Nowadays, environmental protection is definitely one of the biggest concerns. Actually, it was also an issue that ancient Chinese people paid great attention to.
現如今,环境保护无疑是最受关注的问题之一。其实,这也是中国古人非常重视的一个问题。
The worlds earliest concept of “managing state affairs through environmental protection”
世界上最早的“环保治国”理念
In early ancient China, environmental protection was promoted to the political level. Xunzi, a famous thinker in the Warring States Period, brought up the concept of “managing state affairs through environmental protection”. He stated in his book that vegetation should not be damaged at will.
Guan Zhong, an official about 400 years ahead of Xunzi, was also an environmental protection expert. During his term of office, he claimed that “a king who cannot protect his vegetation is not qualified to be a king”.
在中国古代早期,环境保护被提升到治理国家的层面。战国时期著名思想家荀子提出了“环保治国”的思想。他在书中说不应该随意破坏植被。
管仲是比荀子早约400年的一位官员,也是一位环保专家。他在任期间曾说过:“不能保护草木的王,不配做王。”
The worlds earliest “environmental protection ministry”
世界上最早的“环保部”
The environmental protection ministry in early ancient China was called “Yu”, standing both for the institution and the official title. The nine ministries established by Shun, an ancient Chinese emperor, already included “Yu”. The first “Yu” official was a man called Boyi.
Boyi was a capable assistant to Dayu, an ancient Chinese water control expert. He invented wells, protecting peoples drinking water from pollution. He knew a lot about animals and also called for animal protection.
中国古代早期的环保部被称为“虞”,既代表机构,也代表官职。中国古代部落首领舜建立的九个部中,已经包括了“虞”。第一个“虞”官是一个叫伯益的人。
伯益是中国古代治水能手大禹的得力助手。伯益发明了水井,以保护人们的饮用水不受污染。他很了解动物,也呼吁保护动物。
The worlds earliest “environmental protection legislation”
世界上最早的“环境保护法”
Environmental protection legislation can be traced back to the ruling period of Dayu, which was more than 4,000 years ago. During his reign, he issued a ban, forbidding people to chop wood in March or catch fish in June, the time when they were supposed to flourish.
In the Warring States Period, “environmental protection legislation” appeared in its true sense in Qin state, which was recorded in Law of Fields. Many environmental protection rules can be found in Law of Fields, among which two interesting ones stood out: firstly, river courses should not be blocked; secondly, grass and trees should not be burned to be fertilizer except in summer. The second one is inspiring even for today. It can help avoid air pollution and reduce haze.
环境保护法可以追溯到4 000多年前的大禹统治时期。在他统治期间,他颁布了一项禁令,禁止人们在三月砍柴或在六月捕鱼,因为那正是它们的生长期。
战国时期,秦国出现了真正意义上的“环境保护法”,被记载在《田律》中。《田律》中有很多环保法规,其中有两条比较有意思:第一条,禁止堵塞河道;第二条,除了在夏天,禁止焚烧草木作为肥料。第二条即使在今天也很受用,它可以帮助避免空气污染,减少雾霾。
Word Bank
vegetation /'ved??'te??n/ n. 植物;植被;草木
issue /'??u?/ v. 宣布;公布;发出
The police have issued an appeal for witnesses.
chop /t??p/ v. 砍;劈;切碎
Chop the butter into small pieces.