Foreword:

1. This article is an excerpt from Cicero's "On the Orators";

2. "On the Orators" is mainly in the form of a conversation record Compiled, the content excerpted in this article mainly comes from the conversation between the orators Crassus and Antonius;

3. In the winter of 55 BC, that is, before 2075, Cicero began Compilation of the conversation "On Orators". Based on dialectics, the art of speech is discussed from different angles, emphasizing practical experience and the cultivation of the basic qualities of a speaker, which should take precedence over the boring rules of debate stipulated in oratory textbooks.

Excerpts from the text (excerpted in order from the book):

1. Speech should produce a persuasive effect, often with strong emotional overtones and lack of rationality.

2. The art of debate in Greece developed along with the initial organizational structure of the Greek city-states and evolved into a system that could accommodate the participation of more people. It was endowed with citizens’ assemblies and judges mainly composed of people. The constituted courts play an important role in politics and law.

3. The Chinese (Xu Sheng’s note: Chinese in the Roman Republic) have an incredible enthusiasm for the study of speech. Because engaging in this kind of research once brought great rewards—even now: fame, wealth, and honor.

4. Speech is composed of many sciences and countless studies:

·Have extensive knowledge of many sciences, otherwise your words will become boring and ridiculous empty talk;

·The formation of the speech itself requires not only the selection of words, but also the deconstruction of them;

·In-depth study of the various spiritual activities given to human beings by the nature of things;

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·The whole power and effect of an oratory consists in its tranquility, or in exciting the souls of its hearers, in its humour, wit, culture as a free man, in its graceful and elegant quickness and brevity in reply and attack;

·Know the entire ancient history and the significance of each instance;

·Do not underestimate the understanding of the law;

·The movements of the body, the posture of the hands, and the expression of the face , vocalization and its changes.

5. The beauty and richness of speech should be based on the understanding of things. Our orators bear such heavy obligations in city-state life... Orators must be rich in literary grace and content in their speeches on any matter.

6. (Speech can) use language to grasp people's wisdom, win people's favor, lead their thoughts in the direction you want, or lead them away from the direction you want.

7. Socrates said that everyone is good at talking about things he is familiar with.

8. The fundamental point of a speaker is:

First, he must make the audience feel that he is the person he hopes to be.

Secondly, the audience should be in the state of mind that the speaker wants them to be in.

9. One day, there will be a person. If this person devotes himself to listening, reading and writing, he will be richer and richer by virtue of his academic research that is more diligent than those of us now and before. leisure reading, more outstanding and mature learning ability, greater tenacity and enthusiasm, to become the kind of speaker we are looking for.

10. There are some different ancient rules for speeches:

First, the orator’s duty is to make the speech convincing.

Xu Sheng’s Note: Aristotle believed that rhetoric is the art of language that persuades people to believe or prompts them to act.

Second, all the speaker’s abilities and talents must be used to complete the following five tasks:

1. Collect materials for the speech;

2 . Organize the collected materials;

3. Use words to modify and beautify the materials;

4. Remember;

5. Speak solemnly and pleasingly .

Third, the steps of the speech:

1. Before explaining the matter, you should first make the audience feel good about you;

2. Then state the event ;

3. Establish the point of argument after this;

4. Then demonstrate our preferred point of view;

5. Then refute the objections;

6. Finally, develop and praise the views that are beneficial to us, and shake and weaken the views that are beneficial to the opponent.

Xu Sheng’s Note: Corax, a Syracusan in Sicily in the fifth century BC, the founder of rhetoric, advocated dividing speech into three parts: introduction, counterargument and conclusion.

Fourth, the rules for polishing speeches:

1. Speak in pure and formal Latin;

2. Be clear and clear;

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3. It must be beautiful;

4. (Language) must be commensurate with the importance of the event, that is, appropriate.

The significance of the above rules is that it is not the orators who follow these rules to obtain speech honors, but these rules are the orators' evaluation of the techniques they use according to their own ideas during the speech process. Observe and organize the results.

11. As the saying goes: People learn to speak by speaking.

12. There is a kind of exercise that is more important. To be honest, we do very little of that kind of exercise - because it requires a lot of labor and many people are unwilling to do it - that is, try our best to do it. Maybe write more.

13. The pen is the best and best creator and instructor of excellent speeches.

The most expressive thoughts and words will inevitably appear at the end of the pen, running along the tip of the pen. In the process of writing, the words will also be perfectly arranged and matched, not according to poetry, but according to Oratory rhythm and rhythm.

14. If any speaker has not gone through long-term and repeated writing training, even though he has practiced impromptu speaking very seriously, he still cannot do it well.

If a person can develop the habit of writing and enter the forum, then even if he gives an impromptu speech, he can still make the content of his speech appear to be written in advance.

Moreover, even though he brought a written script with him to give a speech, when he left the speech, he was still able to maintain the original style for the rest of the speech.

15. I fell in love with another practice method - narrating the Greek speeches of the most famous orators. As for the sounds, breathing, body movements, and the activities of the tongue itself and practice, which require not chiefly the rules of the craft, but actual toil.

Here we need to choose very carefully who we need to imitate and who we want to be our role models.

16. You should memorize as many excellent works as possible word for word to practice memory.

17. Speech should be allowed to move from leisurely practice indoors into the crowd, into the dust, into the noise, into the military camp, into the sharp litigation struggle, let everyone's eyes be on it, and let your talents be tested , let this closed training enter the sunshine of real life.

18. You should also read poetry and be familiar with history, and not only read, but also read repeatedly, and practice praising, explaining, revising, criticizing, and negating all textbooks and other works on noble crafts. .

19. In addition, all problems must be discussed from opposite angles, and anything that can make people think possible should be extracted from everything and deduced.

20. Speech is based on people’s natural hobbies and practices, not on theory.

21. Whether speech is an art or a science, it cannot exist without shamelessness.

22. What may become the object of controversy does not lie mainly in the overwhelming characters and complicated situations, but in the type and nature of the event.

There are not a limited number of types that can be summarized - but so few that anyone who is interested in speaking should master this type of speech that is suitable for any type of speech and can be applied, equipped, and To modify the raw material of all arguments, by "all arguments" I include both material and ideological ones.

23. For a speaker, nothing can win more praise from the audience than delivering a speech.

What can make the audience fall into the trap is mainly due to some impulse and excitement of the soul, rather than judgment and reason. This is because when people make judgments, in most cases, they more often follow their own opinions. Emotions - hate, love, desire, sorrow, joy, hope, fear, confusion or some other kind of spiritual excitement, rather than justice, regulations, some judicial principles, standards of judgment or laws.

24. In any craft, including oratory, there are different styles, but they all bring pleasure to people.