中华文化术语选篇

民惟邦本

People Being the Foundation of the State

指民眾是国家的根本或基础。只有百姓安居乐业、生活稳定，国家才能安定。最早见于伪《古文尚书》所载大禹的训示。这与战国时代孟子提出的“民为贵，社稷次之，君为轻”，荀子提出的“水能载舟，亦能覆舟”的思想一脉相承，并由此形成儒家所推崇的“民本”思想。

This term means that the people are the essence of the state or the foundation upon which it stands. Only when people live and work in peace and contentment can the state be peaceful and stable. This saying， which first appeared in a pseudo-version of The Classical Book of History as an instruction by Yu the Great， can be traced to Menciusstatement： “The essence of a state is the people， next come the god of land and the god of grain （which stand for state power）， and the last the ruler，”and Xunzis statement， “Just as water can float a boat， so can water overturn it.” This idea gave rise to the “people first” thought advocated by Confucianism.

引例 Citation：

◎皇祖有训：民可近，不可下。民惟邦本，本固邦宁。（《尚书·五子之歌》）

（我们的祖先大禹曾经告诫说：民众只可以亲近，不能认为他们卑微。民众是国家的根本，根本稳固了国家才能安宁。）

Our ancestor Yu the Great warned： （a ruler） must maintain a close relationship with the people； he must not regard them as insignificant. They are the foundation of a state， and a state can enjoy peace only when its foundation is firm. （The Book of History）

人文化成

Ren Wen Hua Cheng

根据社会文明的进展程度与实际状况，用合于“人文”的基本精神和原则教化民众，引导民心向善，最终实现有差等又有调和的社会秩序。“人文”指的是诗书、礼乐、法度等精神文明的创造；“化”是教化、教导（民众）并使之改变，“成”指社会文治昌明的实现。“人文化成”的核心在于强调文治，实际上是中华“文明”理想的又一表达形式。

The term is used to describe efforts to teach people essential ideals and principles of ren wen（人文）and guide them to embrace goodness with the aim of building a harmonious—albeit hierarchical—social order， according to the level of development of a civilization and the specifics of the society. Ren wen refers to poetry， books， social norms， music， law， and other non-material components of civilization. Hua（化）means to edify（教诲，教导）the populace； cheng（成）refers to the establishment or prosperity of rule by civil means （as opposed to force）. The concept emphasizes rule by civil means， and is another expression of the Chinese concept of “civilization.”

引例 Citation：

◎观乎天文，以察时变；观乎人文，以化成天下。（《周易·贲》）

（观察日月星辰的运行状态，可以知道四季的变换；考察诗书礼乐的发展状况，可以用来教化天下百姓，实现文治昌明。）

Observing the movements of the sun， moon， and stars helps us learn about the change of seasons； studying the development of poetry， books， social norms， and music enables us to edify the populace so that the rule by civil means can prosper. （The Book of Changes）