扒车喵一年一度的诺贝尔颁奖礼刚过去不久，西方科学界又一次包揽主要奖项，海外网友在知名问答网站Quora上提问道：中国人这么聪明，为什么和美国相比中国诺贝尔获得者这么少？许多海外网友和专家加入了围观和热议，专门撰文回答了他的问题。
问题：中国人这么聪明，为什么和美国相比诺奖得主这么少？
以色列网友迈克尔•戴维森的回答
The Nobel Prize winners include 860 individuals and 22 organizations, including 363 Americans, accounting for 42.2% of the total. The cold war opponent of the United States, the Soviet Union, has 27 participating republics, accounting for 3.1% of the total and 7.4% of the United States.
诺贝尔奖获得者的包括860个人和22个组织，其中有363名美国人，占总数的42.2%，美国的冷战对手苏联，有27个加盟共和国，获奖人数占总数的3.1%，占美国的7.4%。
Followed by the UK, with 123 people, accounting for 14.3% of the total and 33.9% of the United States. Germany (106), France (68), Sweden (31) and the Soviet Union / Russia (27) ranked third to sixth.
其次是英国，共有123人，占总数的14.3%，占美国的33.9%。排名第3-6的分别是德国（106人）、法国（68人）、瑞典（31人）和苏联/俄罗斯（27人）。
We can review the world powers from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century. They are the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union (1930s to 1990s), France (until 1940), Germany (until 1945) and Japan (until 1945). From the 1950s to the 1970s, the economies of the two defeated countries in World War II gradually recovered and their national strength became stronger and stronger, except Russia, The per capita GDP of these countries is between 30000 and 40000 US dollars.
我们可以回顾一下20世纪初到中期的世界强国，它们分别是美国、英国、苏联（1930年代到1990年代）、法国（直到1940年）、德国（直到1945年）和日本（直到1945年），上个世纪五十年代到七十年代，这两个二战战败国的经济逐渐复苏，国力日渐强盛，除了俄罗斯，这些国家的人均GDP都在3万到4万美元之间。
To stand out from the list of Nobel prizes, a country should be strong enough to become a world hegemony, rich enough to top the list in all scientific fields, and have enough voice in the scientific community.
要想在诺贝尔奖名单上脱颖而出，一个国家应该足够强大，成为世界霸权，还应该足够富有，在各个科学领域能够登上榜首，并且在科学界有足够的话语权。
However, China is still not very rich, its per capita GDP is still lower than the world average, and the impact of China’s scientific community on world science and technology is still growing from scratch.
然而，中国现在还不太富裕，其人均国内生产总值刚刚达到世界平均水平，中国科学界对世界科学技术的影响仍在从无到有地增长。
China has never claimed to be a world hegemonic power, and its influence is far less than that of the hegemonic power in the 20th century. For most of the 20th century, it was in extreme poverty and weakness. Therefore, it is natural that there are not many Nobel Prize winners in China.
中国从未宣称自己是世界霸权，其影响力也远不及20世纪的霸权国家，在20世纪的大部分时间里，他处于极度贫困和虚弱之中。因此，很自然，中国目前没有多少诺贝尔奖获得者。
In addition, although the figures I quoted include the economic prize and the peace prize, I did not include them in my analysis because they are very controversial. The Nobel Peace Prize has always been regarded as a political tool.
另外，虽然我引用的数字包括经济奖和和平奖，但我没有把它们纳入我的分析，因为它们很有争议，一直以来，诺贝尔和平奖一直被视为政治工具。
The average time from the Nobel laureates’ corresponding scientific breakthroughs to their actual Nobel Prize in natural science is 30 to 40 years, mainly because these discoveries may need to be verified repeatedly and finally be reduced to truth, which needs to stand the test of time.
从诺贝尔奖获得者取得相应的科学突破到他们实际获得诺贝尔自然科学奖的平均时间为30至40年，这主要是因为这些发现可能需要反复验证，最终被归结为真理，这需要经受住时间的考验。
Thirty or forty years ago, China was still in the early stage of reform and opening up, and there was not much money for basic scientific research. After the rapid economic development, China’s scientific research funds and achievements began to rise significantly after the 21st century.
回想三四十年前，中国尚处于改革开放的初期，没有多少资金用于基础科学研究，在经济得到飞速发展之后，中国的科研经费和成果在21世纪后开始显著上升。
According to the authoritative natural index, China, which measures the strength of scientific research, is already the second in the world. It is only a matter of time before Chinese researchers win the Nobel Prize in natural science.
根据权威的自然指数，衡量科学研究实力的中国已经是世界第二，中国研究人员获得诺贝尔自然科学奖只是时间问题。
中国网友程冰清的回答
As Chinese graduate students, this problem keeps us awake at night. We have to admit that our university has some shortcomings in mechanism and research environment.
作为中国的研究生，这个问题让我们夜不能寐，不得不承认，我们的大学在机制和研究环境上是有一些缺点的。
How the future will develop depends on our current situation. Therefore, to answer this question, it is very important to understand the current situation of modern China’s higher education system. Of course, this is a very complex problem, involving university infrastructure, funding institutions and scientific research environment.
未来会如何发展取决于我们现在的处境。因此，要回答这个问题，了解现代中国高等教育体系的现状至关重要，当然，这是一个非常复杂的问题，涉及到大学的基础设施、资助机构以及科研环境。
Before going to Hong Kong, I worked as a graduate student in one of the top five universities in Shanghai for two years. Later, I studied and studied physical science in another top university. Although my view is mainly based on personal experience and drawing on the descriptions of my friends studying in other top universities, I think what I want to say is universal.
在去香港之前，我在上海一所全国前五的大学做了两年的研究生，后来，我在另一所顶尖大学学习和研究物理科学。尽管我的观点主要是基于个人经验，然后借鉴我在其他顶尖学府学习的朋友们的描述，但我认为我要说的话是有一定的普适性的。
1) The researchers in the Department have a strong sense of conformity, and the standards of excellent students are mediocre to some extent. A typical student is often a shy, conservative and diligent image. If he is too independent and deviates from this standard, it is not worth advocating.
1） 系里的研究人员有很强的从众意识，而且优秀学生的标准在某种程度上是平庸的。一个典型的学生往往是一个害羞、保守、勤奋的形象，如果太特立独行，过于偏离这一标准是不值得提倡的。
This concept is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and basic education system. For example, parents and teachers usually praise their children as “you perform well” rather than “you are smart or imaginative”.
这种理念深深植根于中国文化和基础教育体系，例如，父母和老师对孩子的表扬通常是“你表现良好”，而不是“你很聪明或富有想象力”。
There is no doubt that magnificent scientific works often involve innovation and adventure. Too docile is often difficult to produce results.
毋庸置疑，宏伟的科学作品通常涉及创新和冒险，太过于温顺往往难出成果。
2) The university scientific research environment has no stimulating effect on intelligence, and there is a lack of communication and Discussion on scientific topics.
2） 大学科研环境对智力没有刺激作用，关于科学议题的交流和讨论非常缺乏。
Many professors have the impression that Chinese students never ask questions after the meeting. In fact, in addition to language barriers and Asian shyness, an important reason behind it is herd mentality. People are sometimes afraid to stand up and attract other people’s attention.
许多教授的印象是，中国学生在会谈后从不提问。事实就是这样，除了语言障碍和亚洲人的羞怯，背后的一个重要原因还是从众心理，人们有时害怕站起来引起别人的注意。
A key element of scientific communication is questioning and challenge. My impression is that some people here attach great importance to Eq. asking others scientifically and rigorously is sometimes mistaken for trying to embarrass others or despise them.
科学交流的一个关键要素是质疑和挑战。我的印象是，这里的一些人对情商非常看重，用科学方式严谨地询问别人有时会被误认为是试图让别人难堪或蔑视他们。
3) Many universities, including academia, have a very strong sense of hierarchy. Here, tutors are called “bosses” and regarded as “bosses”. I know a doctoral student who has to clean his tutor’s room every day and is asked to repair his daughter’s laptop.
3） 在许多大学里，包括学术界，有着非常强烈的等级意识，在这里，导师被称为“老板”，并被视为“上级”。我认识一个博士生，他每天必须打扫导师的房间，还有一个被要求修理导师女儿的笔记本电脑。
In such a hierarchy, it is not surprising that students’ ideas and criticism may be fiercely attacked.
在这样的学术环境下，学生们的想法和批评可能会遭到猛烈抨击也就不足为奇了。
Let’s return to the question, “will things change in the future?” Things must be getting better.
让我们回到问题上来，“将来情况会改变吗？”情况肯定在好转。
Admitting shortcomings is for better improvement. After China’s university education reform, the old tradition and ideology are rapidly disappearing. This phenomenon is not as strong as in the past. In addition, China’s top universities tend to recruit researchers educated in the world’s top universities. This policy may help to establish a new and more open research environment.
承认缺点是为了更好地改进。中国大学教育改革后，旧的传统和意识形态正在迅速消失，这种现象已不像过去那样强烈了。此外，中国顶尖大学倾向于招聘在世界顶级学府受过教育的研究员，这一政策可能有助于建立一个新的、更加开放的研究环境。
英国网友帕里特克的回答
Because the United States has money and is the biggest beneficiary of World War II.
因为美国有钱，并且是第二次世界大战最大的受益者。
Through the open immigration policy, the United States has attracted many top scientists from all over the world, which is very important to the scientific and technological explosion in the United States since the 1930s. As Lee Kuan Yew said in a speech, China has 1 billion potential scholars to choose from, while the United States has 7 billion.
通过开放移民政策，美国吸引了来自世界各地的许多顶尖科学家，这对20世纪30年代以来美国的科技爆炸至关重要。正如李光耀在一次演讲中说道，中国有10亿潜在的学者可供选择，而美国有70亿。
In the field of science, Nobel Prize winning research needs strong financial resources and strong infrastructure. A crazy scientist with a paper and pen and a rudimentary laboratory infrastructure can no longer make breakthrough discoveries.
在科学领域，获得诺贝尔奖的研究需要雄厚的财力和强大的基础设施。一个拿着纸和笔、拥有简陋实验室基础设施的疯狂科学家已经不再能够做出突破性的发现。
To achieve this, we need a lot of economy and a lot of money. Therefore, Japan has been more successful in funding Nobel Prize candidates than any other Asian country – they have the “mula prize”.
要实现这一点，需要大量的经济和大量的资金。因此，日本在资助获得诺贝尔奖候选者方面比任何一个亚洲国家都要成功——他们拥有“穆拉奖”。
The West as a whole has many awards, because the last era – about 1700 to 1940s – was dominated by Europe. They have the best economy, so they have better laboratories and universities. In every era, there is a civilization that dominates scientific discoveries. It once belonged to China, then Europe, and now the era of the United States.
西方作为一个整体有很多奖项，因为上一个时代——大约1700到1940年代——是由欧洲主导的。他们有最好的经济，因此有更好的实验室和大学。在每个时代，都有一种文明主宰着科学的发现，曾经属于中国，然后是欧洲，现在是美国的时代。
In addition to a strong economy, the United States also has strong research driven companies, such as Bell Laboratories, which have trained many Nobel laureates.
除了强劲的经济，美国也有强大的研究驱动型公司，如贝尔实验室，培养了许多诺贝尔奖得主。
Many politicians have somehow won many worthless Nobel Peace Prizes. In general, the president of the United States and even their secretary of state can win prizes for buying hot dogs.
许多政客也莫名其妙地获得了许多不值一文的诺贝尔和平奖，总的来说，美国总统甚至他们的国务卿都可以因为买热狗而获奖。
In peace and literature, people think that the West has more prejudice, because the Nobel Prize is awarded by and for westerners. Bob Dylan has won this award – compared with Asian musicians, this is not because of the difference in the quality of their works, but because the European judges pay less attention to Asia.
在和平与文学中，人们认为西方有更多的偏见，因为诺贝尔奖是由西方人颁发的，也是为西方人颁发的。鲍勃·迪伦曾赢得这一奖项——相比于亚洲音乐家，这不是因为作品质量的差异，而是因为欧洲评委对亚洲不太重视。
Scientific talents and resources are distributed more and more evenly in the world, and China and other emerging scientific research economies are also investing heavily. I think this will significantly change this situation in the coming decades. However, the construction of elite universities will take a long time, and schools in the United States and Britain may retain many advantages.
科学人才和资源在全球的分布越来越均匀，中国等新兴的科研经济体也在投入巨资。我认为这将在未来几十年内显著改变这一局面。然而，精英大学的建设需要很长时间，美国和英国的学校可能会保留许多优势。
