Chinese Thought and Culture

fánrù 繁缛 Overly Elaborative 指诗文辞藻华丽、描写详尽（与“简洁”相对）。西晋时期以陆机为代表，在文学创作上出现了追求辞藻富丽、文思繁密的倾向。陆机的作品多用典故和对偶句，讲求精雕细琢，文辞繁复华美，同时也有不够清新流畅的弊病。至南朝齐梁时期，刘勰《文心雕龙》把“繁缛”列为文章八种风格之一。 This term refers to a literary writing style that is ornate and flowery in diction and excessively detailed and exhaustive in description, in contrast to being”simple and concise.” The tendency to write elaborately about an idea in ornate language first emerged in the Western Jin Dynasty, represented by the writings […]

duō xínɡ bù yì bì zì bì 多行不义必自毙 He Who Repeatedly Commits Wrongdoing Will Come to No Good End. 不合道义的事情干多了，必定自取灭亡。“不义”指行为违背道义。“义”是社会普遍遵循的道德规范；“义”又与“宜”相通，指循理合宜。中华民族自古重“义”，小到个人，大到国家，都强调行事以“义”为依据。凡是违法乱纪、祸国殃民、作恶多端的人，都不会有好下场。 A person who repeatedly acts immorally will only end up in total failure. Buyi (不义) is an act which violates the principles of yi (义 righteousness). Righteousness is the moral code broadly accepted by a society; it

dònɡjìnɡ 动静 Movement and Stillness 事物存在的两种基本状态。就具体事物的存在状态而言，事物或运动或静止。两种状态是对立的，但也是相互依赖、相互转换的。但对于事物恒常的或本质的存在状态，古人则有着不同的认识。儒家认为，“动”才是事物更根本的存在状态。天地万物处于永恒的变化与运动之中。道家则认为，运动的具体事物起始于“静”，最终也要归于“静”。佛家则主张，事物本质上都是静止的，人们所看到的运动变化只是虚幻的假象。 The term refers to two fundamental states in the existence of things, namely, movement and stillness. These two kinds of states are antithetic, but they also rely on each other and change into each other. Ancient Chinese had different views about the constant or the intrinsic state of the

dǐng 鼎 Ding (Vessel) 古代用于烹煮食物的器物，也是重要的礼器。相传夏禹铸九鼎，象征九州，成为夏、商、周三代传国的重要器物，被视作王位合法性、权威性的物证。鼎多以青铜铸成，一般两耳三足或四足。三足喻“三公”（古代中央掌管全国行政、司法、军事最高权力的三个官职），四足喻“四辅”（古代天子身边的四个辅佐）。秦代以后，鼎作为实物逐渐失去王权象征意义，但“鼎”字仍被用于指王位、帝业或国家政权；也被赋予“显赫”“盛大”“尊贵”等义。 Ding was a vessel to cook food and was also used as an important ritual object in ancient times. Legend has it that Emperor Yu of the Xia Dynasty had nine dings cast, symbolizing the nine regions in the country. Ding was regarded as embodying the legitimacy and authority of the throne during the

diǎnyǎ 典雅 Classical Elegance 指文章典范雅正。最初指写文章要有经典依据，文章的思想内容应纯正高尚，以经典文献特别是儒家的义理规章作为审美规范，后侧重指文章的文辞和风格高雅优美而不浅俗艳浮。其后，“典雅”这一术语又逐步融入道家自然恬淡、超尘出世的审美意蕴，如司空图在《二十四诗品》中用“落花无言，人淡如菊”来描述“典雅”，就很接近道家自然恬淡的风格。 This term refers to a type of writing that is classically elegant. Originally, it meant that a piece of writing should be modeled on ancient classics, express pure and noble ideas, and follow classical literary styles by using Confucian doctrines for aesthetic guidance. Later, the term shifted to emphasize elegant

déxìnɡzhīzhī 德性之知 Knowledge from One’s Moral Nature 由心的作用而获得的超越于感官经验的认识，与“见闻之知”相对。张载最先区分了“见闻之知”与“德性之知”。宋儒认为，人对生活世界的认识是通过两种不同方式实现的。通过目见、耳闻所获得的认识，是“见闻之知”；通过内心的道德修养所获得的认识，则是“德性之知”。“德性之知”不依赖于感官见闻，并超越于“见闻之知”，是对于生活世界的根本认识。 The term refers to knowledge derived from the functioning of the mind, which, in contrast to “knowledge from one’s senses,” transcends knowledge obtained through the sensory organs. Zhang Zai was the first to differentiate between”knowledge from one’s senses” and “knowledge from one’s moral nature.”Confucian scholars of the

dédào-duōzhù，shīdào-guǎzhù 得道多助，失道寡助 A Just Cause Enjoys Abundant Support While an Unjust Cause Finds Little Support. 奉行道义，支持的人就多；违背道义，支持的人就少。“道”即道义、正义。中国人自古推崇道义，认为道义是决定战争或事业成败的根本力量。只有奉行道义，才能赢得内部的团结一致、赢得民心，取得战争或事业的最后胜利；否则就将不得人心，从而陷入孤立无援的境地，归于失败。它是中华“德政”思想与“文明”精神的具体体现。 The Chinese phrase dedao (得道) or “obtaining Dao” here refers to having “a just cause.” Since ancient times Chinese people have had a high esteem for justice and have thought of justice as a decisive factor determining success or failure

dàojìtiānxià 道济天下 Support All People by Upholding Truth and Justice 以“道”拯救、帮助天下的人。“道”指道理、道义，也可以是某种学说、思想等；“济”即救助，使人免于困苦；“天下”指世间所有的人。“道济天下”包含两层意思：其一，“道”的价值有无、大小就是看它于天下人是否有益。其二，君子特别是知识分子应该将自己所主张或掌握的“道”用于天下、用于经世济民。和“经世致用”一样，“道济天下”实质代表中国传统知识分子治学立世的终极目标与人格理想，体现了中国传统知识分子追求真理、坚持真理、关注社会民生以及“以天下为己任”的人文情怀和道德境界。 The term means to save and help all people through upholding truth and justice. Dao (道) here refers to truth and justice, and also to particular thought or doctrine. Ji (济) means relieving or helping people out of difficulties or sufferings. Tianxia (天下) refers to everything under

dāngháng 当行 Professionalism 即内行、在行。最初用于诗歌评论，指诗歌创作完全契合诗歌的体制规范。后发展成为中国古典戏曲理论的重要术语。主要含义有二：其一，指戏曲语言质朴自然、浅显通俗，符合人物性格并适合舞台表演；其二，指戏曲中的角色创造及故事情景，真实传神，具有强烈的艺术感染力，能让观众沉浸其中。在明代戏曲理论中，“当行”经常与“本色”连用，能当行、具本色的戏曲作品就是上乘佳作。 The expression was first used in poetry criticism to mean that a poem fully met poetic stylistic standards. It later became an important term in Chinese classical operatic theory. It has two meanings. One is that the language used by a character in a play is simple, natural, easy to understand,

dànbó-míngzhì，níngjìng-zhìyuǎn 淡泊明志，宁静致远 Indifference to Fame and Fortune Characterizes a High Aim in Life, and Leading a Quiet Life Helps One Accomplish Something Lasting. 淡泊名利才能明确自己的志向，心神宁静才能达到远大的目标。淡泊：恬淡寡欲，不重名利；宁静：安宁恬静，不为外物所动；致远：到达远处，即实现远大目标。这是古代中国人所追求的自我修养的一种境界，其核心是对待名利的态度。它希望人们不要贪图名利，为名利所累；要始终胸怀远大理想，专心一意地为实现远大理想而努力。 This saying, with the attitude to fame and fortune at its core, refers to a way in which people in ancient China sought to practice self-cultivation. People should not be greedy