After it became clear that China was overtaking Japan in economic terms, some people started urging me to learn Chinese. I think they meant well.
Don't get me wrong. I have as much respect for the Chinese as I do for any other human being, with the exception perhaps of politicians and lawyers, who, by definition, do not qualify for that category anyway.
The crux of the matter is that it is not an easy language to learn. There is the whole question of tone, and I'm too old to try and reproduce those sounds. If I slant my eyes any further, I'm scared I'll go blind. Have you ever looked at a Chinese? I mean, properly?
I think I'll give it a miss, fellows. Perhaps I'm making a mistake. If God in eternity only speaks Chinese, I might live to regret it.
