英语中国文化翻译

The writing brush, inkstick, inkstone 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 writing brush and inkstick 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 writng surfaces, gradually faded out. The inkstone was first developed with the use of writing brushes and ink.After the Song Dynasty (960AD-1279AD), the “Four Treasures of the Study” particularly referred to hubi, the writing brush produced in Huzhou, Zhejiang province; huimo, the inkstick produced in Huizhou, Anhui province; xuan paper, a kind of paper produced in Xuanzhou, Anhui province; and duanyan, the inkstone made in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province (Zhaoqing was earlier called Duanzhou).Indeed, the “Four Treasures of the Study” have written the whole Chinese civilization, as it is.

笔墨纸砚是中国古时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（前221—前206）时已用不同硬度的毛和竹管制笔；汉代（前206—公元220）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（960—1279）以后特指湖笔（浙江湖州）、徽墨（安徽徽州）、宣纸（安徽宣州）、端砚（广东肇庆，古称端州）。可以说文房四宝书写了整个中华文明。

对联

The antithetical couplet (also called duilian) is also known as yinglian or duizi. An antithetical couplet is a kind of national writing style, which is composed by the skillful manipulation of the characteristic of the Chinese language that one character corresponds with one syllable. The philosophical origin and national cultural psychology of the antithetical couplet are the notion of yin-yang duality according to which the Chinese recognize and master things. The feature of the antithetical couplet is an “antithesis”: equal characters, the same part of speech, the level and oblique fitting with each other, the contents being related, and the rhythms corresponding. There are many types of antithetical couplets, such as Spring Festival couplets, marriage couplets, birthday couplets, elegiac couplets, and antithetical couplets about tea, etc.

对联又称楹联或对子，是依中文语言一字一音的特征撰写的一种民族文体。中国对联的哲学渊源及深层民族文化心理，乃是古代中国人把握和认识事物的阴阳二元观念。对联的特征是“对仗”：字数相等，词性相当，平仄相合，内容相关，节奏相应。对联习俗多样，有春联、婚联、寿联、挽联、茶联等。

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 encourages the cultivation of moral character and the nourishment of human nature.The following is an example of Laozi’s golden sayings: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.

道教是中国土生土长的宗教。创始人是春秋（前770—前476）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 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 extracted 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.

中国成语

成语是汉语中意义完整地表示一般概念的固定词组或短语。“成语”中的“成”即是约定俗成。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。

Traditional Chinese festivals

Traditional Chinese festivals are usually fixed according to the Lunar calendar. January 1st on lunar calendar has been designated as the Spring Festival (generally referred to as guonian). There are several customs during the Spring Festival, such as praying for a good harvest, etc. The Spring Festival is the most ceremonious traditional festival in China and symbolizes unity and prosperity.Some other significant Chinese festivals include the Lantern Festival, the Pure Bright Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Double-seventh Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Double-Ninth Festival, the Winter Solstice, and the Eighth Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month, etc.Each festival has its own unique origin and custom.These Chinese festivals that follow the Lunar calendar are different from the 24 Solar Terms in the Lunar calendar. They embody China’s cohesion and vitality.

中国传统节日以中国的农历为依据。农历年的岁首称为春节，俗称“过年”，有祈年等多种习俗，是中国人民最隆重的传统节日，象征团结兴旺。其他主要的节日有元宵节、清明节、端午节、七夕节、中秋节、重阳节、冬至节、腊八节等等。各个节日都有其来源讲究和风俗习惯。农历节日与农历中的二十四节气不同。农历节日是中华民族凝聚力和生命力的体现。

Chinese tea culture

As a traditional drink for Chinese people, Chinese tea is believed to have first started with Chinese Emperor Shen Nong, and flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties (618AD-1279AD).Making tea was considered one of the seven basic daily necessities along with fuel, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar, while drinking tea is an apt portrayal of daily life in China.Tea culture is the extension and generalization of the science and the humanities character of tea.In China, the tea spirit blends the thoughts of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and it aims to help people cultivate both mind and body, comprehend the truth, and elevate the realm of life through the art of drinking tea.

茶是中华民族的举国之饮，发端于神农，兴盛于唐宋（618—1279）。开门七件事，柴米油盐酱醋茶，是中国人日常生活的写照。茶文化是茶的自然和人文双重属性的引申与概括。中国的茶道精神将儒释道三教融入其中，其主要目的是借助饮茶艺术来修炼身心，体悟大道，提升人生境界。

The four art forms in ancient China are guqin, chess, penmanship, and painting. And painting particularly refers to traditional Chinese painting.Traditional Chinese painting is done with a brush dipped into black or colored ink and is painted on silk or xuan paper. In ancient China, it was called “ink-painting”. In order to distinguish it from Western oil-paintings, the Chinese people term their works “traditional Chinese painting” (abbreviated to “Chinese painting”).The subject matters of Chinese paintings are typically figures, landscapes, birds and flowers. The drawing skills and techniques employed by the Chinese painters can be divided into two forms: fine brushwork and free-hand brushwork.The artistic characteristics lie in “the writing brush and ink”. Chinese painting emphasizes using the shape to convey the feelings of the painter. Even though a painting is a finished product, it endlessly conveys a meaning. In terms of the artistic creation, traditional Chinese painting is a reflection of the aesthetic consciousness and artistic sentiment of the Chinese people.

中国古代四大艺术“琴棋书画”的“画”特指中国画。其绘画形式是用毛笔蘸水、墨、颜料作画于绢、帛、宣纸之上，古代称之为水墨丹青。为区别于西方的油画而称之为“中国画”，简称“国画”。其题材有人物、山水、花鸟等。技法可分为工笔和写意。国画的艺术特质在于“笔墨”，强调以形写神，画尽意在。国画在艺术创作上反映了中华民族的审美意识和情趣。

China is the home of wine and spirits. The functions of wine and spirits were classified by the ancients into three kinds: treating patients, keeping in good health, and showing politeness and respect to others. China’s wine and spirits culture is an important part of Chinese food culture, and it embodies its values in many aspects, such as in social and political life, literature and art, life philosophies, aesthetics and so on. There is an old saying which goes, “It is not a banquet without wine”. Under the custom of having dinner together in China, drinking games were therefore introduced. There are many kinds of banquet betting and drinking games, like morra (a finger-guessing game) , wine/spirits words, wine/spirits chips (a drinking game), all with rich cultural connotations. In reality, it is difficult to win unless you have a card up your sleeve.

中国是酒的故乡。古人将酒的作用归纳为治病、养生、礼仪三类。酒文化是中华饮食文化的重要组成部分，它的精神文化价值体现在社会政治生活、文学艺术乃至人生态度、审美情趣等诸多方面。无酒不成宴，酒筹文化是中国合餐制的产物。宴席上的酒令五花八门，猜拳、文字令、筹令等都富有丰厚的文化内涵，若胸中无数，则难以自如应对。

Chinese grottoes mainly reflect the art of Buddhist culture.In China, there are four major art landscapes of grottoes: the Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang, the Yungang Grottoes at Datong, the Longmen Grottoes at Luoyang, and the Maijishan Grottoes at Tianshui.Carved and painted on mountains, the Buddhist grottoes mingle both sublimity and secular feelings together, presenting us a vivid and natural appearance. They embody the systematic combination of both the exceptional artistry of great nature and the extremely fine craftsmanship of mankind. The Chinese Buddhist grottoes are regarded as a profound and stunning general art gallery, which are composed of architecture, painting, sculptures, etc. The artistic achievements of Chinese grottoes have attracted the attention of the world, and have become important international cultural heritage.

中国石窟主要反映的是佛教文化艺术。敦煌莫高窟、大同云冈石窟、洛阳龙门石窟、天水麦积山石窟，号称中国四大石窟艺术景观。佛教石窟随山雕凿、彩绘，形象生动自然，将崇高美与世俗情融为一体，把天然造化与人工创造有机结合，是由建筑、绘画、雕塑等组成的博大精深、绚丽夺目的综合艺术殿堂。其艺术成就为世界所瞩目，已成为重要的世界文化遗产。

Chinese classical literature includes poetry, prose, fiction and ci (new lyrics written to pre-existing tunes), fu (“descriptive poems” of prose-poetry), qu (a freer form based on the new popular songs and dramatic arias), and many other styles. Its artistic expressions are various in technique. Four classics of Chinese literature are “ Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” “Water Margin,” “Journey to the West,” and “Dream of Red Mansions,” which have extensive and far-reaching significance both on a national and international level.Through reading “the four famous novels” carefully, you can experience traditional Chinese society and human culture, and folklore customs. And it is an important way to absorb the quintessence of the traditional Chinese culture as well as to pick up strategies and wisdom on how to get along with others.

中国古典文学包括诗歌、散文、小说以及词、赋、曲等多种文体，艺术表现手法丰富各异。而小说中的《三国演义》、《水浒传》、《西游记》、《红楼梦》则被称为中国四大古典文学名著，至今在国内外都有着广泛而深远的影响。研读四大名著能够了解中国传统人文社会、民俗之心理，是汲取古代文明精粹、处事为人策略与智慧的重要途径。