Chinese Thought and Culture

zūnshēng 尊生 Respect Life 尊重自己的生命，也尊重他人的生命。也说“重（zhònɡ）生”。生命属于每个人只有一次，任何人都不可轻易放弃生命，更不允许随意剥夺他人的生命。对于执政者而言，则要求以民众生命为重，尽可能满足民众正当的生存需求，不得做任何危害民众生命健康的事情。当然，不合道义的苟且偷生也是不被认可的。 This means respecting and valuing one’s own life as well as that of others. Since each person has only one life to live, he does not easily give up his life and will not take away other people’s lives. He who is in power should respect people’s lives and do […]

zhǔ wén ér jué jiàn 主文而谲谏 Admonition Through Tactful Wording 诗歌在歌咏的同时以含蓄委婉的方式对执政者进行讽谏。“文”指有文采的歌咏；“谲”义为曲折变化，意思是不要直陈执政者的过失；“谏”就是规劝、谏诫。出自《毛诗序》。最初由儒家总结《诗经》的表达手法而提出，后来用为一切文艺作品应当遵循的标准。它的核心思想是，诗歌可以对执政者进行劝谏、讽刺，但要以含蓄委婉的言辞、比兴譬喻的方式寄托对执政者的批评以及对现实的不满。这一命题是儒家政治伦理在文学批评领域的具体表现。 This term shows that poetry should indirectly and mildly advise a ruler against wrongdoing. The critic should resort mainly to tactful and sensitive wording, trying not to appear blunt or offensive when admonishing the ruler. The term first appeared in the “Introductions to Mao’s

zhìlè-wúlè 至乐无乐 Utmost Happiness Lies in Not Aware of the Happiness. 至高的快乐是内心祥和而超越乐与不乐的判断。庄子（前369？—前286）认为，快乐应该依从于自己的本心，如果以世俗观念为判断依据，可能会背离生命的本质；如果为情感和欲望所驱使，可能会伴随失落与伤害。快乐与否的判断实际上源于对利害得失的判断，而利害得失是相对的、可变的，因此，忘却得失利害、没有了快乐意念才是“至乐”的境界。“至乐无乐”说体现出中国古代文人学士通达的心性、自由多元的人生价值观，激发了他们反思、批判与超越的精神。 Utmost happiness is an inner peace that transcends any judgment as to whether we are happy or not. Zhuangzi (369?-286 BC) held that happiness should be dictated solely by the heart. If we measure happiness against a worldly criterion, we may lose sight

yuánróng 圆融 Consummate Interfusion 圆满融通。在佛教典籍中，圆融既指各种事物之间相互融通统摄的本来状态，也指避免偏执任一见地的真理观。如天台（tāi）宗说空、假、中三谛，分疏三个层面的真理，有别于传统的二谛，凸显了不落空有两边、又不离两边的圆融意旨。而华严的“六相圆融”，指出一切事物都有总、别、同、异、成、坏三对看似矛盾的方面，其实超越了概念的对立，可于一体具现。 In Buddhist scriptures, “consummate interfusion” has two meanings: (1) the original state of all things, which are interfused with and governed by each other, and (2) a viewpoint on truth that argues against adherence to any judgment. The Tiantai School interprets “consummate interfusion” in this way: it develops the concept

Yuánhé tǐ 元和体 The Yuanhe Style of Poetry 指唐宪宗元和年间（806—820）开始流行的诗歌体式及风格。有广狭二义：广义的理解指元和以来的各种新体诗文，一般认为元和以后流行的新的文风、诗风，是由韩愈（768—824）、元稹（779—831）、白居易（772—846）、张籍（767？—830？）等元和年间的著名作家开创的；狭义的理解则是指元稹、白居易诗歌中的长篇排律和中短篇杂体诗。元稹、白居易的诗歌注重叙事，如《连昌宫词》《长恨歌》《琵琶行》都是长篇叙事诗的代表作；其次是注重诗歌形式的通俗化，具体说就是诗的语言明白晓畅，容易为读者理解记忆；注意诗歌与音乐的结合，韵律的优美和谐，便于唱诵。 This term refers to the poetic style most popular during the rule of Emperor Xianzong (806-820) of the Tang Dynasty under the reign title of Yuanhe. It can be understood either broadly or narrowly. In a broad sense, the Yuanhe style of poetry refers to all

yǒu bìng bù zhì, cháng dé zhōng yī 有病不治，常得中医 Self-treating an Illness Can Usually Get a Good Result. 有病不去就医，其结果如同请中等水平的医生诊治一样（与“久病成医”意思相近）。“不治”，不请大夫，不去医治；“得”，相当，能够；“中医”，中等水平的医生或疗效，有时作“合乎医理”解（“中”读zhònɡ）。这是《汉书·艺文志》记载的谚语，后来演变为“不服药胜中医”等说法。其本意是说，与其请来庸医治病，胡乱施治，非但没能将病治好，反而使病情更糟，还不如不请医生；况且有些疾病即使不治，也能自愈。此语表达了人们对庸医的拒斥和对良医的期盼，也隐含这样的观念：某些疾病可以自愈，无须施治。 The proverb, which is similar in meaning with the concept “prolonged suffering from an illness will turn a person into a doctor,” comes from The History of the Han Dynasty. It later changed into sayings like

yǐnxiǎn 隐显 Concealment and Revelation “隐”指隐讳含藏，“显”指鲜明显扬。作为文艺术语，它们指诗文创作过程中，有些事理须要隐讳含藏，有些事理须要鲜明显扬，体现在语义和文辞上，则或含蓄或显豁，理想的艺术境界是隐显有度。文辞含蓄，语义隐讳，并不是晦涩难懂，而是耐人寻味；文辞明白，语义显豁，也不是直白外露，而是明确清楚。从普遍意义来讲，“隐”与“显”并不是非此即彼的对立关系，而是可以互相转变流动的辩证关系，其间体现“道”的变化。 “Concealment” refers to keeping things hidden, whereas “revelation” means making things abundantly clear. As an artistic and literary term, this pair of opposites refers to a creative process in which some things need to be hidden and others abundantly clear. When applied to semantics or rhetoric, it refers to

yǐnshì 隐士 Hermit / Recluse 有能力为官或为君却选择隐居避世之人。在古代社会中，“隐士”做出隐居的选择有着不同的原因：其一，厌倦日常生活中繁文缛节的虚伪、浮华，而追求质朴、自然的生活。其二，不满于现实政治的昏乱，或不愿同流合污，或为避免迫害，而选择隐居避世。其三，甘愿更贤能之人取代自己为官、为君，而主动避让退隐。“隐士”往往具有高洁的品质，但并非社会的主流。刻意或过度追求隐逸的生活，反而会失于虚伪，或造成社会责任的缺失。 In ancient China, this term referred to those who were capable of being an official or even a ruler but who chose to live in seclusion. They had different reasons for this. One might be that they were tired of formalities and red tape and considered such a role

yīngé 因革 Inheritance and Innovation 既有所继承又有所创革。“因”是继承、沿袭，“革”是革新、改变。这一思想可溯源到孔子（前551—前479）。在孔子看来，夏商周三代礼制都是在前代基础上根据当时的历史条件有所损益的。所谓“损益”就蕴含了因革的观念。汉代扬雄（前53—公元18）对“因革”作了比较系统的阐发。这一思想后来被南朝刘勰（465？—520）用于文论，进而衍生出“通变”概念。“因革”“通变”体现的都是继承与创新的对立统一，强调基于历史与传统的变化，在继承前人经验、成果的基础上进行创新，既不是泥古不化，也不是追新逐异。不仅是文艺创作，其他如学术发展乃至国家治理，皆同此理。 This term highlights the relationship between inheritance and innovation. Yin (因) implies inheritance or adoption, whereas ge (革) means reform or innovation. The whole notion can be traced back to Confucius (551-479 BC). In his view, the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties had all modified their respective codes of etiquette in

yīncái-shījiào 因材施教 Audience-based Education 根据人的资质、志趣等实施教育、教学。“材”指人的资质、志趣、受教育程度等因素。这是孔子（前551—前479）最早实践、经后人总结概括而确立的教育、教学原则。《礼记·中庸》所说的“率性”（遵循人的天性）、《周易》所说的“尽性”（充分发挥天性），可以说是这一原则的基础理念，它至今仍被广为提倡，其要旨是：教育、教学在内容选择、方法运用、目标设定等方面，要适应受教育者的个体差异，以期达到更好效果。这一原则得到心理学、教育学的论证，已经成为现代教育科学的基本理念。 This term means to educate and teach according to people’s caliber and their interests. Cai (材) refers to factors such as people’s caliber and interests, and their level of education. This is an educational and pedagogical principle first practiced by Confucius (551-479 BC), and later summarized and established by others. We