Chinese Thought and Culture

chéngrén 成人 Complete Man 具备了健全德性与全面技能的人。在古人看来，“成人”的标志并不是年龄的增长所带来的身体的成熟，而是通过学习、修养获得了健全的德性和全面的技能。“成人”需要具备智慧、勇气，能够节制自己的欲望，并掌握各种技能，从而恰当地应对、处理生活中的各种事务，使自己的言行始终合于道义。 A complete man refers to a person of sound moral integrity who also has command of various skills that in ancient times were needed to deal with social life. In the view of the ancient Chinese, a complete man did not just mean that a man reached adulthood. It also […]

chàngshén 畅神 Free Flow of One’s Mind 指精神与自然合一时所达到的自由舒畅的一种审美状态。特指欣赏山水画、山水诗时精神融入自然及物象的审美效应。宗炳在《画山水序》中指出，欣赏山水画可以领悟古代圣贤寄寓在山水中的哲理与乐趣；可以进入一种摒弃了一切外物和杂念的绝对虚无境界，是一种全身心的极度愉悦和精神的最高自由。他提出这一术语，不仅揭示了山水画、山水诗及自然美的特殊审美功能，也反映了传统文学艺术对天人和谐、心灵和谐的价值追求。 The term describes a state of mind one achieves when appreciating an artwork, in which process one’s inner feelings interact freely and joyfully with nature. In particular, it describes one’s aesthetic experience of appreciating landscape paintings and landscape poems, when one feels absorbed with the natural scenes

Chángchéng 长城 The Great Wall 也称“万里长城”。由城墙、敌楼、关城、烽火台等多种建筑工事构成的完整的防御体系。公元前3世纪，秦王朝在统一中国后，为防御匈奴南侵，将战国时期燕、赵、秦等诸侯国修筑的长城连成一体并加固延长，修筑了西起临洮（今甘肃岷县）东至辽东（今辽宁省）、蜿蜒一万余里的长城。此后，两汉、北朝、隋等各代都曾在与北方游牧民族接壤的地带修筑长城。明朝是最后一个大修长城的朝代，自洪武至万历年间，先后修筑长城18次，今天人们看到的长城多是明长城。明长城西起嘉峪关，东至山海关，总长度为8851.8千米。长城是中国古代最伟大的军事防御工程，后世常用“长城”或“万里长城”比喻担负国家重任的人，长城还成为中华民族团结一心、众志成城、坚不可摧的一种文化象征。 The Great Wall, also known as the “10, 000-li (5, 000 kilometer) long Great Wall,” was a complete defensive system consisting of walls, watchtowers, gated passes, and beacon towers. After unifying China in the 3rd century BC, the Qin Dynasty sought to ward off southward incursions of the northern nomadic

cānglǐn shí ér zhī lǐjié 仓廪实而知礼节 When the Granaries Are Full, the People Follow Appropriate Rules of Conduct. 粮仓充实了，人们才会懂得礼节。出自《管子·牧民》：“仓廪实则知礼节，衣食足则知荣辱。”“仓廪”是古代储藏米谷的地方或设施。“仓廪实”“衣食足”指粮食储备充足，民众不愁吃穿，代指人们生产、生活所需的物质条件非常充足，即物质文明发展到一定阶段；“礼节”“荣辱”指社会的礼仪规矩和内心的道德准则，包括了制度文明和精神文明。这句话揭示了物质文明和制度文明、精神文明之间的关系：物质文明是制度文明和精神文明产生的基础和条件，制度文明和精神文明是物质文明发展到一定阶段的产物。如果民众的基本生活条件都得不到保障，即使有良好的制度也难为人们所遵循，人们的精神品格也不可能得到提升。在任何时候，物质文明建设都应当成为治国理政的基本要务。这是一种非常务实的治国理念。 The full quote from Guanzi reads: “When the granaries are full, the people follow appropriate rules of conduct, and when there is enough to eat and wear, the people know honor and shame.” Here “granaries” and “eat

cānyàn 参验 Cross-checking and Verification 通过观察、比较获得验证，是检验认识与言论正确与否的一种方法。“参验”之法在先秦时期即屡被提及，韩非子对这一方法做出了较为深入的阐发。韩非子认为，要判断某一认识或言论的正确性，需要从天、地、物、人等多方面进行比较、检验，这就是“参验”。“参验”应注重认识或言论的实际功用。只有通过比较、检验而证明能够发挥实际功用的认识或言论才是正确的。如果不经“参验”就盲目加以肯定，是愚昧的做法。 One way to confirm whether one’s assessments and opinions are correct is to verify them through observation and comparison. The method of crosschecking and verification was frequently mentioned in the pre-Qin period. Hanfeizi expounded this method in detail. He believed that to determine whether something was correct or not,

bù zhàn zài wŏ 不战在我 It Is Entirely One’s Own Decision Not to Fight. 若无胜算就不与敌人交战。是否交战取决于我，而不可受制于敌。这是古人提出的一种军事思想。“不战”并非消极避战。它的意思是说：当形势不利于我而利于敌的时候，我应避免与敌正面交锋，尤其要避免战略决战；不能因敌之动而仓促交战或被动应战，而应以持久防御使敌疲惫，同时设法调动敌人，迫敌露出破绽，然后乘隙出击、反攻，战而胜之。它强调的是在战争中要牢牢掌握主动权，不打无把握之仗。 To fight or not to fight is one’s own decision, not the enemy’s. Do not engage the enemy if victory is not guaranteed. This is a principle of military operations proposed by ancient Chinese. “Not to engage the enemy” does

bùzhàn’érshèng 不战而胜 Win Without Resorting to War 不用交战就已战胜敌人。源于古代著名的军事家孙武。孙武提出，最高明的用兵方略是“不战而屈人之兵”，方法有二：其一“伐谋”，挫败敌方的计谋，使敌人无计可施；其二“伐交”，破坏敌方的外交，使敌人孤立无援。由此造成敌必败、我必胜的战略态势，最终迫使敌人屈服。这是一种融政治、军事、外交于一体的大军事观，为历代有作为的军事家所推崇。时至今日，这一思想被广泛运用于国际关系、企业“商战”等众多领域。其核心是：做好自己，搞好联合。 This saying comes from Sun Wu, the well-known military strategist, who said that the best military strategy is “to defeat the enemy without going to war.” He listed two ways for achieving this: 1) the use of stratagems to foil the enemy’s plans; 2) the use of

bó’ài 博爱 Extensive Love to Benefit All 广泛地爱，惠及所有的人。“博”即广泛、广大；“爱”即“惠”，惠及众人。古人认为，“安民则惠”（使民众安定生活就是惠），“爱”是“仁”的体现，而“仁”则是与人亲密。“博爱”犹言爱民、惠民，首先是一种执政理念，意在使国家的制度、法令、政策、措施的受益面尽可能最大化，使更多的人得到好处。它也指与众人亲密相处、友善相待、相互扶助的一种社会伦理、个人品格或情怀。 Bo (博) means extensive, wide; ai (爱) is synonymous with hui (惠) which means benefit to all. Ancient Chinese believed that ensuring the people a life of peace and security is hui. Love in turn is an expression of ren (仁) , or benevolence, which is based on close human relationships.

biāojǔ-xìnghuì 标举兴会 Distinctiveness and Spontaneity 亦作“兴会标举”。“标举”有“标明、突出”之义，后来引申出“鲜明、高超、独特”等众多含义。“会”是会聚，“兴会”是创作主体为外物所激发的创作状态及由此产生的丰富的心理感悟，是文学创作时灵感勃发而自然生成的浓厚兴致与意趣。“标举兴会”指文学创作中由“兴”所生发的丰富的心理感悟与情感特征，亦指作品中所呈现的浓厚而强烈的兴致与意趣。“标举兴会”既是一个文学批评术语，也是一种创作理念，它与崇尚自然、反对造作的写作态度相对应，推崇创作者的才华与激情，强调直觉基础上的自由想象和灵感勃发状态下的自由创造。 Also “spontaneity and distinctiveness.” Biaoju (标举) originally meant “to mark out or stand out.” It later extended to mean “superior, unique, distinctive, and outstanding.” Hui (会) means “to get together.” Xinghui (兴会) refers to one’s passionate creative state and rich perceptions sparked by an object, and keen, naturally-inspired interest and charm in

biānsàishī 边塞诗 Frontier Poetry 一种以塞外风光、边境战事及戍边生活为主要创作题材的诗歌流派。其作品或描绘奇异鲜明的塞外风光，或反映惨烈的战争场景与艰苦的戍边生活，有些则重点刻画戍边将士们的离别、思乡、报国之情或其配偶之闺怨及对前方亲人的思念等。边塞诗往往反映作者对战争的深切感受和思考，表现出个体生命价值与时代精神之间的一种张力。边塞诗以唐代为主，之后虽也有边塞之作，但规模与气象远不能与唐代相比。 Poems of this kind depicted frontier scenery as well as fighting along the northern border area and the life of soldiers garrisoned there. These poems described the scenic splendor north of the Great Wall, fierce war scenes, or hardships endured by frontier guards. Some of the works were about soldiers’