Courteous Retort
礼貌的反击
A learned scientist was attending a dinner, and as cigars were being indulged in one of the guests began to deride philosophy. He went on rudely to express the opinion that philosopher was but another way of spelling fool.
一位学识渊博的科学家出席了一个晚宴。当大家在饭后吸烟闲聊时,有位客人开始嘲笑哲学,并无礼地表示,他认为哲学家仅仅是傻瓜的代名词。
"What is your opinion, professor?" he asked smilingly. "Is there much distance between them?"
“你的看法呢,教授?”他笑着问道。“两者之间有很大距离吗”
The professor surveyed his boorish vis-a-vis keenly for a moment, then with a polite bow, responded, "Sometimes only the width of a table."
教授目光犀利地把那个坐在他饭桌对面的粗鄙汉子上下打量了一番,礼貌地欠了欠身,答道:“有时两者间的距离仅仅是一饭桌之隔。”