中国文化通览-词汇

黄河流域Yellow River Valley文化融合，政治统一cultural fusion and political unity游牧部落nomadic tribesmen疆域territory小农经济the small-scale peasant economy封建主经济landlord / owner-peasant自然经济形态the natural economic pattern农、林、木、副、渔agriculture, forestation, herding, fishing and third industry cooperation中原the Central Plains重农轻商encourage farming, limit commerce战国时期the Warring States Period男耕女织the man cultivating the land and the woman weaving at home自给自足的自然经济self-sufficient natural economy一盘散沙a sheet of loose sand草根阶层the grass-roots level人头税the poll tax水能载舟，亦能覆舟the water that bears the boat is the same that swallows it / the water that carries the boat can also overturn it多元一体integrated pluralism吐故纳新discard the old and embrace the new炎黄子孙the descendants of Yandi and Huangdi礼仪之邦the land of ceremony and propriety大一统观念the notion of great national unity甲骨文the inscriptions on tortoise shells or animal bones铭文the inscriptions on bronze or copper wares象形、指事、会意、形声pictographs, self-explanatory characters, associative compounds and pictophonetic method四书五经The Four Books and The Five Classics书同文、行同伦the standardized language and behaviors儒、道、佛、法家Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and the Legalist School焚书坑儒burn books and bury Confucian scholars alive无为而治to govern by doing nothing that is against nature独尊儒术、罢黜百家pay supreme tribute to Confucianism while banning all other schools of thought四大发明Four Great Inventions of Ancient China: The invention of papermaking technology, the art of printing, the making of the gunpowder, the compass守内虚外internal defense and external slackening重文轻武lay stress on the cultural achievement while making light of the military exploits清明上河图The Festival of Pure Brightness on the River求和谐，主平衡seek for harmony and maintain equilibrium消灾祈福avert calamities and pray for blessings临时抱佛脚clasp Buddha’s feet when in trouble – seek help at the last moment六合six realms of Heaven and Earth, East and West, North and South内圣外王the supreme morality at once internalized as cultivation and externalized as governance真诚、正心、修身sincerity, integrity, and intellectual cultivation齐家治国平天下keep your family in order, govern the state effectively and bring peace to the world中庸the golden mean天人合一oneness of man and nature大一统great national unity集体利益collective interest人伦human relations普天之下莫非王土，率土之滨莫非王臣all the land under the sun belongs to the king; all the people within this country are the king’s subjects《史记》Historical Records宗族关系the patriarchal relations赴汤蹈火go through fire and water中华民族的脊梁the spiritual tower of Chinese nation否极泰来out of depth of misfortune comes bliss以柔克刚conquer the rigid with the gentle一张一弛alternate tension with relaxation仁者爱人the benevolent love others仁政benevolent government以民为本people were the foundation of the state民为贵，社稷次之，君为轻people come first, the state comes second and the king third性善论original goodness of human nature小国寡民a small state with a small population无为而治to govern by doing nothing汉代经学Imperial Confucianism in the Han Dynasty科举考试the imperial competitive examination诸侯国dukedom祭歌sacrificial songs忠孝仁爱loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and love博爱universal love孔曰成仁，孟曰取义while Confucius advocated “killing oneself for benevolence”, Mencius encouraged “killing oneself for righteousness”中国文化之精髓the cream of the Chinese culture原始社会primitive society巫sorcerer/sorceress高雅的古典艺术a refined classical art中华民族的瑰宝a treasure of the Chinese nation内容丰富，形式完美，风格独特rich in content, perfect in form and unique in style古装戏costume operas脸谱a painted face生旦净末丑sheng(male), dan(female), jing(painted face), mo(old male), chou(clown)篆书the Seal Character隶书the Official Script楷书the Regular Script行书the Running Script草书the Cursive Script对联Chinese couplets/pillar couplets/antithetical couplets篆刻seal cutting开山鼻主pioneer master章法the composition民间工艺folk art前身predecessor吉利话good luck charms装裱mount/mounting彩印process printing单色印刷monochromatic printing艺术表现力artistic expression艺术创作artistic creation高度概括的主题masterly generalized themes大肆夸张的形象sensationally exaggerated images继承inherit勾线技法sketching techniques构图严谨而饱满an accurate and well-conceived composition 线条简约而粗犷simple yet bold lines画面古朴而夸张unsophisticated yet exaggerated images人物生动而憨厚色泽艳丽而明快bright and lively colors质朴大方honest and graceful散发出浓郁的乡土气息give off a strong local flavor求福避祸bring good luck and avoid disasters装饰艺术decorative arts宫廷画师court painter取得长足进步make great strides心灵手巧a clever mind and nimble fingers平面图案a plane figure独创性和耐人寻味original and thought-provoking对称图形symmetrical patterns同音异义的homonymous蜈蚣风筝centipede kite刺绣作品embroidery article双面绣double-faced embroidery争奇斗艳vie for beauty and glamour。