wúcháng 无常 Anitya / Impermanent 缺乏恒常性。世间万物皆因缘和合而生、离散而灭，并不存在一个恒常不变的本质，可以作为其同一性的根据。佛教又将“无常”分为两个层次：一个叫“相续无常”，指生命个体缺乏诸如灵魂等不随生死变异的本质，仅有表面上的相续相似性；一个叫“念念无常”，指一切缘起的事物随心念刹那间生灭变化。 This term means lack of permanence. Everything in the world comes into being through a combination of causes and conditions. It perishes without them. There is no permanent, unchanging essence which one may see as the basis of its identity. Buddhism distinguishes two levels of impermanence. First, impermanence of successive […]

wén yǐ yì wéi zhǔ 文以意为主 The Message Matters More than the Rhetoric. 写文章要以立意为主导。“意”就是文章的思想内容。这是中国古代重要的文学理论命题，在宋、金、元、明文论中，多次被强调，并为后世学者所接受。这一理论认为，在立意与辞章文采两者中要把立意放在首要地位。这一观点与唐宋时人提出的“文以明道”说和“文以载道”说有密切的关联，是中国古代文学理论优良传统的一脉传承，但这里的“意”，远比“道”的内涵要宽泛。 Writing is done mainly to convey a meaning. Here, “meaning” refers to what an article is essentially about. This is an important theoretic notion in ancient Chinese literary theory. It was often emphasized in essays of the Song, Jin, Yuan and

wéi xué rì yì, wéi dào rì sǔn 为学日益，为道日损 Pursue Knowledge by Adding; Pursue Dao by Subtracting 追求知识要一天比一天增加，探求“道”要一天比一天减少（偏见和欲望）。“为学”是指知识和学问的积累，因此要做加法，以求广博丰富；“为道”则是对世界普遍法则的领悟，因此要做减法，去除一切世俗偏见和个人欲望，做到无知无欲，进而达到“无为”。“为道日损”也是老子所主张的治国理政的基本原则，即制定政策必须简化易行，尽可能不干扰民众的自然生活。这是道家“无为”理念的体现。 Pursue knowledge by adding more each day. Pursue Dao by subtracting some (bias and desires) each day. “Pursuing knowledge” refers to the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom, hence it uses addition to broaden and enrich. “Pursuing Dao”

wéi rén yóu jǐ 为仁由己 Readily Practice Benevolence and Virtue 践行仁德取决于自己。孔子（前551—前479）在向弟子讲解仁德之义时，提出了“为仁由己”的观念。孔子强调，仁德的实现并不依赖于外在的规范。虽然仁德要求人们克制自己的言行以符合礼的要求，但对仁德的践行根本上还是取决于人们自身对仁德的认同与追求，并自觉地按照仁德的标准行事。 When explaining benevolence and virtue to his disciples, Confucius (551-479 BC) put forward the concept that “one should readily practice benevolence and virtue.” He stressed that the accomplishment of benevolence and virtue was not driven by external norms. Rather, one should restrain himself and

sòngzàn 颂赞 Extolment and Commendation 歌颂、赞扬美好的人物、事物、功德、品行等，并弘扬其积极意义和正面价值的文体。“颂”本指仪容，作为文体名称，有“描摹仪容”“颂扬”双重含义，意思是通过描写仪容状貌颂扬人的德行；“赞”是赞美，用于对人的功德或美好事物的赞美与评价。二者的共同点都是以歌颂赞美为宗旨，篇幅简短，句式整齐，多用韵文。南朝刘勰（465？—520）高度推崇颂赞文学的思想性和教化功能，认为“颂”的对象已由神明、帝王扩展到普通人，“颂”的范围已由国家大事扩展到一切美好事物；“赞”同时有评价的功用，通过积极、肯定的评价可以提升赞美的意义。在中国文学中，“颂”“赞”不仅可以独立成文，而且常常附着于各类文艺、新闻作品，这些作品以歌颂或正面评价的方式，在中华思想文化系统中传播着正能量。 Essays of extolment and commendation were written to pay tribute to laudable persons, things, merits and virtues, thus promoting their positive influence. The purpose of both an extolment and a commendation is to exalt good persons and things. Such essays are short, neatly patterned and rhymed. Liu Xie (465?-520)

shìhào 谥号 Posthumous Title 追加给死者的称号。追加的对象通常是皇帝、贵族、大臣、杰出官员等政治、社会地位高的人。追加的称号高度概括死者一生的是非功过，大体分为褒扬性的“美谥”、贬斥性的“恶谥”、同情性的“平谥”三种。这是中国传统政治中的重要制度文化。它通过对死者的评价对后人发挥导向作用，以利于政治、社会秩序的维持。 Posthumous titles were often conferred upon emperors, nobles, ministers, and other prominent officials with a high political and social status. The titles were intended to serve as a summation of the life of their holders. They mostly came in three forms: commendatory, derogatory, or sympathetic. They were an important part

shì rén rú jǐ 视人如己 Treat Others the Way You Treat Yourself 像对待自己一样对待他人。中国自古，无论哪一个思想流派，都不背离“爱”的基本原则，都认为人与人之间，不论亲疏贵贱，皆须保有基本的善意或同情。它不仅是处理人与人关系的重要原则，也可引申为反对暴力、强权的国际原则。与孔子（前551—前479）的“恕道”（推己及人的原则）一样，其基本精神是仁爱、平等与宽容。 Since ancient times in China, every school of thought has regarded love a core value. They all maintain that people must have general goodwill or sympathy for others, whether they know each other well or not, rich or poor. This is not

shízhōng 时中 Follow the Golden Mean 随时而符合中庸之道。“时中”一说出自《礼记·中庸》。儒家以“中庸”作为行事的最高准则，强调处事应无过、无不及。但无过、无不及的标准，并不是固定不变的教条，而是随时变化的。人们需要在每一个具体的生活处境中，思考道德、礼法的要求，时时、处处践行“中庸”的准则，也即“时中”的要求。 This term, which originated from The Book of Rites, means that one should at all times follow the principle of the “golden mean.” Confucian scholars regarded the mean as the supreme principle guiding people’s behavior. They stressed that when handling things one should not act excessively or insufficiently.

shèngrén 圣人 Sage 具有圣德之人。“圣人”是古人所推崇的最高人格。“圣人”基于对天道、人心的把握，可以制定、规范人伦生活的秩序与法则，其所言所行成为人伦世界的至高典范。不过，不同学派对于“圣人”之德的具体内涵会有不同的理解。儒家所言“圣人”，能够完美地践行仁义等道德并对世人施以道德教化。而道家所言“圣人”，则要求以“无为”的方式，顺应百姓自然的状态，激发百姓的自主性。 It refers to a person of consummate virtue. Sages were regarded by the ancient Chinese as having the highest level of character and integrity. They knew the Way of Heaven and the hearts of people, and could thus make rules and regulate human ethics. With their exemplary statements and behavior, they

shēnglü声律 Tonal and Rhythmical Patterns 指诗文中将汉语的声、韵、调互相配合以形成音韵美的一般法则。南朝齐梁时的文士周颙（yóng）将汉语的自然发音区分为平声、上声、去声、入声，沈约（441—513）在此基础上提出声调高低互相调节、平声和仄声前后配合的诗歌创作规则，以及在声调、声母、韵母搭配上存在的八种弊病。刘勰（465？—520）《文心雕龙》指出，诗歌上下文以声调的飞扬与沉降（相当于平声和仄声）相配产生节奏美，以韵母相同的字收尾押韵产生呼应美。刘勰将音韵和谐协调的要求推及一切文章，既是为了利于传播和接受，也表明对诵读美本身的重视，反映了南朝文人对形式美的追求，启示唐人写出工整优美的律诗。早期的声律理论多借助于音乐概念，后来发展为专门的汉语音韵学。 This term refers to rules and practices which create tonal and rhythmical beauty in prose and verse by blending sounds, rhythms and tones together. Zhou Yong, a scholar of the Qi and Liang periods of the Southern Dynasties, divided the intonation of the Chinese language into four tones: the