I Might Have Come from Tianjin

侯宝林

Hou Baolin

还是从火车上说起吧!大约在我四岁多的时候，我坐过火车。当时带我坐车的人，是我的舅舅，叫张全斌。我记得那时我的打扮挺滑稽的，穿着蓝布大褂、小坎肩，戴瓜皮小帽。那时候，小孩子打扮成那个样子，够不错了。在我的童年中，也就只：有过这么一次。在火车上，因为小，没坐过火车，也很少见过家里以外的人，觉得挺新鲜。也许人在幼年时代终归想要些温暖吧!那时舅舅抱着我，哄着我，我觉得很温暖。一路上吃了半斤炒栗子，睡了一会儿觉，就到了北京。根据这个情况，现在估计起来，我可能是从天津来的。我现在对我原来的父母还有个模糊不清的印象，父亲、母亲的形象还能回忆起一点儿，但很模糊。究竟家里姓什么?哪里人?不知道。我只知道自己的生日和乳名。生日是自己长大以后听家里大人说的，是农历十月十五酉时生人。所以我的乳名叫“酉”，北京人爱用儿化韵，前面加个小，后面加“儿”，就叫“小酉儿”。关于我个人的历史情况，我就知道这一些，再多一点都记不起来了。

Let me begin with my trip on the train. When I was about four years old I had traveled by train.The man I traveled with was my uncle Zhang Quanbin. I still remember how funny I looked theway I was dressed - in a blue cloth gown with a short sleeveless jacket over it and a skull capon the head. In those days it was good enough for small kids to be dressed like that. However,it was my only experience to boast about in my childhood. As I had never traveled by train ormet anyone outside my family before, I felt everything on the train was new to me. Probably inchildhood, one always needs some comfort. Sitting in my uncle's lap, being humored all theway, I was very happy. We ate half a jin of roast chestnuts, had a nap and soon arrived inBeijing. With the hints mentioned above I assume I might have come from Tianjin. Even today Ican recollect what my own parents looked like but, of course, my impression is blurry. As forwhat my family name was and where my parents came from, I really don't know. I onlyremember my birthday and my infant name. I was told about my birthday by my foster-parentswhen I grew up. I was born in the “you" period (between 5-7 p.m.), 15th of the 10th lunarmonth. So I was named You. Prefixed with xiao-young, and suffixed with a diminutive er--anintimate way of addressing young and small things by Beijingers, my name, therefore, becameXiao You'r. This is all I know about my childhood and beyond that I do not remember muchelse.