中華思想文化術語(連載十一)

1.天命/tiānmìnɡ

Mandate of Heaven

天的命令與賜予。“天命”主要包含三種不同含義：其一，指天對于人事的命令。命令的內容最初集中于王權的更替，即上天授命有德者征討并取代失德之君，享有至高無上的權力和福祿。其二，指命運，具有不可抗拒之義，標志著人力的限度。其三，指天賦予人的稟性。《中庸》稱“天命之謂性”。宋儒發揮這一思想，以“天命之性”指稱人稟受于天的純善的本性。

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。(《詩經·大雅·文王》)

(天所命令賜予的王權和福祿不是恒常不變的。)

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

◎莫之為而為者天也，莫之致而至者命也。(《孟子·萬章上》)

(沒有人能做到卻做到了，這是天意；沒有人求它來它卻來到了，這是命運。)

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

天地萬物的存在與變化所遵循的基本法則，與“人道”相對。古人對“天道”的理解并不相同：其一，認為“天道”尤其是與日月星辰運行有關的天象暗示或決定著人事的吉兇成敗。古代有專門的職官負責通過對天象的觀察來推知人事。其二，認為“天道”是人的道德與人倫秩序的根源或依據。人的言行以及人倫秩序應該效法于“天道”，或者通過體認、發揮“天”所賦予的心性來通達“天道”。其三，認為“天道”與人世的道德、秩序乃至人事禍福之間都沒有必然的關聯。

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：

◎是以立天之道曰陰與陽，立地之道曰柔與剛，立人之道曰仁與義。(《周易·說卦》)

(所以確立天的法則為陰與陽，確立地的法則為柔與剛，確立人世的法則為仁與義。)

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)

◎誠者，天之道也；誠之者，人之道也。(《禮記·中庸》)

(“誠”，是天的法則；達到“誠”，是人的修養的路徑。)

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

◎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’sCommentaryonTheSpringandAutumnAnnals)

3.天理/tiānlǐ

Natural Law

天地萬物與人類社會所遵循的普遍法則。宋明儒者認為，“天”的本質意義就是“天理”，并將“天理”作為具有終極意義的最高范疇。“天理”是事物的本體或本原，決定著人與事物的本性，是自然法則與人倫道德的依據。“天理”超越于有形的具體事物，但又包含在每一個具體事物之中。在人性之中，“天理”表現為人天生所稟受的至善之性，常與“人欲”相對。

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：

◎萬物皆只是一個天理。(《二程遺書》卷二上)

(萬物都只是天理的具體呈現。)

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，沒有不是善的。)

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

4.止戈為武/zhǐɡēwéiwǔ

Stopping War Is a True Craft of War.

能制止戰爭、平息戰亂才是真正的武功。這是春秋時代楚莊王根據“武”字的字形提出的著名的軍事思想。“止”即止息；“戈”即武器，借指戰爭。將“武”釋為止戰，既符合以形表意的漢字文化特質，也表現了中國人以武禁暴的軍事政治觀及崇尚和平、反對戰爭的文明精神。

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：

◎倉頡作書，“止”“戈”為“武”。圣人以武禁暴整亂，止息干戈，非以為殘而興縱之也。(《漢書·武五子傳贊》)

(倉頡造字，由“止”“戈”合成一個“武”字。圣人使用武力禁止殘暴，平定動亂，止息戰爭，而不是為了殘殺、毀滅[對方]而濫用武力。)

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.吳越同舟/Wú-Yuè-tónɡzhōu

People of Wu and Yue Are in the Same Boat.

吳、越兩國人同乘一條船。比喻雙方雖有舊怨，但面臨共同的危難困境，也會團結一致，相互救助。春秋時代，吳、越是相互仇視的鄰國，但當兩國人同船渡江，遭遇風浪時，他們卻相互救援，如同一個人的左右手一樣。它包含的思想是：敵友不是絕對的，也不是永恒的，在一定的境遇下可以化敵為友。

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：

◎吳越之人，同舟濟江，中流遇風波，其相救如左右手者，所患同也。(《孔叢子·論勢》)

(吳、越兩國的人同乘一條船渡江，中途遭遇風浪，他們之所以像一個人的左右手一樣相互救援，是因為他們遇到共同的危難。)

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

指文藝作品所描繪的景象與所表現的思想情感高度融合而形成的審美境界。“境”本指疆界、邊界，漢末魏晉時期佛教傳入中國，認為現實世界皆為空幻，唯有心靈感知才是真實的存在，“境”被認為是人的心靈感知所能達到的界域。作為文藝術語，“境”有多重含義。“意境”由唐代著名詩人王昌齡提出，側重指文藝作品中主觀感知到的物象與精神蘊涵相統一所達到的審美高度，其特點是“取意造境”“思與境偕”。相對于“意象”，“意境”更突出文藝作品的精神蘊涵與美感的高級形態，它拓展了作品情與景、虛與實、心與物等概念的應用，提升了文藝作品及審美活動的層次。后經過歷代豐富發展，“意境”成為評價文藝作品水準的重要概念，是歷代經典作品層累的結果，也是優秀文藝作品必須具備的重要特征。“意境”這一術語也是外來思想文化與中華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：

◎詩有三境：一曰物境。欲為山水詩，則張泉石云峰之境，極麗絕秀者，神之于心，處身于境，視境于心，瑩然掌中，然后用思，了然物象，故得形似。二曰情境。娛樂愁怨，皆張于意而處于身，然后用思，深得其情。三曰意境。亦張之于意而思之于心，則得其真矣。(王昌齡《詩格》)

(詩歌有三種境：一是物境。想作山水詩，就要盡所能擴大你對泉石、高聳入云的山峰的觀察，將其中極秀麗的景色及神韻印之于心，置身其間，再于內心審視所得到的物境，直至如同在手掌上觀察一樣真切，然后進行構思，對所要描繪的具體物象了然于心，所以能得形似。二是情境。歡樂、悲愁、哀怨等情緒，都要盡量擴大你對它們的認識，切身感受，然后構思，就能將這些情感深刻地表現出來。三是意境。也同樣需要擴大你對它的認識，在內心反復思索，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)

◎作詩之妙，全在意境融徹，出音聲之外，乃得真味。(朱承爵《存余堂詩話》)

(作詩的妙處，全在于意境的渾融相通，超出聲音之上，才能品味詩歌的本真韻味。)

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)

◎詩之格調有盡，吾人之意境日出而不窮。(周炳曾《道援堂詩序》)

(詩的體制、聲律是有限的，我們這些詩人的意境卻每天有新創，無窮無盡。)

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”本指疆域邊界、土地邊界，后來在佛經翻譯中，“境界”一詞被用于精神領域，指人破除對于物質世界的沉迷后所達到的精神層次或修為境域。作為文藝術語，主要指文藝作品中所表現出的審美層次和境域，是作者的創造力、理解力和審美能力在精神層面的綜合呈現。有境界的作品是作者真實人格的顯現，具備超越凡俗的意味，更能引發讀者的共鳴，激發讀者的想象，甚至提升讀者的感受。“意境”形成較早，而“境界”主要受中唐以后佛教思想的影響而形成。近代學者王國維《人間詞話》對境界的闡釋最多。王國維往往將“意境”與“境界”概念通用。他構建了融合西方美學與中國古典美學為一體的“境界論”。但一般說來，意境側重作者主觀寓意與作品形象的完滿融會，通過鑒賞使想象得到發揮，而境界則突出心靈感悟使藝術形象得到升華，強調心靈世界對于作品層次的提升。

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：

◎言氣質，言神韻，不如言境界。有境界，本也；氣質、神韻，末也。有境界而二者隨之矣。(王國維《〈人間詞話〉刪稿》)

(與其用氣質、神韻做評價標準，不如用境界來評價。境界是根本，氣質、神韻是末節。有了境界，氣質、神韻必然也就隨之出現了。)

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])

◎山水不出筆墨情景，情景者境界也。(布顏圖《畫學心法問答》)

(畫山水的要素無非就是用筆和墨描繪情與景，情與景融為一體就是境界。)

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)