December 2022

wénzhānɡ 文章 Literary Writing 泛指一切著述，包括今天意义上的文章和著作。先秦时这一术语包含在文学之内，两汉时“文章”一词与“文学”对举，指一切用文字写下来的文辞、篇章、史书、论著，六朝时“文章”与“文学”并列，开始指后世所说的审美范畴的“文学”，但仍作为统括一切文体的范畴使用。“章”意为一曲音乐演奏完毕，或一曲完整的音乐，故此术语强调作品意义和结构的完整，注重文章写作手法与技巧；“文”和“章”都有花纹、色彩错杂的意思，“文章”相当于美的形式，故此术语隐含了审美观念，早期“文章”的概念与“文学”概念有一定联系又有所区别。“文章”偏重于辞章美文，说明了人们对于文章审美价值的逐渐重视。 The term refers to all kinds of writings, including what we call essays and books today. In the Pre-Qin period, this term was subsumed under literature. During the Han Dynasty, the term referred to writings other than wenxue (文学documents of previous dynasties) to specifically mean essays, articles, history books, and treatises. […]

Wú-Yuè-tónɡzhōu 吴越同舟 People of Wu and Yue Are in the Same Boat. 吴、越两国人同乘一条船。比喻双方虽有旧怨，但面临共同的危难困境，也会团结一致，相互救助。春秋时代，吴、越是相互仇视的邻国，但当两国人同船渡江，遭遇风浪时，他们却相互救援，如同一个人的左右手一样。它包含的思想是：敌友不是绝对的，也不是永恒的，在一定的境遇下可以化敌为友。 In the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu and Yue were neighboring states which were hostile to each other. Wu and Yue people being in the same boat is a metaphor for overcoming old grievances to face common danger. When people from these

wǔjīnɡ 五经 Five Classics 《诗》《书》《礼》《易》《春秋》等五部儒家经典的合称。先秦时期有“六经”之说，指《诗》《书》《礼》《乐》《易》《春秋》，因《乐》已亡佚（一说无文字），故汉代多称“五经”。从汉武帝立“五经博士”起，“五经”之学成为中国学术、文化和思想的根本。从内容上来说，“五经”各有所偏重，如《诗》言志、《书》言事等，因其不同而互补，故构成一个整体。历代儒者通过对文本的不断解释，为这些经典赋予了丰富的意义。“五经”之学包括了中国传统文化对于世界秩序与价值的根本理解，是道的集中体现。 The term refers to the five Confucian classics: The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals. In the pre-Qin period, the term “Six Classics” was used, referring to The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The

xiāoyáo 逍遥 Carefree 人的心灵的一种自由、无待的状态。最初由庄子提出并以之名篇。庄子认为，人的心灵可以超越于形体无法逃避、无可奈何的境遇之上，消除对于物的依赖，进而达到心灵的自由、无碍。西晋郭象重新解释了“逍遥”之义，认为有待之物能够安于各自的性分即达到了“逍遥”。 The term refers to a state of mind totally free from all constraints. It was first proposed by Zhuangzi in one of his most well-known essays. According to him, people’s minds can go beyond predicament in a way that their bodies cannot, so mentally they can be independent of material concerns

xiǎorén 小人 Petty Man “小人”最初用以表明人的社会身份与地位，通常指被统治者或地位低下之人。后世又以人的德行高下来界定“小人”。德行卑下者被称作“小人”（与“君子”相对），“小人”只关注和追逐个人的权力或利益，为了获取私利不惜违背道义，缺乏对“道”的理解与尊重。 The term was originally used to indicate a person’s social status, usually referring to the rulers’ subjects or those low in social ranking. Later generations also used the term to indicate one’s moral standard in a disapproving way. Those of base character were called petty men as opposed to men

zūn déxìng 尊德性 Revere One’s Virtuous Nature 尊崇天赋的道德本性。“尊德性”一说出自《中庸》，与“道问学”共同构成了对人的道德修养的要求。《中庸》认为，人具有天赋的道德本性。后世儒者发挥《中庸》的思想，进一步认为，天赋的道德本性是天理在人性中的体现。人应该充分尊重并发挥这种内在的道德本性，以符合天理的法则，进而成就自身的美德。 This phrase, which first appears in The Doctrine of the Golden Mean, refers to the need to revere the virtuous nature bestowed on human beings by heaven. Together with quest for knowledge, it constitutes an ethical standard. According to The Doctrine of the Golden Mean, everyone has a

Zhuāng Zhōu mèng dié 庄周梦蝶 Zhuangzi Dreaming of Becoming a Butterfly 庄子（前369？—前286）梦见自己成为蝴蝶。“庄周梦蝶”一事见于《庄子·齐物论》。庄子梦见自己成为蝴蝶，醒来后才发现自己是庄周。庄子甚至无法区分是庄子梦见自己成为蝴蝶，还是蝴蝶梦见自己成为庄子。庄子借由这一梦境的感受提醒人们，自身与他者、梦与醒以及一切事物之间的界限与区别都是相对的，是可以破除的。事物处于转化与流通之中，庄子称之为“物化”。 Zhuangzi (sometimes also referred to as Zhuang Zhou, 369?-286 BC) dreamed that he had become a butterfly. The story appears in “On Seeing Things as Equal” in the classic Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi dreamed that he had become a butterfly, but woke up to find

zhòngzhì-chéngchéng 众志成城 Unity Is Strength. 本谓“众心成城”，意思是大家同心协力，就会像城墙一样坚固。“志”即意愿、意志；“城”指城墙，是古代的防御设施。比喻大家团结一致，就能形成巨大力量，克服一切困难。其中隐含着三个重要命题：人的因素第一，人的精神力量第一，人的精诚团结第一。 Literally, this term means “united, we’ll be as solid as a fortress.” With concerted effort, people collectively can generate tremendous strength and be able to overcome all difficulties. Zhi, the second character in the term, means will, and cheng, the last character, means the wall of a fortress. The

zhōngdào 中道 The Middle Way 中正不偏的行事法则。“中道”是相对于偏颇的行为而言的。古人认为，天地万物的存在与变化遵循着基本的法则。这一法则体现在人为行事中，即是“中道”。人的言行应符合于“中道”。儒家主张通过遵循“中道”，避免过度或不及的言行，以实现完美的道德。佛教则主张践行“中道”，以认识事物的真实形态，从而达到解脱。不同学派、教派对“中道”具体内容的理解会有所不同。 The Middle Way manifests the principle of impartiality. It stands in contrast to partial behavior. Ancient Chinese believed that the existence and changes of all things in the universe obey a single basic law, which is shown through human action and conduct. This is the Middle Way. People should

zhì yuán xíng fāng 智圆行方 Be Wise in Thinking and Act Properly 头脑圆通，行为端正。智圆：无所不知，即知识完备，考虑周全，灵活通达；行方：有所不为，品行方正，按规矩做事，不投机苟且。这是中国古人推重的为人处世的理想状态，它是知与行、才与德、灵活性与原则性的辩证统一。 This term describes a person who is wise and acts properly. Such a person has broad knowledge, is considerate and flexible in handling things, and knows how to behave in accordance with social norms and etiquette. This kind of person never takes