Chinese Thought and Culture

zūnshī-zhòngdào 尊师重道 Honor Teachers and Respect Rules 尊敬老师，崇尚道义。“道”即宇宙的普遍法则、世间的真理和道义等。尊师是中华民族的传统美德，重道是中华传统文化的重要特质。“师”是“道”的载体和传播者，所以尊师和重道是一体两面的关系。它自古即被认为是国家兴旺发达的重要前提，也是政治清明的重要标志。 This term means to honor teachers and respect rules. The “rules” are the laws of the (physical) universe, as well as the truths and moral principles of the world. Honoring teachers is a traditional Chinese virtue, and respecting rules is an important feature of traditional Chinese culture. […]

zòuqǐ 奏启 Memorial or Statement to Present One’s View to the Emperor 古代文体名称，是臣下向帝王言事、提出意见的文书。“奏”的意思是“进言”，臣下向皇帝论述政事、报告下情并明确提出意见；“启”的意思是“开启、敞开”，向皇帝坦诚提出看法。“奏”讲求明辨通达，文辞质朴；“启”兼有奏、表两种文体的功用，篇幅简短，略有文采。南朝刘勰（465？—520）认为，奏启是为口头进言准备的文本，主要用来向皇帝报告紧急事变、弹劾过失、陈述政事、表达政见等，因此较之章表，要求更加客观严谨，要言不烦，少有主观情绪。这对今天的公文写作仍有指导意义。 This genre of writing was used by officials to report important matters or present personal views to the emperor. Zou (奏) here means “a reminder to the throne,” i.e., a statement of an administrative matter plus a clear-cut view on how to handle

zōngmiào 宗庙 Ancestral Temple 奉祀祖先的专用庙宇，是人们为自己的祖先亡灵修建的寄居之所。人们将写有先祖名讳的神主（牌位）放在里面供奉、祭祀。在古代中国的宗庙制度中，宗庙主要是指天子、诸侯等祭祀祖先的专用庙宇。按周朝礼制规定，天子可建七庙，诸侯可建五庙，大夫可建三庙，士只能建一庙，一般百姓不准设庙。如果一个国家或政权被灭，它的宗庙往往也会随之被毁。因此，“宗庙”和“江山”“社稷”一样，常被用来作为王室、朝廷或国家政权的代称。它是祖先崇拜的延续，也是“家国同构”制度的体现。 Ancestral temples were built for the spirits of people’s deceased ancestors. Tablets bearing the names of the ancestors were housed in the temples for worship and sacrificial purposes. In the ancient Chinese temple system, ancestral temples mainly referred to the special temples where kings, princes and others offered sacrifices to

zōngjiào 宗教 Holistic Teachings “宗教”一词最早见于佛教典籍，其称佛之所说为“教”，有客观教说、普遍教化之意；称佛之弟子所说为“宗”，为“教”的分支，有个人主观信念之意。“宗教”合称，其义有二：其一，指佛门宗旨、教理，涵盖佛教全体；其二，指某一佛教宗派的教旨或尊信同一教旨之支派。后道教亦使用此词。近代以降，“宗教”成为religion译词，基本意涵演变为：人们通过虔敬的信仰，与超越的、无限的、绝对的主宰结合一体，达于美好境地，获得永恒幸福。 The term zongjiao was first seen in Buddhist classics, where jiao (教) referred to what the Buddha himself had taught, whether in his direct teachings or his wider endeavours to enlighten; zong (宗) on the other hand referred to what the Buddha’s disciples had said and was a subdivision of jiao, containing subjective,

zhùméng 祝盟 Benediction and Vow of Allegiance 古代文体名称。“祝”指祝辞，是祭祀时对神赞美、向神祷祝并求得神灵福佑的文辞；“盟”指盟辞，是结盟时以神为证所立的誓约。它们的共同点都是以向神祷请的方式表达意愿和承诺。南朝刘勰（465？—520）认为，祷神的祝辞应该诚恳质朴，不能华丽夸饰；“盟”的目的是订立盟誓，使神明知晓自己的意愿和承诺，强调结盟的意义和彼此同进退、共存亡的意愿，因此立辞应当坦诚恳切，以感恩神灵的美好话语加强誓约各方的感情联系。刘勰指出，誓约最终取决于各方的诚信而不是神灵，但美好的祝盟文字有助于培育君子的德行。 Zhu or benediction is a short essay written to pay tribute to gods and seek their blessing. Meng or a vow of allegiance is made by allies to gods. They both express a wish and a commitment to gods. According to Liu Xie (465?-520) of the Southern Dynasties, a

zhūzǐxué 诸子学 Study of A Hundred Schools of Thought 指诸子的学说以及研究诸子学说的学问。春秋末期至西汉初年，当时的学者针对社会秩序与价值观念的崩坏，展开了自由而深刻的思考，提出了多元的理论主张。这些学说被统称为“诸子学”。诸子学对后世产生了深远的影响，各派学说经由后人的研究与阐发，获得了不同程度的发展。诸子学说的进一步发展，也属于“诸子学”的范畴。 This term refers both to the theories of the diverse groups of scholars from the late Spring and Autumn Period to the early Western Han Dynasty, as well as the study of these theories. During those years, scholars engaged in free and in-depth reflection on

zhūzǐ-bǎijiā 诸子百家 A Hundred Schools of Thought 指春秋末期至汉初的各派学者及其著作。春秋时期，周代旧有的社会秩序与价值观念日益崩坏。当时的学者面对现实的社会危机，展开了自由而深刻的思考，在社会秩序与价值观念的建构方面提出了多元的理论主张。这样一种活跃的理论创建与学术讨论持续至西汉初年。后人将这一时期涌现的诸多学者及其著作称为“诸子”，又将其归纳为儒家、墨家、道家、名家、法家、阴阳家、农家、纵横家、杂家及小说家等十个流派，其中前九个流派更具学术价值，因此称为“九流十家”。因其人物与学说众多，又泛称“诸子百家”。 This refers to the various schools of thought and their proponents during the period from the late Spring and Autumn Period through the early Han Dynasty. The Spring and Autumn Period witnessed an increasing disintegration of the old social order as well as of the values of

zhǐchǐ yǒu wànlǐ zhī shì 咫尺有万里之势 Power of Landscape Within Inches 著名的山水画大师在咫尺见方的画幅上可以描画出辽远广阔的景致。这种艺术描绘方式，并不是事无巨细地全部照搬，而是融合了创作者的艺术素养，展现出创作者的心灵与胸襟，对于素材则删繁就简，由约而博，由近而远。“咫尺有万里之势”后也用于诗歌批评。这个术语中，最重要的是“势”，体现在诗歌、绘画等创作方面，即注重炼意构思，使作品具备艺术张力和强大的表现力，整体气势动人，不拘泥于一字一笔。要达到这种艺术境界，不能只依靠临摹和模仿，而要亲身阅历，开拓眼界，感知造化神奇，超越尘俗。 Masters of landscape painting are able to depict natural scenery which has vast breadth and distance on an inches-wide scroll. The artist does not just copy a scenery, but rather creates a work of art which integrates his artistic accomplishments and displays his

zhàocè 诏策 Imperial Edicts 古代文体名称，是帝王向臣下宣示旨意的文书。“诏”即诏书，是皇帝颁发的训诫或命令；“策”即策书，是帝王对臣下进行封赏、任免官爵的文书。南朝刘勰（465？—520）在《文心雕龙·诏策》中论述了帝王对臣下、上级对下级所使用的各类文体。他认为这类公文具有最大的权威性、影响力和垂范作用，封赏嘉奖类文书应当如星月生辉、雨露滋润般亲民，训诫责罚类文书则应当如霹雳之威、秋霜之烈。其基本写作要求是态度明确，交代周到，合乎制度、情理、事实及文字规范，措辞上追求典雅、庄重、适度。 Imperial edicts consist of zhao (诏) and ce (策). Zhao were orders made by an emperor while ce were issued by the emperor to confer commendation on officials and appoint and dismiss them. Liu Xie (465?-520) of the Southern Dynasties discussed in his literary critique The Literary Mind and the Carving of

zhāngjù 章句 Textual Components / Zhang Ju (Annotation Work) 主要含义有二：其一，汉语诗文中字词、句、段、篇的统称。南朝刘勰（465？—520）《文心雕龙》重点从写作角度探讨围绕文章主题遣词造句、安排段落、形成篇章的一般原则与方法。刘勰在强调立意高的前提下要求章句精雕细琢，启示后人在写作中自觉揣摩文法，总结经验，展开文学批评和理论探讨。其二，为古代一种注释体著作名称，意思是分章析句，主要对儒家经典文本划分段落，解释其中的字词并串讲大意。如东汉王逸的《楚辞章句》、南宋朱熹（1130—1200）的《大学章句》《中庸章句》等。 This term has two meanings. First, it means words, sentences, paragraphs, or an entire text. In his literary critique, The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, Liu Xie (465?-520) of the Southern Dynasties discussed the general principles and rules governing the wording, syntax, paragraphs arrangement