Michelle Yeoh addresses the Harvard Law School Class of 2023

Wow. What an introduction that was. Good afternoon, and thank you, Dean Manning, Dean Ball, and Dean Bok for this rare and distinguished honor, and congratulations to the class of 2023. What an incredible day that do no more of an impressive academic journey. Congratulations as well to parents, partners, and family members of all the students here today.

多么精彩的开场白。下午好，感谢曼宁院长、鲍尔院长和伯克院长给予我这份罕见而崇高的荣誉，祝贺2023届的同学们。今天是个好日子，来参加这个令人印象深刻的毕业典礼是再好不过的事情。

I can only imagine the pride and joy you must have to see your loved ones graduate from what I understand is the best law school in the country to the graduating cohort [‘kəʊhɔːt]. I consider it a privilege to have been asked to speak to you as you are about to unleash yourself on the world [6123句法+时间状语从句]. This moment conjures up the exciting image of a high diver poised to leap into the void.

As you know, I am not a lawyer, I can’t even say that I have played one on the screen, so why am I here? Why have I been asked to deliver the keynote speech to you on this pivotal [ˈpɪvətl] day in your lives as you dive headfirst into a presumably bright, but unpredictable future? Well, maybe the reason I’m here is because I happen to have some experience leaping off high perches into scary voids, so do allow me to offer some simple pointers that I’ve picked up along the way in my career full of leaps and dives.

“How to survive the fall in three easy steps” by Michelle Yeoh. The first one is pretty obvious, but not always easy. Stay lose. My journey from Malaysia, Ipoh Malaysia to the Academy Awards stage began with my first love which was not acting but dance. I knew at a very young age that my gift was to communicate through movement.

In my studies, I found freedom in discipline and focus. I trained tirelessly day and night drilling my body in every aspect of the craft. More importantly, I trained in my mind to be still, to silence the whispers of self-doubt. Dance was my safe place, my inevitable future, and my undeniable path, so I enrolled in A Ballet school in England and began living my dream.

Unfortunately, life had other plans. I suffered a spinal injury and just like that. I watched everything vanish into thin air. Life as I knew it was over. With my dreams of dance crushed. I credit the principal of my school for giving me the encouragement that ultimately led me to a career beyond my imagination.

如何在跌落中生存，米雪·杨（Michelle Yeoh）的三个简单步骤。第一个步骤非常明显，但并不总是容易。保持放松。我的旅程从马来西亚、马来西亚国际公开上市到奥斯卡奖劫开始于我对舞蹈的初恋，而不是演戏。在很小的时候，我就知道我的天赋是通过舞蹈来传达。

在我的学习中，我在纪律和专注中找到了自由。我白天黑夜不知疲倦地训练，钻研表演艺术的方方面面。更重要的是，我在内心中训练自己保持平静，沉默自我怀疑的声音。舞蹈是我的安全之地，我的必然未来，我的无可否认的道路，所以我报名参加了英格兰的一所学校，开始了我梦寐以求的生活。

不幸的是，生活有其他的计划。我遭受了脊椎受伤，就这样，我看着一切消失得无影无踪。我所认识的生活结束了，我的舞蹈梦想破灭了。我要归功于学校的校长，他给了我鼓励，最终引领我走向了超乎想象的职业生涯。

It was she who encouraged me to stay loose about my future. When falling, the tendency is to tighten up to brace for impact, but in truth, the safest thing one can do is remain calm even curious about the shifting world around you. After graduating with a degree in creative arts, I returned home more open to other possibilities outside the box.

With this awareness, came the freedom to make choices I might not have otherwise been able to. This opened the door to doing a commercial in Hong Kong, then to acting roles and the start of my life in film which leads me to my second piece of advice. Know your limits, although understanding what you can do is essential.

Understanding what you can’t do, it’s pretty important too. This works on two levels, both internally and externally. Internally knowing your limits keep you humble, motivated, and focused on a goal to point your finger toward, externally knowing the limits that are set for you by others, give you a place to point a different finger. I am talking about the middle one. [幽默]

正是她鼓励我对未来保持灵活态度。当跌落时，人们往往会紧张起来，以准备应对冲击，但事实上，最安全的做法是保持冷静，甚至对周围不断变化的世界充满好奇。在获得创意艺术学位后，我回到家乡，更加开放地接受了盒外的其他可能性。

这种意识使我能够自由选择，可能在其他情况下我不会有这个机会。这为我在香港拍摄商业广告，出演角色以及开始电影生涯打开了大门，这让我引出了第二个建议。了解自己的极限是很重要的，虽然理解自己能做什么是至关重要的。

理解自己不能做什么也很重要。这在内部和外部两个层面起作用。内部上，了解自己的极限使你保持谦逊、积极，并专注于一个目标。在外部上，了解他人为你设定的限制，使你有机会用不同的方式回应。我在说的是中指。

In other words, limitations set by yourself gives you boundaries to respect, but limitations set by others give you boundaries to bust through. As a young woman trying to break into a film in Hong Kong, I was confronted with limitations at every turn. Initially cast in stereotypical roles, the demure, docile, damsel in distress. [押韵]

I soon realized that what I wanted to play were the action roles, the Heroes. Of course, these were then reserved exclusively for men, but I could see that the outfight sequences were highly choreographed [‘kɒriəɡrɑːf（精心编排的）] and I knew in my bones that my dance training would allow me to excel at them if only I would given the chance, so I went to my producer and said, I did say please, I want an action role.

I was prepared to do everything the men were doing, the choreography, the suns, taking the blows, the wire work, all of it. What? like it’s hard？When the chance finally came, I knew it was make or break. I had a one-shot to prove my bankability as an action star and if I failed, I would not get that opportunity again, so I seize the moment with everything I had and as it turned out, thankfully audiences were more than ready for a female star in action comedies.

换句话说，由自己设定的限制给你一种要尊重的边界，而由他人设定的限制则给你一种要突破的边界。作为一个试图在香港电影界打破局限的年轻女性，我在每一个转折点都面临着限制。起初，我被安排扮演刻板的角色，端庄、温顺和不幸落难的女子。

我很快意识到，我想扮演的是动作角色，英雄角色。当然，当时这些角色完全是男性专属的，但我能看到那些激烈的动作场景是经过精心编排的，我深知我的舞蹈训练将使我在其中出色，只要我有机会。因此，我找到了制片人，并说了，请给我一个动作角色的机会。

我准备做男演员做的一切，编舞、太阳下曝晒挨打拳脚、做动作替身，全部都愿意。怎么了？这难吗？（掌声）但当机会终于来临时，我知道这是成败的关键。我只有一次机会证明自己作为一个动作明星的市场价值，如果我失败了，就不会再有这个机会。因此，我全身心地抓住这一刻，幸运的是，观众们已经完全准备好接受一个女性在动作喜剧中成为明星的角色。

The film Yes Madam was well-received and launched my career. I knew I had it made it then when I soon after I joined Jet Li and Jackie Chan as the three people who Hong Kong insurers refused to cover. They took one look at the scenes we were shooting and ran for the hills. I wore that as a badge of honor.

Eventually, things progressed and before I knew it, I was regularly running on rooftops, riding motorcycles onto moving trains, and rolling off vans onto oncoming traffic. Don’t try that at home again. There were injuries as you can imagine, but with every Nick and scratch and bruise and fractured vertebrae, I came back better and braver.

Learning how to fall teaches you how to land and learning to land gives you the courage to jump higher, so when the James Bond producers knocked on my door about a film called Tomorrow Never Dies, I thought yes, they want me to play James Bond. I was fortunate that the producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson had a substantial role in mind in the character of Whalen, a formidable agent who was always one step of her adversaries and equal to bond. Many regard that character as instrumental in modernizing the franchise, and its retro-grade portrayals of women. Thank you, Barbara and Michael. Although offers came in after the Bond movie, I waited two years for the proper role, rejecting scripts that lacked nuance or depth in their character.

Honestly, there were times I had doubts as to whether I was doing the right thing in waiting. After all, actors want to act. However, I knew I would not be happy unless I continue to seek out roles that allowed me and like-minded creatives to dig deeper and reflect three-dimensional humanity onstage. That was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

电影《警察故事》受到了良好的反响，为我的事业打开了大门。当我加入李连杰和成龙成为被香港保险公司拒保的三个人之一时，我知道我成功了。他们一看到我们拍摄的场景，就吓得跑得无影无踪。我以此为荣。

事情渐渐进展，没过多久，我就经常在屋顶奔跑，骑摩托车冲上行驶的火车，从货车上滚落到迎面而来的车流中。请不要在家里尝试这样的事情。你可以想象，会有伤害发生，但每一次擦伤、擦伤和擦碎的椎骨，都让我变得更好、更勇敢。

学会如何跌倒教会了我如何着陆，而学会着陆则给了我跳得更高的勇气，所以当詹姆斯·邦德的制片人敲开我的门，说要拍摄一部名为《明日帝国》的电影时，我以为是他们想让我扮演詹姆斯·邦德。我很幸运，制片人芭芭拉·布洛科利和迈克尔·G·威尔逊对这个角色设想了一个重要的角色，她是一个强大的特工，总能在对手之前一步，并与邦德不相上下。许多人认为这个角色对于现代化电影系列和对女性的呈现起到了重要作用。谢谢你们，芭芭拉和迈克尔。在邦德电影之后，虽然有其他的邀请出现，但我等了两年才找到适合的角色，拒绝了那些缺乏角色细腻或深度的剧本。

老实说，有时候我会对等待是否正确感到怀疑。毕竟，演员想要表演。然而，我知道除非我继续寻找那些让我和志同道合的创作者们更深入地挖掘和反映三维人性的角色，否则我不会快乐。那就是《卧虎藏龙》。

I must have done something right because I am busier than ever. These examples illustrate the importance of limitations. Because our limitations become our challenges and there is nothing like a challenge to keep you working, striving, and pushing for more（并列3）. Every demeaning role I was offered, every rejection I was handed, and every time someone underestimated me, I found energy and renewed motivation. （排比句）

This brings me to the third and final tip. Find your people. Life is not always a zero-sum game. For every winner, that doesn’t have to be a loser. In fact, most success stories are less about competition and more about collaboration. The truth is, I could not have done any of this alone. My achievements are the results of those around me who offered and continue to offer support and believe.

There are times where as much as I don’t want to let myself down, I don’t want to let them down even more. My definition of community is vast, including my family, loved ones, and friends. But it also includes the other actors, directors, producers, some people, film crews, dancers, musicians, and artists with whom I’ve crossed paths.

My community transcends time in the sense that I stand on the shoulders of those who have come before me and I am energized and inspired by those who come after me. My community extends beyond people I know personally, which is why representation matters and why diversity on and off the screen have been a major priority for me, particularly for women, and particularly in lead roles.

When we shine a light on the rich and varied world around us, we empower the whole of our humanity. I can see no better reason to wake up in the morning and get to work. Lastly, my community is not limited to the film industry. In my work as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, I have witnessed the deep inequalities that continue to plague societies around the world and I have seen up close how women and girls are often the last to get essential services like clean water and vaccines, especially in crisis.

我一定做对了什么事情，因为我比以往任何时候都更忙碌。这些例子说明了限制的重要性。因为我们的限制成为了我们的挑战，没有什么比挑战更能让你不断工作、努力和追求更多的了。每一个贬低我的角色，每一次被拒绝，每一次有人低估我，我都能从中汲取力量和重新激励。

这让我谈到第三个也是最后一个建议。找到你的团队。生活并不总是一个零和游戏。对于每一个赢家，并不一定有一个输家。事实上，大多数成功的故事都不是关于竞争，而是关于合作。事实是，我不能独自做到这一切。我的成就是周围人的结果，他们提供并继续提供支持和信任。

有时候，尽管我不想让自己失望，但更不想让他们失望。我对社区的定义很广泛，包括我的家人、亲人和朋友。但它也包括其他演员、导演、制片人、一些人、电影剧组、舞者、音乐家和艺术家，与他们我有过交集。

我的社区超越时间的限制，因为我站在前辈们的肩膀上，我被那些在我之后出现的人们激励和启发。我的社区不仅仅限于我个人认识的人，这就是为什么代表性很重要，为什么屏幕内外的多样性对我来说是一个重要的优先事项，尤其是对于女性，尤其是在主导角色中。

当我们照亮我们周围丰富多样的世界时，我们赋予了整个人类力量。我找不到比早上醒来并开始工作更好的理由。最后，我的社区不仅仅限于电影行业。作为联合国开发计划署亲善大使，我目睹了继续困扰世界各地社会的深层次不平等，我近距离看到了妇女和女孩在危机中往往是最后才能获得洁净水和疫苗等基本服务的情况。

For this reason, I have committed myself in walking in lockstep with their struggle. The prerequisite to change is empathy. Seeing through other people’s perspective activates our compassion, which becomes the driving force for real-world demonstrable action. Compassion is the ultimate superpower within us.

因此，我承诺与他们的斗争保持紧密合作。改变的前提是共情。透过他人的视角看事物可以唤起我们的同情心，成为推动实际行动的动力。同情心是我们内在的终极超能力。

When you are leaping without a safety net, people become your safety net and you become theirs. So those are my tips. Stay loose, know your limits, and find your people. But I want to conclude by speaking briefly about that little movie that could Everything, Everywhere All at Once.This was a film that in many ways brings together all the insights I have shared with you today.

It defied genre, playing loose with free expectations and defining categorization. It flouted limitation by taking a smaller budget and turning it into an international phenomenon, and it brought together a community of creative and talented individuals working with a common passion to tell a universal human story.

This was some wow, I’m creating waves as I can see. This was a movie made entirely with love that was in many ways the culmination of my life’s work and the reverberations of that love continue to be felt as Everything, Everywhere, All at Once has caused a tectonic shift in the industry, opening the door to more independent efforts and greater Asian representation.

When I think of a glorious leap into an unknown void, I think of that movie. Class of 2023, this is my offering to you. Today you graduate and today you leave. Stay loose, be smart, and go with love and then leap, and then leap again and leap again. I look forward to living in the world you will all help build and I am honored to have been one small voice at the beginning of your journey.

Thank you all, and I wish you every success. Happy graduation.

当你在没有安全网的情况下跃跃欲试时，人们成为了你的安全网，而你也成为了他们的安全网。所以，这些就是我的建议。保持灵活，了解自己的限制，并找到你的团队。但我想以简短地谈谈那部了不起的电影《Everything, Everywhere, All at Once》作为结束。这部电影在许多方面汇集了我今天与你们分享的所有见解。

它挑战了流派，以自由的期望和定义来打破划分类别。它突破了限制，将一个较小的预算转化为国际现象，并聚集了一群充满创造力和才华的人，共同以共同的激情讲述一个普世人类的故事。

这是一部令人惊叹的电影，我可以看到它掀起了波澜。这部电影完全是出于爱的创作，从某种程度上说它是我毕生工作的结晶，那份爱的回响依然存在，《Everything, Everywhere, All at Once》在行业中引发了一次地壳运动，为更多的独立努力和更大的亚洲代表性敞开了大门。

当我想到一次壮丽的跃入未知虚空时，我想起了那部电影。2023届的同学们，这是我给你们的奉献。今天你们毕业，今天你们离开。保持灵活，聪明行事，怀着爱心前行，然后跃跃欲试，再次跃跃欲试。我期待着生活在你们将共同建设的世界中，并为成为你们旅程起点的一个小小声音而感到荣幸。

谢谢大家，祝你们一切成功。毕业快乐！

owenlee永久会员

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