In her essay "The Invisibility Cloak," Yang Jiang wrote about chatting with Qian Zhongshu: if they could have one magic item, what would it be? Both chose an invisibility cloak—with it, they could slip into any home easily and witness the hidden lives of all kinds of people.
杨绛写过一篇文章，名为《隐身衣》。她和钱钟书闲聊，如果能获得一件法宝，最想要的是什么。二老都想要隐身衣——有了它就可轻而易举地登门入室，看到世间形形色色的隐秘生活。
Magic means supernatural power, but sadly, such luck never falls from the sky. Yet Yang shifted gears: there is indeed an invisibility cloak in this world, and many people already have it. It's called humility. When you're humble, others overlook you, don't take you seriously. You're a nobody, almost transparent. From what I've seen, this is true. At group blind dates, if your beauty is subtle, you'll fade into the background— other people will pass over you politely, and the invisibility effect will be surprisingly strong. Or at larger gatherings: if your reputation is smaller than your toes, even standing tall and acting unyielding, you'll still feel like a nobody.
法宝就意味着超现实的力量，可惜这馅饼未曾从天上掉下来过。不过，杨老师话锋一转，说这世间确实有一件隐身衣，而且很多人都有。它就是卑微。人在卑微里，他人就会忽视你，不把你放眼里，你是nobody，你宛若透明。以我有限经验来看，这是存在的。看那群体相亲，倘若你的美很隐蔽，那么你就很隐蔽，异性的视光会礼貌而不失敬意地略过你，隐身效果好得出奇。或者看看大点的聚会，你的名头还没有你的脚趾头大，你把腰板挺直故作不卑不亢，那仍是“站着如喽啰”。
Humility is indeed a good invisibility cloak. But it's not an impenetrable shield. Neglect, humiliation, violation—this cold world still stings, and the pain doesn't diminish. Moreover, there are so many things and so much wisdom in the world that we don't need to explore or experience them all.
卑微不愧是一件好隐身衣。然而，它不是铁布衫金钟罩，无视、羞辱、侵犯，这炎凉世态仍会刺痛人心，所受伤害一点没少。而且，这世界有那么多事，那么多智慧，并非都得去探知，去亲历。
In the end, Yang wrote: "But in any case, an invisibility cloak is better than the emperor's new clothes." The emperor's new clothes symbolize falsehood. Her point: seeing the world's truth through humility is far better than living blindfolded by illusions.
最后，杨老师来了一句，“但无论如何，隐身衣总比国王的新衣好。”皇帝的新衣象征虚假，言下之意是在卑微里瞥见世间的真相，总比被蒙蔽在假象里生活要好得多。
Yang's essay ends here. Her insight about the humility cloak is profound, and I agree with all she said. Once, like her, I imagined slipping into different social classes, groups, and lives to peek at the world's secrets and seek universal truths. Now, I see it more as a personality trait: for these people, the joy of exploring the world and pursuing wisdom outweighs their own glory or disgrace. They sustain their own dignity and contentment—humiliation and inferiority can't hurt them.
《隐身衣》行文至此结束。卑微隐身衣，观点深刻，杨老师的看法我都认同。我曾经也如杨老师那般，想象能在社会不同阶层，不同群体，不同生活中，窥探世间的隐秘，试图寻求世界普遍的真相。如今，我更倾向理解为，这是一类人格特性，探知世界、寻求智慧的乐趣要高于他们自身的荣辱，尊严自给，关怀自足，卑微低贱不能伤之。
In my mind, such people push through crowds, leave the noisy arenas of life, walk against the tide of gathering masses, and climb slowly to a higher vantage point—until they can see the whole picture. At the center of the life arena: houses, cars, get-rich-quick schemes, success manuals, half-naked beauties and tough guys, endless delicacies, exotic scenic spots, dreamy pleasures, fame, honor, status, power. There's love and hate, joy and fear, peace and worry—daily trivialities like rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea. Every booth is packed with people.
在我的意象里，这种人，从人群中挤身出去，离开喧嚣的生活场，逆着人们聚集的方向而行，缓缓爬上更高的位置，直到看到整体轮廓。生活场中央有房、车，致富经、成功学，有裸露的美女与凶猛的型男，吃不腻的美食、新奇的景点、梦幻的欢乐，有名声、荣誉、地位和权力，还有爱恨喜惧忧宁、柴米油盐酱醋茶，每个贩卖点人群密集拥挤。
By nature, they reject crowds and the mainstream. Life outside the herd is where they feel at ease. So they put on the invisibility cloak to be outsiders in life, spies seeking the truth—hiding in crowds and mainstream circles, wandering through the real world. Coming and going, that's their life. They can lift themselves gently off the ground, shed the weight of reality, float in the abstract realm of life, drifting with the breeze of wisdom—even if their real lives are falling apart.
他们本性排斥人群和主流，人群外才是他们舒服生活的场，于是，穿上隐身衣作生活的局外人，作探知真相的卧底，潜藏在人群和主流之中，在现实场内游走。来去之间，就是他们的生活。他们可以做到轻飘飘地从地面升起，卸掉生活场的现实重量，漂浮在生命层的抽象里，随着智慧的清风飘荡，哪怕现实生活早已揭不开锅。
But I think Yang overlooked another type of invisibility cloak. The opposite of humility: nobility. Whether from status, fame, honor—or power, position, money. When you're noble, you're above others, admired by thousands, chased by crowds. I think then you can also see another truth of the world—one completely opposite to what you see in the humility cloak. Some truths are even exclusive. When you're noble enough, wouldn't these things happen? Elders bow to you respectfully, you buddy up and chat casually with legendary figures, the trash you throw away is something ordinary people can't afford in a lifetime, you pick the best of the best as easily as choosing one drop from three thousand rivers, your life is as luxurious as a feudal noble's palace. Isn't that also the truth?
不过，我认为杨老师忽略了另一类隐身衣。与卑微相反，它是尊贵。不管是身份、名声、荣誉带来的，还是地位、权力、金钱带来。你尊贵，你是人上人，你万众瞩目、千人追捧，我想此时人也能真切地见识到世界的另一部真相——与穿着卑微隐身衣所看到的相反事实。而且有些还是独有，当你足够尊贵，你说会不会出现这些：长者对晚辈的你毕恭毕敬，你和传说中的人物称兄道弟，谈笑风生，你随手丢掉的垃圾普通人一辈子也买不起，你挑选极品尤物如同三千弱水取一瓢，你生活的奢华堪比封建旧时代的皇宫贵族。这会不会也是真相？
Think further: invisibility cloaks aren't just about humility and nobility. Professions can be cloaks too. People can hide behind any occupation to touch and understand the world. Put on a white coat—won't you see more lifestyles and habits that hide health risks? If you're a thief, won't you have a more realistic view of an object's value? Pick up a paintbrush—won't you pay more attention to observing and understanding beauty? Do accounting—won't you see more clearly how money flows in the world?
扩展开去思考，何止尊卑贵贱是隐身衣。职业也可以是隐身衣，人可以藏在任何一种职业背后去接触和理解世界。穿上白大褂，你会不会看到更多隐藏祸根的生活方式和行为习惯？你要是小偷，你会不会对物品的价值有更实在的估量？你拿上画笔，你会不会更在意对美的观察和理解？你做起账来，你会不会看得更清楚金钱如何在世界里流动？
Furthermore, identities can be cloaks too, letting you glimpse certain truths. If you're a parent, won't you better understand why parent-child relationships are often tense? Become someone's friend—won't you learn about human complexity through betrayal? As a partner, won't you notice the expansion of your own desires and your longing for your lover's loyalty?
再者，身份不也可以作隐身衣，让人窥见一些真相？你若为人父母，你会不会更能理解到亲子关系为何总是很紧张？你成为他人之友，你会不会在被朋友背叛中理解到人性的复杂。你是他人的伴侣，你会不会觉察到自身欲望的膨胀和渴求恋人忠诚于你？
Similarly, even gender, age, body type, appearance, clothing, words and deeds—all can be invisibility cloaks. It's like being on a movie set or a theater stage: is your soul playing a king or a prisoner? Are you holding a knife in the northeast corner or a cross in the southwest? Are you dressed in luxury or rags? Do you have a murder weapon or life-saving medicine in your pocket? Do you say "don't leave me" or "get the hell away"? Hiding behind these roles, won't the world you see be different?
同理，甚至性别、年龄、体型、相貌、着装、言行，统统可以成为隐身衣。正如在一个电影棚里，一个戏剧舞台上，你的灵魂扮演的是国王，还是阶下囚，你在东北角拿着刀，还是在西南角举着十字架，你一身华贵还是赤贫条条，你口袋里揣着杀人的枪还是救人的药，你说别离开我，还是说TM滚点远。我们隐身其后，所看到的世界会不会不一样了？
So what's the essence of an invisibility cloak? It's all the external aspects of a person: humility and nobility, profession, identity, appearance—everything outer can be a cloak. The essence of invisibility is the separation of the external from self-awareness. When we stop tying our souls to certain statuses, professions, identities, or symbols—and instead see them as temporary masks or robes—our true selves, our souls, our wills stand behind. That's when spiritual freedom is born. Others disdain your humble situation, humiliate your body—but they can't hurt you. Similarly, when you become noble, others curry favor with you—not with you, but with your noble status. As your soul moves from one cloak to another, the truth the world reveals to you changes again and again.
所以，隐身衣的本质是什么？其本质是人外在的一切，尊卑贵贱，职业，身份，人的特征等等一切外在均可以是隐身衣。隐身的本质，则是外在和自我意识的分离。当我们不再将自己的心灵捆绑在某种贵贱、职业、身份、表象征上，而是将其作为一时选择的面具和道服，真正的你、你的心灵、你的意志在其背后，精神自由就诞生了。他人鄙夷的是你的卑微处境，他们羞辱你的皮囊，但伤害不到你，同样，你尊贵起来了，他人转而攀附你，奉承的也不是你，而是你的尊贵处境。你的灵魂从这转到那，从东变到西，世界呈现给你的真相也随之一变再变。
This new understanding of invisibility cloaks has truly brought me freedom. Now I work in finance, write to solidify life, and I'm even a rice-selling live streamer (though I haven't sold many orders yet). I leave home at 8 AM and return to my dorm at 11 PM. I hope all these things will bear fruit. I also hope to become famous, a master, an internet celebrity—stand in the spotlight. To me, these aren't unconscious desires or instincts, but tools I consciously want to use. They're all invisibility cloaks. Through them, I can push my life into these areas, understand more truths and wisdom, expand my life experiences to places I've never touched, and nourish my soul hidden behind these cloaks.
隐身衣新的理解，给我带来的的确是自由。现在我做着财务，写文字凝固生活，我还是卖大米的主播（还没卖出几单）。我八点钟出门，晚上十一点回宿舍，我希望这些事情都能出成果。我还希望自己成名成家，成网红，抛头露脸。在我看来，这些不是不自觉的欲望和本能，而是有意识想利用的工具，它们都是隐身衣，借助它们我可能得以将生活推进到这些领域去，可能得以理解到更多的真相和智慧，将生命体验推进到我所没触达的地方，得以滋养我在这些隐身衣背后的心灵。
But ultimately, hiding in crowds and observing the world as a spy is a personality trait and preference. In reality, exploring truth and wisdom doesn't bring joy to many people. Yet invisibility cloaks still hold meaning for them.
不过，到底说来，隐身在人群中，在人群中作卧底观察世界，是一类人格的特性和喜好。现实中，探索真相和智慧并不会给很多人带来乐趣。但是隐身衣对他们来说，仍有意义的。
In modern values, a popular idea is that self-actualization—or doing nothing and relaxing—is the way to enjoy life. Yet these ideas face great challenges in reality. A painter's soul trapped in a cleaner's job, a creative spirit confined by a client's demands. People have to make a living, support their families, provide services or goods to exchange value in the market, manage households, raise children, support elders—rushing around so much that they have little time, energy, or money to save their souls from reality or free themselves to enjoy life.
在现代的价值观里，实现自我、或者闲着什么也不用干就是享受生活，是一个非常流行和普遍的想法。然而，这些想法在现实中面临极大的挑战。画家的灵魂委屈在保洁的职业里，创造的灵魂困在甲方的要求中，人要糊口养家，要提供服务或商品，从交易市场交换价值，要经营家庭，养育孩子、赡养老人，为生活奔波忙忙碌碌，不再有很多时间、精力和金钱，拯救自己的灵魂于现实，或者解放自己闲下来享受人生。
I used to think that way, but not anymore. The problem isn't with these values—it's with the sense of grievance. And that grievance can be eliminated. Because a painter isn't wronged in a cleaner's job—they're hiding in it, growing. A creative urge isn't stifled by a client's demands—it's hiding in them, developing. The external is just a protective shell, a prop, an invisibility cloak. We need these cloaks to make a living, support our families, and give our souls and desires the space to lie low and grow. This is a noble act, a sign of life's strength—like a seed falling in a crack in the wall, still trying to grow into a tree. Merely complaining that reality is harsh is meaningless. I even think it's weak—failing to see the will and power of being human. If reality doesn't give them what they want, they turn and run, then complain about how realistic reality is. If you're tired, rest for a while and keep going. If you can't do something well, keep trying.
以前我这样想，现在不是。问题不是在这个价值观上，而是其中的委屈。那委屈是可以消除的，因为画家不是委屈在保洁职业里，而是藏在保洁职业里发育，创造性的渴求，也不是被扼杀在甲方的要求里，而是藏在其中发育。外在只是一个保护壳，道具，隐身衣。我们需要这些隐身衣去谋生养活自己，养活家人，也让自身的灵魂和渴求得以韬光养晦，有发育的空间。这是光荣的做法，生命力量的体现，如同种子落在墙缝上，仍试图想长出一棵树来。而只是徒口感叹现实太骨感，这没什么意义，我甚至觉得，这弱爆了，看不到生而为人的意志和力量。现实不给他，他就扭头跑，而后感慨现实太现实。累了就歇一会继续，做不好的事情继续做嘛。
More broadly, we don't have to complain about the jobs we're doing. You could be a thief, stealing chickens and dogs. You could be a dishonest merchant, selling fake goods, cheating people. Looking down from a moral high ground, all evil in the world shouldn't exist. But when we're born, who can guarantee that every bite of food we eat is clean and bloodless? Who can ensure every penny we earn is moral? Who can start a noble and glorious career right away, never having done anything wrong? In the jungle, if you're born a fox, cunning is in your nature. If you're born an ox, you're tough and can take a beating. If you're born a lion, you won't graze quietly for a lifetime. But if you realize your soul and morality don't align with your actions, you don't have to suffer. Sometimes we do immoral things, harming others to protect our families—acting for our own gain rather than mutual benefit. But reality leaves us no choice; we have to do these things to make a living, so we suffer between morality and reality. In my opinion, this suffering is unnecessary. What matters is understanding your situation and your soul—needing the space of an invisibility cloak to adjust. In other words, you don't have to be consistent in word and deed, but you must understand yourself and give your inner self space to purify and grow. That's the practical role of an invisibility cloak.
更广泛地说，我们不必埋怨我们正在从事的职业，你可以是小偷，偷鸡摸狗，你可以是奸商，挂羊头卖狗肉，坑买拐骗。在道德制高点俯瞰，这世间的一切恶都不应该存在，可是人降生于世，谁能保证所吃的每一口饭都干净不含血腥，谁能保证赚的每一分钱都符合道德，谁能一开始就能从事伟光正的职业，不曾作过恶。在丛林中，如果你出身就是狐狸，你天性里就会有狡猾，如果你出身是牛，你就会皮糙耐抽，如果你出身是狮子，你就不会乖乖吃草过一辈子。但是如果觉察自己的心灵、道德与自身的行为不符，是不必感到痛苦的。我们有时的确做着不道德的事情，损害大家的利益来保住小家的利益，做着单赢而不是双赢的事情，但是现实又没得选，需要这样做糊口养家，于是在道德与现实中煎熬。此时我的看法，这同样不必煎熬，重要的是理解自身的处境，也理解自己的心灵，需要隐身衣的空间去调整。也就是，人不一定要表里如一，但是要理解自身，给内在有空间去净化和发展，这是隐身衣的现实作用。
But there must be some people in the world who truly lack humanity. For them, there are no invisibility cloaks—their bloodthirsty, cruel exteriors match their dark souls. I'm somewhat curious: how does such evil grow? If I were an evil person, what would the world look like to me?
不过，世界上应该有些人，真没人性。对他们来说，就没有隐身衣，那嗜血残忍的皮囊和黑化的心保持一致。我倒是有些好奇，这样的恶，是如何长出来的。如果我是一个恶人，我所看到的世界会是什么样？