The gay of genius-chapter 18

1. Central Question

Q: Why did Lin Yutang mention Wang Anshih in this chapter?

A: Su Tungpo's conversations with Wang Anshih made clear that Su Tungpo still cared for the court, the people, even that he had withdraw from the government. He was not only a poet, but also a good man, who cared of the poor people. A man joins a government for money or fame or power or service to the country, but Su Tingpo, we know well enough, was not the type to get rich by being an official, and as for power, he had no desire whatever to rule others. Besides, he and Wang Anshih were all admirable people, and their arguments were only political differences, good friends privately, and not in privated with other people's weaknesses. That shows they had a broad mind.

2. Sentences:

（1）Wang also bagan to see hallucinations.

hallucination  n. 错觉，幻觉

这话是说王安石晚年时候开始看见幻相。

（2）Su now made a deal, which was extremely foolish or very magnanimous, according to the way one looks at it.

made a deal  做交易，约定，完成某事儿。

（3）If that was a beautiful thing to do, it was a beautiful thing to do-that was all.

事情做得美则美矣——还有什么别的好说。