Cultural Tip: Chopsticks

筷子[Photo: nipic.com]

筷子（Kuàizi，Chopsticks）

中国的筷子，在人类文明史上是一桩值得骄傲和推祟的科学发明。诺贝尔奖获得者李政道先生曾在论证中华民族是一个优秀种族时说：“中国人早在春秋战国时代就发明了筷子。如此简单的两根东西，却高妙绝伦地应用了物理学上的杠杆原理。筷子是人类手指的延伸，手指能做的事，它都能做，且不怕高热，不怕寒冻，真是高明至极。比较起来，西方人大概到十六、十七世纪才发明了刀叉，但刀叉哪能跟筷子相比呢?”日本的学者曾测定，人在用筷子夹食物时，有80多个关节和50条肌肉在运动，并且与脑神经有关。因此，用筷子吃饭使人手巧，可以训练大脑使之灵活，外国人对这两根神奇的棍状物能施展出夹、挑、舀、撅等功能钦羡不已，并以自己能使用它进食而感到自豪。

Chinese chopsticks have greatly contributed towards human civilization. Nobel prize winner Mr. Lee Tsung-dao once said while commenting on China as a great nation: "As early as the Warring States period Chinese invented chopsticks. Although simple, the two sticks perfectly use the physics of leverage. Chopsticks are an extension of human fingers. Whatever fingers can do, chopsticks can do, too. Moreover, their great talent is not even affected by high temperatures or freezing cold. In comparision, it was probably not until the 16th or 17th century that the knife and fork were invented. But how can the knife and fork compare with chopsticks?" According to research by Japanese scholars, people use more than 80 joints and 50 muscles to eat food with chopsticks. Therefore, using chopsticks can exercise the brain! Foreigners are often surprised at how Chinese can use the stick-like ustensils so skillfully. Many even feel proud of their being able to use them to eat.