tàijí 太极 Taiji (The Supreme Ultimate) “太极”有三种不同的含义：其一，指世界的本原。但古人对“太极”的世界本原之义又有不同理解：或以“太极”为混沌未分的“气”或“元气”；或以之为世界的普遍法则，即“道”或“理”；或以之为“无”。其二，占筮术语。指奇（—）偶（–）两画尚未推演确定或蓍草混一未分的状态，是卦象的根源。其三，指空间的最高极限。 Taiji (the supreme ultimate) has three different meanings. First, it refers to the origin of the world. The ancient Chinese saw it either as qi (vital force) or yuanqi (primordial vital force) that permeates the chaotic world, or as a universal principle, i.e. Dao or li (理), or as wu (无). […]

shùntiān-yìngrén 顺天应人 Follow the Mandate of Heaven and Comply with the Wishes of the People 顺应上天的旨意和民众的意愿。“天”即“天命”，指上天旨意。古人认为，有德行的人秉承上天意志而确立政权，成为君主，故称为“天命”。“人”指人心、民意。它与西方“君权神授”思想相似，但它还强调人心、民意，体现了人本思想。在古代它常被用于称扬新朝代的建立和社会重大变革的实施，以表明其正当性、合法性。 The ancient Chinese believed that virtuous men followed the will of heaven in establishing a political regime and becoming its sovereigns; hence their success came from the mandate of heaven. This thought is similar to the Western notion of

shūyuàn 书院 Classical Academy 唐宋至明清时期出现的一种文化教育机构，是私人或官府所设的聚徒传授、研究学问的场所，兼具教学、研究、藏书等多种功能。它渊源于佛教禅林和私人藏书楼，萌生于唐，兴盛于宋。南宋初年，朱熹、张栻、吕祖谦、陆九渊等学者兴办书院，使之成为讲学及学派活动的基地。书院独立于官学之外，多设于环境宁静优美之地，由名师硕儒主持，追求学术自由与创新，注重言传身教、人格塑造，不图科举功名。南宋末年，书院逐步趋于官学，并与科举制度贯通。书院的兴衰与宋明理学的兴衰互为表里。1901年清政府下令书院全部改为学堂。书院前后存在一千多年，对中国古代教育和文化发展、推动中国文化走向海外产生过重大影响。 Classical academies were cultural and educational institutions that existed in China from the Tang and Song dynasties through the Ming and Qing dynasties. They were established either by the public or the government to serve the multiple purposes of education, research, and library service. Their origins were Buddhist monasteries and

shǐ cái sān cháng 史才三长 Three Strengths of a Good Historian 指修史或治史的人所必须具备的史才、史学、史识等三项专长。是唐代著名史学理论家刘知几提出的史学观点。“史才”指史书撰述能力；“史学”指丰富的历史知识和资料；“史识”指分析和评判历史的思想见识。刘知几认为，修史或治史的人必须同时具备这三种能力，其中“史识”最为重要。 According to the renowned historiographer Liu Zhiji of the Tang Dynasty, those who study and write history must have three strengths, namely, the ability to compose historical works, rich knowledge of history and historical materials, and deep insight that enables them to analyze

shī yuán qíng 诗缘情 Poetry Springs from Emotions. 诗歌缘于诗人内心的情感。西晋陆机《文赋》提出，诗人情动于心，而后才有诗歌创作。“诗缘情”说与“诗言志”说互为补充，强调文学的抒情性与审美特征，表现出魏晋时代文学观念的变迁。因此，“诗缘情”也成为中国古代关于诗歌与文学本质看法的另一代表观点。 Poems originate from the poet’s heart-felt feelings. Lu Ji of the Western Jin Dynasty said in “The Art of Writing” that a poet must have a surge of feeling deep in his heart before he could create a poem. This view, complementing the concept of “poetry

shī yán zhì 诗言志 Poetry Expresses Aspirations. 诗歌表达作者内心的志向。“志”指诗歌作品中所表达的作者的内心志向、思想，兼及情感因素。“诗言志”最先见于儒家经典《尚书·尧典》，是中国诗论的“开山纲领”（朱自清语），经过历代诗论家的演绎，其蕴涵不断得以丰富，并由此确立了中国文论关于文学特征的基本观念。 A poem expresses aspirations in one’s heart. Zhi (志) here means the author’s aspirations, emotions, and thoughts. The concept of “poetry expressing aspirations,” first seen in the Confucian classic The Book of History, was hailed by Zhu Ziqing as the “manifesto” of Chinese poetry. Enriched by poetry

shèng 圣 Sage / Sageness 人所能达到的最高品德；也指具有这种最高品德的人，即“圣人”。“圣”一般与“智”相对而言，“智”是对“人道”的把握，而“圣”则是对“天道”的把握。由于具“圣”德之人能够把握“天道”，因此在人伦日用中通达无碍。 The term refers to the highest realm of human integrity and morality, hence one who has reached this state is a sage. It is often used in relation to “wisdom,” since one who is a wise man understands the way of man, while one who is a sage understands

shēng yī wú tīng, wù yī wú wén 声一无听，物一无文 A Single Note Does Not Compose a Melodious Tune, Nor Does a Single Color Make a Beautiful Pattern. 单一声响不构成动听的旋律，单一颜色不构成美丽的花纹。其本质强调文学艺术的美在于多样性的统一与和谐，只有在多样性的统一与和谐中才能创造美。这一命题后来构成中国古代文艺理论的重要原则，推动文艺的繁荣与发展。 This statement suggests that the beauty of literature and art lies in the unity and harmony of diverse elements. It became an important principle in ancient Chinese

shénsī 神思 Imaginative Contemplation 文艺创作过程中的一种精神状态，指的是作者在饱满的情感驱动下，超越时间与空间的限制，进入到自由想象或特殊的灵感状态，最后通过特定的文学艺术形象和语言而传达出来，创作出自然而美好的文艺作品。这一术语，在魏晋南北朝的文艺理论中得到广泛运用，南朝刘勰《文心雕龙》对此有专门论述。“神思”强调它是文艺创作中一种独特的心理活动，不同于其他认识活动。 The term refers to a state of mind in the process of literary and artistic creation. It suggests that the author, fully inspired by emotions, transcends the constraint of time and space, and enters into a state of free imagination or a special mood for literary and artistic creation, before

shén 神 Shen (Spirit / Spiritual) “神”有四种不同的含义：其一，指具有人格意义的神灵，具有超越于人力的能力。天地、山川、日月、星辰等自然事物皆有其神灵，人死后的灵魂也可以成为神灵。其二，指人的精神、心神。道教认为“神”是人的生命的主宰，因此以存神、炼神为长生之要。其三，指天地万物在阴阳的相互作用下发生的微妙不测的变化。在这个意义上，“神”常与“化”连用，合称“神化”。其四，指人所具有的神妙不可测度的生命境界。 The term has four meanings. First, it indicates a deity in a personified sense, possessing superhuman capabilities. Natural things, such as heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, sun and moon, and stars, have their deity. A human soul may also become a deity after death. Second, it indicates the