中國文化核心詞 Key Chinese Concepts

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中國文化核心詞 Key Chinese Concepts

1. 天

/tiān/

Tian (Heaven)

“天”是中國古代思想中具有神圣性和終極意義的一個概念,主要有三種不同的含義:其一,指自然意義上的天空或人世之外的整個自然界,其運行呈現出一定的規律和秩序;其二,指主宰萬物的具有人格意志的神靈;其三,指萬事萬物所遵循的普遍法則,同時也是人的心性、道德以及社會和政治秩序的依據。

Tian (天) is a sacred and fundamental concept in ancient Chinese philosophy. It has three different meanings. The first is the physical sky or entirety of nature (not including human society), whose operations are manifest in a certain law and order. The second refers to a spiritual being, which possesses an anthropomorphic will and governs everything in the universe. The third denotes the universal law, which is observed by all things and beings, and which is also the basis of human nature, morality, and social and political order.

引例 Citations:

天行有常,不為堯存,不為桀亡。(《荀子·天論》)

(天的運行有其固定的規律,不因為堯的賢明而存在,不因為桀的暴虐而消失。)

Heaven acts according to its inherent laws. It does not exist due to the virtue of Yao, nor will it disappear because of the tyranny of Jie. (Xunzi)

上天孚佑下民。(《尚書·湯誥》)

(上天信任并保佑百姓)

Heaven trusts and blesses the people. (The Book of History)

天者,理也。(《二程遺書》卷十一)

(天就是宇宙的普遍法則。)

Heaven is the overarching law of the universe. (Writings of the Cheng Brothers)

2. 道

/dào/

Dao (Way)

本義指人所行之路,引申而有三重含義:其一,指不同領域的事物所遵循的法則,如日月星辰運行的規律稱為天道,人事活動所遵循的規律稱為人道;其二,指萬事萬物所遵循的普遍法則;其三,指事物的本原或本體,超越于有形的具體事物,是萬物生成的基始,又是萬物存在和人類行為的根據儒家、道家、佛教等都談論道,其內涵差異甚大。儒家之道以仁義禮樂為基本內容,佛教和道家之道偏重“空”“無”方面的意義。?

In its original meaning, dao (道) is the way or path taken by people. It has three extended meanings: 1) The general laws followed by things in different spheres, e.g. the natural order in which the sun, moon and stars move is called the way of heaven; the rules that govern human activities are the way of man; 2) The universal patterns followed by all things and beings; and 3) The original source or ontological existence of things, which transcends form and constitutes the basis for the birth and existence of all things, and for the activities of human beings. In their respective discussions of Dao, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism imbue it with quite different connotations. While benevolence, righteousness, social norms, and music education form the basic content of the Confucian Dao, the Buddhist and Daoist Dao tends to emphasize kong (空 emptiness) and wu (無 void).

引例 Citations:

天道遠,人道邇。?(《左傳·昭公十八年》)

(天之道遙遠,人事之道切近。)

The way of heaven is far away; the way of man is near. (Zuo’s Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals)

形而上者謂之道?(《周易·系辭上》)

(有形之上者稱為道。)

What transcends form is called Dao. (The Book of Changes)

Selected from Key Concepts in Chinese Thought and Culture published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.