PBLK

己所不欲,勿施于人 – Chinese philosophy and culture

jǐ suŏ bù yù,wù shī yú rén 己所不欲,勿施于人 Do Not Do to Others What You Do Not Want Others to Do to You. 自己不愿意的,不要强加给别人。这是孔子所提倡的“恕道”(推己及人的原则),以自己的心意推测、理解别人的心意,亦即今之所谓设身处地,换位思考。其哲学基础是“性相近”(人的本性是相近的)。它是儒家处理人与人关系的重要原则,如今也被引申为反对强权政治的国际关系原则,其基本精神是仁爱、平等与宽容。 Do not impose on others what you do not want yourself. That is the “way of being considerate” advocated by Confucius. It calls for using one,s own mind to infer and […]

己所不欲,勿施于人 – Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »

几- Chinese philosophy and culture

jī 几 Ji / Omen 事物产生或变化的征兆。古人认为,新事物产生或旧事物发生变化,以及人心善恶的分化之前,都会出现微小的征兆,也即是“几”。“几”或显现于外,或隐藏于旧事物的内部。人应培养发现、把握几兆的能力。只有善于发现事物出现或变化的几兆,并适时加以利用,才能够预见、把握事物发展变化的方向,以实现趋利避害。 Ji (几) refers to an omen indicating the emerging or changing of things. Ancient Chinese believed that a subtle omen would appear before something new emerged or when something old was about to change, or before the differentiation of good and evil in human nature occurred. An omen is either visible

几- Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »

惠民 – Chinese philosophy and culture

huìmín 惠民 Benefit the People 惠爱民众,施惠于民。“惠民”属于“仁政”,是“爱民”理念的具体体现,重在把财富分给百姓,给百姓好处。它所强调的是,治国者及各级官员要得到百姓的拥护,就必须把百姓的实际利益放在第一位。亦即说,各项政策、措施必须代表、保障、实现百姓的实际利益,必须藏富于民,不能与民争利,更不能巧取豪夺。 The term means to benefit and provide for the people. Huimin (惠民) is a concrete manifestation of benevolent governance and loving the people, with focus on dividing wealth among the people and benefiting them. The emphasis is on placing the interests of the people first, so that they will support

惠民 – Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »

黄河 – Chinese philosophy and culture

Huáng Hé 黄河 The Yellow River 中国第二大河,发源于青藏高原,自西向东流经青海、四川、甘肃、宁夏、内蒙古、陕西、山西、河南、山东9个省(自治区),注入渤海,全长约5464公里,为世界著名大河。因多泥沙色黄而得名,是中华民族的摇篮和中国古代文化的重要发源地,被称为中国人的“母亲河”。她不仅是一条自然河流,而且已经成为中国人重要的文化意象和文化符号,象征中华民族自强不息、百折不挠、勇往直前的精神品格。 Originating in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Yellow River is the second longest waterway in China, flowing eastward through the provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as well as the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong before emptying

黄河 – Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »

荒寒 – Chinese philosophy and culture

huānghán 荒寒 Grim and Desolate 古代诗词绘画作品中所描写的荒僻凄寒的环境及所体现出的孤寂凄凉的心境。唐宋时期一些远戍边关或遭贬谪的诗人,因仕途失意或不为时人理解而倍感环境的荒凉和内心的孤独,在诗歌作品中常常营造一种荒僻凄寒的氛围或意境,以此传达自己百折不回、独善其身的心志,使之成为一种独特的审美追求和超越现实的审美方式。追求荒寒意境的绘画则更充满一种独与天地往来的精神和与自然融为一体的情趣。这类诗画代表着中国文化的一种独特品位与风格。 This term refers to desolate and barren landscapes described or portrayed in classical poems or paintings that convey a feeling of loneliness and desolation. During the Tang and Song dynasties, some poets who were either exiled or sent to work at border garrisons did not only dwell in desolate

荒寒 – Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »

和为贵 – Chinese philosophy and culture

héwéiguì 和为贵 Harmony Is Most Precious. 以和谐为贵。“和”,和谐、恰当,是在尊重事物差异性、多样性基础上的和谐共存。本指“礼”的作用就是使不同等级的人既保持一定差别又彼此和谐共存,各得其所,各安其位,相得益彰,从而实现全社会的“和而不同”,为儒家处理人际关系的重要伦理原则。后泛指人与人之间、团体与团体之间、国家与国家之间和谐、和睦、和平、融洽的关系状态。它体现了中华民族反对暴力冲突、崇尚和平与和谐的“文”的精神。 Make harmony a top priority. He (和) indicates congruity and appropriateness. It is a state of congenial co-existence on the basis of due respect for differences and diversity. At first, this phrase referred to the role of li (礼rites / social norms) which is to keep citizens of distinct social

和为贵 – Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »

好战必亡,忘战必危 – Chinese philosophy and culture

hào zhàn bì wáng, wàng zhàn bì wēi 好战必亡,忘战必危 Those Who Like to Go to War Will Perish; Those Who Forget War Will Be in Danger. 热衷于战争必然灭亡,而忘记战争必然危险。亦即是说,好战的国家必然导致自身灭亡,而没有战备的国家又会使自己处于危险境地。“好战”是指为了自身利益,不顾道义,热衷于对外挑起冲突和战争;“忘战”是指忘记战争可能降临到自己头上,不做相应准备。古人认为,应该本着仁爱精神处理国内、国际事务;战争会使国力消耗,生灵涂炭,即便是为了保国安民而“以战止战”的正义战争,也是不得已而采取的行动。这句话,既表明了战争与国家兴衰的辩证法,也彰显了中华民族爱好和平的“文”的精神。 Those who are warmongering will inevitably be destroyed, and those who forget war will inevitably land in danger. That is, countries that like to make war are certain

好战必亡,忘战必危 – Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »

豪放派 – Chinese philosophy and culture

háofànɡpài 豪放派 Haofang School / Bold and Unconstrained School 宋词两大流派之一。内容多写家国大事、人生情怀,其特点是境界壮阔宏大,气象豪迈雄放,常常运用诗文创作手法及典故,而且不拘音律。最先用“豪放”评词的是苏轼,南宋人已明确将苏轼、辛弃疾作为豪放词的代表。北宋范仲淹《渔家傲》词开豪放之先,经苏轼大力创作“壮词”而成一派词风。中原沦陷后,南宋政权偏安江南,不以收复失地为意,许多词人报国无望,因而逐渐形成慷慨悲壮的词风,产生了豪放派领袖辛弃疾及陈与义、叶梦得、朱敦儒、张元干、张孝祥、陆游、陈亮、刘过等一大批杰出词人。他们抒发报国情怀,将个体的命运与家国命运紧密联系在一起,进一步拓宽了词的表现领域,丰富了词的表现手法,大大提升了词在文学史上的地位。豪放派词人虽以豪放为主体风格,却也不乏清秀婉约之作,故不可一概而论。有些词作出现议论和用典过多、音律不精或过于散文化,也是毋庸讳言的。 This is one of the two ci (词) lyric schools of the Song Dynasty, which mainly dealt with major affairs of the nation and expresses noble aspirations. It featured broad vision and bold expression, often employing the methods of prose poetry and uninhibited by metric stereotypes. The

豪放派 – Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »

汉乐府 – Chinese philosophy and culture

hànyuèfǔ 汉乐府 Yuefu Poetry 指汉代的乐府诗。“乐府”本是秦以后由朝廷设立的用来训练乐工、采集民歌并配器作曲的专门官署,后转指由乐府机关所采集、配乐并由乐工演唱的民歌。乐府诗是继《诗经》之后古代民歌的一次创造,是与“诗经”“楚辞”并列的诗歌形态。至今保存的汉乐府民歌有五六十首,大都真实反映了当时社会生活的各个方面,表现出纯真质朴的思想感情,并由此形成反映普通民众声音与情感的文学创作传统。其中最有特色与成就的是描写女性生活的作品。汉代以后将可以入乐的诗歌及仿乐府古题而写的诗歌统称为乐府。 Yuefu (乐府) poems were written in the Han Dynasty. Originally, yuefu was a government office set up by the imperial court to train musicians, collect folk songs and ballads, compose music, and match musical instruments to it. It later came to refer to folk songs and ballads collected, matched with music, and played

汉乐府 – Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »

涵泳 – Chinese philosophy and culture

hányǒng 涵泳 Be Totally Absorbed (in Reading and Learning) 原指阅读经典作品时,要像潜泳一样沉浸其中、反复玩味,方能有所收获,激发自己的情志和感悟。作为一种读书做学问的方法,它强调调动自己的经验和学养,努力思考书中的问题、观点、材料及事实,使自己的学问如源头活水而常新。作为一种理解与诠释文艺作品的方法,它强调努力进入作品特定的情境,通过反复体会与咀嚼,最终领略作品的深层意蕴及审美意境。它也表明文艺作品具有兴发志意和感化人心的效力。 This term originally refers to an attitude in reading classics, requiring one to become deeply absorbed in the work as if one were submerged in water, repeatedly ruminating on its meaning until one is able to fully digest its significance so that it informs one’s

涵泳 – Chinese philosophy and culture Read More »