“路好不好走，也许我不能决定，但走不走，却只有我能决定。”
English translation: I may not be able to decide whether the road is easy to walk on, but whether or not to walk it is entirely up to me.
谢怜（Xie Lian）
——中国动画《天官赐福》（Chinese Animation: Heaven Official’s Blessing）
动画播出时间（Anime release dates）2020年10月31日（中国内地首播）
这句话出现在动画中段，是谢怜在历经八百年的沉浮、被贬下凡、受尽人间疾苦之后，依然选择踏上新的旅途时的一段内心独白。谢怜曾是仙乐国太子，后三次飞升又三次被贬，他经历过万人敬仰的巅峰，也尝过被世人唾弃的深渊。他深知前路必然充满荆棘与未知，但他依然做出了自己的选择——不是因为路好走才走，而是因为决定要走，路才成为路。这句话正体现了他历经沧桑后沉淀下的通透与坚韧。
This line appears midway through the anime as an inner monologue from Xie Lian as he chooses to embark on a new journey after enduring eight hundred years of ups and downs, being banished to the mortal realm, and suffering all the hardships of human life. Xie Lian was once the crown prince of the Kingdom of Immortal Music; he was later ascended three times and banished three times. He has experienced the pinnacle of being revered by tens of thousands, as well as the depths of being despised by the world. He knew full well that the road ahead would inevitably be fraught with thorns and uncertainties, yet he still made his choice—not because the path was easy, but because it was his decision to walk it; only then did the path become a path. This line perfectly embodies the clarity and resilience he had cultivated through his trials and tribulations.
路好不好走，涉及出身、时代、机遇、他人的态度——这些由不得你。但“走不走”则是纯粹的内部事务，指向意志、指向选择、指向你对自己生命的主权。谢怜把两者切开，意味着他不再用“路太难”作为不出发的理由，也不再用“路太顺”作为出发的充分条件——他走，只是因为他决定走。
从一个想要拯救所有人的理想主义者，到一个看清人间冷暖却依然选择走下去的人。他曾试图用完美的方式走完每一步，却发现路本身并不由他铺就；谢怜也曾因路的崎岖而质疑自己是否该继续。但最终他明白：路的品质不由他决定，但“在不在路上”这件事，由他全权负责。
我们常常把“路不好走”当作不出发的正当理由——等工作稳定了再学新技能、等有钱了再去旅行、等有准备了再表白。但谢怜说：条件永远不在你的掌控中，但出发与否在你手中。 你不需要等路变好，你只需要决定走，然后走着走着，路会在你脚下慢慢成形。
Whether a path is easy or difficult to walk depends on one’s background, the era, opportunities, and the attitudes of others—factors beyond one’s control. But “whether to set out” is a purely internal matter, one that points to will, choice, and your sovereignty over your own life. Xie Lian’s separation of these two aspects means he no longer uses “the path is too difficult” as an excuse not to set out, nor does he use “the path is too smooth” as a sufficient condition for setting out—he walks simply because he has decided to walk.
From an idealist who wanted to save everyone to a person who, having seen the coldness and warmth of the world, still chooses to keep going. He once tried to take every step in a perfect way, only to discover that the path itself was not laid out by him; Xie Lian also questioned whether he should continue because of the path’s ruggedness. But in the end, he realized: while the quality of the path is not up to him, the decision of “whether or not to be on the path” rests entirely with him.
We often use “the road is rough” as a valid excuse not to set out—waiting until our job is stable to learn new skills, waiting until we have money to travel, or waiting until we’re fully prepared to confess our feelings. But Xie Lian says: Conditions are never within your control, but whether or not to set out is entirely up to you. You don’t need to wait for the road to get better; you just need to decide to walk, and as you walk, the path will gradually take shape beneath your feet.
What do you think?
