lìcí 丽辞 Ornate Parallel Style 骈文中运用两两相对的方式遣词用句。“丽”即骈俪、对偶。单音独体汉字比较容易形成前后两句对偶的结构，对偶句具有音节配合、意义呼应的整齐美、和谐美。古人借此术语肯定了语言的形式美但又坚持形式与内容相和谐，以最终创作出文质相扶、尽善尽美的作品。 The term refers to a classical Chinese literary style generally known as “parallel prose,” largely composed of couplets of phrases with similar structure. Monosyllabic Chinese words, each represented with a single written character, are fairly easy to arrange in pairs of expressions with semantic symmetry and prosodic harmony. The […]

lí xínɡ dé sì 离形得似 Transcend the Outer Form to Capture the Essence 文艺创作描绘对象时要善于超越外形而捕捉其精神特征，达到高度真实。庄子（前369？—前286）认为生命的根本在于精神而非形体，应该忘记形体存在而让精神自由驰骋。晚唐诗人司空图（837—908）借鉴这一观点，认为诗歌描绘对象也要追求神似而超越形似。这一诗歌创作理念和批评术语后来也在书法、绘画领域得到贯彻。 When describing something, literary writing should be able to go beyond external appearance to capture the essence so as to reflect a high degree of reality. Zhuangzi (369?-286BC) considered that the essence of life lies in the inner spirit rather than

lí jiānbái 离坚白 Separate Hardness from Whiteness 分离一个事物所具有的坚和白的属性。“离坚白”是公孙龙子提出的一个命题。一块坚硬的白石，当眼睛看它时，只能看到石之白，看不到石之坚；当手触摸它时，只能摸到石之坚，摸不到石之白。坚与白是相互分离的，不能同时出现在石头上，因此不能将坚硬的白石称为“坚白石”。公孙龙子借由“坚白石”的例子，表达了对于事物属性的认识。事物的各种属性是相互独立的，不能同时关联在同一个事物中。 The separation of an object’s hardness from its whiteness is a proposition advanced by Gongsunlongzi. Looking at a hard and white stone, one can only see its whiteness but not its hardness; while touching the stone with one’s hand, one can only feel its hardness but not

lètiān-zhīmìng 乐天知命 Rejoice in Complying with Heaven and Know Its Mandate 乐于顺从天道并知晓命运的分限。出自《周易·系辞上》。天道规定了人事的法则，命运界定了人力的限度。这些都是人不能改易的，人应该知晓并坦然面对。同时，人在天、命的规范与限度内，又可以通过自身的不断努力，修养德行，拓展功业，故乐于顺从天、命。 Rejoice in complying with the Way of Heaven and recognize the limitations set by the Mandate of Heaven. This concept originates from The Book of Changes. The Way of Heaven regulates human affairs and its mandate defines the limit of human power. This

kuāshì 夸饰 Exaggeration and Embellishment 文学作品中所使用的夸张和藻饰的创作手法。目的是增加艺术感染力，吸引读者注意，夸饰运用得好，可以达到写实无法企及的艺术效果，但是过度运用，则会产生华而不实的反面作用，因而古人提出了“夸而有节”的观点，主张夸饰要善于把握尺度。 The term refers to the use of exaggeration and embellishment in a literary work to enhance its artistic appeal. When used as appropriate, exaggeration and embellishment can achieve an artistic effect beyond that of realistic descriptions. However, if overused, it will create the opposite effect, making the writing too

kǔyín 苦吟 Painstaking Versification 指唐代诗人贾岛（779—843）创作时苦思冥想、反复吟哦的创作方法。苦吟诗人多困顿失意，所以苦吟也被视为诗人借诗解愁的一种方式。有时也指从事文艺创作时精益求精的创作态度。 The Tang-dynasty poet Jia Dao (779-843) found composing his poems quite a painful process, and his creative method was to chant his verses repeatedly to get the right line. Those engaged in “painstaking versification” tended to be exhausted and frustrated, and their poetry is regarded as a way of relief

kēzhèng měng yú hǔ 苛政猛于虎 Tyranny Is Fiercer Than a Tiger. 苛刻残暴的政令比老虎还要凶猛可怕。语出《礼记·檀弓下》。孔子路过泰山脚下，有位妇女在墓前痛哭，孔子派子路上前询问，得知当地虎患严重，她的三位亲人皆被老虎咬死，她却因这里没有苛政而不愿离开，故而孔子发出“苛政猛于虎也”的感叹。它从反面批评了苛政对百姓的祸害，告诫统治者应当轻徭薄赋、爱惜民众，体现了儒家的仁政思想。 Harsh and cruel laws are more horrifying even than a tiger. The expression comes from The Book of Rites. The story goes that when Confucius was passing the foot of Mount Tai, he saw a woman weeping on a grave. He sent Zilu

jūnzǐ gù qióng 君子固穷 A Man of Virtue Maintains His Ideals Even in Frustrations. 君子在困境中也能坚守道义。“君子”本指贵族男子和统治者，后泛指有教养、有德行的人；“固穷”即在穷困或在不得志的情况下，仍会坚持自己的理想、价值和操守。古人认为，困境是对“君子”的一种考验与历练，而“君子”在困境面前不会动摇本心，更不会失去底线。“君子固穷”犹言“安贫乐道”、“穷不失义”，它强调的是政治和文化精英的道义担当精神、社会引领责任。 Even under pressure, a man of virtue maintains his moral values. Junzi or man of virtue originally referred to a ruler or a man of the aristocracy. Later, it came to mean any educated, upright person. Guqiong (固穷) means to adhere to

jīnɡ, quán 经、权 Constant and Temporary 中国哲学史上用来称说“道”的通常不变与权宜之变的一对哲学范畴。“经”是“道”在人伦日用中的通常表现，是通常应遵行的普遍之道，具有规范性的作用和意义。“权”的意思是从权、权变。在某些特殊处境中，按照“经”的规范行事会产生背离“道”的结果，这时就需要采取变通的方式，即“权”。“权”看似是对经常之“道”的偏离，但实质上是以权宜的方式合乎“道”的要求。在不同处境中对“经”与“权”的恰当选择与运用，取决于对“道”的深刻理解与把握。 Jing (经), which means the constant, and quan (权), which means the temporary, are terms used in the historical discourse of Chinese philosophy referring to a pair of philosophical concepts concerning the permanent and temporarily changing aspects of the Dao. The constant is the normal manifestation of human relations and

jìnzhōng-bàoguó 尽忠报国 Be as Loyal as One Can Be and Serve One’s Own Country 竭尽忠诚，报效国家。亦作“精忠报国”。唐初编撰的《周书》《北史》已见“尽忠报国”一语。这一词语还与南宋抗金名将岳飞（1103—1142）相关联。元人所修《宋史》记载了岳飞后背刺有“尽忠报国”四字，但未说明何人所刺，至清代始有岳母刺字的说法，遂演绎为岳飞遵母命而尽忠报国、至死不渝的故事。它蕴含了忠孝合一的儒家理念，至今仍是中国人爱国精神的典型表达。 Be as loyal as one can be and serve one’s own country. The term “be loyal and serve the country” first appeared in The History of Zhou of the Northern Dynasties and The History of the Northern Dynasties compiled during the early