Chinese Thought and Culture

yúgōng-yíshān 愚公移山 The Foolish Old Man Who Moved the Mountains 比喻有恒心和毅力，敢于知难而进。出自《列子·汤问》，是中国古代著名的寓言故事。愚公年近九十，门前正对大山，出门需绕行很远。为了不受大山阻隔，他终年率子孙凿山移石，遭智叟嘲笑而不放弃，终于感动天帝派天神移走了大山。在历史语境中，它蕴含着对于愚与智、有限与无穷、人力与自然力、人道与天道关系的思考。唐宋以降，寓言中勇于面对和挑战困难并且持之以恒的内涵被发掘，自此“愚公移山”成为迎难而上、坚持不懈的代名词。 This famous ancient Chinese fable from Liezi extols perseverance, determination and eagerness to surmount difficulty. Two huge mountains lay directly in front of the Foolish Old Man’s house. The Foolish Old Man, who was almost ninety years old, had to take a long detour whenever […]

yǒnɡ 勇 Courage “勇”的基本含义是勇敢。“勇”作为一种德行，要求在行事之时，不畏惧困难，不计较个人利害，始终坚守道义的原则，敢于制止违背道义的行为。“勇”的表现需要基于对道德、礼法的认知与遵守。如果缺少对道德、礼法的遵守，勇敢之行就会流于好勇斗狠或铤而走险，并导致社会混乱。 The basic meaning of yong (勇) is courage, which is a virtue. When necessary, a courageous person is expected to fearlessly stop any act that violates ethical principles without giving any consideration to his own personal interests. Acts of courage must be based upon recognition and observance of ethical and social norms.

yǐnshuǐ-sīyuán 饮水思源 When Drinking Water, One Must Not Forget Its Source. 喝水的时候，要想到水是从哪里来的。南北朝时，庾信（513—581）被迫在北朝客居二十多年，他常常思念故土，写文章说自己喝到河里的水就想到水的源头，以此抒发对于南朝的情怀。后世将原文约为“饮流怀源”或“饮水思源”，比喻不忘本、知感恩。这种纯良的品格，历来为人称道。 When drinking water, one should not forget its source. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Yu Xin (513-581) was forced to leave home and stay away from his home state for more than 20 years. Often homesick, he wrote in one of his

yīyǐguànzhī 一以贯之 Observe a Fundamental Principle Throughout One’s Pursuit 用一个根本性的原则贯通学问、行事的始终。贯：贯通，统摄。按照儒家的要求，立身处事需要掌握多方面的知识和技能，遵守各种道德与礼法的规范。而孔子强调，这些看似繁复的知识、技能与规范，贯穿着一个根本性的原则。孔子引导学生去认识、把握这一原则，并以此统摄学问、行事中的各种具体要求。后世学者对这一根本性的原则究竟为何有不同的解释，曾子认为就是“忠恕”之道。 One needs to observe a fundamental principle in the entire process of academic and other pursuits. According to Confucianism, to establish oneself, one should gain a good command of knowledge and skills in a wide range of areas and abide by moral principles and norms.

yīyán-xīngbāng 一言兴邦 A Single Remark Makes a Country Prosper. 一句话而使国家兴盛。治国理政是一项复杂的工作，不可能通过简单地依循一句话所表述的某个具体要求，就实现国家的兴盛。但如果执政者能够充分意识到治理天下的困难，并因此在为政中谨言慎行，始终不懈怠，那么凭借为政者的这种观念，则可能实现国家的兴盛。这种观念的作用即接近于“一言兴邦”。 A single remark can help a country thrive. As governance is a highly complex undertaking, it is impossible to make a country prosperous simply by following an idea expressed in a single remark. However, if a ruler thoroughly understands how difficult it is to run

yán bì xìn, xíng bì guǒ 言必信，行必果 Promises Must Be Kept; Actions Must Be Resolute. 说话一定要有诚信，做事一定要果断。语出《墨子》与《论语》。墨家与儒家都赞成一个人说话应讲诚信，做事应当果敢，言行必须一致。但是孔子（前551—前479）与孟子（前372？—前289）对“言必信，行必果”提出了更高的要求，即统治者需要言而有信、取信于民，才能得到百姓拥戴，百姓才敢于说出真话。但在现实中不可以一味固守“言必信，行必果”，而应当遵从道义的需要，在符合道义的前提下权衡利弊，根据具体情况而作适当变通。后世在运用这一术语时，多强调一个人应当讲诚信，做事果断，能兑现承诺并且言行一致。 The expression comes from Mozi and The Analects. Followers of Mozi and Confucian ethics admired those who could keep their promises and whose actions were resolute. They believed speech and action should match. However, Confucius (551-479BC) and Mencius (372?-289BC) took

xuánliáng-cìgǔ 悬梁刺股 Tie One’s Hair on the House Beam and Jab One’s Side with an Awl to Keep Oneself from Falling Asleep while Studying “头悬梁，锥刺股”的略语。字面意思是把头发拴在屋梁上，用锥子扎大腿。来源于古人刻苦读书的故事。东汉的孙敬经常关起门，独自一人从早到晚不停读书。疲倦和劳累时就将头发拴在屋梁上，只要一低头，头发就被拉住，人马上清醒，再接着读。战国时代的苏秦（？—前284），每当困乏欲睡的时候，就用锥子扎自己的大腿，以保持头脑清醒，继续苦读。后人常以这两个故事鼓励年轻人发愤读书，努力学习。今天，这种有损身体健康的极端方式已不再提倡，但其刻苦求知的精神仍广为称颂。 The term literally means to tie one’s hair on the house beam and jab one’s side with an awl. The idiom comes from the ancient story about how assiduously people

xuándé 玄德 Inconspicuous Virtue 隐晦而不彰显的德行。道家将“玄德”作为统治者的至高品德。道家认为，“道”作为万物的本原，其基本内容是以“无为”的方式顺应并发挥万物的本性。而“玄德”即是统治者效法于“道”的具体表现。“玄德”要求统治者在为政中节制自己所掌握的权力，避免对百姓的干预，顺应、保全百姓的自然状态。 This term refers to moral conduct that is discreet and unobtrusive. The Daoists believe this is the highest manifestation of morality in a ruler. Dao is the source of all beings and things, and is manifested through wuwei (无为) or non-action. By being discreet and unobtrusive in his moral conduct, the

xiū dé zhèn bīng 修德振兵 Cultivate Virtue and Strengthen the Army 修养德行而整顿军队。“修德”指执政者修养自身的德行，并按照道德的原则施行政事，安顿百姓。“振兵”即整顿军队、提升军力。但“振兵”的目的不在于以强大的武力威胁他人、谋取利益，而是要在道德的规范下，保持足够的武力以维护社会的秩序与百姓的利益，在“修德”的基础上，合理运用武力。 Those in power should cultivate their own virtue, thus improving their moral character, conduct government affairs according to moral principles, and arrange for the people to live in peace. Strengthening the army means enhancing military might through training and discipline. However, the aim

xiūcí-lìchéng 修辞立诚 Establish Credibility Through Careful Choice of Words 修撰文辞，确立诚信。“修”指修撰、修饰，也有人认为指内心的修养省察。“辞”指言辞、文辞，是所说的话语；也有人认为指文治教化。“立”，建立，确立。“诚”是诚信，包含文辞真实、内容信实、感情诚挚、恭敬守信等多重含义。因文字训诂的不同及对“修辞”“立诚”二者关系的认识不同，对“修辞立诚”的含义主要有两种理解：其一，整顿礼乐法度，确立诚信。意思是治国者要以诚信之心撰写文辞，将自己的治国原则和规范注入其中；通过文辞的表达、流布，使这种原则和规范在民众中得以确立，并内化为人们的诚信品格。“立诚”是“修辞”的出发点，也是“修辞”的最终归宿。其二，撰写文章要表达作者真实的思想情感，不可浮文虚饰。儒家认为，文辞是传达思想感情的，思想感情、道德品质的差异，必然最终表现为文章的优劣。无论作何解释，“修辞立诚”都反映出中国人对于名实相副、言行一致、表里如一等诚实、诚信品格的崇尚。 This term means to establish credibility by careful use of language. The Chinese character xiu (修) refers to the careful selection of words and phrases as well as logical arrangement of text in writing a story, and some believe that it also refers to the cultivation