Chinese Thought and Culture

tuī’ēn 推恩 Extend Benevolence and Love 推广仁爱之心。“推恩”是孟子（前372—前289）提出的一项对执政者的要求。孟子认为，每个人天生都具有对他者的仁爱之心。但仁爱之心需要不断扩充，才能成就现实的仁德。仁心的扩充是由近及远、由亲至疏的。对执政者而言，即是要发挥天生的仁爱之心，将自己对父母、子女的关爱，推及治下的百姓，这即是“推恩”。“推恩”是实现仁政的基本方式。 Mencius (372-289BC) advocated that those in power should govern with love and benevolence. He believed that humans by nature have love for their fellows, but that this needs to be widely inclusive in order to constitute a true rule with benevolence. Love and benevolence begin with close family […]

tiānlài 天籁 Sounds of Nature 天地万物自然发出的声音。庄子（前369？—前286）将声音分为“人籁”、“地籁”和“天籁”三种。“人籁”是人吹奏竹箫所发出的声音；“地籁”是风吹过大地上的孔洞所发出的声音；“天籁”并非是有别于二者的另一种声音，而是指天地万物自己所发出的千差万别的声音，并非他者有意使之发声。庄子对“天籁”的肯定，意在破除主观用心的影响，发现并尊重万物真实自然的状态。后人多用“天籁”指诗文天然浑成、得自然之趣的审美意境，用“天籁之音”指称自然发出的悦耳动听的乐声。 This term refers to sounds produced by all things in nature between heaven and earth. Zhuangzi (369?-286BC) divided sounds into three categories: “human sounds,” “terrestrial sounds,” and “celestial sounds.” According to him, “human sounds” refer to sounds made by a vertical bamboo flute when a person blows air into

tāshānzhīshí, kěyǐ-gōngyù 他山之石，可以攻玉 Use Stones from Another Mountain to Polish One’s Jade 别的山上的石头，可以用来琢磨玉器。语出《诗经》。本意是向周宣王委婉劝谏，应招致那些隐逸山林的贤才为国所用。后来比喻借他人的批评、帮助来改正自己的过错；借他人、他国的情况、经验、方法等作为自己的鉴戒和参考，更好地提升自我。它体现了中国人的开放心态、学习精神。 This expression, which is from The Book of Songs, was originally a subtle piece of advice to King Xuan of Zhou to recruit talented recluses to work for his country. Later, it became an allegory of using criticism from others to correct

suìhán-sānyǒu 岁寒三友 Three Friends of Winter / Steadfast, Loyal Friends 严寒时节的三位友人，具体指松、竹、梅三种植物。在中国传统文化中，有些植物因其自然属性而被赋予某种人文蕴涵。松、竹四季常青，历冬不凋；梅花凌霜傲雪，美丽绽放。三者都不怕严寒，在严寒中展现自身的生命力和自然美，宛如在严寒中相伴生长的好友，故被世人合称为“岁寒三友”。它常被用来喻指忠贞不渝的友谊，寄托对于孤傲高洁人格的崇尚和向往。 “Three friends of winter” refer to the pine, bamboo and plum. In traditional culture, certain human characteristics are attributed to plants and animals based on their natural qualities. The pine and bamboo remain green all year round even in the coldest season, and the

shìwài-táoyuán 世外桃源 Land of Peach Blossoms / Land of Idyllic Beauty 晋陶渊明（365？—427）在《桃花源记》中所描述的一个安乐而美好的地方。那里景色优美，与世隔绝，远离战乱，没有政治压迫，人们过着平等、自由、安宁、祥和、快乐而美好的生活。后喻指为人向往的美好世界或理想社会，也指脱离世俗、安乐自在的隐居之所。 In his essay “The Peach Blossom Spring,” Tao Yuanming (365?-427) of the Jin Dynasty describes an idyllic place of natural beauty, cut off from the outside world and far from the ravages of war, free from political oppression, where people live in equality,

shǐ 史 History 在甲骨文与金文中，“史”的字形是手执笔或简簿，其义指记载史事的官吏。东汉许慎（58？—147）《说文解字》说：“史，记事者也。从又（手）持中。中，正也。”“史”与“事”同源，记“事”的人叫“史”，人所记叫“事”。后来史官所记述的史事或史实以及按一定原则编集整理的关于史事或史实的各种记载及评述也称作“史”，即今之“历史”。按许慎说法，“史”字“从又持中”，所谓“持中”就是坚持客观公正、无所偏袒的原则。中国有重史的传统，在很长时期内，史官甚至有不受当政者干涉的特殊地位。一方面，史家可以通过秉笔直书对当政者形成一定程度的制约，使其谨言慎行；另一方面，又可以通过总结、评述历史人物与历史事件汲取经验教训，为当政者提供借鉴。这一传统构成了中国人的人文精神和理性精神的重要特征。 Ancient inscriptions on tortoise shells and ox scapula, together with inscriptions on ancient bronze objects, the pictographic Chinese character shi (史) represents a hand holding a writing brush or a hand holding a bamboo slip, referring to a court official in charge of keeping historical records. Explanation of Script and Elucidation of

shíxù 时序 Change Along with Times 即时世和时代变化。这一术语旨在揭示文学创作与时代变化的关系。刘勰指出文学发展不是孤立的现象，而是受到时代多重因素的影响，包括当时的社会政治状况、统治者的个人爱好、学术思潮等。 The term suggests that literary creation is affected by changes of the times. Author and literary scholar Liu Xie who used this term pointed out that literary creation is not an isolated phenomenon. Rather, it is affected by numerous historical factors, such as the prevailing social and political

Shí 时 Time / Timing “时”有三种不同含义：其一，指天道运行的时序或规律，如春夏秋冬四时，或昼夜交替的时辰等。其二，指适宜于某种人事的天象或气候条件，如农时、天时等。其三，指人事发展过程中出现的时机、时运。“时”的出现与消失体现着天道或人事运行的规则。人应认识并把握“时”及其所体现的规则，采取与“时”相适应的行动。 Shi (时 time or timing) has the following three meanings: First, the sequence or rules of Nature’s way, such as spring, summer, autumn, and winter; or hours that mark changes of time during day and night; Second, a certain celestial phenomenon or climatic condition having impact on human activity, such

shínián-shùmù, bǎinián-shùrén 十年树木，百年树人 It Takes Ten Years to Grow Trees and a Hundred Years to Nurture Talents. 比喻栽培树木使之成材需要很长时间，培育人才则需要更长时间。其中的道理有两层：第一，培养和选拔人才关乎国家、社会的长远发展；第二，人才的培养和成长应立足于长远发展，要有战略眼光和整体规划，需作持久的努力。 This alludes to the long time it takes for a tree to grow, yet even longer time it takes to nurture talents. The implications are twofold: first, identifying and bringing up talents has long-term significance for the

shēngxiào 生肖 The Chinese Zodiac / Animal of the Year 也叫“属相”。中国古人把与农业生活相关的11种动物，加上特有的文化图腾“龙”，与十二地支配合进行纪年，每个人出生的年份都有相对应的生肖动物，即十二生肖。十二生肖与十二地支的配合与排序如下：子鼠、丑牛、寅虎、卯兔、辰龙、巳蛇、午马、未羊、申猴、酉鸡、戌狗、亥猪。十二生肖至迟在东汉已经定型，成为中国民俗文化中富有特色的内容。直到今天，一个人的本命年、婚配、命运以及节日、剪纸等民间艺术，仍能看到生肖文化的身影。 Shengxiao (生肖) in Chinese refers to the twelve animals that make up the Chinese Zodiac. The ancient Chinese included in this list eleven animals closely associated with farming, plus the dragon, a legendary animal which has cultural symbolic meaning in China. They were then associated