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大巧若拙 – Chinese philosophy and culture

dàqiǎo-ruòzhuō 大巧若拙 Exquisite Skill Looks Simple and Clumsy. 极致的灵巧、技巧看上去就像质朴拙笨一样。最杰出的灵巧一定是浑然天成而非人工刻意雕琢的。出自《老子》。老子提倡纯任自然、无为才能无不为,反对一切形式的卖弄。后用来指文艺创作中的最高技巧与境界。在文艺理论中,大巧若拙并不是“以拙为巧”或完全排斥工巧,而是摒弃过分修饰和刻意追求工巧,提倡朴素自然的浑融之美。它代表了艺术美和艺术技巧的最高境界。大巧若拙是中国古代书法、绘画、园林等艺术形式的共同追求。 The term means that ingenuity and skill at their best look simple and clumsy. The greatest ingenuity should be something completely natural and that it has not been painstakingly worked on. The term comes from the book Laozi. Laozi the philosopher believed that everything should be […]

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大道至简 – Chinese philosophy and culture

dàdào-zhìjiǎn 大道至简 Great Truth in Simple Words 越普遍、越根本的道理、原则或方法其实越是浅易简便。“大道”指的是自然、社会的普遍法则以及人们对待自然、治理社会的根本原则,“简”即浅易、简明、简便。它用于治国理政及社会管理等方面,主要有两层含义:其一,越普遍、越根本的道理就应该越简明浅易,便于人们掌握并付诸实施;其二,“大道”并不是远离人世的某种高高在上的原理,它的道理、功用就蕴含在人们的伦常日用之中。只要透过纷繁的表层现象,寻流讨源,就可以抓住事物的本质和规律,以简驭繁。 The most popular and most fundamental truths, principles, and methodologies tend to be expressed in simple words and are easy to understand. Dadao (大道) means great truth, or universally applicable laws governing nature and society, or the fundamental principles for people to follow in treating nature and governing

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错彩镂金 – Chinese philosophy and culture

cuòcǎi-lòujīn 错彩镂金 Gilded and Colored, Elegant and Refined 涂饰彩色,雕镂金银。形容艺术作品雕饰华美。用于文学作品,主要指诗歌辞藻华丽,讲究技巧。在审美境界上,“错彩镂金”不如“芙蓉出水”高妙:“错彩镂金”注重外在形态,处于审美表象阶段;而“芙蓉出水”超越表象,直达本体,是审美意趣的自然呈现。 The term is used to describe an excessively exquisite artistic work as if it were an object painted in bright colors and inlaid with gold and silver. In the literary context, it refers to poems written in a highly rhetorical style. Aesthetically, what is “gilded and

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词曲 – Chinese philosophy and culture

cíqǔ 词曲 Ci (Lyric) and Qu (Melody) 词(可以配乐歌唱的长短句诗体)和曲(可以配乐歌唱的韵文体)两种文学体式的并称,在《四库全书》列于集部最末(曲更是有类无目),这是因为在古人的文学观念中,以诗文为正统,认为诗文可以表现较为正式的内容,而词曲则仅被看作展示个人才情的末技。此外,“词曲”并称有时还用来指戏曲和说唱。 Ci (词 a form of poetry with long or short verses which can be set to music and sung) and qu (曲 a form of rhyming compositions which can be set to music and sung) are a combined appellation for two kinds of literary styles. In the Complete Library of the

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词 – Chinese philosophy and culture

cí 词 Ci (Lyric) 起源于唐五代、发展成熟于宋代的一种新的文学体式,也称“曲子词”、“乐府”、“长短句”等。由诗发展演变而来,其主要特点是配乐歌唱。每首词都有一个调名,称“词牌”。不同的词牌在句数及每句的字数、平仄、押韵上都有严格的规定。从篇幅看,词可分为小令、中调、长调;从音乐体制看,词一般分上下两段(古人称为“阕”或“片”),也有分成三四段或仅有一段的,因之音乐也有演奏一遍和多遍的区别;从风格看,词基本分为婉约和豪放两大派,婉约派风格婉转含蓄,多写儿女情长;豪放派则摄取人生情怀及家国大事入词,境界宏大。宋代许多文人学者喜好填词作曲,对推动词的发展起了重要作用。后世的词一般不再配乐歌唱,基本成为按谱填词的一种文学形式。 Ci (词) originated in the Tang and the Five Dynasties, and developed to maturity as a new literary form in the Song Dynasty. Also known as “lyric with a melody,” “yuefu (乐府) poetry” or “long and short verses,” ci developed from poetry. Its main feature is that it is set to music and sung.

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春秋 – Chinese philosophy and culture

chūnqiū 春秋 The Spring and Autumn Annals / The Spring and Autumn Period 儒家经典之一。相传由孔子根据鲁国编年史编订加工而成,记载了鲁隐公元年(公元前722年)至鲁哀公十四年(公元前481年)间计242年的历史。《春秋》是编年体史书的始祖,故而亦作为编年体史书的通称。《春秋》纪事简短,文字凝练,后世儒者认为它含有“微言大义”,将这种委婉曲折而寓褒贬的写作手法称为“春秋笔法”。解释《春秋》的有《左传》《公羊传》《穀梁传》,合称“《春秋》三传”(其中,《公羊传》和《穀梁传》主要解释《春秋》义理,而《左传》记载这一时期的史实,与解经没有关系)。“春秋”也用来指“春秋时代”(因《春秋》得名),其起讫年代,有两种说法:一指《春秋》所记载的历史时期,一指自公元前770年周平王东迁至公元前476年这一时期。 The Spring and Autumn Annals is one of the Confucian classics, believed to have been compiled by Confucius based on the chronicles of the State of Lu. The book covers a period of 242 years from the first year of the reign of

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诚意 – Chinese philosophy and culture

chénɡyì 诚意 Be Sincere in Thought 使追求日用伦常之道的意愿真实无妄。“诚意”出自《大学》,与格物、致知、正心、修身、齐家、治国、平天下并称“八条目”,是儒家所倡导的道德修养的一个重要环节。“诚意”以“致知”为前提。在知晓日用伦常之道的基础上,确立起内心对此道的认同与追求。内心的真实意愿会自然地表现于言行之中。个人的道德行为应出于真实的意愿,而不应在没有真实意愿的情况下仅仅使外在的言行符合道德规范。 The pursuit of moral principles in daily life should be true and sincere.”Being sincere in thought” is one of the “eight essential principles” from the philosophical text The Great Learning, the other seven being “studying things,””acquiring knowledge,” “rectifying one’s mind,” “cultivating oneself,” “regulating one’s family well,” “governing the state

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沉郁 – Chinese philosophy and culture

chényù 沉郁 Melancholy 指诗歌作品中所表现出的情志含蓄深沉、意蕴丰富深厚的艺术风格。以杜甫为代表的古代诗人,关注国家大事,忧心民生艰难,苦思国家兴衰存亡之理而难通,求索安邦济民之策而不得,反映在作品中就表现为情志含蓄深沉、思想丰富深厚。其作品常常一唱三叹,结构、节奏、音调等抑扬起伏,给予读者以特有的“顿挫”美感,读后产生回味无穷的感受。 Melancholy refers to an artistic style in poetic works in which sentiment expressed is subtle and the message is profound. Ancient Chinese poets represented by Du Fu, keenly concerned about state affairs and people’s hardships, tried hard to understand what caused the rise and fall of a nation and sought ways

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变化 – Chinese philosophy and culture

biànhuà 变化 Change 事物存在的基本状态。“变”与“化”既可合而言之,也可以分别而论。在区别的意义上,“变”指显著的变化,“化”指隐微、逐渐的变化。一般认为,天地万物包括人与社会,都处于“变化”之中。只有不断“变化”,才能长久地存在和发展。“变化”的原因在于人和事物所具有的对立属性之间不断碰撞、交合。有人认为“变化”遵循着恒常的法则,是可以认识和把握的;但也有人主张“变化”是无常的,难以把握。而佛教则认为万物的“变化”都是虚假的,万物是寂静不迁的。 The term refers to the fundamental state of the existence of things. Bian (变) and hua (化) may be used as one word or separately. Specifically, bian means manifest change, while hua indicates subtle and gradual change. Ancient Chinese thinkers generally held that all things under heaven and on earth, including humans and society, are

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白描- Chinese philosophy and culture

báimiáo 白描 Plain Line Drawing 中国画的表现手法之一。用墨线勾勒描摹物象的轮廓,不设颜色。白描多用于画人物、花卉,着墨不多,气韵生动。白描源于古代的“白画”。一般运用同一墨色,通过线条的长短、粗细、轻重、转折等表现物象的质感和动势。白描流行于晋唐时期,宋代以后自成一格。晋代顾恺之、北宋李公麟、元代赵孟頫等擅长铁线描,唐代吴道子、南宋马和之等擅长兰叶描。白描也是文学创作中非常重要的表现手法,主要指用朴素简练的笔墨,不加烘托渲染,描绘出鲜明生动的形象。古典小说《水浒传》《三国演义》等多有高超的白描手法。 Plain line drawing is one of the traditional Chinese styles of artistic presentation. It features the contours of images sketched in black ink lines. This style of painting is mostly used in painting human figures and flowers. Although not much ink is applied, this technique can achieve a very

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