一、中国的传统节庆膳食是节日必不可少的伴侣。例如,我国的端午节(the Dragon Boat Festival)是纪念古代诗人屈原的日子。那一天,人们通常要赛龙舟、吃粽子(zongzi)。中秋节是观赏满月的日子。圆圆的月亮象征着圆满,象征着家庭团聚。因此,中秋节(The Mid-autumn Festival)的特制食品是一种圆形的月饼。春节是中国的农历新年(the Chinese lunar New Year’s holiday),除了常见的家禽和肉类之外,人们还要按各自的地方习俗烹制传统食物,如饺子和年糕。
Traditional Chinese holiday meals are indispensable on some festivals. For example, the Dragon Boat Festival is a day established in memory of the ancient poet Qu Yuan and people usually hold dragon boat races and eat zongzi, or rice dumpling on that day. The Mid-autumn Festival is an occasion for viewing the full moon. The round moon is a symbol for completeness and family reunion. The special food of the day is yuebing, a round cake known as the mooncake. The Spring Festival is the Chinese lunar New Year’s holiday. Besides the popular poultry and meat, people cook traditional food according to regional customs, for example, jiaozi, or boiled dumplings, and niangao .
二、北京有无数的胡同(hutong)。平民百姓在胡同里的生活给古都北京带来了无穷的魅力。北京的胡同不仅仅是平民百姓的生活环境,而且还是一门建筑艺术。通常,胡同内有一个大杂院,房间够4到10个家庭的差不多20 口人住。所以,胡同里的生活充满了友善和人情味。如今,随着社会和经济的飞速发展,很多胡同被新的高楼大厦所取代。但愿胡同可以保留下来。
In Beijing, there are numerous hutongs. The life of common people in hutongs brings endless charm to the ancient capital, Beijing. The hutong in Beijing is not only the living environment of common people but also a kind of architecture. Usually, there is a courtyard complex inside hutong, with rooms shared by 4 to 10 families of about 20 people. Therefore, life in hutongs is full of friendliness and genuine humanity. Nowadays, with rapid social and economic development, many hutongs are replaced by new tall buildings. I hope hutongs can be preserved.
三、过去的七年,中国的房地产(real estate)业经历了前所未有的高速增长。对于那些月薪较低却渴望在大城市拥有一套属于自己的体面、舒适的栖身之所的人来说,高昂的房价是他们无法承受的负担。鉴于这一状况,政府近来采取了一系列的措施来防止房价过快增长,包括提高利率及增加房产税等。目前,这些措施在部分城市已经取得了初步的成效。
In the past seven years, China’s real estate industry has developed in a record high speed. For those who earn less but are eager to own a decent and comfortable place of their own in a big city, the high housing price is a heavy burden that they cannot afford. For this reason, the government has taken a series of measures to prevent the housing price from rising too fast, including raising interest rates and increasing taxes on real estate etc. Presently, these measures have achieved initial effects in some cities.
四、如今,越来越多的大学生抱怨很难找到好工作。造成这一现象的原因如下:首先,大学生把在校的大多数时间都用在了专业学科学习上,只有当他们开始找工作的时候,才意识到自己缺乏必要的职业培训。其次,大学生之间的竞争也越来越激烈,这导致任何一名大学生找到工作的机会都变小了。因此,强烈建议大学生在课余时间做一些兼职工作,以积累相关的工作经验。
Nowadays, more and more university students complain about having great difficulties in finding a good job. The reasons for this phenomenon are as follows: First, college students spend most of their time at school studying academic subjects and it is only when they start looking for a job that they realize they lack necessary job training. Second, competition among graduates has become more and more fierce. And this results in a decreased chance for any individual graduate to find a job. Therefore, it is highly suggested that college students should do some part-time jobs in their spare time to accumulate relevant working experience.
五、剪纸(paper cutting)是中国最为流行的传统民间艺术形式之一。中国剪纸有一千五百多年的历史,在明朝和清朝时期(the Ming and Qing Dynasties)特别流行。人们常用剪纸美化居家环境,特别是在春节和婚庆期间,剪纸被用来装饰门窗和房间,以增加喜庆的气氛。剪纸最常用的颜色是红色,象征健康和兴旺。中国剪纸在世界各地很受欢迎,经常被用作馈赠外国友人的礼物。
Paper cutting i s one of China’s most popular traditional folk arts. Chinese paper cutting has a history of more than 1,500 years. It was widespread particularly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. People often beautify their homes with paper cuttings. During the Spring Festival and wedding celebrations, in particular, paper cuttings are used to decorate doors, windows and rooms in order to enhance the joyous atmosphere. The color most frequently used in paper cutting is red, which symbolizes health and prosperity. Chinese paper cutting is very popular around the world and it is often given as a present to foreign friends.
六、对龙图腾他的崇拜在中国大约已绵延了八千多年。中国龙是古人将鱼、蛇、马、牛等动物与云雾、雷电等自然天象集合而成的一种神物。中国龙的形成与中华民族的多元融合过程同步。在中国人的心目中,龙具有振奋腾飞、开拓变化的寓意和团结凝聚的精神。Chinese Dragon Dragon totem worship in China has been around for the last 8,000 years. The ancients in China considered the dragon (or loong) a fetish that combines animals including the fish, snake, horse and ox with cloud, thunder, lightning and other natural celestial phenomena. The Chinese dragon was formed in accordance with the multicultural fusion process of the Chinese nation. To the Chinese, the dragon signifies innovation and cohesion.
七、秧歌舞是中国汉族的一种民间传统舞蹈,通常在北方省份表演。秧歌舞者通常穿上明亮多彩的表演服装,他们的表演动作有力迅速。在农历春节、元宵节等节日期间,人们一旦听到锣鼓声,不管外面天气有多冷,他们都会蜂拥到街上看秧歌舞表演。近年来,中国东北某些城市的老年人自发组织了了秧歌队,队员常年通过跳秧歌舞来保持健康,同事他们也乐在其中。
Yangko is one of tradition folk dance of Han in China. It is usually performed in northern provinces. The dancers usually wear colorful and light costumes, and the performance is powerful and rapid. During some festivals such as Spring Festival, Lantein Festival, if people hear the sound of drum and gong, no matter how cold the weather is , they will come to street and appreciate the Yangko. Recent years, the old people in city of east-northern of China organized the team of Yangko by themselves, the teamers keep their health by dancing Yangko the whole year.
八、长城是人类创造的世界奇迹之一。如果你到了中国却没去过长城,就想到了巴黎没有去看看菲尔铁塔,或者就像到了埃及没有去看金字塔一样。人们常说:“不到长城非好汉。”实际上,长城最初只是一些断断续续的城墙,直到秦朝统一中国后才将其连城长城。然而,今天我们看到的长城——东起山海关,西至嘉峪关——大部分都是在明代修建的。
The Great Wall is one of the wonders of the world that created by human beings! If you come to China without climbing the Great Wall, it's just like going Paris without visiting the Eiffel Tower; or going to Egypt without visiting the Pyramids! Men often say, "He who doest not reach the Great Wall is not a true man."In fact, it began as independent walls for different states when it was first built, and did not become the "Great Wall" until the Qin Dynasty. However, the wall we see today, starting from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east to Jiayunguan Pass in the west, was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty.
九、在中国北方的一些地区,冬至要喝饺子汤;其他一些地区的居民则会吃饺子,他们认为吃饺子可以免受来年的霜冻。然而,在南方,最常见的庆祝方法是一家人聚到一起,吃上一顿用红豆和糯米做成的饭,他们相信这样可以驱鬼辟邪。还有一些地区会吃汤圆。冬至的汤圆也可能会被用于祭祀,或者馈赠亲友。台湾人甚至还保留着向祖先进贡九层糕的习俗。他们用糯米粉捏成鸡、鸭、龟、猪、牛、羊等象征福禄寿的动物,然后用蒸笼分层蒸熟。
In some parts of north China, people have jiaozi soup on this day; while residents of some other places eat jiaozi, saying doing so will keep them from frost in the upcoming winter. But in south China, it is commonplace for the whole family to get together to have a meal made of red beans and glutinous rice. They believe, by doing this, they can drive away ghosts and other evil things. In other places, people also eat tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour. The Winter Solstice rice dumplings may be used as sacrifices to ancestors, or gifts for friends and relatives. The Taiwanese even keep the custom of offering nine-layer cakes to their ancestors. They made cakes in the shape of chicken, duck, tortoise, pig, cow or sheep with glutinous rice flour and steam them on different layers of a pot. These animals all signify auspiciousness in Chinese tradition.
十、针灸是中医学的重要组成部分。按照中医的经络理论,针灸疗法主要是通过疏通经络、调和气血,来达到阴阳归于平衡,使脏腑趋于调和之目的。其特点是“内病外治”。主要疗法是用针刺入病人身体的一定穴位,或用艾火的温热刺激烧灼病人的穴位,以达到刺激经络。治疗病痛的目的。针灸以其独特的优势,流传至今并传播到了世界,与中餐、功夫、中药一起被海外誉为中国的“新四大国粹”。
Acupuncture Acupuncture is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In accordance with the “main and collateral channels” theory in TCM, the purpose of acupuncture is to dredge the channel and regulate qi and blood, so as to keep the body’s yin and yang balanced and achieve reconciliation between the internal organs. It features in traditional Chinese medicine that “internal diseases are to be treated with external therapy”. The main therapy of acupuncture involves using needles to pierce certain acupoints of the patient’s body, or adopting moxibustion to stimulate the patient’s acupoints so as to stimulate the channels and relieve pain. With its unique advantages, acupuncture has been handed down generation after generation and has now spread all over the world. Nowadays, acupuncture, along with Chinese food, kung fu (otherwise known as Chinese martial arts), and traditional Chinese medicine, has been internationally hailed as one of the “four new national treasures.”
十一、中国功夫即中国武术,是将技击寓于搏斗和套路运动之中的中国传统体育项目,承载着丰富的中国民族传统文化。其核心思想是儒家的中和养气之说,同时兼容了道家、释家的思想。中国武术源远流长、流派林立、拳种繁多,讲究刚柔并济、内外兼修,蕴含着先哲们对生命和宇宙的参悟。后世所称十八般武艺,主要指:徒手拳艺,如太极拳、形意拳、八卦掌等;器械功夫,如刀枪剑戟、斧钺钩叉等。
Chinese Kung Fu Chinese kung fu, or Chinese martial arts, carries traditional Chinese culture in abundance. It is a traditional Chinese sport which applies the art of attack and defence in combat and the motions engaged with a series of skill and tricks. The core idea of Chinese king fu is derived from the Confucian theory of bot h “the mean and harmony” and “cultivating qi” (otherwise known as nourishing one’s spirit). Meanwhile, it also includes thoughts of Taoism and Buddhism. Chinese kung fu has a long history, with multi-various sects and many different boxing styles, and emphasizes coupling hardness with softness and internal and external training. It contains the ancient great thinkers’ pondering of life and the universe. The skills in wielding the 18 kinds of weapons named by the later generations mainly involve the skills of bare-handed boxing, such as shadow boxing (Taijiquan), form and will boxing (Xingyiquan), eight trigram palm (Baguazhang), and the skills of kung fu weaponry, such as the skill of using swords, spears, two-edged swords and halberds, axes, tomahawks, kooks, prongs and so on.
十二、汉字是从原始人用以记事的简单图画,经过不断演变发展最终成为一种兼具音、形、意韵的独特文字。现存中国古代最早成熟的文字是甲骨文,被认为是现代汉字的初形。此后,汉字又经历了金文、隶书、楷书、草书、行书等不同的阶段。汉字结构“外圆内方“,源于古人”天圆地方“的观念。汉字有五种基本笔画,即:横、竖、撇、捺、折。
Chinese characters were initially meant to be simple pictures used to help people remember things. After a long period of development, it finally became a unique character system that embodies phonetic sound, image, idea, and rhyme at the same time. The writing system, which was extremely advanced in ancient times, began with inscriptions on bones and tortoise shells, and these are regarded as the original forms of Chinese characters. Afterwards, Chinese characters went through numerous calligraphic styles: bronze inscriptions, official script, regular script, cursive script, running script, etc. Chinese characters are usually round outside and square inside, which is rooted in ancient Chinese beliefs of an orbicular sky and a rectangular Earth. The five basic strokes of Chinese characters are “---“ (the horizontal stroke) “│” (the vertical stroke), “/”( the left-falling stroke), “\” (the right-falling stroke), and “乙” (the turning stroke).
十三、中国人使用筷子就餐的方式在世界上独树一帜。有史记载用筷的历史已有三千多年。筷子古时称为箸,它看似简单,但却同时具有夹、拨、挑、扒、拌、撮、戳、撕等多种功能。中国民间视筷子为吉祥之物,如婚俗中将筷子隐喻为快生贵子的祝福等。与使用刀叉以及手抓的方式不同,成双结对的筷子含有“和为贵“的意蕴。西方人赞誉筷子是古老的东方文明。与其他民族一样,中国最初的食用方法也是“以手奉饭”,也就是用手抓,或用手撕,至于使用筷子、叉、刀、匙等进餐用具,则都是较晚的方法。其中,筷子是中国进餐习俗中的一绝,至今已有数千年的历史。
筷子是日常生活中经常用到的一种进餐工具,也是中国人进餐时的必备用具。古代称为“箸”,今俗称筷子。中国人什么时候开始使用筷子进餐的,已经无从查起。最初的记载是在2000年前所编辑的一本叫做《礼记》的书中。
Chinese Chopsticks The Chinese way of eating with chopsticks is unique in the world. The recorded history of chopsticks started more than three thousand years ago. Chopsticks were named zhu in ancient Chinese. They look deceptively simple to use, but possess multi-various functions,
such as clamping, turning over, lifting up, raking, stirring, scooping, poking, tearing, and so on. Chopsticks were taken as an auspicious mascot by ordinary people in ancient China. For example, the partial tone of chopsticks is often used by people as a metaphor at weddings to indicate a blessing or benediction for the couple to have a baby soon. Unlike using a knife and fork or one’s own hands, a pair of chopsticks also implies the meaning of “Harmony is what matters”. Chopsticks are highly praised by Westerners as a hallmark of ancient oriental civilization.
Similar to people of other nationalities, ancient Chinese people grasped or tore food with their bare hands at the beginning. Chopsticks, forks, knives and spoons were used much later, of which chopsticks, with a history of thousands of years, are a wonder of Chinese dining utensils. Chopsticks are the dining utensils most frequently used in Chinese people’s daily life. In ancient china, they were called zhu. When the Chinese began to use chopsticks as an eating instrument is anybody’s guess. They were first mentioned in writing in Liji(The Book of Rites), a work compiled some 2000 years ago.
十四、印章就是图章。中国历代官、私所用的印章有印信、朱记、合同、符、契等等不同的称谓,而帝王所用的印章古时称玺、印、宝、章等。据史料记载,印章在战国时代已普遍使用。印章的制作是将篆隶等字体、图像用阴、阳的形式雕刻而成,形状以圆、方为主。印章用朱色钤盖,除日常应用外,又多用于书画题识,逐渐成为中国特有的艺术形式之一。Chinese Seal A seal can also be defined as a stamp. Both the Chinese official and private seal of various dynasties have different titles, such as stamp, zhu note, contract, fu, lease and others. The seals used by the emperors of ancient China were called xi, yin, bao, etc. According to historical records, seals were widely used during the Warring States Period (475BC-221BC). The making of a seal is to engrave fonts, such as seal characters and official script and so on; or images in the form of intaglio and embossment into the seal, basically shaped as round or square. Covered with a vermilion overlay, the Chinese seal is not only used in daily life, but it is also used to represent signatures on paintings and calligraphies. It is gradually becoming one of China’s unique artworks.
十五、天干地支是中国历法中用以记录和命名年岁的方法。十天干为:甲、乙、丙、丁、戊、已、庚、辛、壬、癸;十二地支为:子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戊、亥。古人观测朔望月,发现月亮圆缺12次大体上是一年的天数,而两个朔望月约是60天。古人以十天干与十二地支的顺序依次相配,记录不同年份,60年为一个轮回。干支纪年法从古沿用至今。按干支纪年法,2011年便是辛卯年。
Chinese Era The Chinese era is the symbol that the Chinese calendar uses for recording and naming years. The ten Heavenly Stems are: jia, yi, bing, ding, wu, ji, geng, xin, ren, gui. The twelve Earthly Branches are: zi.chou, yin, mou, chen, si, wu, wei, shen, you, xu, hai. After observing the lunar month, the ancients found that the moon always wazes and wanes roughly 12 times a year, and two lunar months account for about 60 days, so the order of the ten Heavenly Stems and the order of the twelve Earthly Branches are properly matched in turn. In terms of recording date, 60 years is considered to be a full time cycle. The Chinese era chronology was first invented in ancient times and is still in use now. according to the chronology of the “ten Heavenly Stems,” 2011 is the year of “the seventh of the ten Heavenly Stems” and “ the fifth of the twelve Earthly Branches”.
十六、京剧被誉为“东方歌剧”,是地道的中国国粹。它起源于中国多种古老的地方戏剧,特别是南方的“徽班”。到了19世纪末,京剧形成并成为中国最大的戏曲剧种。京剧是综合性表演艺术,集唱(歌唱)、念(念白)、做(表演)、打(武)、舞(舞蹈)为一体,通过程式化的表演手段,叙述故事,刻画人物。角色主要分生(男性)、旦(女性)、净(男性)、丑(男性女性皆有)四大行当。
京剧(Beijing Opera)是中国的国粹。作为一门古老的艺术,京剧的服装(costume)、脸谱(facial mask)更易被人喜爱。不同的服装类型反映不同的人物身份特征。富贵者的服装缀满精美的刺绣;穷困者的服装则简单朴素,少有装饰(elemental)。脸谱是京剧中塑造人物形象的重要手段,它是用不同的颜色在脸上勾画出来的。脸谱的颜色让人一看便知角色(portray)的善恶。比如白色代表奸诈(treachery),黑色代表正直不阿,黄色是骁勇,蓝、绿色多用于绿林好汉(rebellious fighters),金、银色多用于神佛(divinity and Buddhism)等
Chinese Beijing Opera Praised as “Oriental Opera”, Beijing Opera is a genuine national quintessence of China. It originated from many kinds of ancient local operas, especially huiban in southern China. At the end of the 19th Century, Beijing Opera evolved and took shape, becoming the greatest kind of opera in China. Beijing Opera is a blend of performing arts---song, speech, performance, acrobatix fighting and dance. Beijing Opera portrays and narrates the plot and characters through stylized acting. The main types of roles in Beijing Opera are sheng(male), dan (young female), jing (painted face, male), and chou( clown, male or female).
Beijing Opera is the cream of the Chinese culture. As a traditional art form, its costumes and facial mask are more popular with people. Different styles of costumes are used to reflect the status of different characters. There are more decorations in the costumes of the noble,while those of the poor tend to be simple and less elemental. Facial masks can reflect qualities of different characters. Facial masks using different colors are important ways to portray a character. People can tell a hero from a villain by the colors of the masks. In general,white usually represents treachery, black represents righteousness, yellow represents bravery, blue and green represent rebellious fighters, while gold and silver represent divinity and Buddhism.
十七、道教是中国土生土长长的宗教。创始人是春秋末期的哲学家、思想家老子。道教以老子所著的《道德经》为主要经典。道教主张“重人贵生”。崇尚清静无为,修身养性。“道可道,非常道。名可名,非常名。无名天地之始;有名万物之母。故常无,欲以观其妙;常有,欲以观其徼”便是老子的至理名言。
Chinese Taoism Taoism first originated in China. The founder of Taoism is Laozi, a philosopher and thinker who lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC). Tao Te Ching whose authorship has been attributed to Laozi, is considered to be the main Taoist classic. Taoism advocates the value of a human being’s life, recommends the discarding of all desires and worries from one’s mind, and encour ages the cultivation of moral character and the nourishment of human nature. The following is an example of Laozi’s golden saying: The way that can be told of is not an unvarying way; The names that can be named are not unvarying names. It was from the nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang; The named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind. Truly, only he that rids himself forever of desire can see the secret essences; He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the outcomes.
十八、中国成语是汉语中意义完整的表示一般概念的固定词组或短语。“成语”中的“成”既是约定俗成。成语是比词大而语法功能又相当于词的语言单位。绝大多数的中国成语由四个汉字组成,例如:自强不息、青出于蓝、厚积薄发。成语主要从民间谚语、古代文学作品、诗歌、寓言、典故、名言警句等方面提炼而成,是汉语语言中精炼而又富有生命力的一部分。Chinese Idioms Chinese idioms refer to comprehensive and integrated fixed phrases and expressions. Idioms are established and accepted by constant usage and common practice. An idiom is a language unit that is larger than a word, but has the same grammatical function as a word. Most Chinese idioms consist of four characters. For example, ziqiangbuxi ( make unremitting efforts to improve oneself), qingchuyulan(bluer than indigo), and houjibofa (success comes with time and effort). Idioms are extrated from folk proverbs, ancient works of literature, poems, fables, allusions, and well-known sayings. Idioms are a part of the Chinese language that are concise and have great vitality.
十九、中国是丝绸的故乡。栽桑、养蚕、缫丝、织绸是中国古代人民的伟大发明。商周时期丝绸的生产技术就已发展到相当高的水平。西汉时张骞通西域,把中原与波斯湾、地中海紧密联系起来,开辟了中外交流贸易的新纪元。从此中国的丝绸以其卓越的品质、精美的花色和丰富的文化内涵闻名于世,成为中国文化的象征。东方文明的使者。
丝绸之路是历史上横贯欧亚大陆的贸易交通线,在历史上促进了欧亚非各国和中国的友好往来。中国是丝绸的故乡,在经由这条路线进行的贸易中,中国输出的商品以丝绸最具代表性。因此,当德国地理学家Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthoren最早在19世纪70年代将之命名为“丝绸之路”后,即被广泛接受。同时,它也是一条东方与西方之间经济、政治、文化进行交流的主要道路。
China is the home of silk. Mulberry planting, sericulture, silk reeling and thickening are all great inventions of the ancient Chinese. As early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties (1600BC-256BC), the Chinese people’s silk-weaving techniques had reached an extremely high level. During the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-25AD), Zhang Qian, an outstanding diplomat, travelled around central Asia and connected China with the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean, opening up a new era of Sino-foreign trade, exchange and communication. From then on, China’s silk became well known for its extraordinary quality, exquisite design and color, and abundant culture connotations. Hitherto, Chinese silk has been accepted as a symbol of Chinese culture and the emissary of oriental civilization.
In history, “Silk Road” is a traffic line for trade going through Europ e and Asia, which developed the friendship among the people from different countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. China is the hometown of silk and silk has won the most prominent characteristic among all the commodities exported from China via that traffic line. Thereupon, when the German geographer Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthoren first called it as “Silk Road” in 1870s, that name was widely accepted. Meanwhile, it was also a major way through which the East and the West performed their communications in various fields, such as economy, politics and culture.
二十、中国园林是把人造的山水、植物、建筑等与自然地貌有机结合的环境艺术,是我国古代建筑艺术的珍宝。其建造原则是“妙极自然,宛自天开”。游赏中国古典园林,能充分领略“假自然之景,创山水真趣”的园林意境。在世界三大园林体系中,中国园林历史悠久、内涵丰富,被誉为世界造园史上的渊源之一。
The Chinese classical garden is a precious treasure of our ancient Chinese architecture. It is a kind of environment art, which systematically combines artificial mountains and rivers, plants and buildings with the natural landscape. The construction standard of a Chinese classical garden is “artificial as it is, the garden must look ingenious and natural.” When you g o sightseeing in a Chinese classical garden, you should be able to appreciate its artistic concept which “makes use of the natural landscape to create the real fun of mountains and rivers for viewers.” Of the world’s three major garden systems, the Chinese classical garden is hailed as one of the origins of the world’s garden due to its long history and abundant connotations.
二十一、笔墨纸砚是中国古代文人书房当中必备的宝贝,被称为“文房四宝”。用笔墨书写绘画在中国可追溯到五千年前。秦时已用不同硬度的毛和竹管制笔;汉代以人工制墨替代了天然墨;有了纸张以后,简牍锦帛逐失其用;砚台则随笔墨的使用而发展。“文房四宝”到宋朝以后特指湖笔、徽墨、宣纸、端砚。可以说文房四宝书写了整个中华文明。
The Four Treasures of the Study The writing brush, ink stick, ink stone, and paper were requisite treasures in the study of the scholars of ancient China, and they are often referred to as the “Four Treasures of the Study.” The w riting brush and ink stick have been used by the Chinese to write and paint since 5,000 years ago. In the Qin Dynasty (221BC---206BC), people already used feathers of different hardness and bamboo trunks to make brushes. During the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), man-made ink was used instead of natural ink. After paper was invented by the Chinese, bamboo slips, wooden tablets, brocade and silk, which originally functioned as writing surfaces, gradually faded out. The ink stone was first developed with the use of writing brushes and ink. After the Song Dynasty (960AD---1279AD), the “Four Treasure of the Study” particularly referred to hubi, the writing brush produced in Huzhou, Zhejiang province; huimo, the ink stick produced in Huizhou, Anhui province; xuan paper, a kind of paper produced in Xuanzhou, Anhui province; and duanyan, the ink stone made in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province (Zhaoqing was earlier called Duanzhou). Indeed, the Four Treasures of the Study” have writtin the whole Chinese civilization, as it is.
二十二. 孔子(Confucius)是一位思想家、政治家,教育家,也是中国儒学(the Ru School)思想的创始人。儒学(Confucianism),这个道德和宗教哲学的大系统建立在孔圣人(Master Kung)的教学上。冯友兰,中国思想史上20世纪伟大的的权威之一,把孔子在中国历史上的影响比作西方的苏格拉底。
Confucius was a thinker, political figure, educator, and founder of the Ru School of Chinese thought. Confucianism, the great system of moral and religious philosophy built upon the teachings of Master Kung. Fung You lan, one of the great 20th century authorities in the history of Chinese thought, compares Confucius influence in Chinese history with that of Socrates in the West.
二十三.狮舞(Lion Dance)是中国最广为流传的民间舞蹈之一。狮为百兽之首,在中国传统中,狮子被视为是能带来好运的吉祥物(mascot)。古人将狮子视作是勇敢和力量的化身,能驱赶邪恶、保护人类。据记载,狮舞已拥有了2000多年的历史。在唐代(the Tang Dynasty),狮舞就已经被引入了皇室。因此,舞狮成为元宵节(the Lantern Festival)和其他节日的习俗,人们以此来祈祷好运、平安和幸福。
The Lion Dance is one of the most widespread folk dances in China. The lion is the king of animals. In Chinese tradition, the lion is regarded as a mascot, which can bring good luck. Ancient people regarded the lion as a symbol of braveness and strength, which could drive away evil and protect humans. The dance has a recorded history of more than 2,000 years. During the Tang Dynasty, the Lion Dance was already introduced into the royal family of the dynasty. Therefore, performing the lion dance at the Lantern Festival and other festive occasions became a custom where people could pray for good luck, safety and happiness.
二十四. 关于吃月饼这个传统的来历有两个传说。一个是唐朝的神话故事,说的是当时地球被10个太阳包围着。有一天10个太阳同时出现在天空中,巨大的热量几乎把地球烤焦了。多亏一位名叫后羿的神箭手射下了9个太阳,地球才被保住。为了奖励后羿,王母娘娘赐给后羿一种长生不老药,但是王母警告他必须正当使用。然而后羿没有理会王母娘娘的警告,他被名利冲昏了头脑,变成了一个暴君。后羿美丽的妻子嫦娥对他的暴行再也不能袖手旁观,于是她偷走了后羿的长生不老药,飞到月亮上逃避后羿的狂怒。从此就有了关于月宫仙子嫦娥,这个月亮上的美丽女人的传说。
There are two legends which claim to explain the tradition of eating moon cakes. One Tang Dynasty myth holds that the Earth once had 10 suns circling it. One day all 10 suns appeared at once, scorching the planet with their heat. It was thanks to a skillful archer named Hou Yi that the Earth was saved. He shot down all but one of the suns. As his reward, the Heavenly Queen Mother gave Hou Yi the Elixir of Immortality, but she warned him that he must use it wisely. Hou Yi ignored her advice and, corrupted by fame and fortune, became a tyrannical leader. Chang-Er, his beautiful wife, could no longer stand by and watch him abuse his power so she stole his Elixir and fled to the moon to escape his angry wrath. And thus began the legend of the beautiful woman in the moon, the Moon Fairy.
二十五.贴春联
“春联”也被称为和“对联”对立的一对短语,在中国是一种特殊的文学形式。春联是由贴在门口两侧两组对立的句子组成,在门上面的横批通常是一个吉祥的短语。
贴在门右侧的句子被称作对联的上联,左侧的为下联。除夕那天,每家都会在门上贴上红纸写的春联,传递出节日喜庆和热闹的气氛。在过去,中国人通常用毛笔自己写春联或者请别人写春联,而现在,人们普遍在市场上买印刷好的春联。
Pasting Spring Couplets
“The Spring Couplet”, also called “couplet” and “a pair of antithetical phrases”, is a special form of literature in China. The Spring Couplet is composed of two antithetical sentences on both sides of the door and a horizontal scroll bearing an inscription, usually an auspicious phrase, above the gate.
The sentence pasting on the right side of the door is called the first line of the couplet and the one on the left the second line. On the eve of the Spring Festival, every household will paste on doors a spring couplet written on red paper to give a happy and prosperous atmosphere of the Festival. In the past, the Chinese usually wrote their own spring couplet with a brush or asked others to do for them, while nowadays, it is common for people to buy the printed spring couplet in the market.
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