Chinese Thought and Culture

kūn 坤 Kun “八卦”之一，由三个“阴爻”组成，画为“☷”。又为“六十四卦”之一，由六个“阴爻”组成，画为“”。按照易学的解释，由于“坤”卦全部由“阴爻”组成，因此具有纯“阴”之性，被用以象征各种“阴”性的事物或原则。“坤”卦的基本象征意义是地，在社会领域主要象征女性、母亲、臣民等社会角色以及柔顺宽厚的行事原则。结合“坤”卦的各种象征意义，“坤”还被赋予了创生、长养万物之义。 One of the eight trigrams, kun(坤) consists of three yin lines: ☷. It is also one of the 64 hexagrams when it consists of six yin lines:. According to scholars on The Book of Changes, as the kun trigram is composed only of yin lines, it is purely yin and is thus used […]

kāiwù-chénɡwù 开物成务 Understand Things and Succeed in One’s Endeavors 揭示事物的真相并据以做成事情。“开物”即揭开事物真相，弄清事物的内在联系和规律；“成务”即根据事物的内在联系和规律，确定适当方法，把事情做好做成。这是古人从《周易》的变化规律及社会功用中所悟出的认识世界、改造世界、服务自身的思想方法和行动纲领，蕴含着朴素的科学精神。 This term means to find out the truth of things, and act accordingly to succeed in what one does. Kaiwu (开物) means to reveal the truth of things and understand their intrinsic relations and rules. Chengwu (成务) means to use proper methods to do things successfully

jūnzǐ 君子 Junzi (Man of Virtue) “君子”最初用以指称人的社会身份与地位，一般指统治者和贵族男子。但自孔子始，“君子”更多地被赋予了道德的意义，德行出众者被称为“君子”，反之为“小人”。在儒家传统中，“君子”成为一种介乎士和圣贤之间的人格理想，它标志着道德人格的确立。“君子”有志于追寻和实践作为价值理想的“道”，并把“道”而不是权力或利益等视为生命意义的根本。 Junzi (君子) was originally used to indicate a person’s social status, generally referring to a ruler or a member of the aristocracy. Beginning with Confucius, the term acquired an additional moral dimension and came to mean someone of true virtue. The opposite of junzi is xiaoren (小人), which roughly means the

jūn 君 Lord / Nobility / Monarch 最早指包括天子、诸侯、卿、大夫等在内地位尊崇并拥有一定土地、百姓的统治者，后专指诸侯国国君和帝王。“君”的字形由“尹”“口”构成，“尹”即治理，指管理国家，治理百姓；“口”即发令。古人认为，为“君”者须具备四个条件：一有“德”，即具备非凡的德行与才能；二有“命”，即秉承“天命”（上天的旨意）；三有“地”，即拥有自己的土地或领地；四有“群”，即管理“群下”（群臣、民众）并为群下所诚心归附。 Originally, the term referred to the Son of Heaven, dukes or princes, ministers, and senior officials who owned land and ruled the common people. It later referred to ducal monarchs and the emperor only. The Chinese character 君 is composed of two parts, namely, 尹 and 口.

jū’ān-sīwēi 居安思危 Be on Alert Against Potential Danger When Living in Peace 处在安宁的环境中，要想到可能出现的危难。历代有抱负的统治者都希望国家长治久安，常常提醒自己不要沉湎于安逸享乐，而要勤于政事，励精图治，及时化解社会矛盾，防患于未然。这是一种长远、积极的忧患意识。它不仅成为历代有为的统治阶级时时警醒自己的治政理念，而且也成为现代企业经营的重要指导原则和一般民众积极进取的一种精神。 One should always be on alert against potential danger in time of peace. All ambitious rulers in history hoped to maintain enduring stability. They often reminded themselves not to indulge in pleasure and comfort, but to conduct diligent governance, work hard to

jìnɡ shēnɡ xiànɡ wài 境生象外 Aesthetic Conception Transcends Concrete Objects Described. 诗文中的审美意境往往在物象之外，需要鉴赏者领悟其中的精神之美。“境”指作品所创造的审美意境，“象”是作品中所呈现出的具体物象。诗歌由语言文字写成，所描写的都是一个个物象，在这些具体的物象之外，能够形成整体的审美情境。唐代诗人刘禹锡首次提出这个命题，表达对诗歌意趣的思考，强调文字与物象是确切的，而审美情境却是微妙而难以言传的。在古典诗论意境说的形成过程中，“境生象外”是一个重要的发展阶段。 The aesthetic conception evoked by a poem or prose transcends what a physical object denotes, and a reader needs to perceive and appreciate the beauty of such aesthetic conception. Jing (境) here refers to an aesthetic conception created by a poem or prose, while

jìnɡjiè 境界 Jingjie (Visionary World) “境界”本指疆域边界、土地边界，后来在佛经翻译中，“境界”一词被用于精神领域，指人破除对于物质世界的沉迷后所达到的精神层次或修为境域。作为文艺术语，主要指文艺作品中所表现出的审美层次和境域，是作者的创造力、理解力和审美能力在精神层面的综合呈现。有境界的作品是作者真实人格的显现，具备超越凡俗的意味，更能引发读者的共鸣，激发读者的想象，甚至提升读者的感受。“意境”形成较早，而“境界”主要受中唐以后佛教思想的影响而形成。近代学者王国维《人间词话》对境界的阐释最多。王国维往往将“意境”与“境界”概念通用。他构建了融合西方美学与中国古典美学为一体的“境界论”。但一般说来，意境侧重作者主观寓意与作品形象的完满融会，通过鉴赏使想象得到发挥，而境界则突出心灵感悟使艺术形象得到升华，强调心灵世界对于作品层次的提升。 Jingjie (境界) originally meant border or boundary. Later, it was used to translate the idea of a mental realm in Buddhist sutras, a state of spiritual cultivation achieved after having overcome bewilderment in the material world. As a literary and artistic term, jingjie is mainly used to indicate the aesthetic

jīnɡshì-zhìyònɡ 经世致用 Study of Ancient Classics Should Meet Present Needs. 学术要对国家和社会的治理发挥实际效用。“经世”即治理国家和社会事务，“致用”即发挥实际效用。17世纪初思想家顾炎武、王夫之、黄宗羲、李颙等人倡导学术研究要关注现实，通过解释古代典籍，阐发自己的社会政治见解，解决社会实际问题，以增进国家治理、民生安定、社会改良。这一思想强调知识的政治价值和知识分子的现实担当，体现了中国传统知识分子讲求功效、务实的思想特点和“以天下为己任”的情怀。 Learning should contribute to good governance. Jingshi (经世) means governance of the country and society, and zhiyong (致用) refers to meeting practical needs. In the early 17th century, thinkers such as Gu Yanwu, Wang Fuzhi, Huang Zongxi, and Li Yong argued that scholarly studies should

jīnɡjì 经济 To Govern and Help the People 治理世事，救助百姓。“经世济民”的略语。“经世”即治理国家和社会事务，使之有条理；“济民”即帮助百姓，使之远离困境。“经济”是中国传统知识分子治学立世的目标和准则之所在，体现了他们学以致用、贡献国家、造福百姓的务实、民本精神。近代以降，“经济”转指创造、转化、实现价值，满足人们物质文化生活需要的社会活动等。 The term is an abbreviation of an expression meaning public governance and support for the people. Jing (经) means managing state and social affairs in an orderly manner; ji (济) means helping people who are in difficulty. This dual-pronged approach to governance is aimed at making the nation

jinɡ（jīnɡshī） 京（京师） Capital of a Country 国都，天子处理政事及所居的城邑。“京”本指高大的山冈、土丘，引申为“大”。“师”即“众”，指人口众多。称天子处理政事及所居的地方为“京”或“京师”，是表明天子都城的规模宏大，也是对天子的尊崇。 This term refers to the place where the Son of Heaven resided and conducted state affairs. Jing (京) originally meant a big hill or mound, representing the idea of being big or grand, and shi (师) meant a lot of people. To name the place where the the Son of