Pinyin/Free Lunch

Author: Lu Jiansheng

2015-05-18

President George Bush, Sr. once said

President George Bush, Sr. once said, there is never anyone who can win over Nobel Prize winner economist Milton Friedman in an argument, except his wife. I watched TV debate short clip between Milton Friedman and audience online, which is not false. I also noticed he has a small trick, which is to pause after finish speaking one paragraph, wait until when somebody else who is ready to reply, then open his mouth and interrupt his opponent speech, cutting his opponents down to size.

老布殊總統曾經說過，從來沒有人辯論贏過著名經濟學家諾貝爾獎得主佛利民（Milton Friedman），除了他老婆。我上網看了他在電視上跟現場觀眾的對答辯論短片，所言非虛。我還注意到他的一個小技巧，就是講完一段停下來，等人家準備回應時，就開口打斷對方發言，挫其銳氣。

Lǎo Bush zǒngtǒng céngjīng shuōguo, cónglái méiyǒu rén biànlùn yíngguo zhùmíng jīngjìxuéjiā Nobel Prize dézhǔ Milton Friedman, chúle tā lǎopó. Wǒ shàngwǎng kànle tā zài diànshì shàng gēn xiànchǎng guānzhòng de duìdá biànlùn duǎnpiàn, suǒyánfēixū. Wǒ hái zhùyìdào tā de yīgè xiǎo jìqiǎo, jiùshì jiǎng-wán yīduàn tíng-xiàlái, děng rénjiā zhǔnbèi huíyìng shí, jiù kāikǒu dǎduàn duìfāng fāyán, cuòqíruìqì.

Friedman is an American economist

Friedman is an American economist, famous for his studies of macroeconomics, microeconomics, economic history and statistics. He is also well-known as a proponent for laissez-faire capitalism. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1976 and was praised for his contribution, in the categories of consumption analysis, curriences supply theory, and on the complexity of economic stabilization policies.

佛利民是美國經濟學家，以研究宏觀經濟學、微觀經濟學、經濟史、統計學以及主張自由放任資本主義而聞名，更於1976年得到諾貝爾經濟學獎，以表揚其在消費分析、貨幣供應理論及穩定政策複雜性等範疇之貢獻。

Friedman shì Měiguó jīngjìxuéjiā, yǐ yánjiū hóngguān-jīngjìxué, wēiguān-jīngjìxué, jīngjìshǐ, tǒngjìxué yǐjí zhǔzhāng zìyóu fàngrèn zīběnzhǔyì ér wénmíng, gèng yú 1976 nián dédào Nobel Jīngjìxué Jiǎng, yǐ biǎoyáng qí zài xiāofèi fēnxī, huòbì gōngyìng lǐlùn jí wěndìng zhèngcè fùzáxìng děng fànchóu de gòngxiàn.

Friedman visited China three times

Friedman visited China three times. He understood economic reform in the Chinese market and has published a book entitled "Friedman in China", which discussed his two times journey in China. Friedman found Chinese people have no knowledge on economic problems. Once in a lecture, a Chinese vice-minister asked Friedman: "In America, who are responsible for distributing goods?" Friedman suggested to the vice-minister to have a look at commodities exchange in Chicago, to find out how does an economic system function without the central distributor.

他曾三度訪問中國，了解中國市場經濟改革，曾出版《佛利民在中國》一書，談論兩次中國之行。佛利民發現，人們對經濟問題，很多時候幾乎一無所知。有次在一個講座中，一位中國副部長問他：「在美國誰負責物資分配？」佛利民建議那位副部長去芝加哥商品交易所看看，了解一下沒有中央分配者的經濟體制是怎樣運作的。

Tā céng sān dù fǎngwèn Zhōngguó, liǎojiě Zhōngguó shìchǎng jīngjì gǎigé, céng chūbǎn “Friedman zài Zhōngguó” yī shū, tánlùn liǎng cì Zhōngguó zhī xíng. Friedman fāxiàn, rénmen duì jīngjì wèntí, hěnduō shíhòu jīhū yīwúsuǒzhī. Yǒu cì zài yīgè jiǎngzuò zhōng, yī wèi Zhōngguó fùbùcháng wèn tā: "Zài Měiguó shuí fùzé wùzī fēnpèi?" Friedman jiànyì nàge fùbùzhǎng qù Chicago shāngpǐn jiāoyìsuǒ kànkàn, liǎojiě yīxià méiyǒu zhòngyāng fēnpèizhě de jīngjì tǐzhì shì zěnyàng yùnzuò de.

Although Friedman's economic reform suggestion was not put into practice directly in China

Although Friedman's economic reform suggestion was not put into practice directly in China. However, in 1988 accompanying Friedman in his visit to China, professer Zhang Wuchang thought: "The Chinese monetary system drafted by the former Premier Zhu Rongji, which is even better than the American system, is deeply influenced by Friedman's doctrine."

雖然佛利民的經濟改革建議並沒有直接在中國落實，但1988年陪同佛利民訪華的張五常教授認為，前總理朱鎔基後來制定的中國貨幣制度，深受佛利民學說影響，較美國更為優勝。

Suīrán Friedman de jīngjì gǎigé jiànyì bìng méiyǒu zhíjiē zài Zhōngguó luòshí, dàn 1988 nián péitóng Friedman fǎng-Huá de Zhāng Wǔcháng jiàoshòu rènwéi, Zhū Róngjī hòulái zhìdìng de Zhōngguó huòbì zhìdù, shēnshòu Friedman xuéshuō yǐngxiǎng, jiào Měiguó gèngwéi yōushèng.

When Friedman publicize laissez-faire economics

When Friedman publicize laissez-faire economics, he always pointed to Hong Kong as the last bastion of lassez-faire economics. In his publication "The Right to Choose", Friedman pointed out: "If one wanted to understand how a free market really works, one should come to Hong Kong." However, today some policies of the Hong Kong government. I believed already go against the principle of laissez-faire economics.

佛利民宣揚自由經濟學說時，經常指香港是自由經濟的最後堡壘，在其著作《選擇的自由》中，他指出：「如果想了解自由市場的真正運作，就應到香港去。」不過今天香港政府的一些政策，我認為已經違背自由經濟原則。

Friedman xuānyáng zìyóu jīngjì xuéshuō shí, jīngcháng zhǐ Xiānggǎng shì zìyóu jīngjì de zuìhòu bǎolěi, zài qí zhùzuò “xuǎnzé de Zìyóu” zhōng, tā zhǐchū: "Rúguǒ xiǎng liǎojiě zìyóu shìchǎng de zhēnzhèng yùnzuò, jiù yīnggāi dào Xiānggǎng qù." Bùguò jīntiān Xiānggǎng zhèngfǔ de yīxiē zhèngcè, wǒ rènwéi yǐjīng wéibèi zìyóu jīngjì yuánzé.

A famous quote by Friedman

A famous quote by Friedman, almost everyone have heard, of course is this one: "There's no such thing as a free lunch." The meaning of which everyone can understand. However, another quote I also agreed upon is this one: "One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results."

佛利民的名言，幾乎所有人都聽過的，當然是這句：「世界上沒有免費午餐」，意思大家當然都懂。不過另一句我很贊同的，就是：「最大錯誤之一，就是根據政策和計劃的意圖來作判斷，而不是根據其結果。」

Friedman de míngyán, jīhū suǒyǒu rén dōu tīngguo de, dāngrán shì zhè jù: "Shìjièshàng méiyǒu miǎnfèi wǔcān", yìsī dàjiā dàngrán dōu dǒng. Bùguò lìngyī jù wǒ hěn zàntóng de, jiùshì: "Zuìdà cuòwù zhīyī, jiùshì gēnjù zhèngcè hé jìhuà de yìtú lái zuò pànduàn, ér bùshì gēnjù qí jiéguǒ."

One quote I guessed everyone have a common response for is this one

One quote I guessed everyone have a common response for is this one: "The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem." Agree or not?

有一句估計大家很有共鳴的：「政府所提出解決問題的辦法，通常跟那個問題本身一樣差勁」，同意不？

Yǒu yī jù gūjì dàjiā hěn yǒu gòngmíng de: "Zhèngfǔ suǒ tíchū jiějué wèntí de bànfǎ, tōngcháng gēn nàgè wèntí běnshēn yīyàng chàjìng", tóngyì bù?

There is still another quote worth thinking over

There is still another quote worth thinking over: "What constituted a majority of anti-laissez-faire theories is in fact a mistrust towards freedom." Sighing with emotions or not?

還有一句很值得深思的：「構成大多數反自由市場理論的，其實是對自由本身的不信任。」感慨不？

Háiyǒu yī jù hěn zhídé shēnsī de: "Gòuchéng dàduōshù fǎn-zìyóu-shìchǎng lǐlùn de, qíshí shì duì zìyóu běnshēn de bù xìnrèn." Gǎnkǎi bù?