中华思想文化术语(连载十五)

1.化性起伪/huà xìnɡ qǐ wěi

Transform Intrinsic Evil Nature to Develop Acquired Nature of Goodness

改变人的本性的恶而兴起人为的善。伪：人为。“化性起伪”是荀子在“性恶”论基础上提出的一种道德教化的主张。荀子认为，人天生的本性中包含着对外物的欲求。如果放纵本性中的欲望，就会导致人与人之间的纷争，社会将陷入混乱。因此，需要通过后天的教化，在恰当安顿人的欲望的同时，确立起对道德、礼法的认同与遵守。

This term means changing element of evil in one’s intrinsic nature and developing acquired nature of goodness. This ethical principle is put forward by Xunzi based on his belief that human nature is evil. Xunzi believes that the desire for external things is an intrinsic part of human nature. Unrestrained pursuit of such desire leads to rivalry between people and throws society into chaos. Therefore，it is imperative to rein in human desire and make people accept and observe rites and laws.

引例 Citations：

◎不可学、不可事而在人者谓之性，可学而能、可事而成之在人者谓之伪，是性、伪之分也。(《荀子·性恶》)

(不可以通过学习、从事而为人所具备的，称之为“性”；可以通过学习、从事而为人所具备的，称之为“伪”，这是“性”和“伪”的分别。)

Attributes that people have and that cannot be gained by learning and practice are called intrinsic nature. Abilities learned or mastered through practice are called acquired nature. Such is the difference between intrinsic nature and acquired nature. (Xunzi)

◎故圣人化性而起伪，伪起而生礼义，礼义生而制法度。(《荀子·性恶》)

(因此圣人改变人的本性的恶而兴起人为的善，人为的善兴起而产生了礼义，礼义产生而后制定法度。)

Thus，what the sage does is to transform the evil element in people’s intrinsic nature and develop acquired nature of goodness. The acquired nature of goodness gives rise to rites and ethical standards，which in turn give birth to laws. (Xunzi)

2.安贫乐道/ānpín-lèdào

Be Content with a Simple but Virtuous Life

安于贫困而乐于守道。在孔子与儒家看来，对于道义的学习与执守，并不是出于任何功利目的，而是发自内心的认同，是毕生追求的最高目标。因此，以道义为最高准则的人，不会以违背道义的方式去追求富贵，即便在物质生活上陷于贫困，也能够以执守道义为乐。

When leading a poor life，one should still stick to moral principles. Confucius and Confucian scholars believe that it is not for fame and wealth that one should observe moral principles. Rather，such observance comes from one’s heart and represents his lifetime pursuit. So those who are guided by high moral standards will never seek wealth and fame at the expense of justice，and they can live up to such standards even when they live in poverty.

引例 Citations：

◎子曰：“贤哉，回也！一箪食，一瓢饮，在陋巷，人不堪其忧，回也不改其乐。贤哉，回也！”(《论语·雍也》)

(孔子说：“颜回真是有贤德啊！一筐饭食，一瓢饮水，居住在简陋的巷子里，别人都忍受不了这种忧苦，颜回却不改变自有的快乐。颜回真是有贤德啊！”)

Confucius said：“Virtuous indeed is Yanhui! He has simple meals，just drinks cold water，and lives in a humble alley. While others would find such living unbearable，Yanhui remains cheerful. What a virtuous man!” (TheAnalects)

◎子贡曰：“贫而无谄，富而无骄，何如？”子曰：“可也。未若贫而乐，富而好礼者也。”(《论语·学而》)

(子贡说：“贫穷而不谄媚，富有而不骄纵，怎么样？”孔子说：“可以了。但不如贫穷而乐于道，富有而喜好礼。”)

Zigong said：“One does not fawn on others when being poor；one is not arrogant when being rich. How do you find such quality?” Confucius said：“Good! But it is even better to be poor and upright and to be rich and courteous.” (TheAnalects)

3.坐忘/zuòwànɡ

Forget the Difference and Opposition between Self and the Universe

道家指破除自我与事物之间分别与对立的一种方式。“坐忘”一说出自《庄子·大宗师》，书中借由孔子与颜回的对话阐述“坐忘”之义。庄子认为，人世中的各种名分、规范，造成了自我与事物之间的分别与对立，构成了对人的限制。人应该忘记这些名分、规范，进而忘记自己形体的存在与智力的运用，打破彼我之间的界限，从而摆脱外物的限制与影响，这便是“坐忘”。

The term refers to a Daoist way of breaking away from the difference and opposition between one’s self and the universe. It comes from the bookZhuangzi，which elaborates its meaning in a dialogue between Confucius and Yan Hui. In Zhuangzi’s view，status and etiquette norms in the human world caused divisions and antagonisms and hence created constraints on people. One should forget status and norms and furthermore forget one’s own physical existence and intellect to cast off the differences between one’s self and the universe and thus be free from the constraints and influence of external factors.

引例 Citation：

◎曰：“回坐忘矣。”仲尼蹴然曰：“何谓坐忘？”颜回曰：“堕肢体，黜聪明，离形去智，同于大通，此谓坐忘。”(《庄子·大宗师》)

(颜回说：“我坐忘了。”孔子惊奇地说：“什么叫坐忘？”颜回说：“不着意于自己的肢体，放弃自己的视听，超脱形体，摒除心智，与万物融通一体，这就是‘坐忘’。”)

Yan Hui said，“I forget.” Startled，Confucius asked，“What do you mean by forgetting?” Yan Hui answered，“Pay no attention to my body and give up what I hear and see，leave the physical form，get rid of what occupies my mind，and become one with the universe. This is what I call forgetting the difference and opposition between myself and the universe.” (Zhuangzi)

4.亲亲/qīnqīn

Affection for One’s Kin

爱亲人，尤其是爱父母。“亲亲”既指一种自然的情感，同时也指这种情感在言行上的表现。儒家主张，应将对父母、对亲人的亲爱之情，推及他人，使之成为仁德的基础。但是，过度的“亲亲”，会导致行事上的偏私。因此，儒家提出了以“义”克服“亲亲”可能存在的局限。

This term refers to love for one’s kin and particularly for one’s parents. It is a natural affection，and it also refers to the way in which such feeling is expressed. Confucianism holds that such a love should also be extended to others so that it will foster public virtue. Excessive affection for one’s kin，however，can lead to favoritism in one’s conduct. So righteousness is proposed by Confucianism as a means to curb excessive love for one’s kin.

引例 Citations：

◎亲亲，仁也；敬长，义也。无他，达之天下也。(《孟子·尽心上》)

(亲爱父母，是仁；尊敬兄长，是义。行善没有其他要求，就是将亲亲、敬长推之于天下之人。)

To love one’s parents is benevolent；to hold one’s elder brothers in reverence is righteous. Fostering virtue requires nothing but extending one’s love for his kin to all the people in the world. (Mencius)

◎仁者人也，亲亲为大；义者宜也，尊贤为大。亲亲之杀(shài)，尊贤之等，礼所生也。(《礼记·中庸》)

(仁是人天生的本性，以亲亲为最重要的表现；义是行事合宜，以尊贤为最重要的表现。亲亲要有亲疏远近的不同，尊贤也要有差等，因此就产生了礼。)

Benevolence is the nature of man，which finds expression in one’s love for his kin. Righteousness means doing the right thing on right occasions，which finds expression in one’s respect for virtuous and visionary people. Love for one’s kin and others should be extended in order of closeness of different relations，and the same should apply to respect to the virtuous and visionary people. This gives rise to rites. (TheBookofRites)

5.妙悟/miàowù

Subtle Insight

一种特定情境下形成的心理体验状态，在精神自由放松的状态下，直接领会、感知美，然后呈现于诗歌作品中，从而使诗歌整体的美感超越具体的语言文字，达到极高的审美层次。它能够在瞬间的心理体验中，达到物我两忘的境界，领悟诗歌的本质和永恒的精神之美。在佛、道、玄三家的义理中，“妙”指思维方面的精微玄奥，而“悟”则是一种体验式的、不依赖逻辑推理的认识方式。禅宗提倡通过禅修来达到本心清净、空灵清澈的精神境界，这种境界与文艺审美的精神境界有着密切的联系。南宋严羽《沧浪诗话》借用禅宗的思想，对“妙悟”在诗歌创作中的特征与功用作了充分的阐发，开创以禅喻诗的先河，影响较大。“妙悟”也影响了中国古代的绘画与书法。

This term refers to an inner experience one gains under special circumstances. When the mind is so relaxed and peaceful，it allows one to develop an intimate appreciation and understanding of beauty and then express it in a poem. The beauty of the poem thus inspired transcends words and creates an intense aesthetic experience. Subtle insight enables the reader to appreciate the essence and lasting beauty of a poem by creating a spontaneous experience so engrossing that one becomes oblivious to both himself and the outside world. According to Buddhist，Daoist，and Metaphysical principles，“subtle” refers to the minute and profound nature of thinking，whereas “insight” is an intensely personal experience derived not from logical reasoning. Chan Buddhism promotes meditation as a way to return to the mind’s original tranquility and thus achieve a clear and simple state of mind. Such a state of mind comes from literary and artistic experience. InCanglang’sCriticismofPoetry，literary critic Yan Yu of the Southern Song Dynasty dealt extensively with the function and features of subtle insight in poetry writing by drawing on Chan philosophy. This book is the first one to apply Chan terms to critical writing on poetry and has thus gained great influence. The concept of subtle insight has also influenced traditional painting and calligraphy in China.

引例 Citations：

◎凝神遐想，妙悟自然，物我两忘，离形去智。(张彦远《历代名画记》卷二)

(凝聚心神，自由畅想，对自然之美的体悟达到绝妙境地，忘记了外在世界，也忘记了自身，脱离形体的束缚，抛弃知识的局限。)

By concentrating one’s mind and freeing one’s thoughts，one can reach such a fascinating state in appreciating the beauty of nature as to become oblivious to the outside world and one’s own self，totally free from the constraints of physical forms and limitations of knowledge. (Zhang Yanyuan：NotesonPastFamousPaintings)

◎大抵禅道惟在妙悟，诗道亦在妙悟。且孟襄阳学力下韩退之远甚，而其诗独出退之之上者，一味妙悟而已。(严羽《沧浪诗话·诗辨》)

(一般说来禅修最重要的原则是妙悟，作诗最重要的原则也是妙悟。比如孟浩然的学问才力远远比不上韩愈，但是孟浩然的诗却比韩愈水平高，就是因为他一心妙悟。)

Generally speaking，the most important principle of meditation is to achieve subtle insight，and this is the most important principle underlying poetry writing as well. For example，while Meng Haoran is no equal to Han Yu in terms of knowledge and talent，his poems surpass those of Han Yu because he is able to create subtle insight. (Yan Yu：Canglang’sCriticismofPoetry)

6.本色/běnsè

Bense(Original Character)

原义指本来的颜色，引申指本来的样子、面貌。作为文学批评术语，主要有三种含义：其一，指符合文体规定的艺术特色和风貌；其二，指符合作家艺术个性的特色和风貌；其三，指作品中真率自然地贴近生活原貌、表达自己真实思想或感情的风格。本色不仅是对作者的要求，也是对作品的要求。宋代文论中，本色多用于评述文体的特性；明清文论中，本色多指诗人作家的个性风格，也用来倡导不加雕饰地贴近生活原貌的创作风格。“本色”常与“当行”连用，相当于“本真”，往往与道家自然之道的思想相联系，用来反对过分雕琢的创作态度与作品风格。

The term originally referred to true colors and has been extended to mean true appearance. As a term of literary critique，bense(本色) has three meanings：(1) the artistic style and literary features that are compatible with a given genre；(2) the style and literary features that remain true to the writer’s individual character；and (3) the style that makes it possible for the writing to remain true to the author’s own experience and that gives truthful expression to his thoughts and feelings.Benseis not only a requirement for the writer but also for his works. In the literary criticism of the Song Dynasty，bensewas often used to describe and evaluate the special qualities of different genres. In the literary criticism of the Ming and Qing dynasties，benseusually referred to the individual style of poets and writers and also those styles of writing that remained true to life experience and eschewed literary embellishment.Benseis often used together withdanghang(当行) to mean “original and genuine”；it is often associated with the Dao of nature in classical Daoist philosophy，in opposition to the attitude and styles that stress literary embellishment.

引例 Citations：

◎退之以文为诗，子瞻以诗为词，如教坊雷大使之舞，虽极天下之工，要非本色。(陈师道《后山诗话》)

(韩愈以写文章的方法来写诗，苏轼以写诗的方法来写词，就像教坊里的艺人雷大使跳女子舞蹈，虽然技巧高明无比，但并不符合诗词的本色。)

Poems written by Han Yu read like essays andcilyrics by Su Shi read like poems. This is like Master Dancer Lei of the Song Palace Music School performing dances choreographed for women. Although they were good writers，what they wrote was incompatible with the original characters of the genres. (Chen Shidao：Houshan’sUnderstandingofPoetry)

◎近来觉得诗文之事只是直写胸臆，如谚语诗所谓开口见喉咙者。使后人读之，如真见其面目，瑜瑕俱不容掩，所谓本色。此为上乘文字。(唐顺之《与洪方洲书》)

(最近觉得写诗作文只需要直接写出心中所想，就像俗语所说的“开口看见喉咙”。让后人读到这样的作品，就能看到作者的真面目，优点、缺点都不掩饰，这就是本色。能体现本色的作品才是最好的文字。)

Recently I have come to realize that in writing poetry or prose，all that is needed is to write what I have in mind. This is like the Chinese saying，“When you open the mouth，others can see your throat.” When readers read such works，they will come to know what the author is actually like. Without hiding either strengths or weaknesses，the author makes his true character fully apparent. The writing that best embodies the author’s original character is most desirable. (Tang Shunzhi：LettertoHongFangzhou)

◎世事莫不有本色，有相色。本色，犹言正身也；相色，替身也。(徐渭《〈西厢〉序》)

(世上之事莫不有本色，有相色。本色，好比说是本来之我；而相色，好比替身。)

Everything in the world has its true appearance and its surrogate. True appearance is what I am，while a surrogate is a substitute. (Xu Wei：Foreword toRomanceoftheWestChamber)

7.开物成务/kāiwù-chénɡwù

Understand Things and Succeed in One’s Endeavors

揭示事物的真相并据以做成事情。“开物”即揭开事物真相，弄清事物的内在联系和规律；“成务”即根据事物的内在联系和规律，确定适当方法，把事情做好做成。这是古人从《周易》的变化规律及社会功用中所悟出的认识世界、改造世界、服务自身的思想方法和行动纲领，蕴含着朴素的科学精神。

This term means to find out the truth of things，and act accordingly to succeed in what one does.Kaiwu(开物) means to reveal the truth of things and understand their intrinsic relations and rules.Chengwu(成务) means to use proper methods to do things successfully according to their intrinsic relations and rules. This was a perception and guide to action that the ancient Chinese learned fromTheBookofChangesand everyday life，which they used to understand the world，change the world，and serve themselves. This concept represents a fundamental principle of social science.

引例 Citation：

◎夫《易》，开物成务，冒天下之道，如斯而已者也。(《周易·系辞上》)

(《周易》这本书，旨在揭示万物真相，确定行事原则并做好事情，总括天下万物的基本法则，如此而已。)

TheBookofChangesaims to reveal the truth of all things on earth，point out how to handle affairs，and do them right. It covers the basic rules governing all things on earth. (TheBookofChanges)

8.大道至简/dàdào-zhìjiǎn

Great Truth in Simple Words

越普遍、越根本的道理、原则或方法其实越是浅易简便。“大道”指的是自然、社会的普遍法则以及人们对待自然、治理社会的根本原则，“简”即浅易、简明、简便。它用于治国理政及社会管理等方面，主要有两层含义：其一，越普遍、越根本的道理就应该越简明浅易，便于人们掌握并付诸实施；其二，“大道”并不是远离人世的某种高高在上的原理，它的道理、功用就蕴含在人们的伦常日用之中。只要透过纷繁的表层现象，寻流讨源，就可以抓住事物的本质和规律，以简驭繁。

The most popular and most fundamental truths，principles，and methodologies tend to be expressed in simple words and are easy to understand.Dadao(大道) means great truth，or universally applicable laws governing nature and society，or the fundamental principles for people to follow in treating nature and governing society. The Chinese characterjian(简) means simple，concise，and easy. The term is often used to describe the governance of a state and management of society. It has two primary meanings. First，it means that the most popular and fundamental truths should be expressed in simple words so that ordinary people can easily understand and put them into practice. Second，dadaois not something separate and far away from reality. Rather，it is a practical ethical principle which is easy for people to follow in their daily lives. As long as one sees through the seemingly complicated superficialities and traces the source of things，one will be able to grasp the fundamental truths，discover the basic rules，and comprehend them in spite of the complexity.

引例 Citations：

◎博文约礼，由至著入至简，故可使不得叛而去。(张载《正蒙·中正》)

(博通文献知识，用礼约束自己，由最显明之处入手而达到最简单易行的境地，就可使自己不背离中正之道。)

He is able to keep himself to the right path if he has an excellent command of extensive literary knowledge，constrains himself with ritual propriety，and starts from the most obvious point to arrive at the most convenient situation. (Zhang Zai：EnlightenmentThroughConfucianTeachings)

◎盖道至易至简、至近至平常……故夫日用庸平，人皆不知其为道。(杨简《慈湖诗传》卷六)

(大抵道最浅易也最简便、最切近也最平常……就体现在人们每天的寻常生活之中，但人们都不知道这就是道。)

All great truths are most plain and easy to understand and most common in people’s everyday life... as such，people do not think them as truths. (Yang Jian：Cihu’sCommentaryonTheBookofSongs)

◎《易》之所以广大者，以其能变通也；所以变通者，阴阳二物而已；所以为阴阳者，至易而不难知，至简而不难能也。(项安世《周易玩辞》卷十三)

(《周易》之所以广大无边，是因为它的变化无穷；《周易》之所以变化无穷，是因为有阴阳二气罢了；之所以归为阴阳二气，是因为阴阳最浅易而不难知晓，最简便而不难做到。)

TheBookofChangesis boundless and limitless，through the ever changing nature it offers. The reason whyTheBookofChangesoffers infinite changes is attributable to the two kinds ofqi：yinandyang. The reason why everything can be traced to the two kinds ofqi，yinandyang，is that the theory ofyinandyangis easy to understand and implement. (Xiang Anshi：ExpoundingtheTheoriesofTheBookofChanges)