严复与鸦片

Yan Fu and Opium

通过分析严复的英文日记和账本等史料,可以得出严复至死未能革除吸食鸦片这一不良习惯的主要原因是为了舒缓病痛;严复自入仕以来收入颇丰,吸食鸦片的开销只是占家庭开销的一小部分而已;鸦片影响严复仕途发展说不能成立。对于仕途不顺的根本原因,当事人自己的反思是最深刻、最合理、最可信的。严复晚年在与亲友的书信中,将早年的仕途多荆棘归咎于自己以前桀骜不驯、率性而为、好论人非,甚至到了晚年还在吞食早年种下的"恶果"。

By analyzing Yan Fu’s English diaries and books,we can conclude that Yan Fu never abstained from opium because of the ease of suffering.Yan Fu’s wages have been very high since he joined the workforce,and the money for opium has only taken up a small portion of his income.In the past,historians believed that opium abuse caused his career to not go well,but such a statement lacks the factual basis.For the root causes of ill-fated career,the parties'own reflection is the most profound,the most reasonable and the most credible.In letters from relatives and friends,Yan Fu blamed his career on his own egoism,stubbornness,and commentary on others’personalities.Even in his later years,he swallowed the“evil effect”of his early years.