Chinese Thought and Culture

xiàng wài zhī xiàng, jǐng wài zhī jǐng 象外之象，景外之景 The Image Beyond an Image, the Scene Beyond a Scene 欣赏诗歌的过程中所产生的文本形象之外的第二艺术形象，是读者经联想产生的精神意象。前一个“象”“景”指诗歌作品中直接描写的物象和景象,后一个“象”“景”则是指由此引发读者多方面联想所营造出的新的意象和意境。由道家与《周易》关于“言”（语言）、“意”（思想或意义）、“象”（象征某种深意的具体形象）三者关系的学说发展而来。魏晋至唐代的诗学倡导“象外之象，景外之景”，旨在追求文本之外的精神蕴涵和意象之美。这一术语同时也表现了中华民族的艺术趣味与审美境界。 Readers of poetry create images and scenes in their minds based on what they are reading. These are the readers’ imaginations based on what is depicted in the poems. The term comes from Daoist theories […]

wù 物 Wu (Thing / Matter) “物”一般指天地之间有形有象的一切存在，大体有三种不同含义：其一，指有形的具体存在物，包括各种自然物、人造物，也包括各种生物和人。其二，指人伦关系中发生的事务、事情，如侍奉父母、为政治国等，这个意义上的“物”相当于“事”。其三，指具体存在物或人伦事务的总和，通常称“万物”。 Wu (物) usually denotes an existence in the universe that has a form or an image. In general, the word has three different meanings. First, it refers to any concrete existence, encompassing all natural and man-made objects, all organisms and human beings. Second, it covers interpersonal matters and activities

wǔxíng 五行 Wuxing “五行”有三种不同的含义：其一，指五种最基本的事物或构成万物的五种元素。《尚书·洪范》最早明确了“五行”的内容，即金、木、水、火、土。五种事物或元素有其各自的属性，彼此间存在相生相克的关系。其二，五行进一步被抽象为理解万物和世界的基本框架，万物都可以纳入到五行的范畴之中，并因此被赋予不同的性质。其三，指五种道德行为。荀子曾指责子思、孟子“按往旧造说，谓之五行”，从郭店楚墓竹简及马王堆汉墓帛书相关文字内容来看，该“五行”指仁、义、礼、智、圣。 There are three meanings to the term. 1) The five fundamental things or elements that make up all things. The Book of History was the first to define the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Each of these has its own properties and they interact in a generative or

wúwéi 无为 Non-action “为”的一种状态。道家以“有为”与“无为”相对。所谓“有为”，一般是指统治者把自己的意志强加给他人或世界，不尊重或不顺应万物的本性。“无为”的意义与之相反，包含三个要点：其一，权力通过自我节制的方式遏制自己的干涉欲望；其二，顺应万物或百姓的本性；其三，发挥万物或者百姓的自主性。“无为”并不是不作为，而是更智慧的作为方式，通过无为来达到无不为的结果。 Wuwei (non-action) refers to a state of action. Daoism contrasts “action” to “non-action.” “Action” generally means that the rulers impose their will on others or the world without showing any respect for or following the intrinsic nature of things. “Non-action” is the opposite of “action,” and has three main points: 1)

wén yǐ zài dào 文以载道 Literature Is the Vehicle of Ideas. 儒家关于文学与道关系的论述。“文”指的是文学创作及作品；“道”指的是作品中的思想内容，但古代文学家与理学家将“道”主要理解为儒家所倡导的思想和道德。中唐时期古文运动的领袖韩愈等人提出“文以明道”的观点，认为文章主旨应合乎并发挥圣人的经典。宋代理学家周敦颐进一步发展为“文以载道”，提出文学像“车”，“道”即是车上运载的货物，文学不过是用以传播儒家之“道”的手段和工具。这一命题的价值在于强调文学的社会功用，强调文学作品应该言之有物、有正确的思想内容。但它轻视文学自身的审美特性，故后来受到重视文学自身价值的思想家与文学家的反对。 This term is a Confucian statement about the relationship between literature and ideas. Wen (文) refers to literary creations and works, while dao (道) refers to the ideas conveyed by literary works. Writers and philosophers in ancient China explicated these ideas as Confucian thought and

wénqì 文气 Wenqi 作品中所表现出的作者的精神气质与个性特点。是作家的内在精神气质与作品外在的行文气势相融合的产物。“气”原指构成天地万物始初的基本元素，用在文论中，既指作家的精神气质，也指这种精神气质在作品中的具体表现。人禀天地之气而形成不同的个性气质，表现在文学创作中，便形成不同的文气，呈现出独特风格特点及气势强弱、节奏顿挫等。 Wenqi (文气) is the personality an author demonstrates in his works, and is a fusion of his innate temperament and the vitality seen in his works. Originally, qi (气) referred to the basic element in the initial birth and formation of all things, as well as heaven and earth. In literary criticism, it

wénmíng 文明 Wenming (Civilization) 指社会文治教化彰明昌盛的状态。“文”指“人文”，指礼乐教化以及与此相关的有差等又有调和的社会秩序；“明”即光明、昌明、通达之义。中华民族崇文而不尚武，自古便将文治教化的彰明昌盛作为自己的最高理想和追求，并以此作为评判异国他域政治是否清明的最重要标准。 This term refers to a thriving, prosperous, and perceptibly refined society in which people behave in a cultured fashion. Wen (文) refers to the arts and humanities, including social norms, music education, moral cultivation, and a social order that is hierarchical yet harmonious. Ming (明) means bright, prosperous, and highly civilized. The

wéi zhèng yǐ dé 为政以德 Governance Based on Virtue 以道德原则执掌国政，治理国家。孔子在西周统治者一向秉承的“明德慎罚”的基础上提出了为后世儒家所遵循的“德政”理念。“德政”与“威刑”相对。“为政以德”并非不要刑法，而是突出强调道德对政治的决定作用，将道德教化视为治国的根本原则与方法。 Governance of a state should be guided by virtue. Confucius expounded this philosophy – which his followers in later eras promoted – on the basis of the approach advocated by the rulers in the Western Zhou Dynasty that prized high moral values and the virtue

wángdào 王道 Kingly Way (Benevolent Governance) 儒家提倡的以仁义治理天下、以德服人的政治主张（与“霸道”相对）。上古贤明帝王多以仁德治国，至战国时代孟子将其提升为政治理念，提出国君应当以仁义治国，在处理国与国之间的关系时要以德服人，这样才能得到民众拥护，统一天下。它是中华民族崇尚“文明”、反对武力和暴政的具体体现。 Confucianism advocates the political principle of governing the country through benevolence and winning people’s support through virtue as opposed to badao (霸道) – the despotic way. Enlightened kings and emperors of ancient times governed the country primarily through benevolence and virtue. In the Warring States Period, Mencius advocated

wáng 王 King 本为夏、商、周三代天子的称号，春秋以后周天子一统天下的局面遭到破坏，至战国时期列国君主皆可称王。秦汉以后，“王”一般是皇帝对自己直系男性亲属的最高封爵。在儒家特别是孔孟的政治哲学论述中，“王”一方面代表上天的旨意，具有至高无上的权力；另一方面又被赋予了极强的道德特质和政治理想。儒家认为，用仁义治理或统一天下、以道德手段使天下人都来归顺叫做“王（wànɡ）”，依靠仁义道德形成天下一统的政治局面叫做“王道”。 King was originally the title for the “Son of Heaven,” namely, the country’s supreme ruler in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. From the Spring and Autumn Period onward, the power of the Zhou court gradually weakened and the kingdom disintegrated. By the time of the Warring States Period, any monarch