Silence is soundlessness; silence exists in different forms.

无声即沉默。沉默有各种各样——

An empty head or a blank mind which leads to speechlessness--that is silence.

腹中空泛，思想一片苍白，故无言可发，这是沉默。

Enthusiasm fades like dying embers and thus leads to cynicism and indifference¹ to life, which arouses neither happiness nor sadness, neither worries nor anger, and which costs people their interest in and desire for anything--that is silence.

热情已如柴薪尽燃，故而冷漠处世，无喜无悲，无忧无愤，对人世的一切都失去兴趣和欲望，这也是沉默。

Despite all the experiences of love and hate, of disorientation and reorientation, of order-giving that was answered by hundreds and call-issuing that was not answered by a single soul, there is not a word uttered, but only a clam² eye that watches on this world--that is also silence.

有过爱，有过恨，有过迷茫，有过颖悟，有过一呼百应的呐喊，有过得不到回报的呼唤，然而却收口如瓶，只是平静地冷眼看世界，这是沉默。

Worries and sufferings, tastes of changes and vicissitudes³ of the world, footprints left in mountains and valleys and noises of rivers and oceans cherished in the heart are all but hidden unrevealed--that is still silence.

饱经忧患，阅尽人生百态，胸有千山万壑的屐痕，有江河湖海的涛声，然而却深思不语，这也是沉默。

Either an invaluable⁴ Italian violin or a reed whistle cut out casually⁵ would remain silent if they are not played, although the connotations of their silences differ greatly. For even though they are never touched by anybody, you can still imagine the vastly different sounds they can possibly produce.

一把价值连城意大利小提琴，和一只被随手削出的芦笛，不去触动它们，便都是沉默，但沉默的内涵却并不一样，即便永远不在有人去触动它们，你依然可以想象听见它们可能发出的绝然不同的鸣响。

A flawless jade⁶ ornament⁷, or a coarse, gross brick will always remain silent if it is left untouched, but who can draw an equal sign between them?

一块莹洁无暇的美玉，和一块粗糙的土砖，放在那里也都是沉默。然而谁能把它们所代表的内容划一个等号呢？

Indeed, for a living being there is no such thing as true silence, for silence itself is a revelation of the mind and the heart, an echo of the soul of a different form.

其实，对活着的生命而言，真正的沉默是不存在的。沉默本身也是一种思想和心境的流露，是灵魂的另一种形式的回声。

Some people use silence as a disguise of the emptiness of the head.

有的人以沉默掩饰思想的空虚。

Some use it as a means to depict⁸ their disorientation and melancholy⁹.

有的人以沉默叙述迷茫和惆怅。

And some use it as a way of expressing their angers and sorrows.

有的人以沉默表达内心的愤怒和忧伤。

Silence usually is ephemeral. It reminds one of the bronze bells dangling¹⁰ from a pagoda's eaves; on windless days they are a decoration upon the age-weathered beauty, but with wind they give out wonderful tinkling¹¹ and jingling¹² metallurgic sounds, as if echoing age-old stories of long, long ago...

沉默常常是暂时的。就像古塔檐角下的铜铃，无风时，它们只是一种古色古香的装饰，一起风，它们便会发出奇妙的金属音响，似乎是许多古老故事的悠远的回声……

Do you not think the same of silent people?

沉默的人们不也一样?

They say that "silence is golden", but of what nature is this "gold"? It can include integrity, honesty and kindness; it can stand for indifference to and detachment from fame and fortune; but it can also act as an excuse for hypocrisy¹³, slyness and cowardice¹⁴... the glittering of gold may not necessarily be the most brilliant lustre¹⁵ in the world.

“沉默是金”，是怎样的一种“金”呢? 这个“金”字中，可以包含正直、善良，可以代表淡泊、超脱，也可以是虚伪、圆滑、怯懦的一种托辞……金子的光泽，未必是世界上最动人的光泽。

Can it be that permanent silence is only represented by death?

是不是只有死亡才是永远的沉默?

Perhaps even death cannot represent true silence, for the carrier of the soul can turn into dust, so that the sincere and wise voices from the bottom of the heart will trigger long-lasting echoes in the seas of human hearts...

也许，死亡也未必是真正的沉默，灵魂的载体可以化为尘土，那些真诚睿智的心声，却会长久地在人心的海洋中引起悠长的回声……