On Presenting a View
Lu Xun

I dreamed that while preparing to write a composition in a primaryschool classroom I asked the teacher how to present a view.

“That’s ahard nut,” said the teacher, giving me a sidelong glance over his glasses. “Letme tell you this story---”

“When a babyboy is born to a family, there is immense joy in the whole household. When heis one month old, they invite some people over for taking a look athim---customarily, of course, in expectation of some good wishes.

“One of theguests receives hearty thanks for saying, ‘The child is destined to be rich. ’

“Another ispaid some compliments in return for saying, ‘The child is destined to be anofficial.’

“Stillanother, however, is given a sound beating by the whole family for saying, ‘Thechild will eventually die.’

“To call thechild mortal is to state the inevitable while to say that the child will becomevery rich or a high official is probably a lie. Yet the former gets a thrashingwhile the latter is rewarded. You…”

“I don’t wantto tell a lie, and neither do I want to be beaten. Then what should I do, sir?”

“Well, justsay, ‘Ai-ya, this child! Just look! Oh, my! Hah! He he! He, he he he he!’”