gēxíngti 歌行体 Poetic Song 一种由汉魏六朝乐府诗发展而来的诗歌体裁，它的文体特点是篇幅较长，善于抒情写景，句式多变，没有严格的格律要求，形式采用五言、七言、杂言的古体，富于变化。南朝鲍照在学习民歌基础之上，创立了歌行体，唐代李白、白居易等也常用歌行体创作。 Poetic songs were developed from the officially collected folk ballads and songs of the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties. They are characterized by great length, bold expression of feeling, diverse sentence patterns and laxity of the requirements of metrical forms. They followed the classic forms of five characters to a […]

gāng yì 刚毅 Firm and Resolute 坚强而果决。“刚”指坚强而不屈，“毅”指果断而不犹豫。人们对于道义的遵守会受到各种干扰。“刚毅”即强调要破除这些干扰，既不为个人的私欲所影响，也不受暴力或强权的胁迫，让自己的言行始终符合道义的要求。儒家认为，“刚毅”作为一种重要的美德，接近于“仁”德。 The first of these two Chinese characters means firm and unyielding, the second one means resolute and decisive. As people often come under undue influences that affect their observance of moral standards, this term emphasizes the need to resist such influences by adhering to ethical rules in their

gǎi yì bú gǎi jǐng 改邑不改井 You Can Change a Town, But You Cannot Change the Wells. 改变城邑，不改变井。井即水井，也指古代社会的组织单位，八家为一井。人类的生存离不开水，聚集之地多有水井。而井为水脉所限，不能轻易变更，故无论人类的居所如何改造、迁徙，水井都是不动的参照点。其中隐含的智慧是：无论诸多事项如何变动，人类生存所必需的基本东西要保持稳定。 You can change a town, but you should not relocate the wells. Wells, where drinking water comes from, also refer to the social units of ancient China, where eight households shared one well. Humans cannot live without

fēnghuà 风化 The Influence of Moral Cultivation 统治者自身的德行对百姓的影响。“风化”的意思是像风吹万物一样影响、感化（民众），是教化的一种重要形式。儒家认为，统治者是百姓的榜样，对百姓有着潜移默化的影响。如果统治者能够使自身的言行符合道德、礼法的规范，那么不必对百姓做出强制的要求，百姓就会出于对统治者的效法，而自觉地遵守德礼的规范。“风化”也指在统治者的这种影响下所形成的风俗、风气。 This refers to the effect a ruler’s virtuous behavior has on his subjects, in the way the wind influences the myriad things. Moral cultivation is an important part of education. The Confucian view is that a ruler should set an example to the people, influencing them unobtrusively.

fǎ zhě tiān zǐ suǒ yǔ tiān xià gōng gòng yě 法者天子所与天下公共也 The Law Must Be Respected Equally by the Son of Heaven and All the People. 法律是天子和全国人民都要共同遵守的。亦即说，法律一经确定，任何人，无论其身份高低贵贱，都必须遵照施行；即便是国家最高统治者，也和天下所有人一样，不能对既定的法律随意改变。这一思想可以被认为是对于古代法家“法不阿贵”思想的进一步弘扬。它不仅强调了法律的刚性和平等性，而且强调了法律对于权力、政治的超越性。 Laws should be respected by the sovereign ruler and people equally. This means that once a law is promulgated, everyone, regardless of status or wealth, has to

fǎ zhě suǒ yǐ ài mín yě 法者所以爱民也 Law Is a Means of Loving the People. 法是爱民的手段，即法律、制度为的是惠及百姓。这是法家的重要指导思想。其深意为：是否变革法令、制度，确立什么样的法令、制度，必须以“爱民”为依据和目的。法家虽然以严刑峻法著称，并与儒家的“德政”相区隔，但在更为深刻的层面上，却并不与“民本”“仁爱”理念相悖。 Law being a means of loving the people suggests that laws and institutions are for the benefit of the people. It is an important guiding principle of the Legalist school. The profound significance of this is: Changing laws

dìlǐ 地理 The Laws Determining the Physical Features of the Land / Geography 大地、山川的分布、运行及其规则。“地理”一词出自《周易》。地形的起伏交错、山川的分布走势，呈现出某种恒常的法则，就是“地理”。古人认为，人伦生活与天地万物遵循着相通的法则。因此，人们可以通过对“地理”的观察与效法，确立人伦生活的秩序。后世又将与自然环境相应的物产、交通、居住等经济生活及其受自然环境影响的规律纳入“地理”的范畴。 This term means the laws that determine the physical features of plains, mountains and rivers. The term is from The Book of Changes, and it means that the uneven topography of the land, and the direction of rivers and mountains are

dà yī tǒng 大一统 Great Unity 推重国家思想与法度的统一。“大一统”之说是由董仲舒（前179—前104）提出的，用以概括《春秋》一书的思想主旨。董仲舒认为，国家需要统一法令制度，而要实现法令制度的统一，还需要统一思想。思想的纷杂不一，会使得民众无所遵从。董仲舒选择儒家学说作为国家统一的思想。在董仲舒看来，推重法制乃至思想的统一，是一种恒常不变的法则。 This concept places importance on the unity of national ideology and law. It was put forward by Dong Zhongshu (179-104 BC) as an underlying theme of The Spring and Autumn Annals. In his view, the state needs a uniform legal system, but to achieve such unity, different schools

dàxìnbùyuē 大信不约 The Greatest Trust Is Not Found in Pledges. 最高的诚信，不限于誓约。中国古人认为，人言即“信”，诚信是人之为人的固有规定。“信”是盟约、誓言的内在精神；“约”只是“信”的一种表现形式。没有“信”，“约”不过是一纸空文；有了“信”，“约”才具有实际意义。它强调的是诚信精神。 The greatest trust includes but is not limited to pledges. Ancient Chinese believed that trust is a person standing by their word. To act in good faith is a basic requirement for a person to become fully human. Trust is essential for an agreement

dàshōushā 大收煞 The Grand Finale 指全本戏剧的收场戏。这一术语包含对戏剧全场收束的要求：自然合理而非生硬地交代剧中人物的结局、事件结果，让观众体验到情节有呼有应、有放有收、有始有终、有因有果，心理由紧张到舒释、由期待到满足的审美愉悦，有“团圆之趣”。李渔（1611—1680）所言“团圆”不仅是骨肉分离而终聚、有情人终成眷属之类的圆满结局，而是指戏剧结构如同一个完整的环，收场戏就是扣上这个环的最后一步，也是戏剧的高潮。 This term refers to the final part of a drama. It contains a requirement as to how a dramatic or operatic performance should end; i.e., a natural and reasonable rather than stiff outcome of the characters and events in a play, making it possible for the audience to experience