英语介绍中国

1、Chinese society and Culture,by ChenYi,Coverage,1. Wisdom and Beliefs 1.1 Confucian Thought on Heaven and Humanity 1.2 Laozis Philosophy of Non-action 1.3 Sunzis Art of War: Source for All Books on War 1.4 The Temple of Heaven: Reverence(虔敬） with Awe and Gratitude 1.5 Eco-awareness in Traditional Chi

2、nese culture,2. Creativity and Exchange 2.1 Chinese Characters: Poetic Symbols（诗意符号） 2.2 The Silk Road 2.3 Openness of the Great Tang 2.4 ZhengHes Voyages to the Western Seas 2.5 The Great Wall 2.6 The Forbidden City: Glorious and Awe-inspiring（令人起敬畏心的 ）,3. Art and Aesthetics（美学） 3.1 Music: Govern（管

3、理） the Country, Nourish（滋养） the Mind 3.2 Spiritual Essence（实质） in Bronzeware（青铜制品） 3.3 A Silent Army 3.4 The Eternal（永久的） Smile of the Buddha（佛像） 3.5 Flying Strokes（笔） of Calligraphy（书法）,3.6 The Charm（魅力） of Ink and Wash（水墨画） 3.7 Porcelain（瓷器）-Calling Card of Chinese Culture 3.8 Gardens South of the

4、 Yangtze River 3.9 Peking Opera（京剧）: Artistry of Performers,3.10 A Variety of Splendid Folk Arts（民间艺术）,4. Folk Customs（民间风俗） 4.1 Urban Customs in A Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival（清明上河图） 4.2 Customs and Charms of Old Beijing 4.3 Modern Glamour（魅力） of Old Shanghai 4.4 Traditional Costumes（服饰）,4.

5、5 Culinary（烹饪） Delights in China 4.6 Life With Fragrant（香）Tea 4.7 Civil Residences in Deep Alleys（胡同） 4.8 Martial Arts（武术） and Cuju（蹴鞠）,1.Wisdom and Beliefs,Q: Human beings have only one home under Heavens. How should we arrange our domestic lives and live together in harmony?,1. Chinese culture reg

6、ards human life aspart of nature, and the only way for us to survive is to live in harmony（和谐） with nature. Note1:,2. Chinese culture emphasises on harmonious human relationships. Note:2 3. Chinese stresses self-reflection. Note3:,枫树,满足,1.1 Confucian Thought on Heaven and Humanity,Q: What do you kno

7、w about Confucius(Kongzi)? 1. His life note4: 1 2 2. His influence note5:,论语,注解,1.1.1 On Heaven,Q: What is “Heaven” according to you? Q: What is “Heaven” according to Confucius? “Heaven does not speak in words. It speaks through the rotation of four seasons and the growth of all living things” .Note

8、6:,Q: Whats the relationship between Heaven nature and humans? nature and humans Note7 “Way of Heaven” Note8 “Virtue of Heaven” Note9 “Heavenly Mission” Note10 Q: How should humans treat Heaven? Note11 Q: Whats our sacred mission in the 21st century? Note12,1.1.2 On People,Q: How should people treat

9、 each other according to confucius? Note13 Q: What is ren according to Confucius? Note14: 1 2 3 Q:How should people love each other? Note15: 1 2,Q: Whats li? Note16 Q: Confucius regarded burial rituals and ancestral worship rituals important, may you explain why? Note17: 1 2,1.2 Laozis Philosophy of

10、 Non-action,Q: What do you know about Laozi?Note18: 1 2 Q: What do you know about Laozi or Dao de jing? Note19: 1 2,条、长片,Q:What is Laozi“Naturalness”? Note 20: 1 2 Q: What is his “Non-action”? Note 21: 1 2 Q:What is your understanding of “Great ingenuity(智）appears to be stupidity”? Note 22: 1 2,Q: W

11、hat do you know about his“Non-contention”? Note 23: 1 2 Q: Can you explain the meaning of his “Returning to a Newborn State”? Note 24: 1 2 Q:Whats your idea about the progress of modern civilization？ Note 25: 1 2 3,1.3 Sunzis Art of War: Source for All Books on War,Q: What do you know about Sunzi? N

12、ote 26 Q: What do you know about Sunzi bingfa? Note27: 1 2,Case “planning before going to war”. Please specify it? Note28: 1 2 3 Case “One can fight and win a hundred wars if one knows both oneself and the enemy.” Please specify it? Note29: 1 2 3 4 Case “Winning a war without fighting it.” Please sp

13、ecify it? Note30: 1 2 3 4 5,Read the following quotations and analyze the practical significance? Note 31 “The use of force is a matter of life or death for the soldiers, the people and the country.” “a wise ruler must handle matters of war with extreme care, and good commanders and generals must ha

14、ndle them with the greatest caution as well. This is the cardinal principle for safeguarding the country and the army.”,Note1: the fundamental significance(重要作用) of civilization lies in the creation of a peaceful world, which also requires avoiding conflict(冲突）between humans and nature. Instead of d

15、ictating to(把自己强加于) nature, people should hold nature in awe(敬畏) and gratitude(感激).,Note 2: an individual can not live without community and society. Thus chinese culture strives to build a world of harmony based on friendship between individuals, mutual assistance between families, and respect betw

16、een nations.,Note 3: people should not only understand the external world（外在世界）, but also and more importantly, improve their internal state of mind（内心）. Only after humans have cleared away any intentions of combating nature（同自然斗争）, are we able to live up to（符合）the philosophy of living in harmony wi

17、th nature.,Note 4: Confucius(551-479), known in China as Kongzi, given name Qiu and alias（别名）Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi(present-day Qufu in Shandong Province) of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period(770-476 BC). A great thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism（孔教,儒教）,Confuciu

18、s is an ancient sage（圣人, 智者, 哲人）to the Chinese people. His words and life story were recorded by his disciples(弟子) and their students in The Analects(Lunyu),Note 5: an enduring classic of Chinese culture, The Analects has influenced all thinkers, writers and politicians in the over-2000-year-long hi

19、story of China after Confucius. No scholar could truly understand this long-standing culture or the inner world of the ancient Chinese without this book.,Note 6: in the Shang(1600-1046BC) and Zhou(1046-256 BC) dynasties, the prevalent(普遍流行的) concept of “Heaven” was that of a personified god. General

20、ly, Confucius regarded “Heaven” as nature. Heaven equaled nature in the eyes of Confucius.,Note 7: Nature was not separate from humans; instead, it was the great world of life and the process of creation of life. Human life was part and parcel(极为重要的部分) of nature as a whole.,Note 8: The process of li

21、fe creation was the “way of Heaven.” In the Book of Changes(Yijing), it stated “Continuous creation of life is change.”,Note 9: Heaven became the source of all living things and the source of all values. This was the “virtue of Heaven.” Thus, the Book of Changes(Yijing)said, “The great virtue of Hea

22、ven and Earth is creating life.”,Note 10: In the natural process of creation of life, Heaven had its inner purpose in creating all things as well as protecting and improving life. Heaven had originated（创造） humanity, and humans were obliged to accomplish this purpose. In other words, humans are born

23、with a sense of “heavenly mission,” and this is the meaning of human life.,Note11: Confucian “Heaven” also had a certain sacred（神圣） element, which was related to it being the source of life. Thus Confucius required people to hold Heaven in awe. He says that a person of virtue must respect his heaven

24、ly mission, listen to and live out the purpose of Heaven by caring for and improving life.,Note 12: In the 21st century, the Confucian caveat(告诫） of “standing in awe of the ordinances（指示） of Heaven” still holds true, as human society begins to pay greater attention to ecological civilization. Humans

25、 should indeed listen to the voice of nature, respecting and loving it as the world of life. This is our sacred mission and gives value to all human life.,Note13: Ren(仁) and li（礼） are the two core concepts（核心概念） of Confucius doctrine（信条） about people.,Note14: When his student Fan Chi asked him about

26、 ren, Confucius replied, “Love of people.” This is Confucius most important interpretation（解释） of ren. Love for the people is universal love. Confucius further emphasized that this kind of love should “begin with the love of ones parents.” He believed no one could love people in general if they did

27、not even love their own parents.,The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong) quotes Confucius as saying, “The greatest love for people is the love of ones parents.”He also said, “Children should not travel far while their parents are alive. If they have no choice but to do so, they must retain（保持） some res

28、traint（限度）.” He did not mean that children should not leave their parents at all.,What he meant was that children should not make their parents anxious about them while away from home. Confucius said again, “Children should think often of the age of their parents. They should feel happy for the heal

29、th and longevity（长寿） of their parents. They should also feel concern for the aging of their parents.”,Note 15: Confucius said, “One should be aware that other people may have similar desires as oneself. While fulfilling ones desires, allow others to fulfill their desires as well.” He further said, D

30、o not do toward others anything you would not want to be done to you.”,Thus from oneself to ones family, from family to society, one should extend love to all people. Mencius (c. 372-289 BC), a great Confucian scholar, best summarized ren as, loving ones parents, loving the people, loving everything

31、 in the world.”,Note 16: Li refers to rituals, traditions and norms in social life.,Note 17: While individuals have a limited lifespan, life in nature is everlasting. Life is given by ones parents and extended through ones children. In this way, a limited, individual life becomes merged with（并入） the

32、 limitless life of nature; the individual dream of eternal life（长生） can thus come true.,Through burial rituals（葬礼） and ancestral worship rituals（祖先崇拜), people are able to experience the everlasting continuity of life, appreciating the value and meaning of life. This gives people metaphorical solace(

33、安慰）.,Note 18: Laozi, or Lao Dan- was generally believed as a recluse（隐士） who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Few records have survived（留下） about Lao Dan, who was said to have once held a low civil position in the royal court, in charge of the archival（档案） records of the Zhou

34、Dynasty (1046-256 BC).,Yet, due to his great learning, even Confucius was said to have traveled miles to consult him.,Note 19: Laozi (Laozi), also known as Classic of the Way and Virtue (Dao de jing), consists of just over 5,000 Chinese characters. Its 81 chapters are divided into two parts, Dao (th

35、e Way) and De (Virtue). It became the basis of Daoism, the school of philosophy parallel（平起平坐） to Confucianism in ancient China.,Many of Laozis enlightening（启蒙）views are based on his philosophy of naturalness and non-action.,Note 20: “Naturalness” is an important concept of Laozis philosophy. It ref

36、ers to a natural state of being, an attitude of following the way of nature. Laozi emphasized that everything in the world has its own way of being and development: birds fly in the sky, fish swim in the water, clouds float in the sky, flowers bloom and flowers fall.,All these phenomena occur indepe

37、ndently and naturally without following any human will, and humans should not try to change anything natural. Laozi admonished（劝解） people to give up on any desire to control the world. Following the way of nature is the way to resolving conflicts between humans and the world.,Note 21: “Non-action” i

38、s another important concept of Laozis philosophy. It is the guarantee（保证） of “naturalness.” Laozi said, “(Dao or the Way) acts through non-action,” by which he did not mean that one should do nothing and passively wait for something to be achieved. Neither did he deny（否认）human creativity.,What he me

39、ant is that human enterprises（进取） should be built on the basis of naturalness, not on any attempts（企图） to interrupt the rhythm（节奏） of nature. Human creativity should be in compliance（遵从） with the ways of nature.,Note 22: Laozi said, “Great ingenuity appears to be stupidity.” This is the essence（本质）

40、of “naturalness” and “non-action.” “Great ingenuity” refers to the highest level of ingenuity, arising so naturally that it does not resemble ingenuity at all. Ingenuity can be achieved through human effort, but “great ingenuity” is superior to ordinary ingenuity.,To Laozi, resorting to deceit is tr

41、ue futility and would accomplish just the opposite result. Those who intend to play tricks are not genuine and therefore are not natural. Deceit is detrimental（有害） to naturalness and to the harmony of life.,Note 23: According to Laozi, war springs from humanitys bloated（膨胀的） desires. Conflict arises

42、 out of peoples struggles to satisfy their desires, and conflict escalates（巨变） into war. Therefore, Laozis philosophy is based on “non-contention.” To him, human striving and competitive strife（斗争） is the root cause of decline; desiring nothing is the natural way of life.,Laozi said, “Aware of the s

43、trong, one should remain weak.” Remaining weak is not only the way to prosperity（繁荣）, but also the way to preserving life. The way of the weak is the best way to avoid conflict.,Note 24: Laozi saw the world as a madding crowd of vanity（名利）. He chose to live a simple, quiet life, and to keep his mind

44、 undisturbed（平静） in the face of temptation（诱惑）. He said he would rather remain a “newborn baby.” The state of the newborn is free of any knowledge, desire, impurity（肮脏） or falsehood（虚伪）.,When human beings come into the world, they gradually acquire external（外在的） knowledge and accept social norms（规范）

45、, along with the growth of their bodies. Step by step, their originally pure minds become tainted（沾染） with chaotic（躁动的） colors. As humans mature, they become more and more hypocritical（虚伪）. The process of acculturation（文化传入 ） is the process of losing ones true self.,Note25: To Laozi, civilization is

46、 to a certain degree a departure（远离） from the “true self.” The development of human culture is a process of “decoration”（装饰）: clothing as decoration of the body, houses as decoration of the way of living, language as decoration of communication, and state politics as decoration of human organization

47、.,Such “decorations” often turn into bloated（膨胀的） desires. Desire-driven, human beings fight and deceive（欺骗） one another, leading to war. Bloated desire has damaged the external world as well as poisoned（腐蚀） the human mind.,Laozi said, “Beautiful colors blind the eyes, complex music harms the ears,

48、rich flavors（香味） numb（麻木） taste, while riding and hunting madden the mind.” Desire disturbs peace of mind. If immersed（沉浸） in a sea of desire, in the end humans would be submerged.（淹没）,Note 26: Sun Wu, respectfully（也） called Sunzi, was born sometime between 550 and 540 BC, or toward the end of the S

49、pring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). He was a native of the State of Qi but later moved to the State of Wu, where he became the kings trusted strategist（军事家）.,Note 27: Sunzis Art of War (Sunzi bingfa), is an ancient classic（古典） on war. It consists of 13 chapters in about 6,000 characters. It repres

50、ents the theories of war of the Sunzi School originated（起源于） by Sun Wu. Of the more than 3,000 books on war from the pre-Qin (before 221 BC) period to the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911), Sunzis Art of War stands out as the greatest classic.,It excels over the other books in terms of strategy design, philo

51、sophical grounding（基础） and in tactical application（战术使用）. Over the centuries it has been respected as “the source for all books on war.”,Note 28: “Planning before going to war.” Before entering a war, one must compare and analyze all factors of both sides. These mainly include: morale（士气）, climate,

52、terrain（地形）, commanders（指挥）, and rules. “Morale” refers to the approval or disapproval of the people. The army that has the approval of the people will gain their support, while one without endorsement（支持） will lose their support.,“Climate” refers to seasonal conditions at the time of war. “Terrain”

53、 refers to the distance (far or near), position (ease or difficulty of access), size (large or small), and height (high or low) of the topography（地形） for war. Consideration must also be given to the degree of security or danger in the area.,“Rules” refer to regulations（纪律） governing the army, “Who s

54、hould carry out orders? What are the respective（双方） strengths of the soldiers? Who is responsible for training the troops? Who decides rewards or punishments?” The five aspects for consideration during war were echoed by Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), a German war expert, as “strategic factors.”,N

55、ote 29: Sunzi said, “One can fight and win a hundred wars if one knows both oneself and the enemy. The odds（可能性） for winning are half and half if one knows oneself but not the enemy. And one is bound to（一定会） fail if one knows neither oneself nor the enemy.”,He added, “The odds for winning are half a

56、nd half if one knows that ones troops are able to attack but does not know the enemy troops are invulnerable（易于） to attack.,The odds for winning are half and half if one knows that the enemy troops are vulnerable to attack but does not know that ones own troops are not in a position to attack. The o

57、dds for winning are half and half if one knows that the opponent（对手） is vulnerable to attack and that ones troops are in a position to attack but does not know that the terrain（地形） is unsuitable for fighting.,Thus an expert of war does not leave anything unclear when declaring war, and also has all

58、sorts of methods to deal with any situation. Victory is certain, if one knows both oneself and the enemy; victory will be complete, if one further knows seasonal and topographic conditions.”,Note 30: Sunzi did not approve of large-scale killing and destruction, which he regarded as the worst strateg

59、y(策略）. To Sunzi, the purpose of a war is to win victory, not to kill as many people as possible. On the contrary, one should avoid destroying the enemy stronghold（根据地） and avoid destruction of life as much as possible.,It is best to take over a city intact（未受损害） and to win victory through minimal（最小的） killing. This is the principle of a “decent（像样的 ） victory.” Sunzi went on to say, “Winning every war one fights is not the best one can do; winning a war without fighting is the best one can do.,Therefore, the highest art of war