Chinese Thought and Culture

yánjìnyì 言尽意 Words Can Fully Express Thought. 言语能够表达对世界的根本认识。言语与思想的关系是魏晋时人讨论的一个重要议题。欧阳建不满于荀粲、王弼等人的“言不尽意”的看法，提出了“言尽意”的主张。在他看来，“意”（思想）是对事物及其道理的认识。而名号、言语则是对“物”（事物）、“理”（事理）的反映，由“物”、“理”而定。“意”的获得与表达是通过名号、言语的辨析而实现的。“意”与“言”是一致的，不能割裂。因此，“意”可以全面、透彻地表达思想认识。 Words can fully express the fundamental understanding of the universe. The relationship between language and thought was a prominent topic of debate in the Wei and Jin dynasties. Ouyang Jian did not accept the view of Xun Can and Wang Bi, who alleged that “words cannot fully […]

yánbùjìnyì 言不尽意 Words Cannot Fully Express Thought. 言语不能完全表达对世界的根本认识。语出《周易·系辞上》，指语言在表意上有所不足，因而设立卦象来表达圣人之意。荀粲、王弼等魏晋玄学家进一步阐发了这一思想。他们对语言与思想关系的认识，是由其对世界本体或本原的理解所决定的。他们认为，世界的本体或本原是超越于有形事物之上的“无”。“无”没有具体的形态或属性，也就无法被命名和言说。因此，言语对思想的表达被认为是有局限的。 Words cannot fully express the fundamental understanding of the world. According to The Book of Changes, words are inadequate for expressing what one means and that was why the hexagram images were made to convey the ideas of the sages. Xun Can, Wang Bi, and other metaphysicians

yǎyuè 雅乐 Fine Music 典雅纯正的音乐。是古代帝王祭祀天地、祖先，举行朝贺、宫廷宴享及其他重大庆典活动时所用的音乐。“雅乐”多歌颂朝廷功德，音乐中正平和，歌词典雅纯正，其奏唱、伴舞都有明确的礼仪规范。历代朝廷都将雅乐作为推行教化、感化民风的重要手段。雅乐作为宫廷音乐，有保守的一面，但在实际历史发展中也注意吸收民间歌舞、异域歌舞的成分而不断创新，因而代表着不同时代的音乐最高水准。唐以后雅乐传入日本、韩国、越南等国，成为这些国家的乐舞文化的重要组成部分。 The term refers to a kind of classical music in China. Noble and pure, it was the music used by kings in ancient times when worshipping heaven, earth, and ancestors, receiving congratulations from other quarters of the world, or holding feasts and major ceremonial activities. Chinese classical music often eulogized

xúnmínɡ-zéshí 循名责实 Hold Actualities According to Its Name 依据名而衡量其所指之实。“循名责实”是古人治理国家的重要手段。在现实的人伦关系中，每一个特定的角色或身份都有其名，名也即规定了这一角色或身份应该具有的性质或职责。对使用或拥有某一名分的人，需要依据其名分考核、要求其实际的言行与名所规定的性质或职责相符。 An actual object should be assessed according to the name referring to it. Holding actualities according to its name was an important means for ancient Chinese to govern the state. In actual human relations concerning ethics and morality, every specific role or status had its name,

xuèqì 血气 Vitality / Vital Force 反映着人与动物的身体需求与生命状态的气。“血气”是人天生所具有的，反映着血肉之躯对于外在物质的需求。“血气”的状态在人的各个生命阶段中是不同的，其盛衰反映着生命力的强弱。年轻时“血气”并不稳定，及至壮年则“血气”强盛，年老则“血气”衰弱。此外，不同人的“血气”强弱程度也有所差异。有的人“血气”刚强，有的则较为柔和。“血气”可以通过礼乐教化而加以改变。同时，“血气”也构成人的道德情感发生的基础。 The term refers to vitality which is needed for the human or animal body to sustain its life and which reflects the state of life. It is something one is born with, representing the body’s needs of material things. A person exhibits different levels of vitality at different

xuán 玄 Xuan (Mystery) 原义为幽深玄妙，用以描述万物的本原状态。老子用它形容“道”“德”的幽深玄妙，称“道”“玄之又玄”，又倡“玄德”。扬雄、葛洪等人则进一步将“玄”描述为天地万物的最高本原或本体。在这个意义上，“玄”是超越一切具体事物、无形无象的某种绝对存在。后世有“玄学”之称，指探讨世界本原或本体的学问。 The term first described the original state of everything, which is profound and mysterious. Laozi used it to describe Dao and virtue as being in a profound and mysterious state, calling Dao “a mystery within a mystery,” or “virtue of mystery.” Ancient Chinese thinkers like Yang Xiong and Ge Hong went

xínɡxiān-zhīhòu 行先知后 First Action, Then Knowledge 对“知”“行”关系的一种认识。王夫之等人在“知”“行”关系问题上提出了“行先知后”的主张。王夫之承认对人伦日用之道的体认与践行是相互关联的，但就先后而言，只有先“行”才能获得“知”。“行”是“知”的来源，对“知”起着决定性的作用。能“行”必然对所行之事有所“知”，但能“知”却未必能“行”。 The term represents one interpretation of the relationship between “knowledge” and “action.” Regarding the relationship between “knowledge” and “action,”Wang Fuzhi and others argued that “action precedes knowledge.” Wang acknowledged that an understanding of the principles underlying human relations in everyday life is interrelated with the application of these

xīnzhī 心知 Mind Cognition 基于心的一种认识活动。由于人们对心及其与外物关系的理解不同，因此对“心知”的认识也有所差异。有人强调，人需要通过心的作用认识日用伦常之道，并使之成为某种内在的诉求。“心知”是人实现道德行为与伦理生活的必要条件。而人心时常处于被遮蔽或不确定的状态，只有通过对心的培养与引导，才能发挥其应有的作用。但也有人认为，“心知”会使人焦灼于变动、繁复的外物，从而造成生命的不安。因此需要排除“心知”，使心进入虚静的状态，不受外物的干扰。 The term means cognitive activities of the mind. As there are different views on the relationship between the mind and the external world, people’s understanding of the mind’s cognitive process also varies. Some people emphasize the role of the mind in shaping ethical standards in daily life and making them

xiěyì 写意 Freehand Brushwork 中国画表现手法之一。以简练恣纵的笔墨勾勒描绘物象的意态神韵，重在抒发创作主体的意兴情趣。用笔灵活，不拘工细，不求形似（与“工笔”相对）。写意看似草率随意，实则谨严而内蕴法度，不仅要求画家在创作前对物象进行深入的观察和体验，营构好画面中诸多物象的位置关系，而且还须具备精深娴熟的技法功底，才能意居笔先而神出形外。写意有小写意、大写意之分，后者多采用泼墨技法。写意对后来的戏曲创作及表演手法有较大影响，戏曲中的写意，主要通过虚拟性、程式化的动作，并融合一定的歌舞表演来呈现舞台艺术的审美意象。 Freehand brushwork is one of the traditional methods of brushwork expression in Chinese painting. Using abbreviated and willful brushwork, the artist suggests graphically the meaning and character of the object and its shape. The chief aim is to give rein to the artist’s subjective state and mood. It stresses flexibility

xiǎoshuō 小说 Fiction 以人物形象刻画为中心，通过完整的故事情节和环境描写来反映社会生活的一种文学体式。人物、情节、环境是小说的三要素。按照篇幅及容量，小说可分为长篇、中篇、短篇。中国古典小说，按照所表现的内容，可分为神怪小说、历史演义小说、英雄传奇小说、世情小说等几大类；按照体制可分为笔记体、传奇体、话本体、章回体等；按照语言形式，可分为文言小说和白话小说。中国古典小说经过了不同的发展阶段，有着鲜明的时代特点：先秦两汉时期的神话传说、史传文学，以及诸子散文中的寓言故事等，是中国古代小说的源头；魏晋南北朝时期出现的文人笔记小说，是中国古代小说的雏形；唐代传奇标志着古典小说的正式形成；宋、元出现的话本小说，为小说的成熟奠定了坚实的基础；明清小说标志着中国古典小说发展的高峰，出现了《三国演义》《水浒传》《西游记》《红楼梦》等四大古典名著。“五四”新文化运动之后，现代白话小说创作大量涌现，传播着现代的科学与民主精神。 Fiction is a literary genre primarily concerned with depicting characters to tell a complete story about social life within a setting. Fiction has three main elements, namely, characters, a plot, and a setting. Depending on the length, fiction can be divided into novels, novellas, and short stories. In terms of content,