Chinese Thought and Culture

yífēng-yìsú 移风易俗 Change Social Practices and Customs 转移风气，改变习俗。“移风易俗”是“乐”的重要功能。风俗是社会群体长期以来形成的共同的行为习惯，可能会包含某些违礼的成分。群体习惯的改变十分困难，不能单纯依赖强制的规范，而是需要发挥“乐”对于人心的深刻影响。通过“乐”的教化，引导人心进入恰当的状态，进而逐渐改变社会的风气和习俗，使之自觉符合礼的要求。 This is one of the important functions of music. Social practices are common forms of behavior formed within communities over time, and they can also include aspects that do not conform to rites. Changing such widespread habits is extremely difficult and cannot be accomplished by mandatory regulations […]

xuǎntǐ 选体 Xuanti Poetry / Poetry in Prince Zhaoming’s Favorite Style 主要指南朝梁昭明太子《文选》中所收汉魏以来的五言古诗。但这一概念后来超越了单纯的诗歌体式而兼具时代特征与诗歌风格等含义。在体式上，“选体”是与乐府、歌行、律绝并列的概念，在古人眼光中，它几乎就是五言古诗的代名词，是诗家创作五古的范式；在风格上，“选体”有典雅、翰藻、新创三个主要特征；从时代看，“选体”接续风骚，历跨汉魏、晋宋、齐梁。唐代以后，文论家多用“选体”这一术语来评诗、论诗。但“选体”派强调模仿古人，为此受到后来一些锐意创新的文人的批评。 This refers mainly to the five-character-a-line poems of the Han and Wei dynasties in Selections of Refined Literature compiled by Prince Zhaoming of the Liang Dynasty during the Southern Dynasties. Later, this term meant not just a specific type of poetry, but also both the

xuányánshī 玄言诗 Metaphysical Poetry 一种以阐发老、庄、佛教和《周易》哲理为主要内容的诗歌流派，起于西晋末年而盛行于东晋，其主要特点是以玄理入诗，代表诗人有孙绰、许询、庾亮、桓温等。魏晋时期社会动荡，士大夫专心老庄与佛学，贵玄理，尚清谈，以此全身远祸。到西晋后期，玄谈之风逐步影响到诗歌创作，形成玄言诗，后玄言诗与山水诗相融合。 This term refers to a poetic style that chiefly explicated Laozi, Zhuangzi, Buddhism, and The Book of Changes. Metaphysical poetry emerged at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty and flourished during the subsequent Eastern Jin Dynasty. Represented by Sun Chuo, Xu Xun, Yu Liang, and Huan Wen, this genre

xìngshàn 性善 Human Nature Is Good. 孟子提出的一种人性论观点。孟子所言人性，指人天生所具有的人之所以为人的本质属性，亦即是人区别于禽兽的道德本性。这个意义上的人性，构成了仁、义、礼、智等德行的内在根基或依据。但是，人性中具备的只是德行的端始，并不等于德行的实现或完成。人们需要不断扩充人性中的善端，才能确立起良好的德行。 This view on human nature was first proposed by Mencius. As Mencius saw it, human nature is the inherent moral character which a human being naturally possesses and which distinguishes him from an animal. In this sense, human nature underpins such virtues as benevolence, righteousness, sound social norms,

xìng’è 性恶 Human Nature Is Evil. 荀子提出的一种人性论观点。荀子所言人性，指人天生所具有的属性，包括身体的生命特征及各种欲望、知觉等。如果仅仅因循于人性中所包含的对外物的欲求，就会导致人与人之间的纷争，社会将陷入混乱。而维系社会秩序所必需的道德，并非出自人的本性，而是后天人为塑造的结果。 This view was proposed by Xunzi. According to him, human nature, which refers to proprieties humans naturally possess, includes physical life as well as various desires and perceptions. If people are allowed to only follow desire for external things, which is something inherent in human nature, it will

xíng jǐ yŏu chǐ 行己有耻 Conduct Oneself with a Sense of Shame 对自己的言行保持羞耻之心。出自《论语》。在孔子看来，一个人的德行的养成不只是言语、行为符合外在的规范，更要在内心对于自身的不足或违礼背德之行感到羞耻，进而能够在羞耻心的刺激下，按照德礼的要求改正、完善自己的言行。羞耻心的确立是儒家教化的重要目标。 The term is from The Analects. From the point of view of Confucius, the cultivation of moral conduct is not only words and deeds in accordance with social norms, but more importantly one should have a sense of shame about personal inadequacies

xīnzhāi 心斋 Pure State of the Mind 心灵进入完全虚静的状态。“心斋”一说出自《庄子·人间世》，书中借由孔子之口向颜回讲解“心斋”之义。庄子认为，耳和心在感知外物时，有彼我、是非之别。而气则虚无恬淡，处于万物之中而不与之分别、冲突。因此应使心变得如气一般虚无，与外物相接触，却不与之分别、对立。心游离于事物之外，摆脱事物的限制与影响，这便是“心斋”。 The term refers to a state of mind that is completely empty and void. It originates from the book Zhuangzi, in which the meaning of the term was explained by Confucius to Yan Hui. Zhuangzi believed that one’s ears and heart distinguish between oneself and others and

xiào 孝 Filial Piety 子女对父母的顺从与敬爱。就言行而论，“孝”包含以下三点要求：其一，要谨慎保护受之于父母的身体，以免伤病，令父母担忧。其二，不能违背父母的教导、要求，即便不能认同，也应顺从遵循。其三，应以高尚的德行，成就自己的声誉与功业，以彰显父母的教导。“孝”植根于子女内心对父母的亲爱与尊敬。儒家认为，“孝”是个人德行养成的基础，并将其作为维系和强化父子关系乃至君臣关系的根本。 Filial piety is obedience to, and respect and love for your parents. To observe this, you must do the following. First, attentively keep your body, born by parents, safe from injury and illness so as to relieve them of their worries. Second, do not go against your parents’ teachings, guidance

xiāngyuàn 乡愿 Hypocrite 以伪善的方式在乡里之中博取良好名声的人。“乡愿”之人只是在某些言行上表面合乎道义，以此博取世人的称誉，而实际上放弃原则和操守，谄媚于人，同流合污。“乡愿”貌似君子而实非君子，其言行表现，往往会混淆人们的道德判断，构成对社会道德的极大破坏。 A hypocrite is one who uses deceptive ways to seek a good local reputation. Hypocrites appear to behave in accordance with moral principles so as to win popular praise, while in reality compromising principles and personal integrity, currying favor, and colluding with dishonorable people. Hypocrites appear to be virtuous superior persons,

xīkūntǐ 西昆体 The Xikun Poetic Style 北宋初年出现的以追求辞藻华美、对仗工整为主要特征的诗歌流派。宋初，杨亿、刘筠、钱惟演等人聚集在皇帝藏书的秘阁，编纂历代君臣事迹，诏题《册府元龟》。他们在编书之余，写诗相互唱和，并结集为《西昆酬唱集》，时人因称之为“西昆体”。“西昆体”诗人提倡学习李商隐，讲求用典精巧、意旨幽深，重视音律与借代，其作品词采精丽、音节铿锵、属对工整，一扫晚唐五代以后平直浅俗的诗风，在诗歌发展史上有一定影响。由于是酬唱之作，大都雕琢太过，缺乏真情实感，常流于艳浮，为后人诟病。 This poetic style pursued rhetorical beauty and symmetrical structure. In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, poets such as Yang Yi, Liu Yun, and Qian Weiyan gathered in the emperor’s private library to compile Important Mirrors for Governance, a book that records the activities of monarchs