{[quote]搜狐网友 在上文中提到：

邹教授，能否请教一个问题：您是如何保持如此高效率的？——您看，仅仅45年的时间内，过去又是武大，又是哈佛；又是数理，又是经济；又是博士，又是世行；又是古诗，又是新律；又是文史哲，英法德。现在呢，又是维迎，又是博客！而且好像这个博客竟然也有声有色！——有什么绝招？PS：1、无比敬意 FROM U; 2、无比担心 FOR U; 3、无比支持 TO U![/quote]}

Dear Colleague,

Do you have a phone number? I can call you now. I am just off from a meeting with an economist from Sudan.

To put it simply: we must have passions and enjoy what we really do. Do not pretend that we love math, history, and economics... Ask yourself what you really want to enjoy: money? power? sex? scholarship? If you choose scholarship, which field? Many fields like me? It will be quite superficial (at most third-class), and this is an honest assessment on myself.

Paul Halmos has said, if you really want to be a decent mathematician, you must enjoy math and put math above sex, money, the family, power, and many other stuff. Can we all do this? No. Can so many economists like Qian Yingyi and Tian Guoqiang do it? No. I have heard too many students and their parents say that they love math and they are good at math. I know they are telling me a lie. Very simple, just apply Halmos' simple rule.

We do not need to mention Zhang Weiying because he is essentially empty. We economists all know Weiying’s emptiness, but it is very entertaining to watch him fool around in China. His days (in terms of scholarship and academics) are numbered. Yingyi and Guoqiang know this even better than me. But these two guys and many other have this so-called (Chinese) patience to watch as bystanders. Of course, these two guys plus Lin Yifu and many others know that Heng-fu will come out to denounce Weiying sooner or later. I have been always outspoken with a big mouth. I am the only one among this circle of 50 economists. Why?

But I can never expect that Weiying could be so low that he sent me a badly written letter and fired me with a simple gesture. Obviously, he could stop my salary without kicking me out. Then I can say nothing, and even worse for me, he could continue to remind me that where I am and what I have been doing. To use his own words: (1) “What Heng-fu is doing is hurting Beida’s image!”(2)  “Weiying does not want to be famous. Weiying wants to be famous in China because Weiying is promoting Guanhghua’s reputation!” (3) “Heng-fu, stop it! You are hurting Guanghua’s reputation when you are attacking me!” (4) “Presidents Xu Zhihong, Min Weifang, and Wu Zhipan, Heng-fu is hurting Beida’s reputation when he is cursing me as a 9^th class economist. I don’t care at all, but you Beida leadership should protect Beida’s reputation; therefore, you must protect me and support me to kick Heng-fu out!”… This could continue forever. This is why Weiying puts his big picture on all posters, newspapers, and magazines when he is advertising Guanghua’s EMBA and MBA programs. You all know that very few decent economists have such a thick face! But Weiying has a thick face, indeed. 

I want to tell you another Halmos' rule tomorrow. But please answer the following questions first today:

(1) A first-class scholar always hires first-class people. Why?

(2) How about a second-class scholar? Can he/she hire first-class people? Can he/she hire second-class people? Why do they hire third-class people and so on and on…?

This is the iron rule of an academic circle. This is why I was praising Weiying back in 1999 that he had guts to hire Heng-fu, who is much better than Weiying academically.

Now you know the rest of this story, and with time, everything follows the Halmos’ rule!

Please do help me translate these English words into Chinese, and I will post the translation on my blog tomorrow. Thanks in advance.

Best wishes,

Heng-fu