随遇而安
文/邹韬奋
一个人要有进取的意志，有进取的勇气，有进取的准备1；但同时却要有随遇而安2的功夫。
姑就事业的地位说，假使甲是最低的地位，乙是比甲较高的地位，依次推升而达丙丁戊等等。由甲而已，由乙而丙，由丙而丁……中间必非一蹴而就，必经过一段历程。换句话说，由甲到乙，由乙到丙……的中间，必须用过多少功夫，费了多少时间，充了多少知识，得了多少经验，有了多少修养3。
倘若未达到乙而尚在甲的时候，心里对于目前所处的境遇，就觉得没有乐趣，希望到了乙的地位才能安泰；到了乙，要想到丙，于是对那个时候所处的境遇，又觉得没有乐趣，希望到丙的地位才能安泰……这样筋疲力尽的一辈子没有乐趣下去，天天如坐针毡，身心都觉得没有地方安顿，岂不苦极4！
所以我们一面要进取，一面对于目前所处的地位，要能寻出乐趣来，譬如在职务上有一件事做得尽善尽美，便是乐趣；有一事对付得当，又是乐趣5。在甲的时候，有这种乐趣；在乙的时候，也有这种乐趣；岂不是一辈子做有乐趣的人？这便是随遇而安的功夫，这样随遇而安是积极的，不是消极的。彻底明白了此中真谛，真是受用无穷！
Be Happy With What You Have
译/李运兴
One must have an enterprising spirit, being prepared, courageous and determined to progress, however, at the same time, one must also be able to adapt himself to his current position, feeling happy with what he has achieved.
On the career ladder, for instance, rung A is the beginning position, next up is rung B, and still higher along the ladder are rungs C, D, E, etc. From either A to B or B to C, there will be a distance for one to cover requiring effort. To be more specific, to climb from any one rung to the next, one must make continued exertions over a period of time: there is just so much for one to learn and to experience before he can make a significant achievement in character cultivation.
While one is struggling to climb up to rung B from his current position on rung A, he necessarily feels dissatisfied with his current situation and hopes a higher position will bring his days of toil to an end. Yet when he actually gets there, he finds no interest in the new position either, for he again begins to covet a still higher rung up the ladder, believing his dream will be realized just as long as he can reach it… If this vicious cycle is allowed to repeat itself all one’s life, one will find oneself locked in a situation of perpetual dissatisfaction, one’s body and soul having nowhere to anchor themselves. Is this not the greatest misery in the world?
So while exerting yourself up the social ladder, learn to be happy with wherever you are and whatever you already have. Isn’t it fun enough to just do one thing perfectly, or deal with one thing properly? If you can find the same happiness on either rung A or rung B, your whole life will be filled with joy. This is what I understand as the principle of “be happy with what you have”, a mindset which is positive rather than passive. If you can thoroughly understand the truth in it, it will benefit you all your life.
注释：
1. 译文在这三个短语前面加了一个概括词（enterprising spirit），然后再分别译出。
2. 译文对“随遇而安”依文章立意有所释义。
3. 这部分被拆成两句，并用冒号引出对前句的解释，明示出两句间的逻辑接承。
4. 此句译文有所衍化：化为两句，加了条件句，“筋疲力尽”“如坐针毡”之意变通融于句中。
5. 此句译为否定疑问句，结构有所压缩，语气更合英语行文要求。
（选自《英语世界》杂志2016年第6期）