中华思想文化术语(连载八)

中华思想文化术语(连载八)

1.太极 /tàijí/

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 asqi(vital force)oryuanqi(primordial vital force) that permeates the chaotic world，or as a universal principle，i.e.Daoorli(理)，or aswu(无). Second，it is used as a term of divination，referring to the initial state before divinatory numbers，the odd number one (written as —) and the even number two (written as - -)，are applied or before the yarrow stems are divided. Divination is conducted on the basis oftaiji. Third，it stands for the highest point or boundary of space.

引例Citations：

◎易始于太极，太极分而为二，故生天地。(《易纬·乾凿度》)

(易起始于太极，太极一分为二，因此生成了天地。)

Changes evolve fromtaiji，which gives rise to two primal forces ofyinandyang. They in turn give birth to heaven and earth. (AnAlternativeExplanationofTheBookofChanges)

◎总天地万物之理，便是太极。(《朱子语类》卷九十四)

(总合天地万物的理，便是太极。)

Taijiis the overriding law of all things，as well as heaven and earth. (ClassifiedConversationsofMasterZhuXi)

2.五行 /wǔxínɡ/

Wuxinɡ

“五行”有三种不同的含义：其一，指五种最基本的事物或构成万物的五种元素。《尚书·洪范》最早明确了“五行”的内容，即金、木、水、火、土。五种事物或元素有其各自的属性，彼此间存在相生相克的关系。其二，五行进一步被抽象为理解万物和世界的基本框架，万物都可以纳入五行的范畴之中，并因此被赋予不同的性质。其三，指五种道德行为。荀子曾指责子思、孟子“按往旧造说，谓之五行”，从郭店楚墓竹简及马王堆汉墓帛书相关文字内容来看，该“五行”指仁、义、礼、智、圣。

There are three meanings to the term. 1) The five fundamental things or elements that make up all things.TheBookofHistorywas the first to define the five elements：metal，wood，water，fire，and earth. Each of these has its own properties and they interact in a generative or destructive relationship. 2) On a more abstract level，the term refers to the basic framework to understand the world. All things can be included in the realm ofwuxing(五行) and their properties are explained or understood accordingly. 3) It refers to five kinds of moral behavior. Xunzi once criticized Zisi and Mencius for “creatingwuxingon the basis of old theories.” Ancient bamboo slips unearthed from a grave at Guodian dating back to the State of Chu as well as inscribed silk texts from the Mawangdui Tomb of the Western Han Dynasty，all describe thiswuxingas benevolence，righteousness，li(礼)，wisdom，and the character of a sage.

引例Citations：

◎天有三辰，地有五行。(《左传·昭公三十二年》)

(天有日月星三辰，地有金木水火土五行。)

In heaven there are the sun，moon，and stars，while on earth there are the five elements：metal，wood，water，fire，and earth. (Zuo’sCommentaryonTheSpringandAutumnAnnals)

◎天地之气，合而为一，分为阴阳，判为四时，列为五行。(董仲舒《春秋繁露·五行相生》)

(天地之气，聚合而为一，区别而为阴阳，分判为春夏秋冬四时，排列为金木水火土五行。)

Theqiof heaven and that of earth merge into one；it evolves intoyinandyang，the four seasons，and the five elements of metal，wood，water，fire，and earth.(Dong Zhongshu：LuxuriantGemsofTheSpringandAutumnAnnals)

3.太学 /tàixué/

Imperial Academy

由朝廷创办的设于京师的最高学府和最高教育行政机构。西周时期即有“太学”之名，但真正创设是在汉武帝时期(公元前124 年)。太学的教授称“博士”，由精通儒家经典、有丰富教学经验、德才兼备的著名学者担任；学生称“博士弟子”“太学生”等，最多时达万人。其后至明清，中央政府一般在京师设立太学，或设与太学相同职能的教育机构，名称不一，具体制度也有变化。作为官立的中央最高学府，它和地方教育机构、私人教育组织一起构成了中国古代完备的教育体系。它对于传播儒家经典和以儒家为主的主流价值观起到重要作用。

The imperial academy was the highest educational institution and educational administrative department in feudal China. The term first appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty，but the first imperial academy was not officially established until 124 BC during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Teachers of the imperial academy were called “grand academicians” (literarily “scholars of broad learning”). They were well versed in Confucian classics，had rich teaching experience，and possessed both moral integrity and professional competence. Their students were called “students of the imperial academy” or “students of the grand academicians.” At its peak the imperial academy had 10，000 students. The central governments of all subsequent dynasties，including the Ming and Qing，had an imperial academy or a similar institution of education，usually located in the capital. It had different names and systems in different dynasties. The imperial academy，the top institution of learning run by the central government，along with local institutions of education and private schools，formed a complete education system in ancient China. They were significant in disseminating the Confucian classics and ancient China’s mainstream values with Confucianism as its main school of thought.

引例Citation：

◎臣愿陛下兴太学，置明师，以养天下之士。(《汉书·董仲舒传》)

(我希望陛下兴办太学，安排精通经书的老师，来培养天下的读书人。)

May I propose Your Majesty establish an imperial academy where teachers well versed in the Confucian classics can train students from all over the country. (TheHistoryoftheHanDynasty)

4.体性 /tǐxìnɡ/

Style and Temperament

作品风格与作者个性的统一与结合。是关于文学风格的重要术语。“体”指文章风格，“性”指作者个性因素。源出于刘勰《文心雕龙·体性》，该文分析了作者个性特点与文章风格有着内在的关联，文如其人。这启发了后人从作者个性着眼去分析文学作品不同的风格类型，奠定了中国古代文学风格论的基本思想。

This is an important term about literary style that stresses the unity and integration of the styles of writings with the temperaments of their authors. The term originated from Liu Xie’sTheLiteraryMindandtheCarvingofDragons. One chapter of the book discusses how the styles of writings are related to the temperaments of the writers，and argues that the writings truly reflect the temperaments of their authors. This has encouraged later generations to analyze different styles of literary works based on the authors’ temperaments and became a basic line of thought on ancient Chinese literary style.

引例Citations：

◎夫情动而言形，理发而文见。盖沿隐以至显，因内而符外者也。然才有庸俊，气有刚柔，学有浅深，习有雅郑；并情性所铄，陶染所凝，是以笔区云谲，文苑波诡者矣。(刘勰《文心雕龙·体性》)

(情感激发而形成语言，道理表达便体现为文章。也就是将隐藏在内心的情和理逐渐彰显、由内至外的过程。不过人的才华有平凡和杰出之分，气禀有阳刚与阴柔之别，学识有浅深之异，习性有雅正和鄙俗之差。这些都是由人的先天情性所造就，并受后天的熏陶积聚而成，所以他们的创作奇谲如风云变幻，文章诡秘似海涛翻转。)

When emotions stir，they take the form of language. When ideas emerge，they are expressed in writings. Thus the obscure becomes manifest and the internal feelings pour into the open. However，talent may be mediocre or outstanding，temperament masculine or feminine，learning deep or shallow，upbringing refined or vulgar. All this results from differences in nature and nurture. Hence the unusual cloud-like variations in the realm of writing and the mysterious wave-like undulations in the garden of literature. (Liu Xie：TheLiteraryMindandtheCarvingofDragons)

◎故性格清彻者音调自然宣畅，性格舒徐者音调自然疏缓，旷达者自然浩荡，雄迈者自然壮烈，沉郁者自然悲酸，古怪者自然奇绝。有是格，便有是调，皆情性自然之谓也。莫不有情，莫不有性，而可以一律求之哉？(李贽《读律肤说》)

(所以那些性情开朗透明的人所作诗的音律自然直接流畅，性情迟缓的人所作诗的音律自然疏朗宽缓，性情旷达的人所作诗的音律自然磊落浩荡，性情雄奇豪迈的人所作诗的音律自然强劲壮烈，性情沉郁的人所作诗的音律自然悲凉酸楚，性情古怪的人所作诗的音律自然不同寻常。有什么性情，便有什么音律，这都是个性气质所自然决定的。人人莫不有情感，莫不有个性，怎么可以用一个音律标准去要求所有的诗歌呢？)

So it is natural that those with an open and easy-going temperament create poems with tonal rhythms that are direct，smooth，and easy to understand；those with a slow temperament write in relaxed tonal rhythms；those with a broad mind，magnificent and uninhibited；those with a heroic character，powerful and gallant；those with a depressed personality，sad and miserable；those with a weird temperament，out of the ordinary. Temperament decides the tonal rhythms of an author’s writings. People have their own emotions and personalities. How can all the poems be judged by the same standard for tonal rhythms? (Li Zhi：MyUnderstandingofPoeticGenre)

5.体用 /tǐyònɡ/

TiandYong

“体用”有三种不同含义：其一，形体、实体为“体”，形体、实体的功能、作用为“用”。其二，事物的本体为“体”，本体的显现、运用为“用”。其三，行事、行为的根本原则为“体”，根本原则的具体施用为“用”。在“体用”对待的关系中，“体”是基础，“用”是依赖于“体”的。

Ti(体) andyong(用) can be understood in three different ways：1) a physicalthing and its functions or roles；2) the ontological existence of a thing and itsexpression and application；and 3) the fundamental code of conduct，and itsobservance. In anyti-yongrelationship，tiprovides the basis on whichyongdepends.

引例Citations：

◎天者定体之名，乾者体用之称。(《周易·乾》孔颖达正义)

(“天”是确定实体的名称，“乾”是表现实体之功用的名称。)

Tian(天) means heaven in the physical sense，whileqian(乾) means its functions and significance. (Kong Yingda：CorrectMeaningofTheBookofChanges)

◎至微者理也，至著者象也。体用一源，显微无间。(程颐《程氏易传》)

(最隐微的是理，最显著的是象。作为本体的理和作为现象的象出自同一来源，显著与隐微之间没有差别。)

What is most subtle isli(理)，while what is most conspicuous isxiang(象).Lias the ontological existence andxiangas its manifestation are of the same origin；there is no difference between them. (Cheng Yi：ChengYi’sCommentaryonTheBookofChanges)

6.天下 /tiānxià/

Tianxia(All Under Heaven)

古多指天子统治范围的全部土地及统治权。古人认为，大夫的统治范围是“家”，诸侯的统治范围是“国”，天子的统治范围是“天下”。“天下”字面义是“普天之下”，实质指天子统治或名义之下的“家国”统合体所覆盖的全部疆域，并包括天下所有的人及国家的统治权。后演变指全民族或全世界。

This term referred mainly to all the land under the name of the Son of Heaven and the right to rule on such land. The ancient Chinese held that the rule of senior officials was over their enfeoffed land，and that of dukes and princes was over feudal states. The rule of the Son of Heaven was over all the land. Literally，tianxia(天下) means “all under heaven.” It actually refers to all the territory embracing the enfeoffed land and feudal states under the rule or in the name of the Son of Heaven，as well as all the subjects and the right to rule. The term has later evolved to refer to the whole nation or the whole world.

引例Citations：

◎溥天之下，莫非王土；率土之滨，莫非王臣。(《诗经·小雅·北山》)

(普天之下，无一不是天子的土地；四海之内，无一不是天子的臣民。)

All land under heaven falls within the domain of the Son of Heaven；all those on this land are his subjects. (TheBookofSongs)

◎寡助之至，亲戚畔之；多助之至，天下顺之。(《孟子·公孙丑下》)

(拥护的人特别少，连亲戚都叛离他；拥护的人特别多，天下所有的人都归顺他。)

With little popular support，even his relatives will betray and desert him；but with massive popular support，everyone under heaven will pledge allegiance to him. (Mencius)

◎天下兴忘，匹夫有责。(梁启超《饮冰室文集》卷三十三“痛定罪言”三引)

(天下的兴盛与衰亡，[关乎到每一个人，因此]人人都有责任。)

The rise and fall of a nation is the concern of every citizen. (Liang Qichao：CollectionsofIceDrinkingStudy)

7.王 /wánɡ/

King

本为夏、商、周三代天子的称号，春秋以后周天子一统天下的局面遭到破坏，至战国时期列国君主皆可称王。秦汉以后，“王”一般是皇帝对自己直系男性亲属的最高封爵。在儒家特别是孔孟的政治哲学论述中，“王”一方面代表上天的旨意，具有至高无上的权力；另一方面又被赋予了极强的道德特质和政治理想。儒家认为，用仁义治理或统一天下、以道德手段使天下人都来归顺叫做“王(wànɡ)”，依靠仁义道德形成天下一统的政治局面叫做“王道”。

King was originally the title for the“Son of Heaven，” namely，the country’s supreme ruler in the Xia，Shang and Zhou dynasties. From the Spring and Autumn Period onward，the power of the Zhou court gradually weakened and the kingdom disintegrated. By the time of the Warring States Period，any monarch could call himself a king. Up to the Qin and Han dynasties，king became the highest title granted by the emperor to a male member of the imperial family. In the political philosophical discourse of Confucianism，especially in the works of Confucius and Mencius，a king represents heaven’s will and therefore ought to have supreme，unchallengeable power；at the same time，he is imbued with a high moral attribute and political ideals. According to Confucianism，to be a king is to unify or govern the country with benevolence and righteousness，or to win over people by morally justified means. Likewise，the pursuit of the kingly way means using benevolent and righteous means to govern the country.

引例Citation：

◎天下归之之谓王，天下去之之谓亡。(《荀子·正论》)

(天下人归顺他，就可以称王；天下人抛弃他，就只会灭亡。)

He to whom the people swear allegiance can rule as a king；he perishes when the people desert him. (Xunzi)

8.王道 /wánɡdào/

Kingly Way (Benevolent Governance)

儒家提倡的以仁义治理天下、以德服人的政治主张(与“霸道”相对)。上古贤明帝王多以仁德治国，至战国时代孟子将其提升为政治理念，提出国君应当以仁义治国，在处理国与国之间的关系时要以德服人，这样才能得到民众拥护，统一天下。它是中华民族崇尚“文明”、反对武力和暴政的具体体现。

Confucianism advocates the political principle of governing the country through benevolence and winning people’s support through virtue as opposed tobadao(霸道)—the despotic way. Enlightened kings and emperors of ancient times governed the country primarily through benevolence and virtue. In the Warring States Period，Mencius advocated this idea as a political concept：Only by governing the state with benevolence and righteousness，and by handling state-to-state relations on the basis of virtue，can a ruler win popular support and subsequently unify the country. The kingly way or benevolent governance epitomizes the Chinese people’s respect for “civilization” and their opposition to the use of force and tyranny.

引例Citations：

◎无偏无党，王道荡荡。(《尚书·洪范》)

(公正而不偏向任何一方，圣王之道宽广无边。)

By upholding justice without any partiality or bias，the kingly way is inclusive and boundless. (TheBookofHistory)

9.文明 /wénmínɡ/

Wenming(Civilization)

指社会文治教化彰明昌盛的状态。“文”指“人文”，指礼乐教化以及与此相关的有差等又有调和的社会秩序；“明”即光明、昌明、通达之义。中华民族崇文而不尚武，自古便将文治教化的彰明昌盛作为自己的最高理想和追求，并以此作为评判异国他域政治是否清明的最重要标准。

This term refers to a thriving，prosperous，and perceptibly refined society in which people behave in a cultured fashion.Wen(文) refers to the arts and humanities，including social norms，music education，moral cultivation，and a social order that is hierarchical yet harmonious.Ming(明) means bright，prosperous，and highly civilized. The Chinese nation has always preferredwentowu(武，force). This is the loftiest ideal pursued by the Chinese nation since ancient times. It was also the criterion by which to judge whether the governance of a nation was well conducted.

引例Citation：

◎文明之世，销锋铸镝。(焦赣《易林·节之颐》)

(文明时代，销毁兵器，停止战争。)

In a civilized society weapons are destroyed and war ceases. (Jiao Gong：AnnotationsonTheBookofChanges)

10.文气 /wénqì/

Wenqi

作品中所表现出的作者的精神气质与个性特点。是作家的内在精神气质与作品外在的行文气势相融合的产物。“气”原指构成天地万物始初的基本元素，用在文论中，既指作家的精神气质，也指这种精神气质在作品中的具体表现。人禀天地之气而形成不同的个性气质，表现在文学创作中，便形成不同的文气，呈现出独特风格特点及气势强弱、节奏顿挫等。

Wenqi(文气) is the personality an author demonstrates in his works，and is a fusion of his innate temperament and the vitality seen in his works. Originally，qi(气)referred to the basic element in the initial birth and formation of all things，as well as heaven and earth. In literary criticism，it refers to an author’s distinctive individuality and its manifestation in his writings. Humans are believed to develop different characters and traits endowed by theqiof heaven and earth. Reflected in literary creation，such different characters and traits naturally find expression in distinctive styles and varying degrees of vigor as well as rhythm and cadence.

引例Citations：

◎文以气为主，气之清浊有体，不可力强而致。(曹丕《典论·论文》)

(文章由作家的“气”为主导，气有清气、浊气两种形态[ 决定人的气质优劣与材质高下]，不是强行可以获得的。)

Literary writing is governed byqi. Either clear or murky，qidetermines the temperament of a writer，refined or vulgar，and his talent，high or low.Qicannot be acquired. (Cao Pi：OnLiteraryClassics)

◎气盛则言之短长与声之高下者皆宜。(韩愈《答李翊书》)

(作者的内心气势很强，那么句子长短搭配和音调的抑扬顿挫自然都会恰当。)

If a writer has a strong inner flow ofqi，the length of his sentences will be well-balanced，and his choice of tone and cadence will just be right. (Han Yu：ALetterofResponsetoLiYi)

欧阳友权，中南大学中国文化产业品牌研究中心主任、首席专家，主要研究文化产业发展。

选自“中华思想文化术语”系列图书(外语教学与研究出版社出版)