人類的第一聲啼哭，也許是世間最動人的歌。但有誰知道所有的嬰兒呱呱墜地都帶著一個巨大的謎團而來——只要從娘胎里一生下來，都緊握兩個小拳頭，沒有人解釋得清楚是為什么。
無論是出生在大富之家，還是寒門草屋，無論是出生在醫(yī)院潔白干凈的病床上，還是接生婆侍弄的臟兮兮的火炕上，或是等不及匆匆生在路途中，甚至茅廁里、草叢中、樹林里、舟車中，無論是白種人、黑種人、黃種人，無論是男嬰兒，還是女嬰兒，只要人出生，一定是準拳擊手的模樣。即使眼睛緊閉著，那兩只稚嫩的肉乎乎的小手，緊握成拳，伴隨哇哇的啼哭，上下輕輕揮舞，是在示威，還是在挑戰(zhàn)？亦或是表示生命的不可侵犯？
生在富貴之家的你，衣食無憂，似乎不應該用握拳來對付危險和未知世界。生在平民百姓家的你，又怎知在你的周圍充滿了真摯的愛，無須握拳以對。即使不幸的你，面臨初生的重重險境，握拳能擺脫什么呢？
幼小的生命是脆弱的，即使緊握拳頭，也不能成為武器，既不能保護自己，也不能攻擊別人，那么人為什么要握拳而來呢？
人生開掛，握拳而來，一定是有原因的，一定是在握著秘密，握著天機，也許是生命的密碼。正因為如此，才成為生命之謎。
有多少人想解開這一生命之謎！但是謎底在哪里呢？書上沒有，現(xiàn)實中也沒有。于是，各種傳說就不脛而走。有人說左手討債，右手還債。有人說左手煙火，右手詩意。有人說左手握現(xiàn)在，右手握未來。有人說兩只拳頭攥著宿命。還有人說是本能，要抓住生命中的每一秒、每一分鐘。
我奶奶說：“孩子生下來就是要討生活的，娘胎里就準備好了，就握著小拳頭。”
我相信我奶奶說得有道理。無論生在朱門還是尋常百姓家，每個人都要生存。生存之道，是要靠討才能得來。討生活，有要的意思，有爭取的意思。對于大多數(shù)的我們來說，要是要不來的，只有少數(shù)人，生來就衣食無憂，甚至過一輩子衣來伸手飯來張口錦衣美食的日子，而我們大多數(shù)人只能爭取，才可生存。這個爭取，就是靠誠實勞動，靠奮斗、靠勤儉，才活得下來，才活得踏實，才活得精彩。
在我出生后，我奶奶就把我兜在她寬大的緡襠褲上。她就喜歡我的小拳頭，愛不釋手地撫摸，還輕輕地試圖把我的小手指一一掰開，但是我的小手指會自然地收回，握緊，還原為小拳頭。她對我娘說：“所有的孩子，都握著拳頭來，這個孩子，小拳頭握得緊，有勁兒哩！”緡襠褲是在北方農(nóng)村常見的褲子。青布制成，肥大寬松，穿著時不用腰帶，只需將褲腰在腹部左邊開始裹緊，多余的部分向右展平，掖在褲腰下一卷，就會緊緊地繃在腰上了。她的緡襠褲成了我的搖籃。我就是在這柔軟帶著奶奶體溫的“搖籃”中長大的。她常教導我：“你爺爺帶著農(nóng)民鬧農(nóng)會，被地主還鄉(xiāng)團吊在房梁上，用燒紅的火筷子穿心殺死的。你爺爺有一點文化，他常拿著一卷書本對窮人講：天地生人，有一人當有一人之業(yè)；人生在世，活一日當盡一日之勤?！敝钡胶髞恚也琶靼孜覡敔斈棠塘艚o我的是多么珍貴一份精神財富。
后來有一天，奶奶死了，我記得她是張著兩只手走的，兩只干巴瘦癟的手，無力地張開，手心朝上。這空空的兩只手，給我留下難忘的印象。我試圖把一塊窩頭放在她手上，但是滑落在地上，我接著試圖把一個鋼蹦放在她手心上，還是滑落下來。我娘說：“你奶奶什么也不要。她就希望你長大成人，成為一個能自己討生活的人！”
從那時起我就明白，人走的時候，是空著兩只手的?！疤斓厣耍幸蝗水斢幸蝗酥畼I(yè)；人生在世，活一日當盡一日之勤?！边@是多么深刻的人生哲理，前半句是人類大同的理想，后半句是靠奮斗才能討生活的現(xiàn)實。這才是人生終極密碼，經(jīng)過無數(shù)鮮血和生命而書寫在大地上的詩歌，經(jīng)過歲月的洗禮，漸漸變得凝練恢弘，靜靜地閱讀凝視它，會不經(jīng)意看到歲月映照的萬丈光芒，感受到震撼靈魂深處的力量…
既然要討生活，就要靠自己的誠實勞動，靠奮斗，靠勤奮。我每天工作之余，堅持閱讀和寫作，特別是每天堅持早起，甚至凌晨3點，就開始了我的文學創(chuàng)作。因為9點鐘我還要上班，和其他人一樣，努力工作。所以，我必須犧牲休息時間，在業(yè)余時間爭分奪秒。中國出版集團中譯出版社（前身為中國對外翻譯出版社）先后出版了我的四本書《和諧之歌》《逆流而上》《大地》《貓臺》。我并沒有滿足或懈怠下來，而是繼續(xù)筆耕不輟。與別人不一樣的是我不斷挑戰(zhàn)人生的高度，用英文寫作。幾十年堅持不懈下來，出版了十五本書籍，其中有五本是用英文寫的，——For the Existence Partners of Human Beings>在國外出版，成為中國文學走出去的先行者之一。此外，我還在中國日報網(wǎng)天下專欄發(fā)表了海量的中英文雙語詩歌和雙語散文等作品，特別是對中國古典文學的雙語介紹，助力中國文學走向世界。
人生是什么，也許對于某些人來說是一樹繁花，但對大多數(shù)人來說是過程，而我認為人生就是四季風景畫。大自然有春夏秋冬，有四季的美，而我們?nèi)祟愐灿猩倌辍⑶嗄?、中年、老年四個階段。我們能否像美麗大自然那樣呈現(xiàn)四季的美呢？特別是人到中年或步入老年，喜怒哀樂，悲歡離合，使多少人頹唐了?！八氖换?，五十知天命，”是消靡人生的反應。那么作為一個人，我們也應該在人生的四個階段，盡自己的努力，走好自己的路，讓每個階段都問心無愧。逆境時不氣餒，順境時不懈怠，懷著一顆拳拳報國之心，與人民同在，與祖國同行，與時代同進！
人生下來是握拳而出的，走的時候是撒手而去，兩手空空，什么也帶不走。因此，面對坎坷，無需彷徨和迷茫，握緊雙拳，討自己的生活去！
Human Were Born With Two Clenched Fists -- Preface to the Publication of
By Wang Yongli
Every human being’s first cry is perhaps the most moving song in the world. But who knows there is a great mystery that all babies, born from the womb, must clench their two fists! It seems that no one can explain the mystery clearly.
Whether in a rich or a poor family, whether in a mansion or a shabby hut, or in a white and clean hospital bed served by a doctor, or on a dirty earth bed served by a midwife, whether you can't wait to be born on the way, even in a toilet, or in grass, in woods, or in a boat or in a car, and whether you are white, or black, or yellow, male or female, as long as you were born, you must clench two fists! The posture must look like a would-be boxer. Even you close your eyes, while your two tender little hands must clench into fists. Accompanied by wailing, you gently wave up and down your fists. What does it mean? Does it mean demonstrating or challenging? Or does it mean the inviolability of life?
Born in a rich family, you have no worries about food and clothing for your life time. It seems that you do not need clenching your fists to deal with your world. Born in the common people's home, how can you know that you are full of sincere love around you, so that you also do not need clenching your fists. Facing the dangerous and unknown world, even if you clench two fists, how can you get rid of the dangers?
A young life is very fragile. Even if you clench your two fists, you can't turn your fists into weapons. During such fragile time, you can't protect yourself, or attack others. Why human beings were born with two clenched fists?
There must be a reason for it. The phenomenon people were born with two clenched fists must mean a huge secret! God's design must not be revealed to mortal ears. It may be the password of life. Just because of this, it has become a real mystery of life.
How many people want to reveal this mystery of life! But where is the answer? Not in the book, nor in reality. Thus, various legends spread like wildfire. Some people say that the left hand collects debts and the right hand pays debts. Some people say that fireworks in the left hand and poetry in the right one. Some people say that the left hand holds the present and the right hand holds the future. Some people say two fists clench fate. Others say it's instinct to seize every second and every minute of life.
My grandmother said, "People were born to make a living! They are ready in the womb and so everyone holds two small fists."
I believe my grandmother has a point. Whether born in portals of the rich or ordinary homes, everyone must survive. The way to survive for us depends on how to make a living. Only a few people were born with no worries about their livings, and even live a perfect life of luxurious clothes and delicious food. But most of us must work hard to make a living, or during our whole life we are struggling to survive. Only through honest labor, struggle and thrift can we survive, and can we live a steady life or live a brilliant life.
After I was born, my grandmother put me on her wide crotch of trousers. She liked my little fists, fondled them fondly, and gently tried to open my little fists one by one. But my five little fingers would naturally retract, clench and return to a small fist. She said to my mother, "all children hold their fists. This child holds his fists tightly and has strength!"
Wide crotch trousers are common clothing in northern rural areas of China. It's made of green cloth, fat and loose. People don't need a belt when wearing it. Just wrap the trouser waist on the left side of the abdomen, flatten the excess part to the right, and tuck it, and then it will be tightly stretched on one’s waist. Her wide crotch trousers became my cradle. I grew up in this soft "cradle" with Grandma's temperature. She often taught me: "Your grandfather leaded the peasants to make a peasant association, trying to let all impoverished live a good life. But unfortunately he was hung on the beam of the house by the landlord's Return Group and killed with red fire chopsticks through his heart. Your grandfather was a teacher. He often told the poor with a Book: It is by the Nature that people come into this world, and so everyone should have a job; when a man is alive on the earth, he should work hard every day." Until later, I realized how precious a spiritual wealth my grandparents left me.
Then one day, grandma died. I remember that she passed away with her two empty hands. Her two dry and shriveled hands were weakly open and her palms were facing upward. These empty hands left an unforgettable impression on me. I tried to put a small piece of steamed bread of corn on her hand, but it slipped to the ground. Then I tried to put a coin on her palm, but it slipped too. My mother said, "Your grandmother doesn't want anything. She wants you to grow up and become a person who can make a living by yourself!"
Since then, I have understood that people pass away with empty hands. "It is by the Nature that people come into this world, and so everyone should have a job; when a man is alive on the earth, he should work hard every day." This is what a profound philosophy of life. The first half sentence is the ideal of human harmony, and the second half is the reality of living by struggle. This is the ultimate password of life, the poetry written on the earth. After countless blood and lives and after the baptism of years, the philosophy has gradually become concise and magnificent. If you read and stare at it quietly, you will inadvertently see the light reflected by years and feel the power that shocks the depths of the soul.
Since we want to make a living, we must rely on our own honest labor, struggle and diligence. For many years, I have been devoting my spare time on reading and writing, especially getting up early every day, and even starting my literary creation at 3 a.m. On working days, from 9 am to 5 pm, I must work hard for my job, like others. Therefore, I must sacrifice my rest time and race against time in my spare time. China Translation Publishing House of China Publishing Group has successively published my four books, Song of harmony, Upstream, Great Land, Cat Director. Instead of being satisfied or slacking off, I continued to write. Unlike others, I constantly challenge the height of life and write in English. After decades of unremitting efforts, I have written 15 books, and five of which are written in English, < resuming a secular life > < scented apricot flowers > < the hell and the world > < up streaming > < the songs of Harmony - for the existence partners of human beings >, which have been published abroad. I have become one of the pioneers of Chinese literature going global. In addition, I also wrote a large number of Chinese and English bilingual poems and essays for the World Column of China Daily, especially I wrote many Bilingual Introductions to Chinese classical literature, which help English readers to understand Chinese literature and culture.
What is life? For some people, it may be a tree full of flowers. But for most of us, life is a process of living. As I think life is like a landscape painting of the four seasons. Nature has the beauty of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and humans also have four seasons or four stages: youth, middle age and old age. Can we glamorize the beauty of the four seasons like the beautiful nature? Especially when people are middle-aged or older, their joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, make many people decadent. "Forty don't doubt, fifty know destiny," is a reaction to consume life. Then as a person, we should make our own efforts in the four stages of life, take our own road, and let each stage have a clear conscience. I do not be discouraged in times of adversity and do not slack off in times of prosperity. With a heart of serving the country, I stay with the people, walk with the motherland and advance with the times!
People were born with clenched fists. When they die, they are empty handed and can't take anything away. Therefore, in the face of ups and downs, without hesitation and confusion, all of us clench our fists to make a living!
