序
在这本书里,我想写现代中国某一部分社会,某一类人物.写这类人,我没忘记他们是人类,只是人类,具有无毛两足动物的基本根性.角色当然是 虚构的,但是有考据癖的人当然不肯错过索隐的机会.
这本书整整写了两年,两年里忧世伤生,展想中止,由于杨绛女士不断的督促,替我挡了许多事,省出时间来,得以锱铢积累地写完.照例这本书该献给她,不过,近来觉得献书也像"致身于国" "还政于民"等等佳话.只是话言幻成的空花泡影,各说交付出去,其实只仿佛魔术家玩的飞刀放手而并没有脱手.随你怎样把作品献给人,作品总是自己的,大不了一本书还不值得这样精巧地不老实,因此罢了.
十五年[一九四九年]十二月十五

Preface
In this book, I want to write modern China some one part society, a certain person.Write this person, I did not forget they are mankind, just mankind, have two basic natures of the hairless foot animals.The role is certainly purely imaginative, but test according to of person certainly be not willing to miss the opportunity of the index.
This book writes for two years exactly, two years in the sorrow a life time harms to living, the exhibition think to be at a stop, because lady YANG2 JIANG4 speeds up continuously, blocking many matters for me, a time of province come, can the Baht backlog ground write to finish.According to practice this book should dedicate to her, however, feel dedicate the book also be like" with the result that body in country"" return the in the people" etc. anecdotes recently.Just the empty flower vanish like bubbles that 幻 become of speech of words, each say that the consignation go out, imitate the magician of buddha to play in fact and only of fly the knife to let go but did not sell.With how you dedicate the work to the person, the work always is own of, greatly not a book return unworthy thus and delicately dishonest, therefore just.
15 years[1949] December 15