Chinese Thought and Culture

hé’érbùtónɡ 和而不同 Harmony But Not Uniformity 在尊重事物差异性和多样性的基础上实现整体的和谐共存。“同”与“和”是对待、安顿社会群体的两种态度。“同”指对事物差异性的抹杀，“和”则意味着对事物差异性的保存与尊重。不同的事物彼此间相互辅助、补充，才能组成一个充满生机、富于创造性的和谐整体。 The term means achieving overall harmonious co-existence on the basis of respecting differences and diversity. Uniformity and harmony are two different attitudes to treating and accommodating social groups. Uniformity means obliterating differences in everything while harmony is to keep and respect the differences. Allowing different things to complement […]

hǎiwài 海外 Outside the Four Seas / Overseas “四海之外”，指古代中国疆域之外、国外，也指边远地区。古人认为中国疆域四周环海，各依方位称“东海”“南海”“西海”和“北海”，合称“四海”，所以称中国以外的地方为海外。其中隐含着古人以海为界的国土意识。它体现出古人以自我中心而又具开放性的空间感，及其对于境外遥远地方的向往。 Outside the Four Seas refers to the territory outside China, foreign lands, or remote areas. The ancient Chinese thought that China’s territory was surrounded by the Four Seas (the East, West, North, and South seas). Therefore, places outside China were outside the Four Seas. It reflected

hǎinèi 海内 Within the Four Seas “四海之内”，即古代中国疆域以内。古人认为中国的疆域四周环海，各依方位称“东海”“南海”“西海”和“北海”，合称“四海”。“海内”即指“四海”所环绕的疆土。它隐含着古人以海为界的国土意识，是农耕文明的反映。 Within the Four Seas means within the territory of China. The ancient Chinese thought China’s territory was surrounded by the Four Seas (the East, West, North, and South seas). Within the Four Seas refers to the landmass surrounded by the Four Seas. It reflected the ancient Chinese belief

ɡuòyóubùjí 过犹不及 Going Too Far Is as Bad as Falling Short. 事物超过一定的标准和没有达到标准同样是不好的。儒家以礼作为个人言语行事及其与天地万物关系的标准，并根据礼的要求判断言行的“过”或“不及”。孔子分别用“过”与“不及”评价自己的两位学生，认为二者在未能达到礼的要求这一点上是一样的。如果能够按照礼的要求达到无过、无不及的中道，即具备了“中庸”的美德。 It is just as bad to go beyond a given standard as to fall short of it. Confucian scholars use rites as the standards both for individuals’ words and actions, and for their relationship with everything in the world. They also judge people’s

ɡuótǐ 国体 Guoti 主要有三种不同的含义：其一，指辅佐国君的重要大臣。这是一种比喻的说法，即国家犹如人的身体，而辅佐国君的大臣犹如这个身体的重要组成部分。其二，指国家的法令制度。其三，指国家的体统或尊严。 The term, literally meaning the state and the body, has three meanings. First, it refers to the important ministers who help the sovereign ruler govern the state. Figuratively, the term suggests that the state is a human body and the ministers are the major components of the body. Second, it refers

ɡuójiā 国家 Family-state / Country 古代指诸侯和大夫的领地。古代诸侯的封地称“国”，大夫的封地称“家”。“国家”是“国”与“家”的合称。在古代中国，家庭、家族、国家都是依据血缘、宗法关系构建起来的，在组织结构上具有共通性。这就是所谓的“家国同构”。后演变指一国的全部疆域。近代以来，“国家”又指由一定疆域、人民和政权机构共同构成的政治实体。 Family-state referred to the land owned by feudal lords and officials in ancient China. The land of a feudal lord was called “state” and the land of an official was called “family.” In ancient China, family, clan and country shared common structural features, all founded on the basis of

ɡuàyáo 卦爻 Trigrams and Component Lines “卦”是由“—”和“- -”排列组合而成的一套符号系统，其中的“—”为“阳爻”，“- -”为“阴爻”。每三“爻”合成一卦，可得“八卦”。每六“爻”合成一卦，可得“六十四卦”。“卦爻”的产生与占筮有关。古人通过分取蓍草，演算其变化之数，从而确定卦爻，以预测吉凶。后人为卦爻赋予各种象征意义，并用以理解和阐发包括人事在内的天地万物的运行变化及其法则。 A gua (trigram) is a system of symbols consisting of undivided lines (—) and divided lines (- -). The undivided line (—) is a yang line while the divided one (- -) a yin line. Three lines make a trigram, and there are eight such trigrams.

ɡéwù-zhìzhī 格物致知 Study Things to Acquire Knowledge 在与事物的接触中体认人伦日用之道。“格物”“致知”出自《礼记·大学》，与诚意、正心、修身、齐家、治国、平天下并称“八条目”。“致知”在于“格物”，二者密切相关，故有时并称“格致”。历代学者对“格物致知”的含义有多种不同的理解：或强调在对事物的接触中穷究其“理”；或强调亲自实践以掌握各种德行、技艺；或以心意所在为“物”，进而以内心的修正为“格物”。 The term means to understand how we should conduct ourselves through our contact with things. “Studying things to acquire knowledge” comes from The Book of Rites. Together with “making one’s purpose sincere,” “correcting one’s thoughts,” “self-cultivation,” “running one’s family well,” “governing the state properly,” and “bringing peace

ɡémìnɡ 革命 Changing the Mandate / Revolution 变革王命。“革”，变革；“命”，初指天命，后来指王命，即帝王的政令或帝王的统治权。犹言江山易主、改朝换代，即推翻旧政权，建立新政权。古人认为，“王命”源于“天命”（上天的意志），故“革命”本质上是实施变革以应“天命”。而“革”是宇宙的基本规律，“革命”是这一规律的具体体现；判断“革命”合法性与成功的依据，则在于“革命”的领导者是否顺应了上天的意志和民众的意愿。近代以降，“革命”转指社会、政治、经济制度的重大变革。 The term means taking power from a ruler. Ge (革) means to change or remove. Ming (命) first referred to the mandate of Heaven and later came to mean a ruler’s decrees and his mandate to rule. Changing the mandate usually involves replacing a ruler and a change of

ɡānɡróu 刚柔 Gang and Rou 人和事物所具有的两种相反的属性或德性。主要有三种含义：其一，就自然物或器物而言，“刚”指坚硬，“柔”指柔软。其二，就个人的品格而言，“刚”指为人刚毅、坚强，“柔”指温柔、谦逊。其三，就为政、执法的风格而言，“刚”指严厉，“柔”指宽宥。“刚柔”被认为是“阴阳”的某种具体表现。“刚”与“柔”之间的对立与调和是促成事物运动变化的根本原因。在具体事物或行事中，二者应达到某种平衡，“刚”与“柔”过度都是不好的、危险的。 Two opposing properties or qualities that objects and human beings possess. The term has three different meanings. First, when describing natural or manmade objects, gang (刚) means hard and rou (柔) means soft. Second, when describing human qualities, gang means strong and determined, while rou means gentle and modest. Third, when describing a