December 2022

ānpín-lèdào 安贫乐道 Be Content with a Simple but Virtuous Life 安于贫困而乐于守道。在孔子与儒家看来，对于道义的学习与执守，并不是出于任何功利的目的，而是发自内心的认同，是毕生追求的最高目标。因此，以道义为最高准则的人，不会以违背道义的方式去追求富贵，即便在物质生活上陷于贫困，也能够以执守道义为乐。 When leading a poor life, one should still stick to moral principles. Confucius and Confucian scholars believe that it is not for fame and wealth that one should observe moral principles. Rather, such observance comes from one’s heart and represents his lifetime pursuit. So […]

ài rén wéi dà 爱人为大 Caring for Others Is the Top Priority. 友爱他人、爱护他人最为重要。古人认为，天地之间，人最宝贵，所以“仁者爱人”。将“爱人”由道德情感层面推及到国家层面就体现为“爱民”。人民是国家的根本，决定着国家的安危与成败，所以统治者要把爱民、亲民、利民、顺应民心作为治国理政的最高原则。制定政策、法律，确立制度，都以保障人民的利益为出发点和最终目的。它不仅是儒家“仁政”思想的体现，也是法家制定法律、依法治国的重要理念，它彰显了中华民族崇高的人文情怀。 Being friendly and caring for others is most important. Ancient Chinese believed that human beings are most precious things in the world, so benevolent people care for others. When it comes to governing a country, a ruler’s love for others should be

zuòwàng 坐忘 Forget the Difference and Opposition Between Self and the Universe 道家指破除自我与事物之间分别与对立的一种方式。“坐忘”一说出自《庄子·大宗师》，书中借由孔子与颜回的对话阐述“坐忘”之义。庄子认为，人世中的各种名分、规范，造成了自我与事物之间的分别与对立，构成了对人的限制。人应该忘记这些名分、规范，进而忘记自己形体的存在与智力的运用，打破彼我之间的界限，从而摆脱外物的限制与影响，这便是“坐忘”。 The term refers to a Daoist way of breaking away from the difference and opposition between one’s self and the universe. It comes from the book Zhuangzi, which elaborates its meaning in a dialogue between Confucius and Yan Hui. In Zhuangzi’s view,

zìyóu 自由 Acting Freely / Freedom 本义是由自己做主，依从自己的想法、意志、愿望行事，不受外来限制和约束。在古代中国，儒道都向往内心与生命不受拘系的自由。近代以来，它用作liberty和freedom的译词。作为专有名词，其含义主要有二：其一，指法律所规定并保护的国民享有其意志、行为不受干涉的权利，如言论、集会、宗教信仰等方面的自由；其二，哲学上指人对必然性的认识和对客观世界的改造的自由。它是建立在对自然、社会规律深刻把握的基础上，以人的全面发展为目的的自由，被认为是构建美好社会的核心价值之一。 The term means acting on one’s own free will without being subject to external restrictions. In ancient China, both Confucians and Daoists longed for freedom both of the mind and in their lives. In modern times, this term has become the Chinese word for “liberty” and “freedom.” As

zìshēng 自生 Spontaneous Generation 万物由自己生成。万物不由“天”或“无”创造产生，也不由其他有形的事物所产生。“自生”之说意在打破造物主的观念。对于万物“自生”的具体情形，人们有不同的理解。有人认为，“自生”的事物之间是相互关联、相互依赖的。但也有人主张，万物各自无联系地、孤立地、突然地“自生”。 Everything comes into being by itself; it is not created or generated by heaven, void, or tangible things. The expression “spontaneous generation” rejects the concept of a creator. People have different views about the concrete circumstances of the “spontaneous generation” of things. Some believe that things which are “spontaneously generated”

zhōnghé 中和 Balanced Harmony 人心所达到的中正、和谐的状态。人的喜、怒、哀、乐等情感的活动及其在言行上的表现符合礼的要求，不失偏颇进而达到一种和谐的状态，即是“中和”。治理者如果能够体认并达到“中和”的状态，以此治理天下，天地万物就会处于端正、恰当的位置，和谐、有序，就可以实现彼此间的共同繁荣与发展。 Balanced harmony is an ideal state of human mind. When people’s emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are expressed in an unbiased way in keeping with the rites, a state of mind featuring balanced harmony is achieved. If a ruler can reach such a state of mind and

zhì shì zhī yīn 治世之音 Music of an Age of Good Order 指太平时代的音乐。儒家认为，音乐与社会政治相互联通，音乐能反映一个国家的政治盛衰得失及社会风俗的变化。乐教能促使政治清明，社会秩序稳定；反过来，太平时代政治开明、和美，其音乐、诗歌作品一定充满安详欢乐。“治世之音”也被用来指《诗经》中的某些美颂之作。 Confucian scholars believed that music interacts with both society and its political evolution; it also reflects the rise and decline of a state’s political strength and changes of social customs. Music education fosters good governance and social stability. In an age of

zhìnèi-cáiwài 治内裁外 Handling Internal Affairs Takes Precedence over External Affairs. 治理好国家的内部事务，才能处理好对外事务。“治内”是指国家内部的治理达到理想状态；“裁外”是指量度天下大势，制定对外政策，选择适当的政治、外交、军事等手段，影响国际格局。它告诉我们一条原理：国家内政是对外方略的基础。 A country’s internal affairs must be handled well before its external affairs can be handled well. Zhinei (治内) means that domestic governance has achieved an ideal state; caiwai (裁外) means assessing the broad trends in the world, making external policies, and selecting appropriate political, diplomatic, and

zhènɡshǐtǐ 正始体 The Zhengshi Literary Style 指三国曹魏后期（公元240—265年）的文学风格。因始于魏齐王曹芳正始年间（公元240—249年），故名。这一时期的政治现实极其严酷，正始文人因此以哲学眼光来看待、思考更为广阔的人生和宇宙问题。深刻的理性思考和强烈的人生悲哀，构成了正始文学最基本的特点。正始文学的主要特征是崇尚老庄，以玄理入诗，呈现出浓厚的哲理色彩。当时作家主要有两派：一派是以何晏、王弼为代表，开两晋“玄言诗”之先河；另一派是以嵇康、阮籍为代表，继承建安文学传统，其作品有深厚的思想感情、鲜明的时代特色和个性特点，因而成就较大。 The term refers to the literary style of the final years of the State of Wei (240–265) in the Three Kingdoms period. It emerged in the Zhengshi era (240–249) under the reign of Cao Fang, also known as Prince Qi of Wei. Facing the harsh prevailing political conditions,

zhèng guì yŏu héng 政贵有恒 Stability Is the Key to Governance. 国家大政贵在稳定持久。“政”指国家根本性的制度、法令、政策；“贵”即崇尚；“有恒”即保持稳定。一个国家，尤其是大国，一定要保持其根本制度、根本大法的稳定性、持久性，不能朝令夕改，反复无常，否则会引起政局动荡、社会混乱；尤其在根本性问题上不能出现颠覆性变化，否则难以挽回和弥补。这个道理和“治大国若烹小鲜”有相通之处。 It’s the key to governance to ensure sustained stability. Zheng (政) refers to the fundamental systems, laws, and policies of a state. Gui (贵) means the most valuable thing. Youheng (有恒) means to ensure stability. A country, especially a large country, must preserve the constancy of