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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

zhì mín zhī chǎn 制民之产 Sustaining the People’s Livelihood 创制民众的产业。“制民之产”是孟子（前372？—前289）提出的一种为政要求。孟子认为，百姓如果没有稳定的产业收入，无法维持自身的生存，就会为了维持生计而背离道德。因此，为政者必须首先为百姓创造、提供必要的产业，使其生产所得能够满足日常生活的需要。“制民之产”是为政者推行道德教化的基础和前提。 This expression means to ensure a secure livelihood for the people, a requirement for governance proposed by Mencius (372?-289 BC), who believed that if the common people did not have a steady income and could not maintain their survival, they would deviate from moral righteousness

zhì guó yǒu cháng, lì mín wéi běn 制国有常，利民为本 Governance Should Deliver Benefits to the People. 治理国家有不变的原则，就是将有利于百姓作为一切制度和政令的根本。“制国”即“治国”，确立国家的制度、政策，发布政令，处理国家事务；“常”即恒常不变的原则；“利民”同“惠民”，保障百姓利益，使百姓得到好处；“本”即根本。以惠及百姓为国家制度、政令的根本出发点和归宿，这是中华传统“民本”“惠民”思想的又一种表达式。如今，坚持人民主体地位，顺应人民群众对美好生活的向往的思想，亦渊源于此。 An unchanging principle underpinning the governance of a country is that it should deliver benefits to the people. Here, “the governance of a country” refers to establishing systems of governance and policies, and issuing decrees; “delivering benefits to