Chinese Thought and Culture

bīng qiáng ér wú yì zhě cán 兵强而无义者残 A Strong Army Without Righteousness Is Destructive. 军力强大而不行正义的国家必定是破坏性的。“义”即道义、正义；“残”即祸害、残害。自古以来，每一个有作为的治理者，无不希望“富国强兵”，但在此之上，还有一个更高的原则，那就是“义”。“义”是中华民族超越一切物质利益的精神崇尚。如果不行正义，强大军力带来的只能是祸害。 A state that has a strong army but acts without righteousness is bound to be destructive. Since ancient times, all rulers with high ideals have pursued a wealthy state and a strong army. However, there is a more important […]

bié míng 别名 Distinct Name 用以特指某类或某一个事物的名称。“别名”是荀子（前313？—前238）所使用的一种名称类别，与“共名”相对。名用以指称实。同一类别之中具有特殊属性的事物类别，可以用一个“别名”来加以指称。一个“别名”所指称的事物类别中若仍然具有特殊的事物类别，可以用更高层级的“别名”来加以指称。如此类推，直至不能划分出更细致的事物类别。指称一个事物大类的“别名”称为“大别名”。 A distinct name is used for a particular category or a certain object. It is used by Xunzi (313?-238 BC) in contrast with “general name.” A name should denote the nature of a thing. Things in the same category that have unique features can be referred to by “distinct

bǎo mín 保民 Protecting the People 安定百姓的生活。“保民”一说最早见于《尚书·康诰》。古人认为，天命决定着人世中至高无上的王权的归属。天命的授予与剥夺遵循着固定的原则，君主有德则授命，失德则剥夺天命。君主保有天命的最重要的德行即是“保民”。“保民”意在使治下的百姓获得安定的生活，体现着君主对百姓的关爱与照顾。“保民”构成了古代政治治理的核心目标。 This term means safeguarding the people’s life. It first appeared in The Book of History. In the view of ancient Chinese, the Mandate of Heaven determined to whom supreme power in the human world belonged. The Mandate was bestowed and removed according to predetermined principles. Virtuous rulers received

bái mǎ fēi mǎ 白马非马 A White Horse Is Not A Horse. 白色的马不是马。“白马非马”是名家提出的一个重要命题，公孙龙对这个命题进行了充分的讨论。他认为，“马”之名是用来指称马的形体的，而“白”之名是用来指称白色的。“白马”兼指马与白，因此与“马”所指称的是不同的事物。“白马非马”的命题意在指出，“马”之名无法精确指示马之中的白马、黄马、黑马所具有的特殊性。为了准确指称事物，就需要对名做出细致的辨析。 This is an important proposition made by the School of Names. Gongsun Long discussed this thesis in great detail. In his view, “horse” is a name of the physical body of a horse, whereas “white” is the name for white color. “White

zhì 智 Intelligence “智”的基本含义是聪明、智慧，本作“知”。“智”的意义主要体现在对是非、利害做出明晰的认知与判断。“智”既是对外在的人与事的认知，也包括对自身的反省。儒家主张，应恰当地发挥“智”的作用，使人们不为复杂的现实因素所迷惑，从而做出符合道德、礼法的选择。而对“智”的过度依赖，则会导致以智巧、欺诈的手段行事，因此道家对于“智”持警惕、批评的态度。 Zhi (智), originally written as zhi (知 a different Chinese character representing knowing), means intelligence. It suggests clear cognition and good judgment of right and wrong, advantage and disadvantage. Intelligence shows both one’s awareness of other people and events as well as one’s ability to conduct introspection. Confucianism believes that people should have

zhīcháng-dábiàn 知常达变 Master Both Permanence and Change 既掌握事物的基本规律，又懂得灵活应对具体情况或问题；既坚持原则，又能随机应变。“常”与“变”是中国古代哲学的一对范畴。事物的本质规定性、基本规律、一般原则等具有相对稳定性，故称“常”；具体事物及具体应对方法又有多样性，且随时而化，故称“变”。“常”相对于“变”而言，是存在于“变”之中的常道。“常”是根本，“变”是派生。因此，既要掌握事物的基本规律和一般原则，也要根据客观形势的变化灵活运用这些常道。“知常达变”反映了古人关于普遍性与特殊性、原则性和灵活性辩证统一的认识论和方法论。 This term means one should not only have a good command of the basic rules that govern things, but also know how to deal with exceptional situations or problems in a flexible manner. It suggests that one should not just adhere to principles, but also act according

zhènɡshēnɡ 郑声 The Music of the State of Zheng 指与“雅乐”相对的民间通俗音乐。原指春秋战国时期郑、卫地区的音乐，又称“郑卫之音”。较之雅乐的庄重、大气、规范，郑声曲调自由、富于形式变化，歌词内容多写男女之情。孔子认为这些作品放纵个人情感，思想不够纯正，有损礼乐教化，应该加以排斥。后世学者多以“郑声”指代低俗文艺，亦有学者认为它们应该属于民歌等通俗文艺范畴，是艺术创新的源头及对高雅艺术的一种补充。 This refers to popular folk music in history, as opposed to formal ceremonial music. The term, originally “the music of Zheng and Wei,” referred to music from the states of Zheng and Wei during the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods. Unlike stately,

záobì-jièguāng 凿壁借光 Borrow Light from a Next Door Neighbor 凿穿墙壁，借邻居的烛光照明读书。西汉时期大文学家匡衡年幼家贫，他酷爱读书但家中没有蜡烛供他夜间读书，他就将墙凿开一个洞，借邻居的烛光发奋读书，终成一代学者。作为中国古代著名的励志故事，其意义超越了具体的行为，重在勤学苦读的精神。 By boring a hole in the next door neighbor’s wall, he borrows light in order to read. Well-known scholar Kuang Heng in the Western Han Dynasty loved reading but his family was too poor to afford candles for him to read at night, so he

yuèjiào 乐教 Music Education 中国古代借助音乐实施政治教化的方式，与“诗教”相配合。先秦儒家总结周代的音乐教育成果，认为音乐可以移风易俗，感化人心，培养人格，并由此建构了儒家关于音乐及音乐教育的一套完整的理论体系。后“乐教”和“诗教”都是官方教育的重要科目，成为中国古代礼乐文明的重要组成部分。 In ancient China, music, together with poetry, was a way to conduct political education. Reviewing music education in the Zhou Dynasty, the Confucian scholars before the Qin-dynasty unification of China at the time concluded that music could transform social and cultural practices, stir up one’s inner emotions, and cultivate a

yǔshí-xiéxínɡ 与时偕行 Go with the Times 行事之法与“时”一起变化。出自《周易·彖下》。“时”指人事发展过程中出现的时机或时运。在“时”所规定的境遇中，有着与之相适应的处事之法。“时”的出现与消失及其对人事的影响，体现着天道、人事的运行法则。人应认识并把握“时”的变化，采取与“时”相适应的行动。 The notion of adjusting one’s actions to the “times” comes from The Book of Changes. The “times” refer to the opportunities or chances that present themselves as human activities progress. In the circumstances determined by the times, one should choose correspondingly suitable methods of handling affairs. The appearance