Chinese Thought and Culture

wénbǐ 文笔 Writing and Writing Technique 泛指各类文章。经历了不同时期的概念变化，两汉时泛指文章的技法、风格及各类文章。魏晋南北朝时期，文论家们认识到不同文体的特性，首先将文笔与经典解释类著作相区分，用“文”“笔”分别指纯文学写作和应用文写作；继之又以外部形式作为区分标准，将诗赋颂赞等文学类作品与奏章书策等“杂笔”进行区分，提出有韵为文、无韵为笔的观点。梁元帝萧绎以内容为尺度，进一步提出文（诗赋等）不仅有韵，还应该表达内心的情感并有华丽的辞藻；而笔（应用文）只需要一般写作能力即可。今“文笔”主要指文章的技法与语言风格。 The term generally refers to different types of writings. Its meanings have evolved over time. During the Western and Eastern Han dynasties, it generally referred to writing techniques, writing styles, and various types of articles. During the Wei, Jin, and the Southern and Northern dynasties, literary scholars began […]

wénxué 文学 Literature 原义为博通前代文献，“文”指文献，“学”是关于文献的学问。后泛指文章、文献以及关于文章、文献的各种知识与学问。主要含义有三：其一，先秦两汉时期，指关于古代文献特别是诗书礼乐、典章制度等人文方面的知识与学问。魏晋南北朝以后，“文学”一词大体与今天的文学概念接近，但也包含人文学术的内容。近代以来，西方的文学观念传入中国，“文学”一词逐步演变指用语言创造审美形象的一门艺术，但传统意义上的“文学”范畴仍为章太炎等少数学者沿用。这一术语的最初含义决定中国现当代主流的文学观念仍坚持从大文化的意义上看待文学现象，强调文学的审美价值与人文学术的内在联系，而与西方的“文学”术语强调文学之独立审美价值有所区别。其二，泛指古代各类文章及文献。其三，指以著书立说、教学等方式传播学问的文人与掌管文教的官员。 Originally, the term meant to command a good knowledge of documents from pervious dynasties. Wen (文) referred to documents, and xue (学) referred to the study of these documents. Later, the term referred to articles and documents in general as well as the knowledge about those documentations. The term had three main meanings.

wénzhānɡ 文章 Literary Writing 泛指一切著述，包括今天意义上的文章和著作。先秦时这一术语包含在文学之内，两汉时“文章”一词与“文学”对举，指一切用文字写下来的文辞、篇章、史书、论著，六朝时“文章”与“文学”并列，开始指后世所说的审美范畴的“文学”，但仍作为统括一切文体的范畴使用。“章”意为一曲音乐演奏完毕，或一曲完整的音乐，故此术语强调作品意义和结构的完整，注重文章写作手法与技巧；“文”和“章”都有花纹、色彩错杂的意思，“文章”相当于美的形式，故此术语隐含了审美观念，早期“文章”的概念与“文学”概念有一定联系又有所区别。“文章”偏重于辞章美文，说明了人们对于文章审美价值的逐渐重视。 The term refers to all kinds of writings, including what we call essays and books today. In the Pre-Qin period, this term was subsumed under literature. During the Han Dynasty, the term referred to writings other than wenxue (文学documents of previous dynasties) to specifically mean essays, articles, history books, and treatises.

Wú-Yuè-tónɡzhōu 吴越同舟 People of Wu and Yue Are in the Same Boat. 吴、越两国人同乘一条船。比喻双方虽有旧怨，但面临共同的危难困境，也会团结一致，相互救助。春秋时代，吴、越是相互仇视的邻国，但当两国人同船渡江，遭遇风浪时，他们却相互救援，如同一个人的左右手一样。它包含的思想是：敌友不是绝对的，也不是永恒的，在一定的境遇下可以化敌为友。 In the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu and Yue were neighboring states which were hostile to each other. Wu and Yue people being in the same boat is a metaphor for overcoming old grievances to face common danger. When people from these

wǔjīnɡ 五经 Five Classics 《诗》《书》《礼》《易》《春秋》等五部儒家经典的合称。先秦时期有“六经”之说，指《诗》《书》《礼》《乐》《易》《春秋》，因《乐》已亡佚（一说无文字），故汉代多称“五经”。从汉武帝立“五经博士”起，“五经”之学成为中国学术、文化和思想的根本。从内容上来说，“五经”各有所偏重，如《诗》言志、《书》言事等，因其不同而互补，故构成一个整体。历代儒者通过对文本的不断解释，为这些经典赋予了丰富的意义。“五经”之学包括了中国传统文化对于世界秩序与价值的根本理解，是道的集中体现。 The term refers to the five Confucian classics: The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals. In the pre-Qin period, the term “Six Classics” was used, referring to The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The

xiāoyáo 逍遥 Carefree 人的心灵的一种自由、无待的状态。最初由庄子提出并以之名篇。庄子认为，人的心灵可以超越于形体无法逃避、无可奈何的境遇之上，消除对于物的依赖，进而达到心灵的自由、无碍。西晋郭象重新解释了“逍遥”之义，认为有待之物能够安于各自的性分即达到了“逍遥”。 The term refers to a state of mind totally free from all constraints. It was first proposed by Zhuangzi in one of his most well-known essays. According to him, people’s minds can go beyond predicament in a way that their bodies cannot, so mentally they can be independent of material concerns

xiǎorén 小人 Petty Man “小人”最初用以表明人的社会身份与地位，通常指被统治者或地位低下之人。后世又以人的德行高下来界定“小人”。德行卑下者被称作“小人”（与“君子”相对），“小人”只关注和追逐个人的权力或利益，为了获取私利不惜违背道义，缺乏对“道”的理解与尊重。 The term was originally used to indicate a person’s social status, usually referring to the rulers’ subjects or those low in social ranking. Later generations also used the term to indicate one’s moral standard in a disapproving way. Those of base character were called petty men as opposed to men

zūn déxìng 尊德性 Revere One’s Virtuous Nature 尊崇天赋的道德本性。“尊德性”一说出自《中庸》，与“道问学”共同构成了对人的道德修养的要求。《中庸》认为，人具有天赋的道德本性。后世儒者发挥《中庸》的思想，进一步认为，天赋的道德本性是天理在人性中的体现。人应该充分尊重并发挥这种内在的道德本性，以符合天理的法则，进而成就自身的美德。 This phrase, which first appears in The Doctrine of the Golden Mean, refers to the need to revere the virtuous nature bestowed on human beings by heaven. Together with quest for knowledge, it constitutes an ethical standard. According to The Doctrine of the Golden Mean, everyone has a

Zhuāng Zhōu mèng dié 庄周梦蝶 Zhuangzi Dreaming of Becoming a Butterfly 庄子（前369？—前286）梦见自己成为蝴蝶。“庄周梦蝶”一事见于《庄子·齐物论》。庄子梦见自己成为蝴蝶，醒来后才发现自己是庄周。庄子甚至无法区分是庄子梦见自己成为蝴蝶，还是蝴蝶梦见自己成为庄子。庄子借由这一梦境的感受提醒人们，自身与他者、梦与醒以及一切事物之间的界限与区别都是相对的，是可以破除的。事物处于转化与流通之中，庄子称之为“物化”。 Zhuangzi (sometimes also referred to as Zhuang Zhou, 369?-286 BC) dreamed that he had become a butterfly. The story appears in “On Seeing Things as Equal” in the classic Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi dreamed that he had become a butterfly, but woke up to find

zhòngzhì-chéngchéng 众志成城 Unity Is Strength. 本谓“众心成城”，意思是大家同心协力，就会像城墙一样坚固。“志”即意愿、意志；“城”指城墙，是古代的防御设施。比喻大家团结一致，就能形成巨大力量，克服一切困难。其中隐含着三个重要命题：人的因素第一，人的精神力量第一，人的精诚团结第一。 Literally, this term means “united, we’ll be as solid as a fortress.” With concerted effort, people collectively can generate tremendous strength and be able to overcome all difficulties. Zhi, the second character in the term, means will, and cheng, the last character, means the wall of a fortress. The