英语中国文化

Chinese Knowledge you have to know1.十天干：甲jia 乙yi 丙bing 丁ding 戊wu己ji 庚geng 辛xin 壬ren 癸gui2.十二地支：子zi 丑chou 寅yin 卯mao 辰chen 巳si午wu 未wei 申shen 酉you 戌xu 亥hai3.十二地支动物英语名：Rat: 子鼠；Ox: 丑牛；Tiger: 寅虎；Rabbit: 卯兔；Dragon: 辰龙；Snake：巳蛇；Horse: 午马；Goat: 未羊；Monkey: 申猴；Rooster: 酉鸡；Dog: 戌狗；Pig: 亥猪4.Book of Spring and Autumn 《春秋》Book of Odes 《诗》Book of History 《书》Book of Rites 《礼》Book of Music 《乐》Book of Change《易》The benevolent loves people.仁者爱人。

In order to establish oneself, establish others; in order to develop oneself, develop others. / To make accomplishment you must help others to be accomplished too.夫仁者，己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人。

Don’t do onto others what you don’t want others to do onto you. / Do not d o to others what you would not like yourself.己所不欲，勿施于人。

All within the Four Seas are brothers.四海之内，皆兄弟也。

You may rob the Three Armies of their commander-in-chief, but you cannot deprive the humblest peasant of his opinion.三军可夺帅也，匹夫不可夺志也。

A man can enlarge his Way, but there is no Way that can enlarge a man.人能弘道，非道弘人。

Is it not a pleasure, having learned something, to try it out at due intervals?学而时习之，不亦说乎?Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎?To say you know when you know, and to say you do not when you do not; that is knowledge.知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。

Whenever walking in a company of three, I can always find my teacher among them (or one who has something to teach me三人行，必有我师焉。

A man who does not think and plan long ahead will find trouble right by his door.人无远虑，必有近忧。

At fifteen, I began to be seriously interested in study. At thirty, I had formed my character. At forty, I had no more perplexities. At fifty, I knew the will of heaven. At sixty, nothing that I heard disturbed me. At seventy, I could let my thought wander without trespassing the moral law.吾十有五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳顺，七十而从心所欲，不逾矩。

A youth is to be regarded with respect. / We should hold the young in awe后生可畏Rotten wood cannot be carved.朽木不可雕也When I hear a man talk, I reserve my judgment until I see how he acts. / Having listened to a man's words I go on to observe his deeds.听其言而观其行He was of an active nature and yet fond of learning, and he was not ashamed to ask and learn of his inferiors!敏而好学，不耻下问In teaching there should be no distinction of classes.有教无类。

Those whose courses are different cannot lay plans for one another.道不同，不相为谋。

The lack of self-restraint in small matters will bring ruin to great plans./ A man who can not put up with small losses or disadvantages will often spoil a big plan.小不忍，则乱大谋。

I do not know how a man without truthfulness is to get on. / I do not see how a man can be acceptable who is untrustworthy in word?人而无信，不知其可也。

To learn continually and to teach other people unceasingly学而不厌，诲人不倦1. Let the ruler be a ruler and the subject a subject. 君君臣臣，父父子子。

2. Virtuous man seeks principle but not food; Virtuous man worries about principle but not poverty. 君子谋道不谋食，君子忧道不忧贫。

3. The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚。

4.Not only can water float a boat, it can sink it also.水能载舟亦能覆舟5. If every one in the world will love universally; states not attacking one another; houses not disturbing one another; thieves and robbers becoming extinct; emperor and ministers, fathers and sons, all being affectionate and filial -- if all this comes to pass the world will be orderly.若使天下兼相爱，国与国不相攻，家与家不相乱，盗贼无有，君臣父子皆能孝慈，若此则天下治。

6.Read 10,000 books, travel 10,000 miles. 行万里路，读万卷书7. This tree, because its wood is good for nothing, will succeed in living out its natural term of years. 此木以不材得终其天年。

8. Being in harmony with men is called the joy of men; being in harmony with Heaven is called the joy of Heaven. 与人和者，谓之人乐；与天和者，谓之天乐。

9. The highest excellence is like (that of) water. 上善若水。

.1. School of Scholars (儒家)2. School of Law (法家)3. School of the Way (道家)4. School of Mo (墨家)5. School of Yin-yang (阴阳家)6. School of Names (名家)7. School of Agriculture (农家)8. School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances (纵横家)9. Miscellaneous School (杂家)10. School of “Minor-talks” (小说家)11. School of the Military (兵家) XunziLüBuwei Zhuang Zi Mencius SunziHan Fei ConfuciusMo DiLi SiSu Qin Shang Yang Lao Zi Gongsun Long Sun BinTao QianXu Xing Zhang YiZou YanBasic knowledge and Translation:1. School of Scholars (儒家)2. School of Law (法家)3. School of the Way (道家)4. School of Mo (墨家)5. School of Yin-yang (阴阳家)6. School of Names (名家)7. School of Agriculture (农家)8. School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances (纵横家)9. Miscellaneous School (杂家)10. School of “Minor-talks”(小说家)11. School of the Military (兵家)1.(明朝) the Ming Dynasty2.(木板印刷) woodblock printing3.(唐朝) Tang Dynasty4.(活字印刷) movable type printing5.(宋朝) Song Dynasty6.(白话文学) baihua literature7.(古典文学) classical literature8.(东周王朝) Eastern Zhou Dynasty9.(《易经》) I Ching10.(伏羲) Fu Xi11.(《诗经》) The Classic of Poetry12.(《礼记》) The Record of Rites13.(《春秋》编年史) The Spring and Autumn Annals14.(《论语》) The Analects of Confucius15.(《淮南子》) Huainanzi16.( 道教) Taoism17.(诸子百家) the Hundred Schools of Thought18.(战国时期) the Warring States Period19.(春秋时期)Spring and Autumn periods20.(《红楼梦》) The dream of the Red ChamberReading Comprehension:Passage 1Kua Fu Chasing the SunKua Fu Chasing the Sun is one of the earliest famous fables in China. It talks about the legendary story of Kua Fu who aspired to catch up with the sun.In ancient times, there lived a group of mighty giants deep in the forests in the north and Kua Fu was their leader. At that time, the world was desolate and uncultured, infested with vipers and beasts. Kua Fu kept hanging the ferocious（凶猛的）snakes he caught on ears for decoration, or grabbed them in hands waving proudly.In a year when the weather was extraordinarily hot, the plants were scorched （晒焦）, the rivers were dried and people were suffering from the intense heat of the sun. Kua Fu swore to catch the sun and tame it to serve for all.The sun moved fleetingly in the sky, while Kua Fu chased it like wind on the ground. When he shook off the dusts in his shoes, the dusts became a hill; he used three stones to support his boiler when he was cooking, and the stones later became three mountains.He caught up with the sun finally after nine days and nights. However, the sun was so scorching that he felt thirsty and tired and went to the Yellow River and the Wei River to quench （解渴）his thirst. But the water from these two rivers was not sufficient to satisfy him and he decided to go to the Great Lake to drink its water. Before he got there he died of thirst on the way.Before his death, Kua Fu cast his walking stick away, and the place it fell off immediately grew a huge lush peach forests. The forests were flourishing all year round, which provides shades and peaches for the passersby and hard-working people to quench thirst.Passage 2An Unrequited KindnessWe are all very familiar with the Arabian Nights and the story of the Fisherman and the Devil. A very similar fable in China is called Master Dongguo and the Wolf of Zhongshan or An Unrequited Kindness.Master Dongguo, a pedantic （书生气的）teacher and follower of Mohism （墨家思想）, was ready to help anyone in distress, whoever it might be and regardless of the circumstances. One day on a journey through the Zhongshan Mountain, he came across a wounded wolf being pursued by hunters. At bay, the wolf sweetly begged the master to help him. The old man saw a chance to act on the Mohist doctrine （教义）of “universal fraternity（四海之内皆兄弟）”, he then took the books out of his travelling bag and put the wolf in it. When the hunter came along and inquired if he had seen a wolf. Master Dongguo lied, saying that he had noticed nothing unusual.The hunters galloped （飞奔）on.However, when the wolf was let out of the bag, he showed his true self. He said he was hungry; since the master was so kind as to have helped him once, he might as well do it again by allowing himself to be eaten. Now it was Master Dongguo’s turn to run.Just then, a farmer came along and asked what the matter was. Master Dongguo and the wolf gave their respective arguments and asked him to make a judgment. The farmer thought over the situation for a few moments and said. “I don’t believe the story either of you told me. The bag’s so small. How could Mister Wolf get into it? Maybe you should show it to me?”So the wolf once again got into the bag and the farmer immediately tied up the bag.“You are too naive. You treat beasts like this with kindness, but their evil nature can never change!” said the farmer. He then killed the wolf with his hoe. Only then did the master wake up to reality.Th is fable is so well known among the Chinese that “Master Dongguo” is a synonym for a pedantic person who is unable to see the greater picture, and the “Wolf of Zhongshan” for an ingrate.Passage 3The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually in October in Gregorian calendar.Folklore about the origin of the festival goes like this: In remote antiquity, there were ten suns rising in the sky, which scorched all crops and drove people into dire poverty. A hero named Hou Yi was much worried about this, he ascended to the top of the Kunlun Mountain and, directing his superhuman strength to full extent, drew his extraordinary bow and shot down the nine superfluous suns one after another. He also ordered the last sun to rise and set according to time. For this reason, he was respected and loved by the people and lots of people of ideals and integrity came to him to learn martial arts from him. A person named Peng Meng lurked in them. (Adapted from )Hou Yi had a beautiful and kindhearted wife named Chang E. One day on his way to the Kunlun Mountain to call on friends, he ran upon the Empress of Heaven Wangmu who was passing by. Empress Wangmu presented to him a parcel of elixir, by taking which, it was said, one would ascend immediately to heaven and become a celestial being. Hou Yi, however, hated to part with his wife. So he gave the elixir to Chang E to treasure for the time being. Chang E hid the parcel in a treasure box at her dressing table when, unexpectedly, it was seen by Peng Meng.One day when Hou Yi led his disciples to go hunting, Peng Meng, sword in hand, rushed into the inner chamber and forced Chang E to hand over the elixir. Aware that she was unable to defeat Peng Meng, Chang E made a prompt decision at that critical moment. She turned round to open her treasure box, took up the elixir and swallowedit in one gulp. As soon as she swallowed the elixir her body floated off the ground, dashed out of the window and flew towards heaven. Peng Meng escaped.When Hou Yi returned home at dark, he knew from the maidservants what had happened. Overcome with grief, Hou Yi looked up into the night sky and called out the name of his beloved wife when, to his surprise, he found that the moon was especially clear and on it there was a swaying shadow that was exactly like his wife. He tried his best to chase after the moon. But as he ran, the moon retreated; as he withdrew, the moon came back. He could not get to the moon at all.When people heard of the story that Chang E had turned into a celestial being, they arranged the incense table in the moonlight one after another and prayed kindhearted Chang E for good fortune and peace. From then on the custom of worshiping the moon spread among the people.Passage 4Blessing or BaneNear China’s northern borders lived a man well versed in the practices of Taoism. His horse, for no reason at all, got into the territory of the northern tribes. Everyone commiserated with him.“Perhaps this will soon turn out to be a blessing,” said his father.After a few months, his animal came back, leading a fine horse from the north. Everyone congratulated him.“Perhaps this will soon turn out to be a cause of misfortune,” said his father.Since he was well-off and kept good horses his son became fond of riding and eventually broke his thigh bone falling from a horse. Everyone commiserated with him.“Perhaps this will soon turn out to be a blessing,” said his father.One year later, the northern tribes started a big invasion of the border regions. All able-bodied young men took up arms and fought against the invaders. And the result is, a round the border nine out of ten men died. This man’s son did not join in the fighting because he was crippled, so both the boy and his father survived.Passage 5Myth of Jingwei Filling the SeaOnce upon a time, the youngest and most favored daughter of Emperor Yan, legendary ruler of primitive China, went boating on the Eastern Sea. While she was enjoying herself, a strong wind rose on the sea and her boat capsized. Just before she was buried by the surging waves, her spirit turned into a beautiful bird. As it flew over the roaring sea, it cried sadly in the sound "jinwei, jingwei". That was why people called it "Jingwei".The bird lived on a mountain near the sea. It hated the sea so much that it decided to fill it up. Every day, it flew to and fro between the mountain and the sea, carrying in a twig or a pebble from the mountain and dropping it into the sea.One day, the roaring sea said to Jingwei, "Poor little bird, stop doing that meaningless thing! You'll never fill me up." Jingwei replied, "I'll fill you up no doubt!I will, even if it'll take me thousands of years! I'll fight on until doomsday!"The brave little bird kept carrying twigs and pebbles from the mountain to the Eastern Sea without taking a rest.Passage 6Ren and Li are the two core concepts of Confucius’ doctrine about people.When his student Fan Chi asked him about ren, Confucius replied, “Love people.” This is Confucius’ most important interpretation of ren. Love for the people is universal love. Confucius further emphasizes that this kind of love should “begin with the love for one’s parents”. He believed no one could love people in general if they did not even lov e their own parents. Confucius regarded “filial piety and fraternal(兄弟的) duty” as the essence of ren. The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong) quotes Confucius as saying, “The greatest love for people is the love for one’s parents.” He also said, “Children sho uld not travel far while their parents are alive. If they have no choice but to do so, they must retain some restraint.” 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 health and longevity of their parents. They should also feel concern for the aging of their parents,”By ren, Confucius meant universal love based on love for one’s parents. How should people love one another then? Confucius said, “One should be aware that other people may have similar desires as oneself. While fulfilling one’s own desires, allow others to fulfi ll their desires as well.” He further said, “Do not do toward others anything you would not want to be done to you.” Thus from oneself to one’s family, from family to society, one should extend love to all people. Mencius, a great Confucian scholar, best summarized ren as “loving one’s parents, loving the people, loving everything in the world.”Today, the Confucius doctrine of “Do not do toward others anything you would not want to be done to you” still holds true for humankind.Li refers to rituals, traditions and norms in social life. Of these, Confucius regarded burial rituals and ancestral worship rituals as the most important, because they arose from human feelings. He said, “A child should not leave his parents’ bosom until he is three years old.” He naturally loved hid parents. The ritual of wearing mourning for a deceased(已死的) parent for three years was an expression of the child’s love and remembrance.Confucius placed emphasis on li with the aim of preserving social order, stability and harmony. The Analects (Lunyu)says, “The role of li is to maintain harmony among people.”Li also has philosophical implications. While individuals have a limited lifespan, life in nature is everlasting. Life is given by one’s parents and extended through one’s children. In this way, a limited, individual life becomes merged with the limitless life of nature; the individual dream of eternal life can thus come true. Through burial rituals and ancestral worship rituals, people are able to experience the everlasting continuity of life, appreciating the value and meaning of life. This gives people metaphorical(比喻性的) solace.Passage 7Yu Gong Moving away MountainsThe following is a story well-known to almost every Chinese. It was written four or five centuries ago by philosopher Li Yukou in his book Lie Zi.There was a ninety-year old man called Yu Gong in China, who had two big mountains in front of his family home, which caused his family great inconvenience. One day he gathered his family and said: “The two mountains have given us too much trouble getting outside. Let’s move them away!” His children and grandchildren all agreed except his wife. She said: “We’ve been living with such an inconvenience for generations. Why can’t we just let it stay there? And where can we dispose of the stones and dirt from these mountains?” It was decided the stones and dirt would be dumped into the sea.The work began the next day. Their only digging tools were hoes and baskets and they were afar away from the sea. But none of the hardships and difficulties could daunt the brave family. They worked on the mountains every day.One day, a wise old man called Zhi Sou, upon seeing them attempting to move the mountains was amused and said to Yu Gong: “You are old and you can barely climb to the mountain top. How can you expect to move the mountains away?” Yu Gong replied: “Yes, I am old and I will soon die. But I have children and when my children are dead, there will still be my grandchildren. My family will grow and grow and the mountain will get smaller and smaller. With such determination, surely it is possible to move the mountains!”So Yu Gong and his family carried on with their work day after day and year after year through hot summer to cold winter until one day when God in heaven was moved by them and sent two immortals to take the two mountains away. The moral of the story is that: many tasks appear to be unachievable, but with determination anything can be achieved.Questions:What are the four treasures of the study? List the most famous one for each item. Can you list out at least 6 kinds of Chinese tea? What are they?What’s the greatest book for tea? Who wrote it?How many kinds of kites are there according to the way of making it?What’s the definition of Chinese Martial arts?What are the 5 tastes in Chinese dish?Can you briefly introduce Quyuan /LiBai/Confucius/Laozi?Can you list 5 kinds of traditional Chinese festivals?Can you cook/make some traditional Chinese food/dish? How?Can you recite the 10 heavenly stems and the 12 Earthly Branches in their right order? Can you mention five elements in Chinese cultural?Would you list five kinds of traditional Chinese folk arts and handicrafts?What do Yin and Yang represent?What are the Four Famous Embroideries of China?What are the eight regional Chinese cuisines?What are the marked characteristics of a typical Chinese dish?What are the 12 animals in English and which animal should be the first of them according to the Chinese Zodiac?。