熱心助人是世界上每個普通人皆有的品質。有同情心的陌生人常常都會伸以援手，因為他們知道遇到麻煩是什么滋味。中國人的這種特點看起來尤其明顯，因為我曾親身經歷過。

A willingness to extend kindness to strangers is a trait of ordinary people around the world — perhaps because most everyone at some time has been lost, hungry, in pain, confused or simply caught in the rain. Empathetic strangers, knowing what trouble feels like, often come to the rescue.
熱心助人是世界上每個普通人皆有的品質——或許是因為幾乎人人都有迷路、饑餓、疼痛、迷茫或僅僅是淋雨的時候。有同情心的陌生人常常都會伸以援手，因為他們知道遇到麻煩是什么滋味。

In China, this attribute seems especially pronounced. I know because I have been the beneficiary.
中國人的這種特點看起來尤其明顯。因為我曾親身感受過。

A few examples:
舉幾個例子：

As I was walking one day in Beijing, a major cloudburst opened up. You may have heard the expression “raining cats and dogs”. That day it rained whales and elephants. A stranger saw my plight and waved me quickly into his covered porch, where he offered a cup of tea and the chair he had been sitting in.
有一天我走在北京的街上，突然天降大雨。你可能聽過“瓢潑大雨”這個詞，可是那天的情形用“傾盆大雨”來形容都不為過。一個路人發現我的窘境，便向我招手讓我趕快去他的門廊下躲雨。他不僅給我一杯茶，還把他的椅子讓給我坐。

My bike once blew a tire a long way from home, the blast knocking the rubber off the rim. Pushing the disabled bike was difficult. Seeing my struggle, a young man pulled up in one of those three-wheeled open trucks. Using hand signals, he indicated he wanted to help, and then he hauled the bike and me to a repair shop 2 kilometers distant. I offered him money, but he just grinned, shook his head and waved goodbye.
有一次在離家很遠的地方，我的自行車胎爆了，內胎都從車圈上脫落下來。推著爆胎的車子走路非常吃力。一個騎著三輪車的年輕人看到我后，就把車停下來用手勢示意我他想幫助我。接著，他就載著我和自行車去了兩公里外的修車店。我想給他錢，但他只是微微一笑，搖搖頭就招手離開了。

Near the end of Spring Festival, I lost my reading glasses. Amazingly, the only business open in the neighborhood happened to be an eyeglass shop. The proprietor told me she would make the glasses, and I could pick them up the next day. When I said I needed them at the office that night, she paused, puzzled a moment, and then cheerfully told me to come back in two hours. I did, and collected the finished glasses. I tried to pay her extra for her trouble, but she refused.
臨近春節假期尾聲的時候，我丟了我的花鏡。讓我吃驚的是，附近唯一還在營業的店碰巧就是一家眼鏡店。店主告訴我，她可以給我配鏡不過得等到第二天才能拿到。當我告訴她我當天晚上辦公需要眼鏡時，她停頓思考了一會兒然后爽快地告訴我兩個小時后回來取。我照做了，拿到了配好的眼鏡。我想多付些錢來補償給她造成的麻煩，但是她拒絕了。

A couple weeks ago, I went to buy four big suitcases for travel. If you’ve ever tried to push four of those by yourself, you may sympathize. I looked ridiculous, bags dancing wildly across the floor. Then I got a tap on the shoulder. It was the seller offering his assistance.
幾周前，我去買了四個大旅行箱。如果你試過自己推著這幾個箱子走，你可能就會了解我當時的心情了。箱子在地上跑來跑去，讓我看起來特別搞笑。然后就有人拍了一下我的肩膀，是售貨員要幫助我。

Taking two of the bags, he steered me to the freight elevator. At the bottom he indicated I should wait, and then he disappeared. A few minutes later he drove up in a canvas-covered vehicle with his two children, a boy and a girl, on his lap. He stuffed three bags inside and lashed the fourth to the roof.
他幫我拉著兩個行李箱，帶我去乘貨梯。在底樓，他讓我等一等，然后就消失了。幾分鐘后，他開著一輛帆布蓬車來了，腿上還坐著一雙兒女。他把三個箱子裝進車里，另外一個綁在車頂。

Then we all went sailing merrily down the road to my home, 20 minutes away. I offered money, but he refused. In broken English he said, “Feel good help you.”
然后我們就一起愉快地駛向我家，全程20分鐘的路程。我給他錢，他也沒收。他用不是很熟練的英語說：“能幫到你我很開心。”

Such deeds inspire me. Since I cannot pay back, I have vowed to pay forward when opportunities arise, and I invite you to join me. Try this: Every time a stranger helps you, return the favor by helping two other people. A wave of goodwill will roll forward exponentially.
這樣的善舉給了我很大的鼓舞。既然我無法回報他們，那我發誓以后一旦有機會就去幫助別人，要知恩圖報。而且我想邀請大家跟我一起試著這樣做：每當有陌生人幫助你時，你就主動幫助兩個人作為回報。一次善舉將會激發無數次善舉。

At home I have a small ceramic plaque that was sent to me by my mother. The inscription states a great truth: “There’s no such thing as a small act of kindness.”
在我家里有一塊我母親送給我的小陶瓷牌匾，上面的銘文告訴我們一個偉大的真理：“但凡善舉，都不是小事一樁。”

英文來源：“CHINA DAILY”微信公眾號
翻譯：鄧永樂（實習生）
編審：丹妮 董靜
音頻編輯：焦潔

更多內容請關注“CHINA DAILY”微信公眾號：

Randy Wright joined China Daily as an editor in 2013. His career spans 36 years and 10 newspapers in the United States in senior management, editorial writing and reporting roles. He served as adjunct faculty at the University of Arizona and has consulted for many publications, including the California Bar Journal for lawyers and judges. He is a licensed pilot in the US.