online discussions of the Chinese folk wisdom are dried, antiquated relics, with much of their juice dehydrated through weathering. They can hardly strike a chord today, especially with the younger generations. In light of this, an effort was made to see that these classics were interwoven with examples gleaned from the contemporary world, that is, the world of the last two centuries or so. Doing so, hopefully, would make this book resonate better with its readers.
網上有關華人民間智慧的討論所援引的諸多例證泰半是乾枯的古代遺跡，其體液大多已因風化作用而呈脫水狀態。至今，它們很難打動人們的心弦，尤其是年輕世代。有鑒於此，筆者特意將這些古典實例與採自現代（亦即大約最近兩百年）世界的實例相互交織。這樣做，但願能讓這本書與它的讀者產生更好的共鳴。
This book was written in both English and Chinese. Translation of all texts, barring those which already had had ready-made equivalents across the two languages (e.g.,“ 老王賣瓜，自賣自誇”/“ Every potter praises his own pots”), is fresh and mine.
本書以中英文雙語撰寫。除卻在兩個語言之間原先已存有現成的對等語詞者（譬如「老王賣瓜，自賣自誇」對 “Every potter praises his own pots”），所有文字的翻譯皆屬新創，且完全出自本人手筆。
In the section of “Spotlight on Cultures,” a brief-yet-deep look is taken at the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western cultures regarding the theme of the chapter. Here, conceptual analyses are accompanied by everyday-life examples, including this author’s personal bilingual and multi-cultural experiences. This part is dedicated to the denizens of the global village.
在「文化聚焦」這個專區裡，針對華人與西方文化在本書各篇主題上之異同，會有一個簡短卻又深刻的檢視。在這裡，觀念上的分析都有日常生活實例的伴隨，包括筆者個人的雙語與跨文化經驗。這一塊是獻給地球村居民的。
“Garden Plot for English Learners,” placed at the closing of each chapter, was created for English lovers who, like me, cherish every single opportunity to improve their language skills. It offers detailed annotations for certain words, idioms, and sentence structures used in the chapters, with example sentences provided where needed.
位於每一篇章結尾處的「英語園地」是為像我這樣熱愛英語並珍惜每一個精進語文能力的機會者所開闢的。它針對本書各篇所使用的某些單字、成語與句構給予詳解，並在必要處提供例句。
When writing this book, this author had in mind three types of readers:
1. Those who are interested in both Chinese and Western folkways as well as the interface between them.
2. Those who are interested in upgrading their language proficiency in either English or Chinese.
3. Those who are interested in improving the quality of their interpersonal or intercultural communication.
在撰寫本書之際，筆者心中所屬意的是以下三類讀者:
1. 對華人與西方民俗以及二者之交界面皆感興趣者。
2. 對提升自身英文或中文程度感興趣者。
3. 對改善人際溝通或跨文化溝通感興趣者。
I owe a great deal to my wife Linda and my daughter Leah, who whole-heatedly participated in all efforts leading to the completion of this book, from proofreading, grammar checking, all the way to content critiquing. I am also grateful to the staff of Ivy Digital Publishing Co., Ltd., notably Yi-kang Hou, Alan Huang, Carey Hsu, Anan Pi, Brian Foden, and Nick Roden, who midwifed this book with kindness and diligence. Finally, I am heartily indebted to Peter Lai, my comrade and idol since we were both military cadets toiling together up the hill of English learning. As president of the company, Peter treated me with immense courtesy and generosity, agreeing to publish this book without even exploring its market potential, something hardly any publisher will do today. I know for sure that he
has given me more than I can requite.
我對內人 Linda 與女兒 Leah 非常感恩；他們全心投入完成本書所需的所有努力，從校對、文法檢視直到內容批判。我對常春藤數位出版股份有限公司的工作人員，特別是候一罡、黃有冠、許嘉華、畢安安、Brian Foden 與 Nick Roden，也同樣心存感激：他們用善意與勤奮來為這本書接生。最後，我衷心感謝打從軍校生時期並肩苦讀英文起就一直是本人戰友與偶像的賴世雄。身為常春藤社長，世雄給予我無限的禮遇與厚待，甚至未經探測市場潛力即慨允出版拙作；當今出版業者中很少有人會這麼做的。我確知：他所給的，非我所能回報也。
Credit also goes to Shao-ling Ting, Colonel, R.O.C. Navy (Ret) and my elementary school classmate, who kindled my latent interest in Chinese folk wisdom while generously sharing with me hi“s heirloom,” a set of moral-teaching sayings and ballads left by his family elders. We met at McDonald’s in Taipei city about six decades after graduation, a wondrous reunion that was both heart-warming and productive.
本書也該歸功於中華民國退役海軍上校，我的小學同學丁紹陵；他大方展示他的「傳家之寶」（家中長輩們所留下有關道德教誨的箴言和歌謠），從而點燃了我對華人民間智慧的潛藏興趣。那一次，在畢業約六十年後，我倆在臺北市麥當勞見面；是一次既暖心又具成果的奇妙重逢。
Chin-hsi Tsao (a.k.a. Philip Tsao),
March 12, 2023
Fremont, California, U.S.A.
誌於 2023 年三月十二日
美國加州佛利蒙市
共 
