Chinese Thought and Culture

fáng mín zhī kǒu, shèn yú fáng chuān 防民之口，甚于防川 To Silence the People Is More Harmful than Blocking a River. 堵住百姓的嘴，阻止人民表达自己的想法，其危害超过堵塞河流而引起的水患。“防”即“堤”，是用来阻塞水流的设施，引申为阻塞、防止、阻止。堵塞河道，河水必然漫出河道或冲毁堤坝，造成不可控制的水灾。中国古人以此比喻不让民众说话，必有大害。其正面意思是：民众的意愿是有力量的，是阻止不了的；执政者必须允许民众表达自己的意愿，否则一定会激起民众的反抗。这和“民惟邦本”“民心惟本”“载舟覆舟”的道理是相通的。 Silencing the people and preventing them from expressing their opinions is more damaging than blocking the course of a river and causing a flood. Fang (防) means “a dike” to stop water flowing, and its […]

fāngbiàn 方便 Upāya / Expediency 方式、方法。“方便”常与“善巧”（kauśalya）连用，指佛陀或菩萨为了教化众生应机说教，使用巧妙的语汇和叙事手法，令不同背景的听众都能理解并领会言外之奥义。“方便”概念是大乘佛教的一个关键，强调包括佛陀言教在内的所有言语表述都依赖于名相概念、不得究竟，在一定意义上都是方便施设，如指月之指，故不应做字面理解，更不可执著。 This concept refers to appropriate skilful means or methods. “Expediency” is often used together with “ingenuity” (kauśalya). It refers to the Buddha’s or to a bodhisattva’s preaching adapting to the circumstances, in order to convert beings. He used adroit words and terms and narrative techniques, so as to allow

èr rén tóng xīn, qí lì duàn jīn 二人同心，其利断金 If Two People Are of the Same Mind, Their Combined Strength Can Break Metal. 两人同心，其力量犹如利刃可以斩断金属。“二人”可以指兄弟、夫妻或任何当事的双方；“同心”，有共同的愿景，思想认识一致；“利”，锋利；“断金”，斩断金属。此术语比喻只要当事双方一条心，就能发挥强大力量，克服任何困难，犹言团结起来力量大。它强调的是齐心协力、团结合作的重要意义。 When two people are of the same mind, their combined strength is like a sharp blade which can cut through metal. “Two people” here could mean two brothers, husband and wife,

bīng yǐ yì dòng 兵以义动 Fighting for a Righteous Cause 为了道义而出兵。犹今之所言“为正义而战”。中国人自古崇尚“义兵”“义师”，即为了维护“义”而发动的战争。所谓“义”，就是禁止暴力，为民除害。战争虽然是暴力行动，但它不应该是主动施暴的行动，而是为了反抗、制止施暴而采取的暴力行动。它体现了中国人坚守道义和仁爱的精神。 This term means sending an army to fight a just war, similar to the present idea of “fighting for righteousness.” Since ancient times, the Chinese people have held high esteem for an army sent to war for the sake of justice. Here yi (义) means

èrbǐng 二柄 Two Handles 君主所掌握的两种权柄，即赏罚之权。奖赏与惩罚是政治治理的基本手段，不同学派都有所讨论。韩非子（前280？—前233）特别重视赏罚在政治治理中的作用，认为赏罚应以国家的法令为依据，合乎法令则赏，违背法令则罚。人们畏惧刑罚、喜好奖赏，就会按照法令的规范行事。韩非子同时强调，君主应掌握施加赏罚的权力，以保证赏罚依据法令而行，避免赏罚之权旁落而成为个人谋求私利的工具。 In this context, two handles mean a sovereign ruler has the power to both confer rewards and mete out punishments. Both are basic ways of governance and have been subjects of discussion in different schools of thought. Ancient scholar Hanfeizi (280?-233 BC) attached great importance to the role of rewards

dào wènxué 道问学 Quest for Knowledge 从事对知识学问的追求。道：循着。“道问学”一说出自《礼记·中庸》，与“尊德性”共同构成了对人的道德修养的要求。《中庸》认为，人的道德的养成，不仅需要发挥天赋的道德本性，还需要后天的不断学习。人们应该在知识学问的讲习中，把握经典所传承的道理，并不断体认这些道理在生活细节上的要求，进而将对道理的认知转化为现实的德行。 This term, first appearing in The Doctrine of the Golden Mean, means pursuit of knowledge. This term and the concept of revering the virtuous nature of human beings are important to foster one’s virtue. According to The Doctrine of the Golden Mean, moral cultivation requires both revering the

dàzhuàn 大篆 Greater Seal Script 汉字发展演变中的一种书体。与“小篆”相对。有广狭两方面含义：狭义专指籀文（先秦刻石书体），以战国时的秦国石鼓文为其典型代表，其特点是笔画凝重，构形多重叠，比金文更为规范、严正；广义指“书同文”之前包括金文、籀文及春秋战国时期各国的刻石文字。秦统一以后为小篆代替。 The greater seal script is a form in the evolution of Chinese characters. Standing in contrast to the lesser seal script, it has two meanings. The narrow meaning specifically refers to the pre-Qin script engraved on stones (zhouwen 籀文), modeled after stone-drum script in the Kingdom of Qin during the

dámíng 达名 Unrestricted Name 普遍事物的通名。“达名”是墨家所使用的一种名称类别。墨家注重对名的辨别，强调以恰当的名来指称事物，以实现名实相合。墨家将所用之名分为三类，即“达名”“类名”“私名”。“达名”是最普遍的名，如“物”之名。“物”即用以指称所有事物。 “Unrestricted name” is a term of classification used by the Mohist School. It is a general name for ordinary things. The Mohists stressed the importance of properly naming things in different ways to reflect their real nature. They had three ways of naming things: unrestricted, classified, and private. “Unrestricted name”

cí shàng tǐ yào 辞尚体要 Succinctness Is Valued in Writing. 文辞要切实简要地传达文章所要表达的主要意思或主要内容。“体要”，体现精要。源于《尚书》，原指政令、法规的文辞应体现精要或切实简要，刘勰（465？—520？）将它引入文学批评，强调文辞须切实精当，体现文章的要义。这一术语体现了中国文化推崇的“尚简”传统，即以简练精当的文辞传达出充实、概括性的内容，不能为了追求文辞上的标新立异而忽略文章本来要表达的主要内容。这一要求，后来成为古文写作的基本要求，对文学创作起着重要的指导作用。 Writing should be substantive and succinct in expressing main ideas or key content. “Succinctness” means to capture the essence. The idea comes from The Book of History, originally referring to the requirement that government edicts and regulations should be terse and to the point.

chóngshū 虫书 Insect Script 春秋战国时期流行的一种特殊书体。又称“鸟虫书”“鸟虫篆”。是篆书的一种变体。因其形态取象于鸟虫之形，故得名。虫书大多铸造或镌刻在兵器、钟鼎上，如湖北宜昌附近出土的越王勾践剑，上面的八字铭文就是鸟虫书。秦朝通行的书体有八种，“虫书”列第四。王莽（前45—公元23）篡位时官方规定的六种书体中亦有“鸟虫书”，用于书写旗帜、符信，或作为印章文字。 Insect script was a special style of calligraphy current in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, also known as “bird-and-insect script” and “bird-and-insect seal script.” It was a variation of seal script. Characters written in this style resembled birds and insects in nature, hence the name.