Please read calligraphy of Mao Ze Dong.
March 20, 2008 4:49 AM   Subscribe

Can you please read this calligraphy of Mao ZeDong (in white) and translate it and/or give me the pinyin.

I get it is about youth and spirit but my reading isnt up to it. Extra points if you know the history of the quote. Xie Xie
posted by sydney54 to Society & Culture (3 answers total)
 
In white: 'Not only do we need revolutionary fervor, we also need pragmatism'.

In black: 'the youth generation'
posted by of strange foe at 8:51 AM on March 20, 2008


In hanzi: 不但要有革命热忱 / 而且要有实际精神

In pinyin: bu dan yao you ge ming re chen / er qie yao you shi ji jing shen
posted by hellopanda at 10:36 AM on March 20, 2008


A brief googling has it that Mao wrote it in 1938 for the "Anti-Japan Military and Political College" (中国人民抗日军事政治大学), the school set up by the CCP during World War II. He served as the chairperson of the college advisory board, and it appears that he was quite personally invested in the type and quality of the education that the students received.

Presumably this was an exhortation to the students on the importance of learning the necessary military and political skills for the success of the campaign. This would echo other of Mao's sayings, such as the following, inscribed for Shanbei Public School (predecessor of the current Renmin University):

"要造就一大批人,这些人是革命的先锋队,这些人具有政治远见。这些人充满着斗争精神和牺牲精神,这些人是胸怀坦白,忠诚的,积极的,正直的。这些人不谋私利,唯一的为着民族与社会的解放。这些人不怕困难,在困难面前总是坚定的、勇敢向前的。这些人不是狂妄分子,也不是风头主义者,而是脚踏实地富于实际精神的人们。中国有一大群这样的先锋分子,中国革命的任务就能够顺利地解决."

(Rough translation: "These people are at the forefront of the revolution; they have political foresight. They are tenacious and self-sacrificial, their hearts are honest, faithful, eager and righteous. These are the unselfish ones, whose only goal is to liberate the people and society. Unafraid of difficulties, they are ever so strong and brave in the face of trouble. They are not foolhardy zealots, nor are they fanatical ideologists, but are down-to-earth and practical people. China's revolutionary mission will be swiftly accomplished if she has a big assembly of such pioneers.")
posted by hellopanda at 12:00 PM on March 20, 2008


« Older Scary sleep tests.   |   NYC Upholstery Finds? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.