爷爷的那把刀

爷爷，这把刀已经用了很多年了，刀刃这么窄，也不太好用了，我们买一把新的吧？

Grandpa, this knife's been used for so many years now, the blade is so narrow, and it's not very useful anymore. Let's buy a new one?

这把刀，可不是一般的刀，这是我爷爷传给我的刀，我用了六十年了。

This knife is no ordinary knife. It's the knife my own grandfather passed down to me. I've used it for sixty years.

六十年？我看它比一般的刀窄很多，是不是每次磨刀，都会变窄一点？

Sixty years? I can see it's a lot narrower than a normal knife. Does it get a little narrower every time you sharpen it?

对，磨刀的时候，铁会被磨掉一点点，六十年磨下来，现在的刀刃只有原来的一半宽了。

Right. When you sharpen a knife, a little bit of iron gets ground away each time. After sixty years of sharpening, the blade is now only half as wide as it originally was.

一半？那刀刃上原来的铁，是不是已经没有多少了？

Half? So is there hardly any of the original iron left on the blade?

差不多都没有了。不过这还不是最让你吃惊的事。这把刀的刀柄，我换过两次。

Almost none. But that's not even the most surprising part. I've replaced this knife's handle twice.

换过两次刀柄？我怎么不知道！那刀柄也不是原来的了？

You've replaced the handle twice? I had no idea! So the handle isn't original either?

不是。第一次是刀柄断了，我三十岁那年换的。第二次是刀柄坏了，你出生那年又换了一次。

No. The first time the handle broke, I replaced it the year I turned thirty. The second time it broke again, I replaced it the year you were born.

那这把刀，铁磨掉了一半，刀柄也换了两次，原来那把刀，好像什么都不剩了。这还能算是爷爷的那把刀吗？

So the iron's half worn away, and the handle's been replaced twice. It sounds like nothing original is left. Can this still count as grandfather's knife?

当然算。它一直是我在用，一直放在厨房里，一直是我做饭的时候拿出来的那把刀。它是不是爷爷的那把刀，从来就不是看铁多不多。

Of course it counts. It's always been the one I use, always kept in the kitchen, always the knife I take out when I cook. Whether it's grandfather's knife was never about how much of the iron is left.

那是看什么？

Then what is it about?

我也说不清楚。可能是看这把刀一直没有停过，从我爷爷手里到我手里，一直在被用，从来没有换成另一把刀，只是这把刀身上的东西，一点一点变了。

I can't quite say either. Maybe it's about this knife never stopping, going from my grandfather's hands into mine, always being in use, never once swapped out for a different knife. It's just that what's on this one knife has changed, bit by bit.

可是爷爷，如果一点一点换是可以的，那如果我现在把刀刃和刀柄一起换了呢？一次全换掉，跟这么多年一点一点换，有什么不一样？

But grandpa, if changing it bit by bit is fine, then what if I replaced the blade and the handle together, right now, all at once, instead of over all these years? What's the difference?

这个，一次换掉，好像就不是磨刀了，是做了一把新刀。可是我也说不上来，为什么一点一点换就还是这把刀，一次换掉就不是了。

That... doing it all at once doesn't feel like sharpening anymore, it feels like making a new knife. But I can't really explain why changing it bit by bit keeps it the same knife, while changing it all at once wouldn't.

那到底要换掉多少，它才会变成另一把刀？

So exactly how much would have to change before it becomes a different knife?

我不知道。可能这个问题，我用了六十年这把刀，也没想明白。

I don't know. Maybe that's a question I still haven't figured out, even after sixty years with this knife.

那我们先别买新刀了，这把刀，还是很好用的。

Then let's not buy a new one for now. This knife's still very good to use.

好，那就先留着吧。

All right, let's keep it for now, then.