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Thread: 人 在 江 湖 身 不 由 己

  1. #1
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    Default 人 在 江 湖 身 不 由 己

    Hello there,

    I was wondering if any of you can help. What's your opinion about "人 在 江 湖 身 不 由 己"? Is it positive or negative? Gulong used to have this saying in his works frequently, did he? If you are able to remember in which novel, please do enlighten me.

    Thank you!

    Cheers,
    LXF.

  2. #2
    Member MrWErD's Avatar
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    It's a simple yet meaningful quote. It can be positive, but it's mainly used negatively to justify a lot of bad things people do in life.

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    Senior Member Ian Liew's Avatar
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    The phrase is usually used to indicate regret that a person cannot really do what they believe is correct because of the circumstances they are in or the expectations people have of them.

    I can't remember who said that in LXF, though...possibly someone like Ye Gucheng while talking about why he must duel Ximen Chuixue?

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    And it's not much better in real life today, no matter where you are.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Quote Originally Posted by PJ View Post
    And it's not much better in real life today, no matter where you are.
    This is BS. If you live in first world countries especially US/Canada, you always have a choice to do the right thing in all situations. No matter how little you are, you always can stand up to the powerful as long as you are right. The laws of the land is on your side to protect you from the powerful.

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    I googled it and found this. Did it really originate from Gu Long?

    From http://baike.baidu.com/view/3259229.htm:

    所谓古话说,人在江湖,身不由己,原来是古龙的话,而武侠小说及其各种形式的传播更让这句话流传甚 广。这一幅签名有来自于作家古龙一幅书法的拼接。

    中文名: 人在江湖,身不由己
    出自: 古龙小说
    解释: 随环境改变自己

    书法原文: 古龙
    典故: 丁青
    江湖人: 燕十三

  7. #7
    Member MrWErD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trien Chieu View Post
    This is BS. If you live in first world countries especially US/Canada, you always have a choice to do the right thing in all situations. No matter how little you are, you always can stand up to the powerful as long as you are right. The laws of the land is on your side to protect you from the powerful.
    Uh, you can stand all you want, but without proper backing behind your words, they'll likely just fall into deaf ears. Or the people in power will use every means, both subtle and despicable, to destroy your reputation and turn you into a loon. Or they can just bribe their troubles away, an ancient method but just as effective today as it was in the past.

    There are limits, as with everything, but people who are smart enough to amass a fortune tends to know just how far they can toe the line.

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    Member XiaoYe's Avatar
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    It's neither positive or negative. It's a description of life. That's it. (And quite a true description)

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