《中国人的性格》是美国传教士阿瑟·史密斯（明恩溥）基于1872年赴华传教期间的社会观察撰写的著作，首版英文名《Chinese Characteristics》于19世纪末问世，。作者在华生活逾五十年，书中融合人类学视角与传教士立场，记录了晚清民众的性格特征与文化形态。
全书以27个主题章节剖析中国人行为模式，包含“保全面子”“省吃俭用”等生活哲学，以及“漠视精确”“因循守旧”等社会现象。通过对比西方工业文明，着重探讨东方特有的生存韧性，如环境适应力与疼痛耐受性。书中案例多源自山东乡村生活经历，涉及衣食住行、孝悌观念等主题，部分结论因宗教立场存在视角争议。该著作开创西方研究中国国民性先河，被译成多国文字，成为近代中西文化互鉴的重要文本。
第十六章 生命力顽强
中国人极富生命力，这是中国人其他性格的一个重要背景，而这点本身就很值得思考。可以从以下四个方面加以考虑：中国人的繁衍能力，对不同环境的适应能力，延长寿命的能力和康复再生的能力。
一位外国旅行者对中国人生活状况的第一印象就是人口过多。中国似乎到处都挤满了人。它看上去是这样，事实也正是如此。日本也是如此人口众多，用不着一双很有眼光的头脑就能看出来，但日本的人口密度不如中国的人口密度大。
就人口的相对密度与绝对密度而言，比起其他国家来，中国更类似于印度。不过，印度是一个多民族、多语种的国家，而中国，除了那些影响不大的民族之外，几乎就是一个单一民族的国家。在这个辽阔的国家，无论我们走到哪里，都可以看到人口过剩。就算是有些人口稀少的地区，我们一般也能轻易地找到印证这一判断的证明。最近若干年，先是爆发了令人恐怖万分的太平天国暴动，随后是规模较小的回民暴动，1877-1878年，爆发了遍及五省的空前饥荒，使中国的人口总数大概减少了好几百万。我们看到，在中国，战争所造成的破坏并不像在西方那样能得到很快修复。这是因为，中国人都不愿意离开自己的故乡，不愿意迁徙到一个新的地方。尽管如此，人们还是不难发现，无论破坏力有多大，都不及修复力来得强大。我们坚信，只需维持几十年的和平安定和农业丰收，中国的每一块地区就都会从本世纪那一连串灾难的打击中恢复过来。这种恢复的前提已经充分具备，这是有目共睹的，无论是否愿意正视这个问题的人，都不得不接受这个事实。
在中国每一个地方，无论是城镇还是乡村，一个最引人注目的是成群成群的孩子，他们就像查尔斯·兰姆在给过于骄傲的母亲泼冷水时所说的，“密密麻麻地挤满了每一条死胡同。”中国社会有条最令人不解的事情之一，就是这么多的孩子靠什么生存下来。必须记住的是，他们其中的许多孩子其实并没有基本的“衣食”保障的。换个角度来说，那就是极度的贫穷显然不可能导致中国人口的明显减少。
想要控制中国人口的迅速增长，唯一有效的办法就是采用鸦片，这对中国人来说，就像是诸如战争、饥饿、瘟疫之类的危险的敌人。完全不用去证明这点，中国人的繁衍能力之强，现有人口数量远远超过其他任何国家，这已是不争的事实。即使按照我们最保守的估计，中国现有的人口总数也已达到约两亿五千万。这个数字足以证明中国人生育能力强这个观点。因为问题的关键并不仅仅在于人口的数量，更在于增长率。在缺乏可靠的统计数字情况下，我们只能靠笼统估算的方法来得出结论，不过幸运的是，这种结论几乎不会出错。中国人在年纪很小的时候就要结婚，除开对金钱的迷恋，传宗接代是中国人普遍接受的占统治地位的强烈观念。
中国人口不论在什么情况下都能迅速增长，与之相比，法国的人口状况正好相反。其人口增长率是欧洲最低的，最近的报告显示，其居民的绝对数呈下降趋势。这个事实引起了人们对这个伟大国家未来的严重担忧。而另一方面，中国人则相反，他们并没有体现出任何比盎格鲁撒克逊人更为明显的衰退迹象。上帝给予人类的有据可查的指令中，最早有文字记载的是教导人类“在尘世间生养众多，昌盛繁茂”。正如一位知识渊博的学者曾经所评论的，这道命令“已经为人类所遵从，并且这也是唯一得到人们遵从的上帝的指令”。而比起其他任何一个国家来，这在中国更加正确。
在前文我们已经说过，中国幅员辽阔，几乎拥有各种土壤、气候和物产。无论是亚热带地区还是靠近北极圈的地区，这两个地区之间任何的地方，中国人都能很好的生存下来。我们所能察觉的差别，主要是由于各地区本身的特征和该地区承受人口的能力所造成的，而不是由于各地区人民适应环境的能力有任何内在的差异。来自广东、福建两省较小地区的中国侨民，他们会移居印度、缅甸、暹罗、东印度、太平洋群岛、西澳大利亚、墨西哥、美国、西印度、中美洲或南美洲，我们一直听说他们能够很好地适应并融入各种环境的事。
与此相反的事情我们绝少听说，我们能听到的都是他们适应得又快又好，并且比当地人更刻苦、更节俭，加之他们非常团结并很有凝聚力，以至于其他民族为了维护自身利益，纷纷喊出“中国人滚出去”这样的口号来。正是在这种情况下，中国人就整体而言不再大规模地整体移居海外了。这对于其他民族内心的安宁来说，无疑是一种巨大的幸运。如果今天这片满是欲望的人的东亚大陆，要将他们的能量投向这个行星的其他地区，就像中世纪时代的中亚人所做的，那么未来将难以预料，或者我们坚信的“适者生存”的信念将变成何种结果。
由于缺乏任何一种统计资料，我们只能非常笼统地说一说中国人的长寿。所有的观察者或许都会得出这样的一个结论，中国各地都有非常多的长寿老人。老寿星们总是很受尊敬，长寿是一种极大的荣耀，被中国人列为“五福”之首。他们非常注意记录下自己出生的日期，甚至还精确到时辰，小心谨慎地记录下来，以备需要时能随时报出来。尽管他们通常所采用的计算方法并不严格，不准确，这在前面已经说过，他们喜欢增加自己的实际年龄。坟墓的墓碑上会突出显示死者的长寿。但是除了盛产石碑的附近地区以外，中国人只有很少坟墓有墓碑，因此，想从其他方面的资料入手来准确推断死者的寿命，仅仅依靠墓碑的记录实际上是不够精准的。
中国人能活到百岁以上的并不多见，但百岁以下的高寿老者到处都能找到。可见，若有充足的营养，我们认为这个数字还会有不少。事实上，占中国人口最大部分的穷人，他们极度营养不良。若是考虑到这些因素在内，那么，居然还有这么多的人活到如此长的岁数，这足以令人惊讶万分了。众所周知，本世纪以来，所有西方国家人口的平均寿命都在不断提高。这要归功于人们越来越注意保健的意识、不断提高疾病预防的能力以及不断改进医疗手段。需要看清的是，在中国却不是如此，中国人的生活条件与哥伦布发现美洲时相比似乎没有多大的变化。如果社会与医药科学能在中国发挥作用，就像过去的五十年里在英国发挥的那样，那么，中国长寿老人的数目肯定还会有非常大的增加。
住在中国的外国人都知道中国人的共同性格：几乎所有中国人都不懂得卫生规则，即使了解这些法则，他们也公然予以漠视。这一直是外国观察者想弄清的问题：那么，对自然法则的无知和违背而导致的各种疾病为什么没能使得中国人灭绝呢？在中国，每年都有很多人死于那些原本完全可以预防的疾病。但事实上，这样的人数并不是剧烈增长的。这一事实表明，中国人有一种神奇的抗病和康复能力。中国人稍微面临一点小事刺激就要拼命，同时，又顽强地保存生命，这两者都是中国人重要的性格。
我们已是多次不无遗憾地说道，由于缺乏至关重要的统计数据，我们不得不依靠外国观察者所记录的观察结果。随着外国人所开办的诊所和医院不断增长，这些记录一年比一年更多，且一年比一年更有价值。为了举例说明中国人的康复能力，哪怕只是一年度的医学报告分析和整理，都是非常有用的工作，其结果肯定既新颖又有说服力。然而，我们只能简简单单地陈述几个事实来略加说明。其中有两件为笔者亲历的，而第三个例子则取自天津一家大医院所发表的医学报告。这些事例的说服力就在于它们是这样毫无疑问的事实，并非孤立而是互相联系，但又能与我们大多数读者所观察的事实相印证。
几年前，笔者与一个中国人家庭同住一栋房子里。某日下午，我忽然听到窗下传来叫声。那窗子是用砖坯砌成，底下有个洞，洞中有一个大蜂窝。一个才十四个月大的小孩正在那里玩耍，看见窗子下的这个洞，以为是一个好玩的地方，就鲁莽地爬了进去。这个孩子剃了个小光头，头皮通红。蜂群或许是被这突如其来的侵扰所激怒了，或许是把小光头误认为一朵大牡丹花，它们迅速地停在光脑袋上叮蜇，孩子被抱出来时，已被蜂群蜇了三十多下了。这个孩子哭了一会儿，就被放在炕上，不一会就睡着了。大人的手头上没有任何药品，他皮肤上的患处也没有敷任何东西。一整个晚上，这个孩子也没有吵闹。到了第二天，他头上的肿包全都消失了，没留下一点痕迹。
1878年，北京有一个外国人所雇佣的马车夫患上了流行性斑疹伤寒。当时有许多人死于这种病。马车夫患病，到了第十三天，他的病情已经相当危重。这个病人突然变得很暴躁，一个人力气大得能抵几个人。三个负责照看他的人被弄得精疲力尽。就在那天晚上，这个病人被捆在床上，以防他逃走。可当看守者熟睡时，他却设法解开绳子，完全光着身子逃了出去。大约凌晨三点，看守者才发现人不见了，于是整栋房子都搜了个遍。他们四处寻找，连水井也找过了，生怕他投井。
最终，大家在一堵约九十英尺高的院墙处发现了他的踪迹。他先是爬上一棵树，然后跃到高墙上，不知是跳下墙头还是掉下，总之他落到了墙外的地上，并马上沿着将汉人与满清皇宫隔开的城墙护城河跑去。两小时后，大家找到了他，只见他把头伸进宫墙下涵洞的铁栅栏内。显然，他是头热得不行，赶快想跑到这里降下体温的。显然，他已经卡在这里很长时间了。在带他回去的路上，发现他的热病居然完全退去了，尽管腿上还有落下的一点风湿痛，但他肯定慢慢会好起来。
一个大约三十岁左右的天津人，以在中国军队的演习场去捡废炮弹壳为生。有一次，他捡到一枚废炮弹，就在他试图把它拆开来时，炮弹爆炸了，并炸废了他的左腿。他被送进医院，实施手术，膝盖以下的部分被截去。这个人本该放弃这种危险的营生，可他一旦病愈又立刻回去捡弹壳了。
大约六个月之后，类似的情况又发生了，炮弹爆炸了，他的整个左手掌被炸掉了，留下一个破烂的伤口。右臂上部被火药严重灼伤，鼻梁和上嘴唇被炸裂，右边脸颊、右眼的上眼皮，额骨的旁边和右手腕被炮弹片划伤，右小腿也被炸开很深的裂口，露出了骨头。受了重伤的这个人倒在地上，一直处于半昏迷状态，躺在地上达四个小时听凭太阳暴晒。正好，一位大官看见了他，便命令一些苦力把他抬到医院，他本人也护送着走了两里路。抬的人显然是非常疲惫，等到那位大官一离开，就把这个可怜的伤员扔进了一道小沟里，让他在那里等死。
尽管因流血过多而精疲力尽，那位伤员还是从沟里爬了出来，单足跳了五百码，来到一家粮店，讨到一些吃的，并找到一个大粮筐，用他那只没受伤的手推倒粮筐，钻了进去。店主为了赶他走，只好用筐子把他抬到医院门口，让他在外面自生自灭。尽管由于失血过多几近脱虚，脉搏也极其微弱，然而他神志清楚，还能清醒地说话。以前，他吸食鸦片成瘾，到了无法戒除的地步，这对康复非常不利。然而，对于如此的重伤和感染，除入院第五、第六天有腹泻和轻微的疟疾外，这位病人完全没有其他任何严重的症状。在四个星期之后，他拄着拐杖、带着一条假腿被获准出院了。
如果一个民族具有像中国人这样的身体素质，能够摆脱战争、饥饿、瘟疫和鸦片的影响，而生存下来，如果他们能对生理和卫生法则稍加留意，再依靠适宜的食物，保证均衡的营养，那么就完全有理由相信，这样的民族将有自己足够的能力来占据世界的主要一大片地区，甚至还会更多。
英文原版：
CHAPTER XVI. PHYSICAL VITALITY
That physical vitality which forms so important a background for other Chinese characteristics deserves consideration by itself. It may be regarded in four aspects: the reproductive power of the Chinese race, its adaptation to different circumstances, its longevity, and its recuperative power.
The first impression which the traveller derives from the phenomena of Chinese life is that of redundance. China seems to be full of people. It seems to be so because it is so. Japan, too, appears to have a large population, but the dense population of Japan bears no proportion to the dense population of China. In respect of relative and absolute density of population, China, more nearly resembles India than any other country. But the people and the languages of India are many and various, while the people of China, with some exceptions not materially affecting the issue, are one and the same. This first impression of a redundant population is everywhere confirmed, no matter in what portion of this broad Empire we set our foot. Where the population is in reality sparse, this is generally found to be due to causes which are susceptible of easy explanation. The terrible inroads of the great T'aip'ing rebellion, followed by the only less destructive Mohammedan rebellion, and by the almost unparalleled famine of 1877-78, extending over five provinces, reduced the total population of China, perhaps by many scores of millions. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to perceive that the forces of waste are not so powerful as the forces of repair. With a few decades of peace and good crops, almost any part of China would, we think, recuperate from the disasters which during this century have come in such battalions. The provision for this recuperation is visible to every one, and forces itself upon his notice whether he desires to contemplate it or not. In any part of the Chinese Empire the most conspicuous objects in the towns and villages are the troops of children, with which, as Charles Lamb says in his deprecation of overproud mothers, "every blind alley swarms." It is one of the standing marvels of Chinese society by what means such a vast army of little ones is fed and clothed; many of them are not "fed and clothed " to any extent. Extreme poverty does not apparently tend to diminish Chinese population.
The only permanent and effective check upon the rapid increase of the population appears to be the confirmed use of opium, a foe to the Chinese race as deadly as war, famine, or pestilence. Even if we take the lowest estimate of China's population, the reproductive capacity of the nation is striking. The Chinese marry at a very early age, and the desire for posterity is second only to the love of money among the general populace. Contrast the growth of China's population with that of France, where the population shows little to no growth, and sometimes even a decline. The Chinese show no signs of racial decay, just as the Anglo-Saxon peoples do. The ancient biblical command to "be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth" has been thoroughly followed in China.
The Chinese Empire spans a vast area, covering nearly every type of soil and climate, from subtropical to subarctic zones. The Chinese thrive equally well in all these regions. Where local conditions limit the population, it is the environment rather than an inherent lack of adaptability among the people. Emigrants from the coastal provinces of Guangdong and Fujian have settled across the globe, including India, Burma, Siam, the East Indies, Australasia, the Americas, and the West Indies. Wherever they go, they adapt rapidly and fully to new surroundings. Their industry, frugality, and strong group cohesion often make them formidable competitors for local residents. Fortunately for the rest of the world, large-scale emigration has never been the general choice of the Chinese people.
Regarding longevity, there is a lack of precise official statistics in China, yet every observer notes the large number of elderly people across the country. Old age is deeply respected in Chinese culture, and longevity is regarded as one of the five great blessings. While records of exact birth times are kept for some people, most ordinary folk rely on rough age estimates. Tombstone inscriptions offer partial evidence of long lifespans among commoners, though such records are limited in many regions. Considering the widespread poverty and inadequate nutrition for the majority of the population, the number of elderly people in China is truly remarkable. Modern medical and public health advances have extended lifespans in Western nations; if similar progress were applied in China, the number of long-lived people would surely surge.
Most Chinese have little knowledge of hygiene and often disregard basic health rules, yet the nation has a remarkable ability to resist disease and recover from illness. Though preventable diseases claim countless lives each year, the population as a whole does not perish from these afflictions. The Chinese possess a striking tenacity for life, alongside a tendency to risk their lives over trivial matters. Foreign medical missions and hospitals have accumulated countless cases demonstrating their extraordinary recuperative powers. A few typical examples will illustrate this trait.
Several years ago, while living with a Chinese family, the author heard desperate screams one afternoon outside the window. A fourteen-month-old toddler had crawled into an adobe beehive. The child’s head was completely shaved, and he was stung more than thirty times by bees. He cried briefly and then fell asleep. No medicine was applied, and by the next day, all swelling had vanished entirely.
Another case took place in Peking in 1878. A cart driver contracted typhus fever, a disease that claimed many lives at that time. On the thirteenth day of his illness, he became violently delirious. Three people struggled to restrain him throughout the day, and he was tied to his bed at night to prevent escape. In the middle of the night, he broke free from his restraints and fled the house naked. The household searched everywhere, including the wells, fearing the worst. He was eventually found trapped between the iron bars of a drainage culvert beneath the city wall, having climbed a ten-foot wall to reach the moat. He explained he had gone there to cool his fever. Though he suffered rheumatism afterward, his fever broke completely, and he made a slow but full recovery.
A third example involves a man from Tianjin who made a living collecting spent artillery shells. Once, a shell exploded while he was trying to open it, blowing off his left leg below the knee. He was taken to a hospital and underwent an amputation. Instead of abandoning this dangerous work, he returned to it soon after recovering. Six months later, another explosion occurred. His left wrist was blown off, his right arm severely burned, his face and legs covered in deep lacerations and puncture wounds. He lay exposed to the sun for four hours after the accident. A local official spotted him and ordered porters to carry him to the hospital, but the porters abandoned him in a ditch once the official left. The injured man dragged himself out and hopped five hundred yards to a grain store, climbing inside a grain basket for shelter. The shop owners then transported him to the hospital. This man was an opium user, a condition that hinders recovery, yet aside from mild diarrhea and intermittent malaria, he suffered no major complications. Four weeks later, he left the hospital walking on a wooden prosthetic leg.
If the Chinese people could be protected from war, famine, pestilence, and the ravages of opium, and if they paid proper attention to physiological and hygienic principles while enjoying adequate nutrition, their remarkable physical vitality would allow them to populate a far larger portion of the globe.
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