He conquered countless New Oriental students with his unique charm and unique teaching. He is an expert and authority on GRE reading, LSAT reading, advanced intensive reading of practical English and translation courses. Lecturer and trainer of New Oriental Education Technology Group. Bachelor of British and American Literature, MBA in Peking University. He has served as simultaneous interpreter for many large international conferences such as the World Petroleum Congress. Excellent teachers of New Oriental over the years. Won the "New Oriental Ten-year Meritorious Award" and often conducted special interviews on well-known domestic websites such as Sohu and TOM.
English is a Beautiful Art —— Interview with Qi Wenyu (Excerpt) Shangdao Coffee is still open on a narrow street in Beijing's East Third Ring Road. This room is a bit deserted. There seems to be music flowing in the air. Not far away, the juicer buzzed intermittently, and the waiter was slowly cleaning the bar and folding cups. On this day and this hour, few customers come. Qi Wenyu and I are two of them.
He sat opposite me, a little thin, with a tired face. 15 minutes ago, he just finished two hours of class; 15 minutes later, he came to interview me again, and the topic of conversation extended from "understanding English" to "understanding life".
That day, he wore a dark suit and a black coat over a navy sweater. That day, he asked for a mocha and smoked four cigarettes. His body language is very few, and the main expression "way" is gentle tone and tiny volume. In addition, there are words recorded on paper to explain and explain the content, including his work schedule for a week, his favorite English poems, his belief in English education and his belief in life philosophy.
Chatting with Qi Wenyu will never make you bored. This bright-eyed and quick-thinking interviewee is sometimes like a knowledgeable and amiable teacher, sometimes like a scholar full of worries, and sometimes like an artist who advocates romance and understands fashion.
As soon as everyone talked about English, he said that "language is an art", and all he had to do was "let students learn to discover and appreciate the beauty of English". When we talked about teaching, he said: "teaching can be divided into three realms: tasteless, flawless and effortless, and he is trying to achieve the last one;" Everyone is talking about celebrities. He said, "China really counts English. Everyone is Liang Shiqiu, Fu Lei, Lin Yutang, Yu Guangzhong and Xu Yuanchong "; Talking about life, he said, "If we treat life with an attitude of' carving', people will find and appreciate what ordinary people can't get. "
Qi Wenyu accepted the interview seriously, took pains to answer every question, and told the whole story directly. His expression is implicit, his speech is gentle and elegant, and he has a Shanghai style, so that when he tells you that he enjoys leisure time in a cafe on Fuzhou Road in Shanghai every spring and reads foreign books, you secretly conclude that Shanghai is his hometown without hesitation.
The truth is that he just likes it there. In fact, he was born in the north. Then, you start to feel confused and confused. However, after getting familiar with him, all kinds of questions will be solved one by one. You will find that this bookish, modest and introverted person is full of turmoil in his heart, but he is broad-minded and free and easy in his bones.
Young readers dream of becoming a good tutor for speakers, and the influence of the campus environment made Qi Wenyu have a strong interest in literature in his youth. It is also the understanding of language and culture cultivated since childhood, coupled with the diligent study the day after tomorrow, that makes Qi Wenyu able to wander freely and enjoy himself between eastern and western cultures on today's three-foot platform.
When he was a junior high school student in Nankai Middle School, a teacher who was "well versed in ancient and modern times and had great personality charm" became his mentor when he entered the literature hall. After class, he intensively read China's classical literature and recited ancient poems. In junior high school, Qi Wenyu finished reading four volumes of Ancient Chinese compiled by Wang Li. What fascinated him most at that time were Qu Yuan's Chu Ci, Li He's poems and Su Shi's and Xin Qiji's poems. "At that time, Su Shi's Song of Eternal Sorrow described the softness of the wind, and a genius wrote' The moon is like frost, and the wind is like water'. Many years later, when I read the phrase "a fickle breeze" in an English novel, I couldn't help but marvel at the natural tacit understanding between China and Britain. " Qi recalled.
In addition to loving classical poetry, Qi Wenyu also practiced calligraphy since childhood, which not only cultivated a good hand, but also cultivated a keen insight into the details of things and a persistent and dedicated attitude. He also dreams of becoming an excellent speaker in the future. Because in his view, "being listened to by many people and shared with many people is a happy and intoxicating thing."
Apart from calligraphy and China classical literature, English was another interest of Qi Wenyu when he was young. In the sixth grade of primary school, he began to learn new concept English and a set of teaching materials called "English like this" under the guidance of his parents. In Qi Wenyu's eyes, learning English is never a chore. On the contrary, it is an easy and pleasant process.
To learn English, we must first learn to be poor.
During his college years, Qi Wenyu's main way to learn English was to read a large number of original books, and English classics and magazine articles were his two main reading resources. The former is to learn and understand the language charm and spiritual realm of literary masters, while the latter is to learn authentic and fresh fashion terms. Hardy's novels, samuel johnson's essays, Poe's poems and Dickens' novels are Qi Wenyu's favorite classic literary works. As for English magazines, he prefers Time magazine, which is famous for its wisdom and exaggeration, to The Economist, whose language is rigorous and conservative. In the study, Qi Wenyu has always adhered to the "poor" study habit. When you encounter new words in reading, you should not only look up the definition from the dictionary, but also pay attention to understanding the "source" of the words, and recite examples to familiarize yourself with the usage context and related collocation of the words. After each of the above learning steps is completed, Qi Wenyu will mark the entries in the dictionary with colored pens for repeated study in the future. When he was in college, the dictionary he used the most was the fourth edition of Oxford Advanced Dictionary, which contained classic examples, which made him gain a lot, such as translating "the beauty of the whole city" into transcendental beauty. Poor study habits have laid a solid foundation for Qi Wenyu to engage in English teaching in the future, and four years in college can be said to be an important stage of his "primitive accumulation" of knowledge. When she was in college, Qi Wenyu had a dream, that is, to compile a dictionary. The examples of every word in the dictionary come from famous literary works, which may be Shakespeare's plays, Dickens' novels or Tagore's poetic dramas. "This dream still exists, and I hope it can be realized one day." Ji Wenyu said with a smile. After graduating from college, Qi Wenyu was admitted to the graduate school of English Department of Tianjin University and continued to improve his English and American literature. His research topic is the poems of Irish poet and playwright William Butler Yeats.
Qi Wenyu, who successfully obtained a master's degree, was hired as an interpreter by a China branch of an American chemical company. During this period, he also served as a senior interpreter for large-scale international conferences such as the World Petroleum Congress. Although simultaneous interpretation has greatly trained him, Qi Wenyu feels that translation can only be regarded as a means of making a living, not his expected professional position.
"This profession has given me a lot of joy, excitement and passion, but later I gradually discovered that behind the gorgeous aura of' simultaneous interpretation', there is a kind of sadness, that is, you can translate a sentence with great care, but you are always repeating what others have said, and I am a person who likes to express myself. One day I want to say my own words, so I am eager to transform and find a new starting point in life. " Qi Wenyu said.
After working for one year, he left the company and came to Beijing, hoping to find a new starting point in this city. At that time, he stood at the fork in the road of life and looked around. Until one day, his girlfriend excitedly described to him what she saw and heard when she was studying in New Oriental, until one day he saw an article about the corporate culture and development of New Oriental in the publication of Beijing Bookstore. By chance, Qi Wenyu met Wang Qiang, a veteran of New Oriental, and they chatted very speculatively. Later, Qi Wenyu walked into New Oriental. In this way, there is one less translator and one more teacher in the world. "Ferry" between Eastern and Western Cultures
In New Oriental, Professor Qi Wenyu has taken overseas examination courses such as GRE, advanced intensive reading of practical English, oral English and translation courses. Before each class, he only prepares "three points", and the rest "seven points" are all accumulated on weekdays. He respects and is good at using the teaching process and students' reactions to flexibly grasp the direction of the classroom and mobilize the classroom atmosphere. In his view, teaching is divided into three levels: tasteless, flawless and effortless. The last one is similar to the realm of "true water without fragrance", which is the direction of his efforts.
In class, Qi Wenyu tries to lead students to explore the "other side" of English that they have never seen before. He wants them to know that language is an art that can be appreciated, and it is an art full of passion and inspiration.
"The reason why students are tired of English is because they regard it as a heavy burden for further studies and job hunting, and unconsciously miss many moving scenery that English, as a profound language, shows us. Discovering the artistic beauty of English is an important step for English learning to enter a virtuous circle. And' poor reason' and learning' accommodation' are the ways to discover this artistic beauty. " Qi Zhaowen told the author.
In reading class, he not only explains the language points of the article, but also pays attention to guiding students to find the logical clues behind the article, so as to understand the thinking habits of British and American people. When explaining vocabulary, he not only explained the meaning of the word, but also traced its historical origin and cultural connotation.
"Any English test is actually a game between candidates and questioners. The questioner encodes the knowledge points examined, and the examinee completes the decoding work. No matter how the form of the topic changes, it is consistent with the examinee's thinking habits and the examination of fixed language points. What I want to teach students is not so much problem-solving skills in dealing with specific topics as cultivating an English thinking habit, which is not only the key for students to cope with exams, but also the key to understanding the essence of English. " Qi Zhaowen explained.
While "poor", Qi Wenyu also pays great attention to inspiring students to find examples in Chinese and English, as well as the integration of eastern and western cultures. The idioms in the Bible, Exodus, pygmalion effect and Xunzi are all used by Qi Wenyu to explain the similarities between the two languages and cultures. He hopes that students can experience the fun of English learning through "accommodation".
Qi Wenyu told the author that in his eyes, there are two real "teachers". One is "wearing a white suit, walking around the classroom like a wild crane, connecting China and the West under the light", and the other is Xu Yuanchong, who is over 80 years old and personable. Qi Wenyu deeply understands that just as calligraphy has reached a certain level, it depends not only on brushwork and skills, but also on mobilizing calligraphers' all-round knowledge of calligraphy art and aesthetic ability. If teaching wants to achieve the state of "pure water without fragrance", it must also rely on teachers' own cultural accumulation and heartfelt enthusiasm for education.