Chinese Thought and Culture

tiān xià nǎi tiān xià zhī tiān xià 天下乃天下之天下 All Under Heaven Belongs to the People. 天下是天下所有人的天下，国家是全国所有人的国家。首尾两个“天下”可以理解为国家或国家的最高统治权；中间一个“天下”是指天下所有的人。古人认为，天下并不固定属于哪一个人、哪一个家族所有，而是属于天下所有的人；谁符合道义，谁有利于天下百姓，谁就有资格拥有天下、治理天下。其中隐含着天赋人权、政以道立的理念。在现代语境下，这句话也可以理解为：世界是全世界所有人的世界——每个国家、每个人都有权参与治理。 All under heaven belongs to all the people in the world; a country belongs to all the people in the country. “All under heaven” can here be understood as the country or highest sovereign power of the country. […]

tiānwén 天文 The Laws of Constellations and Seasons / Astronomy 天体、天气的运行变化及其规则。“天文”一词出自《周易》。日月星辰的运行、四季昼夜的交替、寒暑风雨的变化，都呈现出某种恒常的法则，这即是“天文”。古人认为，人伦生活与天地万物遵循着相通的法则。因此，人们可以通过对“天文”的观察与效法，确立人伦生活的秩序。 This term, which comes from The Book of Changes, refers to the laws governing the movements of constellations and the change of weather. The term tianwen (天文) means the constant laws that govern the movements of celestial bodies, the rotation of the four seasons, the

tiān rén gǎn yīng 天人感应 Nature and Humans Respond to Each Other. 天与人之间相互感应。“天人感应”之说是董仲舒（前179—前104）明确提出的。他继承了前人的思想，认为同类事物之间可以相互感应。而人作为天的副本，彼此之间也存在着感应。天的变化会影响人和人事，而人的言行、人事的治乱也会在天象上有所反映。统治者如果有悖乱的言行，就会引发灾异。董仲舒试图在“天人感应”的基础上，利用灾异现象规劝统治者施行德治。 Humans and Nature respond to each other. This theory was put forward by Dong Zhongshu (179-104 BC), who had inherited his predecessors’ thinking and believed that things of similar nature could respond to each other. According to him, humans are a duplication

tiān mìng mí cháng 天命靡常 Heaven-bestowed Supreme Power Is Not Eternal. 上天的命令没有恒常不变的受命者。“天命靡常”之说出自《诗经·大雅·文王》。古人相信，上天的命令决定着人世中至高无上的王权的归属。但天命所赐予的王权并不是恒常不变的，殷周的更迭就是由于天命发生了改易。而天命的改易遵循着固定的法则，君主有德则授命，失德则剥夺天命。因此，“天命靡常”的观念警醒着统治者，时刻修养自身的德行以保有天命。 This term first appears in The Book of Songs. It means that there is no one who can forever remain a recipient of the bestowed supreme power by the Ruler of Heaven. The ancients believed that the heavenly order determined to whom the

sù wèi ér xínɡ 素位而行 Do What Is Proper for Your Situation 依据自身所处的位分或境遇而行事。“素位而行”一说出自《中庸》。人在不同的位分或境遇之中，有特定的职责以及需要遵守的行事法则。人们可以通过履行自己的职责而成就天赋的德性。因此，人不应出于某种外在的功利目的，而去羡慕、追求他人的位分或境遇，应安于自己的生活，在自己的位分或境遇之中成就自己。 People should behave according to their own position and situation. This expression is said to originate in The Doctrine of the Mean. People in different circumstances have different duties to perform and different rules to observe. They can give play to their

shùn wú bú háng, guǒ wú bú chè 顺无不行，果无不彻 When What You Say Is Justified, There Is Nothing You Cannot Accomplish. When You Act Decisively, You Will Succeed. 合理正当就不会行不通，果决敢行就不会做不成。“顺”指正当、合乎道义或顺应事理；“果”即果决，不犹豫；“彻”即通达，没有阻碍。此语精义在于强调言论正当、合乎道理或顺应事理，做事果决对于目标最终达成的意义，犹今人所谓尊重客观规律和发挥主观能动性的辩证统一。 What is justified and fair is bound to work; acting with determination is bound to succeed. This statement emphasizes that being on justified ground and acting

shuǐmòhuà 水墨画 Ink Wash Painting 指中国画中纯用水墨、不用色彩的一种绘画形式。也称国画、中国画。以水、墨、毛笔和宣纸作为主要材料，通过调配清水的多少，引为浓墨、淡墨、干墨、湿墨、焦墨等，画出浓淡层次不同的作品。一般的水墨画，只有水与墨，黑色与白色。进阶的水墨画，也有工笔花鸟画，色彩艳丽，又称彩墨画。中国水墨画讲究远处抽象、近处写实，渲染色彩、营构意境，崇尚“气韵生动”。 This refers to a style of painting in which ink shades are manipulated through dilution, and color use is minimal. It is also known as traditional Chinese or typically Chinese painting. The materials used include ink and water, a painting brush, and rice paper. Through adjusting the proportion of

shū zhě, sǎn yě 书者，散也 Calligraphy Expresses Inner Conditions. 写好书法，先要抒放情性、摒除一切杂念。是东汉著名书法家蔡邕（133—192）在《笔论》中提出的书法观念。它论述了书法艺术抒发主体情怀的创作心态，强调书家在创作时应先抒放情性、排除一切牵累与功利之心，并将其视为决定书法作品成功与否的关健要素。 To become a good calligrapher, one must first set one’s mind at ease and dismiss all distracting thoughts. This is an argument raised by Cai Yong (133-192), a famous Eastern Han calligrapher, in his treatise “On Calligraphic Script.” He says that the art of calligraphy

shì yì shì yì 世异事异 When Times Change, So Do Social Conditions. 时代不同而处事之法各异。“世异事异”之说出自《韩非子·五蠹》。韩非子（前280？—前233）认为，随着时间的推移，社会情形发生了各种变化。处事之法也应根据新的情况做出相应调整，而不能简单地去模仿历史中的做法。法家之士多持有类似的思想观念。“世异事异”之说构成了变法维新的重要依据。 This means adapting one’s approach to changing conditions. The saying is from the chapter “The Five Vermin” in Hanfeizi. According to this work, many changes in social conditions occur in response to changing times, and people should adjust their approaches accordingly to

shí shū zhī dào 识书之道 The Way to Recognize Good Calligraphy 指辨识书法艺术的要诀。南朝王僧虔（426—485）、唐代张怀瓘等人主张，鉴赏书法时以精神气韵为首要标准，其次才是书法的笔墨形式。他们将富有风神骨气的书法看作上品，将崇尚美丽外形、功用目的的书法看作下品。这一观念，代表中国古代书法的主要欣赏标准。 This refers to the way to judge the artistic quality of calligraphy. Wang Sengqian(426-485) of the Southern Dynasty and Zhang Huaiguan (dates unknown) of the Tang Dynasty held that the primary criterion for appreciating calligraphy is whether it features a spiritual liveliness; the