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比而不党 – Chinese philosophy and culture

bǐ’érbùdǎng 比而不党 Be Close but Not Cliquish 以道义相结交而不结党营私。“比”有亲近、亲附之义,这里指为道义而结成的群体;“党”有偏私、朋党之义,这里指为私情、私利而结成的群体。前者出以公心,是建设性的,为历代正直之士所推崇;后者以权谋私,是破坏性的,为历代正直之士所摒弃。 This expression means forming ties among people based on a common just cause and not forming ties for selfish purposes. Bi (比), meaning to be “close,” implies affinity or attachment. Here it describes a group brought together by a common just cause. Dang (党), referring to “cliquish,” implies bias […]

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抱法处势 – Chinese philosophy and culture

bào fǎ chǔ shì 抱法处势 Upholding Law by Means of Power 坚守法度,凭借权势。“抱法处势”是韩非子(前280?—前233)提出的一种法治观念。“法”是所有民众都必须共同遵守的法令,规范着人们的行为与是非善恶的判定。“势”是指统治者占有的地位和掌握的权力。“抱法处势”即要求统治者凭借自己占有和掌握的“势”,以赏罚的手段确保法令的执行,从而维护统一的社会秩序与价值。 This expression means to uphold the law by means of power. This is a way of governance advocated by Hanfeizi (280?-233 BC). Law is what all people have to abide by, regulating people’s conduct as well as the judgment of right or wrong,

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安时处顺 – Chinese philosophy and culture

ānshí-chǔshùn 安时处顺 Face Reality Calmly 坦然面对现实,安于时运,顺其自然。这是古代哲学家庄子(前369?—前286)所提出的一种处世态度和人生智慧。庄子认为,一切事物都是不以人的意志为转移的,面对死生等变化所造成的境遇,人们要泰然处之。但它并非要人们消极地逆来顺受,而是强调人本身精神的适应性和超越性;提示人们用一种坦然、超拔的心态对待自己的生命和境遇,获得自我安顿,达到自由境界。它是老子“道法自然”命题的延伸与发挥。 One should face reality calmly and follow its natural course. This is an attitude to life espoused by the ancient philosopher Zhuangzi (369?-286 BC). He believed that all things undergo spontaneous transformations independent of man’s will and that humans should face the changes of life and death calmly. However,

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尊碑贬帖 – Chinese philosophy and culture

zūn bēi biǎn tiè 尊碑贬帖 Praising Stone Inscriptions while Belittling Copying from Stone Rubbings 推崇碑刻书法,贬抑单纯摹仿名家帖书。它是一种书法思潮,也是追求自然多变、推崇个性与创新的书论主张。阮元(1764—1849)反对独尊二王、以学帖为法的悠久传统,指出帖书和碑刻书体各有所长。包世臣(1775—1855)详论碑刻书体的特点,有以其优点补帖书之不足的意思。康有为(1858—1927)指出帖书辗转相传、失却原貌是尊碑的客观原因,碑刻能够呈现书体的阶段性变化和历史多样性。康有为认为书论“可著圣道,可发王制,可洞人理,可穷物变”,应该立足现状考察历史,穷则思变,其维新变法思想在此初露端倪。 This term means to advocate stone-borne calligraphy while deprecating handcopied script in mere imitation of famed calligraphers. It reflects a calligraphic trend toward natural variation and individual creativity. Ruan Yuan (1764-1849), for example, opposed the age-old tradition of lauding master

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转益多师 – Chinese philosophy and culture

zhuǎnyìduōshī 转益多师 Learn from Many Masters, Form Your Own Style 尽可能博采众长,以丰富自己的文艺创作。“转益”意为辗转自益,只要对自己创作有益的东西都应该加以学习吸收;“多师”谓广泛师法,不必专主一家。出自唐代诗人杜甫(712—770)《戏为六绝句》。它包含相互联系的两个方面:第一,尽可能广泛学习、师法古人或时贤的创作经验,博采众长,兼收并蓄;第二,在无所不师的同时既有继承也要有所批判。只有这样,才能合乎或接近《诗经》的风雅传统,形成自己的艺术风格。后来这一术语的使用范围由诗歌创作而扩展至文学艺术等各个领域。 The expression means to learn widely from others so as to enrich one’s own artistic creation. Zhuanyi (转益) means to learn and absorb everything that can further one’s creativity; duoshi (多师) means to learn from many teachers. This comes from “Six Playful Quatrains” by Du Fu

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诸宫调 – Chinese philosophy and culture

Zhūgōngdiào 诸宫调 Song-speech Drama 一种源于北宋、流行于金元的说唱艺术。同一宫调的多首曲子,可组成一个套曲,诸宫调则是不同宫调的多个套曲的组合。其表演形式是唱完一个宫调的套曲,即换韵演唱另一个宫调的套曲。在套曲与套曲的演唱间隙,表演者通过说白来叙述情节,衔接前后。套曲之间,有时也夹有单曲小令。诸宫调对于元杂剧的成型与发展影响较大。董解元创作的《西厢记诸宫调》是存世最完整的诸宫调作品,代表了金代戏曲的最高水平。 The term refers to a form of theatrical performance combining song and speech popular in the Jin and Yuan periods. The drama is composed of sets of songs. Each set of songs is composed of the same mode of music, or gongdiao. During the performance, one set of songs is

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政通人和 – Chinese philosophy and culture

zhèng tōng rén hé 政通人和 Good Governance and Harmonious People 政事通达,人民和顺。“政通”即国家政策、法令等能够全面贯彻落实,政治事务运转顺畅有效;“人和”即人人各得其宜,上下一心,团结融洽。作为良好的治理状态,它与“国泰民安”义近,但更强调人的因素,并凸显“政通”与“人和”互为前提或因果的关系。 This refers to efficient governance and harmonious people. Efficient governance means that the policies and decrees of the government are followed in all respects, and political affairs are handled in a smooth and effective way. The term “harmonious people” means that people are happy

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正声 – Chinese philosophy and culture

zhèngshēng 正声 Proper Music / Finest Poetry 原为中国古代音乐概念。主要含义有二:其一,指儒家与官方倡导的典雅、纯正的音乐;有时也指五正声,即宫、商、角、徵、羽五音。其二,因儒家认为《诗经》的音乐体制与思想内容最为纯正典雅,是“正声”的典范,故后世用“正声”转指在内容与意境上纯正典雅、堪为典范的诗歌作品。如明代高棅(bǐnɡ,1350—1423)编选的《唐诗正声》,就是通过精选唐诗各体的代表性作品,试图为后人确立诗歌写作的正宗轨范。 It is originally a term in ancient Chinese music. It has two meanings: 1) The refined and pure music encouraged by Confucian scholars and official circles; sometimes it was also a general term for the five notes of ancient music gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu. 2)

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战法必本于政胜 – Chinese philosophy and culture

zhàn fǎ bì běn yú zhèng shèng 战法必本于政胜 Methods of Warfare Must Be Based on the Success of Politics. 战争取胜的原则或方法须以政治上的优势或成功为基础,亦即战争的胜败根本上取决于政治的优劣。中国古代兵家、法家从政治角度看待战争,认为战争的本质是政治,战争是政治的派生,政通人和是战争致胜的决定性因素。“战法必本于政胜”一语与德国军事学家克劳塞维茨(1780—1831)“战争无非是政治通过另一种手段的继续”的观点(《战争论》)有异曲同工之妙,但要早两千多年。 The principles or methods to win a war must be based on the success in politics, that is to say, military outcome is determined by the strength of politics. Ancient Chinese strategists and legalists looked

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院本 – Chinese philosophy and culture

yuànběn 院本 Jin Opera / Scripts Used by Courtesans 有广狭二义:广义指流行于金代的一种戏曲形式,狭义指这种戏曲演唱用的脚本。因多在行院(hánɡyuàn)演出,故称院本。元代初年仍然流行,目前无独立完整的作品传世,其艺术特点可大致归纳为:篇幅较短,结构简单,多调笑语言及滑稽动作表演,主要角色是副净和副末,继承了唐代参军戏、宋代杂剧的戏谑手法。金院本直接影响了元杂剧的演出形式。 In a broad sense, the term means a style of traditional opera popular in the Jin Dynasty. In a narrow sense, it refers to the scores and librettos used in this type of drama, which was performed mainly in hangyuan (行院), or brothels, hence the name.

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