yù 欲 Desire 人对外物的欲求。“欲”主要指人为外物所感而产生的欲望，包括对食物、美色等外在事物的欲求。“欲”是人天生所具有的本性，需要获得适当的满足，但同时也要有所节制。如果对外物的欲求超出一定的限度，则会造成对自身生命的伤害，同时也会带来人与人之间的纷争与社会秩序的混乱。“欲”有时也被用来指称对美德的追求，并以此强调对美德的追求是人固有的本性。 This term refers to the yearning for external objects. Yu (欲)is the desire for external things such as food and beauty. This desire is a natural instinct, so it should be satisfied to an appropriate degree and be restrained at the same time. Excessive desire can be harmful to a person, create […]

yōurén 优人 Entertainers 古代具有说唱、舞蹈、戏谑等表演才能的艺人，宋元以后也指称戏曲演员。又称倡优、俳优、优伶等。最初是宫廷贵族为娱乐目的而供养的小群体，宋元以后随着城市发展而出现专业艺人团队。在重政教、轻审美的古代，优人社会地位低下。司马迁《史记·滑稽列传》肯定优人对君王的劝谏作用，这也成为后世评价名优的一个重要尺度以及艺人的自觉追求。 Entertainers, known as Youren (优人), or Changyou (倡优), Paiyou (俳优), or Youling (优伶), were folk artists who performed story-telling, dancing, acrobatics, and comedy. After the Song and Yuan dynasties, they also performed in operas. Initially formed as small groups of entertainers sponsored by court aristocrats for entertainment, they evolved into professional

yīn 音 Musical Sounds 指音乐，是由心中情感触动而发出的有节奏和韵律的声音。古人常以“音”与“声”相对：凡自然物所发声音叫作“声”，由人的内心情感触动而发出的声音叫作“音”；单一的声响叫作“声”，不同“声”的比配叫作“音”，不同的“音”组成有节奏的曲调叫作“乐”。古人认为，“音”发自人的内心，一国或地区的音乐往往反映该国或地区的民心民意和世风世情，由此儒家提出了文艺反映政治得失及具有社会教化功能的理论主张。 Musical sounds, or simply music, are artistically rhythmical sounds flowing forth from one’s stirring emotions. Ancient Chinese often made a distinction between musical sounds and plain sounds. Sounds created by a natural environment are plain sounds, while those created when emotions well up in one’s heart is music. A single

yìfǎ 义法 Yi Fa / Guidelines for Writing Good Prose 清代方苞（1668—1749）提出的关于文章写作的方法，包括文章的思想内容及形式结构、剪裁取舍等方面的规范要求。源于《春秋》《史记》等史传文章的结撰方法，是将这些经典的写作方式推广为文章写作的典范。“义”指文章的意蕴和事理，重在“言有物”，即文章的思想内容要充实、有意义；“法”指文章的组织结构和写作技法，重在“言有序”，即语言得当、有条理次序。“义”为根本，“法”随“义”而变化，根据“义”的表达需要而选择灵活多样的写作技法，在叙事之中寓褒贬论断。义法论是清代桐城派古文理论的起点和基础。 Yi fa refers to the guidelines and criteria for prose writing advocated by Fang Bao (1668-1749) of the Qing Dynasty, which concerns content, structure, and editing. He held up the structural composition of the historical texts The Spring and Autumn Annals and Records of the

yǐ xínɡ xiě shén 以形写神 Capture the Spirit Beyond Form 画家通过刻画外形来表现其内在精神。东晋画家顾恺之强调形与神的对应关系，他既重视外形的刻画，同时倡导由外形进而表现对象内在的精神气质，认为表现精神气质是绘画创作的最高要求。同时要求画者捕捉到最能代表对象内在精神的外形特征。这一见解对后世文艺创作影响很大。 Painters depict physical appearances to reveal the essence. Gu Kaizhi, a painter of the Eastern Jin dynasty, lays great emphasis on the correspondence between the essence and physical forms: He depicts the appearance of objects in great detail, which embodies their spiritual disposition. He

yǐ xínɡ mèi dào 以形媚道 Natural Shapes Adapting to Dao 山水以其外在形貌亲近与契合“道”。南朝画家宗炳（375—443）在《画山水序》中发挥孔子“仁者乐山，智者乐水”的思想，认为山水不仅向人类竞相展示了大自然的造化之功，也向人类婉转展示了宇宙天地的变化规律，因而为有德行的人所喜爱。这一术语表现出六朝人的山水审美观念。 Mountains and rivers accord with Dao by way of their shapes. Zong Bing(375-443), a painter of the Southern Song Dynasty, in his “On the Creation of Landscape Paintings” expanded on a saying by Confucius – “A virtuous man loves mountains and a wise man

yǐ xíng qù xíng 以刑去刑 Abolishing Punishment with Punishment 以刑罚去除刑罚。这是法家的“法治”思想的具体表现。与儒家的“刑期于无刑”貌合神离。儒家崇礼，重在以德去刑；法家尚刑，意在使用重刑，使百姓心生畏惧，不敢犯法，从而达到不必再用刑罚的境地。从追求天下大治的理想状态来看，法家的“去刑”与儒家的“无刑”相接近，但缺少儒家所具有的人文关怀。 Abolishing punishment with punishment is a concrete manifestation of the Legalist school’s “rule of law.” Seemingly the same as the Confucian notion that punishment is meted out for the purpose of eliminating punishment, it is in fact quite different. Confucians esteemed rites, wanting to get

yǐ guó wéi guó, yǐ tiān xià wéi tiān xià 以国为国，以天下为天下 Rule a State or a Country with Different Methods 以治国的方法治国，以治天下的方法治天下。管子认为，治理者不能拿治理“家”的方法直接用于治“乡”，不能拿治“乡”的方法直接用于治“国”（诸侯国），也不能拿治“国”的方法直接用于治“天下”（天子的统治范围）。而必须随着治理范围的变化而调整治理方法；必须随着治理范围的扩大，开拓自己的视野和胸襟。而在现代语境下，“国”可理解为国家，“天下”可理解为世界。 To rule a state, use the methods for governing a state. To rule a country, use the methods for governing a country. Guanzi held that a ruler must not use the methods for governing

yī huà 一画 All Forms of Painting as Multiplied from a Single Stroke / Oneness in Painting 字面义指绘画用的线条，实际指绘画艺术的根本法则，亦为宇宙一切事物生成发展的普遍法则。由清代画家石涛提出，其具体含义今人有不同理解。石涛借鉴老子学说及禅宗的理论（或说取自伏羲从阴阳一画创制八卦，进而创建文明世界），认为宇宙万物都生成于原始的“一”，画家笔下的有形万物，亦由“一”创生并贯之以“一”。在石涛那里，“一”指“无”，绘画就是从“无”创生有形物象的过程；“一”又指“道”，既是绘画之“道”，又是宇宙万物之“道”，两者相通合“一”；“一”还是蕴含、贯通于各种绘画手法的普遍法则，画家笔下的每一笔、每一根线条都体现着这一普遍法则。“一画论”包含“一”与“道”、与“无”、与“有”、与“多”等多重关系，有着丰富的哲学意蕴和艺术思想。这一术语后来成为中国传统美学思想、画论的重要范畴。 While this literally means “lines employed in painting,” it is used to refer to the fundamental rules guiding the art of painting and, furthermore, to the universal laws of the formation and development of everything in the

yě wú yí xián 野无遗贤 No Sagacious Person Ignored 民间没有遗漏不用的贤人，但凡德才兼备的人都能为国所用。这是古人“尚贤”理念的具体体现。中国自古注重任人唯贤，人尽其才，认为这是实现国家良好治理状态的重要保障。察举制、科举制等中国古代各种人才“选举”制度，都是基于这种理念而建立的。“野无遗贤”也被认为是国家良好治理状态的标志之一。 When no sagacious person was ignored, all men with virtue and talent were employed by the government. This is a demonstration of the ancient concept of “holding man of sagacity in high esteem.” Since ancient times, China has emphasized that people should be appointed to