Chinese Thought and Culture

fǎ zhě suǒ yǐ ài mín yě 法者所以爱民也 Law Is a Means of Loving the People. 法是爱民的手段，即法律、制度为的是惠及百姓。这是法家的重要指导思想。其深意为：是否变革法令、制度，确立什么样的法令、制度，必须以“爱民”为依据和目的。法家虽然以严刑峻法著称，并与儒家的“德政”相区隔，但在更为深刻的层面上，却并不与“民本”“仁爱”理念相悖。 Law being a means of loving the people suggests that laws and institutions are for the benefit of the people. It is an important guiding principle of the Legalist school. The profound significance of this is: Changing laws […]

dìlǐ 地理 The Laws Determining the Physical Features of the Land / Geography 大地、山川的分布、运行及其规则。“地理”一词出自《周易》。地形的起伏交错、山川的分布走势，呈现出某种恒常的法则，就是“地理”。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“地理”的观察与效法，确立人伦生活的秩序。后世又将与自然环境相应的物产、交通、居住等经济生活及其受自然环境影响的规律纳入“地理”的范畴。 This term means the laws that determine the physical features of plains, mountains and rivers. The term is from The Book of Changes, and it means that the uneven topography of the land, and the direction of rivers and mountains are

dà yī tǒng 大一统 Great Unity 推重国家思想与法度的统一。“大一统”之说是由董仲舒（前179—前104）提出的，用以概括《春秋》一书的思想主旨。董仲舒认为，国家需要统一法令制度，而要实现法令制度的统一，还需要统一思想。思想的纷杂不一，会使得民众无所遵从。董仲舒选择儒家学说作为国家统一的思想。在董仲舒看来，推重法制乃至思想的统一，是一种恒常不变的法则。 This concept places importance on the unity of national ideology and law. It was put forward by Dong Zhongshu (179-104 BC) as an underlying theme of The Spring and Autumn Annals. In his view, the state needs a uniform legal system, but to achieve such unity, different schools

dàxìnbùyuē 大信不约 The Greatest Trust Is Not Found in Pledges. 最高的诚信，不限于誓约。中国古人认为，人言即“信”，诚信是人之为人的固有规定。“信”是盟约、誓言的内在精神；“约”只是“信”的一种表现形式。没有“信”，“约”不过是一纸空文；有了“信”，“约”才具有实际意义。它强调的是诚信精神。 The greatest trust includes but is not limited to pledges. Ancient Chinese believed that trust is a person standing by their word. To act in good faith is a basic requirement for a person to become fully human. Trust is essential for an agreement

dàshōushā 大收煞 The Grand Finale 指全本戏剧的收场戏。这一术语包含对戏剧全场收束的要求：自然合理而非生硬地交代剧中人物的结局、事件结果，让观众体验到情节有呼有应、有放有收、有始有终、有因有果，心理由紧张到舒释、由期待到满足的审美愉悦，有“团圆之趣”。李渔（1611—1680）所言“团圆”不仅是骨肉分离而终聚、有情人终成眷属之类的圆满结局，而是指戏剧结构如同一个完整的环，收场戏就是扣上这个环的最后一步，也是戏剧的高潮。 This term refers to the final part of a drama. It contains a requirement as to how a dramatic or operatic performance should end; i.e., a natural and reasonable rather than stiff outcome of the characters and events in a play, making it possible for the audience to experience

dàjié 大节 Major Principles 行事的根本原则与节度。“大节”与“小节”相对，规定着不同身份的人所应担负的根本职责以及相应的行事法则，是人必须持守的节度。在日常的人伦生活中，人们虽有过错，但一般不会违背“大节”。而“大节”的失守，往往是由于禁受不住巨大的压力或诱惑。因此，持守“大节”是对人的严峻考验。 This term means fundamental principles and standards of behavior. In comparison with minor principles, major principles are about the fundamental duties borne by people of different social status and how they should be performed; they are standards of conduct that people must observe. In ethical human relations, people may commit

chuánqí 传奇 Legendary Story 作为文艺术语，含义有三：其一，指唐宋时期的一种短篇小说体裁。由六朝时的志怪小说演变而来，内容扩展到对社会生活及各种人情世态的描写。“传”为传说，“奇”为奇异，本义指记述传说或奇异的故事。唐代裴铏的《传奇》一书可能是该术语的最早应用。宋代时以唐代小说《莺莺传》为传奇，元代时称唐人小说为“唐传奇”。与唐传奇相比，宋代传奇更为贴近生活和口语。其二，指宋元时期的诸宫调、戏文、杂剧等戏曲文学类作品。因这一时期的说唱文学、戏曲创作等多取材于唐传奇，故称。其三，指明清时期以唱南曲为主的长编戏曲。由南戏发展而来，也融合了元杂剧的特点，如梁辰鱼（1519—1591）的《浣纱记》、孔尚任（1648—1718）的《桃花扇》、洪昇（1645—1704）的《长生殿》等。各个时期的传奇概念，既有题材的沿用与拓展，又有手法的继承与创新，其核心“传奇特之事、演奇特之人”是一以贯之的。 This is a term for a literary form. It refers to three types of artistic works: 1) A type of short story in the Tang and Song dynasties that evolved from tales of the supernatural in the earlier Six Dynasties. Later its subjects widened to include social life, and stories

cái 才 Talent / Capability / Attribute 人的才能、材质。具体而言，“才”有两种不同的含义。其一，指人应对、处理事务的才能、才干。在这个意义上，“才”是因人而异的。人有才与不才之分，也有兼才与偏才的不同。其二，指人天生所具有的材质，通“材”，接近或等同于“性”的概念。与对“性”的理解相似，人们对“才”之善恶也有着不同的看法。 This refers to a person’s ability and attributes. To be specific, it has two meanings. First, it refers to a person’s ability to respond to and handle things. In this regard, such ability differs from person to person. A person may or may not have talent. There

bù wàng bǎi xìng zhī bìng 不忘百姓之病 Never Forget the Suffering of the People 念念不忘百姓的疾苦。儒家认为，为官理政的目的，在于使百姓安居乐业，为政者要时时心怀“忧思”，即以百姓的疾苦为忧，想办法使百姓免于疾苦。它体现了儒家“仁政”理念、中华人文精神和仁人志士经世济民的担当精神。宋代范仲淹（989－1052）《岳阳楼记》中“先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐”一语，也是这一精神的精彩表达。 Confucianists believe that the aim of a government official is to have people live in peace and contentment. Officials must always bear in mind the people’s well-being, to be concerned about their suffering, and do their best to keep them