中华思想文化术语(连载十一)

1.天命/tiānmìnɡ

Mandate of Heaven

天的命令与赐予。“天命”主要包含三种不同含义：其一，指天对于人事的命令。命令的内容最初集中于王权的更替，即上天授命有德者征讨并取代失德之君，享有至高无上的权力和福禄。其二，指命运，具有不可抗拒之义，标志着人力的限度。其三，指天赋予人的禀性。《中庸》称“天命之谓性”。宋儒发挥这一思想，以“天命之性”指称人禀受于天的纯善的本性。

The term means order and bestowment from Heaven.“Mandate of heaven”mainly contains three different meanings：The first is the order of heaven over human affairs. Such order first of all focuses on a change of the supreme ruler’s authority：Heaven empowers the virtuous to attack and replace a ruler who has lost his virtue，and thus enjoy the highest and unsurpassed power and benefits.Secondly，mandate of heaven means fate，which is irresistible and imposes limit on human power. Thirdly，the term indicates the natural disposition bestowed by heaven upon human being. According toTheDoctrineoftheMean，“Mandate of heaven endows one with his nature.” Song-dynasty Confucian scholars developed this idea，proposing that human nature was the “nature of mandate of heaven，” that is，the inherent pure and good nature one receives from heaven.

引例Citations：

◎天命靡常。(《诗经·大雅·文王》)

(天所命令赐予的王权和福禄不是恒常不变的。)

The power and fortune bestowed upon one by heaven are not permanent. (TheBookofSongs)

◎莫之为而为者天也，莫之致而至者命也。(《孟子·万章上》)

(没有人能做到却做到了，这是天意；没有人求它来它却来到了，这是命运。)

That which no man can do but is accomplished is the mandate of heaven. That which no man asks but comes is from fate. (Mencius)

2.天道/tiāndào

Way of Heaven

天地万物的存在与变化所遵循的基本法则，与“人道”相对。古人对“天道”的理解并不相同：其一，认为“天道”尤其是与日月星辰运行有关的天象暗示或决定着人事的吉凶成败。古代有专门的职官负责通过对天象的观察来推知人事。其二，认为“天道”是人的道德与人伦秩序的根源或依据。人的言行以及人伦秩序应该效法于“天道”，或者通过体认、发挥“天”所赋予的心性来通达“天道”。其三，认为“天道”与人世的道德、秩序乃至人事祸福之间都没有必然的关联。

The way of heaven refers to the basic rule governing the existence and changes of all things between heaven and earth，as opposed to“the way of humans.”Ancient Chinese interpreted “the way of heaven” in different ways. First，some believed that “the way of heaven，” especially the celestial phenomena relating to the movements of the sun，the moon，and the stars，foretell or dictate the success or failure of human affairs. In ancient times，designated officials predicted human affairs through observing celestial phenomena. Second，some believed that “the way of heaven” was the source or the basis of man’s moral conduct and of orderly human relations. One should comply with “the way of heaven，” in both words and deeds，so should human relations；and people should recognize and develop the moral nature bestowed upon by heaven so as to gain access to “the way of heaven.” Third，still others thought that there were no particular correlations between “the way of heaven” on the one hand，and moral conduct in the human world，human relations，as well as misfortune and fortune in human affairs on the other.

引例 Citations：

◎是以立天之道曰阴与阳，立地之道曰柔与刚，立人之道曰仁与义。(《周易·说卦》)

(所以确立天的法则为阴与阳，确立地的法则为柔与刚，确立人世的法则为仁与义。)

The laws governing the ways of heaven are yin and yang，those governing the ways of earth are gentleness and firmness，and those governing the ways of human society are benevolence and righteousness. (TheBookofChanges)

◎诚者，天之道也；诚之者，人之道也。(《礼记·中庸》)

(“诚”，是天的法则；达到“诚”，是人的修养的路径。)

Integrity is what the way of nature requires；acting with integrity is the way to achieve self-refinement. (TheBookofRites)

◎天道远，人道迩。(《左传·昭公十八年》)

(天之道遥远，人事之道切近。)

The way of heaven is far away；the way of man is near. (Zuo’sCommentaryonTheSpringandAutumnAnnals)

3.天理/tiānlǐ

Natural Law

天地万物与人类社会所遵循的普遍法则。宋明儒者认为，“天”的本质意义就是“天理”，并将“天理”作为具有终极意义的最高范畴。“天理”是事物的本体或本原，决定着人与事物的本性，是自然法则与人伦道德的依据。“天理”超越于有形的具体事物，但又包含在每一个具体事物之中。在人性之中，“天理”表现为人天生所禀受的至善之性，常与“人欲”相对。

The term means the universal law observed by all things in heaven and on earth as well as by human society. Confucian scholars in the Song and Ming dynasties held that the essence of heaven was natural law，and they regarded natural law as the realm of ultimate significance. Natural law is the essence or the sourceof things，deciding the inherent nature of humans and things. It is the law of nature and the foundation of moral conduct in the human society. Natural law transcends visible，concrete things，but it also exists in each concrete thing. Interms of human nature，natural law expresses itself in the innate good nature one is bestowed upon by heaven，as opposed to“human desire.”

引例 Citations：

◎万物皆只是一个天理。(《二程遗书》卷二上)

(万物都只是天理的具体呈现。)

All things are but manifestations of the natural law. (WritingsoftheChengBrothers)

◎性即天理，未有不善者也。(朱熹《孟子集注》)

(人性就是天理，没有不是善的。)

Human nature reflects the natural law，which is necessarily benign. (Zhu Xi：MenciusVariorum)

4.止戈为武/zhǐɡēwéiwǔ

Stopping War Is a True Craft of War.

能制止战争、平息战乱才是真正的武功。这是春秋时代楚庄王根据“武”字的字形提出的著名的军事思想。“止”即止息；“戈”即武器，借指战争。将“武”释为止战，既符合以形表意的汉字文化特质，也表现了中国人以武禁暴的军事政治观及崇尚和平、反对战争的文明精神。

To be able to stop war is a true craft of war. This famous military view was first raised by King Zhuang of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period，on the basis of the structure of the Chinese characterwu(武).Wuis composed ofzhi(止)，which means to stop；andge(戈)，which means dagger-axe or weapons and is used here in the metaphorical sense of warfare. To interpretwuas stopping war was consistent with the cultural characteristics of Chinese characters. It also expresses the Chinese people’s thinking of using military means to stop violence and their love of peace and opposition to war.

引例 Citation：

◎仓颉作书，“止”“戈”为“武”。圣人以武禁暴整乱，止息干戈，非以为残而兴纵之也。(《汉书·武五子传赞》)

(仓颉造字，由“止”“戈”合成一个“武”字。圣人使用武力禁止残暴，平定动乱，止息战争，而不是为了残杀、毁灭[对方]而滥用武力。)

When Cang Jie created Chinese script，he putzhi(止，stop) andge(戈，dagger-axe)together to makewu(武，war). To stop war，sages used military force to quell violence and turmoil. They did not abuse their military power to commit atrocities of killing and destroying their opponents. (TheHistoryoftheHanDynasty)

5.吴越同舟/Wú-Yuè-tónɡzhōu

People of Wu and Yue Are in the Same Boat.

吴、越两国人同乘一条船。比喻双方虽有旧怨，但面临共同的危难困境，也会团结一致，相互救助。春秋时代，吴、越是相互仇视的邻国，但当两国人同船渡江，遭遇风浪时，他们却相互救援，如同一个人的左右手一样。它包含的思想是：敌友不是绝对的，也不是永恒的，在一定的境遇下可以化敌为友。

In the Spring and Autumn Period，Wu and Yue were neighboring states which were hostile to each other. Wu and Yue people being in the same boat is a metaphor for overcoming old grievances to face common danger. When people from these two states were crossing a river in the same boat and encountered a storm，they had to work together to save themselves；in that sense，they were just like the left and right hands of the same person. The story implies that there is no absolute and perpetual enmity or friendship. Under certain circumstances，an enemy can be turned into a friend.

引例Citation：

◎吴越之人，同舟济江，中流遇风波，其相救如左右手者，所患同也。(《孔丛子·论势》)

(吴、越两国的人同乘一条船渡江，中途遭遇风浪，他们之所以像一个人的左右手一样相互救援，是因为他们遇到共同的危难。)

People of the states of Wu and Yue were crossing a river in the same boat when they encountered strong winds and waves midstream. To save themselves from a common peril，they worked together like the left and right hands of the same person.(CollectedWorksoftheConfucianFamily)

6.意境/yìjìnɡ

Aesthetic Conception

指文艺作品所描绘的景象与所表现的思想情感高度融合而形成的审美境界。“境”本指疆界、边界，汉末魏晋时期佛教传入中国，认为现实世界皆为空幻，唯有心灵感知才是真实的存在，“境”被认为是人的心灵感知所能达到的界域。作为文艺术语，“境”有多重含义。“意境”由唐代著名诗人王昌龄提出，侧重指文艺作品中主观感知到的物象与精神蕴涵相统一所达到的审美高度，其特点是“取意造境”“思与境偕”。相对于“意象”，“意境”更突出文艺作品的精神蕴涵与美感的高级形态，它拓展了作品情与景、虚与实、心与物等概念的应用，提升了文艺作品及审美活动的层次。后经过历代丰富发展，“意境”成为评价文艺作品水准的重要概念，是历代经典作品层累的结果，也是优秀文艺作品必须具备的重要特征。“意境”这一术语也是外来思想文化与中华本土思想融合的典范。

The term refers to a state where the scene described in a literary or artistic work reflects the sense and sensibility intended.Jing(境) originally meant perimeter or boundary. With the introduction of Buddhism into China during the late Han，Wei and Jin dynasties，the idea gained popularity that the physical world was but an illusion，and that only the mind was real in existence. Sojingcame to be seen as a realm that could be attained by having sensibilities of the mind. As a literary and artistic term，jinghas several meanings. The termyijing(意境) was originally put forward by renowned Tang poet Wang Changling. It describes an intense aesthetic experience in which one’s perception of an object reaches a realm of perfect union with the implication denoted by the object. Aesthetic appreciation in the mind is characterized by “projecting meaning into a scene”and “harmonizing one’s thought with a scene.” In contrast with the termyixiang(意象)，yijing(意境) fully reveals the implication and the heightened aesthetic sense that an artistic work is intended to deliver. The concept is extended to include other notions such as sentiment and scene，actual and implied meanings，or mind and object. It also raises literary and artistic works to a new realm of aesthetic appreciation. After evolving through several dynasties，this concept developed into an important criterion to judge the quality of a literary or artistic work，representing an accomplishment drawing on classical writings through ages. It has also become a hallmark for all outstanding literary and artistic works.The term also represents a perfect union between foreign thoughts and culture and those typically Chinese.

引例Citation：

◎诗有三境：一曰物境。欲为山水诗，则张泉石云峰之境，极丽绝秀者，神之于心，处身于境，视境于心，莹然掌中，然后用思，了然物象，故得形似。二曰情境。娱乐愁怨，皆张于意而处于身，然后用思，深得其情。三曰意境。亦张之于意而思之于心，则得其真矣。(王昌龄《诗格》)

(诗歌有三种境：一是物境。想作山水诗，就要尽所能扩大你对泉石、高耸入云的山峰的观察，将其中极秀丽的景色及神韵印之于心，置身其间，再于内心审视所得到的物境，直至如同在手掌上观察一样真切，然后进行构思，对所要描绘的具体物象了然于心，所以能得形似。二是情境。欢乐、悲愁、哀怨等情绪，都要尽量扩大你对它们的认识，切身感受，然后构思，就能将这些情感深刻地表现出来。三是意境。也同样需要扩大你对它的认识，在内心反复思索，然后就能得到意境的本真。)

A poem accomplishes aesthetic conception in three ways. The first is through objects. If you want to write poems about landscape，you need to observe intensely springs and creeks，rocks and towering peaks，imprint their extraordinary beauty and charm on your memory，put yourself in the scene created in your mind，and view in your mind’s eye the image you obtain until you can see it as vividly as if it were right on your palm. By then，you can start to think about writing the poem. A deep appreciation of the scene and its objects is instrumental in achieving a true poetic image. The second is through sentiments. Sentiments such as happiness，pleasure，sorrow，and anger should be allowed to develop in your mind. You should experience them personally to fully grasp the nature of these emotions. This will enable you to express them in a profound way. The third is through an imagined scene. This requires you to reach aesthetic appreciation by reflecting it in your mind time and again. Then you can capture the genuine nature of an idea. (Wang Changling：RulesofPoetry)

◎作诗之妙，全在意境融彻，出音声之外，乃得真味。(朱承爵《存余堂诗话》)

(作诗的妙处，全在于意境的浑融相通，超出声音之上，才能品味诗歌的本真韵味。)

A beautifully composed poem is one in which the blending of image and concept is such that it transcends that of sound and music. Only then can one savor the real charm of poetry. (Zhu Chengjue：CommentsontheCollectionofPoemsfromCunyutangStudy)

◎诗之格调有尽，吾人之意境日出而不穷。(周炳曾《道援堂诗序》)

(诗的体制、声律是有限的，我们这些诗人的意境却每天有新创，无穷无尽。)

Poems have limited verse forms and rhythmic patterns，but we poets are capable of creating fresh ideas every day，all the time. (Zhou Bingzeng：Preface toCollectionofPoemsfromDaoyuantangStudy)

7.境界/jìnɡjiè

Jingjie(Visionary World)

“境界”本指疆域边界、土地边界，后来在佛经翻译中，“境界”一词被用于精神领域，指人破除对于物质世界的沉迷后所达到的精神层次或修为境域。作为文艺术语，主要指文艺作品中所表现出的审美层次和境域，是作者的创造力、理解力和审美能力在精神层面的综合呈现。有境界的作品是作者真实人格的显现，具备超越凡俗的意味，更能引发读者的共鸣，激发读者的想象，甚至提升读者的感受。“意境”形成较早，而“境界”主要受中唐以后佛教思想的影响而形成。近代学者王国维《人间词话》对境界的阐释最多。王国维往往将“意境”与“境界”概念通用。他构建了融合西方美学与中国古典美学为一体的“境界论”。但一般说来，意境侧重作者主观寓意与作品形象的完满融会，通过鉴赏使想象得到发挥，而境界则突出心灵感悟使艺术形象得到升华，强调心灵世界对于作品层次的提升。

Jingjie(境界) originally meant border or boundary. Later，it was used to translate the idea of a mental realm in Buddhist sutras，a state of spiritual cultivation achieved after having overcome bewilderment in the material world. As a literary and artistic term，jingjieis mainly used to indicate the aesthetic depth in a literary work so as to give full expression to the author’s creativity，comprehension，and aesthetic faculties. A work reaching a high level ofjingjiemanifests the author’s true personality，transcends the ordinary，strikes a responsive chord in the heart of the reader，stimulates the reader’s imagination，and thus enhances the reader’s appreciation of his work. The termyijing(意境aesthetic conception) came into being earlier thanjingjie，which was formed under the influence of Buddhism in the mid-Tang period. In hisPoeticRemarksintheHumanWorld，modern scholar Wang Guowei wrote extensively aboutjingjie. He often usedyijingin the same sense as he usedjingjieor the other way round. He created the theory ofjingjie，in which he blended classical Western and classical Chinese aesthetics. Generally speaking，yijingrefers to a perfect combination of the message the author conveys with the images he uses in his works，and it gives full rein to reader’s imagination. The concept ofjingjie，however，foregrounds the sublimation of artistic images through mental insight，and emphasizes the role of the mental world in elevating the work of art to a higher level.

引例Citations：

◎言气质，言神韵，不如言境界。有境界，本也；气质、神韵，末也。有境界而二者随之矣。(王国维《〈人间词话〉删稿》)

(与其用气质、神韵做评价标准，不如用境界来评价。境界是根本，气质、神韵是末节。有了境界，气质、神韵必然也就随之出现了。)

The visionary world achieved in literary works serves as a better criterion for making critical evaluation than one’s personal character or charm. The visionary world is primary，whereas one’s personal character and charm are secondary. Once the visionary world is reached，personal character and charm will naturally follow. (Wang Guowei：PoeticRemarksintheHumanWorld[ReducedVersion])

◎山水不出笔墨情景，情景者境界也。(布颜图《画学心法问答》)

(画山水的要素无非就是用笔和墨描绘情与景，情与景融为一体就是境界。)

Painting landscapes is about depicting with brush and ink the artist’s affective response to a natural scene. When the artist’s sentiments interact intensely with the natural scene，a realm of what we call the visionary world is reached.(Buyantu：HowtoPaint)