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苍生大医 – Chinese philosophy and culture

cāngshēng-dàyī 苍生大医 A Master Physician to All the People 众生景仰的伟大医者,百姓的好医生。这是唐朝著名医学家孙思邈(581-682)在《千金方》中所阐述的理想的医者形象。“苍生”即众生,主要指百姓;“大医”即超乎寻常的、伟大的、令人尊敬的医者。这样的医者有三种基本品格或精神:一是平等,不论患者贫富贵贱、亲疏善恶、同族异族,均一视同仁;二是仁爱,视患者为亲人,悲悯至深,感同身受;三是无私,将个人安危、利益置之度外,一心治病救人。它是“大医精诚”理念的重要组成部分,是“医者仁心”这一中华医学人道精神的最高体现。 This term means a great physician held in high esteem by everyone, a good doctor for all the people. This is the ideal image of a physician as described by the famous Tang Dynasty physician Sun Simiao (581-682) in his Essential Formulas for Emergencies. “All […]

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不二 – Chinese philosophy and culture

bù’èr 不二 Advaya / Non-duality 离两边。指超越一切分别,对一切现象都平等如一。凡夫通常以二分的模式理解世间现象,说常、无常,得、无得。佛教认为,二分法构建出一幅虚妄分别的世界图景,并不能如实反映世界的真实情况。而任何建立在言语概念基础上的认识,都无法避免这种分别。因此要离开两边,摆脱名言的误导,从而远离凡夫的分别,到达平等如一的空性智慧。 The concept of advaya instructs one to avoid the two extremes, to transcend all distinctions, and to treat all phenomena equally. A common man often understands the world in dichotomy, creating a number of opposites such as permanence versus impermanence and possession versus dispossession. Buddhists believe that dichotomy paints the picture

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兵贵胜,不贵久 – Chinese philosophy and culture

bīng guì shèng, bù guì jiǔ 兵贵胜,不贵久 In War, Seek Quick Victory, Not Prolongation. 用兵贵在速胜,不宜持久。这是古代军事家孙武提出的作战原则。对于主动作战的一方而言,这一原则尤为重要。因为久战不决,会造成士气低落、战斗力下降,各种消耗增大,补给困难,最终难以达成作战目标,甚至得不偿失,还可能节外生枝,危及国家安全。这是综合政治、经济等多种因素而形成的总体战争思想。 Warfare should seek a quick victory and should not be prolonged. This was a principle of warfare proposed by Sunzi, the ancient military strategist. It is of particular importance to the party that initiates a war. If the war continues

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爱人深者求贤急 – Chinese philosophy and culture

ài rén shēn zhě qiú xián jí 爱人深者求贤急 Those Who Most Love the People Will Eagerly Seek Talent. 深爱民众的人,必然求贤心切。“贤”指德才出众的人,即优秀人才;“人”这里指民众,“爱人”即“爱民”。这里所说的“爱”,不是一般意义上的私德或个人关怀,而是指执政者把国家治理好,以保障人民的基本福祉和根本利益,使人民免受痛苦和无端侵害,安居乐业。而要达此目标,必须依靠德才出众的人来治理国家。所以,真心深爱民众的执政者,必然求贤若渴。“爱人”是根本,“求贤”是具体措施。 Someone who deeply cares about the people will have a strong desire to seek out talent. “Talent” refers to outstanding people, namely those with high morals and skills; “the people” refers to the general public, and

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爱类 – Chinese philosophy and culture

àilèi 爱类 Loving One’s Own Kind 爱自己的同类,爱人类。中国古人认为,爱同类是有知觉或有灵性的动物的基本属性,作为万物灵长的人类亦然。人的爱心,首先表现在爱自己的同类上,生而为人,如果爱其他事物而不爱人类,就不能叫有爱心。也即是说,人是人类爱的第一对象,爱人类是人类爱的第一本质,也是人爱其他事物的精神原点。人之为人的基本规定性亦在于此。 The ancient Chinese considered loving others of one’s own kind to be part of the fundamental nature of animals with consciousness and intelligence, and this was particularly true of humans, the most advanced of all creatures. Human love is first of all manifested in love for one’s own

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哀吊 – Chinese philosophy and culture

āidiào 哀吊 Essay of Mourning and Essay of Memory 古代文体名称,用于哀悼死者或对遭遇不幸者表示慰问。“哀”的意思是哀悼、哀悯,最早用于哀悼夭折短寿的人,后也用于哀悯身遭不幸的人或不幸的事;“吊”的意思是凭吊,是对逝者表达追思或对遭遇不幸之事的人、国家等表示慰问。从哀吊对象说,“哀”一般用于当下的人或事,而“吊”常用于古人。从文体上说两者区别不大,略相当于今天的悼词,属于应用文,有些可以视为悼亡、怀古类的抒情散文。刘勰(465?—520)在《文心雕龙》中指出,哀辞重在表达对未及立德建功者的痛惜之情,因此不必追求辞藻;吊文多用于缅怀古人,因此常寓一定褒贬评价,具有反思和感怀的特点。这些见解对于今天的散文写作仍有指导意义。 Ai (哀) and diao (吊) essays were written in ancient times to express mourning for someone who had died a natural death or from an extreme misfortune. Ai, or an essay of mourning, was written to express grief or compassion. It was originally written for someone who

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尊师重道 – Chinese philosophy and culture

zūnshī-zhòngdào 尊师重道 Honor Teachers and Respect Rules 尊敬老师,崇尚道义。“道”即宇宙的普遍法则、世间的真理和道义等。尊师是中华民族的传统美德,重道是中华传统文化的重要特质。“师”是“道”的载体和传播者,所以尊师和重道是一体两面的关系。它自古即被认为是国家兴旺发达的重要前提,也是政治清明的重要标志。 This term means to honor teachers and respect rules. The “rules” are the laws of the (physical) universe, as well as the truths and moral principles of the world. Honoring teachers is a traditional Chinese virtue, and respecting rules is an important feature of traditional Chinese culture.

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奏启 – Chinese philosophy and culture

zòuqǐ 奏启 Memorial or Statement to Present One’s View to the Emperor 古代文体名称,是臣下向帝王言事、提出意见的文书。“奏”的意思是“进言”,臣下向皇帝论述政事、报告下情并明确提出意见;“启”的意思是“开启、敞开”,向皇帝坦诚提出看法。“奏”讲求明辨通达,文辞质朴;“启”兼有奏、表两种文体的功用,篇幅简短,略有文采。南朝刘勰(465?—520)认为,奏启是为口头进言准备的文本,主要用来向皇帝报告紧急事变、弹劾过失、陈述政事、表达政见等,因此较之章表,要求更加客观严谨,要言不烦,少有主观情绪。这对今天的公文写作仍有指导意义。 This genre of writing was used by officials to report important matters or present personal views to the emperor. Zou (奏) here means “a reminder to the throne,” i.e., a statement of an administrative matter plus a clear-cut view on how to handle

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宗庙 – Chinese philosophy and culture

zōngmiào 宗庙 Ancestral Temple 奉祀祖先的专用庙宇,是人们为自己的祖先亡灵修建的寄居之所。人们将写有先祖名讳的神主(牌位)放在里面供奉、祭祀。在古代中国的宗庙制度中,宗庙主要是指天子、诸侯等祭祀祖先的专用庙宇。按周朝礼制规定,天子可建七庙,诸侯可建五庙,大夫可建三庙,士只能建一庙,一般百姓不准设庙。如果一个国家或政权被灭,它的宗庙往往也会随之被毁。因此,“宗庙”和“江山”“社稷”一样,常被用来作为王室、朝廷或国家政权的代称。它是祖先崇拜的延续,也是“家国同构”制度的体现。 Ancestral temples were built for the spirits of people’s deceased ancestors. Tablets bearing the names of the ancestors were housed in the temples for worship and sacrificial purposes. In the ancient Chinese temple system, ancestral temples mainly referred to the special temples where kings, princes and others offered sacrifices to

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宗教 – Chinese philosophy and culture

zōngjiào 宗教 Holistic Teachings “宗教”一词最早见于佛教典籍,其称佛之所说为“教”,有客观教说、普遍教化之意;称佛之弟子所说为“宗”,为“教”的分支,有个人主观信念之意。“宗教”合称,其义有二:其一,指佛门宗旨、教理,涵盖佛教全体;其二,指某一佛教宗派的教旨或尊信同一教旨之支派。后道教亦使用此词。近代以降,“宗教”成为religion译词,基本意涵演变为:人们通过虔敬的信仰,与超越的、无限的、绝对的主宰结合一体,达于美好境地,获得永恒幸福。 The term zongjiao was first seen in Buddhist classics, where jiao (教) referred to what the Buddha himself had taught, whether in his direct teachings or his wider endeavours to enlighten; zong (宗) on the other hand referred to what the Buddha’s disciples had said and was a subdivision of jiao, containing subjective,

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