Chinese Thought and Culture

wùhuà 物化 Transformation of Things 事物彼我界限的打破及相互转化，是事物的一种存在状态。“物化”一说出自《庄子·齐物论》。庄子通过“庄周梦蝶”的寓言来说明“物化”的意义。庄子认为，自身与他者、梦与醒以及一切事物之间的界限与区别都可以被破除，从而实现物与物之间的转化与流通。如果执着于彼我的区别，就不能体认“物化”，如在梦中一般；但如果执着于“物化”，同样会跌入梦中。 This is a form of the existence of things when the boundary between things is broken and one thing transforms into another. The term “transformation of things” comes from Zhuangzi, who illustrated the concept in the fable Zhuangzi Dreamed of Becoming a Butterfly. He believed that the boundary and […]

wúwéi’érzhì 无为而治 Rule Through Non-action 不过度作为而把国家治理得很好。“治”指国家治理达到良好状态；“无为”不是不作为，而是不妄为。在道家那里，其要义在于顺其自然，即治国者充分尊重治理对象（民众）自身的禀性、状态和趋向，不过分干预民众的生活，使之遵循人自身固有的本性、意愿和逻辑，自我发展，自我实现，以无为而达到无不为，其哲学基础是“道法自然”。在儒家那里，其要义在于以德化民，即治国者不以政令、刑法等强加于人，而是从自身做起，以自身的道德和功业使民众受到影响和感化，使民众“不令而行”，实现天下大治，犹言“人文化成”。儒、道两家的共通点在于：治国者不妄加作为，不过度干预，充分尊重民众或社会的主体性。 Zhi (治) here means a state of good governance; wuwei (无为non-action) does not mean doing nothing, but instead not acting in an over-assertive manner, in other words, not imposing one’s will. In Daoist thinking, this expression means the ruler must respect the natural conditions of those governed (the people); he must

wánɡ ɡuó zhī yīn 亡国之音 Music of a Failing State 国家将亡时的音乐，后多指颓靡荒淫的音乐。儒家认为，一个国家即将灭亡时，音乐多颓靡荒淫；而生活于社会底层的民众却困苦不堪，其音乐、诗歌等文艺作品一定充满了悲哀忧思。统治者若还不警醒，亡国也就为期不远了。 This term refers to the music of a state that is about to disintegrate. Later, it also refers to decadent and immoral music. The Confucian view was that music of a state on the verge of collapse tended to be dejected and demoralizing. As

tiányuánshī 田园诗 Idyllic Poetry 一种以描写田园景色和田园生活为主要题材的诗歌流派。由东晋诗人陶渊明开创。陶渊明的诗大部分取材于田园生活，语言质朴，画面平淡，但清新自然，意境深远，韵味醇厚。田园诗为中国古典诗歌开辟了一个新的境界，影响了六朝之后的诗歌发展。 A genre created by Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, idyllic poetry depicts rural life and scenery. Taking country life as his favored theme, Tao Yuanming used plain language to portray rural scenes. His poems were unpretentious, refreshing, and natural, thus creating a far-reaching aesthetic conception and a lasting

tiānxià-wéigōng 天下为公 The World Belongs to All. 天下是公众的，天下为天下人所共有。“天下”，本义是“普天之下”，喻指君位、国家政权或整个国家，后泛指整个世界。“公”，大家、公众。狭义指贤人，德才兼备的人；广义指全体国民或天下所有的人。“天下为公”主要有两层意思：其一，君位非一人一姓所私有，而为有才德的人所共有，即所谓传贤不传子。其二，国家非一人一姓所私有，而为公众所共有。其中包含着反对君位世袭、主张推举有才德之人掌权的“尚贤”和“民本”思想。古人相信，“天下为公”是实现“大同”社会、人民生活幸福的政治前提和保障。至近代，“天下为公”又演变成为推翻专制、实现民主的标志性关键词，后来成为一种美好的社会政治理想。 The world is a public realm and therefore belongs to all the people. Tianxia (天下), which literally means everything under heaven, used to refer to the monarch, state power, or the nation; later it extended to mean the whole world. In the narrow sense, gong (公) refers to figures

tiānshí dìlì rénhé 天时地利人和 Opportune Time, Geographic Advantage, and Unity of the People “天时”本指作战时的有利气候，泛指时间上的各种有利条件，包括天气、时机、机遇等；“地利”本指作战时的有利地形，泛指空间上的各种有利条件，包括地形、地势、区位等；“人和”本指得到人们拥护，上下同心，团结一致，泛指人的优势。古人认为，它们是事关成败的三种最重要的因素；而且“天时不如地利，地利不如人和”，其中起决定作用的是“人和”。它反映了中国人考虑问题的三个基本向度——时间（时机）、空间（环境）和人，体现“以人为本”的基本理念。 “Opportune time,” which originally referred to the favorable weather at the time of war, now generally refers to various temporal advantages, including weather, timing, opportunity, and so on. “Geographic advantage,” which originally referred to advantageous positions in battle, now refers to

tiānjīng-dìyì 天经地义 Natural Rules and Orderliness 天地的规则与秩序。据《左传》的记载，子产提出了“天经地义”之说，以解释礼的本质及依据。在子产看来，天地的运行遵循着恒常的规则，并呈现出稳定的秩序，具有最高的合理性。人应效法于天地，符合“天经地义”的言行与秩序即是合理的、正当的。礼对人的言行及人伦秩序的规定，正是“天经地义”的体现。“天经地义”一词后来被广泛地用以描述各种事物的正当性及不容置疑的道理。 Literally, this term means the rules and orderliness of heaven and earth. According to Zuo’s Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals, Zichan proposed the concept to explain the essence and justification of rites. Zichan believed that the movements of heaven and earth followed eternal rules that created

tì 悌 Fraternal Duty 弟弟对兄长的顺从与敬爱，也作“弟”。在言行上，“悌”要求为人弟者顺从、遵循兄长的教导与命令。“悌”应植根于弟弟内心对兄长的亲爱与敬重。儒家常将“悌”与“孝”并称，认为“孝悌”是个人德行养成的基础，并将其作为维系与强化家庭伦理乃至政治秩序的根本。 Fraternal duty is obedience to, and love and respect for one’s elder brother. To observe this, the younger brother must follow an elder brother’s guidance and orders. Fraternal duty should be rooted in the heartfelt love and respect for an elder brother. Confucians often speak of “fraternal duty” and “filial

tàikānɡtǐ 太康体 The Taikang Literary Style 西晋初年和中期大约三十多年时间里的诗歌风格，指晋武帝太康年间（公元280—289年）以左思、潘岳、陆机等人为代表的诗体。与建安时代积极进取、昂扬向上的诗风不同，太康诗人讲究辞藻华丽和对偶工整，诗歌技巧更臻精美。其中，左思的作品语言质朴，但内容充实、气势雄浑，在太康诗风中独树一帜。 This term refers to a poetic style popular for about 30 years from the early to mid-Western Jin Dynasty, particularly in the Taikang era (280–289) during the reign of Emperor Wu. Among the poets of this tradition were Zuo Si, Pan Yue, and Lu Ji. Taikang poets focused