9月5日，香港中文大学（深圳）举行2026年入学典礼。来自世界各地的5000余名本科生和研究生（含450名国际本科新生）齐聚神仙湖畔，开启崭新的学术旅程。
统计学领域国际最高奖项“考普斯奖”得主、香港中文大学（深圳）数据科学学院吴建福教授在典礼上作主题演讲。他以“灵感（inspiration）、志向（aspiration）与抱负（ambition）”三个关键词寄语新生。他指出，这三个词代表着治学与实践的不同层次：灵感关乎深刻的洞见与创造，志向意味着为积极目标不懈努力，而抱负既可能转化为推动进步的正向力量，也可能因过度追逐功利而走向反面。
他首先以DNA双螺旋结构的发现为例，指出这一重大突破展现了前所未有的科学洞见与探索志向；与此同时，发现过程中对罗莎琳德·富兰克林关键贡献的忽视，也提醒人们警惕功利心态与偏见。
谈及数学家王虹攻克具有百余年历史的挂谷猜想并获得菲尔兹奖，吴建福教授表示，其精妙而富有创造力的证明体现了灵感，勇于挑战重大难题则彰显了志向。王虹的成长并未遵循传统意义上“顶尖学生”的路径，在北京大学求学时也曾被视为“小透明”。她的经历说明，外界的标签并不能定义一个人的潜力，真正重要的是潜心探索、久久为功，找到值得追寻的问题。
他还以毛泽东主席高瞻远瞩的战略洞察与全局判断为例，阐释灵感、志向与正向抱负的统一。他指出，即使人工智能拥有强大的计算能力，也难以仅凭既有数据取代人类在复杂局势中的洞察与判断。
I would like to thank President Xu for inviting me to
speak in this event. Today I would like to share three
words with the incoming students: inspiration,
aspiration, ambition.
They represent three levels of work or scholarship.
Inspiration is usually associated with something more
spiritual. So I use blue color to represent it.
Aspiration is a positive aim one strives for. It is more
secular or pragmatic, so I use green color to represent
it. Ambition is a purely secular term. It can manifest
in a positive or negative way. If it has a utilitarian
aim, I will consider it as ambition with negative
energy. I will use three examples to illustrate them.
In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick proposed a
double helix structure for DNA based on some
experimental work by Maurice Wilkins and his colleagues.
It laid the foundation for modern molecular biology. The
three received Nobel Prize in 1962. It was both an
inspiration and aspiration because of its original and
unprecedented scientific insight and breakthrough.
However, in the course of the discovery, W&C also showed
a negative side of ambition. They initially did not
acknowledge the crucial experimental work by Rosalind
Franklin, who worked in Wilkins’ lab. Watson also
revealed his patronizing attitude toward woman
scientists in his famous memoir.
Wang Hong is a Chinese mathematician working in US and
France. She solved the famous Kakeya conjecture and
received a Fields Medal this year. It was an inspiration
because of the intricate and creative proofs. It was
also an act of aspiration because she won the race to
solve a famous and more than 100-year old conjecture.
However, less known about Wang is that her case was an
antithesis of ambition. She was not a stereo type top
student. She was not even an international math
Olympian. In Peking U math, she was considered to be a
"小透明"，an English translation would be “she was a
no-body”.
The third example is an ultimate form of inspiration,
aspiration and ambition all in one. It was Chairman
Mao’s decision to enter Korean War. Historical records
suggest that there were reservations and oppositions
from Mao’s colleagues because of the high risk and
severe consequences. Yet Mao made a decision to enter
the war and history judged him to be right. I use the
Chinese phrase "独排众议" to describe this bold and
far-sighted decision. First, it was an inspirational
act. It was Mao’s incredible insight and judgment. Mao
was a strategic and tactical genius. Imagine if modern
AI were asked for suggestions. It would have decisively
recommended against it based on the data available on
both sides. But AI, no matter how much computing power
it has, does not have the insight and judgment
comparable to Mao’s ingenuity. AI would have failed
completely in this case. It was also an act of
aspiration because of its strategic aim to fend off the
attacks before they reached Yalu River. And finally It
was a positive energy ambition because it was a heroic
act to defend the motherland.
Let me conclude my talk by suggesting that you can use
the lens of inspiration, aspiration and ambition in
planning and judging your work and study. Thank you very
much for your attendance.
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