xuánhú-jìshì 悬壶济世 Hang a Gourd (Practice Medicine) to Help the World 行医救助世人。“悬壶”即把装药的葫芦挂起来，作为行医卖药的招牌，泛指从事医疗职业；“济世”是对困苦之人提供救助。这一观念，使行医卖药超越了一般职业与谋生手段而被赋予了人文关怀的意义。它既是世人对于医者救死扶伤、治病救人行为的一种赞颂，也是医者用以自励的道德准则和价值判断。 This term means to help people by practicing medicine. “Hanging a gourd” refers to the tradition of using a gourd containing medications as a sign for those practicing and selling medicine; it is used more broadly to refer to those in the medical […]

xìnglín 杏林 Apricot Trees / Venerable Doctors with Good Skills 杏树林，对德行高尚、医术精湛的医生的美称，亦指代医学医药界。据东晋葛洪（281？—341）《神仙传》记载，三国时期名医董奉隐居庐山，无偿给人治病，只要求重症治愈者种杏五棵，轻症治愈者种杏一棵。几年后，他的住处就有了大片茂盛的杏树林。他用杏子换粮食，储存起来，用于救济贫苦人及其他需要帮助的人。后来，人们用“杏林”代指医德高尚、医术精湛的医生，近代一些医药团体和专业报刊也常以“杏林”取名，“杏林”遂成为医学医药界的代名词。它是“悬壶济世”理念的另一种表达形式。 This term refers to venerable doctors with good skills and by extension the entire profession of Chinese medicine. According to Biographies of Deities and Immortals by Ge Hong (281?–341), the famous doctor Dong Feng of the Three Kingdoms period lived on Mount Lu where he

xíngmíng 形名 Form and Name “形”指事物的形体，“名”指事物的名称。古人认为事物是有形的，有形之物具有自身的规定性，并与他者相区别。而“名”则用以指称这些有形之物。由“名”所构成的秩序，明确了有形之物彼此间的关系及其在整体秩序中的地位。有学派认为，事物固有的“形名”即已包含某种合理的秩序，为政者应遵循并维护这一“形名”秩序。也有学派认为，可以通过后天的刑罚、教化来塑造“形名”秩序。在强调刑罚所需的对事物、行事的分辨、判断时，“形名”又作“刑名”。 Xing (形) refers to the form of an object, and ming (名) refers to its name. The ancient Chinese believed that objects have forms, and that each formed object has its own specific nature which distinguishes it from other objects, whereas its name specifies the object. An order comprised of names

xīnshù 心术 The Art of the Mind 心的运作规则。最早见于《管子》《荀子》《礼记》等典籍。古人认为，心的作用的发挥遵循着一定的规则，这一规则即被称为“心术”。不过，各家对于“心术”具体内容的认识有所不同。“心术”或指心任使五官的原则，也指心与外物交接、认知外物的方式或态度。 This refers to the workings of the mind or heart, a term which first appeared in such classics as Guanzi, Xunzi, and The Book of Rites. In ancient times it was believed that a person’s mind or heart played out its role in accordance with certain laws,

xiéjǔzhīdào 絜矩之道 Principle for the Application of Rules and Norms 执掌法度的原则。出自《礼记·大学》。《大学》主张，为政者在执政、处事时应以“絜矩之道”对待他人。“絜”本指量物体粗细的绳子，“矩”是画方形或直角的曲尺，“絜矩”连用，意为所执持的规矩、法度。这里的规矩、法度即是要求为政者推己及人，以自身所好所恶体察他人的诉求，不以己所不欲强加于人，并以此作为政治、行事的法度。 This is a principle for the application of rules and norms, first cited in The Great Learning, a section of The Book of Rites. The book advocates the use of xieju by administrators in governance when dealing with people. Xie (絜) originally meant a string used

xiāngyǐnjiǔlǐ 乡饮酒礼 Banquet for Community Leaders and Rural Elders 于乡间设酒宴酬宾之礼，是古代人伦生活中的一项重要礼仪。“乡”是古代的基层行政区划单位。“乡饮酒礼”在“乡”间举行，因其用意的不同，可大体分为两类：一类是宴请乡中德行贤良之士，以彰显对贤者的尊崇；另一类则由基层行政长官主持，宴请乡中年长之人，以表达对长者的尊敬与关爱。“乡饮酒礼”对于维护、调和基层的人伦秩序具有重要意义。 This was an important social function in ancient China. On the basis of their purpose, such banquets can generally be divided into two kinds: one was to entertain virtuous people in the locality in a display of respect for them; the other was hosted by

xǐliàn 洗炼 Make Writing Succinct 精简词句，提炼要义。洗炼是一种文字干净、主旨鲜明的文学风格。“洗”指清洗矿石、去除杂质，喻指删除芜杂文字；“炼”指金属的冶炼提纯，喻指提炼文章的精义或本真性情。作为一种写作方式，它包括炼意和炼辞两个方面，较之南朝刘勰（465？—520）的“熔裁”有更明确的要求；作为一种文学风格，它要求文章的词句必须与情志理高度配合而又简明扼要。 This term means that wording should be refined to highlight the essential message. Terseness is a mark of neat and thematically explicit writing. The idea originates from the process of cleansing metal ores for the removal of impurities, or from that of smelting metals. Figuratively, it refers to an

wùjí-bìfǎn 物极必反 When Reaching an Extreme, Things Are Bound to Revert to Their Opposites. 事物到达某一极端必然会向其反面转化。古人很早就认识到，事物的属性或状态总会在一定情况下向与自身相反的对立面转化。北宋的程颐（1033—1107）则对这一事物变化的规则做出了更细致的描述，提出了“物极必反”之说。“物极必反”揭示的是事物在属性或状态上发展到极端时的变化趋向。事物在极端状态下，其属性或状态的反向转变是必然发生的。 The ancient Chinese came to know early that the nature or state of things change to their opposite under certain circumstances. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Cheng Yi (1033-1107) gave a detailed description of the rules of such change when

tóutáo-bàolǐ 投桃报李 Return Kindness with Kindness / Return Goodwill in Kind 你赠我木桃，我回赠你木李（“木桃”即樝（zhā）子，一种落叶灌木，果实圆，味酸涩，一说即桃子）。泛指互赠礼品，礼尚往来。其意义并不在于互赠的礼品本身，而在于以礼品为载体，传递对对方的善意，表达与对方永结友好的诚意，其中隐含平等互惠的关系原则。它是“以德报德”（相互善待）这一关系准则的形象表达，是“礼尚往来”理念积极面的体现。小到个人关系，大到国家关系，皆循此理。 Toutaobaoli, the Chinese original, literally means when you give me a peach, I will also give you a peach in appreciation. The term generally refers to reciprocating a gift in kind as an expression of mutual courtesy. What is important is not the

tóngbāo 同胞 Brothers and Sisters of the Same Parents; Compatriots 同胞胎，指同父母所生的兄弟姐妹。犹言亲人、一家人。北宋张载（1020—1077）依据万物皆由天地所生这一观念，提出了“民胞物与”的思想。“同胞”一词由此超越了血亲家族的范围，进而指同一民族或国家特别是具有共同语言和文化的人，有时甚至超越民族、国家等界限，泛指整个人类。它通过对共同的祖先、语言和文化的溯源，唤起并强化人们对自己民族或国家的归属感和认同感，其中所蕴含的平等、博爱观念，可以说是人类共同的精神财富。 This term originally referred to siblings in the same family. On the basis of the belief that all living creatures are created by heaven and earth, Zhang Zai (1020–1077) of the Northern Song Dynasty advanced the view that all people were brothers and sisters