紫色动力——长江学者奖励计划第五届颁奖典礼

英文原文：https://www.lksf.org/english-the-power-of-mauve/ 日期：2003 年 2 月 20 日

官方中文版

尊敬的陈至立部长、各位副部长、尊敬的各位领导、各位院士专家们、各位校长、各位学者、各位嘉宾：

今天很高兴在这里和大家共聚，我首先要对所有今届获奖的学者们致以万二分的祝贺，同时也要向教育部同人以及曾经对长江学者奖励计划给予鼎力支持和协助的各方人士表示衷心的感谢。

我最近看了一本名为《淡紫色》的书，书中的主角是贝金（Sir William Perkin），他是第一位将化学发明转化为工业生产并创造出大量财富的化学家。贝金生长在一个普通家庭，老师叫他做一个化学实验，尝试制造奎宁，结果奎宁造不成，却制造出一堆黑色的化学物体，将台布染成紫色，这种名为「苯」的黑色沉淀物，日后成为提炼出工业上有广泛用途的染料——苯胺紫。18 个月后，他为这项发明申请专利，并大力加以商业化，结果这项发明成为了其他科学家无数发明的「药引」，无论在漂染、医药、化妆品、食物工业等方面均有广泛用途，造就了价值以万亿元计的工商业生产。

贝金是百多年前的人物，今天他已被世人所遗忘，他的故事对我们却有重要的参考价值和启示作用。贝金 16 岁已取得丰硕的科研成果，他从个人的好奇出发，目的不是完全为了财富。他并非一帆风顺，我们可以想像，一个年轻的小伙子要争取他人的信任是何等困难，但他排除万难，坚持将之转化为商业发展，结果成为一个杰出的企业家，23 岁已是当代富豪，36 岁盛年退休，重新专注他喜爱的科学研究。贝金化腐朽成金的传奇并非因为他幸运，而是建基于我们都可以拥有的潜质：无微不至的洞察力、争取知识的热诚、不断进取的毅力、不怕失败的自信。

曾经有一位科学家约瑟·亨利（Joseph Henry）这样说：「伟大发明的种子不断在我们周遭浮现，但却只会在那些已准备好迎接它们的人心中萌芽。」教育就是为我们作准备，教育的精神不能局限于传授技术，今天教育家最大的挑战，是怎样令我们的年青人怀着满腔热诚去争取知识，并乐于参与这个奋斗的过程。人生的成功都有许多组成元素，但最关键是当机会来临时，我们是否累积有足够的知识去作为开启这个机会的钥匙。

今天全球化竞争剧烈，工商业的竞争就是智慧的竞争，难以容纳滥竽充数的人，要不被淘汰，就要像贝金一样，以视野和好奇心为其主要的推动力，怀着锲而不舍、敢于向前的勇气，以及求创新求完美的心，这是他一生最重要的资本。

各位长江学者，你们背负着国家的期望，你们的努力不单体现在科研成就，为国家创造幸福和繁荣，也体现在你们能作为年青人的榜样，让他们能在你们的努力中获得无穷的启发。最后，我想用书中一句说话：「没有实验，我便一无是处，尝试再尝试，谁知道什么是可能的。」与大家共勉。

谢谢大家。

English Original

I recently read a biography entitled Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color that Changed the World. Its protagonist, Sir William Perkin, was the first chemist to make a fortune by transforming an invention into an industrial process.

At school in England, his teacher once asked him to perform a chemistry experiment to synthesise quinine. The experiment failed and a black chemical substance was produced instead, which stained the tablecloth purple. This black substance was to become the basic ingredient of aniline, a dyeing agent with extensive industrial applications.

Sir William took out a patent for his invention 18 months later and commercialised it. His discovery was to become the “catalyst” for many subsequent inventions by other scientists whose applications in dyeing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food production created industries worth billions of dollars.

Sir William lived more than a century ago, but we can learn valuable lessons from his life story. The resounding success of his scientific work as a teenager was not fuelled solely by his quest for material profit but also by his innate curiosity.

We can imagine how difficult it was for such a young lad to earn the trust of other people. Nonetheless he surmounted all the obstacles before him and persisted in turning his invention into a commercial enterprise. He eventually became an outstanding entrepreneur. At 23 he was already a very wealthy man. At 36 he retired and returned to what he liked doing best – scientific research. His success was not the result of sheer luck but was founded upon qualities that every one should strive to possess: keen powers of observation, a voracious appetite for knowledge, a dogged determination to succeed, and confidence to defy all odds.

The scientist Joseph Henry once said: “The seeds of great discoveries are constantly floating around us, but they only take root in minds well prepared to receive them.”

Education is what prepares us – and it should not be confined to the mere transfer of skills. The greatest challenge for educationalists today is to fire our youth with the enthusiasm to pursue knowledge and be part of the learning process. Success in life depends on a combination of different factors, but the most critical one is the ability to grasp an opportunity when it arises and apply the knowledge one has built up.

Competing in business in today’s increasingly globalised world is a battle of wits; it is not for the run-of-the-mill. Like Sir William, we must combine motivation with vision and curiosity, move ahead with perseverance and courage, and to seek perfection through innovation in whatever we do.

Finally, I would like to quote a line from the book: “Without experimenting I am nothing. Try and then try again. Who knows what is possible?”