如果你问我，在修复工作里我最常说的一句话是什么——很多人会以为我会说：“可以。” “没问题。” “我能把它给修好。”
If you ask me what phrase I say most often in my work, many would expect: "Yes," "No problem," or "I can fix it."
但其实不是。我最常说的一句话是：
“我不确定。”
这句话听起来很不专业，甚至听起来有点像推卸责任。
有些客户第一次听到，会愣一下。他们的眼神通常会在我脸上停两秒，然后小心翼翼地问：“你不确定……那你能不能做？”
But in truth, it isn't. The sentence I say most often is: "I'm not sure." It sounds unprofessional, almost like evading responsibility. Some clients pause, eyes lingering on my face for a moment before cautiously asking: "You're not sure... then can you even do it?"
我当然能做。但我不敢乱讲。因为修复这份工作，最麻烦的从来不是“怎么修”。
最麻烦的是——你怎么把真相讲出来。讲给客户听，也讲给自己听。
Of course, I can do it. But I don't dare speak recklessly. The hardest part is never "how to restore," but how to speak the truth—to the client, and to myself.
我刚开始的时候，其实不太喜欢说“不确定”。
那时候的我还有一种很典型的“技术自信”。尤其当你是画家出身，你会很容易误以为：只要我看得懂颜色、画得准形，我就能处理它。
说白一点：那时候我也有一点虚荣，我也想赢。客户问我能不能修，我会想点头，去证明我厉害。直到我慢慢遇到越来越多“不能乱修”的作品，我才懂——修复不是一个靠自信就能撑下去的行业。
When I first started, I didn't like saying "I'm not sure." I had a typical technical ego. Especially from a painting background, it's easy to believe: if I understand the colors and the forms, I can handle it. To be blunt, I was vain. I wanted to win, to prove my expertise. It wasn't until I encountered works that couldn't be touched recklessly that I understood: restoration is not sustained by confidence alone.
作品从来不是一张表面。它更像一层层叠起来的时间。
A work of art is never just a surface. It is more like layers of time piled up.
你看一幅画，表面很干净。但下面可能有：
You look at a painting; the surface seems clean, but beneath it there may be:
“我不想用一句话骗你。”
“我需要用有限的测试去证明，而不是用嘴巴保证。”"I don't want to lie to you with a single sentence."
"I need to prove it through limited testing, not words alone."
客户希望我把痕迹弄掉。而我必须思考：我弄掉的到底是什么？是污垢？是清漆？还是一段历史？
有些痕迹是伤口，有些是岁月。而我必须有能力承认：我现在还不知道它属于哪一种。所以我不敢确定。
The client wants traces removed. I must think: what exactly am I removing? Dirt? Varnish? Or a piece of history? Some traces are wounds; some are the passage of time. I must have the strength to admit: I don't know which one it is yet. Therefore, I am not sure.
修复师不是时间的敌人，也不是神。我们只是一个很认真、很怕出错的人。而且我们必须愿意承认——有些事情，真的要先看过、摸过、试过，才知道。
Restorers are not enemies of time, nor are we gods. We are just serious people afraid of making mistakes. We must admit: some things can only be known after they've been seen, touched, and tested.
我不是大机构，也不是博物馆实验室。
我的工作室不大，工具也不豪华。所以我更不敢随口给答案。很多时候我说“我不确定”，不是推卸，是因为我宁愿慢一点、谨慎一点，也不要用一句话把作品带进风险里。
I am not a museum lab, and my studio is small. That’s exactly why I won’t throw out answers lightly. When I say “I’m not sure,” it’s not evasion—it’s restraint. I would rather be slow and cautious than risk the work with a single sentence.
“判断的第一步，往往就是承认：我不确定。”
"The first step of judgment is often admitting: I am not sure."